Darkest Dawn

240 Bedrooms

"Please - don't go!" Antonia pleaded with her husband. "They'll kill you!" Richard's expression was resigned as he straightened his tie in the mirror. He was making a valiant effort to appear dignified.

"Hiding away won't solve anything."

"But if you die - think what will happen to me and the children." She was clinging grimly onto a tearful Dalton – the last weapon she had to use against her husband.

He sighed, "You'll probably be better off." He turned and looked sadly at his children. "I've failed you all." He pulled on his jacket.

"No," Briana spoke up. "You haven't." Moving forward she kissed his cheek. "Never think that." She could see his guilt about Nathaniel in every line of his noble face. Antonia looked betrayed.

"Emily, stop him!" Briana ignored her.

"Go and show them that you're not their enemy." The Princeps patted her head before leaving them. Antonia's wailing drowned out the sound of his footsteps. Briana stared at the closed door. The Princeps was headed for the Probitatis (home of the True Hearts) . Abel would be there – he could make the others listen if Richard could just convince him.

Time seemed to move very slowly whilst the Princeps was gone. Briana sat on the stairs – unable to handle Antonia's anxious pacing. She heard the floorboards creak behind her and didn't need to turn to know it was Troy. "It's so quiet." Most of the staff had left them. He didn't reply but took up residence against the wall. Briana rested her chin against her knee. She needed to be doing something. Just waiting for the revolution to happen was maddening. She needed to be proactive. Her stomach coiled unpleasantly. That must have been how Emily felt – when she started dating Andy for his parents' money. It was her taking action to protect the family.

"What's it like out there?" She turned to look up at Troy. "I don't think I looked properly." All the homeless, tear gas, the fear on the streets, the children playing in garbage... "They're suffering aren't they? I knew that but I – I didn't think..."

"Emily?" She reached out suddenly clutching onto his trouser leg.

"I need your help – I need your help to help them." Troy stared down at her, his mask slipping and the expression beneath filled with uncertainty. "I want to help the people."

Dalton found Briana in one of the guest rooms. He stood in the doorway, kicking against the frame.

"Is dad going to die?" He asked, his voice wobbling.

"Not today." Briana replied with certainty. The child breathed a little easier.

"What are you doing, Emily?"

"It gets cold at night - the homeless need blankets. And those in the slums, could use these sheets to make outfits for their children." She was stripping the bedding and building a mountain in the hallway – her jaw set angrily. "Do you know how many bedrooms this place has?" Dalton shook his head. "Two hundred and forty."

***

"Troy?" Antonia asked curiously. She'd gone in search of wine - since nobody answered the summoning bell. She'd encountered no one else on her way to the cellar – save for Troy. "What are you doing?" 

He inclined his head respectfully to the Princeps' wife.

"Emily asked me to find boxes." He gestured to the crates behind him. "She wants to give her old toys to the children in the slums."

"Oh."

Antonia selected a wine bottle. It was covered in a fine layer of dust.

"She's a good girl." It was the first time Troy had spoken to her - aside from answering direct questions.  Antonia grimaced.