Just Crying For The Moon… Again
A young girl shivered in the violent wind, and pulled her shawl closer to her trembling frame. Through the angry roar of the gale, the whimper of a child could be heard. The girl, Arabella, however Belle was the name she was known by, soon discovered the source of the cry. An infant in swaddling clothes, red in the face from crying was lying abandoned near a church. Belle grimaced, gingerly taking the child in her arms. "Shush, love, you're safe now. Belle has you. It's just you and me, now." She whispered, her voice thick with a slightly husky Aythorian accent.
She touched the child, a girl, softly on the cheek, noticing a poorly woven bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet had the name Susan knitted neatly in the centre. "Susan, is it? We'll be two peas in a pod, once I've found work, love. And Susan is too much for such a babe. Susie you'll be." Even though she had just found the girl, she was quite fond of her.
She realised that the girl must be hungry and gathered her close to her chest to enter a nearby inn. There she ordered a bowl of soup and a glass of water for herself, and some milk for Susie. When the milk arrived, Belle wondered how to feed it to the girl. After a moment of pondering, she fished a clean handkerchief from one of the pockets in her dress, and dipped it in the milk. Susie greedily sucked at the milk soaked handkerchief. "Perfect, love."
The man running the inn came over with a loaf of fresh bread. "It's on the house, lassie." He said, setting the bread on the table and sitting across from Belle. "Aren't you a little young to have a babe?" He asked.
"Oh, well, I… she's not mine. I found her behind the cathedral back there. I couldn't just leave her."
"Really. Well it's not new. There are more of them in the orphanage every day. It's frightful. Give me a second, I'll be right back."
The man came back, with his wife who chided over the baby. "What's her name, dear?" She asked busily.
"When I found her, she had a bracelet that said Susan, but I've been calling her Susie."
"Good. Come upstairs with me, dear, I'll get you and Susie all nice and ready. And if you don't have anywhere to stay tonight, we've got a free room."
"Oh, thank you. By the way, I'm Belle." She gushed, gratitude showing all over her face.
"Mary. My husband's Oliver. And you'll soon be meeting my daughter, Lily." The woman stated, leading Belle and Susie to the garret.
A young girl of about eight years old sat on the bed playing with a straw doll. Belle smiled at her, figuring that this must be Lily. Mary told the girl to take a fresh dress out of the chest, and find some baby clothes. "Oh dear, no, you don't have to do this for us!" Belle exclaimed, touched by the woman's compassion.
"I do, it wasn't that long ago I was a young woman with a baby and nothing to my name. Except that is, the baby was actually mine, and I had a husband." Mary replied kindly.
Lily returned with a dress with a white bodice and violet skirt. In her arms she had some cloth diapers and two baby dresses. She also held a wooden bottle that came with a top the slimmed to put milk in. She laid the dress on the bed and the baby items beside it and shyly whispered, "Can I see the baby, miss?"
Belle smiled at the child and knelt down to allow her to see the baby. "Her name's Susie, and I am Belle. What's yours?"
The girl who was getting bolder by the second smiled back and said, "My name's Lillian, but you can call me Lily. How old is Susie?"
"I think she'd be about three months, by looking at her." Mary interrupted briskly.
"Now, give me Susie, and I'll clean her up and get her dressed while you wash up. There's hot water in the kettle, and Lily will show you where the washbasin and the soap are."
As promised, little Lily took Belle's hand and brought her to a washroom. She brought her hot water and soap, and in a matter of minutes, Belle was clean, her long hair damp and curling. She was garbed in the frock of white and violet. She smiled at Mary who brought Susie out to her in an angelic white baby gown, her downy brown hair damp. She smiled cheerily, and smelled nice, when Belle took her up. "Thank you very much for your kindness, Mary, I'll find some way to repay you for this."
"No need, girl. Just keep that baby and yourself safe and out of trouble." Mary smiled, handing Belle, a carpetbag with her old dress, a new one and several baby gowns and diapers. "Take care."
"Thank you once again."
Belle took the carpetbag in one hand and Susie in the other arm. She smiled again at Lily who helped her to the door, and attempted to have to the girl. "Good bye, Lily." She called.
Will sighed, much to the annoyance to his writing master, who promptly dismissed him from the lesson. Will ran a hand through his mess of tawny curls, taking the quick way to the bottom of the stairs; the stair rail. Riding down them was a normal thing in his family. When he reached the bottom, he walked out to the stables, where a stable boy had his horse, Arrow, saddled. "Thank you Adam." Will said cordial, before mounting, and kicking Arrow into a trot.
He decided to take a ride to the market and walk around for a while, to see what was happening in the village of Frell. He left his horse at the livery while he was walking. Most people bowed and curtseyed when they saw him approaching. He hated when they did that. It made him feel as if he wasn't really a person.
Will looked around, and stopped in front of a jeweller's stall, and admired his work, while picking up two exceptional necklaces, one for each of his younger sisters, Nora and Lela. After paying the man handsomely for them, he turned and saw a young woman struggling with a baby and a carpetbag. "Do you need help, miss?" He asked kindly.
Belle was startled when someone asked her tapped her shoulder to ask her if she was in need of aid. She let out a soft shriek which got Susie crying. "Now look what you've done!" She exclaimed crossly, before having seen who it was.
She turned and came face to face with the prince and stammered out an apology. She dropped the bag, and tried to shush Susie. "Shh, love, that's the prince. Say hello to the prince, Susie." She whispered comfortingly.
"You've a beautiful daughter, miss." Will tried, once again, attempting to make conversation with the girl.
"You mean Susie? She's not my daughter. She is beautiful though." Belle muttered distractedly, balancing Susie, who was know quiet, on her hip and bending down to pick up the bag, containing her worldly belongings.
Will bent down, and picked the bag up for Belle, before remembering his manners and asking her name. "I'm Belle." She answered softly. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to see if someone needs a nurse for their children, because I am out of a job."
"There's a vacancy at the castle. My cousin just terrorised her last nurse out of Frell." Will offered, while lightening the suggestion with a joke. "If you would like, I could bring you to my Aunt, Celia, and see if she'll have you."
"That would be nice, but it would be to much of a burden for you, I'm sure. I can walk."
"No, I'll take you."
"No, Prince. I'll walk." Belle argued, setting off to prove her point.
"You do realise I still have your bag?" Will laughed, as she continued off. "You would do well to give it back, please, Prince."
"Call me Will." He muttered, giving it to her. "I guess I'll see you at the home then?"
"That's if Lady Cecilia wants me." Belle said to herself, hoping that the king's sister would indeed take her.
She knew chances were against her because of her age, but it was worth a try. Little did she know that the prince, by the time she had gotten to the castle had informed his aunt that Belle was coming, and had told her that despite her age, she seemed good with children and very patient. Patience was a necessity in a nurse for Marigold. He had also asked that if she chose Belle, that Belle be able to take care of the infant that she had. Cecilia merely laughed and asked why he wanted her to take on Belle. "Because she has no place to go." He answered simply.
"What a good king my nephew will make." Cecilia mused, assuring him that she'd do what she could, if the girl could make it through the test she used, and then the girl might be hired.