A New Estate - Crimson Peak

Chapter Thirty One

I had managed to get down to the kitchen before the men despite my still rattled nerves.

With my mind as distracted as it was, I decided to make something that was easy but still filling and warm.

I personally knew that I needed something heated, anything that was the opposite of what I'd been feeling for the past few hours.

Eventually I settled for porridge.

Something quick, filling and warming, the perfect meal to start everyone's day.

The process of heating the milk and preparing the oats helped to settle my mind and, in time, I found myself beginning to calm down.

My mind finally started to clear and drift into its own world as I waited for the ingredients to begin mixing together and gradually thicken.

The nonsense train of thought I was in broke when a pair of arms slithered over my hips and around my waist.

A gasp of surprise escapes me as I jumped, this reaction was met with a chuckle as a chin came to rest atop my shoulder and long curls dropped into my peripheral vision.

"Robert," I sighed, closing my eyes, "you frightened me."

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, his voice still sleep laden and rough.

"You sound utterly exhausted, maybe staying up with me wasn't such a great idea."

"Perhaps not, but I'd do it again."

I couldn't stop the cheek aching smile that rose and the flutter that filled my stomach.

This feeling of love, or at least mutual wanting, was still new to me, but it felt amazing and always elevated my mood.

"Will you be okay to work?"

"I will," he murmured tiredly before pressing a kiss to my temple and pulling away.

Robert sat down at the dinner table just as Hille and Ben sauntered in, Hille looking like his typical energetic self as if it wasn't a ridiculous hour in the day to be up.

Morning greetings were exchanged as the others gradually joined us, some in a sleepy stupor and some ready to face the day ahead.

We ate with small bouts of comfortable conversation, warming our hearts and bellies with porridge and a small sprinkling of sugar for some such as myself, with my insatiable sweet tooth.

Once we had all eaten, the work men left to do their job and I focused on washing up our crockery, Robert lingered behind to dry and put away what I had washed.

"Are you feeling well?" Robert asked out of the blue, "you have been very quiet."

I looked up at him and smiled, briefly admiring his tall stature and the concern in his blue eyes.

"Yes, thank you, I am perfectly fine," I said, "just tired and missing my family now that my parents are gone."

"They did seem to put you at ease."

"Undoubtedly, I did always feel better when they were around, especially Father."

"Is that truly all that is currently bothering you?"

"Yes, of course," I smiled at him, "I'm just tired from our adventure and a little homesick."

Robert let out a soft sigh then smiled in a way that partially settled my rushing thoughts, after putting the bowl he had been seeing to away, he threw the drying rag over his shoulder and stepped forward, fanning his fingers into my hair while resting his palm against my cheek.

"You will rest, won't you? Take the morning to catch up on the sleep I caused you to miss."

"I shall," I sighed, closing my eyes and pressing my head into his hand.

The lack of sleep finally catching up now that the adrenaline from earlier had passed.

"Good, I shall check on you later during my break."

"You really don't have to."

"I don't have, but I wish to."

"Truly, Robert, I will be just fine, you focus on yourself," I opened my eyes and looked up at him, "eat well and maybe take a long, relaxing bath, your roots are almost black."

I laughed and reached up to ruffle his hair.

I had expected my fingers to graze a collection of grit and soot, but instead they combed through soft locks, the only obstacle being the curls the tips of my fingers would get caught in.

He chuckled and gently took hold of my wrist, lowering my hand.

"I promise that I shall as long as you promise to rest."

"As I already stated I would," I rolled my eyes with another laugh, letting him know it was purely in jest.

Robert smiled and stooped down to peck my lips in a chaste kiss before pulling away and wishing me a good rest, with a polite dip of his head, he left me once again to my lonesome.

With another long sigh, I inspected my fingers for any sign of dirt that could be causing his hair to darken so drastically, upon seeing nothing I decided that it must have been a trick of the dim lighting.

My eyes had started to ache and were pleading for me to finally close them and give them a rest, but my curiosity was pushing for me to forego sleep for a while longer and continue with my investigation plan.

Unfortunately, sleep overtook curiosity and by the time I had shuffled into the main foyer my body had taken the decision and stirred me in the direction of the stairs.

I didn't fight and conceded that perhaps rest would be good to settle my mind and stem the headache that was growing behind my eyes, if my racing mind would allow me to sleep and didn't start conjuring up the most ridiculous thoughts to distract me from my exhaustion.

When entering my bedroom, I didn't bother closing the door behind me, not particularly caring if anyone saw my petticoat as I unlaced my dress and let it unceremoniously drop to the floor.

There was an air to cheek to the action, the thought of Mother's look of disapproving acquiescence made me giggle to myself but miss her presence all the more.

As I kicked off my boots, I pulled back the bed sheet and climbed into the inviting covers, also uncaring about getting changed into my nightdress.

The ups and downs of my emotions during my stay at Allerdale Hall must have taken a larger toll on me than I had realized, as for the first time in a long while no thoughts or frets kept me awake and I felt as though I were asleep before my head had even touched the pillow.

(Blimey, it's been a while.
I'm sorry, I didn't intend for it to be this long before I got a new chapter out.
I didn't expect to update until after Christmas, but I also didn't think it would take me this long, it's just that I've been writing other things and helping my friend edit her game (which I'm a character in too! So excited!) and things just kept piling up.
I suppose there's also that feeling of impending finality to these upcoming chapters as I can feel that the story is coming to its end and that kind of bums me out while exciting me at the same time.
This also would have been out a few days sooner, but as I'm writing this since Thursday (7th of March) I've been fighting an infected abscess in my gum and have spent most of my time asleep or with a headache.
I do apologise and hope that the next chapter won't take me four months to bring out!)