Cursed by the land

Settling In

I open my eyes and the room is dark. I look out the window and I see it’s still night. The wick in the lantern is flickering as the old oil is almost finished. I get and pour myself water out of the jug that is on the three legged table. After drinking I go back to sleep and I turn and turn but the sleep refused to come. ‘Eli?’ I heard Jude’s voice and I reply her that no. ‘Okay it’s you Abbey, I thought it was a ghost.’ I roll my eyes at her childish talk. I don’t believe in the existence of ghosts and other beings that they say exists. If there were ghosts how come my mother hasn’t come to see me still? She goes back to sleep as I can hear her snoring from my bed. The rooster in the hen coop crows and I believe it will be morning soon. I fall asleep again and when I open my eyes, the room is empty.

The two beds are laid but there’s no sight of the girls. I hurriedly get up and walk out to see them setting breakfast on the table. Aunt Rebecca sees me and gives me an assuring smile. I smile back awkwardly as I didn’t want to be seen as lazy. She tells me to fetch water and take my bath since we had somewhere to go mid morning. I nod my head and fetch water out of the barrel to take my bath. There were four sponges and towels yesterday but I find new ones there. Eli stands outside the bathroom door and tells me that the extra sponge and towel is mine. I thank her and she leaves to the house. The bathhouse was outside the house with the lavatory. I scrub and rinse myself with water and wipe myself with the towel. I take out the four other towels and hang it on the dry line and go back inside.

I enter to see them half done with breakfast. Eli pours me porridge and passes me the knife to smear my bread with butter. I had never eaten such breakfast before since we could barely get a meal a day back in Kenthood. The butter tastes good and I closed my eyes to relish the taste. ‘I hope you enjoyed the night Abbey?’ uncle Hugh asks me and I nod my head as there’s still food in my mouth. ‘Your aunt and cousins will be attending to the engagement ceremony of Mister Davisson’s daughter and they’ll take you with them so you can settle in faster’ I nod my head and Jude gets up to take the plates of uncle and aunt Rebecca. I eat my porridge quickly as I didn’t want to delay them. After I finished eating I went to wash my plate and bowl then placed them in the basin they kept the utensils.

I entered the room and they were dolling themselves up for the engagement ceremony. Eli turns and smile at me ‘you should get dressed you know, dad went to rent the carriage that’ll be taking us to the engagement ceremony.’ ‘Okay’ I said and walked over to my side of the room to find a suitable dress for the occasion. Since I had nowhere to go back in Kenthood i didn’t own any gown as compared to my cousins. Eli noticed my discomfort and immediately shoves a cream dress in my hand asked me to try that one. ‘It’s old but still wearable’ she said. ‘I stopped wearing them since I could no more fit in.’ Honestly although Eli was a year or two older than me she was heavier than I was. I tried on the dress and it fitted perfectly. ‘Wow it suits you better than the one who once owned it’ Jude adds. I smile awkwardly and she tells me to sit on Eli’s bed so she can do my hair. She gets a comb from the drawer and comes back to comb my hair for me. Eli gets some makeup accessories and walk over and apply a red cream to my lips and powders my cheeks for me. They tie my hair in a bun and leaves a few strands in front. Eli gets a broken mirror and shows me my reflection. I touch my cheek to feel and see if the girl in the mirror was truly me. She turns the mirror and it faces her for her to also apply the red cream on her lips and Jude did same.

Aunt Rebecca calls us as the neighs of horses is heard outside the door. We all rush out and there’s a carriage waiting for us. Uncle Hugh couldn’t make it as he had another job to attend to. He was the secretary to the mayor of Woodluck so he was mostly away from home writing letter to the other towns to be sent to the capital. Aunt Rebecca was the first to enter the carriage with the help of the carriage man. Eli followed and then I sat down. Jude was the last to sit and straightened her dress as parts crumpled when she was sitting down. The carriage man shut the door of the carriage leaving the carriage dark and the window providing light and air. I fidget a little as this was my first time dressing all pretty and nice. I used to envy most girls in Kenthood as they were able to buy and dress nicely to picked by suitors. Although I was of eligible age to be married there were only a few men that approached me and most were scoundrels that made mama turn them away. Looking back I wonder how they would react if they’re to see me dressed up nicely. I look up and aunt Rebecca seems busy looking outside. She turns and gives me a gentle smile and I smile back. ‘Don’t go wandering far Abbey. Stick close to your sisters since you’re new and don’t know anywhere.’ I nodded my head and soon the carriage came to a stop. The man got down and opened the door stretching his hand so we could come down. Once I got down, I was captivated by the scenery before me. The mansion that the engagement was being held at was huge. There was a garden in front with many flowers.

‘Hello Mrs. Dante’ a mother and her daughter who also got down from their carriage greeted aunt Rebecca. She responded with a bow and then hello. ‘How is your son doing Mrs. Rivers?’ aunt asked the woman whom I now know is called Mrs. Rivers. ‘He is fine, he has just been busy with work.’ She also replied. The youngest daughter of Mrs Rivers came and wounded her hands around Jude and they both walked away chatting happily. We moved away from the carriage since it was left with Eli and I walking alone.

‘You should be walking around and don’t go far, since you’re new here there are some people that will try to bully you. Inform me if they misbehave near you.’ Eli tells me and I reply with an okay. We both enter the hall and there is a long table with gift packed on it in a corner. Eli walks to the table and drops the gift for the Dantes on the table. I enter the mansion and there is a line of chairs where the guests will be sitting. A woman enters in purple linen with many ornaments around her neck and wrist. She orders the servants around to serve the guests so nothing goes amiss. ‘Mrs. Davisson you should leave all these for the servants to do themselves. As the mother of the bride you shouldn’t worry yourself with these.’ A guest told the woman who is the mother of the bride. She sighs and walk upstairs probably to check if her daughter is being tended to.

A servant enters and informs the guests that the family of the bridegroom have arrived with the bridegroom. The guests immediately starts settling down and the noise dies down. The family enters and the groom is made to sit on a double chair so the bride can sit next to him when she arrives. The parents of the bride to be soon enters and settles opposite the family of the groom. They discuss the purpose of the gathering and soon an agreement is met as someone is sent to call the bride. She also comes and the couples exchange their rings. They’re made to sit down together and soon the celebration begins. The guests started walking towards the long dining table to have their share of the food. The servants also started trooping carrying the food.