༺༒༻𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘༺༒༻
Y/n's . Point. Of. View.
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"What?" I asked, confused.
"Yes." The little boy replied.
"Where is he staying right now? I mean in which room?" I asked again.
The little boy looked at me suspiciously, "why should you need to know?" He asked as if it was a criminal offence to ask the question.
I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders.
Infront of me was the little boy, Nolan; the son of a waitress working in the hotel. Ever since I did started to stay at this hotel, the little lad had been the only one good friend of mine. Including Eglantine, my assistant. But though he couldn't be with me all the time, and when he wouldn't, I hung out with this little boy.
Since he was my only good friend, and most of the people of the town continually ignored me and speak whatnot stuffs about me unpleasantly with their balbbermouth.
Well, I won't blame the people around for being ignorant or rather tenacious of ancient ideas and traditions; that a woman of approximately my age should not stay alone by ourselves, or get any kind of educations. Well, for what I mean to say is -a woman of my age should get married in an early age, have children and look after the household- and which was Absurd!
I hated the thoughts of these men and the phenomenal world, that women is being considered as a weak human beings. Rather then being forgotten by themselves that they were also given birth by a women.
Breaking through the darkening thoughts, I forced a fake smile and said "See, if you will tell me what he does and where he goes. Then I will give you toffees." I convinced him.
"Only toffees?" whined the obstinate little boy.
I let out a deep sigh. "Fine. I will buy some cake too. Happy?"
Nolan grinned from ear to ear, as he was seated at the coach were I was sitting a few moments back. Since his mother was always busy, she used to hand over her little son in my hands just to take care for him for some hours; and yet it would be the tiring hours if you ask me.
The boy used to keep everyone's secrets and what they used to do. He used to tell me about the times when he used to sneak inside some closet of the other guest's room and used to observe what they did, or would do some random pranks over them. I had often scolded him about it, that it was a bad habit. But now I needed him to spy over the constable.
-the constable's name....I still didn't knew his name-
"Oh. Look what's that." The boy said and jumped from the coach he was seated, he ran across the room and picked up a brown envelop from the floor. Seriously these kids had a wonderful eyesight, I must say! I was flabbergasted at this sudden feels, but ignored it.
The boy stared at the envelop with curious keen eyes, and looked over at me. He would be confused at the sight of odd things if it was left ajar, just like right now. I let out a little chuckle and stood up from my bed. Stretching out my arm to give me the envelop. He said nothing and obeyed my order.
The smile faded away and suddenly I compressed my lips into a tight narrow line and immediately became grim and serious. Narrowing my eyes.
I noticed a certian address written in the envelop which I dreaded every month, it was posted for me. No, it wasn't from my mother, as I read through the envelop.
And which was from......I carelessly broke the seal of the letter and settled myself back on my armchair, I had never received this letter before. Or hence must I had been, but I had never cared to read any of it.
I read through the first page of the letter carefully, which were written in a beautifull handwriting. But eternally praying to god that it won't be something about planning my marriage.
After going through the letter for a while, I let out a huge breathe of relief. Nothing much, he was just asking if I was going well or not and had written about his daily life.
I tossed the letter carelessly on the ground, not bothering to pick it up.
"Don't throw papers like that." Nolan whined as he picked up the paper and placed it neatly infront of the coffee table. I huffed some strands of hair coming in front of my eyes, and pulled my knees in front of my chest, with my arms around it.
"Whose letter was it?" He asked, rather curiously.
"Why can't you go and look at the letter by yourself?" I mumbled dryly.
He frowned. "Mama says never to read other people's personal things." He clarified his statement.
I let out a mischievous chuckle, "and why you always hide inside people's closet, or steal chocolates from the counter of the dining hall?" I asked.
Nolan, the little boy stood up and was shock. "But..."
I rolled my eyes, "fine. I won't say anything to your mother. But for that you should do what I had said you to do before." I said with death seriousness. If you want to make a kid obey your orders, just try to become a little stoic or serious. Poor Nolan, he got not a chance but had to nod at my statement.
"Very well." I beamed.
"Your so much stubborn. " he mumbled.
Just then there was a knock on my door. Nolan and my head turned towards the door in unison, "Oh. Mama's shift is over I guess." He said and hopped up towards the door to open it.
But -a man with small silver-rimmed glasses peeked up from the door. Mr Eglantine- I stood up from my armchair, but the older man stood awkwardly by the doorstep, not even bothering to step inside. "Was there anything you need for, Mr Eglantine?" I asked and placed a hand over Nolan.
Eglantine; my personal assistant, or rather I could say he was like my close friend; was also from the same circle of the area of the little town. Well, not ignoring the fact that he was a family man. Along with his Wife, children. Absurd. Such encumbrances were not necessary for Eglantine, I felt.
He produced an incongruous, unconvincing picture as a family man.
We both were working for almost three years, and in this span of three years I had understood the older man more then myself. But I dared not to express myself aloud. The relation between an acquaintances should be the same as always.
"Erm." Eglantine cleard his throat, and stashed a piece of paper from his pocket. Understanding the fuss. I extended my hand mechanically for him to hand the letter towards me, but instead he reread it and said,"there is an invitation from Mr Van Tassel, for you attending the dinner party held by him and his family." He said with a low tone.
My eyebrows immediately furrowed .
Baltus Van Tassel, if I am right that is his name. I recollected the thought that he was one of my father's very good friend along with his second wife Lady Van Tassel. I didn't know much about his family history nor I ever showed up in their house; only that he was a rich farmer and had one daughter of my age. Well, I really doesn't know what her name was. Maybe I had forgotten, I wasn't the best with names; I honestly just didn't cared to remember them.
"Maybe I will." I mumbled with my words, not even pleased by thus invited. I wasn't a type of person who liked any kind of balls, or parties or whatever. It annoyed me.
Eglantine's eyes bulged by the firmness of my voice. "Ok. I will inform it." He said instead.
I shook my head, meanwhile Nolan looked at me and my assistant with his curious eyes. I blinked twice and grimaced to indicate him I was not available for the dinner party.
But Eglantine, ever a dense fellow he was, did not understand but blinked unintelligenty. He nodded and without another word, maintaining the consistency of his departure. Hurled down the stairs.
I let out a sigh and closed the door.
***
I doesn't know why, but later on that cold evening. I found myself standing infront of the Van Tassel's house.
Well, I would have blamed Mr Eglantine to force me to attend the dinner party in the house of Mr Van Tassel's. But then my all issues of irritation and anxiety flew past away, when I got an information from Nolan that the Police Constable was also attending the dinner.
Thinking about him, suddenly I recalled the past incident which happened this afternoon that he had seen me glaring at him from my window.
Immediately a red colour tinted against my cheeks at the thought of it, and I was furiously flushing. I doesn't know why, but I felt just too relaxed anyway. Few invited peoples were walking past over me and through the door of the huge house.
Before I could enter the house too. I checked myself again and again, this was the seventh time I was invited by the Van Tassel family and everytime I went over their dinner parties, I had always showed myself ethnic and presentable.
Right now, I had choosen to wear a royal blue silk gown, and with a loose blue lace driven around my waist. It gave the perfect fit, which hugged my curves perfectly, cherishing all the right places. True, that the upper top of the dress was a bit low and had thin straps so that I could see my shoulder and even some cleavage. But just the dress looked ethereal with my silver chain necklace dangling all around. My hair was slightly done in thousand locks and which was made in a perfect bun. I let out a sigh, and went inside.
The door were wide open, and I could already see the people chattering, eating and laughing around the large room -the hall was full of guest. And always a joyful and a hospitable time in the environment, especially in such a beautifully decorated hall, where customs and frolics were much clung to, as a part of the very dwelling itself.
The pretty little chandeliers dangled everywhere and with the ray's of the light of it; enchanted the rich colour of my hair and my dress, and with my rapidly approaching footsteps, most of the people's attention was held by me.
I turned around to find Mr Van Tassel: and ah! There he is.
The old man and his wife looked up at me from a group of other guests with whom they were conversing with, a genuine smile lingered around Baltus' wrinkled face.
"Y/n, sweetheart!" He said brightly and approached infront of me, accompanied by his wife; Lady Van Tassel who gave me a warm embrace, which as approximately I returned back.
"Good evening Mr and Misses Van Tassel." I greeted with a smile to the pair of them, and with a manner of my bowing my head a little for indicating my respect towards them. "How lovely you look, young lady. " Lady Van Tassel complimented with a smile, as she picked up a glass of wine from a tray which was carried by a maid.
Handing it over to me. "Thank you, Lady Van Tassel." I said and accepted the glass.
"I was informed by Mr Eglantine," started Mr Van Tassel turning towards me," that you are planning to shift back in your ancestral house, Y/n?" He asked with a hint of genuine curiosity. Well, Baltus Van Tassel was the only one person to call me by my first name, sometimes I would really get annoyed by him.
I felt abashed by him calling by my first name, I suppose, with another of my plastic smiles. I said, "Yes, sir. I really wish to live in my personal life."
"That must be good, Miss L/n. Anyway, how is your mother doing?" Lady Van Tassel asked, giving me a soft glance, placing her hand in her husband's shoulder.
"She is doing all well, this week I got a letter from her about the welfare of the city and her husband." I said and sipped on my drink.
"And what about your work?" That wasn't the elder couple's question, I turned around to face the middle aged town doctor, Thomas Lancaster.
He turned and after giving pleasant greetings to the Van Tassels, turned around and faced me with a kind smile.
"Works always keeps me busy," I said authoritatively and adopted my best smile, "there are so many things to do for my work, also my seniors giving me to look after each new cases." I said and looked at the doctor who was listening to me attentively.
"I've heard about a murder of a woman in a nearby village. They said she was brutally burned in her own room." Mr Van Tassel added reluctantly.
"My, my," Lady Van Tassel gasped with shock. "Obviously, it had happened a year back and I could remember you were assigned on that case, yes Miss L/n?" The doctor asked peaceably turning towards me, as he offered his hand which I took gracefully as he kissed the knuckle of my gloved hand.
I smiled and nodded, "The victim was a midwife," I said bringing my hand back, "had three children. Her neighbor told us that her husband was a drunkard and every time used to come home late at night and beat the woman every night," I explained even though with excessive noise in the room, the three of them were listening to me attentively.
"When I was appointed to investigate the house, I was struck dumb to see that the whole house was in a shack of soil. Not even a body of log was left. Her husband ran away after committing the murder, even the three poor little children were suffered with several burn marks and were referred immediately to the nearby hospital-"
I was about to say more about the case, when I paused mid sentence. My eyes lingered over a certian man with deep unkempt black hair.
Not far from us, I easily spotted the police constable awkwardly standing at a corner of the room, and looking around with confusion written in his eyes. I could say from his behaviour that he wanted to run away from the busy bustling place with full of people.
And then, a really pretty young lady with a ribbon tied around her eyes. Unknowingly bumped over the man, probably she couldn't see a thing and instead her friends were just there, waiting eagerly for what she would do next.
By seeing how I paused mid sentence, and was staring over something very conservatively, Baltus along with his wife and the doctor turned around the same direction and saw that-
Wait, the young woman kissed the police constable on his cheek, without her own acknowledgement because of the tied ribbon. And I must say I wasn't wrong, the constable appeared a way too embarresd by the incident occurred. There was a red blush creeping over his cheeks and his eyes were wide open.
Mr Van Tassel gasped at the sight, "Katrina." He mumbled to himself, inaudible for anyone else.
I turned my posture uncomfortably towards the doctor, who looked as more surprised as Van Tassel himself.
"Who is Katrina?" I wishpered towards him.
He turned his head towards me and gave me an odd look. "Don't you know, she is the daughter of Mr Van Tassel?"
"Oh." I said half amazed, and turned around.
Baltus was plodding towards the pair of the constable and his daughter, Katrina.
He said something to the young lady, while she opened her scarf from her eyes and looked much more surprised than the most of the spectators around. I stood sipping my red wine as I started to watch what happened next.
Katrina was just as embarrassed as the police constable when she heard about it. She sheepishly apologised the man, and he gave a weak nod.
"And what's his name?" I asked again with confusion clear on my eyes.
This time Lady Van Tassel replied, "The Police Constable, Ichabod Crane."
I nodded. My eyes focused over the young man as I held my wine up and chugged on it.
There was a deep gut feeling inside me, that I would never forget this name ever in my whole life. But certainly didn't knew why?
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