One Glance

Chapter 29

"We are our mothers' daughters, are we not?" Corey Ann Haydu, The Careful Undressing of Love

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Chapter Twenty – Nine

She could never have imagined that so many fine things could be owned by one person.

Annaliese had pulled half a dozen gowns from her trunk and had laid them all out across the large, impossibly inviting bed.

The room had practically dazed her as she had followed her sisters inside. It was a large, square room and she immediately noticed the intricately carved mahogany bed situated against the far wall.

The fireplace, made with the same marble that featured throughout the house, was made cosy by the white and gold settees surrounding it. It crackled away, filling the room with comfortable warmth.

The dresser was covered in scent bottles and jars, all perfectly aligned, although they did not look like they had been touched. Perhaps they belonged to the owner of the house. Annaliese did not seem like the type of person to sit in front of a mirror primping herself while her sister lay in a hospital bed.

The writing desk, on the other hand, looked thoroughly occupied. It was covered in papers, letters, pots of inks and quills. Annaliese seemed to have a lot of correspondence.

Annaliese noticed her eyes on the untidy writing desk and said, "I try to keep it organised but something new arrives from the children every other day," she explained. "They send me their schoolwork, and every odd thought that seems to pop into their heads." She laughed lightly.

Annaliese was a good mother, she decided.

"Isabella, do you really not remember anything?" asked Eleanor.

She turned at the sound of her name, which was a very odd feeling. She still did not feel as though it belonged to her, yet she answered to it.

"Eleanor!" hissed Annaliese.

She shook her head. "No, no. It is alright. I suppose it is natural to be curious, is it not? I know I am. But I do not remember anything. I do not know why. Perhaps my memories fell out of my head when my doctor drilled into my head." She wondered if that were possible.

"I hope not," Eleanor said sincerely.

"Helena packed these for me," Annaliese said, gesturing to the gowns on the bed. "I was not in the right mindset when we were racing against time to get you help."

She could hear the echo of terror in Annaliese's voice. How she must have frightened them.

"Who is Helena?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Matthew and Luke's mother," replied Annaliese. "Our mother-in-law."

Her eyes widened. The woman who loved her sons fiercely. "Luke tells me she likes me." It was more of a question.

"Oh, yes," confirmed Annaliese. "She cried happy tears every time a letter arrived for you from across the sea. All she wanted was for Luke to have someone that he loved enough to warrant his being careful while he was away."

Both Luke and Annaliese had now confirmed it. She smiled.

All three girls turned to the door as someone lightly knocked.

"Yes?" called Annaliese.

The door opened without the person announcing themselves. Her mother entered the room and closed the door behind her.