by M. J. Haag
My face heated further. Though I wished to save Heather and Catherine, I could do nothing unless I wanted to join them.
Kellen’s fingers brushed against mine. Maeve’s smile only grew at the gesture. She opened the door and waved for us to enter the kitchen. Another green thread joined the first two, and even as the door closed, it touched the amulet.
“Take off your dress,” Maeve said, looking at me.
Panic took flight in my chest.
“Please, Maeve,” Kellen begged softly. “Eloise won’t—”
“I do not intend to send her to those men. Catherine and Heather will suit their needs well enough. Now remove the dress, Eloise. I will not repeat myself again.”
With shaking fingers, I undid the row of buttons along the bodice then the ribbons underneath. The dress slid down my torso, and I carefully stepped out of the skirts. Standing in just my underthings, I clutched the mass of material to my chest.
Maeve held out her hand. Reluctantly, I surrendered the garment.
“Put the cuff around your wrist,” Maeve said.
Relieved that I was only being chained to the fireplace, I did as she said. Once the metal clicked back into place, Maeve gave me a pleased smile.
“Very good, Eloise. You’ve done well today. I’m proud of the effort you’ve made. Perhaps in a few days we won’t need the chains, and you’ll be able to rest with your sister in the comfort of your own room. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
I nodded, and Maeve looked at Kellen.
“Come, Kellen. Time to put you to bed. Perhaps tonight you won’t mind the lock on your door.”
“Thank you,” Kellen said softly, giving me one last look before following Maeve from the room.
Though my body still ached, my mind was clear. I sat on the stool near the fire and stared into the flames, considering what I’d learned this evening while trying not to hear the sounds coming from the dining room. Pieces fell into place. The way the amulet glowed when Maeve used its power. The threads of green that came from the men. Whatever was happening in the dining room was a dangerous magic. I felt certain that Maeve was draining the men as a means to power her amulet. Why? And why now?
A week ago or more, Maeve had invited these men into our home. Was the outcome of this dinner her intent all along? Was that why she’d killed Judith and Anne? So she could bring two whores here to suit her purpose? I remembered Maeve’s reaction to Heather and Catherine, though, and struggled with what was real and what had been pretense. She hadn’t known I would overhear her slapping Hugh, had she? I felt certain her anger had been real. Would she have used any maid Hugh had found in such a manner? Or, the more chilling thought, would she have used Kellen and me if maids hadn’t been found? Maeve wasn’t above hurting us. My current state proved that. Yet, she hadn’t let the men touch us tonight. Why? More importantly, why did she need more power?
I thought of the way the men’s pleasure had fed the amulet. What was she planning to do with the power she collected? Nothing good. That much was obvious.
Rubbing my hand over my face, I tiredly reached for the cold tea still sitting by the stool and drained the contents. It was the same tea I’d used to send Hugh into a deeper sleep, and I hoped it would help me tonight. However, as I lay on the hearth waiting for sleep to claim me, I heard every grunt and masculine laugh from the adjoining room. My heart hurt for Heather and Catherine. They’d thought they’d escaped a life of whoring by coming here.
I wasn’t sure how long I lay there drowsing before the sounds finally began to quiet.
The door separating the kitchen from the dining room opened, and I scrambled to my feet in a panic, almost passing out with the pain in my side. It wasn’t any of the men entering the kitchen, though. Only Catherine and Heather, still nude and now flushed, both carrying stacks of plates.
Neither one would look at me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said softly.
“Don’t be,” Catherine said. “You tried to warn us. It wasn’t so bad.”
She set her plates on the block and started back for the dining room.
“They weren’t mean,” Heather assured me. “It could have been much worse. Would it bother you if we bathed?”
“Not at all.”
Outside, carriage wheels scraped against stone as our guests departed.
While Catherine collected the rest of the dishes, I moved the tub before the hearth, and Heather hauled water. They didn’t even wait for it to warm before bathing. I sat on the stool and watched the flames, giving them what privacy I could.
Once they finished, they emptied the tub and started washing the dishes.
Tired and numb from the day and the pain of my still aching limbs, I lay down before the hearth once more. I was just dozing off when something brushed against me. I looked up at Catherine as she covered me with one of their blankets.
“Will you get in trouble for this?” I asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“I truly am sorry. I wish I could have done something.”
Catherine shook her head.
“You made the right choice. I would have done the same.”
She lightly brushed her fingers over my bruised cheek and left me.
I was sitting on the stool by the fire when Kellen and Maeve joined us in the kitchen the next morning.
“Very well done last night, girls,” Maeve said.
She sat at the table, and Catherine hurried to set a soft-boiled egg and a plate of fresh biscuits before her.
“Thank you, Catherine.” Maeve used her spoon to crack into her egg. “I expect we will have more company of the female variety today. Please make sure to have a tea tray ready and some of those delightful pastries.”
She finished her meal without a glance at me then left the room. As soon as she did, Kellen rushed to my side. Without a word, she hugged me tightly. It hurt my side and my face, but I didn’t utter a sound. I couldn’t. Not when she was shaking so badly.
“I thought she was going to make you go to them.”
“Shh…” I said, stroking her hair. “I know. But, she didn’t. It’s all right.”
“I’m so sorry, Eloise.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your fault. You know that.”
There was a scrape of noise behind us. I lifted my head and found Catherine cleaning up the table.
“I’m going to go walk the pig,” Heather said.
“I’ll go feed the chickens,” Catherine said.
I studied their guilt-laced expressions as they left, slightly confused.
“They have ears,” Kellen said, easing her embrace. “And mouths to repeat what they hear, whether they want to or not.”
Then, I understood. They’d left so we could have a private word. I wouldn’t waste the opportunity.
“You need to leave,” I said. “Find a way to run.”
“No. She promised she would—” Kellen winced and rubbed her throat.
“I don’t think she will,” I said, understanding what she couldn’t say. “Maeve has had the opportunity and hasn’t done anything. Instead, she’s used my safety to control you. And yours to control me. Why, Kellen? Why would she want to control someone she intends—?” I winced when my throat clenched.
“She wouldn’t.” Kellen frowned. “Why does she need us controlled?”
The door behind her swung open, and Maeve looked at the pair of us on the floor.
“You need something to occupy your time, Kellen. Speaking to your sister of things you shouldn’t will only cause you pain. It’s time we start clearing your father’s room. Come.”
Kellen gave my hand a squeeze and rose to follow Maeve.
I stared after the pair, my mind racing. How had Maeve known of what we spoke? Perhaps she’d overheard us on her way in. Or perhaps there was something more to her knowing.
I studied the chain and touched the metal plate again, feeling the zing of magic. Magic Maeve had created. Could she be connect
ed to it still?
Grabbing the chain, I gave a strong tug. The links clanked and scraped against the loop, but the plate didn’t budge. I picked up the fire poker and tried prying at the plate to no avail.
I pretended to be tending the fire when the outside door opened and Catherine entered. She didn’t comment on the poker I returned to the holder. While she started making a new batch of pastries, I struggled with what to do with myself. Tethered as I was, I couldn’t offer my help. And given last night’s events, any conversation filled with idle pleasantries would be inappropriate. I couldn’t pretend it hadn’t happened and didn’t want her to either.
With nothing pleasant to discuss, I walked small circles, doing what I could to ease my aches. When I grew tired of that, I asked Catherine if she would make me some tea so I could rest. It helped me sleep well for a few hours, and I woke before lunch to listen as Catherine and Heather made small meat pies for each of us.
From my position on the floor, I stared at the flames and considered the plight of those within our home. I could do nothing to help any of us. And locked in her room at night or under Maeve’s watchful eye during the day, Kellen was just as much of a prisoner as I.
While Heather and Catherine were free to come and go, they couldn’t speak of Maeve’s wrongdoings any more than Kellen or I could. Even if they could, though, I doubted they would speak out against Maeve. They feared her too much.
That meant, if Kellen and I were to be free again, we would need to free ourselves. However, even if one of us found a way to escape, how would we be able to rally help to save the other when we couldn’t speak of what had happened?
I stuck my finger into the ash near the hearth and attempted to write “Maeve killed my mother” in the soot. As soon as I started the M, my throat squeezed uncomfortably. I ignored it and fought through the increasing discomfort to shape the second mountain of the M. Writing the letter “A” proved harder as breathing became difficult. Wheezing, I managed her full name before collapsing to the floor. The force strangling my airway didn’t immediately ease, and I clawed at my throat.
Heather looked up from her pies, noticing my silent struggle.
“Eloise?” She rushed to my side and tried helping me to sit up. By the time I was upright, I could gasp in a breath. Then another. Slowly the pain eased.
“What happened?” she asked.
Behind her, Catherine stared at me with wide eyes. Moving my hand as if to better brace my weight, I wiped away the evidence of my attempt.
“Nothing more than my own stupidity,” I rasped. “I’m sorry for startling you.”
“Can I get you some more tea?” Catherine asked.
I shook my head.
“Some water would be better.”
She nodded and quickly fetched some. I took a few tentative sips, wincing as I swallowed. My throat felt bruised. After watching me take several swallows, the pair went back to work preparing our midday meal.
I set aside the question of how we would rally help once one of us escaped and focused instead on thinking of a safe haven. Kellen and I had no other family or friends to turn to. Where could two women go?
“If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?” I asked Catherine and Heather.
Catherine frowned and gave it thought while Heather snorted.
“It does no good to dream of a better life,” she said. “Best get used to the one you have because while your mind is wandering, your life could become much worse.”
“There’s no harm in dreaming. It helps pass time when things aren’t pleasant,” Catherine said, giving me an understanding smile. “I think I would like to see the south. I hear it’s warm, even in the winter, and women wear gowns so thin you can see their skin through them. But they aren’t considered whores for that display of flesh. Men treat them like sought after objects to be protected and revered.”
Both Heather and I gave Catherine skeptical looks. The woman shrugged a shoulder.
“I’m not saying I believe it. Only that I’d like to travel there to see if it is true.”
“I think the only truth to that story is that the south is warm.”
“Where would you go, Eloise?” Catherine asked.
I turned to gaze at the fire.
“There’s no point of dreaming of going anywhere when I’m chained,” I said softly.
After that, they worked in silence until the kitchen door opened and Maeve walked in. She gave me a long hard look.
“What did Eloise do while I was gone?” she asked the pair.
“She moved around a bit then asked for tea to help her sleep. When she woke, she choked a bit but recovered,” Catherine said.
“And she asked us where we would go if we could go anywhere,” Heather added.
“Oh? And where would Eloise go?” Maeve asked, studying me.
“She said there was no point in her dreaming of going anywhere when she’s chained,” Catherine said.
Maeve’s lips curled.
“Exactly why you wear the chains,” she said softly. “I suggest you stop testing the limits of my spell. You might find yourself with Judith and Anne if you don’t.”
I nodded jerkily.
“Good. Let’s eat,” she said cheerfully. “Kellen and I have worked up an appetite.”
Catherine and Heather served everyone before joining Kellen and Maeve at the table. Maeve had barely eaten more than a few bites when the sound of a carriage rattling up our drive filled the kitchen. She made a sound of annoyance and set her fork aside.
“Do not leave Kellen and Eloise unattended,” she said to Catherine and Heather. Then, she pinned Kellen with a cold gaze. “If you try to run, your sister will suffer. Do you understand?”
Kellen nodded quickly.
Maeve swept out of the kitchen, and Kellen quickly stood with her plate and joined me by the fire.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“As well as I can be. Why?” I looked down at the bruises visible on my arms and legs.
“I was with her when the—” She immediately stopped and touched her throat then her hand slid lower, resting just above her breast. She watched me steadily, and I knew she wanted me to understand something. It dawned on me when I looked at her chest again.
She’d seen Maeve’s amulet glow when I tried writing Maeve’s name in the soot. That meant Maeve was still connected to the spell. She would know any time either of us tried to speak against her or, in my case, write against her. That made the possibility of escaping to find help even more unlikely. Maeve would know any time we plotted.
I frowned and reconsidered. Perhaps not. The curse hadn’t flared when I thought of running and finding help. It had only let Maeve know when I had tried to speak or write anything to implicate her of wrongdoing.
Catherine picked up the tea tray she’d hastily put together for the unexpected visitors and left the kitchen.
“She forgot the cream,” Kellen said, standing. “I’ll go get it.”
While she descended into the cold storage, I continued eating. Heather started washing the dishes. A thought struck me, and I reached out once more to write in the soot.
You must run.
I wrote the message without a hint of pain. Relief swept through me, and I picked up my plate, slowly eating.
Kellen returned with the cream a few moments later and set the container on the table just as Catherine returned for it.
“Thank you,” Catherine said before rushing out of the room once more.
Heather, with her back to us, didn’t see me point to the fireplace as Kellen joined me. Nor did she see Kellen shake her head.
I wiped the message clean with my left hand and wrote a new one.
We need help.
I lifted my wrist, showing her the cuff binding me. She reached out and touched my bruised face then every additional bruise she could see. I understood what she was saying. Maeve would likely beat me again.
Wiping the message clean, I wrote the onl
y thing I could think of to convince her.
Without you, there is no control.
Kellen stared at my words for a long time.
“Are you two finished?” Heather said, glancing back at us.
“Almost,” I said. “The crust on this meat pie is delicious. Is there more?”
Heather smiled slightly, obviously pleased with the compliment.
“I’m sorry, miss. We only made the six. When Catherine returns, she is going to take Hugh his portion.”
“Let him eat oats,” Kellen said, her eyes darkening. “He deserves nothing more.”
Heather’s expression showed her conflict.
“It’s fine, Heather,” I said. “Give Hugh his portion. I know where the blame for his actions truly lies.”
Heather nodded and turned back to her wash water.
Kellen sighed.
“Fine. You will have your way.”
To Heather it would sound like she was agreeing to let Hugh have his portion. But I knew better. She was agreeing to run.
Heart aching, I reached out and wiped away the soot. There had never been a time in my life when I’d been without my sister. Not like what I was proposing.
Kellen took my empty plate from me and sat on the stool. I leaned my head against her thigh, missing her already. Her fingers stroked through my hair, her gentle touch lulling me. We stayed like that for a long while. I shifted occasionally but remained close to her. This was our goodbye. Kellen had committed to finding us help, and she would discover a way to escape.
The sound of a carriage outside was the only warning we had before the door opened, and Maeve strode in.
“Kellen, I would like to continue clearing your father’s room. Come,” Maeve said. Kellen immediately stood and went to Maeve, who studied me closely.
“You’re covered in soot, Eloise.”
I glanced down at myself, only seeing the soot on my hand. Still, I wiped at my face with the unsoiled hand and tried to remove the soot from the dirty one by scrubbing it against the cleaner stones near the hearth. It only made the mess worse.
“Fetch the ash bucket for Eloise. She can clean the fireplace since she’s covered in soot,” Maeve said, looking at Heather before addressing me once more. “Perhaps next time you will find a way to stay cleaner.”