Contrite & Convicted

Let It Go, Let It Go, Let It Go Part II

Let It Go, Let It Go, Let It Go Part II

Ester sat once more, in her bedroom sitting on her bed with her back to the wall. Her feet extended outwards covered in small booties. The window pane edged with a frost of the ever increasing snow storm that occurred that Christmas morning.

No one was awake yet, as Ester's twins seemed to be sleepless with the return of the voice they had come to know of their father. A visible wince made its way out of Ester's thoughts and voice as she remembered that fateful meeting between her and husband...

"Ester"

"Oh, no. Not today." Ester turned as fast as her pregnant body would allow her too and made a quick--rather wobbly--pace to the stairs. She had to get to her room and lock the door.

Was it true that she just sat and self reflected on how she felt she may have been rather rude to Anthony and his family? Yes. All self reflective, positive thoughts about how she would manage her life from now on are forced out the window as she made face to face contact with the man she spent hours thinking about.

"Ester!" the voice behind her, the hushed and dramatic tone behind her called out, catching up to her.

Ester's food still hurt from her tumble down the stairs and she was MOST certain she shouldn't be running in her condition but she was NOT ready to face the Viscount just yet. She trudged up the stairs as fast as she could, she was certain she had put almost the entire staircase behind her with him at the bottom struggling to reach her.

"Ester! You shouldn't be running in your condition! Please! STOP!" Ester squinted her eyes as his hand grabbed her arm in a tight manner. Turning to look at how far she climbed she smashed her foot onto the delicate colored marble staircase seeing her efforts were in vain. She only managed to run up four steps before he caught her....Stupid pregnancy....

"Please, I know you're still angry with me, hurt even. Just please..think about our children. I'd hate for anything to happen to them or you just because you didn't want to talk to me." Ester could hear it, the hurt in his voice.

Turning to finally get a good look at him, she noticed he had changed too. His scruffy sideburns had been slicked down. His hair was longer, thicker...darker. His eyes had lost their spark and the bags under his eyes were bigger, darker.

From his travels she assumed. Ester noticed he had snow melted up to his knees, from her own conclusions she once more took into account that he was the supposed servant she thought walked in earlier.

Ester said nothing, but removed her hand from his grasp and slowly walked up the stairs. Skirts in one hand and stomach resting with the other.

She had not seen him since last night and she didn't know what to say about his return quite yet. The only thing she looked forward to was the present she had gotten for everyone. Hopefully the servant she asked to take care of it, did as was told and didn't tell anyone.

Then she heard some giggling on the other end of the door and slowly a creaking heard as the door began to open. Ester pretended to be asleep and slowly but surely Hyacinth and Greg came into her room bursting into screams and laughter.

"It's Christmas! Happy Christmas Ester!" Ester feigned waking up and squealed with them as they jumped on her bed. It was the perfect way to be woken up in her opinion. All negative thoughts of Anthony gone as she made her way (in her robe and slippers) as well as the rest of the family.