Kutee: And this fiction loves you! Yep, Jack's letting her stay. As for Erica…that high-pitched shrieking you may hear just might be her.
MelovePezberry: They are very very cute together. Other people? I'm sure the more people the more interesting it'll get. For example…Erica…
AMCGL7: I'm happy to hear you think the characters are acting how they should. That's a very high compliment. I'm not sure there was any other reaction Frankie could have to those clothes. Not exactly perfect adventure attire. But hey, Bianca made it work. That is a very interesting and good observation about how Frankie and Bianca handle situations. Very good. Very interesting. Imagine if Bianca spoke up to Erica. Oh, the drama that would cause might warrant it's own story. Frankie tried to drag her heels, but as we all know, what Bianca wants Bianca usually gets from her. Ah, Momma Kane. Should be fun, right?
"I want her gone this instant!"
Bianca shook her head in displeasure. Her mother had been yelling nearly nonstop since Uncle Jack had offered Frankie a job, and Opal had given her a bite of food.
That had been a week ago.
"Do not tell me to calm down, Jackson Montgomery! That little lying thief is going to steal every last cent in this home. How could you ever believe it would be fine for her to be here? And think of Bianca having to be around such a…a…person!"
Bianca rolled her eyes. Her mother repeatedly told her not to do it for it was very unlady like, but listening to the older woman rant and rave made it impossible for her not to. She did not know what the overwhelming problem was. Frankie had been no trouble at all. She worked outside with Tim and only came into the house when summoned or for meals and to sleep. Opal had set her up in one of the spare bedrooms in the servants' area of the house, and she took her meals with the other workers. She was nearly invisible to the actual occupants of the house.
Bianca had been so excited when her uncle had agreed to let Frankie work for them. She had shown her all around the building. She could not remember a time she had been happier. Then, her mother had arrived home. Erica had been visiting some of the other women in town for the day. When she walked through the door and spotted Frankie with her hand clutched in Bianca's…her face turned a color Bianca had never seen before.
"What is that doing here? Bianca, get over here this instant!" Erica shouted and pointed at Frankie.
"Mother, it is fine. Frankie is my friend." Bianca stayed beside the blonde.
"What in heavens are you talking about? Jack? Jack!"
"What is going on in here?" Jack entered the room. Seeing the three women, he had an inkling of an idea.
"Get that thing away from my daughter! What is she doing here? She should be in a jail cell!"
"Alright Erica, let's talk about this." Jack held up his hands in a placating gesture.
"Talk? Talk? What is there to talk about? This lowlife stole from my daughter."
"I didn't steal nothing." Frankie spoke up, unable to keep quiet. She wasn't going to let someone accuse her of something she didn't do, least of all this nut of a lady.
"She is even lying about it. You caught her red handed." Erica screeched.
Jack rested a calming hand on the angry woman's arm, "Erica, if we could speak about this in my office…"
Erica ripped her arm out of his hold, "I want this lying robber gone!"
"I ain't no liar, and I didn't steal." Frankie glared at her.
Bianca swallowed thickly as her mother continued to yell and accuse Frankie. She hated it when people yelled, especially her mother. The little girl never got into fights. Gosh, the only time she really had a confrontation was with Frankie.
"If ya weren't such a bonehead, ya might understand. I did not steal." Frankie stood tall, well, as tall as she could.
"What did you call me?" Erica roared. She stepped forward, clearly about to lunge at the girl.
"Alright, that's enough. Erica, we are going to my office to talk right now." Jack firmly took hold of her arm and steered her out of the room.
And that had been that. Once the adults were out of the room, Frankie's shoulders dropped. There was no way Mr. Montgomery was going to let her stay. Realizing the same thing, Bianca had tears in her eyes. Frankie couldn't go back out there. She just couldn't. What if she got hurt? Frankie was strong and brave, but there were so many different creatures out there in the woods. Jack had surprised them both, though. After a few hours he had appeared with Opal and instructed her to show Frankie to the spare room. Bianca had given him the biggest hug he had ever received.
Erica was not done with the fight no matter what he said. Everyday she found time to corner Jack and yell at him about what a horrible mistake he was making. Sometimes Bianca imagined walking in and telling her mother just what she thought about the whole thing, but she never did. Instead, she would gather up a book or some writing utensils and go out to the stable. She was on her way there when she overheard her mother and uncle's exchange.
"And how she dresses, Jack. She wears pants. Pants. What girl dresses that way?"
Bianca giggled as she descended the stairs. Leave it to her image conscious mother to be offended by something such as clothing choice. Her mother always worried about what others would think.
Skipping down the last few steps, Bianca traipsed through the dining room and into the kitchen.
"Good morning, Ms. Bianca. Off to the stable?" Opal greeted her cheerfully. She stacked the clean plates together and lifted them up into the cupboard.
"Yes, I am." Bianca grinned shyly and held the book against her chest.
"Well, you tell Tim and that little rascal of yours that lunch is at noon. This ain't no restaurant. We don't serve at all hours like some people who work here." Opal winked.
"I will, Ms. Opal." Bianca nodded.
Opal turned back to her chores and Bianca hopped out of the house. The second her boots touched grass she was racing across the wide expanse of lawn. She didn't stop until she reached the entrance to the stable.
"Well, hello there Ms. Bianca." Tim greeted upon seeing the little girl.
"Hello, Mr. Tim." Bianca responded. She tried to peer around him inside.
Tim chuckled at her, "She's finishing up feeding 'em. Go on in."
"Thank you, Mr. Tim." Bianca jogged around him and into the stable. She slowed down once inside the dark area. Even though the sun was shining and the doors were open, it was still cooler and darker than outside. There was a sort of musty smell to the place and Bianca wrinkled her nose. She crept down the row of stalls, peeking around for Frankie. Where was she?
Stepping by one of the stalls, a figure suddenly appeared beside her. Bianca jumped back with a tiny yelp. She spun to face a laughing Frankie.
"You weren't scared, were ya?" Frankie got out between chuckles. A large burlap bag was slung over her tiny shoulder. It nearly dwarfed her, but she stayed upright.
"You did that on purpose, Frankie." Bianca frowned at her friend.
"Aww, I'm sorry." Frankie grinned that grin of hers.
"You should not do that. It is very mean." Bianca lectured. Maybe she would listen this time.
"I was only foolin'." Frankie bowed her head and kicked at the dirt. A small puff of dust rose up and floated between them.
Bianca sighed. Any anger she might have felt was gone. She could not stay angry at her friend. "I know. We need to work on your manners, though." She pivoted and began walking to the end of the stable.
"What's a matta' with my manners?" Frankie quickly caught up with her, and they walked side by side.
They reached the end of the stable, and Frankie dropped the sack onto a pile of similar burlaps. She dusted off her shirt and hands before turning back to Bianca.
"Your jokes are not completely suitable." Bianca channeled all of the adults she had ever come into contact with through her mother.
"Oh." Frankie mulled this over. "Suitable for who?"
"Society, I guess."
Frankie unbuttoned one of her sleeves and began to roll it up to the elbow, "Society? That don't matter to me. I only joke with you." She looked up from her shirt, "Do you not like 'em?"
Bianca stepped up to her and carefully placed her book on the burlap sacks. Yes, Frankie found it funny to scare her from time to time, and she found it amusing once to splash her with water from the stream, but she meant no harm. If Bianca thought about it, those things were funny in a way. When Frankie was in a good mood, Bianca felt happy too. "I like them fine, Frankie."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Nothing at all." Bianca smiled at her and reached for the clumsily rolled sleeve. She undid it and refolded, making sure the creases and lines were perfect.
"Thanks." Frankie watched her. She tended to have trouble getting it to fold and stay. She usually just pushed it up, waited for it to fall, then pushed again. It was better to keep the sleeves down, but it got so hot during the day she had to roll them up.
"Your welcome." Bianca finished and rolled up the other sleeve.
Frankie rubbed at her ear and glanced around. Her hazel orbs fell on the book Bianca had brought, "You gonna read again?"
"I thought we could try together." Bianca's eyes lit up and she picked up the book. "My father got this right before he…died." It was still difficult to talk about, but she was getting better, "I haven't read it yet. I thought we could read it together."
"But, I'm still real slow at it. You'll get bored or somethin'." Frankie's eyes ran over the cover. Call of the Wild.
"No, I won't. I think it will be fun. I heard it has a great adventure." Bianca waved the book enticingly.
Frankie shook her head, "Ya got a strange sense of fun, Ms. Bianca."
"Will you read with me, Ms. Frankie?" It was the last book her father had bought. She wanted to read it, but she did not want to read it by herself. The only person she could imagine reading it with was her friend.
"Fine." Frankie slipped off her vest and spread it out on the burlap sacks. She held out her hand and Bianca gratefully took it. The brunette lowered herself onto the vest, making sure her dress didn't wrinkle. Frankie clambered down beside her.
"Chapter one." Bianca eagerly flipped to the first page.
It was slow going. Bianca had Frankie do most of the reading out loud, only taking over to give the other girl a short break. A couple times she had to help with pronunciation. But, for the most part, Frankie's ability made Bianca feel a sense of pride.
They stopped after an hour. Bianca closed the book, making certain the page was marked before doing so. Frankie slid off the pile and helped Bianca up. She then proceeded to tug her vest back on after shaking it out.
"I like this book very much. Thank you for reading, Frankie."
"It wasn't anything." Frankie felt a burning in her cheeks. Her eyes darted around, looking for something to talk about, when an idea hit her, and she scrambled over to a covered bucket. She pulled off the cover and dug inside. She put the cover back on and returned to Bianca's side, her closed fist hiding what she had taken.
"What is in your hand?"
"I wanna show you something." Frankie jerked her head and began walking down the aisle.
"What is it?" Bianca followed, curious at what it could be.
Frankie smirked at her and kept walking. They went along until reaching an end stall. Frankie held a finger to her lips and quietly beckoned Bianca forward. She opened the door to the stall and stepped inside. Bianca was right on her heels. She tripped when her boots came into contact with mounds of straw, but Frankie caught her and steadied her. "Careful."
Bianca gasped when she saw what was inside. It was the brown mare she had seen the first time she explored the stable.
"This is Sally." Frankie led Bianca slowly toward the horse. The mare watched them warily with big brown eyes. Her tail flicked, and she snorted.
"Frankie." Bianca pulled back. What if the horse got scared again?
"It's fine. I promise." Frankie took one of Bianca's hands. She dropped a sugar cube into the open palm. "Go on and give that to her."
Bianca looked at the cube and then Frankie, "No, Frankie."
"It's fine. You're a lady explorer, 'member? This ain't nothing on what you're gonna do later on."
Bianca looked at the snickering horse. She was an explorer. She could face evil trolls and frightening ghosts. This horse would not hurt her. With a courageous breath, she took a tiny step forward.
"Hold it out." Frankie quietly suggested.
Bianca stretched out her arm. She closed her eyes as the horse moved towards her. She felt a rush of warm air against her hand and then the roughness of teeth. Then, it was gone.
"That's a good girl." Frankie cooed at the horse. She clicked her tongue and slid up next to Bianca.
Bianca opened her eyes. The horse was finishing the sugar cube, and the big brown eyes were now filled with warmth. Bianca felt her lips curve into a large smile and relieved chuckles flew out of her mouth. The horse nudged her hand, wanting more of the sweet treat. Frankie placed another cube in her palm, and Bianca gave it to Sally. Feeling braver, she reached out and tenderly stroked the fine hair of the mare's coat.
"Hello, Sally." Bianca whispered.
Petting the soft hair, Bianca imagined riding through open fields. The wind would blow through her hair, and she could outrun any villainous swordsman there ever was. She felt a shift in the air as Frankie moved closer. Her vision changed to include the hazel eyed blonde. If she was going to face an evil swordsman, Bianca was certain Frankie would be right beside her.
"She likes ya." Frankie lifted her chin at the horse.
"I do believe you are right." Bianca's voice held a spark of wonderment. "She's so soft."
"Frankie! Frankie!" Tim's voice could be heard calling out.
Bianca retracted her hand, and the horse snorted before trotting to the far corner of the stall. Frankie swiveled to face the door, "I gotta get back to work."
"I am sorry if I kept you." Bianca's smile was as bright as the sun, "Thank you for showing me Sally."
Frankie fiddled with her cap, "Come on, you should get back."
Bianca followed Frankie out of the stall. She took one last glance at the mare before Frankie closed and locked the door. With her book clutched securely in one hand, she instinctively reached out for Frankie with the other. Frankie had started walking towards the exit, but halted at the feel of warm fingers tangling with her own. Her hazel eyes dropped down to their linked palms, and she squinted.
"What is wrong?" Bianca asked, noticing her friend had stopped moving.
"Why do ya do that?"
"Do what?"
"My hand."
Bianca looked down at their joined hands. She had not even known she clasped them together. She let go and wrapped it around her book, "I'm sorry." Her head dipped, and dark curls slipped down to cover her face. She didn't know she had done it. She always held hands with her sister and father when they went walking. She was so dumb thinking Frankie would be fine with it. Maybe they did not hold hands in New York.
Frankie felt funny when Bianca removed her hand. She gulped and blinked, confused by the feeling. She licked her lips and stared down at her shoes. "It…It's fine. I was jus' wondering."
Bianca pushed her hair back behind her ear, "I won't do it anymore."
"No, don' stop." Frankie's eyes widened at her own outburst. Bianca jumped at the sudden shout. Frankie rubbed her ear hard.
"Frankie?"
"I didn' say I didn't like it." Frankie tried to think of what she should say. She wanted to think of the words, but words were never something she was good at. "It's strange…but not in a bad way."
Bianca remained silent and waited patiently for Frankie to process her thoughts. After a minute, Frankie reached out and touched Bianca's hand. She carefully dug her fingers in between the book and skin. She loosened Bianca's grip and retook her hand. "We should get you back. Tim's gonna get angry and think I'm some louse."
Bianca beamed as Frankie dragged her out of the stable. The orphan escorted her up to the kitchen, where they were met by Opal.
"And what are you two young'ns up to?"
"Frankie kept me company, Ms. Opal." Bianca happily swung their hands.
Before Opal could respond, Erica appeared behind her, "Opal, I have been meaning to speak with you about the upcoming dinner with the Martins." She abruptly stopped moving and her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, "Bianca, what are you doing?"
Bianca heard Frankie grumble beside her. "I was visiting Frankie, mother."
"Mary-Francis is supposed to be working with Tim out in the stable." Erica's glare was pure venom.
"She was. I asked her to spend some time with me." Bianca could feel her friend shifting beside her. She hoped Frankie did not start calling her mother names again. It only made Erica angrier.
"You went to the stable? Bianca, young ladies do not go to stables. Think of the mess. You will get your beautiful dress dirty." Erica shook a finger.
Frankie's grumblings were getting louder.
"Mother, I won't get dirty. Frankie is kind enough to help me with that."
"Bianca, come here right now. Your uncle insists this rat should stay here and work for us. That does not mean I condone you spending time with her."
"I ain't the rat in this house." Frankie mumbled.
"What did you say?" Erica sharply screeched.
"She did not say anything, Mrs. Kane-Montgomery. She was just on her way back out to the stable." Opal stepped in. She gripped Frankie's shoulder and whispered, "If you got a lick of sense in that skull of yours, you'll skidoo."
Frankie let herself be herded out of the kitchen. Bianca didn't let go of her fingers until the last second. She watched Frankie and Opal leave, the younger one's voice loud enough that she could make out the words rat, goop, and bonehead.
"Bianca, you are not to speak with that person. Do you understand me?" Erica ordered sternly.
Bianca ducked her head. She felt tears form and she swallowed thickly. With slouched shoulders, she shuffled around her mother and into the dining room. She wanted nothing more than to follow Frankie back outside, but she knew her mother would stop her. So, she went up to her room.
Entering the bedroom, she threw the book onto her bed. Her body collapsed on the soft comforter, and she covered her face with her hands. Water leaked from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
"Daddy, why is she doing this? Frankie is my friend." Bianca cried.
The sobs took their toll, and soon Bianca fell asleep. She was awoken by a gentle shake to her shoulder. She flipped onto her side and peered up at her uncle.
"Time to wake up. Supper will be done soon."
"Uncle Jack." Bianca felt the sadness return. She threw herself into his strong arms.
"Shh, Bianca, what is wrong?" He held her.
Choking through rattling sobs, Bianca recounted what her mother had told her.
"That woman." Jack sighed. He stroked Bianca's hair and patted her back, "I will take care of this. I know Frankie is your friend. I see no harm in you spending time with her."
Supper had been a tense affair. Bianca only poked at her food, unable to make eye contact with her mother. Erica acted as if nothing had happened, twittering on about what the other ladies in town had done and their plans for a bridge night. After the meal, Jack had taken Erica into his study. Even with the door closed, their voices could be heard throughout the house. The next morning Bianca left to visit Frankie. Erica could only sit and glare.
