𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲 ↝ 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯

IV

    Elizabeth's eyes focus on each individual raindrop that skims down her bedroom window, holding her knees closer to her chest. Elizabeth always enjoyed watching the rain pour from the dark skies above. The sounds of the rain tapping against the window soothed her nerves no matter how she was feeling, she especially loved the thunder, thunder was her favorite.

  A light knock at her door causes her to lift her head up and look towards Meredith standing in the doorway.

  "How are you feeling Miss Elizabeth? Better, I hope." Meredith questions, stepping forward into Elizabeth's messy room.

  "I'm not entirely sure Meredith..."

  Meredith rushes toward Elizabeth's bed once she realizes it hasn't been made since this morning. She begins to fix it to perfection to avoid any future confrontation with Leviticus.

  "Well, you're breathing so that should make you feel a little better."

  Elizabeth looks down at her floor, collecting her thoughts. If she had died that day it would have been her fault, all over not wanting to face Patrick's proposal. Her mind often travels back to the men who had saved her. She found it almost astonishing that someone would actually risk their own lives to save her own, nobody has ever even gone through such trouble for her before.

  "Patrick was going to ask me to marry him." Elizabeth discloses, making Meredith cease her actions, the two women just stare back at one another. Meredith swallows before resuming her work, fluffing Elizabeth's pillows.

  "Are you going to say something?" Elizabeth asks sternly in response to Meredith's silence, "Anything?"

  "What would you like me to say? What is there to say?" Meredith asks with the same serious tone in her voice as well, she stops her work to look over at the distressed young woman.

  "Maybe take my side for once in all this? To a certain degree, you have to agree that marrying Patrick would not do any good! It's all just Father's ploy to control every little thing he has power over."

  "Miss Elizabeth," Meredith starts and points a lecturing finger at Elizabeth, Elizabeth's lips slightly part, "it isn't my job to get involved in your life apart from bringing your meals nice and hot and making sure your room is spick and span, especially when the man who decides if I have a job or not is your father. You should be grateful for all you have instead of acting like a spoiled princess who thinks the entire world is against her."

  Elizabeth's eyes cloud up with fresh salty tears in response to Meredith's words. Never in all of her life had Meredith spoken to Elizabeth that way. It didn't feel like the same pain she feels when her mother or father speaks to her have to be strict, it caused pain in Elizabeth's chest, almost the equivalent of a broken heart.

  Elizabeth looks away from Meredith and back towards the window, holding her knees tighter as she rests her chin on her knee. Meredith sighs as she begins to realize the words that have slipped off of her tongue.

  "Elizabeth... I'm-"

  "I would like you to leave," Elizabeth mutters as she continues her stare out of the window, "Please."

  Meredith's eyes become glossy, folding her hands together tightly as she looks down at the hardwood flooring. Meredith nods slowly before turning on her heel towards Elizabeth's bedroom door.

  Elizabeth closes her eyes once she hears her door shut, a tear skimming down her cheek as her lips tremble.

❁

  The unforgiving rain and wind begin to pick up as the storm settles into place. The ground under Arthur's old worn boots becomes soft due to the wet ground outside of his tent spilling into his space. Arthur does not seem to notice or care as he continues scribbling away in his dark brown leather journal, his pencil tip is becoming dull from his constant strokes.