Chapter 2
The moment the earth stopped shaking, I ran to our parents room, knowing that was where Mary would be. I was terrified for her safety, and I thought I would die if something had happened to her. I did not spare a though for our parents while the attended another party, until I was sure of Mary's survival, and we were informed of their death. Even then, Mary had been the utmost in my mind.
It wasn't until the night following our parent's death that I cried, but not for them, it was for the praise, the acknowledgement, the love and attention that Mary and I had never, and would never, receive. I did not ask Mary if she had cried, as I already knew what the answer would be.
Mary and I spent more time together in the weeks that followed our parents death than we ever had previously. Mary was uncomfortable around the other children of the boat to England, and I wanted to keep her close to me. I, however, said nothing as the other children teased her mercilessly, I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was one of the elder children on the boat, and there seemed to be a disprortionate number of children to adults, so it was often left to myself, and two other girls to be the 'mothers' on the trip, something I think Mary strongly resented. When we reached London, and we reminded of our numbers and set out on the dock, where our numbers were read out, and we were collected. Neither Mary or I were collected, and we were left on the dock, under the supervision of the elderly man who arranged the reunion of the other lost orphans, and their families. Eventually, a severe looking, elderly woman approached us, and I bent to retrieve our bags, Mary following my lead.
"I'm looking for Mary Lennox. I came on behalf of her uncle, Lord Craven of Missethwaite inYorkshire. I am his house keeper, Mrs. Medlock"
"Ah yes, Mary Lennox. That's the younger one. The older one is her sister." The elderly man told her, consulting his books.
"Hmmm, Mr. Craven told me that he had made arrangements for the older girl with her uncle on her father's side. We have little time for two young ones. Very well come along, Mary"
I almost let my jaw drop, but I regained my composure. I knelt in front of Mary, embracing her.
"It'll be alright, Mary. You will be well cared for. I will write to you frequently, I promise." I told her. Mary nodded, gripping her suitcase tightly. I smiled at her, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes, before she stepped back and followed the women from the dock area. Not long afterwards, I was collected by a middle aged man, with grey eyes and a black moustache.
I was placed in a carriage and taken to a area of upper class London. My companion, who introduced himself as Mr. Barry, seemed to be amused at my interest as we were driven through the crowded streets to a stately looking house. It was made of white marble, and had large windows that faced out onto the street. I was taken out of the carriage, and lead into my uncle's study. It was there that I saw my uncle for the first time. He had short, dirty blond colored hair, and brown eyes. He was tall, and carried himself in a proud manner. He looked at me as Mr. Barry introduced me to him.
"Very good, Barry. Escort our young guest to her quarters. Miss Lennox, I trust you understand the need for rules in the house" I nodded, "very good. You are not to leave the upper two floors without my permission, you are not to write any letters, you are to do as you are told, and you are to call me Mr. Lennox. Is that understood?"
I nodded once again, and my uncle nodded to Mr. Barry. He led me up several flights of stares, before leading me into a small room. It was crammed with a small bed, and a dressing table. The room was dirty, and cobwebs clung to the walls. Mr. Barry told me where the lavatory was, then hurried away, leaving me sitting on my bed.
It was not long until I adapted to my life as a servant of my Uncle's, as that was all that I was in his eyes. Despite the appearances of is house, my uncle was very poor, and had a gambling problem. A notorious drunk, my Uncle was extremely jealous of my father, and often took out his anger on me. I was regularly beaten during his drunken rages. I was also often locked in my room with no food, and my health began to suffer. I was regularly ill, and I almost died of an infection during the winter. Despite this, I became close friends with the two other maids that my uncle had. Their names were Alberta and Hermione. Alberta was the oldest of us. She was tall and graceful, with red hair, and sparkling blue eyes. Hermione was younger, with a willowy figure, and long blonde hair that framed her face well. I often talked to them about my life previous to coming to England, and they were fascinated by India. I told them stories that my Ayah used to tell me, and we would often sit up long in the night, talking. It was those times that I missed Mary the most. I prayed daily that she was being looked after well.
There is something else that was interesting about my time with Mr. Lennox, was that I suddenly began having dreams about my mother's twin sister. I had few memories of her from before we went to India, but I was always very fond of her. I dreamt of her garden, playing with Mary and Myself as a youth, as she did the few times I visited her before India. I dreamt of her pushing Mary and I on the swing. One night, instead of our aunt being with Mary and I, it was our mother. She ran away from us, and the world seemed to shake. I woke up crying that morning, for the first time since my arrival in England.
Not long afterwards, Mr. Lennox received a letter from my Uncle, Lord Craven, but I was never told what it was about. I can only assume that whatever it was about made Mr. Lennox furiously angry, as he beat me again that night, worse than ever before. That nigh I crawled to my bed, crying. Alberta and Hermione looked after me that nigh, as I drifted in out of sleep, my head screaming in pain. The next morning, I was bruised all over, and my mind was very foggy. I slowly recovered from the injuries, avoiding my uncle as much as possible. By a week later, most of the bruises had faded to a pale yellow, and the open cuts I had sustained from the whip lashes I had earned for whatever was in the letter had healed to red lines that cut across my body. It was that day that I was sitting upon the stairs, just after lunch, looking down at the foyer, when a hurry of activity told me of the arrival of some important guest. Interested, I hurried down the stairs, stopping at the limit my uncle had placed upon me. From here, I could see better who it was. Eventually, I saw the guest cross the foyer. He was tall and thin, with dark, shoulder length hair and a long nose. I vaguely recognized him, but I could not place where from. I lost sight of him, but I could guess from the direction he was walking towards as he crossed the foyer that he was walking towards Mr. Craven's office. At that stage I went to do my chores, my mind trying to puzzle out why the tall stranger was familiar to me. After what seemed like hours, I heard Mr. Lennox's office door slam closed. The noise of it caused me to jump. At the time, I was polishing the silver. I was sitting on a low stool in the scullery, when I heard Alberta and Hermione calling my name. I stood up as the entered the scullery. They took my hands excitedly.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"There is a man here asking for you." Hermione squealed
"He is a noble of some description" Alberta added.
"What does he look like" I asked.
"He's tall, with deep grey eyes and shoulder length brown hair." Alberta told me. I let them pull me towards the stairs, my mind working faster than it had been before. It was defiantly the man who I had seen crossing the foyer earlier. Why did he want to see me? Perhaps I had been sold, or traded by Mr. Lennox to this man, and he wanted to examine his latest acquisition. I wished I looked slightly more respectable. I looked even more pale and sickly than I ever had before, and I had lost a great deal of weight. I was still not completely recovered from my last bought of illness, and I was still coughing occasionally. I knew that any knew prospective master would never take me in for fear that I would spread disease through his house, although I was almost sure that I wasn't contagious. No one else in the house hold had been sick. If they had then I would probably have been killed just to make life easier by Mr. Lennox. My clothes were grubby, and my hair was dirty and greasy. I followed Alberta and Hermione down the stairs, until we reached the first landing. I looked down into the foyer, at the man. I instantly recognized him.
"My Lord" I stammered, curtseying, before hurrying down the stairs towards him. Of everyone I had guessed our guest was, Lord Craven was the least likely. As I stepped into the foyer, Mr. Lennox joined Lord Craven in the foyer and looked at me.
"There she is, Lord Craven. There was nothing for you to be worrying about" he told Lord Craven. I stayed silent as Lord Craven slowly approached me. He was a great deal taller than I was, and I found myself looking down at the floor, remembering being beaten for meeting Mr. Lennox's gaze. I wondered if both of my uncles were cruel. I instinctively pulled away as Lord Craven reached towards my face, fearful that he was going to hit me. He used his other hand to hold my face still as he gently cupped my face, shifting my gaze upwards, into his eyes. My eyes betrayed my fear, and I began to tremble.
"Why is she so frightened, Mr. Lennox?" Lord Craven asked. Mr. Lennox hurried to Lord Craven's side.
"I do not know, Lord Craven. She was like this when she came" he lied, his eyes darting towards me, warning me to stay silent.
"Elizabeth, do you know who I am?' he asked. I shakily nodded.
"You are Lord Craven, my Uncle" I told him, my voice shaking. I blinked, confused. Why was he being so nice?
"Do you know why I am here?" Lord Craven asked. I shook my head.
"No Lord Craven" I stammered. Lord Craven then did the most surprising thing ever. He smiled. Not a false, sadistic smile that I had been used to receiving ever since I had returned to England, but a real, genuine honest smile.
"My child, I have come to take you home" he told me. I froze for a moment, allowing the statement to sink in. Then I sobbed.
"I beg your pardon, my Lord" I cried, but you must be mistaken.
"There is no mistake, Elizabeth. I could never mistake the daughter of my beloved wife's sister. You look so much like your Aunt, you know." He told me. I tried to blink the tears out of my eyes.
"But my Lord, I am but a maid in this house…"
"No, you are so much more than that, especially if your sister is anything to go by" Lord Lennox ran his fingers through my hair. I stiffened.
"Mary? How is she? Does she behave herself?" I started to ask questions, but Mr. Lennox cuts across me.
"That doesn't matter, Lord Craven, are you going to take the girl then?"
"Yes of course I would. Why wouldn't I? Her sister is worried about her, which is why I am here. When Mary received no response to the letters she sent." Lord Craven stated, addressing Mr. Lennox.
"Mary sent me letters?" I asked, confused.
"Why yes, child, did you not receive them?" Lord Craven asked me. I shook my head.
"No, I received no mail while I was here. I'm sorry Mary was upset, but I couldn't send her any myself"
"Why is that?" Lord Craven asked. I bowed my head, remembering Mr. Lennox's warning.
"Because I wasn't allowed to" I mumbled, but I knew Lord Craven heard me. I saw on his face the moment he figured everything out. He angrily turned to Mr. Lennox.
"You kept those letters from her, and you forbade her from writing to her own sister. You kept her as your own servant, and you failed to look after her well. You punished her, didn't you? That's why she is so scared" Lord Craven accused Mr. Lennox angrily. I shied away slightly, but no one noticed. My head was beginning to ache again, but I was too scared to speak, especially when Lord Craven turned to face me again.
"Elizabeth, why don't you go and get your things, if Mr. Lennox hasn't taken those as well." He told me, his voice gentle once more, but I could tell he was still angry. I hurried back up the stairs, and Hermione followed me. I knew Alberta stayed so she could tell Hermione I what happened Later. As I walked along the corridor near my room, a wave of dizziness swept over me, and Hermione grabbed my arm as I staggered.
"Elizabeth, are you alright?" she asked. I nodded and took a deep breath, feeling the weakness fade. I walked onwards, slower than before, until I reached my room. I pulled my suitcase that I had brought from India out from under the bed, and Hermione helped me as I packed up my belongings. I could still hear the muffled sounds of shouting from the foyer, and I winced. Suddenly, the yelling stopped, and I looked at Hermione.
"What do you think just happened?" I asked. Hermione shrugged.
"I don't know" she admitted. I frowned and placed the last of my trinkets into the suitcase. Then I heard footsteps coming down the hall, and Hermione went to the closed door, curiously opening it just as Lord Craven came level with it, Alberta only a couple of paces behind. Lord Craven entered the room, looking around my room. I met his eyes as I pulled the heavy suitcase from the bed.
"So this is where you were kept?" he asked me, and I nodded. He scowled for a moment, and then beckoned, seeming to be suddenly nervous.
"Come, good child. Let us leave." He told me, and I swallowed, suddenly nervous myself. I followed him from the room and down the stairs. I paused for a moment in the foyer, and did Lord Craven. I lowered my suitcase and embraced my friends, thanking them profusely for the kindness they had shown towards me. The returned my embraces, sobbing quietly, and waving away my thanks. My uncle met eyes, then hastily looked away. I knew the meaning of that look. It was time for me to leave this home. I looked at Mr. Lennox, and curtseyed politely, before picking up my suitcase and following my uncle out into the day. We were shown into a carriage, and my suitcase was taken from me. Lord Craven and I sat in silence for a brief period of time as we were driven through London.
"How fares my sister? Is she well?" I asked him, and Lord Craven looked at me.
"She is in very good health. Being at the manor has done her a great deal of good, from what I have heard" he told me. I paused for a moment, confused by what he meant, before deciding to just let it go.
"How is my Aunt?" I asked. A look of great sadness crossed my uncle's face, and I felt a part of my world collapse. Not my Aunt, please not my Aunt.
"She died, a long time ago" he told me, and I felt empty. I bowed my head, hiding my eyes, as I knew they would be filled with tears.
"I'm very sorry, Lord Craven" I told him. He gently patted my shoulder.
"It's alright, child. Before she died, she gave you and Mary a cousin. His name is Colin." I looked up at him, a small smile on my face.
"How old is Colin?" I ask.
"The same age as Mary, a couple of months older though" he told me. I smile. At least Mary would have had someone to play with. I sat in silence as Lord Craven wiped my tears away. We eventually pulled up outside an upper class hotel. I looked at Lord Craven curiously.
"It is too late in the day to begin a journey to Miselthwaite" he tells me, and I nod, understanding. We are shown to a suite in a upper floor. There is a large living room, as well as a lounge, dining room, study, bathroom, and two large bedrooms. I carry my Suitcase into one of them, and dropped it in shock. I had never seen so much splendor in my life, even when I was in India. I grin, before meeting Lord Craven in the lounge. He is more relaxed now, and asks me a great deal of questions, mainly on what had happened to me since I left India. It was nearing dinner time when he asked a question that shocked me.
"Do you have any memories of your Aunt from your youth?" he asked. I paused for a moment.
"Yes, Lord Craven. I do have some memories, mainly of her playing with me in the garden, when I was very small. I remember sitting on her lap and being on the swing, and I remember feeling so loved" I smiled at the memory. Lord Craven, too, smiled.
"One day, you shall return to the garden" Lord Craven promised me, "and you don't have to be so formal, Elizabeth, you can call me uncle, or whatever you like. I won't hurt you"
"Thank you, Lord, I mean, Uncle." I smiled at my mistake, and so did my Uncle. We then ate dinner, which was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. After dinner, I retired for the night to my bedroom. I snuggled up into the bed and fell asleep almost instantly, dreaming of the Garden