Esme's Diary

Chapter 10 - Dinner Party

The hours ticked by slowly as I lay in bed listening to Charles snoring loudly beside me. The sun was slowly beginning its climb into the sky, brightening the darkness that had engulfed us for the past ten hours.

I had been engulfed into this abyss the moment Charles had returned, my only saviour was the stolen moments I spent with Johnathon.

With this new day came hope, hope that Charles would shortly be returning to the war and that Johnathon and I would be left to live our lives together, albeit secretly.

I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t stop thinking about my Johnathon, the way he held me, the softness he used with every touch, the tenderness of every kiss, his soft lips barely kissing the corner of my mouth before he gently rested his lips on mine. I couldn’t help thinking about the way in which time stood still whilst we were together; it was as though nothing else mattered.

Sleep had evaded me for so long now that there really wasn’t much point in lying there lazily, I may as well have gotten up and had some time to myself to get some things done.

As I climbed out of bed I stood at the bedroom window and five gloriously–silent minutes passed as I allowed my mind to swallow me into the dream that I wished were true, that the man lying in the bed asleep behind me was in fact Johnathon. That Charles was no longer a threat to us and that I didn’t have to live in secrecy anymore. That we could live our lives together forever, to have a family together.

I jumped out of my trance as I heard Charles turn over in his sleep, luckily he hadn’t caught me standing there doing nothing, he would have been furious. With a heavy sigh I walked away from the window – and my fantasy of a better life.

“One day.” I promised myself as I walked downstairs to cook Charles’ breakfast.

Six days, only six more days he would leave again, I thought to myself happily as I finished cooking his breakfast. I braced myself as I heard him moving around upstairs. Ten more minutes passed before I heard him making his way down the stairs. I placed his breakfast on the table as he walked into the kitchen.

“Be ready at 6pm sharp,” he ordered, already pulling on his outdoor coat.

Foolishly I dared to ask where he was going.

“OUT! Not that it’s any of your business,” he spat at me. He pulled the door open and walked out without a backward glance. I jumped as the door slammed shut.

Sitting down at the cooked breakfast left untouched on the table, I allowed my mind to wander back to Johnathon’s note, particularly the last sentence: “I will see you tonight.”

How could he be certain that we would see each other tonight? He had silenced me with a kiss before I had been given the chance to tell him of my parent’s dinner tonight. I had to attend that and I doubted there would be an opportunity to escape long enough to see him.

Putting the note to the back of my mind I decided to get on with my chores, I had to clean the entire house before getting ready for the dinner that evening. I had to make sure I was ready in plenty of time in case Charles returned early.

As I went to collect the cleaning equipment, I noticed some of my vegetables were ready for picking. Pulling on my garden boots I went outside to pick them before the insects got to them. I enjoyed gardening, enjoyed growing my own vegetables; the satisfaction was exceptional when you later sat down to a nice meal cooked with all your own vegetables.

After I’d finished in the garden I began working on the house, washing dishes from breakfast, beating the rugs, cleaning everything meticulously.

Glancing at the grandfather clock on the upstairs landing I noticed that time had flown by today and I only had little over an hour left to get ready.