Saving Sabine

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sabine and her parents arrived in London a few weeks later as February arrived. They’d planned on travelling as soon as possible, however they’d received another letter from Emilia asking if they’d delay a trip until February to give Kitty a little time to adjust. Daniel had said that adjusting would not take ‘a little time’.

Sabine had spent most of the time with Connor in the stables. His words consoled her and his presence comforted her. In those weeks, she had stopped feeling so upset and saddened, and instead remembered Captain Aubrey for the wonderful person he was, and she that she had been lucky to call him ‘friend’.

Dressed in a black satin gown that was tightly cinched at the waist, she and her parents walked through the gates of Ethridge.

The door opened before they could reach it, and Mr Carter welcomed them, taking their travelling cloaks without his usual professional banter.

Sabine could feel the sadness on the walls of the great house. The maids kept their heads down and the footmen did not make eye contact. Little J emerged from the drawing room accompanied by her brother, both wearing their mourning clothes, and their mourning expressions.

Little J immediately came over to hug Sabine tightly. Pulling back, she looked to Daniel and Jane. “Mama and papa are upstairs with Kitty … she doesn’t talk much. Grandmamma is here as well, she arrived a few days ago.”

“How is Kitty?” Jane asked carefully, coming over to give her niece a kiss on the cheek.

“She’s not Kitty anymore,” James said sadly. Sabine sometimes forgot that James and Kitty were twins and that even though they didn’t get along all the time, they shared a special connection that only twins could.

“She appears to have melancholia,” Little J sighed. “Come into the drawing room, I’ll ring the bell for Mrs Norris to make you something to eat, you must be famished after your journey.”

They spent the rest of the day conversing with Little J and James, as well as Catherine who had joined them in the drawing room. Every so often either Emilia or Sebastian would enter and give them a report on how Kitty was progressing.

According to Emilia and Sebastian, Kitty had improved when it came to eating and bathing, but she wasn’t talking often and she refused to leave her bedchamber.

Sabine desperately wanted to go upstairs and see her but her aunt and uncle had barred it – they didn’t want her to be overwhelmed.

The following day, as they sat down to luncheon, Catherine rose from her seat abruptly. “I’m going to go and see Kitty,” she said firmly, holding a finger up to her son before he could protest. “I’ll invite her downstairs so she can be with everyone. Staying alone is not healthy.” With than she disappeared out the dining room door.

“Let’s just eat, everyone,” Sebastian said, gesturing to the several platters of cold meats, fruit and cheese before them. Sabine pulled some fruit onto her plate and began to delicately slice it.