Raw Winter

Chapter 12: Mint Tea

Charlet and Winter did their research in three days. They feared taking more because she didn't know how much time she had before it was obvious she was pregnant. She also feared what it would be like for Nevel to call on her again. She kept telling Charlet she could handle it, but didn't want to admit just how little she thought she could. It felt like she was running a race where she already broke her leg and still had so much farther to go and couldn't just not finish it.

A lot occurred to her, especially how likely it was that they wouldn't only kill her if she did something outside of their perimeters. They would destroy her in worse ways than she could imagine. They wouldn't only kill her and put her in a simple grave. They would erase her from the inside out. The husk left over would continue to walk and talk, but she wasn't sure if she would be a senseless passenger.

She knew she had to do anything it took to change her fate. She had to get away.

Normally, Charlet avoided Nevel, but he spent an evening with him to further their cause.

"You know," Nevel said as Charlet brought him a tray and placed it in front of him, "I used to get the impression you were avoiding me. Why are you taking such an interest in me now?"

"Oh, I don't know," Charlet replied. "You've been gone for so long that when you came back, I had a lot of bookkeeping to do to catch up with everything you needed from me." He wore a believable smile. "It's a lot of work. If I didn't know better, I would think you were avoiding the library. It's where I work the most, after all. I'd almost think it was about me."

"You were really close to my father," Nevel said. "I thought you might still be upset with me over his death. It was really sudden, wasn't it? I thought maybe you would have blamed me with how I was in line for his inheritance. There are a lot of sons that would do something like that."

Charlet's eyes narrowed. His smile became ever thinner and unnaturally wide, but he toned it down to something a little less frightening and threatening.

"I don't blame you for any of that. I don't think you had any clue about what was happening with your father. Your good doctor did everything he could when your father died, and it just wasn't enough. It must have been just as hard on you," He replied, flicking his nose a few times. "Honestly, I didn't even know you were aware of how close I was to him."

"You looked completely different when he was alive," Nevel commented. "You actually looked like a girl back then, but I guess losing someone like that changes us all."

Charlet was no longer smiling. He didn't know what to say to that and frankly wanted to walk away from the table, but forced himself to pour himself some tea and offered a cup to Nevel. A frown flickered on his lips, wishing it was something more than mint, but knew the temptation would be too great if it were. He regained a neutral expression that could pass for a smile. He reminded himself he was doing this for Winter.

"Speaking of that, I wanted to know if it was fine if I took the servant girl I bought for you out from time to time to the nearby town. I know she can be neurotic, but I hope you can understand she's been locked up in this house for most of her life. I think it would really straighten her out if she gets a chance at a good breath of that fresh sea salt air. It really does wonders with my mood, and I think it will really help her," Charlet told him.

"As long as it doesn't help her like it helped you," Nevel teased, not seeming to notice the momentary scowl or else not caring. Perhaps he even took discrete pleasure in the fact it seemed to upset Charlet. "But let's be serious. She's not the most obedient girl, is she? I would hate it if she ran away."

"I don't think it's possible," Charlet answered. He spoke in a tone suggesting interrupting meant Nevel wasn't smart enough to follow. "The people in town all know she's your servant by the way she dresses, and the way she's marked. I doubt any ship on that dock would dare to allow her anywhere near their ship. Not even the pirates that sometimes come around would take her. They're very superstitious about women. Also, may I say, I've seen major improvement since Dr. Tirenen got ahold of her. I don't think she would think of anything other than returning to the manor if I took her out. It's only for the sake of her health and your continued enjoyment that I suggest it. I think she's looking green around the gills, and we both know how cranky the good doctor gets when you bother him about little things. You don't want him to think you can't handle her, do you?"