Heart's Content

Part Forty-Five

{'Stormy Sea' by Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky from Wikimedia Commons}

There was no way for Genevieve to return to sleep that night. After lighting the lantern she tried in vain to obtain some form of information from Lisette as to what had transpired in the other room. When it became apparent that Lisette would tell her nothing at that moment, she sat on the cot and watched her as she remained with her back against the door in silence. It became obvious that she was listening to the movement in the other room which continued for a while, before the lights were snuffed and footsteps moved to the door which was then opened, reclosed, and the footsteps faintly heard retreating across the deck until they were heard no more.

Lisette fell to the floor with her back still against the door, but some part of her seemed to relax at least a little. She was still wary of the fact that Nathaniel did have a key to the bedchamber, but while he did have the audacity to accost her when they were alone, she was fairly certain that he wouldn't have that same gall in the presence of Genevieve. It didn't matter whether he did or not, the fact remained that they were stranded aboard The Gallant in the middle of the ocean and were at the mercy of the captain and his crew. She broke down in tears at the idea that she had previously been trapped by loyalty and now she had trapped herself and Genevieve by circumstance. Genevieve slid to the floor beside her, only capable of attempting to comfort her without knowledge of the cause of her distress.

As night slipped away and dawn began, Lisette's mood seemed to change with the hour. One moment she was a sobbing, hysterical mess and the next she was pacing the small room in a fury. The tumultuous nature of her emotions only seemed reflected in the sea, the violence of the waves increasing with each turn of her temper. The ship shifted easily with the movement of the ocean but it was not so drastic as to be disconcerting and at times Lisette fell into a despondent state and stared listlessly out of one of the portholes while Genevieve gently rubbed her back and remained silent, realizing that the only time she could get a single sensible word from Lisette was when she was plagued by disappointment, not with herself but with Nathaniel.

It was during these moments of sobriety when Genevieve was able to glean what had happened between Nathaniel and Lisette that would leave her feeling so out of sorts. Genevieve listened to her when she was able to speak of the brief encounter with an amount of empathy that not everyone can muster, she understood fully what it was to be betrayed by someone you were close to, someone you thought you could trust. It was in those moments of clarity and disbelief that Lisette felt the full force of what Genevieve must have felt so long ago and she was rushed by a wave of guilt over her reaction to what had befallen her when it seemed so small by comparison.

"Oh my darling, I am so sorry for my inability to control my own emotions!" Lisette hugged Genevieve tightly and her affection was returned, "here I am losing my mind over something I prevented when you were so small -- so young when -- oh my Genevieve I am being so inconsiderate of you!"

Genevieve had been cajoled into believing that what her father was doing to her was alright, that it was normal, until she was faced with her mother's violent jealousy which declared to her that it wasn't. She squinted her eyes closed and buried her face in the soft skin of Lisette's shoulder, trying to keep the harmful memories of her childhood from flooding her thoughts. Lisette's brown gown had long since been cast aside along with the undergarments she had been wearing in favor of new, unsullied ones though there was still the scent of liquor on her skin from the spilled bottle and they were hard pressed to remove it because of lack of soap and water. Genevieve didn't care about the smell and they both had long grown used to it, barely aware that it was even there as they held one another.

"I am so sorry for this... I am sorry for all of it! If only I let everything be... we would still be at Mai-Falais enjoying breakfast with Sabien and your wonderful parents!"