Awakenings (A Witch's Coven Novel Book 1) (7 page)

“I don’t want to sit down. I’m angry.”

I laughed and pointed at the chair for her to sit. “Of course you’re angry. You’re seventeen and in love for the first time, and you’re realizing that the world isn’t fair and as simple as you once thought.” I put my arm around her and walked her over to the chair across from mine. “Come on, sit down. I will tell you a story of my past and, if you listen well, it might help you with your problem.”

She acquiesced and sat in the chair but folded the black robe around her, sinking into the chair with a frown on her face. I almost laughed but did not wish to set her off. It had been hard enough to get her to stay and to sit down to listen. I reached over and poured myself a glass of wine. “Would you like some?”

“Yes, thank you.” I gave her my glass and she accepted and took a large mouthful. When she swallowed, she coughed as the wine went down.

“Easy, not so fast.” I poured a glass for me and took a sip. I thought back through the years and had the story that I would tell. “I will tell you another story of Stephen and Charles, and I think you might use some of what I tell you to help you with your situation with John. Well, at least it will give you some ideas. And then it’ll be up to you on what you want to do next. Sound good?”

She took another deep sip of wine and swallowed, but this time she was prepared and did not cough. “Yes, I am listening. I might as well. I have nowhere else to go.”

I smiled at her and remembered when I was her age. I had acted the same at times. I raised my left hand and ignited it with magic. The spell came forth and I snapped my fingers and the room in which we sat fell away and we traveled back through the years. I closed my eyes and remembered Stephen and Charles, and my illusion became Alessia’s and my reality.

Alessia sat up in surprise and watched the walls fall away and be replaced by the courtyard at the back of my lord’s house. Everything changed and I could see the wonder in her eyes. Now I would begin my story and she would see and experience all that I remembered, and with some hope, I might truly convince her to stay.

***

I folded the clothes I had washed and that’s when I heard the first bits of yelling coming from the great hall where the wounded rested. A woman’s shrill scream pierced the morning air, and I stopped my work and ran toward the ruckus. Several other servants came out of their rooms and looked to see what the commotion was about.

An older woman accompanied by several personal guards knelt by Charles’ bed and cried over him. This was in wintertime, before the second batch of recruits and volunteers were rounded up and sent off to war. Charles sat up in bed and tried to disengage himself.

“Mother, I am all right. Please.” He pushed her away, but she would have none of it.

“My boy!” She hugged him, and then kissed him on the forehead. “What happened to your beautiful legs?”

The other young men stared at the scene just as I did, unsure of how to react. Charles pushed his mother away and replied, “I was injured in battle and fell in the mud. Then a cart ran over me and crushed my legs.”

“I had not heard that you were here. I would have come sooner if I did.” Charles’ mother pulled herself up and called out, “Who is in charge here?” She pointed at a servant. “Get me the lord of the house so that I can speak to him.”

I hung back and did not enter the room, afraid that her wrath would fall on me because I happened to be present. Our house lord came into the room along with one of the servants. He bowed and asked, “Welcome to my home, my lady. You can see that I have taken in your son and that for the few weeks that he’s been here that he’s well on the way to recovery.”

“My son will be leaving today. I appreciate your help, but you could have sent a note to let me know of his return. I thought him still at war.”

“He asked for us not to send a note for you.”

My house lord started to say more, but she cut him off. “I wish him to be in his own home with care that I can provide.” She pointed to one of her guards, who handed a bag of coin to the house lord. “You will be well paid for your efforts. Thank you.”

“There is no need for payment.” He refused the bag and then added, “Your son is welcome to stay here and recover with the rest of his comrades.” He addressed Charles directly and asked, “Would you like to do that, my lord?”

Charles started to respond, but his mother cut him off. “Gather him on the stretcher and bring him now.”

The guards obeyed her command and picked him right up in his makeshift bed. I rushed inside the room and headed toward Charles. He saw me and smiled, and I took that as a good sign.

His mother addressed the house lord and stood protectively in front of her son as the guards lifted him away. “I have lost my husband to this wretched war, and my son has been maimed and nearly killed. I will be taking him now so that he can recover in his own home. He will not be staying here.”

I came up to Charles’ side and put my hands on his. The guards started walking him out of the room, but I stayed by his side and whispered to him. “Can I come visit you sometime?”

He smiled and squeezed my hand. “I would like that. My mother has her heart in the right place, but she can be a bit demanding at times.”

I turned back and saw the house lord bowing again to Charles’ mother, and they finished their conversation.

Before his mother could turn around, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I will come to you then.”

I could see the surprise and excitement on his face from my kiss, but one of the guards brushed me off and I stood back and watched them leave the room. His mother strode by and did not even glance at me, and in a few moments they were gone. I heard them outside in the back courtyard, and then they loaded Charles in the cart she had brought and were gone. My house lord shook his head, rubbing the back of his bald head in frustration, but kept his opinions to himself and left the room. The wounded soldiers started to talk among themselves, but I did not stay to hear them. I had other thoughts on my mind.

Chapter 4

I rushed upstairs to the far side of the house to the library. When I entered, several heads turned to see me running. I slowed my pace and headed over to the far corner where I knew Stephen would be. He sat there deep in thought, poring over a book. He had his wounded leg propped up on another chair and did not hear me approach.

“Stephen!” I whispered, and the concerned tone of my voice brought him out of his own little world.

“Good morning.” He smiled at me, and the last two days had seen a remarkable change in him. “What is it?”

I pulled up a chair next to him and kept my voice low. “Charles’ mother just took him from the house. She’s going to care for him on her own and just dragged him away.”

He closed the book, and I did not expect to see a smile on his face. “I’m surprised that it took her this long to find out that he had returned. She has always been overprotective and did not want her husband or Charles to go off to war.” He held the book in his hand and adjusted the bandage on his head with his other hand. “But who could blame her? She’s a widow now, and her son is a cripple.”

“Stop that!” I punched him in the arm.

“Ow!” He rubbed his arm. “Why did you do that?”

Another occupant in the room turned toward Stephen and shot daggers at him with his eyes.

“You always focus on the negative these days. Charles is still alive. Is he not?”

Stephen reached for his cane, and then pulled himself up and out of his chair. He wobbled a bit and leaned on the cane, but he did not fall. “A man in his prime who has lost both his legs is crippled for life. Nothing will ever be the same for him. He does have his family’s money and that will buy him the care he will need, but he is a broken man.”

“I want you to tell me where his house is so that I can visit him tonight.” I followed him as he made his way out of the library. “I promised that I would visit him, and he agreed to my coming.”

A rare smile broke out on Stephen’s face. His demeanor had been reserved since his return from the war. “I can help you with that.” He walked a few more steps, and then turned to me. “I’ve never been fond of his mother anyway.”

I kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Be ready at nine o’clock. She goes to bed early, and I’ll take you to his house.” He stopped and looked down at his cane. “Can you get a carriage for us? It’ll make things a lot easier for me.”

“Yes, don’t worry about it. One of the footmen owes me a favor. I didn’t tattle on him when he came back drunk and was late for work a few weeks ago. He’ll help me.” I waved, and then ran off to get caught up on my work before my house lord noticed and took me to task.

I don’t know why, but I glanced back and saw a bit of a twinkle in Stephen’s eye that reminded me of his old mischievous self, and that made me happy. He twirled his cane and tipped an imaginary hat at me, and then shambled out of the room.

The day flew by with work to do, and we were still taking shifts in helping the wounded. There were sheets to change and wash, and men to clean as well. The amount of stink and bodily fluids that I dealt with that day was beyond reckoning. The men, some barely old enough to shave, were in good spirits with the day being bright but cold. I expected that, as the weeks wore on the many who would still not be able to walk or hold a sword again would have deeper pains to deal with, and that the female servants smiling and paying them attention would not be of much help. But on this day, we tended to their wounds, put clean bandages on them, and, for those who could walk, we took them around the house, showing them the courtyard frozen with snow.

I crammed in my work as fast and as efficiently as I could, and the day quickly turned into night. We served dinner and afterward cleaned the plates, and a traveling musician treated us to some of his songs. He set up in a chair by the fire in the great hall and played a few songs on his lute. For his last song, he riled up the crowd and sang a summer festival song of hope and light. I had not heard the song in a few years, and it brought me back to the time that my mother was still alive and how she would twirl me and I would stop and watch her dress swirl around her, and then she would stop and it fell back in place.

We served the men their dessert and a hot drink, and many of the servants came and took turns volunteering sitting with the soldiers, asking if they needed anything for the rest of the night. Bed pans were changed, the fire was stoked and more logs put on, and I made my way out the back way, down the steps to the lower level of the house. I changed as quickly as I could and went out the back into the courtyard. The stars twinkled in the night sky and the cold nipped at my nose. On time, standing in his best dress, Stephen stood tall with a warm coat. He leaned on his cane and put his arm out to me. “Good evening, lady of the rags. You clean up nicely.”

I curtsied to him and took his arm. “Thank you, my lord. You look dashing this evening.”

“If only I could find someone who looks just as dashing as me this evening, I would be in heaven.” He winked at me, and I laughed. He stepped carefully through the courtyard, avoiding the icy patches and snow as best he could.

I pointed to a carriage out in the street. “Our carriage awaits.”

I helped Stephen climb into the carriage and followed after him. We sat across from each other, cold but feeling adventurous. Our driver poked his head in and asked, “Where to?”

Stephen handed him a slip of paper. “I’ve drawn a map for you. We’re going to the city’s lake district. When we get closer, I’ll direct you to the house.” He handed the driver a few pieces of silver and smiled.

The driver accepted the coin and slipped it into his pocket. “Thank you, sir. I’ll have you both there soon.”

We headed off through the night and the streets had some traffic with people returning from their engagements. Once we left the central part of the city, we crossed through the gates and headed out into the dark on the road. Our driver used the light of the moon to guide him, and he had a lit lantern hanging beside him in the driver’s seat. Stephen and I kept mostly quiet, warming ourselves in the blankets inside the carriage. I closed my eyes for a few moments and imagined that I was a great lady being brought back from the theater. But when I opened my eyes, the vision faded, and I could see Stephen looking lost in thought.

“Are you in pain?” I did not know how else to broach the topic.

He shook his head and pressed his face against the carriage’s window. “No, I’m wondering how we’re going to get inside to see him. We thought this all through, but didn’t get that far in the plan. We can’t just knock on the door and be asked to come in this late. They’ll wake his mother up, and we don’t want that.”

“I have a plan that should work.” I smiled at him like a devil.

“I’m curious. What do you have in mind?”

I opened my coat and showed him two bottles of whiskey that I had strapped to myself. “This should get us inside without any problems.” I closed my coat again to keep warm. “A little spirits and a bit of flirting, and we’ll be fine.”

“You little thief!” Stephen tapped my leg with a cane. “I should come on over there and eat you up like the little minx you are.”

I laughed and felt the carriage slowing. Our driver jumped from his seat and came to the door and opened it. “I’ve been here before and knew the way. When do you both expect to be back?” His thick northern accent sometimes made him difficult to understand.

I didn’t know what to say, but Stephen, always prepared, handed our driver two more silver coins. “We’ll be back by one. Wait for us in the house so you can stay warm and not freeze to death out here.”

He bowed his head and headed off to the servant’s quarters.

“Thomas, wait.” I called after him, and then climbed down to catch up to him. Taking a flask out of my coat pocket, I pressed it into his hand. “With the lateness of the hour, this will help you make friends and keep everyone quiet.”

“Thank you!” He accepted the flask and went to go, but I stopped him.

“Just don’t overdo it. We need you to drive us back and not get caught.”