Hi all, I'm back with a new chapter. I feel a bit more confident with this one than with the last. I might go back and change it a bit...
Anyways, I just want to say thanks for your reviews! They keep me motivated. Please let me know what you think about this chapter :)
Davina stood outside tapping her foot impatiently. The sky was dull and grey, her father earlier hypothesizing that it would rain.
Peering inside once more, she calls out, "Ma, I'm leaving."
Behind her, she hears her darling sister screaming at the top of her lungs. It wasn't her mother's forgetfulness she detested. No, she rather liked walking to the schoolhouse by herself, didn't she? If she arrived early, she'd sit and play with the other children. It was the attention her sister received for simply existing. Alison Carson, sweet, dark-eyed Alison got love and care, never spite. Each time she trudged up to the abbey, it would be affirmed. Ever constant.
Months ago, when Thomas was in a foul, he'd said it plainly to her. "Do as I say, not as I do is an unspoken rule 'round here, Davina. If the maids didn't follow it, there'd be more mistakes born."
Some of the women in the village had speculated that Mrs Carson had been taken advantage of or lost her virtue to a soldier during the war- Mr Carson took pity of her, did the honourable thing, and married her. Davina's eyes were too blue, skin far too freckly to be his, they thought.
Her parents attempted to shield her, to no avail. It was only a matter of time before she found out.
"Why did you marry Da?" Davina asks, sitting on her mother's settee.
Elsie closes her ledger, "Because I cared for him, I suppose."
Fiddling with her hair, Davina frowns, "Ezra says that when people take long to answer they're lying."
"He's a wise boy."
"Will you tell me the truth?" She leans forward, "Did you love Da? Was he handsome?"
Elsie laughs lightly, "Don't believe everything you read, Davee. Not everyone is fortunate enough to marry for love."
"Were you?"
"Yes," she says, then under her breath, "Eventually…"
The girl stands and paces around the room, "I think I'd like to marry when I'm older."
"Don't tell your father," Elsie says, a smile in her voice, "He'd lock you away in a tower and throw away the key."
"He'd be glad to be rid of me." Davina says wryly.
"Now why would you think- "
The door suddenly opens, Anna entering quickly, "Mrs Carson, come quickly. Mrs Patmore is on a rampage with Daisy on the verge of tears."
Mrs Carson sighs, "Not again."
Alison looks at her surroundings curiously, her big dark brown eyes wide with awe. She's been out in the servant's quarters before, in the early mornings and late nights when she was drowsy with sleep. Her father having a few moments to spare, decided to go out for a breath of fresh air, taking his daughter with him.
As she got older, the Carsons found that their youngest sprung for independence earlier than expected. It took longer for her to learn how to walk than Davina and by the time she did, her parents had grown a protective shield around their daughter.
When people surrounded her, she tended to cry, wanting to be alone. The others tended to misinterpret her wailing and called for Mrs Carson. It happened habitually that she'd crawl back out of her mother's sitting room, venturing into the corridor and into her father's office or the laundry room.
Alison wished to spend time with her sister, Davina. Most days, they were left alone in the cottage, for a few moments in the morning. The older sister making sure the younger was ready for the day. If not, she'd help her get dressed, brush her teeth… perhaps sneak something sweet from the kitchen.
She didn't like to talk much. To get someone's attention, she'd poke them lightly and gesture. Her parents, Mr Carson usually, would apologise for her impropriety. Alison didn't understand why, she needed to communicate somehow. The only few people to have heard her voice were her father and sister. A sweet, soft tone, so innocent and pure.
"Da?"
Mr Carson smiles, "Yes?"
His daughter points to the floor, attempting to squirm out of his arms.
"No, not today. We have to go inside soon."
Alison would get impatient at his comment he knew. She was one for fits of tears but always calmed in her mother's arms. Mrs Carson argued it was because her sitting room was quieter than most rooms. She wasn't the reason. If she were, wouldn't Alison speak to her? In her five, almost six years of life, no one had heard her utter the word "Ma". It was one of Elsie's insecurities. Had she failed her child? Davina was closed off as well. The few moments in which they bonded were cut short.
Mr Carson moves inside, Alison attempting to leave his grasp. Upon seeing Mrs Patmore, the girl squirms all the more.
"Give her here Mr Carson, we'll make sure she eats while you lot have a quiet dinner." Mrs Patmore opened her arms to hold the girl.
Mr Carson nodded, handing Alison over and walking to the hall.
When out of sight, Mrs Patmore whispered, "I do believe I have a batch of cookies waiting for us."