Corpse Bride (The Novelized Version)

A Moonlight Dance and A Midnight Lie

CHAPTER EIGHT :

"Oh, Victor... Where are you?"

Victoria paced in her nightgown.
The floor was so cold she could feel it through the thinning carpet. The measly fire in the fireplace provided almost no warmth, but she didn't care. She was too busy worrying. It had to have been past midnight and he still wasn't back yet.

"Where is he?... He could be anywhere... I highly doubt he's not freezing to death outside... I hope he doesn't catch a cold, or something worse like pneumonia."

She paced, hugging her body with one arm and chewing the skin around her thumb on the other. She looked out through the French window leading to her balcony. There had been a slight shower of snow about 20 minutes prior, and it had left little clumps to melt and refreeze into ice on her balcony.

A sudden knock on her door startled her out of her nervous pacing.

"Excuse me, Miss Victoria, do you need anythin' dearie? A warm pot of tea ought to set you to rights," Hildegarde, Victoria's elderly maid said as she came in.

Victoria was almost instantly comforted by the sight of her old nurse, almost. The elderly woman was closer to Victoria than her own mother.

"No, thank you Hildegarde. I'm alright at the moment," she replied politely.
However Victoria's manners couldn't mask her worry for long and she couldn't hold back her questions.
"Oh Hildegarde, I'm apologize for being so abrupt but, have they found him yet? Do they know anything about where he is at all?" Victoria asked in a very rushed manner.

Hildegarde made a regretful face, "The Van Dorts are not back yet, and even the town crier hasn't let loose any news on his whereabouts from his big mouth. If he had, we would've all heard it."

"Hm. True. Is anyone else at least helping with the search?" Victoria wrung her hands.

"I don't think so. The Van Dorts haven't put out word of reward money; if they had, I belive everyone would be out looking for him, greedy people. I don't think anyone wants to get involved with it unless there's some type of money to be given."
Victoria looked crestfallen as Hildegarde took her hand and gave it a comforting pat.
"But belive me dearie, if I hear any word about Victor you'll be the first to know."

"Hm. Thank you, Hildegarde," Victoria said. "Greedy people indeed," she muttered, then gave a defeated sigh, "Are you going to retire yet?" she asked.

"Not yet dearie. Your parents might need me later, and with you worryin' about in here, you might need me too."

Victoria gave a sentimental smile. Victoria loved Hildegarde. The old maid was always kind, loving, and motherly towards Victoria. She figured that her desire to raise a child must have had something to do with Hildegarde losing her own daughter to drowning in the Thames on a trip to London. She doubted that her parents knew, and if they did, she doubted even more so that they cared.

It was a strange and almost sad thing to say, but Victoria was glad that Hildegarde hadn't had another child. Her doing so wouldn't have allowed her to take care of Victoria instead; Victoria couldn't bear to think about the insufferable person she'd be if her mother would've had the dominant role in raising her.

"Possibly. I'll call for you within a half hour, to let you know if I do need anything. If I don't, then I won't be needing anything and you can retire."

"Thank you dearie, but I think your parents will be keeping me up for longer than I wish," she sighed, then whispered, "But don't tell them I said that," she finished with a wink.

Victoria gave a devious little smile as she watched Hildegarde walk out of her room.

No sooner had she left though, the worry had returned and Victoria began pacing again.