Two years went by, and ten year old Rhoswen had, by now, accepted that her father did not lover her, much less have affection for her and her siblings hated her. But even that did not upset her over much because she had her mother and grandmother. They encouraged and did not find it strange when she gave an answer to their unspoken questions. Even though those times were wonderful the rest of the month she had to deal with reality.
Walking out of her chamber, she encountered her older sister, Margaret Louis. Politely Rhoswen curtsied. "Good morning, sister."
Margaret stopped walking and slowly turned toward her. "What do you want? Can't you see I am busy? I don't have time to listen to stupid little girls!" Margaret continued down the corridor to her rooms.
'Why does father even keep her here?'
With out so much as a goodbye she slammed her door behind her.
Rhoswen looked down at her hands, her fake smile dropping like autumn leaves off of a tree. 'Why did her father keep her?'
She was by no means, materially speaking, and a servant. She was given decent clothes, and a roof over her head, even her own attendant, it was just the people who treated her as such.
Shaking her head Rhoswen continued her walk to the dining room, seeing her older brother, she decided not to sit down and went straight to the side cart, grabbing a roll and some cheese, she wrapped them in a napkin.
Before she could make it out of the room though her brother's dark brown head came up. "Stealing food again, thief?" he inquired. Glancing form the side cart to the napkin in her hands then finally to her sapphire blue eyes. Not knowing what to say, Rhoswen curtsied, hoping the show of respect would appease him. It seemed when faced with her older brother her tongue becomes thick and her throat closes up.
Her brother, Hendrix, was just like his father, but more terrifying. He stood a little over six foot and a permanent look of displeasure on his face, which only intensified when she saw or heard something that disagreed with him, mainly Rhoswen.
"You are housed here and clothed why do you have to steal food that is not yours? Do you have to be so greedy that you would take food from people who need it? Get out of my sight, you are disgusting!" In an instant he was back to looking over the account ledgers, while stuffing his face with eggs.
Before he had a chance to say anything else, Rhoswen ran out of the room, oddly numb from the encounter, 'You would think I would be used to this!' She walked out into the gardens located in the far corner of the estate, which admittingly isn't so far. There she found the rose section and sat amongst them and ate her breakfast.
When she was done she cut a few flowers for her mother's room. She arrived in her room, put the roses in a vase and sat in a chair next to her bed.
Rhoswen took one of her mother's hands in her cold ones.
"Please mother, please get better" she whispered, but knew it was futile.
Marie stirred, making her black ringlets shift on the pillows, her other hand moving to cover her daughter's before her eyes fluttered open. "My darling daughter, what is the matter?" She said softly.
"Mother!" Rhoswen smiled blowing a strand of dark hair out of her face. "Nothing I just wanted to make sure you were alright."
The mother smiled. "I am perfectly fine, but you know what is to come. You have to learn to not to take offence from what others say. And when you have the chance run as far as you can away from here. No matter what please NEVER come back! You must promise me, Rhoswen when you get the chance take it!" Marie held on to her daughter's hand with all her might.
"Promise me." Showing more emotional and physical strength then she had since she became sick.
With tears in her eyes Rhoswen nodded. "Yes, I promise."
After that afternoon a deep melancholy fell over Rhoswen. When it was time for her grandmother's visit, nervousness, and fear crawled through her. That evening when she saw her grandmother by her mother's side and the look in her eyes, she knew it was time.
That evening the group of females talked the night away, as though nothing was amiss. Until the fated hour that Marie Wellington passed away to the other realm. Rhoswen cried into her grandmother until she could cry no more and passed out. The little blue eyed girl was without one of her protectors and alone when her grandmother was not there.