Finding Freedom

Finding Freedom - Part 2 Chapter 1

            The plan was simple. Since the hanging, my need to run away all the time had subsided, but it was replaced by the one of leaving for good. I had warned Yvonne that I would, and I was only to tell her when it would happen.

            “Tonight.” I said. Yvonne looked at me with sad eyes.

            “I will miss you, mistress.” She answered sadly.

            “Me too, Yvonne.”

            I waited until she was done sweeping before putting on sir Cedric’s gift. I gazed at myself in a mirror beside my bed. The dress was vivid yellow. It did not compliment my eyes or hair, as sir Cedric and my mother had affirmed. It made me look like a canary. I let myself fall on my bed. I still hated the colour yellow. Lack of taste had just been added to my list of sir Cedric’s defaults. That list already contained ugly, fat, and a bad breath, among others. For as long as I had been allowed to attend balls, he was the one accompanying me. Every time. My mother’s greatest wish was probably for me to marry him, as that was exactly what I did not want to do.

            There was a slight knock on the door and my sister Mary entered.

            “I heard you were going to my ball.” I said.

            “Yes, Isn’t that exciting?” She asked.

            “You really have no idea how boring balls can be.” I replied

            “How is that so?” She enquired naïvely.

            “Well…, I hesitated, not knowing what to say. You’ll have to dance with people you don’t like, and remember names of people you don’t even care about, and seem interested in all the boring conversations.”

            “She thought about what I had said for a second, then shrugged. “I guess I’ll see tonight, won’t I?” she concluded.

            I sighed. “What did you come here for anyways?”

            “Oh, right. Mom said I could borrow your pearl necklace.” She said before taking the said pearls and leaving.

            Of course she never bothered asking me if I wanted to lend them to her. I comforted myself by knowing that I wouldn’t need them where I was going. I waited in my room for Yvonne to come and make up my hair. Her eyes were red. I felt bad leaving the only person that had been a mother to me all these years. I took her hand in mine.

            “Don’t worry, I said. Everything will be just fine.”

            Of course not. She would lose her employment and have to go back to her family, if they were still alive, and probably live the rest of her life in misery. I heard a knock at the door; my escort had arrived. I took a quick decision.

            “I’ll come back and get you as soon as I can.” I promised.

            Yvonne opened the door to let me join my escort. Waiting for me were Mary, wearing my pearls, sir Cedric and, surprisingly, my mother. Great, I thought, we’re going to enter the ballroom with the royal fanfare. I forced a smile onto my face and followed them. My mother was first, of course, with my sister two steps behind. I went after, trying to get a breath of air that did not smell like sir Cedric’s perfume; he was holding my arm.

            Our group came to the doors of the throne room that would make office of ballroom, being the biggest room of the castle. Two valets scurried to open the big creaking doors. The loud babbling of the crowd filled the hallway. We were announced.