Widow's Peak

Chapter 6:

Chapter 6:
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I stood staring at the portrait. Beautiful was too paltry a word to describe the woman painted there. In some ways, she resembled me, but I was no where near that ethereal loveliness. Could this woman be my mother? Had my father been exceptionally handsome, then? I'd heard some of the girls at Janine's say two pretty people only produced an ordinary person. Had that happened to me? No one but Janine had ever commented on my looks before. I suppose it was because no one ever really looked at me. That was not the way the girls worked at Janine's. We did not assess each other. Not those who had been there for as long as I had. I walked further into the room, slowly taking it in.

A large bed with four wooden posts that sported intricate designs sat in the middle of the room. There was the fireplace, of course with the portrait over it. There was a wardrobe beside the bed, a powder desk with a mirror, and a door that I assumed led to the wash room.. There were two small windows as well as a balcony that overlooked the roaring seas below. It was a beautiful place to build a mansion. But, there were so many rooms here, with no people. I can only imagine how lonely it must've gotten for my father in his elder years. It didn't seem like I had any siblings.

I sighed again before placing my bag on the bed. I pulled out the few dresses I had, and walked over to the wardrobe. I gasped as I opened it. It was full of dresses! Beautiful dresses. They were in every color imaginable; they were all made expensively, with added accents like pearls, bows, and more. I hesitantly put my dull dresses in, moving over to the powder desk. With a shaking hand, I pulled open a drawer. I jerked back again staring at the contents with wide eyes. It was full of jewelry. Necklaces, rings, bracelets. All made of diamonds, rubies, pearls. Each drawer held something new. Perfumes, night gowns, gloves, and hair clips. I found high high heeled shoes lined up neatly behind the wardrobe. Had Irvin done this, or my father? Maybe all of this belonged to the woman in the portrait.

No matter where it came from, the womanly things were much better than the few dresses, one pair of shoes, one clip, and a pair of tattered gloves that I brought with me. I realized I didn't know what time dinner began, so I decided to start getting ready. Janine was always adamant that all of the girls were washed up, and dressed in an evening dress when we all met for dinner. She said we would be taught basic manners even if we would never have the opportunity to use them. I thanked Janine in my head for being a wonderful woman before wandering into the wash room. There was a bucket by the tub that I knew was for the water.

I grabbed it, turning to leave the room when the door swung open, and a heavy set woman walked in. She had a mass of dark curls that fell down to her shoulder blades. Her eyes were dark too, flicking around the room until they landed on me. Before I knew it, I was engulfed in a tangle of arms and curls. "Oh, you must be Valerie," the woman exclaimed, "I'm Mrs. Culver. I swear you look just like him!" "Who," I asked calmly, accepting the shorter woman's hug. "Your father, dear," she pulled back with a soft smile, taking me in, "you look like your mother too, but you inherited the Roux eyes, for certain." I looked back up at the portrait. It seems that was indeed my mother. Apparently, I wasn't lucky enough to receive her features. "What are you doing with that? Here, let me fetch my husband. He'll get you enough water to bathe before dinner," Mrs. Culver took the bucket from me.

Before I could protest, she was out the door, and down the hall, calling for someone named Henry. I sat down in the chair in front of the fireplace, happy to have met someone else here. Only talking to Irvin was not ideal. Plus, Mrs. Culver reminded me of Janine. That little twinge of nostalgia was welcome in my new world full if fancy things. I looked up Mrs. Culver came back in, "whose things are these? They certainly are not mine." The elder woman sighed with a soft smile, "they belonged to your mother. This was her room too. You remind me of her, you know? You're quiet, calm. You father always was the wilder one." I let her words sink in. I now had a picture of the woman who gave birth to me, and her personality. But, that still didn't explain why she abandoned me on Janine's doorstep. I looked at the portrait as if my eyes just kept being drawn to it. Was I really like her? I couldn't see it.

"Enough about that," Mrs. Culver pulled me up, "let's pick out a dress for dinner. Henry was saying that Mr. Irvin invited a guest or two over to meet you. Business partners of your father." My eyes widened. Surely, Irvin would not force me to meet the islanders so soon. I was still getting use to the fact that I had a house of my own with a wardrobe full of dressers. However, I would have to marry, and a man who knew my father would be ideal. Maybe Irvin knew what he was doing. I let Mrs. Culver drag me over to the still open wardrobe. Together, we rummaged through dresses until Henry came back. He was a tall, fat man with bright eyes that focused on his wife immediately. You could almost feel the love in his gaze. I smiled. I wanted that. Then, he looked to me, "it's nice to meet you, Valerie. I have your water." He pulled in about twelve buckets of heated water, and poured them in the tub.

After he finished, Mrs. Culver shooed him out, so I could bathe. I was scrubbed thoroughly, my hair washed, and brushed. I wasn't used to this treatment. At Janine's, I was only allowed a quick bath. Mrs. Culver and I finally decided on a black dress with a square bodice. It clung tightly to my torso thanks to the corset I never had to wear, and fanned out at my waist, but not too much. It was long sleeved. I pinned most of my hair up, but allowed some to fall around my shoulders. Clean and brushed, my hair was shiny, soft, and smooth. I slipped on a pair of black shoes, and Mrs. Culver sprayed me with perfume. "Just in time," she commented, opening the door, "dinner starts in thirty minutes. You go down, and meet Mr. Irvin. If he did invite guests, you greet them too. Are you okay, dear?" I nodded, reassuringly. It didn't matter that my stomach was knotted with nerves.

Mrs. Culver smiled, "good. You look absolutely lovely. Now, go have fun tonight. Don't forget to mingle!" And, with that, she was out the door. I'd learned more from Mrs. Culver in a few hours than I had from Irvin in a few days. I took a deep breath before leaving the room. It didn't take me long to find the dining room where Irvin stood by the fireplace. It was lit, casting the room in a hazy glow. It was almost comforting. The table was made of shiny wood, and stretched down at least fourteen seats. The plates were painted a pretty gold. Four chandeliers hung over the table. The room was decorated with paintings, sculptures, and statues. Two chairs were situated in front of the fireplace. There was a wall of long windows that showed the path to the town. The moon shone through, illuminating just a bit of the room. It was wonderful. I walked closer to Irvin who didn't seem to notice I was there.

"I hope you liked the things your mother left," Irvin said without turning around. I nodded, forgetting he hadn't turned to look at me, "yes. It's amazing. They are not too large, or small. They fit." He said nothing, just sighed audibly. I wandered what he was thinking about that caused him to stare so intently into the fire. He'd cleaned up as well. He wore a better vest, and pants that took the frightening edge off. I simply stood there, waiting for him to look at me. I didn't know what to do in these situations. Yes, I enjoyed the silence, but there were so many questions. I wanted to know so much, and most of the people that could answer my questions, kept giving me strange looks. Looks that made me feel like I was in way over my head. I moved over to the table, careful not to trip and fall. These shoes had heels that were higher than the one pair I was used to.

There were little to no portraits in the house. There was the one of my mother, and a few other people trickled here and there. However, I was yet to see a portrait of my father. If I looked so much like him, I wanted to see him. I wanted to visit his grave. I wanted to explore the town. This place was going to be my home; I had better make the best of what I'd been given. Yes, I'd been a poor, homeless girl for all of my life, but now, now, I was a rich heiress that lived in a mansion overlooking the sea. Why was I complaining? Irvin turned around, "come. We should go....wow." At his sudden breathless stop, I turned to see Irvin staring at me. He looked surprised. His mouth gaped open, his eyes were wide. "What is wrong," I asked, concerned. Did I look terrible? Maybe he thought that I was intruding. "N-nothing," he shook his head, "it's just- you look like her. Your mother, I mean. Y-you look nice. Beautiful."

I blushed, looking down. I'd made Irvin lose his composer. Did I really look that nice? I smoothed my hands on the soft material of the skirt. If I did look as beautiful as Irvin and Mrs. Culver seemed to think, perhaps I could woo one of the richer guests tonight. Someone who would take over the mansion, business, and anything else I didn't know how to do. I didn't know why my father expected me to have any knowledge on riches. Surely he must've known that my mother left me at Janine's. How else would Irvin have found me? My mother most likely wrote my father telling him about my birth; and where to find me. Maybe she thought he would collect me at a young age from Janine's.

I suddenly frowned. My father had known I was at Janine's, yet he hadn't come and rescued me. Not until he died, and left his entire estate and business to me. With that thought, I fled from the room, consumed by my sudden anger.