Entrelazado

Chapter 5: Celebration

Six days, six days had passed since his k********g. The constant movement of the ship was beginning to become tiresome for Gladys. He began to wonder if he would ever be reunited with his sister and mother, and he cared little about his wedding destiny. Although he didn't like to think about those extremes, he was even grateful that his kidnapper hadn't done anything to him. But of course she wouldn't wait until the time came to escape.

The movement of the ship ceased for an instant. Gladys gets out of bed to confirm with her feet on the ground that it was really what she thought. And sure enough it was, what seemed to be a s******c cruise of his own kidnapper, stopped. Would they be on dry land? He wondered. But before devising any escape plan, someone was knocking on the bedroom door.

—Miss, may I pass? —exclaimed the youngest of her kidnappers, Heather, on the other side of the door.

—What if I don't? —she replied, but without obeying her answer or even waiting for a response, the young man had entered the room, blocking the lock while carrying a dress with him with his left hand. Gladys ignored his presence and managed to say; —We have arrived, haven't we?

The young man ignored the question and continued;

—My lord has ordered me to prepare it for the party. —she explained as she adjusted the dress before his eyes.

—A party? And where will the party be? —Gladys urged as she saw the dress as it was laid out by Heather on the bed.

—Well, here, miss. —the young man clarified as he positioned himself next to Gladys —Any other questions?

—You haven't answered what I asked, have we arrived? —he insisted.

—I have orders from my lord not to give you information that is not necessary. For now we are going to dedicate ourselves to preparing it for tonight.

—Isn't it necessary information to know if we are on dry land or sailing over America?

Young Heather gave him a smile, but insisted;

—Miss Gladys, my lord tends to get very upset when his orders are not followed. "Let me help you with the dress," Heather said confidently as she approached what she assumed would be helping her.

—I don't want you to help me with my dress! —She snapped, suddenly pulling away.

—Miss, I'm just following orders. —he said again.

—Orders for what? To see me n***d? I don't need your help!

—I will propose this, you will put on the dress, and you will call me when you need me to help you with the corset. Do you prefer it that way? —he mitigated.

She agrees and in response shakes her head indicating yes. Heather leaves the room, the lock key clicking behind him. Without a doubt there was no other escape.

Gladys continued to put on the dress, it was difficult for her because since she knew, or at least since she started wearing dresses like that, the maids had helped her. She then understood the young man's insistent offer to help her. Self-conscious in her shame, she knocked on the door for help;

—Maybe he does need a little help. —he provoked.

The young man entered again, but this time without locking the door, coming to help the damsel. As he helped her with the corset, his hands brushed against young Gladys's back, creating a tense atmosphere. Both of their cheeks turned red, but neither of them could look at each other. Gladys raised her chest toward the ceiling to get into the dress, and they finally did it.

The ship began to move, suddenly the need to escape returned to Gladys and returned her to earth. Desperation coursed through his body. The desperation that he had to escape, and that this was his moment. By the time young Heather noticed her intentions, and her mistake in not securing the door, Gladys was already running down the hallway. Heather yelled for him to stop, but clearly she wouldn't hear him. That was the time to escape, or so he thought.

—He won't go very far. "We've already set sail," Howard snapped, appearing surprisingly at the end of the hallway. "You don't think he could have escaped, do you?"

Gladys retreated a few feet back, until her body collides with Heather. Cornered, she watches her captors and corners herself against the wall while she closes her eyes and waits for the worst. It was even predicted that this would have been his last move. Howard's arms are leaning against the wall and he can feel his breathing very close.

"Finish getting ready, tonight we are going to celebrate," he whispered in her ear.

''Celebrate?'' she thought, then she heard the footsteps of her young blonde-haired kidnapper walking away. She allowed herself to open her eyes and find Heather at her side watching her passively.

-Ms. Gladys. Will you walk me to your room? —Heather took up the word again.

Gladys frowns and wonders to herself what kind of crazy people she was dealing with. Had his life been spared after an attempt to escape? What kind of evildoers were these? And although she clearly wouldn't prefer to be dead, he even noticed a certain strangeness in her reaction. For a few moments she allowed herself the benefit of the doubt, and was beginning to think that they weren't such bad people, after all, they had been feeding her for almost a week and they had done her no harm other than depriving her of her freedom.

Moments later, the night began to turn the waters in which the count's great ship sailed a dark blue. Heather approaches to give notice to her master that the young lady he was waiting for that night was ready.

—My lord, young Gladys is ready. Do you want me to bring it right now? —Heather suggested a few steps from the door that led to the main room of the ship, where Howard was waiting, sipping his glass of white wine.

—Did you know that his father has not yet shown up at his mansion? "He hasn't even left signs of a future appearance," Howard told his esteemed servant.

—Perhaps you are not as interested in your daughters as you think, my master. —Heather agreed to say.

—Oh, of course not. Yes, they interest him, although his cowardice is clouding his actions. But it just takes a little pressure, you know how these things are. —added the count.

—What does my lord have planned? —he inquired.

—Celebrate for now, Heather. Bring the beautiful lady, let the evening begin. —he ordered.

Heather looks for Gladys in her cabin, she, disconcerted, begins to walk through the corridors to the main room, uncomfortable, under a cloth cloak that supposed to be a party dress, which made it difficult for her to walk, limping, she arrived at the room major. The oldest of her kidnappers was sitting at the end of a table located in the middle, he smiled when he saw her and made a gesture with his hand indicating for her to take a seat.

"Take a seat, Miss," the count indicated, while Heather left the chair at her disposal.

-Thank you. —he tended to say as he took a seat to the earl's right and Heather pulled his chair closer to the table. "Won't you have dinner with us?" —he urged, after noticing that there were only two plates on the table.

Heather without responding, stands behind Howard waiting at his mercy.

—Don't worry about Heather, Miss Gladys. "He's certainly already had dinner, but he'll be here if we need anything," Howard clarified.

Gladys looks back at Heather, searching for any look that would elicit understanding, or esteem for help, but was only met with a cold, servile look. As if there was something more between them than a master and servant relationship, as if the count were their owner, and the servant a faithful slave. But he tried not to involve his thoughts too much in things that didn't matter to him.

—Heather, bring dinner. —the count ordered. Heather disappears after him. —I generally like to accompany food with wine, what do you think? A little inappropriate for the celebration, right?

—What are we celebrating? Gladys inquired, as Heather reappeared in the living room, bringing two plates of roasted pheasant with her.

—Well, more than that, we will receive someone else on the ship. Doesn't sound good huh?

—To anyone else? —she replied.

—Yes, Miss Gladys. To his sister. You won't have to miss her anymore!