Blind

Prologue

     "Oh-I'm extremely sorry, sir," she gently spoke as she bumped into a hard chest.

   "Oh no, dear. Let me apologise. I shouldn't be reading a book whilst walking. It was my fault," the person said courteously. He lowered the book, letting it hang from his hand as a small amused smile crept on his face, his eyes twinkling when he stared at the beautiful girl in front of him like a sparkling diamond reflecting the sun rays, blinding all eyes that stood on her. Little did one know, she was a victim of her own blindness not in a metaphorical but literal way.

She pursed her lips and tapped the stick here and there before turning around from the man, dismissively. The man stood shocked as he realized that the miracle that stood in front of him, surprisingly and not the least expectedly, was blind. While the girl was in the process of swaying around, her stick hit him abruptly in the knee making him yelp in the sudden pain.

     "Ow!" He exclaimed as he held his knee and jumped around on one foot. The girl immediately turned back around, again hitting his other leg this time, her mouth hung open in remorse, "Oh goodness, I'm so sorry, sire. Are you alright? I'm deeply sorry," she rambled on with a guilty look that was clearly visible even under the black glasses she wore, as she gazed at the ground in a wrong direction, continuing her guilty apology. The man let out a slight chuckle, steadying his self. He even found out that the young lady never looked up from the ground. Surely, it was because of suitable apparent reasons but to his knowledge, he knew there was something else.

    "Yes, I'm alright. But perhaps you're not. Let me help you get where you're heading considering you wouldn't want to hurt anyone else, unintentionally it be," he offered kindly. The girl was about to reply but another voice, quite loud it was, interrupted her.

    "Oh Florence! Dear heavens! Where have you been? I've been searching for you like a mad woman!" The middle-aged woman shouted in dismay, breathlessly, taking short, quick pants of exertion in between while carrying her large dimly coloured dress behind.

    The girl was once again disrupted from her speech by the same woman as she turned around to the gentleman and greeted him with surprise, "Why, Mr. Herman, it's you. Ah. I was looking for Florence here and heading straight to your house. Speaking of which, I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused by Florence."

    "Ah! a coincidence! I was going back there too. It would be a pleasure to lead the way, if I may, missus Jane," the young man lied whereas he was in fact going to the library. He, himself, didn't know the reason why he did so.

    Florence patiently stood staring down as they greeted each other and talked. However, she still did not quite understand who the man was and how her aunt may have known him.

    "Oh please do, sir."

     With that said, they walked together towards the opposite direction not before Florence heading different paths several times along the way but her aunt soon held her hand and let the man lead the way.

* * *

    "Your threats are in vain. Get lost, would ye?" A man almost in his mid-twenties, scornfully said, huffing thickly before turning his wheel chair around.

    "I'm your mother for heaven's sake. Hold that sinful tongue and lower that volume," the lady of the house spoke with authority and as much supremacy as she could afford to dip the words in but she knew very well that she was, indeed, as weak in front of her own blood.

    Ignoring her, he called for a servant and was instantly provided with one that had fear plastered on his face as he looked at the ground, bowing his head low. The servant pushed the man's wheel chair as he was told to do so and headed where the man had asked him to go.The missus of the house, however, cursed under her breath at his arrogance.