Once Before

10 - A Bitter Truth

Night was falling slowly upon the town of Ashford as the sky turned into mellow shades of purple, and everyone had slowed down to prepare to go home and rest. The hustle of the crowd that usually occupied the market had moved indoors, with their shadows mimicking their every move against the contrast of the warm candle light, a silent dance framed by the window to whoever was paying attention from the cobblestoned streets.

It was a lovely moment that I would've particularly enjoyed had I not been in a rush to go to the only place I know I can find answers.

For the past two days, my thoughts has been plagued by the last conversation I had with the Countess Dowager, her words echoed in my mind so fervently that the weight must've shown on my face, for Arthur kept telling me to not mind whatever it was she had said to me, though I had refrained myself from telling him what it was. 

If there was anyone in town who might have a single clue about the Countess Dowager's distaste towards me- and if I'm lucky then perhaps even the solution to it - then it must be Corliss.

I rapped on the aged wooden door, trying to see through the darkness from within. But it was only after the third set of knocks that a flicker of candlelight came from the stairway at the back of the store, followed by the silhouette of a woman with a shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"Mrs. Brown, I don't think I-" She scolded, before her eyes landed on mine. Her look of sheer annoyance was immediately replaced by puzzlement. "Clemmie, what are you doing here so late? And alone? Come in, do you know how dangerous it is for a young woman to venture outside alone during these hours?"

"I'm sorry Corliss, but I needed to see you," I countered, scooting inside as Corliss locked the door behind us, motioning me to follow her upstairs. She offered me a cup of tea which I gladly accepted, I had been in such a rush that I had failed to notice how cold the night had gotten, and it was only when I wrapped my fingers around the cup that I realized my hands were numb.

"Now," She began, taking a sip of her own tea. "Is something the matter?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but we were both met with silence. I searched her eyes for any sign of recognition, or perhaps even an understanding, but she seemed to be waiting for me just as much as I was waiting for myself to speak.

"The Countess Dowager scolded me!", I finally exclaimed- much too loud and too intense from what the both of us had anticipated.

When the subtle look of acknowledgement replaced her initial confusion, something inside me sparked. I had come to the right place, after all. 

Corliss motioned for me to continue, and so I did. I told her everything, from the afternoon spent with a very young, very pregnant Gertrude, to being called upon by the Dowager Countess' lady's maid, to the terrible, accusing words she had thrown at me so carelessly in the library, all down to the very second Arthur came in - during which all of the arguments had ceased to continue.

I sipped my lukewarm tea as soon as I was done, it was a concoction of something herbal and floral - perhaps chamomile and mint - though there was something else I couldn't pin down.

"The Countess Dowager is very well known in this town, you know," Corliss began, after a long pause of which I suspected was her trying to find the right words to say to me. "Though, not for the reasons any of us would want to be known for. She had always been... ruthless, in a manner of speaking."

"I think it's quite valid for me to second that opinion," I scoffed.

"Don't let her get to you Clemmie, that's how she manipulates others, by attacking people's insecurities and making them question themselves," She explained, which sounded just as much like a testimony as it was a warning. "If you are ever in need of a place to stay, the vacant room right by mine is yours."