Kara tried her best not to think about her father. That wasn't so difficult, considering how hard she was worked. It had all happened so fast. But if she stopped to think about it, she would cry, so she tried to forget about her old life. Soon, however, it started to weigh heavily on her. She was constantly tired and hungry, and as winter crept in, cold got added to the list. Everywhere she turned; people either ignored her or spoke to her harshly. It was like she was a wild animal.
She had a few more talks with Leon, who continued to watch over her. He notices that as winter got stronger, she took to sleeping against the chimney for warmth. Leon was baffled at what he was seeing. Where were her extra blankets and winter clothes? And for goodness sake, what about shoes? The ground was cold! He was a servant too, but Monsieur Destler treated him very well compared to what dregs this girl got. It wasn't right, Leon decided. But what could he do?
He watched from the roof as Kara lugged around groceries in the square below. He saw her stop for a second, putting them down, and she looked at the bakery across from her. Leon frowned. So on top of treating her poorly, they didn't pay her? He took a coin from his pocket, hefting it in his hand, timing things just right. As a well-dressed man walked by her, Leon threw the coin as hard as he could. It hit the groceries, making Kara start and look at the bags. She picked up the coin, looked around, and ran after the man that just passed her, putting a hand on his shoulder. The man turned his lips moving. His arm shot out, pushing Kara over. The man walked on, ignoring her. Leon saw her get up after a moment and then go over to the bakery. She purchased a few buns, and as she was about to bite into one, she stopped. Leon saw her go over to a little boy, a street urchin, and give him the buns. Then she picked up the groceries and went inside Pemberley.
Now more than ever he wanted to help her. So he came up with a plan. He would get her to come to the manor, and when she did, he would feed her.
Kara couldn't stand how good the bakery smelled. If she only had a little money…a sound behind her made her jump, and when she turned to look, a coin was glimmering on the ground beside the bags. She picked it up, looking for who dropped it. She spotted a gentleman and ran after him.
"Excuse me sir, did you-"as soon as her hand touched his shoulder, he turned and pushed her to the ground.
"Keep your hand off me, you filthy rat!" he snarled, hurrying away.
Kara landed on her behind on the streets, her face shocked. What did she do to upset him? She was just trying to do the right thing! Slowly, she picked herself up and went to the bakery to get some food. The buns smelled so good, and she was just about to take a bite when she saw the boy. He was so little, cold, and hungry. But she was starving… but at least she was fed, even if it wasn't much. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, but she did the right thing and gave him the food.
Quickly, she gathered the groceries and took them inside to the cook before returning to cleaning. It was late at night before she was free to go to the attic. When she went to close the windows, she saw Leon's hat lying on the roof. Kara leaned over and snatched it up. She'd return it really quick. Everyone was asleep, she wouldn't get in trouble. She tied her scarf around her hips before she left, and then went downstairs and outside, where she knocked on the manor's front door.
A maid answered. "Can I help you?"
"Umm, the butler of this manor, Leon, I'm here to return his hat."
"Ah. Come in, I'll go get him." The maid left her alone in the foyer.
Suddenly, she heard music coming from down the hall. Listening intently, she felt as if she had heard it before. Slowly, only half aware of what she was doing, she went in search of the source, which turned out to be a man at a piano. When she entered the room, his back was to her, and he was playing fervently. She felt her emotions stir and her imagination soar. Kara had never heard anything like it!
When the music stopped, she clapped enthusiastically. The man spun around, and Kara gasped. His face was disfigured horribly. She only got a glimpse of an absent nose, sunken cheeks and golden eyes before he quickly put on a mask and launched himself at her. He pinned her against the wall, one gloved and wrapped around her slender neck.
"What are you doing here?" he growled.
"I- he - L -Leon," Kara got out, trembling in fright under the brunt of his fury, "He l-left his ha-ha-hat. I-I-I was just re-returning it to him."
The masked man's hand tightened, cutting off her air and making her go silent.
"Do you know," he began in a very low voice, "What I do to those that have seen my face?"
Kara could only whimper.
"I keep them," Erik whispered, "For once a woman has seen my face, she belongs to me."
He squeezed, and Kara gasped as air left her lungs. Clawing at his gloved hand desperately, pleading with her eyes, she whispered, "Please."
Erik's golden eyes widened, and he let go. Kara dropped to the floor, gasping and coughing. The door opened, and Leon and the maid entered.
"What is going on here?" the butler demanded.
"You've been spending too much time on the roof, Leon," Erik said darkly.
Dazed, Kara barely registered Leon helping her up, asking if she was alright. She nodded weakly, and at that moment, Erik grabbed her arm, dragging her past his servants and into the hallway. He threw her in one of the bedrooms so forcefully that she went sprawling on the floor. She got up fast and ran at him, only to his the door as it closed. She tried the door handle, but it was locked.
"Let me out!" she shouted, "You can't do this, let me out!"
No one answered. She kicked the door angrily, and then sat on the bed to calm down and figure a way out of this.
Back in the music room, Leon and Erik were going at it.
"You can't keep her here like a prisoner!" Leon protested.
"Yes, I can, and I am," Erik retorted, "She's seen my face!"
"Oh. Okay, I understand your concern, but she didn't mean any harm. She was just coming to return the hat I left."
"So, you did it on purpose."
"Yes! The poor girl has nothing. I thought if I could get her here, give her something to eat, things could be better. She's not a danger, Monsieur, if we could just let her go, please."
"NO!" Erik roared suddenly, and Leon instantly shut up.
Erik sighed, and after a moment, he said quietly, "If you want to give her something to eat, fine. But if she escapes, it will be your neck."
Leon bowed quickly. "Oui, monsieur."
He begged some food from the cook, and went to what was now Kara's room. He found her sitting on the bed, looking more depressed than he had ever seen her.
"Oh, Kara, I am so sorry I got you into this mess. I only left the hat to try to help you. This wasn't supposed to happen."
"It's okay. I understand."
"Here. I brought you some food."
Kara's eyes lit up when she saw what he had. "Meat!" she exclaimed gleefully, "And milk, too?"
She took a bite of the roast and moaned. It was juicy, and tender, and tasty, and it had bits of fat and garlic in it. She took a long drink of milk and found it was ice cold, smooth and creamy.
"God, this is so good," she muttered, eating faster.
Leon smiled sadly. She had been so badly mistreated. It would be up to him to see to it that she got the nourishment she needed. Kara ate and drank everything.
"Thank you, Leon. I'm so glad I have a friend like you."
A surprised expression came over his face. "Oh. Well, sure. Look, Kara. Promise me that you won't try to escape."
"What?"
"I can take care of you here. You'll be better off here, really."
"I see. And it's not like anyone at Pemberley will be missing me. I have no one, except for you… Alright. I promise I won't escape."
"Good. Now, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."
When he left, Kara heard the door lock. She removed her brown dress, let her hair down, and snuggled into bed. I was so soft, and so warm… With the first full belly in ages, and soft warmth around her, Kara got the best sleep of her life.
In the morning, however, she was woken by Erik barging into her room. Kara yelped in shock, and covered her chest with the blankets.
"What are you doing in here?"
"My dear, this is my house," Erik said condescendingly.
Kara frowned. "Okay then, while we're on the subject, why am I your prisoner here?"
"I already told you. In any case, I am here to explain the rules. One, you do as I tell you, when I tell you to do it. Two, you dine with me every night at six, or you go without food until the next time we have dinner together. Three, you will not attempt to escape. Four, you will not touch any of my instruments without my express permission. Am I clear?"
Kara glared at him. "Transparently," she muttered.
"Very good. I'll see you tonight."
"Wait!"
Erik paused and looked over his shoulder at her. "What is it?"
"I-I want something to do during the day. Do you have a library?"
"You can read?"
"Yes."
Erik didn't answer immediately. After a few long moments, he said, "Yes. There is a library. You may explore my manor as you wish."
He left, his long, dark coat sweeping the ground as he walked. Kara watched him go wistfully. Though she was a prisoner and she shouldn't like him, she found herself admiring the way he held himself. So proud, so regal, so elegant. Snap out of it, girl, Kara told herself, He's nothing but bad news.
So she shoved Erik out of her mind for a moment and went in search of the library. On her way, she admired the house. It was decorated with the utmost taste. And the book selection, when she found the library, included most of her favorites. Eagerly, she grabbed a book and sat down to read. How she missed this. How she longed to escape reality and sink into a world of wonderful fantasy.
Author's Note: Thanks to Terri for your reviews, you were my first! Woo! When one of the reviews mentioned A Little Princess, I thought, "What the heck is that?" So I went online and looked up the plot, then immediately started to laugh at the similarity. Now that it's mentioned, I do remember seeing something like that a long time ago, when I was really little. Distant memories, I guess. I thought what I'd seen was a dream, not a memory. Oh well. I got a kick out of it, anyway.