It was half past five in the morning. Jordan awoke cold and shivering.
Dammit Jula, you took all the covers!
"Hey, Jula…"
No answer.
"Jula…"
Silence.
"JULA!"
"What?! I didn't do it! I swear!"
Jordan rolled her eyes.
"Hey! You took all the covers."
"Sorry. Here," her sister replied apologetically.
"Never mind, I can't sleep. I'm gonna get dressed."
"Have fun. I'm going back to bed."
"Uh, I don't think so," the elder sister tisked.
"Oh really?" Jula challenged. "Watch me."
"Jula, somehow I think everyone here gets up early. Ya know, no Saturday TV 'n all?"
"Great, my whole weekend of sleeping in, gone straight down the drain." Jula replied with an exasperated sigh.
"Yeah, well, so is mine, if that's any comfort. But there's got to be more to this whole trip than just staring at walls."
"Yeah, I guess we could learn something. Although, I would rather pass on the corsets."
"Definitely." Jordan replied with a laugh. "But, not an option."
"Too bad."
"Well, again, I'm gonna get dressed, and I'll need you to help me with the corset."
"And what about your hair?" Jula asked.
"Oh...I haven't thought about that..." Jordan mused.
"The colonel has to unlock the door anyway."
"I don't know about that, Jula. With the way he looked yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if he left us in here until we died and then finally unlocked the door to take out our rotting corpses." Her sister commented while slipping out of her nightdress to pull on new underclothing.
"Yeah, but what about his wife?"
"I don't know. I think he's already caught on to her."
"So?"
"Dude, you heard her. She didn't even sound like she wanted to test his patience. I mean, it's like MIA." Jordan added, reaching for her corset. "Jula, help me out with this."
Once Jordan was dressed, she helped her sister with her corset.
"His wife certainly has good taste." Jula muttered, facing a mirror as her sister laced up her corset.
"You're telling me. The green dress matches your eyes, and the blue one matches my grey ones."
Jula smiled.
"I know."
A clicking noise broke the conversation and Col. Tavington opened the door.
" My wife will help you with your hair and then you will meet me down in the banquet hall for breakfast."s
Jordan nodded and made her way towards the colonel, followed by her sister.
"Well now, you two look lovely this morning." the colonel murmured, a twinge of menace hidden in the undercurrents of his voice as the two came to stand before him.
"Save it." Jordan replied. "You hate us, we get it."
"Now why would I think that?" he inquired haughtily, toning his voice to a purr.
Jordan made to comment but Jula grabbed her arm.
"Shut it-" she hissed.
Col. Tavington raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk.
"This way."
Tavington and the two sisters left the room and walked down the hall towards his private chamber, where Mrs. Tavington stood outside the room waiting for them.
"Here are the children." He announced in a tone wrought with sarcasm .
"Thank you, Sir," his wife replied, an unspoken smart remark twitching at the right corner of her mouth.
The colonel stepped toward the lady and muttered severely in her ear, "This does not please me, do you understand?"
Mary Tavington smiled and gave him a mocking kiss on the cheek.
"Oh quite."
Col. Tavington narrowed his eyes, glaring at her, and she rolled her own in return.
"Dude, she has balls." Jordan muttered in her sister's ear.
"Yeah, really," Jula replied.
"Jula, Jordan, are you ready?" Mrs. Tavington asked, turning to the girls.
"Yes."
"Then we will go into one of the washrooms."
"So, how are you this morning?" Jula asked as Mary helped her get her dark brown hair into a colonial-style chignon, while Jordan, stood waiting, her dark mahogany hair already done up in the latest style of the time.
"I am well. What of yourself?"
"I'm okay. It is kind of scary though. At least my sister is here."
"I understand."
"How is Braden?" Jake asked.
"He was fed just before I met you this morning, so he should be in good spirits for his father to watch."
"I would hope so."
"Um, Mary?" Jula asked.
"Yes?"
"Look, I'm sorry if we caused any trouble yesterday. We just..."
"Things will settle when they do."
"But the colonel still doesn't seem too happy about it." Jordan remarked.
"Of course, he was not expecting anything of the sort; who would? But, he'll adapt, or fool himself in to thinking he has. In the meantime, my apologies for his surly behavior; it's not just you two; he and I had a bit of a disagreement last night."
"Oh, well, we're sorry anyway," replied Jula dully.
Mary Tavington smiled.
"Your apology is accepted. But, time for a meal, yes?"
Jula let out a breath she only realized she'd been holding.
"Sound's like a plan."