The Makings of Evil
Part Nine
Collinsport, Maine , March 1760 ~ Mansion by the Sea
There it was. Standing near the beach, the evening sun shining on the window panes the way it did on the ocean making it sparkle. The new home that we had travelled many days to reach. It was even bigger than the mansion the Collins family had lived in back in Liverpool and much older. By the front of the house there was not much in the way of a garden but being so close to the beach that hardly mattered. It was two stories high, ground, first and second floor then there were attic windows looking out over the bay with a perfect view of the sunset in the evening and drenched in daylight during daytime hours. It was called Ryton House, named after the family that once inhabited it. It was what remained of an old colony that had been destroyed many years before and it was where we were to live until Collinwood would build which could take many years.
It was very fortunate that it was so near to the beach as there was a lot of trunks and cases, carts and pieces of furniture to be taken there. Most of the furniture had already been sent ahead a few months before so the family would feel at home as soon as they arrived. I helped where I could, carrying cases much too heavy for me but managing. I looked toward the beach in the distance and I could see Barnabas playing in the sand with his Governess watching over him very carefully. I smiled a little to myself before one of the servants gave me a sharp nudge indicating I should start working again.
After many hours of carrying, rearranging, dusting and sweeping things were all finally in place and the house could relax for a few hours. Mrs. Allard took me up to my new room. I smiled a little when she took me through a door that led into the attic of the house, the rooms I had admired from the ground below for their wonderful views of the sea and sunlight. There was a lot more room here than I had in my tower back in Liverpool. There were two dormer windows that needed to be cleaned but even so, the sunlight still poured in. In one corner there was a bed with a thin blanket across it. I knew I would be cold this time of year but soon when the summer came it would be the warmest room in the house. At the end of the bed was a small chest of drawers and on top of that was a blue and white china bowl and a white jug so I could get washed in the morning. There was also a small table with a few candles and just above that was a shelf with a large dusty book on top of it that I decided I would have to look at later. Mrs. Allard stroked my hair and asked me to be down after I arranged things the way I wanted. When she left, I opened the drawer and found a little mother mouse with her babies. I smiled and left them alone, choosing to put my dresses in the drawer below instead to avoid getting them chewed on. I took out my two bears, Emerald and Sapphire and sat them on my bed. My eighth birthday had come around when we were at sea. One of the sailors had given me a beautiful shell. It was a coral pink colour. He had been kind to me and when I was scolded for not working hard enough or just felt alone when my parents were busy he would talk to me. He told me he was looking forward to going back to England and that the Collins family was crazy for wanting to move out here to nothing. When he gave me the shell he held it up to my ear and told me that the noise inside was the song of the ocean and that was what sang in his heart always. He said that every time I heard it would remind me of him and our journey. Sadly, he is one of the men who passed away on board and was dropped into the sea but I always remember thinking that he was more at home there than he was on land and that he would be happy. I carefully sat the shell on the table next to the candles and went to admire the view.
One my way back downstairs I got lost. There were so many corridors to the kitchen it took me a long time to work out where I was. I heard voices coming from a room to my right and the door was open slightly. I peeked in through the crack and saw a girl of around six years old. She was pale with long slightly blonde hair that fell in soft curls around her shoulders and down to her waist. She looked very delicate with blue eyes and a gentle demeanor. She wore a light blue and pink dress garnished with pearls and a small pendant around her neck. I looked at her curiously then a woman dressed in black with a tight expression on her face appeared behind the girl.
"She is a well behaved child, brought up to the highest of standards. She is learning the pianoforte and being taught poetry and writing." The woman put her hand on the girls shoulder and then Joshua appeared in front of her, looking down at her as if examining her.
"She is indeed a rare beauty," he replied thoughtfully. "You already have others interested in her?" The woman gave a conceited smile and nodded.
"Yes, Sir. Many families enquire about her very often wishing their own sons to meet her." Joshua examined the girl more closely.
"She looks frail and not good for birthing sons. Does the Du Pres family have more daughters?" The woman put her lips into a tight line.
"No, Josette here is their only child and I can assure you she may look like a delicate flower but she will produce many healthy children. I've raised her since the day her mother brought her into this world. I might also add, Mr. Collins that the family are most keen for her to be betrothed to your son. Out of all the families they would rather it was Barnabas." Joshua never took his eyes off Josette, he was clearly very deep in thought.
"Alright, if the Du Pres family wishes for her to marry into mine then they can wait. I say, bring her back in ten years time when she has turned 16. I am not yet convinced at how well she will keep. If the family wants her to marry my son then they will grant me that wish." I could see in the woman's eyes that she was not pleased to hear this but she knew her place and nodded.
"Ten years and we will return. Thank you for seeing us, Mr. Collins, especially as you have only just arrived in Maine." Joshua smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"It was my pleasure. I am always more than happy to see such a beauty." With that, Naomi walked over to inspect Josette. She had been so silent I had no idea she was even in the room. She knew that she would have no say in who Barnabas was married to but she gave Josette and approving smile. The woman behind Josette gently tapped her shoulder and Josette stood. She gave a gentle curtsey to Joshua then Naomi as the woman beamed in the background.
"It was kind of you to meet me, Sir." Said Josette in a soft voice that matched her appearance perfectly. "I look forward to meeting your son when I have grown." She gave another gentle smile and one of the servants guided her and the woman toward the door. I immediately hid beside a cabinet so I would not be seen. Even by the way Josette walked she already looked like a lady. I thought about what I had heard and felt a burn in my chest and for some reason I knew I didn't like her. I knew Barnabas wouldn't like her either. I was his friend, not her, but she wasn't coming back for ten years. That was a long time. I decided not to tell Barnabas or anyone about what I heard.
When I got to the kitchen, Mrs. Allard could see something was wrong but when she asked I just told her I wasn't feeling very well. She looked down at my arm and stared at it for a second.
"What have you been up to, child? You have a dirty mark on your arm. Let me get it off…". She got an old rag and started to scrub at my arm. I felt a sharp pain and pulled it back. She looked at me confused. "Alright, but it can't stay on there. Off you go and clean it off." I headed out the kitchen without a word, still with that burning pain inside me I had never felt before. I looked down at my arm and was shocked to see it wasn't a dirty mark but was actually a crack in the skin. My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped, fear flooding me. This had never happened before. I covered it up and went back to my room. Josette marrying Barnabas. I couldn't get that off my mind. I knew that it didn't matter. He would never want her. He and I would be friends forever and she would never replace me or get in my way, there is no way I was going to let that happen.