Proper Princess

Chapter Ten

With how close the Headmaster's office was to the boy's dormitory, it took Robert only a few moments to pinpoint where the scream had come from. He charged forward, bursting through the door to the office, and we both went still as we took in the sight before us.

Lord Bentley, holding a cane. He had frozen as soon as we had entered the room, and the cane stayed high in the air, poised to strike.

Little Lottie, her dress discarded on the floor, leaving her in just her pantalettes. They had been pulled down, exposing her backside- it ran red with strips of bloodied marks. Her arms, too, held similar bleeding stripes, trailing all the way down to her palms. Unlike the Headmaster, she had not noticed us enter, and continued to bawl and shriek as Lord Bentley held a hand against her lower-back, forcing her to lean against the table as he pinned her down for the horrificly gruesome beating.

"Release her!" Robert's voice came out as a snarl as he charged forward, and Lord Bentley immediately removed his hand from the child, retreating away from the furious man aiming for him. It did little good, though, and I saw Robert grip the Headmaster by the collar and pin him to the wall as I darted towards the little girl- as soon as Lord Bentley had loosened his hold on her, she had collapsed into a gasping heap on the floor.

"Lottie," I called, alarmed by the paleness of her face. She looked deathly ill, and as I examined her wounds, I realized that they were not all new. The ones bleeding had clearly just been made by the cane, but similar marks seemed to date back weeks, or even months. And some were horribly untreated- the child was hot to touch, and I feared infection may be causing fever.

The others had heard the scream, as well, it seemed- or Robert's outraged holler as we had entered the room and taken in the sight before us. Elizabeth, Michael, John, and Eli were all suddenly standing in the doorway. 

Michael and Eli were quick to rush to Robert's side, helping him restrain Lord Bentley against the wall without asking for explanation. The blood dripping from the child seemed to be all they needed to see. John hurried to kneel beside me, his sharp eyes taking in the injuries. He moved to pull Lottie's pantalettes the rest of the way down her legs, noting marks trailing down her thighs that I had not noticed myself.

Elizabeth stood in the doorway with her mouth agape, seeming too stunned to speak.

Lottie was still weeping hysterically, her breaths escaping in a constant high-pitched shriek, and did not notice as she was stripped to be entirely exposed in a room full of men. I took her in my lap, and John pulled off his waistcoat, covering her as best he could while keeping all of the wounds exposed. 

"Amelia," My friend urged, reaching to gently lift the girl from my lap and cradle her in his arms. She whimpered at the movement. "Go and find me some meadowseet or tincture and chlorine, as well as a rag, soap, and boiling water."

I stared at him anxiously. "Look at the conditions they are living in! Certainly there are no medical remedies here."

John growled under his breath. "Then go and find some alcohol and charcoal. Make haste!"

As I flew to my feet and bolted for the door, I bumped into Elizabeth. This seemed to spur her into movement, as well, because she gasped and moved to follow after me.

"And for the love of God, do not forget the soap and water!" John called after us. 

I set the kitchen kettle over the fire, then began raiding the pantry for alcohol. There was a large bottle of rum, which I thrust into Elizabeth's arms as I then whirled to search for a bar of soap. There was none in sight, so I threw the backdoor open and hurried to the washbin outside, finding a bar just near the drying line. While there, I ripped a shred off of one of the hanging uniforms and curled it around my hand to use as a cloth. Hurrying back inside, I filled a bowl with both hot and cold water, but could not locate any charcoal.