Promises Not Kept

42

//I genuinely apologize if my writing's a little more flowery. I'm knee-deep in Jane Austen and it's merely a side-effect. I'm sure it'll wear off with time.

            Leah heard Linda screaming from inside. "What happened?" She demanded as she rushed into the dining room.

Tommy grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to guide her out of the room. "I'll tell you later. Go check on the kids and return to the tent. Tell people nothing's wrong."

"I'm not going back outside." Leah knew that Mosley was out there most likely still blocking the path to the tent. "What happened?" She asked again trying to shake off his grip and see what was going on. She thought it was her business if there was someone dying on her dining room table.

"Leah, listen to me-"

"No!" She shouted back at him. "Not after everything you've done tonight. Now tell me what's happening."

"Mumma?" Charlie was stood on the stair landing. He was trembling slightly from the noises coming from the dining room.

Tommy and Leah shared a look. "Charles, go back upstairs." He commanded sternly.

"Go back in there." Leah hissed at her husband and pushed his hands away from her shoulders. She headed up the stairs to console her son. "It's okay, it's just noises from the ballet." She soothed softly and scooped him up into his arms. "Nothing's wrong. Everything's okay." There was no telling how many times Leah would be able to say that until the guilt caught up to her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Once Charlie fell back asleep, Leah closed his door and found the house was quiet again. She stood in the hallway and considered going back downstairs and joining the party again. Maybe she could put on a brave face even after everything that had happened. Then she heard her husband speaking quietly to Mosley. Their voices traveled to the big room before the door closed and their voices became muffled. The man's voice was enough to convince her to stay upstairs. She would be ecstatic to go the rest of her life without seeing his face ever again. So, she returned to her bedroom and locked the door.

The night passed on and Leah was comfortable in her room, far more comfortable than she would've been downstairs. She watched a few cars leaving while a few guests settled into their rooms for the night. It wasn't long before the doorknob tried to turn but was inhibited by the lock. She didn't move to open it; afraid it was Mosley trying to carry out his intentions. She hadn't seen whether he'd left or not.

"Leah?" Tommy knocked. "C'mon, I just want to talk."

She considered leaving him out but knew there weren't any empty rooms due to their guests and she didn't want him to disturb the children. With a huff, she stood up and unlocked the door before returning to her spot on the edge of the bed.

Tommy entered cautiously. He didn't like to admit it but he was thoroughly shaken. After the confrontation with Linda and Mosley's speech in the tent, he was afraid of what he'd gotten himself into. But it was far too late to turn back. It remained to be seen how that would affect his marriage.

"Mosley said you wouldn't allow him to stay the night."

"This is my house just as much as it is yours." She replied curtly, her eyes refusing to look at him. Her arms crossed over her chest.

"I wasn't questioning that. I just wanted to know why."

Leah tried to keep her nerve but her lower lip quivered. She was so angry and upset over the disaster of a night. "There was once a time where if a man spoke to me the way he did earlier, I would be afraid you'd kill him. Now I'm afraid that you won't even listen to how it makes me feel. Let alone that you'd stand up for me." She whispered.