“How much more of your deceptions, Eden?” His Lordship had hissed into her face, terribly close though not with the former sweet purposes. “How much more of your smoke and mirrors? Your absolutely disgusting lies?”
And thence, he had asked her to leave.
Not a word more. Not a glance more.
She didn’t feel offended of his coldness. She didn’t feel bad. She knew this rebuke. She had know it for such long time.
He was hurt. She had seen it in his beautiful eyes.
Illegitimacy, afterall, went beyond all norms of nature.
She exited the room, and clicked the knob shut behind herself. And then, just with that metallic sound of lock door, she heard a shattering clamor from within.
A broken vase.
A broken heart.
She went down, quietly, to the kitchen. Everyone had returned from their leisure and things were being readied around for the dinner. They hardly noticed her. She picked up a small piece of paper, and wrote a note on it, placing it on the table.
“A Broken showpiece_
_ Lord Adelwood’s chamber.
To be cleansed.”
Whoever would read it should get his room done.
Following this, she went into her room, to pick up her apron and found Maggie within, with a glass jar in her hand.
“Eden, where have you been?” Maggie placed the jar on her bedside table. “You missed the evening glow of fireflies in the bushes. I wished you were by my side. But no worries, I just….My, you are bleeding!”
Eden touched the corner of her lips where a faint blotch of blood had dried up. She had nearly forgotten all that had happened before the….kiss.
“That would be me.” She chuckled nervously. “Bruising and banging myself. I didn’t realize I had been biting my lips.”
“Are you certain it’s because of that?” Maggie didn’t look much convinced.
“Of course, Maggie. What else?” Eden nodded and turned around so that Maggie could tie the knot of her apron at her waist. So that Maggie couldn’t see the paleness on her face.
“Why did you leave though?” Maggie inquired from behind her.
“My uncle was here.”
“He was?”
“Yes.”
With their aprons fixed, both were now ready to leave for their chores.
“Eden.”
“Yes…?”
“At midnight, today…we will go to the garden.”
Eden raised a brow, moving towards the door. “What for?”
“That would be the secret.”
Smiling a winked up smile, Maggie hurried out of the room, followed by Eden.
***
Dinner, as ever, was a tiresome affair_ for maids and footmen, that is.
Apart from the luscious meal, only one thing went remarked and that was, tonight, Lord Stephen didn’t attend the dinner with his cohorts but it was remitted into his room only.
He was under the weather, as Mrs. Hopkins informed them all and apologized on his behalf.
Eden, somewhat, felt blameworthy for this. It was because of her that he was so upset. Maybe, she should never have divulged to him this little secret of her basebirth.
Or was secret a too miscalculated term?
Perhaps it was, for him.
Though, it was not so for her.
She had been quite used to the condemnations that society compels on people like her. For her, her own illicitness was as natural as rain on the soil. Or moon among the clouds.
A day-to-day thing.
So obvious that she failed to notice it….by time.
Nine out of ten occasions, she failed to realize that bastard was infact considered a corrupt term by others, so naturally that it settled down on her. Like dust settling on the shelves, a natural prodigy .
“Eden, would you round the wine once? I am quite engaged.” Carol’s voice suddenly got her out of her trance.
“Sure.” She mumbled and went out to the dining area with the jug.
Wide, well lit and beautiful, the dining room was one of the finest chambers, Ashleyton could offer you. Keeping her eyes down, Eden reached the crammed up table and weaving her way through the aristocratic chats and perfumed up laughters, she started filling the empty wine flutes with the ruby red liquid.
No one noticed her. A few who did, didn’t care.
Lord Adelwood’s absence was palpable. In the air.
On her lips.
By the time she reached the end of table, the nape of her neck had started to tickle with blue, cold attention. Someone was watching her. She knew who?
Mr. Andreas Edwin.
And it was unfortunate enough for her cause the last flute she was to fill belonged to him. Subtly, she moved at his side and started filling his glass, lips pressed in a thin line and her raven eyes avoiding looking down at him.
“Eden.” She heard whisper say and avoided the temptation of closing her eyes.
“Sir.”
“Your lips are bleeding.”
Elusively, she touched her mouth at the corner and oh indeed, it was wet and red. What was wrong with her? It should have been clotted by now.
“I am fine sir. Sorry for being a bother.” She tipped her chin in a bow and left the table not wishing to have any more of those noble men with their noble questions.
One was enough for a day.
Lord Adelwood had been enough for today.
***
Eden felt murderous.
She also felt outrageously crazy. She could almost feel tears filling her eyes. Her aching eyes. For the first time in her age, she had felt so beside herself.
A hand touched her arm and she wildly whacked it off her person.
Who, afterall, gave Maggie permission to wake her up in the middle of night from her so peaceful, restless slumber?
“Eden, stop it and wake up. You promised.” Maggie yanked the quilt of her breast making her shiver.
“For Christ sake, I did?” she groaned, annoyed. “I am not going anywhere. It’s midnight. Let. Me. Sleep. !!!!”
“Oh come now, Eden.” Maggie pulled Eden up, making her sit hard. “It would be worth it.”
“It better be.” She hissed, getting off her bed. She allowed her nightgown to fall below her knee as Maggie placed a beige shawl around her shoulder, draping it across her chest and fixing it below her chin.
“My hair…” Eden mumbled, kneading her eyes . “Let me get them…”
“That wouldn’t be necessary.” Maggie shrugged as she fixed her own shawl. “No one is going to witness us anyway.”
“And if they do?”
“We are in trouble.”
Eden sighed. “Where are we going? What are we doing?”
“To the garden and something very harmless.” Maggie picked up the earlier glass jar from her table but it was draped in white linen.
“What’s that?” Eden tried to touch it but Maggie pulled away.
“Hush, Eden! Do you understand what a secret means?” the blonde went to her table and picked up a ready lit lamp in her other hand. “Here, you hold this jar but you won’t peek inside. And now, follow me. Quietly.”
Once out of the room, Maggie turned the lock of the door and stealthily tip-toed out of the servants quarter in a well practiced manner, with an unpracticed Eden at her toes. Corridors after corridors of unperceivably dark corridors went by until at last they were at the service exit door.
“I am getting an impression that we are robbing Ashleyton.” Eden mumbled as she hugged the jar to herself.
“Oh, dear no!” Maggie giggled, casting a look back. “What we are to do is far more amusing than a robbery.”
“A murder?” Eden suggested. “An assassination?”
“Genocide.” Maggie winked and pulled the main gate open letting Eden out first and then following herself.
And then, instead of going down the garden path, she turned towards the bushes.
“Maggie. No.” Eden stopped short. “THAT is the way to the garden. THIS is no way to nowhere.”
Maggie huffed and turned to face her. “You don’t want to walk on the cobblestone lane and wake the whole manor, do you?”
“No.” Eden shook her head, reluctantly.
“So, it might sound a little vulgar but….” The girl sucked in a long, dramatic breathe. “….We are going from under the bushes. A shortcut to the garden. We…um…will creep down to there.”
Eden’s eyes widened. “You cannot be earnest.”
“Unfortunately, I am earnest.” Maggie grinned, handing the lamp to Eden. “Hold this too and hand me over when I ask you to.”
Saying, or rather directing so, Maggie withdrew herself on the grass and parting the numberless green leaves, found a shallow space to crawl into the hedge.
“Maggie. No.” Eden cautioned in whispers. “There can be bugs and pest in the bushes.”
“There are none whatsoever.” Came the muffled voice from within the hedge. “These are cultivated and are groomed daily. Oh….ouch…awwou!!”
“What happened?”
“The twig got my hair..ouch…I am out. Almost out.”
Two hands then emerged from the bush. “Give me the lamp and the jar and girl….Follow my example.”
Eden did as was told and then crawled into the bush.
It was a complete adventure.
Leaf engulfed her from all around like a monstrous claw but softer with damp, plant like smell. She might have lost count on how many time the silly little shrub had tried to pull at her hair like rein of stallion, she might have lost count on how many thorns just grazed her body, it might have been the silliest thing to do at the ravenest of such night but it was just wonderful.
One particular thorn just pricked into her flimsy nightgown and ripped it over two long inches at the side but she didn’t even mind.
By the time she was out, she was giggling and….happy. Lord Adelwood, Mr. Edwin and her uncle could shut their mouths and get lost.
“Oh, it was so good.” Eden greeted Maggie with a big smile as soon as she reached the threshold of the other side.
“I told you.” Maggie grinned plucking out a leaf from her hair. “Come now. Over there, the chestnut tree.”
By now, Eden had renounced all her trust at Maggie’s disposal and so taking on the jar, she followed the girl to the spreading tree.
By the tree, there was a circular façade of bush that formed a small wall to beyond and jumping over it, Maggie was on the other side. “Come.” She signaled Eden.
Eden imitated her move and here, they were in a small sanctuary, surrounded by shrubs, carpeted by grass and roofed by the branch of chestnut tree.
“Here are we.” Maggie announced. Eden smiled.
Oh yes, I don’t regret coming here.
“Sit down.” Maggie chided her, relaxing herself down on the grass. Eden sat by.
“So, What mysterious magic do you have in that jar?” Eden prompted, eyeing the draped jar.
Maggie pulled it near and smiled, “Why, Miss Eden, get ready for some necromancy, will you?”
And saying so, she removed the cloth off the jar.
Fireflies.
Five little winged fairies floated in the glass jar like magic captured and locked. Like stars plucked and jarred. Pickled.
Pickled fireflies…..alive like God. Beautiful like Satan.
Mystified, Eden picked up the jar to look at the fireflies closely and was utterly enchanted.
“It was so unfair you couldn’t see them in their evening glow. So, I secured these five for you so that we could let them free together.” Maggie smiled, trying to touch a firefly from across the glass. “Do you know, letting fireflies out brings good luck?”
“I confess, I didn’t.” Eden gave her a bright smile. “Shall we then?”
“Sure.”
And together, they un-lidded the jar.
Slowly, one by one, the glow worms took flight…out into the open. To the stars and beyond.
Slowly.
Mystically.
Eventually.
And gone. They were gone.
“Now would be the real moment.” Maggie whispered. “Look.”
It was as if on a call of these five freed fireflies, a storm of such glow worm was unsettled into the bushes all around. Hundreds of them emerged. Thousands came lit and they were all over.
Like someone scattered the stars and forgot to collect them back.
“Promise me,” Maggie suddenly began, very soberly gazing at Eden. “When we, that if we, lose each other one day, you would hold onto this moment on your memory. Years and years, whenever you see fireflies and I do, you will remember me and I, you.”
Eden didn’t know how to make her understand that she would never really forget her in the first place but grown blunt by emotions, she said, “Yes. I promise.”
A firefly, out of the blue, floated down and landed on Eden’s hair.
Maggie giggled and Eden cautiously smiled. Maggie said she looked silly. She agreed.
“Oh I don't know. Perhaps this signifies that one day, you will find true love.” Maggie said, with a deep smile.
“That, she sure will Maggie.” A manly voice materialized from behind them and both the girls froze.
____________