The Frozen Rose

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: A helping sister

Two weeks of heartache and misery had passed. Elizabeth had not heard of William. She did not expect to, but could a woman not hope?

No, she could not. Her hopes only got crushed. And when it came to William, twas always worse than with anything else.

She startled from a knock on her door. She ignored it, for the person would leave if she did not answer. But the door opened and without a sound Mary entered. She came to sit next to Elizabeth on her bed and wrapped an arm around her waist. She let her head rest on her shoulder.

"I do not want to fall in love," Mary said. "It hurts too much."

Elizabeth tried to smile, but she did not succeed. "It only hurts if you love the wrong person."

"I do not want to risk it. If even you can get hurt so, I do not want to know what life has in store for me."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled her closer. "Life is good to you if you are good to people."

"But you are great to people. Why does life treat you so badly, then?"

She planted her lips on Mary's hair. "I do not know."

"I also do not understand why a man may lose his virtue while a woman may not. it is not-"

"Mary," Elizabeth interrupted her calmly, for she did not find it in her to be angry or severe, "may we please talk of something else."

She felt her sister nod. "Of course. I am sorry."

She gave Mary another kiss on her hair.

"Do you remember Arthur's teddy bear?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

"He had a teddy bear?"

"Yes, a light brown one with a green bow."

Mary seemed to think of it. "I do remember a light brown teddy bear with a green bow. Was it truly Arthur's?"

Elizabeth nodded. "He took it everywhere."

Mary turned her head to look at her sister. "Why is Arthur's teddy bear a better conversation than my plea for women?"

"Because I found it back."

"You found what back?"

"Arthur's teddy bear."

Mary frowned. "Where did you find that?"

"Twas on my chair one day."

"Who put it there?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I do not know. But I hid it."

"Why?"

"Too many bad memories."

"Of the bear, or of its owner."

She gave Mary an pity smile. "Both."

"What did the bear ever do wrong?"

"He was too attached to its owner."

"I remember Andrew walking around with a light brown bear."

Elizabeth nodded. "Arthur would encourage him to take it from him. But every time Andrew did, Arthur would start shouting and blamed Andrew of stealing the bear."

"That is mean."

"That is Arthur."

"Then I am glad he is gone." Elizabeth nodded in agreement. The bear had come to her mind every time she saw the chair, and it made her think she should throw the piece of furniture away.