The Things That Sara Saw

The First Of It

"What's the use of having Nanny here if she can't keep that boy from getting into things? He's only gone and drawn on a map a surveyor had just dropped off for an expansion on the logging camp."

Sara put down her brush and made her way over to where Liam sat. She brought her fingers to his scalp, running her hand through his dark hair. Liam sighed, some of the tension escaping along with his breath. 

"You take such good care of me", he whispered. Sara smiled. 

* * *

Sara never came into her husband's study; she had never cared to. It was very much Liam's space, with the masculine, leather furniture and the darkly stained wood. His books and documents littered heavy bookshelves, and the oil portraits that hung on his walls depicted stormy seas and other unsettling things. Sara would never have come in, had it not been for the letters. 

She held one of them now, the others strewn about on the surface of his writing desk. She read once again the words written in a delicate, curving script. She could smell the perfume that rose from the page, floral, sweet. 

My darling one, how I've missed you, when shall you return to me? 

All my love,

yours,

Kathleen.

Liam was at home, and he would be making his way to his study soon. He always spent a few hours after supper in this room, imbibing in his brandy and locked away with his correspondence. 

She would wait for him here. In the meantime, she would have plenty to read. 

When Liam did finally make his way into the study, Sara was pleased to watch the evolution of expression on his face. The initial shock at seeing her, sitting at his desk, was quickly replaced with a fleeting concern, that was swiftly followed by a purple rage as he took in the pile of letters before her.  He caught her eye, his face thundering. 

"Where did you get those?" His voice was quiet, but Sara could hear the storm trembling behind it. 

"I found them. Does it matter where?" Sara kept her tone light, laughing. "Who is Kathleen? And why can she not wait to have you back in her arms, where you belong?"

"Sara, give them to me. Now. Do as I say."

"I don't think I will", Sara replied, her voice still calm. "I don't think we need to keep such rubbish, such filth, in our home. My goodness Liam, I must have blushed a hundred times reading some of these. This is clearly not a lady that you've taken up with. But why keep a whore's letters?"

Liam barged towards his desk, his arm outstretched. He knocked into an end table as he made his way to her, knocking it over and sending a crystal tumbler shattering on the floor. His iron fingers viced around her wrist, and he pulled her towards him. He pulled with such ferocity that her teeth clattered, and she felt as though her arm would come loose from her shoulder. Still, she laughed in his face, still clutching at a few of the letters.

He brought back his other hand and sent it stinging across her face. Her cheek burned and her lip caught the metallic taste of blood, and when she laughed again, a few drops fell from her mouth and landed on her clean skirts. Sara wiped her mouth gently with the back of her hand, and looked at her husband, his face ashen and his mouth set in an angry line. 

Before he could react, Sara reached out the letters she held and touched them to the open flame of the candle. The corner caught quickly, and Sara threw them aside, the papers becoming ember as they glided through the air. 

Liam shot after them, stomping them out quickly before the fire could spread. Sara stood by, still giggling, as Liam's heavy boots crushed the flames as well as the delicate paper. She continued to laugh as she felt her warm cheek beginning to rise and at the horrible twist of Liam's face. 

"You dare touch my things?" He whispered these words to her now. "You've nothing that I haven't provided. You're nothing without me. And you think you can stand there and laugh?"

He walked towards her, slowly. 

"You can tell me whether or not the situation is still funny after you've had time to reflect upon it properly."

Sara shrieked with laughter when he pulled her behind him, dragging her along and out the door. She giggled as he stormed down through the house towards the staircase, and continued to laugh as he opened the door to their small storage closet built into the base of the stairs. 

Sara continued laughing after he had pushed her in.

He could hear her laughing still after the door had been closed.