The Taste of Silver | Fortune's Fool #2

21 | hope was dangerous

[ h o p e w a s d a n g e r o u s ]

♥ louisa ♥

THE MEETING GOT cancelled, of course. There was hardly any way they would have been able to come to some sort of agreement with the victim unconscious and to be frank, I highly doubted we would have concluded anyway.

I woke up with a sigh, blinking hard as my eyes adjusted to my bedroom. There was a soft sound of creeping from the far end of the room and I groggily lifted my head.

"Oh dear, sorry Louisa. I didn't mean to wake you. I tried to be as quiet as possible. Perhaps I should have come in to clean later on," a soothing voice said.

I heavily dropped my head back down into the cushion. "No, don't worry. It wasn't you Marie. I woke up naturally." For some reason, my hand felt drawn to the back of my head which was thudding a little.

"Yes, that might hurt a little while. Mrs Darling said that the back of your head was the first to hit the floor when you passed out."

At this stage, my eyes were a little more focused and I watched Marie finish dusting my bookshelf in a navy blue dress with her usual apron wrapped around.

After I had reconciled with my parents, I'd asked for Marie to be re-employed. Till then, I had been financially supporting her and thankfully, when she had returned both of my parent's attitude towards her was transformed. It turned out that Marie had had a good relationship with them years ago when they were newlyweds but like most things, had been forgotten about as they rose in success.

Her cloudy eyes gently held mine as Marie placed a loving soft hand upon my head, strands of grey hair framing her face. I smiled thinking about how much things had changed since then. I could very clearly remember what she had said to me on a school inset day last year.

Sitting up straighter and resting my head on my chin, I gazed at her through my eyelashes. "Do you remember that you once told me good things come to those that wait?"

A flicker of recognition went through her. "I do distinctively remember that, honey."

"Well, it turns out you were right."

"Is that so?" She questioned with a warm knowing look.

"Definitely. Like- Oh shit."

Her face furrowed perplexed whilst mine fell in annoyance. I was seconds away from jumping out of bed. "I was supposed to meet Nanna today at 2 pm. At Farmborough. God, what time is it?"

There was a soft thud at the sound of footsteps. Turning my attention towards the door, I noticed my mother was standing there with a tray in her hand. "One-thirty. 1.27 to be precise."

Even though it was late noon, she too was still wearing her silk pyjama dress. "Who's Nanna, Louisa?"

Gayane Darling always looked out together and she did right now. It was as if she was a timeless skin kissed model who had just risen from a nap on the beach, with gorgeous dark hair falling upon her shoulders.

I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to say something now that would ruin another something in the future.

Another something in the future? Gosh. Louisa, you just don't give up hope, do you?

Slowly, I began. "You know, Gabriel? His grandmother."

Mum was evidently, and rightfully to be frank, confused. "Gabriel? That rings a bell. Is he the one who-" She paused before cautiously continuing. "The one who found you that day by the bridge? I think he was also waiting with us in the hospital waiting room. Dark brown hair, grey eyes?"