Page 19 of A Sonata for the Fiery Lady
“Good morning, Miss Thorsten,” Melisa said as she came up to her.
“Breakfast is ready in the dining room, Miss. Your parents should be down shortly,” Miss Thorsten said as she took several deep breaths.
“Are you alright, Miss Thorsten?” Melisa asked, truly concerned.
“To be honest, Miss, I did look for you first at the park. I’m a bit winded,” Miss Thorsten admitted as she fanned herself.
“Go take a break then. I’ll go straight away to breakfast, and you shall rest. I shouldn’t need anything till this afternoon when I’ll be expected to ready for the dinner party,” Melisa said, feeling sorry for having to trick Miss Thorsten once more. But after what she’d experienced at the park, she thought it was well worth it.
“Very good, Miss Melisa. Enjoy your breakfast,” Miss Thorsten said as she turned and headed back inside. Melisa smiled to herself as she followed, heading towards the dining table.
For the first few minutes before her parents joined her, Melisa simply sat and enjoyed the food, buttering her toast and adding fresh blueberry jam to it. The foods she feasted on each day would more than likely be an oddity for someone like Mr Quinn. She reasoned with herself that when she did run away from her home, she’d have to get used to eating simpler fare. So, for now, she enjoyed the food she was given to the fullest.
“Ah, good morning, my dear. You are up rather earlier,” Lady Stanton said as she came into the room followed by her husband. Melisa watched as her mother yawned behind her hand as she was seated at the table.
“Did you sleep well, Mama?” Melisa asked, trying to be polite.
“I am not so sure, my dear. I think my mattress needs re-stuffing with goose feathers,” Lady Stanton said, giving her husband a pointed look.
“I’ll have Mr Moses arrange the re-stuffing of your mattress today so you can sleep easily tonight,” Lord Stanton replied with a nod before turning his attention to his plate.
“Thank you, my dear. I’m sure that this evening will be so full of excitement that I’ll want to sleep soundly tonight. Are you not so excited, my dear?” Lady Stanton asked as she turned to her daughter.
Melisa hadn’t been paying attention as her own thoughts were still lost on the wonderful kiss she’d experienced. She looked quickly up at her mother as she smiled and nodded her head, hoping to please her.
“I’m sure you are practically beside yourself with the thought of getting to spend an evening with your intended. I know I was all nerves up until our wedding,” Lady Stanton said with a smile towards her husband. But Lord Stanton was too concerned with his breakfast to give his wife any attention, and Lady Stanton frowned as the room fell into silence. Melisa was lost in thought and did not care what they talked about, or did not say.
When the meal came to an end, Melisa excused herself. “I’ll be reading in my room if anyone needs me,” she said before curtsying to her parents and leaving the room.
Melisa made her way back to her bedchamber, shutting the door before pulling off her shoes. Her feet were starting to become sore since she didn’t often wear boots. Normally she wore slippers around the house and slippers still when she attended any outing. So, the leather boots had yet to become comfortable to her. And yet, she knew that such footwear would be her norm once she left behind the comforts of her home and family.
But as Melisa sunk down into a chair, she knew that it would be a small discomfort in comparison to being married to Lord Smithers. She dreaded attending the dinner party at his home this evening. Even more so when she thought about what she’d have to do when it was discovered that the necklace the Duke had given to her was no longer in her possession. The whole evening filled her with dread, forcing her to close her eyes as she began to rub her temples.
As she tried to still her nerves, Melisa focused solely on the passionate kiss with Mr Quinn. She remembered what it felt to feel his soft lips on hers, his arm around her waist, pulling her against his warm body. She relished in the feeling of her fingers in his brown hair, the thought alone causing warmth to collect in her core. She wanted so badly to feel that way again with Mr Quinn and looked forward to tomorrow morning as a way to deal with tonight’s events.
Once Melisa felt calm again, she picked up a novel she’d been trying to finish for some time, praying that the words would help her escape her reality for a small time.
~*~
After running a few errands through town, Oliver returned to his apartment. But as he reached into his pocket to grab his key, he was shocked to realize that it was no longer there. He reached deep into his pocket, moving his fingers through the few coins he had while trying to desperately find his key. Fearing that he’d have to find another way into his apartment, or bother his landlord for another, Oliver then realized that his apartment door was already opened.
Fear came over Oliver as he stilled and looked through the very small crack of the open door. After a few minutes of simply breathing and trying to discover if anyone was inside, Oliver pushed open the door slowly and peered in. He stopped just inside the doorway, listening with every fibre of his body to hear if someone was in the apartment.
His adrenaline was pumping as he pulled the door closed behind him and locked it, realizing that it hadn’t been forced open. Somehow, he’d lost his apartment key, and someone might have used it to get in. But as he looked around the apartment, he found nothing out of place. It took a while to convince himself to move his feet, but eventually he started slowly walking deeper into the apartment as he went down the narrow hallway.
Oliver was hit with a mix of emotions as he looked at the wide-open door of his father’s room. He’d had yet to enter the room and start going through his father’s things to decide what he’d keep and what he could possibly sell or donate. He was hit with a wave of his father’s smell as he stepped into the room, seeing that everything in the small space had been rummaged through.
The bed had been sliced open, causing goose feathers to litter the room. Every drawer in the small desk had been left open, papers spilling out everywhere as the intruder looked for something. And though the room was a complete disaster, it appeared that nothing had been stolen. His father’s pocket watch that he wore in his vest on Sundays still lay upon his dresser, along with a small drawn portrait of his mother.
Whatever the intruder had been looking for, it hadn’t been for personal gain. There were plenty of valuable trinkets of his father’s that were still in the room, though now thrown onto the floor or knocked over. For a long time, Oliver simply stared at the mess, trying to figure out what anyone would want from this room.
Eventually, Oliver bent down and started tiding up the room. He stuffed the various papers back into the desk and hung up all the clothes that had been pulled from the dresser. Once all the large objects had been put back into their place, Oliver began to collect the feathers, stuffing them back into the mattress. He wasn’t even sure if he had a needle and thread, but then found a small leather pouch with the necessary items under the bed, allowing him to take the time to sew the bed back together.
It took a few hours, but eventually Oliver was able to fix up the room once more. Taking a few deep breaths, Oliver sat on the side of the bed as he simply looked around the room. He wasn’t sure if he should take the time to tell the magistrate what had happened or report the crime to a constable. After all, nothing of value had been stolen, and no damage had been done besides the torn mattress and the overall mess to clean up. And even after cleaning up the room, Oliver hadn’t found anything unusual amongst his father’s last possessions. He simply couldn’t understand what could possibly be in this room that anyone would want.
But as Oliver continued to look around the room, remembering his father and smelling his fading scent, he realized that there was someone out in the world that had a key to his apartment. Even locking the door wouldn’t keep someone out when they had the key. And the person who did have this key could very well be his father’s killer.
Knowing he had no other choice, Oliver collected a few more coins from his own room that had been left untouched, and then left his apartment again. He’d need new locks and a key if he was going to sleep soundly tonight.
