Last Rank

Chapter 9

- Elly -

Elly wandered the streets quite aimlessly for a while, too overwhelmed to care how people regarded her. Castermere, a city, was really something else entirely. Houses were bigger, streets were longer, everything was louder. It even smelled different than the village she had known all her life, not necessarily better, though. So many places were sparkling with wealth, others were grey scars of misery.

When Elly remembered herself, she blushed and carefully went about asking people for her aunt's street.

She arrived at an estate she could have only dreamed of. At least three times as big as the house Elly and her family lived in, clean white walls, neat roof and a spacy garden.

Elly had received fancy gifts from her aunt every now and then, admired her nice dresses, but she had never known how wealthy her aunt had really been.

Little nervous Elly knocked on the door and was steered in by a butler who might have been the old Baron's age. He looked nothing like him though, he was much taller, had much more hair and no beard.

"So you really came," the voice of a woman startled Elly. She turned to find her the splitting image of her mother, same round cheeks and grey eyes, just the hair a bit shorter, twisted to a bun at the side.

Tears prickled in Elly's throat.

"Your father sent me a letter the moment you disappeared," the aunt said. She strode through the arched entry room on soft steps, soundless like a cat, despite the extravagant purple laced dress she wore.

"I-I had no choice," Elly said.

"Are you pregnant?"

"What? No!" Elly exclaimed in offense. "I did not sleep with the Count!"

The woman stepped closer to look at Elly from head to toe, circled her once, then pulled at her shawl and gave a noise of surprise at the sight of the loss of hair.

"I was told I had the fleas," Elly explained with a hollow voice. She stubbornly stared ahead, biting her lips.

"Did you let the stable boy tumble you as well?"

Elly hugged herself tightly, anger drove tears down her cheeks. "I did not sleep with anyone," she pressed out.

"I am not judging. I just need to know what to do with you. I can hardly afford myself, let alone a bastard child of yours." Her aunt's eyes wandered down to Elly's stomach, searching for the smallest bulge of a growing infant.

"I am still a virgin!"

"Whatever you say. But if not, I dare you lie to me. We'll both go to ruin."

A sob shook Elly. She had wanted to escape such situations by leaving Burgate. It was mortifying that not even her own family believed in her.

Her aunt gave a sigh, hugged the girl and gently stroke her head. Then she let go to take both of Elly's hand into her own and looked at her with a little smile. "Don't worry, dear. How about some hot tea while I write a note to your parents they may stop fearing for your life?"

Elly gasped of relief. A warm ache took hold of her heart.

She nodded.

Her aunt led her to a sitting room resembling those Elly knew from the castle greatly. Where the Baron had sculptures or paintings decorating the room, the walls were empty, however. All in all, there could have been more furniture.

When her aunt came back from the writing table, Elly had hardly dried her tears. The dark hole that had formed from missing her parents and loss of things dear to her could not be filled with a cup of tea. Who knew leaving home could be that lonely.