Promises Unkept

Borders and Encumbrances

PHEWWW!!!!

Am back!

No. No. Exams are not yet over...
But biochemistry is and rest, I can handle....
_________

 A day after Mr. Edwin left, the manor had, for some cause, become eerily quiet.

And though the presence of other guest still swarmed the manor and it’s backyards in the morning and at lunch, when the weather was justifiably warm and cloudless, a very obvious nonappearance of Lady Ivy and Lord Adelwood flawed its usual mood of liveliness.

Eden had been made to know that something was ailing Lady Ivy, not a physical sufferance but a mental turmoil about some affair and she has refused to step out of her room. Lord Adelwood, being her most intimate associate and, as they believed, her fiancé too, thus remained by her side all the time.

Apart from this, the day went endurably fine for everyone. And tranquil, for most of its part.

It was nearing the evening when the winds changed.

The hills suddenly grew gusty and dark clouds washed-out the sky in a grey haze. The probability of rain, however, was very little considering the dryness of the breezes. Ashleyton, the manor, standing high in this tumult of nature suddenly was so full of wind in all its corridors that Mrs. Hopkins  was beyond worried and instantly, a command was launched for the maids to close all the windows and interfaces over the floors for the fear of dust.

Maggie, during all this, was otherwise engaged. Mr. Penfield had promised her that he would read her one of his favorite book and it had been arranged by Eden that he would come to Eden and Maggie’s room once the lunch was over and the quarter was empty. There thus, Maggie was in their room with Mr. Penfield reading to her and Eden had assured her that she would double herself up so that no one would question her whereabouts.

Thence, right now, Eden was on the first floor of the manor, in a dark corridor where curtains were all on breeze and dancing like crazy as she struggled with the glass panes of a huge windows, all seemingly determined to clang as loud as they could. She was afraid she was too slow for the rest of the windows were banging against each other, on the verge of shattering the glasses, sending echoes down the dark emptiness of the hall.

She finished with this one and moved to the subsequent one; again, laboring with the heavy panes when suddenly, a swift hand grasped the heavy flap and effortlessly pulled it towards the frame. She looked up at her side and was somewhat surprised to find Lord Adelwood’s tall presence by her. She pulled her hand back when his fingers brushed hers and recoiled a little.

But then, he turned towards her and entreated, “Quick, Miss Henley, help.”

Eden joined him at once.

When he had locked the bolt, he signaled her to assist him in the next open window, which she wordlessly did and soon enough, they were at the last, most enormous window that was situated at the end-wall of the corridor.

On reaching it, Lord Adelwood told Eden to let it be ajar, fixing its flaps with the hooks so that it wouldn’t slam against the outer wall.

“A little wind would do this old place good.” He said, looking outside the window, over the hills.

“But Mrs. Hopkins…”

“Tell her I ordered it.”

Eden nodded quietly, stormy winds, all this time sighing in her ears. Her face had grown very grim and a frown had whispered it’s presence across her forehead; all this being attributed to his presence. However, she stood there silently, waiting for his dismissal, even when all she wished was to turn around and walk away from him, as far as possible.