Love & Misunderstanding

Chapter Twenty Five - Helene's POV

Life had returned to normal for me for the most part. I would wake up later than I ought to, thanks to a certain annoying brother of mine. As a result, I would then rush to get dressed and head down to get to work. My daily chores consisted of sweeping the floors, beating out the rugs, and taking care of Giselle and Henry when Charlotte was unable to do so. I did not consider them to be difficult chores. It was much easier than cleaning out the stable or preparing the carriage, as Alexander sometimes did. I felt oddly content with life, aside from the fact that I could not see Jonathan as often as I wanted.

That morning I had been instructed to go feed the horses while Alexander prepared the carriage. When I asked Alexander or Mama where we were going, they would change the topic almost immediately. I found this quite unusual, because normally someone notified me if we were going somewhere. I had a feeling that wherever we were going, something horrible would happen.

I knew that my father would never knowingly lie to me, so I decided to try asking him. When I walked into the drawing room he was reclined on his chair, reading a book, due to the fact that the house was remarkably quiet for a change. I sat down on the armrest beside him and stayed there until he looked up. "May I help you, my dear?" he asked.

"Is there a reason why nobody wants me to know where we are going?" I asked him. "I have a feeling that it is because we are going to be visiting the Caldwell manor."

"I am afraid that you are correct," he said with a sigh, as he set his book down. "While you were gone, Mr. Caldwell made plans for a fishing derby. It is being held in about an hour and your brother wishes to take part," he explained.

I was certain that all of the colour had drained out of my face at that moment. This would be the first time I had encountered the Caldwell's since my return. Without a doubt, Matthew would still be bitter towards me. I cringed at the very thought of spending three whole hours being stared at by him. "Do we have to go?" I asked.

He nodded his head, "If you do not want to watch, I am sure that Mr. Caldwell would not mind if you explored the estate."

I gave in. "All right."

He kissed the top of my head. "You should go fix your hair and change into a better dress. We will be leaving as soon as I finish the last chapter of my book."

I nodded and trudged up into my room. I tried so hard to think positively, but it did not come naturally to me. I could not help but worry about the possibility of something going wrong. Yet, that did not mean that I was not allowed to try. Perhaps Matthew would be too busy fishing to notice me. Perhaps I could go inside the house and find a place to hide. Perhaps I would turn invisible and no one would even see me.

As I was searching through my wardrobe, looking for an appropriate dress to wear, I remembered that Jonathan would most likely be there as well. With that in mind, I suddenly began to hurry. I would tolerate the fishing derby, if only for his sake. I grabbed a light purple dress and began to change out of the dress I was wearing and into the clean one. Then, after that was done, I began to brush and style my hair. Under normal circumstances, I preferred my hair to be left hanging, but I knew that Mother would throw a fit if I did not style my hair for the occasion.

"Are you ready?" Father called from downstairs.

"Yes, Papa!" I exclaimed, rushing out of the room and down the stairs. "Do you have your cane?" I asked, my mind running through a mental checklist of things that we would need.

He held it up, to show me that he did have it, before using it to nudge me out of the house. "Unless you wish to be late, let us get going," he said, hurrying me into the carriage.