Astoria

f o r t y - s i x

The next day found Isabella sitting stiffly in one of the arm chairs in her mother's parlor, pretending to be occupied with a piece of embroidery so as to avoid conversation with her mother and her aunt. As she pushed the needle and thread through the fabric, she listened to their words.

"...My dear sister," said Catherine. "I find myself in a bit of a predicament."

"What sort of predicament?" said Therese, hesitantly. Isabella frowned. Her mother never stood up to her Aunt Catherine and Isabella herself had never truly felt up to the daunting task.

"I find myself having lost a great deal of money in recent times," she said. "I was forced to sell the manor."

Isabella recalled her aunt's dark and cold home and thought that that was not necessarily a bad thing.

"Rather than buy another smaller house, I was wondering if I might stay here with you?"

Isabella froze, wishing that anything but that might happen.

"Of course," she continued. "You couldn't really expect me to lower my standard of living, now that I'm older and set in my ways? It would be unthinkable!"

"Of course it would," murmured Therese. "But don't you think that you had better ask..."

"Do you have an objection, sister dear?"

"No...No of course not."

"Mother," broke in Isabella. "I just don't think that..."

Aunt Catherine turned a withering gaze to Isabella. "Tsk, tsk. Your child presumes to argue with you, Therese. If I had children, they would certainly have been better behaved."

"Yes, Catherine," mumbled Therese, her gaze towards her daughter a sorrowful one. "Isabella," she said. "You're dismissed."

As Isabella passed her mother, she caught the small smile that Therese let only her daughter see. She was allowing Isabella an escape, allowing her to leave and go to do as she pleased.

Isabella entered the hallway, allowing anger at her aunt to enter her. Her Aunt Catherine! Come to live in the palace! Of course, Catherine would shoot down any argument that Therese made; she'd make her feel guilty until she consented.

She was still fuming as she entered the parlor she shared with Meredith.

She looked up to see her companion standing by the window, her shoulders slumped.

"Meredith?" she said, trying to control her anger at her aunt. "What's wrong?"

Meredith immediately straightened and turned to face Isabella. "Nothing," she said, smiling. Isabella would have believed her, if it had not been that she had seen her a moment ago looking so defeated. The bruise across her right cheek didn't help her impression that something had happened to greatly upset her friend.

"What happened?" she said, coming to stand before Meredith and examining her bruise.

"Nothing major," said Meredith, laughing. Isabella wondered if she was only imagining that it sounded a bit forced. "I was putting your Aunt Catherine's books up on a shelf in her room and I was clumsy; I picked up too many and one of them, a rather heavy volume, fell and hit me in the face. I must admit that it was a bit painful. However, I have no one to blame for it but myself." She shrugged, but her gaze soon turned worried once more.

"Isabella? Do you think that Antony has gotten my family alright?"

Isabella smiled.

"I see; you're just worried about your family." She laid a comforting hand on Meredith's shoulder. "I'm sure that he's reached Hampshire and Dunkirk by now, at least. As to whether he's gotten your family...He promised to send a messenger ahead with a note once they grew close to home. I'm sure your family will be fine, and I know that Kade is looking for his father and your brother with all he has."