Sparks Fly

When we arrived at the quaint town of Cunningham it was just barely seven o’clock but the sun was still outside shining with the birds chirping. Pulling into a drive that led to an inn, I gasped in awe at the sight laid out before me.
The inn was a thatched mortar home that had a smoking chimney, which was settled right next to a sweet pond where little ducklings and their Mam’s came to enjoy the day. The weeping willows and dogwood trees were in clusters around the house where we were to stay and they had just begun to bloom as if to welcome the spring.
“’Ere stay?” I asked Stone Guillard turning so excitedly that I almost bounced off my seat as the driver went over a hole in the worn dirt road.
Stone nodded, “Yes your Ladyship. Tonight we shall stay here and in the morning we shall be off to Villa de Borgio which is only a day’s ride from Heathshire depending on the time of year.”
“’Ank ‘ou,” I smiled softly as the carriage came to a halt. I heard a dull thud followed by two soft ones before the driver came to open the door for me.
“Here you are m’lady,” the man who had driven us from my jail cell to the quaint little inn we were to stay at said as he extended his hand for me to take. Nervously I placed my hand inside of his and stepped down onto the ground.
As I stepped on the ground, a familiar feeling washed over me and I sat down on the steps to the carriage so quickly that Master Stone had to stop mid step in order to not push me into the dirt.
“’O ‘ay,” I murmured softly clasping my hands together. In my years of imprisonment I had never been moved from one place to another and the feeling of being in a carriage had been strange. So when I stepped down it made my head spin at the suddenness of it all.
“M’lady are you alright?” Drusilla asked anxiously as she placed her hand on my knee. Priscilla stood behind her next to the driver who looked worried as if he had done something wrong.
“’Ead ‘urts,” I murmured touching my head lightly. The touch immediately caused a fire like pain to spread across my scalp causing me to shriek out in pain.
With my eyes wide open I stopped seeing Priscilla and the driver in front of me but rather a woman, an elegant woman of age, before me crying out for help as red welts started to appear on her arms, legs, and face while her clothes started to disappear as a fire engulfed her.
Screaming out in fright, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again tentatively. Instead of the woman who had been in front of me mere moments before there stood the four people who had taken me away from my imprisonment with great haste.
“M’lady, m’lady,” Dru said trying to calm me down as she held me to her slim chest afraid that I might harm myself as my arms flew wildly about tearing into her hair and coming close to bloodying her face. “Please m’lady it’s alright. Hush m’lady, hush.”
“Madame Violette, please tell me what is wrong.” Stone said placing his arm on my shoulder.
At his touch I calmed down enough for him to gently take me out of Drusilla’s arms and begin to walk with me to the inn where I hoped no one had witnessed the scene that had just taken place.
“Driver take our bags to inside, girls once I get Madame Violette a room take her to it and let her nap only to be awoken for dinner. Understood?” Master Guillard said sternly although I could see him looking at me concerned out of the corner of his eye.
“Yes m’lord,” Drusilla said as the two of them curtseyed.
“Very good,” he said nodding before gently taking my arm and guiding me inside.
I held onto his arm as one might hold onto a lifejacket if they had fallen into the cold ocean water. Clutching his arm, we walked quietly towards the little house where a plump little woman with spectacles waited to greet us.
“G’day m’lord and lady, how may I help you this fine day?” her voice was sweet, the type that might come from one’s own beloved grandmother. “Perhaps a nice bowl of soup for the lady and a cup of ale for you, m’lord.” She smiled up at Master Stone.
“Some ale would be lovely mistress, but if possible I would be interested in acquiring two rooms. One for the lady,” he motioned towards me. “As well as her maids, and one for myself. My driver will sleep with the horses, with your blessing of course.”
“Oh, of course. Of course he has my blessing to sleep there,” the little woman said warmly as she turned around and hurried into the inn and towards the counter where an older man stood waiting for customers.
After Stone had paid the man behind the counter for the two rooms, the girls and I were led up to our room by the granddaughter of the inn keeper and his wife. As we were ushered into to a cozy little room, Drusilla said our thank you’s before shutting the door.
Once the door was shut, I went over to the big bed that stood next to the window where light was pouring in.
“How are you feelin’ m’lady?” Dru asked gently placing her hand on my shoulder.
I made a face, “’O ‘ood.”
Dru nodded solemnly, “I understand Mistress Violette. I felt quite sick the first time I rode in a carriage as well. Tomorrow won’t be as bad.” She smiled at me ruefully before turning to Priscilla. “Go and bring Edmund here so that Mistress Violette might have her things.”
The other girl nodded before quietly opening the door and leaving to find the driver and show him where to take my belongings.
“Now m’lady, why don’t you lie down get some rest. You’ve had a very long and very stressful day,” Drusilla said softly pulling the covers down so that I could be tucked in before she took my shoes off. “And once you’ve woken you can have a nice dinner. Now how does that sound?”
I smiled gently at the little girl before patting her cheek and curling up on the warm sheets. Once I’d been tucked in, Dru sat next to me holding my hand and singing a lullaby to get me to fall asleep.
“’Ank ‘ou,” I mumbled as I drifted off to a place where my wildest dreams were free to breathe and my nightmares haunted me in the farthest regions of my mind.
~
I see nothing. I feel nothing. I hear nothing. I smell nothing. I taste nothing.
All around me there is only nothingness.
“Is there anyone there?” I call out perfectly because in my dreams I always have perfect grammar and a superb manner of speech. “Hello?”
There is no reply.
Taking small steps I stretch my hands out in front of me although even then I do not see a lighter shade of anything. All that there is is just nothing completely and absolutely nothing.
Walking a little further my fingertips hit a smooth surface.
Finally there is something for me to grasp onto in this world of nonbeing.
As my fingers explore the glassy exterior I come closer and find myself looking into a reflection of where I am. Or rather where I think I should be because in the reflection there is nothing, not even a mirror image of me.
“What is this place?” I murmur lifting one hand to my cheek to see if I myself am a physical being but when I place my hand where my flesh should be it falls through.
As my eyes widen I hear a cackle and then my name is called out.
“Violette, oh Violette you silly girl.” The voice says sounding like it belongs to an old witch.
“Who’s there?” I call out frightened. “Who is it?”
More cackling.
“Silly Violette thought she could escape us, my pretties.” The voice says and suddenly the nothingness is filled with loud, angry voices. The voices are accompanied by smells of piss and other things the nose finds unpleasant. I am touching scales, mangy fur, skin burning creatures that would kill me given the opportunity.
This has become my worst nightmare.
“Kill her, kill the traitor.”
“Slash her face.”
“Dismember her body.”
All sorts of cries against me come from all around wanting me to die.
“Please, who are you? Where am I?” I call out unheard to the voices.
“Burn the witch.”
“Chop her into little pieces.”
“Smite h…”
~
I wake myself up screaming.
“Madame, Madame.” Drusilla says shaking me by the shoulders. “Oh Madame Violette, it’s just a dream. Just a dream Madame.”
“’O, ‘o ‘ream,” I say crying as I hold onto the tiny little maid. “’Eal, ‘es ‘eal.”
“Nay m’lady, was nothing more than a dream. ‘Twas a dream, that’s all.” Dru says gently as tears roll down my face. The little girl pats my back gently and coos nonsense in hopes of bringing me back to reality.
“Dru, Drusilla what’s wrong?” There is a banging at the door as Master Stone calls out panicking to the little maid. “Dru open the door this instant.” Patting my back, Drusilla motions fro Priscilla to open the door and show Master Stone in.
Once Priscilla opens the door, Stone comes flying in a look of sheer panic on his face. His cape flies about his shoulders and his beautiful blonde hair is a mess about his angelic face.
The girls curtsey as he hurries over to me and takes my hands.
“Dru what happened? I heard a scream coming from in here,” his voice is worried for my safety as his eyes scan my face for any sign of pain.
“M’lady Violette had a dream ‘tis all, Master Stone.” Drusilla says walking back over to me before placing her hand on my shoulder.
He gave an audible sigh of relief, “Thank goodness that was all. I thought someone had broken in.” Stone looked at my face once more. “Madame perhaps you would like Dru or Priscilla to bring up you some supper before you change for the night.”
I nodded at that.
“Very well,” Master Guillard said turning from me to Priscilla. “Priscilla go and fetch her ladyship some supper.”
Priscilla exchanged a nervous glance with her sister.
“Master,” Dru started uncertainly. “Perhaps I should fetch Madame Violette something to eat while Priscilla stays here.”
“Very well Dru,” he said nodding. “Priscilla you shall stay here with her ladyship while Dru you fetch her something to eat.” As he got up from his knees, Stone tipped his head towards me. “M’lady we shall leave the inn at sunup tomorrow and ride for Villa de Borgio, with your permission of course.”
I nodded although I highly doubted he needed, or even cared for, my permission to leave in the morning.
“Very well,” he said bowing. “I shall see you in the morn m’lady. Have a nice evening.”
“’Ank ‘ou Mas’er G’llard,” I murmured turning towards the window.
“Oh, and m’lady?”
I turned to look at him.
“Tomorrow, with your permission of course, we shall work on your manner of speech.” Stone said before sweeping out the door with Drusilla on his heels.
“Oh,” I said looking at my fingers. Was my speech really so bad that I needed to practice before being presented to my husband and father-in-law?
Priscilla, seeing my sadness at the thought, comes quietly over to me like a church mouse and places her fingers on my wrist gently as if to say she understands what it is like to have to improve something you can’t control for the benefit of others.