A Cold Dish

Chapter 27 - Still Idle

Lady Eliza. My eyes met his warm brown ones. He beckoned me to sit next to him in the gazebo. A tray of sweets was placed opposite us, floral scents surrounded us. The teapot was hot to the touch as I poured rich brown liquid into our respective teacups. How have you been? He took a sip of the tea. I have been well, I recently finished the book you bought for me. Do you like it? He shoved a pastry in my mouth. Its foul, bitter taste filled my mouth, I quickly forced myself to swallow the sand-like texture. Oh, sorry. It's quite dry, isn't it? He handed me my teacup. At a closer glance the liquid looked more like muddy water than a refined tea. His kind eyes pressured me to take a sip. With trembling hands I brought it to my lips. The consistency was chunky and thick, it tasted like rocks and dirt. I quickly turned around as I felt the insides of my stomach being pushed up, it wetted my mouth and poured onto the floor. I never knew you had this side to you, Lady Eliza. His hand flitted over my back in a stroking motion. The other helped remove hair from my face coated in sweat. There, there. His voice was soothing as he waited for me to empty my insides. When I looked up again my blood went cold, that look in his eyes– You're a disgrace, Lady Eliza. What do you mean? You always seemed like a good person, but only now do you show your true face. My true face? Pushing a frail lady down the stairs, tsk tsk. His shadow stretched behind him as the trees stretched above us. You're not the lady I want to marry. Suddenly, it appeared from his shadow. Its silver locks were pushed aside to reveal a gaping ribcage. Its insides were hollow as if it was waiting for something to fill it. I would rather not associate with you any more, Lady Vanidestine. With one step backwards he entered the gaping chasm, his eyes locked onto mine. In the blink of an eye, the ribcage tightly shut around him with a deafening snap. His legs began to sizzle and ooze, it's mass wrapped around its legs. In the otherwise hollow rib cage was now a cold pair of eyes which sneered at me filled with hatred.

With time the crowns of the trees outside my window turned golden. I idly watched them as they withered and fell. With a light sigh I turned my attention to the letter on my desk. How do I tell her? Should I tell her? It is not her fault, she just wanted to bond over a shared heritage. Vivid images flashed through my mind. I… I do not have to tell her the entire truth. With that thought in mind I wrote a reply to Lady Amber's kindhearted letter. I did not wish to inflict her harm over something none of us could have predicted, so I simply left out the gruesome part. Once the letter was sealed in our trademark envelope I opened another letter addressed to me. Lady Henrietta, Lady Violet and Lady Daisy had fervently been sending me letters. Exchanging letters with them was quite entertaining, I got to see another side to them, especially Lady Henrietta. It was as if the words she had been afraid to say out loud escaped through the ink. Lady Violet also shared some snarky marks through her letters. They were all equally worried about me, Lady Daisy however, seemed to worry the most. How cute they are. Yet, among the floral printed envelopes not a single one was from him. Amongst all the warmth was a biting cold deep within. Am I despised? 

After some time the air turned cold, and soon after everything outside my window was white. I stared at my reflection in the clear surface of the draining water. I looked fine, there was not a hint of a scar. The biting cold baths had become bearable with time and with the changing weather I slept in summer blankets without problems. That, however, did not stop the nightmares completely. It gave me a sense of calm when I hit the hay even though I could still experience those vivid nightmares. Last night was no such night, in fact it might have been the best night's sleep in a while. When I came out of the washroom Anne was carefully inspecting the contents of my walk-in closet.
"What would you like to wear, my lady?" Her voice was chipper, "some of your old dresses are still in fashion, like this one."
Her excitement was cut short by the door opening, some maids stepped in unannounced and gave a slight curtsey.
"The Marchioness has sent us to help you prepare," one of them said and swiftly walked into my closet.
I could practically hear Anne’s thoughts from her expression alone. The gall. Despite that she helped seat me in front of my vanity table. In the reflection of the mirror I could see the maid come out of the closet.
"You have nothing that's in fashion. Lucky you that the Marchioness was graceful enough to lend you her wardrobe."
The other two maids stepped up to the vanity table.
"We'll help you get ready," one said, her face was somewhat cat-like.
"That is alright, I always help my lady get ready."
The other maid eyed her up and down before opening her mouth,
"The Marchioness has entrusted us with this. We would not want Elizabeth to be mistaken for a fool." The other maid looked remarkably older.
Anne's face slightly twisted in the mirror. I reached out to her clenched hand, when my skin met hers it twitched and quickly relaxed. Her face returned to a neutral state as she let out a quiet sigh.
"Very well then, I will be here to aid." 
"That won't be necessary," the cat-like maid responded and started working.
They were rough with my hair, forcefully undoing knots that had formed while I slept. They dragged and pulled on my hair to make sure it lay flat on my scalp when they tied it up. While the two were hard at work the other maid returned with a dress in hand. Lace surrounded the bust making the chest the centerpiece. It was flashy and mature, a stark contrast to the dresses ladies my age wore. Once my hair and make up was done they harshly fastened the corset I wore underneath. As preparations finished, the door suddenly opened to reveal another maid.
"Your guests have arrived," announced the maid before leaving.