PART NINE
The three ate dinner together, mostly talking about logistics for William's journey. It would take William close to two days on horseback. Seasaidh was boarding and caring for Alistair's horse. William could ride and stop at an inn along the way to rest. He would leave early the next day.
William now stood in his old bedroom, looking around. It still made him uneasy, being there, but he no longer felt fearful. He felt Eliza's arms wrap around his waist from behind. "Hello there." He said, turning around, "I didn't forget that I had promised to tell you more about my past." She nodded, "I know. But you have a long trip tomorrow. If you'd rather wait, I'd understand." He shook his head, "No, I'll tell you a bit now. Come, we can sit on the bed." He said.
William lay back, and Eliza joined him, she rested her head against his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her and took a deep breath…
"I had already told you some of this, that I had been 5 years old when my parents had been killed in a carriage accident. They had been on their way back to me, I had fallen ill." William hesitated, "I feel like there's more to it that just that, but I can't remember. I had been too young, and I had done my best to forget. I don't even quite know why my uncle agreed to watch me in their absence. My clearest memories are of my uncle are either him ignoring me, or berating me. I… I don't even know what had happened to my aunt. She could be dead or she could have left him…" William shrugged, "Cat would never talk about it. When I asked, she would usually ignore me or just walk away. She was 11 years old when I started to live here, she had no interest in a 5 year old."
William took another deep breath, "My uncle had sent me to a good school, I think he had wanted me well educated so he could get rid of me quickly. He had probably thought it would help me secure a good job. When I hadn't done well on my exams, or in my work, he would send me to bed without super. At first I purposefully hadn't done well, but when I hadn't eaten for a couple of days I knew I had to give in."
Eliza wiped tears away from her face. Her father had occasionally threatened to send her to bed without super, when she had been naughty, but not once did he ever follow through with it. William noticed her wet face. He leaned over and kissed her cheek before resuming.
"One evening, when I had been 8 or so, we had had a really big argument. That was the night he had destroyed the portrait downstairs, he had said I was just like my father, and he had gone to fetch a rake, I couldn't stop him, he had pushed me aside and had drawn it across my father's face. It had broken my heart." William's voice caught in his throat. "I… I had run out… And just kept running. Then it had started to rain, I had been tired, I had found a barn and had hid inside. That was when I had met Jes, Seasaidh."
William thought back to that day, shivering and cold, he had spotted the barn and had pushed aside the heavy door, just enough so he could squeeze his thin body through the narrow gap.
"Who goes there?!" A girl's voice called out fiercely. William jumped at the sound, "Me!" He piped up, trying to sound braver than he felt. A figure stepped out of the shadows, it was a beautiful girl, around his age, with curly red hair cascading down her back and beautiful green eyes, glowing like a cat's.
"And who might 'me' be?" She asked with a chuckle. "William. William Wellington, from across the way." He said, gesturing towards his uncle's estate. "Ah, Willie is it? Nice to meet you, I'm Seasaidh, but call me Jes." She eyed him up and down, he was wet, shivering, and small for an 8 year old. "Why aren't you eating supper with your family?" She asked curiously. He narrowed his eyes at her, "Why aren't you?" He snapped back, his temper starting to show.
Seasaidh grinned, "Come with me, and I'll show you why." She gestured for him to follow her as she turned her back to him and headed to the back of the barn. She jumped up and knelt on a bale of hay, looking down at something on the ground.
William's curiosity piqued, he forgot about his situation and hopped up next to her. He laughed when he saw what she had been examining. "Shush! I dinnae want to scare them!" She whispered at him. "Sorry!" He whispered back, grinning. In a nest of hay lay a tiny mouse with her babies. "Aren't they cute!" Seasaidh said as William said simultaneously, "You need a barn cat."
"I do NOT!" Seasaidh said, then looked down to see if she had scared the mice. They seemed content to ignore her. She grabbed William's arm and pulled him away from them, "They're my friends, I am going to take care of them!" William looked at her askance, "Do you not have any human friends?" "Do you?" She quickly retorted. William looked down, his miserable circumstances rushing back to him, "No, I suppose you're right, the mice might make for better company than any person." He sat down on a bale of hay, resting his chin on his hands.
"Eh, now, listen Willie, I dinnae mean to make you feel bad. Look, why don't we become friends? Perhaps we have something in common." She said as she sat down next to him. He raised an eyebrow at her and she couldn't help but laugh, whereas his general disposition seemed sullen and temperamental, she was cheery and optimistic.
William's stomach growled loudly. "Did you truly skip supper to hide in a barn?" Seasaidh asked baffled. He shook his head, "I'm being punished, no dinner for me!" He said, trying to sound off-hand. Seasaidh stood up and held her hand out, "Well we can't have that now. Come with me." "Where?" He asked, not making a move to take her hand. She groaned, "To eat of course, my parent's won't care. 'The more the merrier' they always say!" She bent over and took his hand from his lap and practically dragged him along.
From that day forth, they had been steadfast friends, Seasaidh bringing a bit of brightness into his dark life, making William's days bearable.
"Seasaidh and her family had been the only ones who had ever shown me a bit of kindness. I hadn't even known how to react. They had fed me as if I had belonged there, with them." He chuckled, "I had told them I had nothing to give them in return. They couldn't understand why I would even have to. My uncle had always wanted something from me, good grades, obedience, silence, it had been so odd to have someone be nice to me for nothing in exchange. As with Henry. I had been so confused when he had helped me, but with the fever I had, I couldn't even process any thoughts at that point."
William hesitated, "Lizzie, I was close to Seasaidh, she was my only friend, and yes, she had been my first kiss, but all I have are feelings of friendship for her, nothing else." William felt Eliza nodding. "I'm telling you this because you might need her help while I'm gone. She's the closest neighbor and I trust her. If you need anything, promise me you'll go to her, she'll help you."
"Of course Will." Eliza said, realizing she would need Seasaidh's assistance, she didn't even know where the market was. William sighed, the hour was growing late, and he still had so much to tell her. Eliza noticed he was tiring, he had slid down the bed to rest on the pillows. "Will, it's okay. You need to rest, you can tell me whatever else you remember when you return." Eliza told him, propping herself up to lean over him.
William nodded, his eyes already half closed. "Thanks Lizzie," he mumbled, "love you…" He said, breathing deeply. Eliza smiled and kissed his lips lightly then lay down next to him, resting her hand over his heart, letting the rhythm of William's chest, rising and falling, lull her into a deep sleep.
