Thank you for the quick reviews! I present to you, another chapter for today (and it's an extra-special treat since I have to go somewhere with Wifi to post since I don't have internet).

Ch. 21

Two weeks went by, and Alinah had gone nearly insane from the quiet and solitude. It seemed that every day, her room would become smaller and smaller, confining her as a prison would. She found that the more time that she spent alone in her room, the more that she continued to dwell on depressing thoughts and the worse her mood became. She needed to do something to occupy her mind and to make the time pass by quickly, but she couldn't.

She needed to get away. She wanted to contemplate her situation and although she had plenty of time to think with her injury, she felt that she needed an outside-view of everything. She needed to get out of her environment so that she could think clearly.

She had written to Elinor only days before, and her excitement grew when she had received a response from her that morning. She had invited her to visit since it had been months since they had last seen each other. Alinah would not hesitate to take up her offer, and immediately she packed a few things for her journey. She had prepared a note for Monsieur Deberaux, explaining her intentions, and she waited for Mr. Harris to arrive for her lunch so that she could have him deliver the message to their employer.

She knew that Erik would not be too happy with her, but she reasoned that with her broken leg she couldn't fulfill her obligations in the house, anyway; and so what difference would it make if she were gone for a few weeks? As soon as her injury had healed, and she would be capable of resuming her duties, she would return. Besides, he didn't wish to see her, so it would be of no consequence to him.

"Mr. Harris, will you please give this letter to Monsieur Deberaux, and tell him that I shall return in a few weeks, once I have fully healed?" she asked, holding out the piece of paper for him to grab.

"Where are you going?" he took the note and tucked it into his pocket. He knew that whatever she was up to, would be no good.

"I am going to visit a dear friend of mine. I figure that there is nothing here for me to do, anyway; so of what harm would it be?" she replied, standing up and grabbing her crutches. She was too anxious with excitement at the prospect of breathing fresh air once again, and she couldn't sit down to eat. She grabbed her cloth sack and contemplated how she would make her way downstairs.

"The Master will be very displeased," Mr. Harris commented in a tone of caution. He eyed her suspiciously, wondering if she had really planned on ever returning, or perhaps she was leaving for good. But who could blame her? Even he had found the cold and lifeless estate to be depressing, at times.

"Yes, well, he is always displeased."

Mr. Harris raised his nose into the air and said no more. He felt greatly disappointed in the way things had transpired; his Master was still too melancholy to snap out of his mood and now, Alinah had decided that she had no choice but to leave. He would be the only servant, yet again. He could not help but to think that he would be the one to receive his employer's temper once Monsieur Deberaux had discovered what had happened.

Alinah made her way to the door and opened it. "Goodbye, Mr. Harris. I shall see you soon."

But he could only force a grim smile, for he did not think that she would ever return.

For once in her life, Alinah was thankful that no one else had occupied the house, and that her Master had been shut up in his room all day. There would be no one to see her disgrace herself as she made her way down the stairs the only way that she could: by scooting down the steps. She sat down on each step and carefully eased herself down to the next one, dragging along her crutches and bag. How she must have looked utterly ridiculous, she thought. But she was determined to leave the house.

Once she had reached the bottom, she winced in pain as she pushed herself back onto her feet. She hoped that she would never have to do that again, but the smile that formed on her lips from seeing the front door down the hallway made her efforts worthwhile.

After she had gone outside, she ordered a carriage and waited patiently for it. The air was cold, and snow had still covered the ground, but the sky was brighter than before. She took in a deep breath and savored the fact that she was finally outside and away from her dark and dreary room.

The journey to her destination was long and tiring, but she had found that her spirits were already lifted when she thought of how, soon, she would be reunited with her friend. At least then she would have someone to talk to, and someone who enjoyed her presence!

Meanwhile, Mr. Harris knocked on his Master's door and waited for him to answer. He had grown quite nervous, afraid of how Monsieur Deberaux would react upon reading the letter.

The door opened, and Mr. Harris handed Erik the note. Erik quickly opened it and his eyes skimmed over the words:

"Monsieur,

As I have been completely useless to you lately and I am in need of a change of scenery and a bit of fresh air, I have gone to visit a friend of mine. By the time that this letter reaches you, I will already be gone. I shall return in a few weeks, once my leg has healed, so that I might be of service to you once again.

Your Servant,

Alinah Claude".

Erik's face twisted into a snarl as he crumpled up the paper in his hand. By now, Mr. Harris had known to leave before his Master had finished reading the letter, and he was nowhere to be found.

Erik stormed off into the hallway and stopped in front of Alinah's door. If he found that she had actually left, then there would be Hell to pay if she ever returned. But he highly doubted that her "visit to a friend" would be temporary. The thought made his blood boil.

He pounded on her door and heard no response. Once he had opened it, he saw that her bed had been neatly-made and she was nowhere to be seen. Erik shouted a string of profanities into the air and turned on his heel to go back to his room.

He was yet again without a servant, and he did not want to advertise for another. He knew the real reason why she had left; that she had feared him and loathed living in the household of a monster. She merely couldn't keep up the innocent and naive charade any longer.

But how could he have expected things to be any different?

"My dear Alinah, how wonderful to see you again!" the bright and cheery face of Elinor made Alinah's smile widen. She slowly made her way over to the elderly woman, and the two embraced.

"Oh, Elinor, I have missed you!"

"My, my," Elinor examined the weak state that the young girl was in, "What has happened to your leg?"

"I broke it a while ago. But don't worry; it is healing just fine. Soon it shall be as good as new, again."

The two went inside and Elinor lit a fire before bringing her friend a plate of treats. She sat down at the small table in the foyer with her and clasped her hands together with excitement.

"Eat; you must be famished!" she urged Alinah. "I have been so lonely without you!"

Alinah took a bite of a pastry and giggled. "Oh, if only you knew! I have been locked away in my room for over a month now, because of my leg, with only the warmth of a fire to keep me company! I have felt so useless, sitting all day!"

Elinor stifled a gasp. "Your Master is unkind? Does he insist that you be locked away?"

"Oh, no!" Alinah responded, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding. "He is very kind. I am afraid that I don't see much of him, and the Butler is the only other servant in the house. I was merely complaining about the lack of company, dear Elinor."

"He does not wish to speak to you? Oh, I should think not, for you are a servant. But does he not have visitors? Does the Butler not provide juicy gossip?"

Alinah could not help but to laugh at her enthusiasm, and it was nice to have a conversation with someone. "No, he is sort of a recluse. It is a long story. And as for the Butler...let us just say that he is drier than this flaked pastry!"

The two women giggled.

"So tell me what you have been up to lately," Alinah urged after she had finished her meal and brushed the crumbs off of her hands.

Elinor sighed and pushed the reading spectacles higher on her nose. "Oh, nothing much. I think that you have had quite the adventure compared to me. Do tell me about this Master of yours."

Alinah looked down at her hands. She didn't know where to begin.