Chapter 25: Truth Be Told
The sun was hot and blazing, sending golden beams down onto the open area of the gardens. Mum and Dad sat in a pair of large wooden chairs brought out from the house, and faced opposite me, Adam, Roland, and Alexandra. Stephen was in the house, waiting for his sister for he had to escort her everywhere now that she did not have Roland around anymore. Tiny flies buzzed noisily and irritatingly around our faces, and the fan I was waving fervidly to blow them away was doing a very poor job. I shot a quick, side glance at Alexandra who sat all the way on the other end of the line, and she seemed tense with the urge to whack at the damn little bugs.
The weather though, was pleasurable and fair, having had a rough and stormy week when I was sick. But now, the sun had decided to show its bright, glowing face again, and if it hadn't caused the bugs to spawn like no tomorrow, I would have loved to be outside. Adam sat beside me, dressed in his gleaming white trousers again, with boots up to his knees. The same blue overcoat was on him as well, but not buttoned up so high, for I knew he and Roland where sweating madly in their thick attire. The collar of his shirt was high and encircled his neck. Needless to say, we haven't had much interaction since the day I kissed him.
Roland looked glum and goaded, his lips together in an unbendable line and his eyes squinting from the sunlight. His brown hair was slicked back, as usual, into that same thin and provoking pony tail. Sometimes whenever he ran in front of me, I had the urge to draw out my sword and cut the hair off. He was dressed almost exactly like Daddy, with brown trousers, beige stockings that when up to his knees and polished brown shoes. He wore a dark mahogany coat, with gold buttons lining the sides and under that he wore a black vest and shirt. Poor boy. He must have been boiling.
Alexandra was placed purposefully beside Roland, and it was all too clear that she did not desire to sit near him. Her legs were crossed and did not slant in his direction but away from him. I took it that whenever they were eating together, he'd squeeze her leg, his hand veiled by the tablecloth. If any man did that to me, I slap his crafty little fingers or bite his hand if it were necessary. She was dressed richly in a light rosy pink dress that suited her thin frame well, and her hair was up in the present style, as was mine, but with a few variations. She'd humph every now and then, waiting for the great discussion to actually begin.
Mum and Dad were too busy eyeing us with grave and inflexible eyes. Even after a week, they were still quite determined to punish Roland and me to the best of their abilities. "Astrid," said Mum, her light brown eyes looking almost exactly like Roland's in the sunlight. "Would you care to begin the story first, considering that two of your comrades have stated that you were the cause of all this trouble." The betrayers were of course, Alexandra and Roland, always stabbing me in the back.
"On the night of September the seventeenth, the eve before the departure of Captain Locke, I was bored in the present company of the Westley and Locke family. Begging your pardon, Mother, it was not because they were unfriendly. They were indeed very welcoming, but I did not relate much to them and thus fell into boredom." I paused, looking around to see if the dagger-like look in the eyes of my company where seeking to puncture my pride. All I saw was Roland shift in his seat and take a quick glance at me with not the dagger look but with the 'right my arse you were bored. You left to cause trouble you no good—' I continued on with my story.
"As I left the room, I decided to find Roland and Alexandra because they were not in the room with the others when they should have been. Also, previously before, right when Alexandra first arrived, the two ran off somewhere. Where they went, they have yet to reveal." I saw Dad's dark eyes dart quickly to his son, and I was positive that red embarrassment was crawling up Roland's face. "Adam saw me leave the room and so joined me."
"What was your true intent when you and Adam left the gathering?" asked Mum. "What did you want to accomplish?" Her brilliant smile had ceased to find its fitting place on her lips and she looked very hard at me, probably expecting a lie to come out of my mouth.
"I intended to find Roland and Alexandra and reveal their inappropriate… behavior, to you, Mother. I felt that the two young lovers were indeed too young to even be doing any of that sort."
"Quite the contrary, Astrid," said Mum. "Girls are encouraged to find their husband at this prime age. Although I do admit that if they went anything beyond what is appropriate, then I demand that they tell me." I nodded and was permitted to continue with my side of the story.
"I was merely checking on Alexandra and Roland to make sure they weren't doing anything beyond the bond of courtship, and so went up to Roland's room first to find them. Dinner would also be served soon and I knew they would not want to be late. Roland's room was unkempt and dark when Adam and I were searching for them in the possible dark. I discovered that Roland's bed, which I am sure was made in the morning that day, was messy and rumpled, which could have only met one thing."
"Astrid," came a monstrous growl. It came from the throat of my dear brother.
"No, Roland," said Mum. "No interruptions until she is finished. You will have your turn. Now be silent."
"Right. Anyway, before I had the chance to retreat back down to the living room because I had really found nothing of what I was looking for, Adam and I heard the door to the room give way. Knowing that Roland would sure be frighteningly angry with us, we ran to his closet and shut ourselves in."
"Roland, because he has more dressers and chests than you, has a smaller closet. Were you aware of the close and compact space you and Adam were confined in, Astrid?" asked Mum.
"Yes, I was, but we kept our distance," I added, not a hint of guilt in my voice. I heard a slight humph come from Alexandra but shrugged it off. She would have her turn soon. "From the crack left from the closet, Adam and I looked through it to see who came in. It was indeed Roland and Alexandra, and from the looks of it they had already been passionately at it for quite some while."
"You vile little—" spurted Roland, but Mum silenced him with a ferocious yell.
"Silence, Roland!" she screamed. "At this moment, every word you say will be held against you, and if you truly want a reasonable punishment, then you shall listen to each story without a word. Understand?" He pinned his lips closed and slouched in his seat.
"Anyway, Adam and I sadly had the dishonor of witnessing their little… spooning session." Even I was embarrassed to talk about such things with Mum and Dad, and how dreadful it was for Adam and Alexandra to have to tell the exact same thing to these people who were NOT their parents.
"Was it entirely just that?" inquired Mum, much like a judge would in a courthouse.
"Yes, Mother," I said. "Because I had never seen such a… lustful side of Roland, I was quite taken aback and disgusted." Roland must have been on the verge of erupting into a hot ball of steam. "My discomfort though, was too loud and Alexandra and Roland were immediately suspicious. I knew that if Roland found Adam and me inside his closet that he'd burst into anger and rage, and so, in hope of giving us a lighter beating, I told Adam that when Roland opened the closet door, to kiss me."
"What!" interrupted Daddy, looking at me with a wide and unforgiving face. I grinned nervously. Now they knew what their daughter was like. Mum smiled for the first time that day and gently patted his leg with her hand.
"It is all right, my dear," she said. "She had her reason." Gradually, Daddy cooled off and sat relaxed in his chair. It was always set that Mum would evaluate my side of the story whenever we were lectured, and that he would interrogate Roland, us relating more to people of our own gender. "Go on," she said.
"Roland did exactly that. He opened the door, and Adam and I went through with our plan and kissed… rather rashly. After exchanging some cruel words with Roland, Alexandra discovered that our kiss was indeed rushed, and correctly assumed that we were spying on them. She then exploded into a fit after I called her, or well, described her as a whore-like woman. After screaming her head off, she announced for all to hear that she had been secretly in love with Adam for nearly a decade. And, well, that's how she became so angry and tear sodden at dinner."
"Explain why Roland was sending all three of you very cross looks. You especially, Astrid."
"I guess he thought I did all that to embarrass him."
"And did you?" I took a breath, seeing that it was best to tell the truth. Lying would only make my punishment worse.
"Y-Yes," I said, looking down. "I did."
"I see," said Mum. "You are finished. If you wish, you may leave and go into the house, for now that I have your information, there is really nothing more here for you to do." She smiled at me, most likely to trick me into thinking I was off the hook, which I knew very well that I was not. Feeling my hairline drenched in sticky sweat, I decided to go inside for a while to cool off, and then join them later when most of the interrogations were through. Getting up from my seat, I curtsied low for all of them before marching proudly back into the house. I was free, at least, free for a brief time.
Twirling into the house, I walked merrily to the kitchen to see what Lisa was up to. "Any treats you've been baking?" I asked, popping my head through the kitchen doors. Lisa's back was turned to me and I saw her jump at the sound of my voice.
"Miss Astrid!" she shrieked, not liking it when I startled her like that. Grinning just as mischievously as I did when I was a girl, I marched around the kitchen, eyeing the food being prepared for dinner. All of it looked pleasingly tempting. "How many times have I told you not to barge into the kitchen like that, Miss?" she said, pointing her flour covered finger at me. "Remember your manners, Miss. Sooner or later you'll be married off to a nice gent out there and you'll have to behave even around your—are you even listening to me, Miss Astrid?" she squealed.
"Hmm?" I replied, hurriedly stuffing a cherry tart she had prepared into my mouth.
"For goodness sake! Look at you! Stuffin' your face like a little piggy, Miss." I smiled with my lips closed, though it was difficult to for the tart was filling up my whole mouth as I tried to chew. It would be easier if I kept my mouth open, revealing the melting and saliva covered tart rolling around my mouth. But Lisa would have had a fit. "Honestly, I wonder if you will ever behave like a lady." She sighed and turned around to resume kneading the ball of dough she was working on.
"Thank you for the tart, Lisa," I mumbled, unable to speak properly because of my full mouth. She nodded at the words without looking back at me, and every so gently, I slipped another tart into my hand and hurried out of the kitchen and into the dining room.
I barged into the room, banging the doors in my way and was about to stuff my mouth again when I was frightened by another being in the room. Immediately, he turned his head in my direction and I angrily hid the pastry behind my back again. I could never get a moment's peace nowadays. "Good to see you again, Miss Turner," he said, smiling at me. "Well and on your feet." I managed a false smirk in reply and curtsied ever so lightly to him. He bowed as usual and took my hand, kissing it swiftly with his lips. Standing straight up again, he looked at me closely and narrowed his eyes on my face.
"You… You have something on your face, Miss," he said.
"Oh," I grumbled, turning my head to the side and wiping my mouth with the sleeve of my dress. "Is it gone?" I asked, turning my head back around to face him. A handkerchief was in his hands but he quickly put it away, seeing that my own method worked just as well, though most likely not as proper.
"Y-Yes. Yes, it is," he said, faintly grimacing at my grotesque manners.
"All right." Without another word, I spun around and exited the dining room, seeing that the company in there was not much to my liking. "Good day, Mister Westley," I said, as I walked through the doors again.
"Good day, Astrid," he returned. Grinning, I crammed the delectable piece of food into my mouth, knowing very well that I was safe from the watching eyes of cultured people.
I had disputed in my head whether or not to eavesdrop on Mum and Dad's conversations with Roland, Adam and Alexandra. It would be definite that if I decided to nose round in their business that I would be punished more severely, but what the three could possibly say to my parents was scratching deep into my back like a terrible itch. I could either make it stop by scratching it, or let it be and suffer for a few moments. I guess I wasn't made to suffer much or to discipline myself, for I ended up sneaking into the gardens again, ears alert and attentive.
To my luck, Adam was talking about his side of the story, and the sound of his voice would most likely keep all eyes on him, especially Alexandra. Quickly, I darted behind a bush that was still quite a few yards away from them. All I could here were mumbles. I had to get closer. Slowly, ever so slowly, I tilted my head out of my hiding place to get a peek at them. They were still and silent, save for Adam. Good. I crawled like a bug to a closer bush, and sat myself there for a few moments, holding my breath just in case someone heard and was walking over to investigate. There were no sounds of footsteps coming in the grass. I was still safe.
Now, I could hear what Adam was saying. He was at the part when we were hiding in the closet. "Please be a good boy, Adam," I thought. "Don't tell them anything that I haven't told them. Like… how I actually left the party to frame Roland and Alexandra. Please, please, please…"
"Were you aware of Alexandra's feelings for you before that night, Adam?" questioned Mum.
"No. Never. Alexandra lives in my neighborhood and so we practically see each other every day, but she never told me how she felt. Never. And she had plenty an opportunity to do so," replied Adam. That's a good gent.
"Afterwards, during dinner, I noticed that she would look at you and Astrid quite few times. Do you believe she did so because she was blaming Astrid for taking you away from her?" said Mum. I squirmed at her question. Was she blind? Of course she was glaring at us for that reason! Poor Mum. Couldn't she see by now that Alexandra Westley hated Astrid Turner from the inside out?
"Of course I do," answered Adam, very firmly. "The thing is that Astrid never took me away from her because I was never attracted to Alexandra in the first place. If you really want my opinion I think she's—"
"Thank you, Adam," said Mum, realizing that things would have gone completely awry if Adam finished his sentence. "I am glad you have shared your position in this incident very openly with us. If you'd like, you may go into the house, or stay here while we speak with Roland and Alexandra." Adam nodded, getting up from his seat. He bowed at each of my parents and they took the sign of respect gratefully at his leave.
I heard his feet coming closer to where I was hiding, and to make sure that he wouldn't stop and happily scream, "Astrid!" at my sight, I prepared to haul him into my hiding place as soon as he passed by.
Soon enough, I spotted his radiant white trousers. Anyone could spot them with ease, even in the dark. I lunged forward and grabbed his leg, tripping him into the hiding place. Before he could say a word about what was going on, I clasped his mouth shut with my hand, knowing very well he'd be blabbing away as he tried to regain his bearings. With my hand over his face, his limpid blue eyes searched frantically around until he saw my face. He relaxed a bit and I was able to finally let him breathe. "Wha—" I cut him off by putting a finger to my lips. We couldn't say a word or we'd be doomed. He pinned his lips shut and nodded, kneeling beside me. I pointed in the direction that Mum and Dad and the other troublemakers were in, and Adam got the idea and leaned close to the bush so he could hear what Roland was saying. I did the same.
"Roland," said a voice. Not Mum's. It was Daddy's. His lectures with Roland were always so exciting and full of shouting. Of course, Daddy never lost his patience. Roland was the hot-headed mongrel. "You do know where actions such as those take you with a woman."
"Of course I do!" yelled Roland. "We were educated on the ship about those matters, so I know very well when too far is too far." I snickered inside. They were talking about… well… "love."
"You are positive that you and Alexandra remain chaste?" growled Daddy. I was sure that he was not very comfortable on the matter either.
"Yes. I haven't unmaidened anyone yet," mocked Roland, and I heard Mum squeal.
"Don't even think about such an important moral in that way!" she screamed. "Yell at your father again, and I give you my word, Roland William Turner, that you will not or ever go on another ship again as long as you remain in this house, unmarried." A very loud and purposefully set huff steamed out of Roland's foul mouth. There was a pause, and then Roland continued on.
"Just as Astrid said, Alexandra and I left the company to spend time together." He hesitated, most likely because he knew his relationship with Alexandra was well over but that he still had to reminisce about the memories they shared very openly with our parents. "We were just fooling around basically, and well…" I cut off my eavesdropping there. I already knew what they did because I saw it, and just seeing it made me feel awkward, and hearing it would just make me wriggle in discomfort.
Leaning back, I laid my back down on the grass, while Adam still had his ear pressed to the prickly mess of the shrub. He took a double take back at me and I only grinned as I lay in coziness. He smiled in return and left his post, lying down beside me, his knees up in the air while my legs were flat on the grass. He found my hand and brought it up to his face and kissed it softly, so as to make no noise. I beamed in reply and turned on my side to face him better. His blue eyes shined brightly in the sunlight and I had the yearn to kiss each of his blessed little eyelids. Of course, there'd be a time to do that later. Maybe two or three years later. I was, after all, still waiting for the sea to sweep me away.
I inched closer to him, making the any open space between us vanish and nestled my head on his chest. I could feel his body suddenly shake gently with inner giggles and I laughed internally as well. He bent his head, and kissed my hair, and I only clung to him all the more. The ironic thing was that Dad was just talking to Roland about the limit a man and woman could go to in courtship, and here Adam and I were snuggling close behind a bush eavesdropping. It was priceless.
Being with Adam and resting my head on his chest made me feel so relaxed and at peace that I closed my eyes. Through my eyelids I could feel the warm sun beating down on our faces, but suddenly, it disappeared and our faces fell under shadow. Confused at this sudden phenomenon, I opened my eyes and raised my head, only to meet the very revolted and angry face of… Roland William Turner.
Adam and I must have lost track with time and let Roland's conversation with Mum and Dad pass without knowing. Acting quickly, Adam sat up and hooked his foot under Roland's firmly planted feet and my brother tumbled forward, landing on top of Adam and me with an 'oof!'
"Roland! Are you all right!" came a distant call.
"Yes!" shouted Roland. "Just tripped over a stone!" He quickly gathered himself and sat next to me, but not without sending a good jab into my already aching ribs with his elbow. Mouthing a silent 'ow!' I pinched his arm… very hard. His hazel eyes narrowed in on me in fierce hatred and he crawled over to the side facing Adam and me, with his back to the bush and his stern face towards us.
Vigorously rubbing his arm, he raised an eyebrow at Adam and me, most likely because he had never caught us in any real act of misconduct. Of course, I didn't think just lying down together counted much as a naughty thing to do. He pointed his finger at each of us, mouthing, 'You two have been here all this time?' It was a good thing he knew that we wanted to keep silent, especially with Alexandra speaking with Mum and Dad now. I nodded, bobbing my head energetically. Roland replied by giving me the look that said, 'You're completely daft, sister.' He parted his lips, ready to say something out loud, but my ears quickly caught a bit of awfully important words.
I dived forward, grabbing Roland's head in the process and pushed his face into the ground as I leaned in close to the bush to listen to what Alexandra was saying. Roland pushed me away and brought his face close to the bush too, with Adam following soon after. "Oh yes, Missus Turner. She convinced Adam to go spy with her. She brought him up to Roland's room so that they could spy on us because of previous incident at the harbor."
"Would you please explain the incident at the harbor, Alexandra?" said Mum.
"Well, Astrid was out at the harbor with Adam," she said plainly. My eyes grew wide in angry shock. Now Mum and Dad would know that I snuck out of the house. Dammit!
"Astrid was out at the harbor with Adam!" shrieked Mum. I was doomed. Doomed. She knew very well that Adam never escorted me out of the home because she saw him that day at the tailor's shop. My parents' rage would be inexorable.
"Yes, she was, Madam," Alexandra continued further. "And she was speaking very teasingly with a very ruff and low sailor."
"She was doing what!" added Daddy. Dear God, I was drowning in regret and utmost abhorrence for the vile, mendacious Alexandra.
"There is plenty more," said Alexandra. My breath was growing hot and my blood was bubbling dangerously inside. If she broke my thin line of patience, she'd have nothing to look forward to but my cold, hard fists. "Roland and I found her there, and the sailor was holding her hand—" I never held his hand! He grabbed my arm! The wretch! "—and she had a very inappropriate smirk on her face and Adam seemed terribly stressed or worried. Roland came then, and broke everything up." LIES! I heard a sharp sigh coming from someone, most likely Mum. "Astrid was angry at Roland for breaking up her little talk with the sailor, and she was about to lunge at him and myself for saving her from indecency. Roland tried to stop her, but she was very quick. So instead of grabbing her, he stepped on the back of her dress which his foot. It was the only way to stop her. She had gone mad!" MAD! Was she MAD? I never did such a thing! "Her dress though, was poorly made and the back ripped off too easily, causing her undergarments to be shone to many a man's face at the harbor. She blamed it on Roland and took off flying with Adam to report him when he had done nothing wrong."
There was silence after that. Complete and utter horrible silence.
"And you believe this is the reason why she was in Roland's room spying on you two." That came from Daddy.
"Yes, Mister Turner. I believe it is. She hates it when she doesn't get what she wants, and so she's always out to get revenge." Well, so are you, you no good daughter of a bloody whore.
"Is it true that you admire Adam, Alexandra?" asked Mum. There was a pause, but not so long and dreadful as the pause after Alexandra revealed the very false incident at the harbor.
"Yes," she said softly. "I do."
"If you admired him, then why did you court Roland?" I smirked at last. Mum was doing a good job at revealing Alexandra's faults too.
"Roland was a nice boy. He truly was, but I thought that… that…"
"You could use him to get to Adam?" came another voice. It came from behind Adam, Roland, and mine's hiding spot, and I almost choked from surprise at the sound of it. I had a good guess at who it was too, but I didn't dare turn around and look.
"Stephen!" shrilled Alexandra. I heard footsteps getting louder and I cautiously turned my head to the side, and there Stephen passed us by, sending a quick wink at me. Dear God, don't wink at me again or Adam will have a fit.
"Well, it's true, isn't it, Alexandra? That is, after all, what you told your friend when she came to eat dinner with us, remember?" said Stephen, making his grand entrance into a discussion that he was never invited to, but his interruption did work for my benefit.
"Mister Westley," began Mum. "Please, this is between your sister and us, only. I bid you please refrain from interrupting."
"May I have a word, Missus Turner?" he asked, ever so gentlemanly. Mum would have no way to escape his charm.
"Yes, you may, but it will be your last in this meeting."
"I thank you then, for giving me this opportunity. I feel as if Alexandra is doing too much justice for herself and not for the others who deserve it more. Having grown up with her, I have noticed her deep desire for young Adam Locke, and knowing her, she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And Miss Astrid Turner just happened to be in her path. Now, if you have listened closely to Alexandra's part of the story, you will see that she mentions nothing of her relationship with Roland, which means she has moved on from it and is set on higher goals."
"Now that you say it, she hasn't said much of that matter at all," replied Mum.
"Stephen, you've said enough," hissed Alexandra. Stephen, the dashing and helpful piece of arrogant well-carved man thought otherwise and just continued talking. Oh Bless you, Stephen!
"Now, if you look at the personality of your own daughter, Mister and Missus Turner, you know that she is very restless and searches for adventure everywhere she goes."
"Yes… that's true."
"Well, recollect the gathering when this incident happened. Miss Turner was stuck in a room with people she really did not connect with and was left to nose about in boredom. What would you expect her to do?"
"She'd leave and entertain herself with… mischief and pranks," said Mum and Dad simultaneously.
"Exactly. Why would revenge be a matter if she is as careless and forgiving as she already is? If there was anything on Miss Astrid's mind at that time, it was most likely to just have a bit of fun." Correction, Stephen. I did indeed set out on that prank for revenge, but go on with your persuading lie.
"I doubt it," said Alexandra. "If you haven't noticed, this hasn't been the first time Astrid has played a trick on me."
"That is true also…" said Mum. "Stephen, are you finished with what you have to say?"
"I believe I am, Missus Turner. Just one more thing. Alexandra, I asked one of the maids in this household about your missing shift. She found it in Roland's room and you can reclaim it as soon as possible."