The Comte and the Peasant: Chapter 8
Hey everyone! Sorry the last chapter was so short, but I wanted to get *something* out to show that I'm still alive J. Anyways, on with the next chapter of the fanfic!
Again, HYD does not belong to me. It belongs to Yoko Kamio, yada yada yada
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That evening, after all the pots and pans had been scrubbed and cleaned, Thadea wearily returned to her darkened room with Yeva trailing behind her. She had barely spoken a word to anyone since she had returned from fetching water, and Yeva grew increasingly worried as she stared at Thadea's hunched shoulders and sad expression.
"I wonder what must have happened out there," Yeva thought with concern. For the short time that she had known Thadea, she had always been so full of energy and life. Now it looked as if something had sucked the happiness right out of her soul.
As both girls were shedding their outer garments and preparing for bed, Yeva contemplated whether or not to approach her friend on the subject. "Sometimes, it's better just to leave some people alone when they're like this," Yeva thought, "but I don't think Thadea's one of them. She seems like the type who needs someone to talk to…"
After the candles had been blown out and the both of them were snuggled comfortably under their blankets, Yeva rolled over in her bed and stared at Thadea's dark form. "Psst, Thadea!" she whispered, "What's the matter with you lately? Are you alright?" She waited for a second, but there was no response from the other girl.
"Thadea?" Yeva called a little louder this time, "Are you still awake?"
Still, there was no response. Thadea lay there unmoving, apparently already in a deep sleep.
"I won't disturb her then," Yeva thought, "she needs her rest." Turn away and pulling the covers tightly under her chin, Yeva fell fast asleep, her mind drifting to happy thoughts of her family and her friends back home.
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Thadea lay perfectly still, pretending to be asleep when Yeva called out her name. She did not feel like talking to her friend about her troubles, and she certainly didn't want anyone to find out about her feelings for Ruiz.
"I'm sorry Yeva," Thadea apologized silently when her friend gave up and turned away, "I wish I could tell you…but it wouldn't be right to bother you with my pitiful problems."
Closing her eyes, Thadea let out a small sigh and concentrated on falling asleep. Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time before her mind wandered back to Ruiz and Serafina and what she had witnessed in the garden. The image of the white rose kept flashing in her mind, and it took all of her strength to fight down the tears that were threatening to spill again.
"I'm not going to cry," Thadea told herself as she gripped the edges of her blanket, "This isn't me. I'm not going to let this little incident bother me. I already know that they belong together, so why can't I just accept it? Why am I such a fool?"
Closing her eyes again, Thadea pushed the bleak thoughts out of her head and tried again to relax her mind. She needed rest if she was going to wake up on time tomorrow, and besides, there was no use in torturing herself over something that she could not change.
Yet, only a few seconds later, the images she had tried to suppress resurfaced again in her mind's eye. The garden scene replayed itself all over again, and the glowing image of Serafina Toreau burned into her, dominating her weary thoughts and causing the familiar ache in her heart to return. Thadea tossed and turned for a while on her small bed, trying in vain to relax her body. Nothing worked.
Heaving a great sigh, Thadea finally gave up and tossed aside her covers. She pulled herself out of bed and turned quickly to make sure that Yeva and the other two servants were still sound asleep.
"Perhaps a quick snack might help me to sleep better," she thought as she quietly crept across the room and slipped out the door. "Some milk and bread would be really nice right now."
Padding along on her bare feet, Thadea silently walked through the darkened corridors and towards the kitchen. Having forgotten to bring the oil lamp, she had to feel her way along the walls until she could see the familiar glow seeping through the cracks of the kitchen door. Unlike most of the other rooms of the great house, the kitchen fire was always kept burning nomatter what hour of the day.
Carefully pushing open the heavy wooden door, Thadea entered the warm, cheery room and took in a deep breath. She loved the smell of the kitchen and just being near the warmth of the fire comforted her immensely. Heading straight to the pantry, she pulled out and broke off a large chunk of bread, and was about to reach for the milk when she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye.
Startled, Thadea swerved and jumped back in surprise as her eyes met Ruiz Hainault's penetrating gaze from across the room. He was lounging at one of the large wooden tables with his elbows propped up and his face cupped in his hands. He regarded her with his cool, steady gray eyes and did not move as she gaped at him in shock.
"I…I'm sorry milord," Thadea apologized quickly, dropping her head and fixing her eyes on the floor. "I did not mean to intrude upon you again. I was hungry and…I…I decided to come and find some…something to eat….I…I…"
"It's alright," Ruiz replied curtly his voice registering a hint of annoyance. "I don't understand why you servants feel the need to explain things in such detail to me. I don't care why you've come into the kitchen, just please stop your incessant babbling!"
Thadea's jaw dropped involuntarily at Ruiz's harsh words. His brutal rebuff was like a slap in the face, and she could feel her cheeks redden in embarrassment. She tried to sum up the effort to offer an apology, but was afraid that he would be even more annoyed with her if she spoke any further. At a complete loss as to what to do, Thadea stood frozen in her place, her head bowed and her hands clutched tightly to the hard piece of bread she had broken off.
The silence dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. Thadea kept her head lowered, apparently too embarrassed to look at the young lord. For his part, Ruiz was shocked by his rude outburst and sat staring at Thadea's still form. Anger, annoyance, and hate flooded his senses, all directed at himself. How could he take his frustration out on a poor innocent girl who had done nothing to offend him? How could he have been so crude and thoughtless as to think that she wouldn't be hurt by such a cruel rebuke?
"I…I'm sorry," he whispered finally, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between them. "I'm sorry if I caused you pain just now. I did not mean to be so harsh with my words. Forgive me."
Thadea raised her head tentatively, unable to conceal the hurt in her eyes. His words had cut her, more deeply then he would ever know, and she simply couldn't bring herself to speak. Being a simple peasant girl, she didn't fully understand the peculiarity of a future comte requesting forgiveness from a servant. If she had, perhaps she would have acted more wisely towards her young master.
Ruiz was taken back when Thadea did not acknowledge his apology. Certainly this was the first time he had ever asked forgiveness from a servant. He had expected her to act to it accordingly, and yet strangely, he did not find her behavior offensive.
"Why is she staring at me like that?" he wondered as he stared into Thadea's large, brown eyes. "And why do I feel so strange when I'm around her?" He searched her dark eyes for an answer, only to discover anger and sadness reflected in their depths.
Ruiz blinked in surprise as he recognized in her all the things that he was feeling inside. Sadness, anger, pain, and loneliness. Those were the things that had filled his heart ever since he had…
He shook his head, scattering the recent memories from his mind. It would do him no good to relive the heartache of tonight. What's done is done, and there was nothing else he could do to change it.
"You really are a peculiar girl," he said softly, giving Thadea a small smile. Leaning back, he pushed a chair out with his foot and gestured for her to take a seat. "Every other servant in this house would have accepted my apology. I can't understand why you would refuse."
Thadea stared at the chair for a second, feeling her heart beat faster once again. He had misinterpreted her silence for something completely different, and yet before she could correct him, he spoke again.
"I suppose you have a right to be angry with me. After all, my behavior towards you was appalling just now. But please, do accept my apology. I'll never be able to sleep if you don't."
Ruiz grinned, tilting his head slightly and giving her an innocent look. "What do you say? Forgive me?"
Thadea couldn't help but smile at his boyish face. She felt warmth coursing through her body as she stared at Ruiz Hainault. "If only you knew," Thadea thought wistfully as she moved to take the seat he had pushed out for her, "Nothing you could say could ever truly offend me…"
"You don't need my forgiveness milord," Thadea replied shyly, looking down at her hands, "It just wouldn't be proper. Please don't tease me anymore."
"Who's teasing you?" Ruiz laughed, "I was serious." And suddenly, the mocking smile disappeared from his face. "I didn't mean to offend," Ruiz said softly, "I really am sorry about what I said earlier. I shouldn't have been taking my anger out on you."
"Anger? What were you angry about milord?" Thadea asked, unable to stop her curiosity from getting the better of her. Ruiz hesitated, and Thadea continued, "I should think that you would be inexplicably happy now that Lady Serafina is here…" Thadea's voice trailed off as she noticed Ruiz's expression twist bitterly at the mention of Serafina's name.
"Don't EVER mention her name in my presence again!" Ruiz suddenly cried. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles were white, and slammed them onto the kitchen table. "Please, don't ever talk about her…not ever…"
"Wh…What happened? What did I say wrong?"
"It's not you," Ruiz replied wearily, bowing his head and burying his face into his hands. "It's my fault for waiting too long. It's my fault for being such a coward."
"A coward? You?" Thadea couldn't understand this sudden turn of events. What could have happened that would make Ruiz this way? Only a few moments ago he had been smiling and laughing in the garden with Serafina…
"Serafina!" Thadea realized in shock, "Could she be the reason for Ruiz's strange behavior?" She looked over at the young lord who was slumped over on the table, and felt an indescribable feeling of sadness overwhelm her. She couldn't stand to see Ruiz like this, especially not when he had been smiling and laughing only moments before.
"I'm such a fool," Ruiz finally said, his voice muffled by his hands. "I thought that she loved me…I thought she cared about me as much as I cared about her…but it was all a lie!"
"I…I'm sorry, I don't understand," Thadea said, thoroughly confused by Ruiz's stream of nonsensical words. "Slow down, please!"
"Serafina! She betrayed me! How could she betray me like that?" Ruiz cried, suddenly looking up and grabbing Thadea by the wrist. "Why? Why would she leave me? What did I do wrong?"
"Milord! Please! I'm not following what you're saying! What did Lady Serafina do?!"
Ruiz blinked, suddenly registering what he was doing. He loosened his tight grip on Thadea and visibly struggled to regain some of his self-control. "I…I don't know what's come over me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "I shouldn't be burdening you with all this. You must think I'm insane from my behavior this evening…"
"I would never think that of you," Thadea replied, placing her free hand over Ruiz's. "You can tell me…I promise I won't let anyone else know."
Ruiz stared at her small hand covering his own, and felt a strange sensation sweep through his body. He couldn't quite understand why, but he trusted the young girl. He found the unexplainable urge to confide in her, to tell her all the things that he had kept bottled up inside him for so long. There was something comforting about Thadea Marcoux that made him want to tell her all of the troubles that plagued him at the moment. They barely knew each other, having only spoken once or twice, but there was something about her that inspired confidence within him.
"I just found out tonight that Serafina is engaged…" Ruiz said, looking at Thadea with weary eyes, "She has been for a whole two months now…to a German Count no less."
Thadea swallowed hard, her mind reeling at Ruiz's words. She couldn't believe that Serafina would be engaged…and to a foreigner!
"I suppose I always carried with me this delusion that she and I were meant for each other, that there was some type of special bond between us. But despite what I feel for her, she does not return my affections. I realized tonight that she has always seen me as a companion…a brotherly figure if you will. I don't think she ever has or ever will consider me as a husband…"
Thadea felt stinging in her eyes, and before she knew it, hot tears were rolling freely down her cheeks. It wasn't fair…the way life works sometimes. It wasn't fair that Ruiz should be in love with someone who did not love him in return whereas she…
Before she could finish that thought, she felt Ruiz pull her closer and within seconds, his head was buried in her shoulder. She could feel wetness through the thin fabric of her nightgown, and closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms tightly around his thin shoulders.
"Shhh….it's okay," she murmured, "It's alright…"
They stayed like that for a long time, with Thadea murmuring nonsensical words of comfort to her stricken young master. In that moment, all rules of propriety were cast aside as a young noble sought comfort in the arms of a young peasant girl.
Finally, though, Ruiz pulled away. Thadea wiped the tears from her face with the sleeve of her nightshirt, and offered a shaky smile.
"I'm sorry about what just happened…I shouldn't have done that," Ruiz apologized.
"No, it's alright. I don't mind," Thadea replied quickly, "I'm just sorry I wasn't able to offer you more help…"
"You've done more than enough," Ruiz interjected, giving her a warm smile. "Thank you…for listening to me. You've comforted me more than you will ever know." Pushing himself up, Ruiz stood and made his way towards the kitchen door. "Goodnight Thadea…," he said as he paused in the open doorway, "and thank you again."
"You needn't thank me milord," Thadea replied as she watched Ruiz Hainault exit the room. A new feeling of hope and excitement was beginning to flutter in her chest, and unconsciously she smiled to herself as she basked in the warm glow of the kitchen hearth.
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The next day, Thadea was awakened by a frenzied Yeva who was shaking her shoulders and babbling a stream of words that she did not comprehend.
"Yeva…what…what are you doing?" Thadea cried, twisting herself out of the girl's grip. "Have you gone insane?"
"Oh god
Thadea, you have to get up now! The
whole household has gone completely mad!
"Why? What happened?" Thadea asked as she tossed
aside her covers and began pulling on
her outer garments. "Was somebody hurt
or something?"
"Oh goodness no, nothing like that!" Yeva replied, handing Thadea her leather belt, "It's just that we have another unexpected guest. And it could not have come at a worse time! The household is still recovering from yesterday and the preparations for Lady Serafina's arrival…and with this, well it's just impossible to…"
"Whoa, Yeva, slow down!" Thadea cried, letting out a small laugh, "What are you babbling about? I can't follow a word you're saying!"
Yeva laughed as well, giving Thadea a sheepish grin. "Well, you know how excited I can get sometimes…but this IS big news! You will never believe who arrived here this morning!"
"Who?" Thadea asked dramatically in mock desperation, "Please! I can't stand the suspense!"
"Lord Tiernan Doumet!" Yeva cried, jumping up and down.
Thadea's smile disappeared as everything suddenly came to a crashing halt.
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That day, Thadea tried her best to avoid bumping into Tiernan Doumet. The last thing she wanted was another confrontation with the ill-tempered young nobleman, which would most certainly lead to her being fired from the Hainault household.
"He's only staying for three days…I can do this," she told herself as she carried water back and forth between the well and the kitchen, "He'll be in the upper level of the house, completely separate from where I am. There should be no problem." But for some reason, despite the reassurances to herself, she could not get rid of the hard lump that had formed in the pit of her stomach.
"And what if I do run into him," she asked herself, "what will I do then?"
Just then, the door to the kitchen swung open and Charmagne poked her head out. "Thadea!" she called, "Mistress Rosalind wants to see you!"
"Coming!" Thadea called back as she left the water bucket and hurried inside. "I wonder what she wants to see me for…?" Before she could finish that thought, a silver tray was shoved into her hands and Mistress Rosalind appeared with a white apron and cap in her hand.
"Thadea," she said in her usual stern voice, "Marie is sick today and cannot serve the tea and coffee as she usually does. I want you to take her place upstairs and bring the young master and his guests these refreshments."
Thadea's eyes widened as she registered Mistress Rosalind's words. Suddenly, she felt her body go cold and the lump in her stomach triple in size. Fate was not on her side today…and Thadea could anticipate the disaster that was about to happen.
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"Listen Ruiz, Tiernan's really sorry about what happened in the square that day. He hasn't been able to think of anything else since," Stefan said, suppressing a sigh of frustration as he glanced over at his stubborn friend.
"You know he's not big on apologies Ruiz," Aleron added, trying desperately to help Stefan initiate conversation between the two young men, "He's just pig-headed like that, but you know he's sorry…so why don't you just forgive him?"
"Would you two stop talking about me as if I'm not in the room?!" Tiernan fairly shouted as he banged his fist on the rest of the armchair.
"Could you kindly refrain from destroying my furniture Tiernan?" Ruiz replied coolly. He crossed his legs carelessly and leaned into the back of his plush couch.
Tiernan scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't respond.
Both Stefan and Aleron groaned audibly and looked from Tiernan to Ruiz in annoyance.
"You guys are impossible!" Aleron cried in exasperation, burying his head in his hands.
"Come on you guys, grow up," Stefan said. He turned to Serafina, who sat silently next to Ruiz. "Serafina, help us out! Talk to Ruiz and tell him he's being unreasonable! He always listens to you!"
Serafina flinched at his words, but then turned quickly and put a hand on Ruiz's shoulder. "Ruiz…please…"
Ruiz pulled quickly away from Serafina's touch, and let out a defeated sigh. The reaction did not go unnoticed by either Stefan or Aleron. They glanced at each other questioningly, but neither dared to say anything
"I'm sorry about what happened…I'm willing to let this pass if you are Tiernan," Ruiz said finally. He was sick of this pointless fight between them, and if it meant being the first to cave in, then so be it.
"I suppose," Tiernan muttered grudgingly. Aleron and Stefan sighed in unison at Tiernan's typical response. If there was one thing the boy needed to learn, it was how to apologize.
"Well, I'm glad that's all over with now," Stefan said smiling. He leaned over and patted Tiernan on the back, "But we have to work on your social skills man. You've got to learn to lighten up sometimes."
Tiernan glared at Stefan, but he only laughed in response.
"Hey Ruiz, I'm famished," Aleron declared, "Why haven't any refreshments been brought out yet?"
Ruiz opened his mouth to speak, but just at that moment, the door to the drawing room swung and on the other side stood a young, thin dark haired girl carrying a large silver tray in her hands.
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End of Chapter Eight
PLEASE SEND ME FEEDBACK!!!!!! I'm trying to figure out where to go with this story and I would really appreciate any suggestions you guys would have! Please send all comments and suggestions to delphigirl.geo@yahoo.com. Please, please, pleas and I'll love you forever!