The Beginning of the end (WIP)

Chapter 12

Sir Fredrick had come in on the noon train, father and Nora going to meet him, Lorena stayed home to help Mary and Mrs. Leery, and father wanted someone to keep an eye on mother. The doctor had come last night after dinner, the girls had stood in the hall Lorena pacing, and Nora leaning against the wall biting her fingernails, something Lorena had never seen her do.

The doctor just said to make sure she got plenty of rest and she didn't walk around all that much, regain her strength. Supposedly she had been overworking herself, and father could attest to that.

Lorena finished stacking the books in the library up, most of her fathers beloved histories that had been laying on the tables in his office and in the parlor, just all of them in one place so that he wouldn't get upset with her for misplacing them. He always had a knack for reading several books at a time and when he went to go and do something he would leave his book there and Mary didn't like to move them for fear of losing his spot or misplacing the book. Mary gave Lorena a few of her chores today so she would be able to work in the kitchen with Mrs. Leery more today.

She finished stacking the books and left the library, closing the door behind her, the library was adjoined to her father's study, with only one big window facing the north side of the house, with dark blues and purples, with heavy mahogany furniture, her father's study was much lighter in comparison, three windows on the north and east side, red carpet and light oak walls. The scent of old books and earl gray tea. She remembered running through this room as a little girl, when her father was seated behind his desk in his big comfy chair and she would come and climb on his lap, and he would read from the newspaper or what history book he was reading aloud to her, and then it would be time for dinner or lunch or maybe Lorena got bored.

She left the papers on his desk be, knowing better then to bother those. She left his study, the door shut behind her, across from father's study was the parlor, and the dining room next to that. 

Lorena went into the kitchen where Mary and Mrs. Leery were, steam rising from the bog pot on the stove, it was warm which was a nice contrast to the cold rainy day.

"How is you mother doing Miss Lorena?" Mrs. Leery asked, as she came in. They were both working quickly, but there seemed to be no stress in the kitchen, just comfortable familiarity.

"I'll go and check on her, I just finished dusting and clearing a few things up." Lorena said, going to the stairway that led to the upstairs.

"Thank you for doing that, it was a great help." Mary said gratefully from where she was working by the stove. Lorena smiled and went up the steps.

There were many doors in the hall, the only three that were ever used closest to the back. The front rooms were all guest rooms.

Father's grandmother had had the house built when her husband had died and she wanted enough room so that all of her children and grandchildren would be able to come and stay with her in the winter for Christmas, and in the summer. Which meant that there were at least fifteen bedrooms in the whole house, which Nora thought was wonderful, so that all of the Pills family would come to stay for the wedding. The O'Malley's would rent out rooms at the hotel in town, where Fredrick would go to stay while he was in Andover.

This morning Nora was in a frenzy worrying that nothing would be in order and that her hair wouldn't stay, and she thought that she looked like she aged three years since Sir Fredrick had last seen her. Which Lorena thought was ridiculous, only that she had maybe tanned and freckled since they had been riding horse frequently, and maybe her hair was lighter, but only fractionally.

Lorena came to her parent's door and knocked quietly, her mother gave her entrance and she opened the door. Susan looked much better then she did yesterday, even before her episode. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked vibrant, she was reading in bed, she had already dressed for Sir Fredrick's arrival, and her eyes shone with happiness.