It was early enough that she should have been able to hear the morning headline through the icy pane of glass. But even as she gingerly pressed her flushed cheek against the chilled glass, no sound reached her ear from the street. No young businessman would sell his papers near Fifth Avenue. It was never worth the hassle and hardly ever made enough pennies to justify the walk. The glass was starting to warm underneath her cheek but it was the ear not pressed against the window that heard murmured voices.
Audrey recognized the calmly warm tone of Thomas Longfellow placating the gravely annoyed voice of Christopher O'Connell. She pressed her eyes closed, working to focus just on the sounds outside. Audrey began to imagine the shouting, the cocky yet charming drawl of Jack Kelly hollering about some political scandal. She knew she was imagining his voice, pretending to know the headline was the same as improving them. But she couldn't ignore the voices just outside her bedroom door.
"What did the doctor say?" Critter was demanding.
"Doctor Watson suggested my entire household might be prone to nervous overreaction." Thomas sighed.
"What does that mean?" Critter's voice was rising and Audrey could hear him clearly even through the oak door and her imagination.
"Due to Casey's delicate condition, well…" Thomas was mumbling enough to cause Audrey to push face away from the window.
"What did he say about the girl?" Critter prompted. Audrey squinted her eyes madly at the closed door, letting wrinkles frown in between her eyes.
"Over excitement. Dr. Watson believes she was just over excited, not running a fever. I explained she has been having trouble sleeping and does have the occasional fainting spell." Thomas explained.
"She's been having trouble sleeping?" Critter barked. Audrey rolled her eyes as she pushed her cheek back onto the window, flinching at the renewed chill.
The men stood talking outside the door for at least another three echoing headlines before the brass doorknob began to jingle. Audrey inhaled deeply once before sprinting across the room on her toes and jumping back into bed.
"Dr. Watson has insisted she remain in bed for at least three days, in case she is actually ill. But he believes it is just a case of a young girl being over excited." Thomas whispered as he pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
"And the imaginings?" Critter's hoarse whisper barely managed to sound like a question. Audrey pressed her eyes closed again and tried to relax her body enough to appear as if she was sleeping.
"You once imagined people too." Thomas words were only audible to Audrey because he stood next to her bed. She fought her desire to pop open her eyes and study Thomas Longfellow to give meaning to his words beyond just the words.
"You were ordered to stay in bed." Critter spoke normally, no longer trying to whisper. Callous fingers wrapped around her wrist and Audrey felt the blankets tightened around as Critter sat down.
"I am in bed." Audrey stated calmly without opening her eyes.
"But you weren't a moment ago." Thomas sighed noticing the imprint of a cheek on the window.
Blinking her eyes open, a smile played upon Audrey's pale lips. She didn't look at Critter, the man who was pressing his thumb against her wrist trying to gauge some unknown quantifiable sign of her good health. Instead the young lady glanced up, innocently at her guardian.
"What delicate condition is Casey in?"
A laugh escaped Critter before he dropped her wrist, satisfied in her condition immediately.
"We shall discuss it in three days, after you have had your doctor recommend rest." Thomas shook his head. He reached out and pressed the back of his hand against her forehead.
"I am not running a fever." Audrey tried to slap his hand away without success.
"You are flushed again." Thomas pointed out.
"From having her face pressed against the morning window." Cricket pointed to the window again.
"Am I going to have to leave a maid to watch you, like an infant?" Thomas glared at the girl. Audrey shook her head.
"I don't need to stay in this bed, Dr. Watson doesn't even believe anything is wrong with me." Audrey argued.
"Aside from overexcitement. Some rest would do you some good." Critter stated seriously.
"But…" Audrey began.
"Ah, strength. You and Mrs. Longfellow are to go shopping in three days time for the fall fashions." Thomas held up his hand not allowing for any more argument.
"I don't require any more fashion." Audrey shook her head.
"You are required to do whatever you are told to do." Critter snapped his fingers.
"Doing whatever I am told would have led me to die on the streets long ago." Audrey snapped crossed her arms protectively over her torso. A low growl came from Critter but before the man could reproach the girl, Nancy the maid came rushing into the room with a breakfast tray.
"Mister Thomas, ma'am is asking for you and reminding you that you have a business meeting." Nancy announced. Thomas glanced at Audrey, worry sparkling in his light brown eyes. Critter tilted his head and waved his hand ever so slightly and Thomas gave a curt nod. Audrey rolled her eyes as Thomas leaned forward and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
"Stay in bed." He commanded. Thomas winked at Nancy as she settled the tray of food in front of Audrey. Thomas slipped out as quietly as he had entered leaving Audrey with his gruffer counterpart.
"Gave Mr. Thomas quite a scare last night Miss Audrey." Nancy started fussing about the room, opening windows and draping lace curtains.
"Is it because of Casey's condition…" Audrey began.
"Ah poor Mrs. Casey…"
"…Nancy." Critter shook his head. Nancy blushed genuinely and mumbled off the rest of her concern. Audrey audible sighed as she began to slowly push the tray of food away from her.
"Nancy, did you maybe get the paper this morning?" Audrey smiled innocently still pushing the tray away. Critter frowned and reached out and stuck the spoon into the oatmeal.
"You know we only get Mr. Thomas a morning paper, miss and he hasn't read it yet this morning…" Nancy began. Critter had left the spoon sticking straight up in the oatmeal waiting for Audrey to begin eating.
"If he doesn't take it…." Audrey started a regular conversation of the Longfellow Estate since she had arrived. The servants all collected the morning, afternoon and evening editions of papers for the young ward of their household, though usually secretly.
"Audrey, eat." Critter commanded as he glanced up at Nancy with a smile. The maid shook her head at the girl before she also ducked out of the room.
"What delicate condition is Southie in?" Audrey whispered as she pushed the spoon around the oatmeal but didn't lift it.
"What delicate condition are you in?" Critter countered with a sigh. Over the last two years the man had learned to have the patience of a saint, in his opinion, when dealing with the young Kai.
"The overexcitement of any girl coming home from the summer on the shore…" Audrey faked a swoon while expertly pushing her tray of food away.
Critter leaned forward and pulled a spoon full of oatmeal out of the bowl. He pushed the spoon directly at Audrey's face, letting his arched dark eyebrows do all his argument. She sucked her lips in and shook her head but was easily defeated when a low growl escaped Critter.
"Good girl." He sighed as she allowed the spoon to invade her mouth. She reached out and took the spoon for herself but didn't make any quick movements to add more food. Instead Audrey held tight to the now empty spoon as she left it drop to her side.
"Crit?" She ventured once she had swallowed the oatmeal. Audrey's eyes were focused. She was studying the man sitting next to her so carefully that Critter wondered what was on the girl's mind.
"Hm?" He prompted her, staring at the empty spoon.
"Who did you use to imagine?"
Critter O'Connell was rarely caught off guard in his life, but his experience gaze startled off the spoon and his golden irises practically bounced up to Audrey's face. Laces tried not to smile at the confusion that hit Critter. Confusion settled over the man like a splash from a fountain of youth. His eyes bounced with a youthful glitter and even his near perfectly combed hair seemed to fall out of place.
"You shouldn't eavesdrop it is not polite." Critter tried to state without smiling at his own hypocrisy.
"You taught me to eavesdrop." She snapped with a smile.
"You heard it from the window?" Critter asked sweeping the length of the room. Audrey nodded.
"Impressive. Maybe we should have let you be a bird," Critter muttered more to himself.
"Birds don't exist, whispers of the wind really just imagings …" Audrey's eyes naturally looked up, searching the fancy high beams of the room for shadows.
"Were you seeing Jack and Spot?" Critter asked.
"And David. Imaging them, they should have been there." Audrey reproached Critter ever so slightly. He heard the tone and knew she blamed him for the lack of appearance of the boys. She had convinced herself that Jack Kelly and Spot Conlon would be returned to their home by the mighty Critter for the event of Spades and Blue's wedding.
"You know they were not here?"
"They are in New Mexico."
"Yes." Critter nodded and tapped on the tray of food in front of Audrey, encouraging her to take another bite. She shook her head.
"Audrey," He sighed.
"I will eat if you tell me who you use to imagine." She bargained.
"The whole bowl?" He prompted.
"The whole tale?" She frowned. He nodded and pointed at the bowl.
"I use to imagine a girl, a girl who died." Critter scratched the back of his head impatiently.
"The bird?" Audrey question. Critter just nodded waiting for her to eat more.
Author's Note: Sorry for the delay, I know I posted the last one fast and this one slowly... I was trying to figure out what I really wanted to reveal here. Also I wanted to explain a little bit of what Laces was doing in the first three sections, imaging people who weren't there but not because she was crazy or even that sick... just because that's what a heartbroken girl might do sometimes. I hope the next section doesn't take me as long to post. Cheers!