The Surf Between the Waves:
Chapter 2: Poison Ivie
"Why you insufferable, insignificant, BEAST!" Hold on a moment, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Lets start over shall we?
Why? Why did this sort of thing always happen to me? I rolled my eyes to the ceiling daydreaming about the bustling life out on the streets not wanting much of anything to do with their ignorant conversation. "Oh you have birds?" Mr. Hawkins exclaimed almost bemused by the thought of an animal in a woman's care.
"Yes, two actually. They're love birds, I received them as a gift from my nephews, Gabriel and Thomas, on my last birthday. They pose as near perfect companions." Ms. Selton explained pouring more tea into her porcelain cup.
"Who are, your nephews or the birds?" Idiot, I'll be the first to admit that my escort was not very bright or logical for that matter.
"Well, surprisingly both are." My mistress's minute giggle was one of discomfort and I knew the discussion would be taking a turn shortly if not stopping all together. "Miss Ruther?" I turned my wondering hazel eyes to her peaceful angelic stance.
"Yes, madam," damn my politeness, it is such a strong weakness! "What may I help you with?"
"I don't know if you've heard yet but there is to be a council meeting held a day from now. I suspect, since my brother in law is on the council he will be bringing his children along with him to this meeting. He has seven children, five boys and two girls, and I will desperately need all the help I can get to keep the house neat and organized. Are you up for the job?" Seven kids! It wasn't a job it was a death sentence!
"I shall try my best, though it may be difficult for me to memorize their names." Her laugh this time was cheerful and wholehearted.
As she patted my back she spoke softly to me, "don't worry, you'll do just fine. I have confidence in you." Confidence, who had confidence in a garden snake?
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"This is where you'll sleep and if you so wish spend your free time in. You are not a slave so you have permission to walk freely about the town as long as you let me know before hand. And this room will also be shared between you and Nancy Bilge." The room was not quite what I had been used to and it smelled of must and pig. There was a bunk bed in the corner with a thin sheet spread across it, an old dresser that had some knobs missing and one peg leg had been replaced with a block of wood, a wash bowel, a porcelain pitcher, a tin basin and closet that was nothing more than a hole in the wall covered with a curtain. There was, however a small window in the opposite corner of the beds.
As I sat my trunk down I made my way over to the window, the warmth of the sun pouring onto my flesh. I pulled back the curtains and was greeted gingerly by the side of another building, how wonderful. "Lovely view," I mused sarcastically.
"When my home was built that building was lower but they recently had a addition added to their humble abode and ever since their blasted dinning room has been in the way," Ms. Selton muttered. It hadn't even occurred to me that she had snuck up beside me.
"Oh, I hadn't meant to be rude." I gave a halfhearted apology because to be quite honest I was rarely sorry; when I spoke my mind it was what I had meant to say.
"No it is alright," she paused starring me in the eyes, what was she thinking? "I'll give you time to unpack and rest, you've had a long journey. The bottom two drawers are free and the closets practically empty. There is an extra dress in there, plain nothing fancy, if you should need anything to wear for working around the house or out in the garden." Ms. Selton turned gracefully waltzing halfway to the door then facing me again as if she had just remembered what she meant to say. "If you should need any help, you may ask Nancy or Aster or even myself. By the way Nancy likes to sleep on the top bunk so please keep that in mind. Well I'll leave you be."
She left as quickly as she had come and now once again I was left alone. I slumped down onto the bottom bed my chestnut hair bouncing from the action. My palms where pressed against the mattress as I gazed out the window catching some light off of the rooftop of the other building. This is home, I thought to myself as I unlatched my trunk and gazing down at the little amount of things I had actually owned. A fairly elegant forest green gown for special occasions, a pair of undergarments, my shawl; and the outfit I was most proud of, my brother Geoffrey's white cotton shirt and black breeches with a burgundy overcoat and wheat colored vest with slight gold trim. Ah, how I loved to wear this when I was younger, it was a fine steal and I was extremely proud of my up keep of it. He'd probably kill me now if he knew I had it.
As I carefully placed everything of mine in the their rightful places I hid my trunk in the back of the closet locking my diary inside its confines for no one to see. Then I hoisted off my simple black shoes and laid down on the bed, my hair fanned out around my head in a dark halo. I shut my eyes drifting off into another world at last.
"Hey! Hey pretty one! Wake up!" I felt a pair of callused hands grip my shoulders and shake me back to the real world. As my eyes blurred open I could make out the shape of a young woman hovering above me.
"I'm up! I'm up! Stop shaking me!" I shouted as I sat up rubbing my eyes. It must have been several hours since I had passed out because the sun was setting and a haze of purple blue was covering the evening sky.
I glanced up at the youth beside me her flaming red hair pulled loosely back in a bun with a few scattered pieces hanging in tiny ringlets. She had a stern stare settle across her face and appeared to be no more than eighteen, "you must be Nancy."
"I must be nothing, and you've been asleep way too long. Around here sleep is second to work, and work is what you need to be doing. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice was deep and weathered, finally another woman as tough as me, this should be fun.
"Well, Madam dirt wad, I happen to be off today due to an extremely long trip. So if you don't mind leaving and climbing back down into that hole you came out of, I would like to continue to rest! Is that understood?" My eyes were cross and I was cranky a combination people usually back away from, but she was a persistent one.
She began laughing, a horrible cackle. "Off? We don't have off days around here, we all work or we get no food. So Miss if you want no dinner or breakfast that's fine by me, it just means more for Aster, Paul and myself. So nighty night." She said in mock kindness. Bested by a worthless twit half my size, well okay a little more than half my size but still smaller than I expected! Fine if it is war that she craves I'll give her war.
Nancy stood, about to exit the room when she turned to say one last thing, "Oh if you are planning on working tonight, I suggest a different dress you don't want your fancy princess gown to get ruined. Ta!" She slammed the door shut behind her.
"Don't want to get your fancy princess gown ruined," I mocked in a high pitch squeaky voice. Who was she, Sainton's wife?
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Later, as I placed the dishes from supper in the basin of soapy water I thought of my father's farm and how the field was so open and inviting. The freedom I felt as a child was quickly washed away as Nancy stepped out onto the back porch of the kitchen. "What do you want?"
"Oh, so you did finally decide to work? Congratulations Queeny, welcome to the club!" She spoke cheerfully her expression filled with sarcasm and delight in my pain.
"Yeah, in case you've failed to notice I do complete my duties, and I do them well." I lifted a wet pan out of the basin and sat it on a towel.
"You missed a spot," I glared up at her ignoring her rude tone. "No really it's right there. It will just take a moment, look I swear." She knelt down just behind me, "see it's right... THERE!" She tossed a black spider about the size of a shilling into my lap.
I jumped up wailing and screaming something awful; this woman would pay for sure. Water from the basin sloshed over the side spraying the ends of my servant's gown with its liquid soil. "YOU!" I cupped my hands dipping them into the water and launching my attack onto her.
She flew backwards into the hedge as soon as the cold water made contact with her body. I took off into the kitchen ignoring the figure of our mistress in the window from the main building. Nancy followed after me as I dodged behind the counters and swinging pots strung from the ceiling. I breathed heavy as my back was pressed sternly to the side of the cabinet, holding my gown in place to keep in from ruffling. Were we playing tag?
I peeped my head around to look for her but I could not find her for the life of me. Where did that blasted girl go? "GOTCHA!" She shouted from above as she dropped a bowel of flower onto my head and in my lap. I jumped up shrieking in horror as I wiped my eyes clean. "Why you insufferable, insignificant, BEAST!" She was lying across the counter top; I glared at her while I reached out for the black berries.
"So that's how you want to play, okay. I can play that way." I ran at her flour flying out of my hair in a cloud of smoke. We chased around the kitchen for several minutes. "Ms. Selton!" I shouted and watched as Nancy flew around before pelting her in the back with the berries, "made you look."
I was too busy laughing at my glorious come back to notice the two peach's she picked up. As she turned she chucked them at me, one smacking me dead in the stomach the other skimming my head as it splattered against the wall. Juice drained down the length of my dress and I just frowned not sure of what to do. Then, in noticing the cinnamon sitting out a grabbed the container popped the top and aimed it at her. The pasty red powder clung to her face and neck and coated her hair as she coughed more out of her mouth.
"Nice one, though I think I would've gone for the eggs." She suggested pointing to an empty bowel.
"What eggs?" But it was too late I had been pelted with mother hen's children.
"Those eggs," she mused smiling innocently at me.
"I noticed, thanks very much Captain obvious." I brushed the shells and goo from my bodice failing horribly at stifling my giggles.
"What on earth- OH MY HEAVENS!" Ms. Selton entered the kitchen with Aster at her side. "What have you girls done?"
I lifted my gaze to Nancy for an answer who did the same thing to me, "I think it quite literally looks like a food fight." I spoke forgetting my place in her household and the jolly older woman, Aster, couldn't help but chuckle at my comment.
Her skin was dark; there was no doubt about Aster's position on the social ladder, she was a slave. Though well respected in this household, most certainly. "Come Children, you need to bathe. No one, not even a pig, wants to smell you two but lord know they can even if you are a mile away." Aster led us out of the kitchen as Ms. Selton stood in the archway dumbfounded over our actions.
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I lay soaking in my tub of heated water uncomfortable with the fact that Aster had me and Nancy bathing in the same room; different basins of course. But that didn't change the matter. Aster sat by the door leaning in an old chair watching the both of us intently; making sure neither one of us tries to kill the other.
Nancy cupped her hands together and squirted water from her tub at me, all I did was glare at her for I had not the strength to argue. "So tell me Princess what do people call you?"
"Why should it matter to you," I hissed, dunking my head in the water to clean out the flower and little bit of egg that had soiled it.
"Oh, so that when you drop dead from breaking a nail I can tell the graves keeper what name to carve into your tomb." She said crisply not finding an ounce of harshness in her tone.
"You're hilarious." I stated sarcastically as I chucked my washcloth at her face missing by a mere two inches. I listened as its drenched body slapped against the hardwood floor.
"Now girls don't make me bring in the Ms's." Aster chided us and we both became deathly silent for some time.
"It's Christiana, but anyone who knows me calls me Ivie. It's my middle name." I spoke without a care, what did it matter if she knew my name, she'd find it out soon enough anyway.
"Princess Ivie, nah. Poison Ivie, yeah that will suffice." Nancy concluded with a splash of her skinny legs.
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AN: Thanks to those who reviewed! Have a cookie; it's on the house! Yes Tavington will be stepping in within the next chapter and the real action will begin shortly after! Yippee! Well thanks for reading this chapter; hope it was well written in your eyes! Please review, thanks again!
Chapter 2: Poison Ivie
"Why you insufferable, insignificant, BEAST!" Hold on a moment, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Lets start over shall we?
Why? Why did this sort of thing always happen to me? I rolled my eyes to the ceiling daydreaming about the bustling life out on the streets not wanting much of anything to do with their ignorant conversation. "Oh you have birds?" Mr. Hawkins exclaimed almost bemused by the thought of an animal in a woman's care.
"Yes, two actually. They're love birds, I received them as a gift from my nephews, Gabriel and Thomas, on my last birthday. They pose as near perfect companions." Ms. Selton explained pouring more tea into her porcelain cup.
"Who are, your nephews or the birds?" Idiot, I'll be the first to admit that my escort was not very bright or logical for that matter.
"Well, surprisingly both are." My mistress's minute giggle was one of discomfort and I knew the discussion would be taking a turn shortly if not stopping all together. "Miss Ruther?" I turned my wondering hazel eyes to her peaceful angelic stance.
"Yes, madam," damn my politeness, it is such a strong weakness! "What may I help you with?"
"I don't know if you've heard yet but there is to be a council meeting held a day from now. I suspect, since my brother in law is on the council he will be bringing his children along with him to this meeting. He has seven children, five boys and two girls, and I will desperately need all the help I can get to keep the house neat and organized. Are you up for the job?" Seven kids! It wasn't a job it was a death sentence!
"I shall try my best, though it may be difficult for me to memorize their names." Her laugh this time was cheerful and wholehearted.
As she patted my back she spoke softly to me, "don't worry, you'll do just fine. I have confidence in you." Confidence, who had confidence in a garden snake?
%%%%%%%%%%%
"This is where you'll sleep and if you so wish spend your free time in. You are not a slave so you have permission to walk freely about the town as long as you let me know before hand. And this room will also be shared between you and Nancy Bilge." The room was not quite what I had been used to and it smelled of must and pig. There was a bunk bed in the corner with a thin sheet spread across it, an old dresser that had some knobs missing and one peg leg had been replaced with a block of wood, a wash bowel, a porcelain pitcher, a tin basin and closet that was nothing more than a hole in the wall covered with a curtain. There was, however a small window in the opposite corner of the beds.
As I sat my trunk down I made my way over to the window, the warmth of the sun pouring onto my flesh. I pulled back the curtains and was greeted gingerly by the side of another building, how wonderful. "Lovely view," I mused sarcastically.
"When my home was built that building was lower but they recently had a addition added to their humble abode and ever since their blasted dinning room has been in the way," Ms. Selton muttered. It hadn't even occurred to me that she had snuck up beside me.
"Oh, I hadn't meant to be rude." I gave a halfhearted apology because to be quite honest I was rarely sorry; when I spoke my mind it was what I had meant to say.
"No it is alright," she paused starring me in the eyes, what was she thinking? "I'll give you time to unpack and rest, you've had a long journey. The bottom two drawers are free and the closets practically empty. There is an extra dress in there, plain nothing fancy, if you should need anything to wear for working around the house or out in the garden." Ms. Selton turned gracefully waltzing halfway to the door then facing me again as if she had just remembered what she meant to say. "If you should need any help, you may ask Nancy or Aster or even myself. By the way Nancy likes to sleep on the top bunk so please keep that in mind. Well I'll leave you be."
She left as quickly as she had come and now once again I was left alone. I slumped down onto the bottom bed my chestnut hair bouncing from the action. My palms where pressed against the mattress as I gazed out the window catching some light off of the rooftop of the other building. This is home, I thought to myself as I unlatched my trunk and gazing down at the little amount of things I had actually owned. A fairly elegant forest green gown for special occasions, a pair of undergarments, my shawl; and the outfit I was most proud of, my brother Geoffrey's white cotton shirt and black breeches with a burgundy overcoat and wheat colored vest with slight gold trim. Ah, how I loved to wear this when I was younger, it was a fine steal and I was extremely proud of my up keep of it. He'd probably kill me now if he knew I had it.
As I carefully placed everything of mine in the their rightful places I hid my trunk in the back of the closet locking my diary inside its confines for no one to see. Then I hoisted off my simple black shoes and laid down on the bed, my hair fanned out around my head in a dark halo. I shut my eyes drifting off into another world at last.
"Hey! Hey pretty one! Wake up!" I felt a pair of callused hands grip my shoulders and shake me back to the real world. As my eyes blurred open I could make out the shape of a young woman hovering above me.
"I'm up! I'm up! Stop shaking me!" I shouted as I sat up rubbing my eyes. It must have been several hours since I had passed out because the sun was setting and a haze of purple blue was covering the evening sky.
I glanced up at the youth beside me her flaming red hair pulled loosely back in a bun with a few scattered pieces hanging in tiny ringlets. She had a stern stare settle across her face and appeared to be no more than eighteen, "you must be Nancy."
"I must be nothing, and you've been asleep way too long. Around here sleep is second to work, and work is what you need to be doing. Do I make myself clear?" Her voice was deep and weathered, finally another woman as tough as me, this should be fun.
"Well, Madam dirt wad, I happen to be off today due to an extremely long trip. So if you don't mind leaving and climbing back down into that hole you came out of, I would like to continue to rest! Is that understood?" My eyes were cross and I was cranky a combination people usually back away from, but she was a persistent one.
She began laughing, a horrible cackle. "Off? We don't have off days around here, we all work or we get no food. So Miss if you want no dinner or breakfast that's fine by me, it just means more for Aster, Paul and myself. So nighty night." She said in mock kindness. Bested by a worthless twit half my size, well okay a little more than half my size but still smaller than I expected! Fine if it is war that she craves I'll give her war.
Nancy stood, about to exit the room when she turned to say one last thing, "Oh if you are planning on working tonight, I suggest a different dress you don't want your fancy princess gown to get ruined. Ta!" She slammed the door shut behind her.
"Don't want to get your fancy princess gown ruined," I mocked in a high pitch squeaky voice. Who was she, Sainton's wife?
%%%%%%%%%%
Later, as I placed the dishes from supper in the basin of soapy water I thought of my father's farm and how the field was so open and inviting. The freedom I felt as a child was quickly washed away as Nancy stepped out onto the back porch of the kitchen. "What do you want?"
"Oh, so you did finally decide to work? Congratulations Queeny, welcome to the club!" She spoke cheerfully her expression filled with sarcasm and delight in my pain.
"Yeah, in case you've failed to notice I do complete my duties, and I do them well." I lifted a wet pan out of the basin and sat it on a towel.
"You missed a spot," I glared up at her ignoring her rude tone. "No really it's right there. It will just take a moment, look I swear." She knelt down just behind me, "see it's right... THERE!" She tossed a black spider about the size of a shilling into my lap.
I jumped up wailing and screaming something awful; this woman would pay for sure. Water from the basin sloshed over the side spraying the ends of my servant's gown with its liquid soil. "YOU!" I cupped my hands dipping them into the water and launching my attack onto her.
She flew backwards into the hedge as soon as the cold water made contact with her body. I took off into the kitchen ignoring the figure of our mistress in the window from the main building. Nancy followed after me as I dodged behind the counters and swinging pots strung from the ceiling. I breathed heavy as my back was pressed sternly to the side of the cabinet, holding my gown in place to keep in from ruffling. Were we playing tag?
I peeped my head around to look for her but I could not find her for the life of me. Where did that blasted girl go? "GOTCHA!" She shouted from above as she dropped a bowel of flower onto my head and in my lap. I jumped up shrieking in horror as I wiped my eyes clean. "Why you insufferable, insignificant, BEAST!" She was lying across the counter top; I glared at her while I reached out for the black berries.
"So that's how you want to play, okay. I can play that way." I ran at her flour flying out of my hair in a cloud of smoke. We chased around the kitchen for several minutes. "Ms. Selton!" I shouted and watched as Nancy flew around before pelting her in the back with the berries, "made you look."
I was too busy laughing at my glorious come back to notice the two peach's she picked up. As she turned she chucked them at me, one smacking me dead in the stomach the other skimming my head as it splattered against the wall. Juice drained down the length of my dress and I just frowned not sure of what to do. Then, in noticing the cinnamon sitting out a grabbed the container popped the top and aimed it at her. The pasty red powder clung to her face and neck and coated her hair as she coughed more out of her mouth.
"Nice one, though I think I would've gone for the eggs." She suggested pointing to an empty bowel.
"What eggs?" But it was too late I had been pelted with mother hen's children.
"Those eggs," she mused smiling innocently at me.
"I noticed, thanks very much Captain obvious." I brushed the shells and goo from my bodice failing horribly at stifling my giggles.
"What on earth- OH MY HEAVENS!" Ms. Selton entered the kitchen with Aster at her side. "What have you girls done?"
I lifted my gaze to Nancy for an answer who did the same thing to me, "I think it quite literally looks like a food fight." I spoke forgetting my place in her household and the jolly older woman, Aster, couldn't help but chuckle at my comment.
Her skin was dark; there was no doubt about Aster's position on the social ladder, she was a slave. Though well respected in this household, most certainly. "Come Children, you need to bathe. No one, not even a pig, wants to smell you two but lord know they can even if you are a mile away." Aster led us out of the kitchen as Ms. Selton stood in the archway dumbfounded over our actions.
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I lay soaking in my tub of heated water uncomfortable with the fact that Aster had me and Nancy bathing in the same room; different basins of course. But that didn't change the matter. Aster sat by the door leaning in an old chair watching the both of us intently; making sure neither one of us tries to kill the other.
Nancy cupped her hands together and squirted water from her tub at me, all I did was glare at her for I had not the strength to argue. "So tell me Princess what do people call you?"
"Why should it matter to you," I hissed, dunking my head in the water to clean out the flower and little bit of egg that had soiled it.
"Oh, so that when you drop dead from breaking a nail I can tell the graves keeper what name to carve into your tomb." She said crisply not finding an ounce of harshness in her tone.
"You're hilarious." I stated sarcastically as I chucked my washcloth at her face missing by a mere two inches. I listened as its drenched body slapped against the hardwood floor.
"Now girls don't make me bring in the Ms's." Aster chided us and we both became deathly silent for some time.
"It's Christiana, but anyone who knows me calls me Ivie. It's my middle name." I spoke without a care, what did it matter if she knew my name, she'd find it out soon enough anyway.
"Princess Ivie, nah. Poison Ivie, yeah that will suffice." Nancy concluded with a splash of her skinny legs.
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AN: Thanks to those who reviewed! Have a cookie; it's on the house! Yes Tavington will be stepping in within the next chapter and the real action will begin shortly after! Yippee! Well thanks for reading this chapter; hope it was well written in your eyes! Please review, thanks again!