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Chapter Twenty Two
"Johanna, please slow down!" Anna pleaded as she ran after me, stumbling over her own feet. I ignored her.
Who did that girl think she was? Why did she think it would be necessary to stand there and openly taunt me? And they were all in on it.
I stopped, and Anna ran into my back by accident.
"Oh Johanna, I am sorry!" She said quickly.
I turned to face her with a cold stare, and she immediately stopped her apologies.
"Did you know?"
"Did I know what, Johanna?"
"Did you know about that girl and her evil little scheme?" I hissed angrily. Anna took an automatic step back as she frantically shook her head.
"N-n-no…of c-course I d-d-didn't, Johanna…" She stuttered anxiously, staring at me with wide eyes. I sighed.
"I'm sorry…" I murmured, turning away and beginning to walk again. I could hear Anna quickly run after me, her hand taking mine.
"Don't worry, Johanna, I know it came as a shock to you. The girl was probably a bit deluded." She said in a comforting manner.
"Do you think so?"
"Yes."
I paused to smile at Anna. She smiled back.
As we stood smiling at each other in a comfortable silence, I realised something.
Anna was the only friend I had.
Suddenly, it began to rain.
"Oh no!" I wailed. Anna also groaned. Grabbing my hand, she began running, yelling at me to follow.
The rain began to get heavier, and we were soon soaked through by the time we got to Turpin's mansion. Giggling, we ducked into the back door and paused to glance at each other.
The fact we were both dripping with water only made us giggle harder.
"Come on, you need to get changed." Anna whispered. Taking my hand again, we began ducking and dodging around the corridors.
"Quick, get in there!"
Anna shoved me into the bathroom and followed me, shutting the door behind her. I looked at her quizzically.
"You need to wash." She explained. Grinning in understanding, I nodded.
As the bath water was running, Anna left me for a moment to get me a dress. I carefully undid my wet hair from its braid, smiling as it fell in natural waves.
A soft knock at the door broke me out of my daydream.
"Come in."
The door opened to show Anna. She smiled meekly as she walked in, holding a carefully folded dress in her arms.
"Mildred's getting a bit suspicious." She announced as she helped me bathe.
"Really? Why on earth is she doing that?" I asked.
"She's very sharp."
I froze. "She wouldn't tell…him, would she?"
Anna shook her head. "No. Believe me, if you knew the things that were said amongst us, you would be surprised."
"What things are said amongst you?"
"Never mind."
"Anna,"
Anna sighed. "We don't like him much."
I also sighed. "Unfortunately, I must agree with you on that aspect."
After bathing, I changed into a clean dress and dried my hair. Explaining she had some more work to do, Anna excused herself and left me in my room.
Seating myself on the window seat once more, I turned to stare out at the rain. It was such a beautiful thing…
And yet so sad.
Now alone, I could contemplate on what had happened.
My three children were dead and, yet, this child was insisting she was one of them, and that the dark haired girl was another. But there were only two of them, not three.
Had Turpin lied?
No, I thought not. He might be a cruel man, but he would have to soulless to lie about the death of my children.
A tear trickled down my cheek. I was so confused.
I quickly wiped the tear away and called a soft "Come in," as a knock at the door interrupted my melancholy memories.
"Johanna,"
I froze.
Turpin.
Composing myself, I turned to face. Did he know I had snuck out? I hoped not, otherwise I was surely going to be in trouble.
"Hello, sir." I murmured meekly.
"How are you?"
"Fine."
He studied me with careful eyes, noting everything about my appearance, before his dark eyes met mine.
"You look troubled."
"I have had…a troubling day, sir." I said carefully.
"How so?"
I paused to consider how I was going to answer. I needed to talk to someone about the girl, but I could not tell him how I had snuck out. Not only would I get into trouble, but so would Anna, something I was not prepared to allow happen.
"I saw someone out the window today." I lied.
"Oh? And this troubled you why exactly?" Turpin asked with a dangerous edge to his voice.
"I seemed to recognize her, and it has been troubling me all day."
Turpin raised an eyebrow inquiringly.
"She was a teenage girl, very young," I began. "I looked at her and, for some odd reason, I thought I knew her. I think it was because she was how I imagined one of my children to look."
The lie came out smoothly, but even so, tears sprung to my eyes as I said it. I wiped them away quickly.
Suddenly, Turpin was in front of me, reaching out with one hand. I froze, unable to react.
To my surprise, he simply put his hand on my forehead, as if checking something…
"Oh Johanna, you are suffering a terrible fever." He said, frowning.
"I am?"
"Yes, which is why the child has caused you so much grieve." He explained. I frowned.
"What must I do, sir?"
"I shall send a maid up to help you change. You must rest and if the fever is not gone by tomorrow, I shall call a doctor."
"But..."
"No protests, Johanna."
I scowled, watching as Turpin left the room. Not long afterwards, Anna ran into the room.
"Oh Johanna, what happened?" She asked in a worried manner, rushing forwards.
"Nothing, don't worry," I said quickly. "I told him I saw the girl out the window. He knows nothing of...you know."
Anna nodded and then hugged me, her embrace tight.
"I'm so glad you're not in trouble." She whispered. I hugged her back.
"So am I." I whispered back.
We simply stood for a moment, hugging each other like we couldn't bear to let go.
"You need to get changed." Anna suddenly announced, pulling away.
I silently changed out of my dress and into my lovely soft nightgown. Compared to the tight dresses I wore during the day, it was like a sanctuary of comfortableness.
Anna watched silently as I reluctantly climbed into my bed and leant back against the soft pillows. Sighing, I looked up at her.
"I feel like a little girl."
Laughing, Anna sat next to me and hugged me again.
"I'm so glad you're back, Johanna." She told me.
"So am I, Anna."
As I sat in my bed, hugging my only friend, I couldn't help but feel one thing.
I wished I was anywhere but here.