Sparks Fly

As I walked down the stairs I took in the bright light that poured in from the windows with almost closed eyes. It hurt to have so much light surrounding me after having spent so long in the dark.
Teeth chattering I barely managed to mumble, “Cl’oes, ne’d cl’oes.”
At this Stone nodded, “Of course your Ladyship. Master Whitehall has graciously offered his wife’s room for you to change into something more appropriate.”
“Ma’ser Ite’hall?” I asked licking my chapped lips nervously a dark figure of a man coming to mind.
“Yes, Master Whitehall. He runs things here at the… Tower. Under King Malcolm’s watchful eye of course.” Stone explained softly into my ear.
I immediately froze having a more vivid recollection of the man. “No, no. I no dress in Whitehall’s rooms.” The clearest thing I had said in six years and it was about the man who had jailed me along with other hardened criminals in this damned Tower. There was no way I was ever going to change into something more suitable for my new station in life in Whitehall’s wife’s room.
Stone tucked my arm under his and gently led me forward into the room where I might change. In the room stood two girls, twins by the looks of it, right next to the canopy bed that took up a good two fifths of the room. The room was beautiful with a light pink color and inlays of rubies, pearls, and other precious jewels on the walls. The furniture was made of a dark mahogany and had beautiful patterns of flowers for comfort.
“Drusilla, Priscilla please help Lady de Champs into more suitable clothes. After you two have finished with her clothes please take care of her hair and face, Lady de Champs’ husband will not be pleased to see her in this state.” Bowing to me Stone left the room.
Nervously I chewed my lip and walked over to the two girls. They looked to be about thirteen and both had beautiful chestnut hair. Although one girl had hazel eyes while her sister had one hazel eye and one dark green eye. Something that I realized would help me tell them apart.
As they began to curtsey for me, I took them by the arms and dragged them up.
“No, no,” I motioned a curtsey not remembering the word for it. “I Violette.” I motioned to my chest. “’Ou?” I pointed to both of the girls.
“My name is Drusilla, your Ladyship.” At that Drusilla started to curtsey again but I stopped her. Drusilla was the one with both hazel eyes; in addition she was a tiny bit taller than her sister and had rather full red lips against light brown skin. “And this is my sister, Priscilla.” She motioned to her sister.
Priscilla’s right eye was dark green while her left eye was the same hazel color that her sister’s was. She was just a tiny bit thinner and shorter than Drusilla and had thin pale pink lips although her complexion was as light brown as her sister’s.
“Sis’er ‘alk?” I asked curiously because the smaller girl attempted to avoid my gaze and would not open her mouth.
At that Drusilla shook her head, “Nay Lady Violette, Priscilla is mute.”
I patted the little thing gently on the arm but still she did not turn. “’Es ‘right Pr-Pr’scilla. I ‘alk g’od no.”
Drusilla smiled appreciating that I wanted to make the girls feel comfortable but still her sister did nothing except ignore me talk and ready my clothes and shoes for when I was to dress.
Gently Drusilla touched my arm, “Ladyship if it helps ye, ye may call me Dru. It’s much easier than saying me full name.” At that I clapped my hands and let out a tiny giggle.
“’Right Dru.”
Dru smiled when I said that, “Ladyship we’ve been hired to take care of ye and be ye maids. Now let us take care of ye for the trip to Heathshire.”
I nodded, knowing of Heathshire. It was the place that my husband, Lord Kale de Champs, and I had lived with his parents before being sentenced here for six years. My relationship with my ‘husband’ had never even been consummated seeing as my own father didn’t want to allow me to lose my virginity just yet but was fine with sentencing me into exile. I vaguely remembered the place just knew that it was a castle that stood atop a hill overlooking the village of Heath with the sea only a mile away from the castle.
Taking my hand Dru led me to the tub where she helped me out of my shift and into the warm water that soothed me instantly. I had not showered, except when the roof leaked, for the past six years and this just felt so good.
I must have fallen asleep in the tub because when I awoke I was as pink as a newborn babe with my auburn colored hair looking cleaner than ever. While Priscilla helped me out of the tub, Dru laid my slippers on the ground and brought a bathrobe out so that I could conceal myself.
Stepping out of the tub, I dried myself off while the girls prepared my undergarments. I had not dressed in so many clothes since I was eleven. After my undergarments were on, on came the corset although Dru didn’t think I needed it because I was already so tiny after so long in prison but we put it on anyway so as to please Master Stone. Following the corset came a beautiful green dress with black stitching. Twirling around in the mirror before me I smiled happy at the fact that I felt so warm.
Slipping on my shoes my stomach had started to grumble and I grasped it whispering for it to be quiet.
“Ye be alright Madame? Ye sound hungry,” Dru winked at that while I blushed.
“No, no h’ngry. No ‘ood ‘ow.” I explained. “A’e ‘is m’rn’en.” I smiled while calming my belly.
Dru exchanged a glance with Priscilla, “Are ye saying ye only ate once a day here?”
I nodded.
“Even at home we ate two meals a day, three if we were lucky. Now sit down Madame and we’ll have your makeup and hair done afore ye know it and then it will be time for brunch.” Dru patted my arm as I sat down in a chair before taking a brush and yanking it through my pesky curly wet hair while Priscilla prepared to do my face.
Emerging from the Mistress Whitehall’s room with Dru and Priscilla on either side of me a short time later, we entered the parlor where the Whitehall’s and Master Stone waited for us before having brunch served.
“Aw, Lady Violette. What a pleasure it is to be in your company,” Master Whitehall exclaimed jumping up and attempting to kiss my hand. I jerked my hand away before he could though causing a frown to appear on Master Stone’s face while Mistress Whitehall instructed the servants.
Master Cyrus Whitehall was a short and stout man who had a piggy nose with these black beady snake eyes hidden behind spectacles who was in his late fifties. His face was covered in pox scars from the pox epidemic, which had taken place only two years before my birth. Unfortunately he managed to survive. He had the greasiest black hair and a black bushy beard that covered two thirds of his face although it looked more like a skunk was sitting on his face because of the gray hairs. On each of his finger was at least one ring if not two. He was the sort of man that obviously took very little care of his appearance.
Backing away from me, Master Whitehall looked at me menacingly before turning to Stone with a smile on his face, “Alas her Ladyship believes it is I that wished to have her imprisoned for so long when instead I wished her to simply be a ward to my beautiful wife, Lydia. Is that not right my darling?” Whitehall walked towards his wife and sat down at her side, like a dutiful husband should.
While Master Whitehall was an ugly old man, his wife was a young beautiful woman. Lydia Whitehall was maybe two or three years older than me at most; she had this beautiful honeysuckle hair that you read about in fairytales. Her eyes were a deep blue color, although it appeared they were devoid of life, while her skin was pale as milk and her lips just as light. Mistress Whitehall’s hands were long and elegant; she only wore one ring, and that was her wedding ring. She had already borne her husband two children, both sons, and was now carrying their third child.
Lydia nodded looking at her youngest boy, Alfred, who slept in his crib next to her while the elder boy, Marco, was on the ground playing with his toys. Alfred was only six months old while Marco was one maybe one and a half. They were perhaps the only things that had brought comfort into her life since marrying such a cruel man.
“Yes, I would have loved for Lady Violette to have been my companion. It would have been such good fun,” Mistress Whitehall murmured in a breathy voice never once taking her eyes of the boys.
At that Cyrus beamed, pleased with the response that his wife had delivered on his behalf as if to make him look like the good guy.
“Well shall we have a bite to each before Lady Violette and yourself leave for Heathshire, Master Guillard?”
Stone nodded as I sat down next to him and watched the two little boys. Alfred, the little dickens that he was, had woken up and was stretching for his Mam to come and take a hold of him before his older brother realized he was awake. As Lydia took a hold of the baby she caught sight of me looking at the children and smiled.
“Very well,” Cyrus clapped his hands and immediately food was brought out. “Let us begin.”
~
Finally it was time for us to go, something that I had been anxious to do. As time had gone on in the parlor I began to fear that it was all just a nasty trick devised by Master Whitehall to drive me mad.
Getting up from the sofa, I walked behind Master Stone and Master Whitehall who were talking while Mistress Whitehall walked by my side with Alfred at her breast and Marco at her heals.
As we exited to doorway the sun beat down upon our heads and I cringed in fear. For so long I had not been permitted to even glimpse the sun through the window way up in my room and now to be able to have it beating down upon my head in the fresh air was a little overwhelming.
“There, there Madame. It’s just the sun come out to say hello to the beautiful lady who he has not seen in so long,” Dru murmured, being the only one to notice my reaction to being outside after so long inside.
Her words comforted me and biting my lip, as was my nervous habit, I stepped down gently onto the next step to where the carriage awaited for Master Guillard and myself. The twins would ride on the top of the carriage with the driver until we arrived at Heathshire.
“Come m’lady, bide Master and Mistress Whitehall goodbye. We must be off to Cunningham which itself is a two day ride from Heathshire and will take us the entire afternoon to get to.” Master Stone explained as he waited for me by the carriage.
Nodding, I stepped onto the dirt.
“’Eye Ms’tr’ss Ite’hall,” I murmured kissing her on the cheeks. “Boys ‘eye.” I smiled scuffling Marco’s hair and stroking Alfred’s cheek. Stiffly I turned to Master Whitehall. “’Eye Mas’er Ite’hall.” Curtseying as best I could I turned to Master Stone as Master Whitehall spoke.
“Don’t you worry your Ladyship, my wife and I shall visit soon enough. Out of respect for your father-in-law and husband of course,” At that Cyrus smirked but I kept my back turned to him praying that I wouldn’t start crying. I wanted no reminder of the past I was leaving behind in this prison.
“Up,” I murmured extending my hand to Stone as I lifted my skirts and unsteadily got into the lavish carriage that would take me to my old, yet somehow new, life. The life I was born into but had also been stolen away from me was the life that I was about to return to.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so afraid of anything in my life.