Pirates, Kings, and Love. Oh my.

Chapter 4

IV

Knowing Marianne would tell Ben and Julia, I had to get out. A woman dressed in a golden gown somewhere to my left laughed, her tiny hand covering her mouth. I backed away from the circle of people watching the dancers glide gracefully across the tile floor my Father had put in. Mother was over by the musicians, Father talking to some men near the gallery. Julia was dancing with a man with a moustache who looked to be way to old for her. As I walked out of the extravagant ballroom I turned back. I saw Marianne looking at me.

“Goodbye,” I whispered. I turned around and bit my tongue to stop the wetness I could feel in my eyes. Some people were meandering around the hallways, looking around at my father’s fancy new summerhouse. Not me. I’ve had enough of this life. This life where young ladies are expected to go to parties, host teas, dance with extremely boring young (and sometimes much older) men who only care to talk about money and themselves. I lifted up my skirts and ran down the stairs.

“Colette! Darling, where are you heading off to?” I froze and turned around to face my mother, her face looking stern, as it always does when she has to deal with me.

“I was just-“ What was I just? I hadn’t thought of an excuse incase somebody stopped me. I silently cursed myself for not thinking my plan through. In the corner of my eye I saw Anna with an empty food tray walking to the kitchen. I looked back at my mother’s expectant face and forced a smile. “I was just going to see what was taking Cook so long with the trays of cheeses.” I said confidentially, sounding the way mother would want me to sound.

She smiled and looked pleased with me. “You are becoming a fine young lady.” She kissed my cheek and walked back up to the party. I stayed where I was until I couldn’t hear the swishing of her silk skirts anymore. Actually, I couldn’t hear anything.

I rushed back down the stairs and into the kitchen. Cook was busy ordering everybody around so nobody had time to notice a small girl running through. Drops of rain struck my face when I opened the door, and I ran out into it willingly.

I ran. I ran as fast as I could, lifting my skirts up to my waist as I did so. I ran to the stables and pushed the doors open. I leaned on a wooden pole and sunk to the ground. The wetness that stung my eyes earlier now came back, as fast as the rain outside.

“Colette?” Jonathan asked from Lucy’s stall. I looked up and saw him putting his brush down and coming over to me. I got up and closed the space between us. His strong arms felt nice around my waist. I felt safe. He lifted my chin with his hand and leaned in. His lips tasted salty, but I didn’t care. I unwillingly broke away, remembering why I came in the first place.

“Jonathan, we have to leave.” I said. He looked into my eyes, surprised.

“Colette, I don’t know if-“

“I can’t take it anymore! I just can’t take it!” I yelled, wrenching myself out of his arms and paced back and forth. “Always being corrected for something, always having to be told to do something the right way! I don’t know why it matters if I sit with my ankles crossed or not! And now I’m engaged to the one person I loathe the most on this planet!” I stopped pacing and stuck out my hand with the boulder on it. Once again, my eyes started stinging. Barely above a whisper, I choked “I just want to be free.”

Jonathan walked back over to me and hugged me again. I rested my head on his chest, smelling the dirt and sweat on him, and closed my eyes. “I know Colette, I know. But I don’t have enough money to support us yet. Wait just three more months and then we can leave, buy a house, and start a family. Just you and me.”

Three months? Hold up. “Three months? Jonathan, I could be married in three months, we have to leave before the wedding plans start. Besides, this thing on my finger is worth at least a million.” I said. “We have to leave. Tonight.”