the lord and the alleycat [COMPLETED]

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

I slowly drifted to sleep. After a few hours, I was awoken by whimpers. I turned over to see Hailey twisting and turning in her bed, her eye moving quickly under her eyelids. She had thrown her doll across the room and her legs were twisted up in the blanket. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she screamed, much alike me the few nights before. She took short breaths and looked around wildly, and I jumped from the bed to gather her in my arms. She started crying as I rocked her back and forth, soaking our nightgowns in tears. The door flew open as Bennet stormed into the room, a walking stick held threateningly in his hands. Hailey looked at him and screamed again, backing away into the corner, cowering from him. As soon as he saw there was no threat, he threw down the stick, his face falling as Hailey continued to shrink away from him.

“Hailey, it’s just Bennet,” I tried to calm her, but her eyes were still wild. I turned to Bennet with an apologetic face, and he nodded once, leaving the room. I sat on the floor across from her until she crawled toward me, digging her face into my chest.

“He, he, he,” she stuttered. “He looked like…”

I shushed her and cradled her to my chest as I held my own tears at bay. She fell asleep in my arms and I carried her to my bed, laying her next to me. I pulled the blankets over us and I hugged her, staring once again at the moon outside.

I didn’t sleep anymore that night, watching over Hailey. The moon fell from the sky as the sun peaked over the window sill. Hailey awoke as the sun hit her face and she grinned.

“I slept wonderfully!” she exclaimed and I forced a smile. She never remembered the episodes she had in the middle of the night. “Why are our nightgowns stained?”

“Don’t worry,” I said as I pulled her with me to the washroom. “Let’s get you cleaned up for the day, okay?” I fiddled with the handle to the bathtub and was able to get water to come out of it. As soon as she heard the water, Marie rushed in and shooed me away.

“I can take care of her. Go find Bennet so he can give you the clothes he picked out,” she said, closing the door in my face once I was in the hall. I felt slightly uncomfortable walking around his home in the nightgown, but I was able to find him in his office. I knocked on the ajar door and he called me in. His desk was littered with papers and he rested his head in his hand, his eyes drooping.

When he saw me, he stood up in a hurry and wiped his face, “Hi Amara.”

“Hi Bennet,” I smiled and he smiled in return. His face blanked for a second, then a frown formed on his face.

“I’m sorry about Hailey, I didn’t mean to scare her,” he hung his head and I walked over to him. I intertwined my fingers in his causing him to look up at me.

I smiled, “It’s not your fault. She has some,” I paused trying to find the right words, “issues from the past.”

“Past? She’s like six years old,” he said, his frown growing.

“Just don’t mention it to her, okay? She doesn’t remember her terrors when she wakes up in the morning.”

“So, she won’t be afraid when she sees me?” he asked, his lips tilting slightly upward. I shook my head and he pulled me into a hug, laughing. “Great! Let’s go get your clothes then.” He led me from the room and we walked down the stairs to the living area I had woken up in the day Bennet picked me up. He saw me looking at the couch and smiled lightly, “I’m glad I was able to bring you here.” I didn’t answer and he picked up some parcels laying on the table. “I took the liberty of ordering you two some clothes. I hope you like them.” I undo the twine surrounding the brown paper and pull out three dresses. They’re smaller, so I assume they are for Hailey. Two of the dresses are knee-length; one green and one white with black dots. The third is full length light pink made of silk with fake roses sewn into it.

I finger the material and smile up at Bennet, “She’ll love these. But, she doesn’t need something this fancy.”

“Yes, she will, when she’s attending dinner with the King.” He answered, grinning widely.

My jaw dropped as he handed me my parcel, gesturing to open it. I pulled it open, the first dress revealing itself as pale blue and short sleeved. It had buttons lining the front and cinched at the waist, with large pockets near the hips, ending at the knee. I was surprised at the design, considering I hadn’t seen women around wearing it.

He scratched his head at the look on my face, “It’s a new design, but I thought you might like it. It’s unique, like you.” He gave me a lopsided grin and I told him I liked it. The next dress is red, long-sleeved with ruffles cascading down the to the waist where it flared out and ended just pass me knees. The last dress I could barely contain my gasp. It was gold with jewels sewn into the bodice with a corset back. It was floor-length made with soft tulle flowing like a golden waterfall.

“I don’t deserve this, Bennet.” I shoved the dress into his arms. “Won’t I be working the dinner anyway?” He laid the dress gently on the couch and stood in front of me, brushing a hair from my face.

“Of course you deserve it,” he smiled and I frowned. “You can help out beforehand, but I would really like you to be there.” He handed the dress back to me, “At least think about it.” His face flushed when he handed me a third parcel, “This is, um, uh.” I chuckled and took it, understanding it was underclothes. He nodded and handed me a fourth package. I unwrapped it and a few boxes fell out. I opened the largest to reveal a small necklace with a gold pendant hanging from it and earrings to match. The two smaller boxes held a necklace and bracelet for Hailey.

“I don’t have holes in my ears for these,” I pointed to the earrings and he removed them to show me they could clip on to my earlobes.

I shook my head at the extravagance of it all, but Bennet just grabbed my hands and squeezed them, “Please don’t worry about anything. I did all of this because I wanted to.”

I looked at the ground, “I know.” I scuffed the ground and he handed me the fifth and final package. It revealed two pairs of black lace-up shoes, one for me and one for Hailey. There were two more pairs of shoes, heeled white lace-up boots.

“The black ones are for everyday wear, and the white are for the dinner,” he explained.

“Please tell me this is the last package,” I asked, exasperatedly. He nodded and laughed, helping me carry all of it up to our room. We arranged everything in the wardrobe and once we finished Bennet stepped back and surveyed the room.

“It’s nice to see some life back into this bedroom,” he smiled lightly and I rubbed his arm.

“Amara!” I heard Marie yell from down the hall and I jumped at the sound. “We need the dress for Hailey!”

“I’m coming!” I pull the forest green one from the closet and the underclothes necessary and rush to the washroom. I handed them through the door and heard Hailey squeal. Before long she emerged and I smiled wide.

“Did Benny get this for me?” she asked, giving a twirl. I nodded and giggled at her nickname. She ran past me to our room and jumped into Bennet’s arms.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Benny!” she called and I giggled at the look on Bennet’s face when she said Benny.

“Yeah, thank you, Benny,” I said with a smirk and he raised an eyebrow at me.

“Are you going to spend all day in that nightgown?”

I reddened at his comment and squeaked, jumping into the washroom. Marie had put new water in the tub and I stripped from my nightgown. While I was in the tub, Marie shoved her hand into the washroom, hanging the pale blue dress on a nail and placing the underclothes on the floor, taking the nightgown with her. I cleaned myself up and exited the tub, drying myself off. I pulled on the underclothes and brushed the sleeve of the dress. I unbuttoned the top and pulled it over my head, then I rebuttoned it and tied the string around the waist. I put my hands in the pockets and looked at myself in the mirror. I felt slightly out of place in the dress, my body looking small in it. I brushed my hair and Marie came it to help me braid it back, exclaiming about how long my hair was. I cautiously left the washroom and headed down to the kitchen to see eggs with bread on a plate. Bennet was at the stove, finishing breakfast. He was regaling Hailey with a story and her eyes were wide, watching him.

“…and the prince took the servant as his princess. And they lived happily ever after,” he ended and she turned to me.

“Do you think a prince will come and find me?” she grinned excitedly.

“Any prince would be lucky to have you,” I said, hugging her. “But don’t hope on fairytales, okay? Hard work is how you can get somewhere.”

“Well when you marry Bennet,” she said and I nearly choked on my eggs. “You’ll be a Lady! And so, will I, giving me a chance to meet the prince!”

My eyes widened as I watched Bennet sit down on the other side of Hailey, “You’ll be meeting the Prince when the King comes to dinner soon. I do believe he’s only a few years older than you.” He tweaked her nose and she giggled, pushing her plate away.

“I’m going to go play in the playroom,” she called as she hurried away, her doll dragged behind her.

“Marry me, eh?” he said, raising his eyebrow and scooting over to sit beside me, a hint of a smile on his lips.

I tucked a hair that had fallen out of my braid behind my ear as I swallowed the food in my mouth. “She was just joking, of course.”

“Well for what it’s worth, you look exquisite in that gown,” he said, picking up my empty plate and his.

“Thank you, Benny,” I teased and he laughed.

“Only you and Hailey can get away calling me that. Well, you two and Martha,” he smiled wistfully and I could only guess Martha was his sister.

I stood to wash the dishes, but Bennet refused, and we stood in comfortable silence. Until a stern knock on the door. My heartbeat involuntarily spiked as I waited for Marie to call Bennet to the door. I followed along behind him, holding my breath, staying behind a wall out of sight.

“My Lordship, we are here about the small child we were told entered your home yesterday?” a firm voice said, the sound carrying to my hiding spot. I gasped, backing away to see Hailey peeking out from a room. I tried to shoo her back into the playroom.

“Why?” I heard Bennet ask, curiosity leaking into his voice.

“What’s going on?” Hailey asked, and I watched as she emerged from the hallway and I walked out after her. Three Guardians in full armor are standing just inside the door. The one I assumed spoke takes a look at Hailey and then at me, his eyes hardening.

“My Lordship, do you know these two?” He asked, not taking his eyes from mine. Bennet stepped protectively in front of me and even though I hated to admit it, it felt nice. Bennet reached down and picked Hailey up, holding her in his arms.

“Yes, Amara is my servant, and she and her sister are staying with me,” he said, and I could see Hailey shaking, her memories resurfacing. I stood beside her, placing a hand on her back and rubbing light circles.

“Her sister?” the Guardian laughed and the other two joined in. “She has been lying to you, my lord. Olivia is not her sister.”