by annie nadine
Annie gazed out the window to avoid eye contact with Eli. The problem was, where he was sitting directly faced her and she could feel his eyes on her constantly. As her anxiety started to build the butler came in, dressed perfectly in his fine suit, and addressed the hostess. He was a middle aged man, kept to himself mostly and had been serving Miss Danes for longer than Annie had been there.
“Miss Danes, a caller is at the door requesting your presence,” he announced softly. Miss Danes paused in frustration but everyone there could tell she was not impressed.
“Mr. Brighton, do you mind if I attend to this matter for a moment?” Miss Danes asked trying to hide the irritation in her voice.
“Not at all, Miss Danes.” Eli stood as she left and remained standing after her exit. He looked to Annie but she continued to avoid him. He walked right up to her and stood in front of her, leaving Rosemary aghast.
“Annie, what a lovely coincidence,” Eli said sounding pleasantly surprised. Rosemary looked confused at the interaction.
“Not to sound rude more than once in a day but it would be best if we did not speak,” Annie said as quietly as she could.
“Then let us strike up another bargain, shall we?” Eli almost told, rather than asked. Annie looked to Rosemary for help but she just stood there helpless, not knowing what to do. “Just a last name is all I will ask for now,” Eli requested.
Micah’s advice about being more careful around men came to mind. What was she meant to do in a situation like this? As she tried to think of the best course of action she heard Miss Danes walking up the hallway.
“Her last name is Belle, Mr. Brighton,” Rosemary whispered frantically.
“Annie Belle,” he tested the name. “What a fitting name,” he said with a smile.
“Please sit down, Mr. Brighton,” Annie asked a little panicked.
“Only if you promise to call me Eli,” he negotiated.
“Fine, Eli. Please sit back down.” Annie gave in. He smiled and went back to his seat on the settee. He stood as Miss Danes re-entered the room, as if he had been sitting, waiting for her all along. Rosemary and Annie soundlessly sighed in relief as they narrowly escaped reprimand for interacting with the guest.
“Rosemary, Annie.” Miss Danes turned and looked at them from her seat. They held their breath in alarm. “Mr. Brighton and I will be fine from here. You may leave now and start to prepare dinner.”
Not being able to help herself, Annie took a quick glance back at Eli before she left the room. As she did she thought she caught a wink on her way out, which made her heart skip a beat nervously.
“How do you know that man?” Rosemary asked as they made their way back to clean the kitchen and start Miss Danes’ dinner.
“He is the man from the markets,” she answered a little astonished at the coincidence.
“Well he seems to have some interest in you.” There was almost excitement in Rosemary’s voice.
“Do not be so silly,” she said trying to discourage Rosemary’s enthusiasm. “I will most likely not see him again.” But Annie didn’t realise just how wrong she would be.
CHAPTER 2
Annie had been sent to the markets late the next day on the whim of one of Miss Danes’ moods. She wanted Annie to fetch a brooch she had ordered a few weeks ago and apparently, ‘it just couldn’t wait’. Miss Danes didn’t seem to think of others when it came to something she wanted and all else had to be dropped at her request. As always, Annie thought on the bright side of life, thankful that at least she could keep her hair out for the rest of the day.
So off Annie went, dressed in a sandy coloured, short sleeved dress for the trip. Micah was again her companion for the trip but he had to mind the horse at the town gates so it wasn’t stolen. Because it was late afternoon not many people were around and an unattended horse would be too good an opportunity for a thief to pass up. He didn’t want Annie to go into the markets alone but there seemed to be no other choice. It would be safer in a crowd for her rather than at the gates, or so they thought. She couldn’t understand why he was being so overprotective, she had been going into the markets by herself for years.
The markets were the same as they always were, loud and not without drama. The afternoon was warm and inviting and the town seemed to be thriving off it. Annie looked around and thought that there seemed to be more and more buildings every time she went there and they were all getting taller and taller. She was just glad that the manor was set a good distance away from the crowded cities. She hated the washed out, grey look that came from the material used to build, what looked to be, every building in the town. It was all too gloomy for her. The only colour she could find amongst the grey was seen through the windows peering into the stores, and that depended on the style of the store. Some were just as dreary as the buildings themselves.
Annie finally made it through the crowd and entered the store she had been searching for, the little bell at the door gently announced her presence. She stood and waited patiently as the clerk served another customer before her. The small store only had a few displays and was a little dusty but the stock was neat and tidy. A simple general store, selling different types of knickknacks that might be appealing to all different types of people.
When it was her turn she stepped up to the glass counter, which stored trinkets of many sorts beneath, and presented her paper coupon. The clerk was a short, elderly man with half glasses and grey hair and seemed to be struggling to read the paper. Eventually he managed it then walked to the back of the store, out of sight. He wasn’t overly friendly but he hadn’t been rude either, she couldn’t really tell what type of person he was because he hadn’t even spoken to her. After a while of searching the clerk returned empty handed. Annie looked at him confused.
“Sorry Miss, this item was delayed. It will be another week,” he explained respectfully. Holding back her frustration she strained a smile, after all it wasn’t his fault it was late.
“Thank you for your time,” is all she said before she took the coupon turned to leave.
After looking around to check that no one was watching, she subtly slipped the coupon down the top of her dress to make sure she didn’t lose it. She pushed through the door with more force than usual and accidentally hit someone.
“I am so sor…ry…” but her sentence trailed off. When she looked around to find the victim of her carelessness there was no one to be seen. She could have sworn she had seen someone, a tall man with dark hair. After a moment of thought she deduced it to confusion and was off, though she couldn’t help but glance behind her to see if she could spot someone it could have been.
Finally she made her way through the crowd to the gates but when she arrived there was no Micah to be seen. She looked around and saw other horses and a few men milling off to one side but there was no one she knew. After a few dazed moments a messy, young boy came running up to her.
“You Annie?” He asked in his harsh accent, with a slight lisp.
“Yes,” she answered, still feeling rather confused. He handed her a piece of paper then ran off. She unfolded it in a daze to find it was a letter from Micah. It read:
Miss Danes sent a messenger to request my help with an issue in the stable.
I will be back as soon as I am able.
Stay safe.
Micah.
“This is a pleasant turn of events,” she muttered sarcastically to herself. She scrunched up the paper, planning to keep hold of it until she could find somewhere to dispose of it. No brooch and no way home, this trip was turning out to be more than just a waste of time, it was a downright inconvenience.
Annie huffed her way back through the crowd and found a wooden bench outside a small upholstery store. She sat there patiently watching the crowd go by for half an hour then not quite so patiently for another half an hour. To pass the time she shoved Micah’s letter in between the cracks of the bench but it didn’t amuse her for long.
When the sun started to fall lower
in the sky and the wind picked up she resolved to make her own way home. There were less people in the courtyard of the markets now and she easily made her way to the gates and beyond.
It felt like the sun was setting at an alarming rate and she still had a long way to go. After a time of walking she stopped and looked around to get her bearings. She stood alone on the cusp of evening on a deserted, dirt path, surrounded by nothing but trees. She had the option of crossing through the large cemetery, which would bring her around to the back of the manor and cut her walk in half, or continue the long way. She looked up at the sky to gauge how much time she had left and she estimated at least an hour of light. Surely she could make it? As her feet started to ache and her energy felt like it was dwindling, they were her prompters to choose the shortcut. She folded her arms across her chest to fend off the chill from the wind and made her way into the graveyard.
Annie walked swiftly through the scattered tombstones until she thought she heard footsteps apart from her own. She stopped for a moment to check if it was the echo of her own she was hearing. When they seemed to stop at the same time she had, and she had scanned the trees nearby to find them empty, she slowly started to make her way again. When the sound persisted she stopped again, this time fear crept up her spine and trickled into her soul. Why hadn’t she just waited for Micah? It was too late to ask herself ‘why’. She found no other choice but to run.
As she ran as fast as she could, which was a rather poor speed, she could hear whoever it was swiftly approaching behind her. Her heart beat so fast she thought she could hear it over her panicked breathing. Her hair whipped in the wind every which way and she wildly brushed it out of her eyes as she ran.
Before she made it very far she was grabbed from behind. After being jolted backwards viciously, she was thrown a few feet through the air and landed hard against a tombstone. Her breath was knocked out of her lungs and she found it hard to see, not only from the blinding pain but also the dimming light. Her vision was blurry at best and her ribs had a burning, sharp pain running through them but she still tried to push herself up to run. She made it to her feet but couldn’t move any further. She heaved in air but it stung her lungs to do so, so she leaned against the tombstone for support. She felt like she was going to be sick so she held her arm across her stomach to try and push the feeling away. She heard steps approaching and tried to move away but she didn’t have the strength, instead all she could do was fall to the ground in pain.
This was it, she was going to die and she had done nothing in her life that she aspired to do. She wanted to travel to the countries she had read about, she wanted to write a book, she wanted to live in a foreign place but those moments were about to be stolen away from her. Then everything would be forgotten, she would be forgotten. Just another grave to add to the yard.
Annie looked up through the grey dusk and teary eyes to see the dark figure approaching. As the man stepped closer to her she had almost resigned herself to her fate when another figure came out of the darkness and became silhouetted against the grey sky. Her head fell against the grass as she saw the new figure walk up to the approaching attacker. She tried to focus through the pain but it was difficult, she did manage to notice the new figure’s broad shoulders. It was a man. He seemed to put his hands on either side of her attackers face then her view was blocked by his back. He moved his arms violently and the attacker fell to the ground without a sound. Now the man turned his attention to her and suddenly she didn’t know if she should feel scared or relieved by his presence. He made his way to her and knelt beside her.
“Where does it hurt?” His velvety, smooth voice washed over her like warm water on aching bones. His hands hovered over her, unsure of how to help.
“My chest,” she answered, her voice was husky from the pain. She started to turn to lay on her back but he gently placed one hand on her shoulder and the other low on her waist, avoiding where it might be hurting.
“I think moving would be ill advised at the moment, Annie.” He accidentally used her name. She looked up at him trying to see his face but all she could see was his silhouette.
“Who are you?” She asked almost sleepily. What she really meant to ask was, ‘how do you know my name?’ but she was confused from the pain.
“My name is, Baden.” She tried to recall anyone she knew with that name but no one came to mind and certainly no one with a voice like his. “Annie, do you think I could lift you without you hurting too much?” He asked softly, concern coating his voice. At the moment his senses were being overwhelmed by her soul and he found it hard to keep himself together.
All she could do was nod, her face wincing from the pain it caused. With the greatest of care he took Annie into his arms. However gentle he was it still hurt more than she could bear so he tried to move even more slowly and gently. When he was standing with her in his arms she let her face lean against his chest and her body rest into his. It felt comforting and it helped to distract her from her aching chest. He started to slowly take her away.
“Did you injure your head?” He asked as they walked. Night had fallen and she couldn’t see anything now, she wasn’t sure how he could.
“No.” She couldn’t help the sharp breath she drew in from the pain. Instinctively he held her a little closer.
“If you can, try and go to sleep,” Baden advised. He was trying to keep his guard up, he was doing everything he could to keep this girl’s soul from drowning him but nothing worked.
“I think the discomfort alone is sufficient enough to keep me awake,” she tried to joke without gasping.
“Tell me, Annie. How old are you?” He asked trying to distract her from the pain.
“I am nineteen.” She paused before she asked her own question. “And how old are you?” Baden was silent for a moment.
“I was born in seventeen-eighty-one,” he answered, seeming uncomfortable with the question.
“Twenty-three,” she calculated quickly, considering she was barely aware of what was going on. “This is strange,” she commented, not really making any sense. She wasn’t quite so coherent at the moment and her voice came out drowsily.
“There are many strange things in this world, of which I am only starting to discover.” He watched her as he walked, not needing to concentrate on the landscape.
“I work at Miss Danes’ manor,” she informed thinking that he needed the direction. He smiled a little without letting her know that he already knew. He walked much slower than he was capable of in his effort not to harm her any more than she already was. They continued on in silence for a while.
“Dare I ask if there is a young man awaiting your arrival?” Baden questioned, finally deciding within himself to encroach on her life. He couldn’t help himself any longer.
“There is… but he is not mine in the way you are implying,” she answered a little breathlessly.
“Is there a hint of regret I detect?” He didn’t think there was, he could feel the honesty in her soul but he was checking to be sure. It was the first time he had doubted himself in years.
“Not at all. We are just lovely friends.” She found it a little easier to talk now, being close to him seemed to help ease the pain.
“I have a suspicion that he may not feel quite the same,” he whispered under his breath.
Looking at her in his arms made him feel strange. Helping her felt like he was going against everything he had been doing for the past three years. He’d been so certain of himself and now he wasn’t even sure if he had ever known himself at all. He slowed his pace even further so he had more time to look at her, to try and feel what it was in her soul that overwhelmed all of his senses. She was beautiful, there was no denying that. Beyond beautiful, really. It felt like he wanted to capture her image perfectly, too afraid to look away for fear she might vanish. But there was still something more…something indeterminable.
They came upon the manor before Baden had time to come to any conclusions. He silently headed fo
r the back entrance which led to the kitchen, so no one would see him. He could smell food cooking and voices muttering about the whereabouts of Annie. He could sense that some felt genuinely concerned but others almost wished she would never come back, the ones that envied her. This sparked within him his usual hatred towards humans. At one stage he would have said towards all living things but now…he didn’t know if he could bring himself to say it anymore.
“Annie, I will place you at the door then I must go,” he said quietly as he approached the manor.
“You are welcome in this home,” she assured, still hazy from the pain.
“I am not quite as sure as you are,” he remarked. She didn’t understand his comment but she couldn’t concentrate enough to ask him about it. At the moment all she could think was that she didn’t want him to go. The pain in her chest was a mere afterthought.
When he reached the back door he gently placed her on her feet. She managed to restrain the whimper trying to escape but not the pain that came across her face. With careful ease he helped her lean against the stone wall of the manor and didn’t let her go until she seemed steady. He went to knock on the door.