Elodie blinked her eyes open with a groan. At some point amidst her sobs and hysterical laughter, she'd passed out. Sunlight poured through her window. She sat up gingerly and winced. Every small movement jarred her back painfully. She peered over her shoulder and groaned.
Her back was a mess of black, blue, and yellow bruises. There were patches where her skin had split open. Dried blood clung to the wounds. Her dress was torn and stained. Elodie drew shallow breaths.
Slow footsteps scuffled in the hallway. Her door creaked open. She hadn't realized it was closed. "Miss Elodie?"
"Anya," she answered, acknowledging the maid. The age bent female entered the room.
She gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh my. Oh dear." Anya shuffled closer to her. "I'm sorry, Miss Elodie. I would've come sooner, but Master Rohese forbade anyone from coming in here. The family have all gone for the day. They left about ten minutes ago. Let me help you get cleaned up."
Elodie nodded slowly. Anya slipped an arm beneath hers and helped her stand. Elodie bit back a yelp. Anya led her from her bedroom over to the bathroom. The tub was already full of warm water. Anya peeled Elodie's soiled dress and undergarments away and helped her settle into the tub.
"I'll be back with some salve and clean clothes," Anya promised. "You just stay here as long as you need. I'll start cleaning up your room."
Elodie nodded again, closing her eyes. The door creaked shut, and she was alone. Tears stung beneath her eyelids. "Oh Papa," she whispered. "How can Uncle Ebner be so cruel when you were so gentle and kind? How could you have been brothers? It's not possible. It must be a mistake."
But it wasn't. Ebner and Amoriel Rohese were Elodie's only living relatives. They had agreed to take her in when her parents were killed by bears when she was only five. They'd begrudgingly raised her and when she was 107 years old, Mina was born. A year later, Micah came along. Mitsi arrived six years after him. Elodie was tasked with caring for her cousins and for the past thirteen years, she had done so.
"I'm supposed to visit Wynter tonight," she murmured. "I can't let Uncle Ebner stop me. But can I even make it to the townhouse?" Elodie attempted to sit up. Pain lacerated her spine and she sank back against the tub. The water around her was tinged red. "I won't be able to sneak out like this. I'll fumble around and make too much noise."
Elodie sighed and the bathroom door opened once more. Anya helped her lean forward and gently wiped the blood from her back. She scooped her fingers through a heady salve and smeared the goop over Elodie's wounds. Elodie winced at the stinging, but didn't resist. It would dull the pain. Perhaps she would be able to visit Wynter after all.
Elodie bit back a hiss of pain as Anya helped her rise. She dried herself off and stepped into a fresh set of clothes. Elodie thanked Anya with a brief hug before returning to her bedroom. Anya had already scrubbed the blood off her floor.
Elodie grabbed a rag and began dusting every inch of the place. Her back ached with the movements, but she kept working. She fell into a steady rhythm and worked until she could no longer stand. At last, Elodie dropped onto her bed and let sleep steal her away.
❅•~❅~•❅
Wynter paced the length of the sitting room, pausing each time he passed the window. Night had fallen and there was still no sign of Elodie. Colette sat wordlessly in her chair, her knitting needles clacking away. "She promised she would come," he murmured. "She came last time and I wasn't there to shadow her home."
"I thought you were glad when you thought she wasn't coming," Colette chuckled.
Wynter glowered at her, still pacing. "She wrote a letter explaining why she was late. Why is she late tonight?" Colette didn't reply. "She promised." His voice dropped to a whisper. "She promised she would come."
Why had he let himself hope that was true? Why had he let himself care? So what if she didn't come? That's what he wanted. He wanted her to move on. He wanted her to stop coming. It was better if he was alone. It was better if she forgot about him.
"She promised," Wynter whispered again. "She promised."
Her promise had been the only thing that soothed him following his nightmare. He'd fallen asleep with the letter in his hand, her words repeating themselves over and over in his head.
I'll be there the day after tomorrow. I promise. I haven't given up on you, Wyn.
He rubbed his arms, then grimaced. He'd forgotten that he'd scratched them raw after his nightmare. Thankfully the long sleeves of his tunic hid the marks from Colette. She would insist on treating them for him otherwise, and they didn't need treatment. They would be gone within a day or two.
Wynter glanced out the window again, then sighed. She isn't coming, he thought. He swallowed his disappointment and headed towards the door. "You can go home at any time, Colette. I'm going to do some reading."
"I'll let you know when Ellie arrives." Wynter hurried away and barricaded himself in the library.
❅•~❅~•❅
The bedroom door creaked open, waking Elodie. She stiffened with dread. Tiny footsteps approached her bedside. Elodie blinked, realizing how dark it had become. Mitsi's pale head appeared beside her.
"Mama doesn't put me to bed right," she whispered.
"Oh." Elodie sat up weakly. She ignored the gnawing hunger in her stomach and the pain in her back. "Give me a minute and I'll come. I'm sorry. I must've fallen asleep."
"You were asleep all day," Mitsi explained. "Daddy called you a lazy slut."
"Shush." Elodie touched a finger to Mitsi's lips. "Don't say that last word. It's very mean."
"I'm sorry." Mitsi crawled onto the bed. She leaned against Elodie, hugging her arm. "Do you hurt really badly? Micah said you were bleeding. Mina thought Daddy killed you."
"I'm sore, but it's all right." That was an understatement. She felt awful. "And I'm not dead. Don't worry."
"Why does Daddy not like Wynter? I think he's nice. He used to make things for us." Mitsi pursed her lips. "He seems sad."
"He is sad," Elodie replied. "Sad and lonely and kind. I don't know why your father doesn't like him."
"Do your letters make him happy?"
"I don't know. I hope so."
"Are you in love? Mina's books say that sometimes people break rules because they're in love. You break Daddy's rules for Wynter."
"You shouldn't be reading Mina's books," Elodie laughed. "And...we're not in love. I care for him, but it's not like that." At least, she didn't think it was like that. "I don't know him well enough to love him." Elodie sighed. "It's his birthday soon. I was going to give him a gift when I visited him today. I promised I would visit."
"You never break your promises." Mitsi met Elodie's gaze. "Daddy isn't here. He said he was staying out late tonight." Elodie's eyes widened. "You could go now."
"You should go back to bed," Elodie murmured.
Mitsi grabbed Elodie's hand and tugged her off the bed. It was an effort to hide just how much pain she was in as Mitsi led her across the hall and into her own bedroom. Mina was snoring. Mitsi tugged Bongo off her bed and offered it to Elodie.
"Will you give this to Wynter?" She asked quietly. "Tell him it's from me, for his birthday."
"But Bongo is your favorite toy. You'll miss him," Elodie protested. She shook her head. "I can't take him, Mitsi."
"Please?" Mitsi batted her long eyelashes. "Bongo makes me feel better when I'm sad. He keeps me company when I'm lonely. If Bongo helps me, maybe he'll help Wynter."
Elodie smiled softly. "You don't even know Wynter. You really want to give him Bongo?"
Mitsi nodded. "He was nice to us. You care about him, so I care about him too."
"All right. If you're certain."
"I am." Mitsi pushed Bongo into her arms. "But I'll still be able to see Bongo every once in a while, right?"
"Of course. I'll make sure Wynter takes good care of him."
Mitsi patted Bongo's head and kissed him. "Be good, Bongo. You're going to live with our future High Lord."
"You should go to bed now." Elodie tucked the covers over Mitsi as she laid down. She kissed her cousin's forehead and left the room.
❅•~❅~•❅
Snow was falling as Elodie made her way through dimly lit streets. The taverns were still bustling with activity and she was careful to avoid them. Ebner was probably at one of them, unless he'd already made his way to a brothel, as was his custom. Elodie pulled her cloak tighter around herself and stumbled on.
Hunger and pain weighed heavily on her, and it was a struggle to keep her eyes open. Still, Elodie kept walking. She had promised. She never broke her promises. She promised. She was so tired. Her back stung fiercely. Wind whipped her cloak aside and cold settled into her very bones. Elodie shivered and gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering.
The grounds of Wynter's townhouse appeared up ahead. The guards at the front gates cast worried glances at her as they let her through. Elodie ignored them and made her way up the slick path. Her feet threatened to slide out from beneath her. Somehow, she managed to keep her balance.
When she reached the front doors, she was surprised to see only Lev at his post. "Where's Cyrus?" Elodie called.
"Late or somethin..." Lev drawled. He took a swig from the dark bottle in his hand.
"By the Cauldron, are you drunk?" Elodie scoffed. She sat down on the snowy railing with a sigh.
"No," Lev answered. "Getting there, though. Want some?" He offered the bottle to her.
Elodie grimaced. "No. I told you I don't drink."
"Oh, come on. One drink won't hurt you." His gaze fell as her cloak billowed in the wind. "What's that?" He pointed to Bongo. He rolled his eyes a moment later. "Don't tell me it's for Wynter. Stop wasting your time with him, Princess. You could do so much better."
"Don't call me that," Elodie answered. Lev leaned closer, a lazy smile on his lips. Elodie gasped as he snatched Bongo from her.
"Come and get it, Princess. It'll cost you a kiss," he laughed.
Elodie jumped off the railing. "Give it back, Lev. And cut it out. I don't like your behavior."
"Why? Because I don't ignore you like Wynter does?" He held Bongo out of reach as Elodie tried to grab it. She couldn't lift her arms over her head. It hurt too much. "Why don't you let him go, Elodie? He's never going to change. I'm right here. Untarnished and noticeably interested in you. Forget about that bastard."
Elodie slapped him. Lev dropped his bottle in shock. "How dare you speak about Wynter that way," she growled.
Lev lifted a hand to his cheek. "You hit me. You bitch, you hit me!" He threw Bongo to the ground and lunged. Elodie shrieked as he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her closer.