The Beautiful Thief

Chapter Ten

      Evangeline picks a light pink, silk night dress, and matching slippers for herself. She picks a light blue pajama top and bottom for Eric, and is ready to go. "Are we gonna see mama before bed?"

      "Of course, you'll probably sleep in her room, if not mine." She smiles at me. "What?"

      "Are we friends Addie?"

      "We are honey, and I'll never change that." She smiles again and grabs my hand. "Hungry?"

      "Yes." Eric is eating with Penelope when we enter the room, and I pass him his night clothes.

       "Go get dressed, I'll have dinner set up when you're done." She runs off to the bathroom, with Eric, and they change as fast as they can. Running back out, they eat the rest of their dinner in minutes.

       "Well, I'll let you get them to bed. Good night Adelaide."

       "Good night Penelope." She leaves me room, her dress trailing behind her. "Alright children, time to find your mother." They each grab one of my hands and I walk to the house maid quarters. It's a dank, dusty hallway, poorly lit.

        "Are you lost miss?" a house maid asks.

        "No, I'm looking for Mary. Is she here?" She nods, pointing to a door just down the hallway. "Thank you." We walk to Mary's quarters and I knock on the door.

        "Come in," Mary calls from the other side of the door. The door is a heavy wood, and I have to use excessive force to open it. She smiles when she sees Evangeline and Eric, and gets up to hug them. "Were they well behaved?"

        "Yes they were, even got to eat dinner with the queen." She turns to me, the smile wiped off her face. "Don't worry, she loves them. And I told her they're my niece and nephew, no worries."

        "Good." She smooth's down Evangeline's hair and turns back to me. "I don't have enough room in my quarters to have them sleep in here, but I can bring up a couple cots. So they can sleep in your room."

        "They can sleep in my bed, I'll sleep on the cot." She smiles at me, standing. Before I know what's happening, she pulls me into a hug.

        "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would do without you," she whispers. I give her a good squeeze, and pull away from the hug.

       "Alright children, say goodnight to your mother, you'll see her in the morning." They hug her and she gives them kisses.

       "Goodnight my lovelies, sleep well." With one last kiss to their foreheads, we leave, cot in hand. Evangeline sticks close to my side, like always, and Eric in front.

       "Addie?" Evangeline says.

       "Yes?"

       "Can I have a shorter name, mines too long."

        "I guess. What do you want it to be?" She shrugs her shoulders and I suggest, "Lin?" She shakes her head. "Anne?" She shakes her head again. "Evie?"

        "Perfect. Like a princess," she exclaims. I laugh, and Eric stops walking. Elizabeth appears in the hallway, coming from the steps. Evangeline ducks behind my legs, and holds onto the material of my nightdress tight.

        Elizabeth looks up and sees me, sneering slightly. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

        "Nothing," I say, feigning innocence, even though I've done nothing wrong.

        "Have you got some secret children the queen doesn't know about? I bet you work as a whore on the side of the street."

         I find my voice and say, "No, that's your job. And these are my sisters kids, if you must know. Have a good night." I leave her their, mouth gaping like a fish out of water. "Come on children, we've got to get you to bed."

         We walk up the stairs, and when we reach the landing, Evangeline asks, "What a whore?"

         "For me to know, and you to find out when you're thirty." My room door is open when we get there, and I feel my eyebrows knight together. I approach the room, and peek my head inside. Caleb sits in the chair, pulled from my desk.

        "Hi," he says awkwardly. He has on night clothing, royal blue with a yellow sun patched on the shirt pocket.

        "Hi, what are you doing here?"

        "I came to ask you a question, but it can wait until morning, you're busy. Goodnight Adelaide."

        "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Good night Caleb." He leaves my room, his cheeks tinged red. "Come on, in bed with you." I set the cot down, and pull a blanket off the bed, laying it down on the cot. Evangeline and Eric climb up onto the bed, settling under the covers.

        "Will you tell us a bedtime story?"

        "Sure. What do you want to hear?" They shrug, not knowing what they want. "I don't know any stories, how about a song?"

         "Okay," Eric says. I go through my mental list of songs and pick my favorite.

         "It's a hundred years old, but it's a good song. Ready?" They nod, and I start singing.

I was a little girl alone in my little world

who dreamed of little home for me

I play pretend between the tress,

and fed my house guests bark and leaves

and laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream,

        I hum the rest of the song, not knowing the words. Evangeline is the first to fall asleep and then Eric goes shortly after. I smile, and pull the covers up slightly, turning out the main light. Only a lantern remains on when I lay down and close my eyes, ready for sleep.

       Sleep doesn't come as easily as I thought it would, so I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. An unfamiliar feeling rests in the pit of my stomach and I take a deep breath. Home sick. That's what it is, I miss my mother.

       I fight the tears, humming the familiar tune I know too well. It soothes me enough to rock me into a dreamless sleep. No tears fall, because I don't allow them to.