~Chapter Five~
The wind gushed just above his black leathered shin boots. He had not stepped outdoors lately and the exposed air enclosing him imprisoned him in a rigid posture. His stomach tensed, as did his jaw. Never in all his existence had he gone out of the whim to fetch a low life such as Henrietta. It made his chest flutter, dominating his entire body with an alien awareness.
In the back of his mind he predicted what that could be, but he did not want to consider it. Calvin's head swarmed as he glared at Henrietta stagger her way toward the muck road. One foot moved in front of the other as he raged after her. There was little concern for the staring eyes in his direction. He would deal with his nosy servants later. Calvin was more concentrated on finding the underlying cause of Henrietta's schemes.
Why? He had no clue. He would not allow remorse to overcome him nor mercy. Stretching for her arm yet again, he lifted her over his shoulder. She did not attempt to flee nor did she scream, instead, she merely stiffened in his grasp. Frightened and confused she gazed at some of the servants near and threw a pleading look. However, one cold unyielding look from their master had them speedily averting from his way.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, exasperated.
Moving quickly through the lingering eyes he set his sight on the large stables and sauntered in its direction. With a hard slam of the door, he tossed her unto a hefty stack of hay. Ettie tousled to her feet, the withered straw jabbing her bare feet as she edged away from Calvin.
"You will tell me the schemes you plan this instant. My patience for you has grown thin," he sneered. Calvin stood taller than she making her squirm in her posture as she retreated farther away.
He studied her as she fiddled with her fingers, the straight row of her teeth biting down on her fragile pink lip. "I don't understand," she whispered. The fact that she refused to stare at him made Calvin surprisingly irritated. It was expected of a lowlife to divert their gaze elsewhere, but he disliked the way she did it. He was tempted to lift her chin so that her eyes met his.
Had he not taken pleasure in watching her squirm, avoiding his leering presence before? Now it seemed he disliked it. He forced himself to give her his back, blocking her from his view. Instead, he lifted his eyes, gazing at the aging wood inside the stables. "Pretending you have no clue will do you no good," he threatened.
She did not reply, and her silence nearly drove him into madness. When the stillness grew too high, he turned to find her wiping tears away. She nibbled on her bottom lip, her face a mess of confusion. "The only way to prove my innocence is to...l-leave, and I shall, but please allow me to say goodbye to Henry," Ettie said.
Henrietta looked like and innocent peasant before him, her hair like long drapes cascading down her shoulders in waves of brown. He allowed himself to stare at her for a long moment. Calvin's lingering gaze forced her to stare up at him, her blue eyes capturing his emerald stare.
Then it struck him, the humiliation of mislaying control of himself in the house cleaner's chambers. His face became a cold stare once again and his hands fisted at his side.
"Gather your things and go back inside...and servant, speak of this to no one, understood?" he threatened.
Ettie nodded and rushed out of the stables as Calvin let himself lean a forearm against the wall and press his forehead to it. What had he done! He had never lost control of himself like that before. He had gone mad and crazed.
"Forgive me Lydia," he muttered, to himself.
Even then, the words did not feel truthful as they slipped from his mouth. Calvin felt something beginning to change in him as he thought about Ettie. He did not enjoy it one bit, in truth, he feared it. He had grown accustom to being a dark and brooding master, giving no room for weak emotions and interaction with individuals. How had this poor servant accomplished to break him even after his own wife had failed to?
When he had met Lydia, he had chosen her out of the group of maidens in the large gatherings the church made. He had preferred her for her beauty and radiance. Calvin had given little thought to sentiments. As long as he had the lot he wanted, he was happy. It was then over the years he had realized Lydia held inner beauty as well, a rare jewel in the sea to fetch she was.
Little by little, he allowed himself to love her. When she discovered to be pregnant, he thought his happiness would be complete. He had agreed to enlighten her with what she had craved to hear since they had wed. Nevertheless, Calvin had failed to utter the words when she died.
Pushing away from the wall, he made it out of the stables. Henrietta would remain out of his sight for as long as he lived, it was not fair that his heart was playing this game with him. He growled under his breath and fisted his hands as some of the servants did little to hide their stares. Stopping he turned to look at them as they scrambled to find a hiding place.
"Has anyone anything to ask!" he snapped. They shook their heads, some simply rushing in their footsteps to flee.
Entering the large mansion, he waved away everything they offered as he reached the third floor to his home and closed the large burgundy French doors. The eerie cold air pierced his skin as he looked to the left hall where it all had happened. Calvin made his way towards the door and shuttered as he grasped at the cold knob in his hand.
The room lay unchanged, there were thirty-seven rooms in this large mansion, and the only individual that gave him nips was this chamber. He stepped inside, the dust on the ground crunching underneath his black leathered boots. The sigh that escaped him showed like a cloud of smoke before him as he took a few more steps in. Everything Lydia had last touched was still in its place. His eyes slowly closed and he hated to recall their last moments together.
Lydia gently patted the water from her skin, gently rubbing her belly as it swelled with his heir. Calvin felt it; it made his heart hammer out of control as he watched the way the thin see through white gown wrapped around her body. He had not expected to fall in love, it had not been sudden, but nonetheless he now understood what many of his associates had spoken of when they blabbered on about their wives. He fought to keep a stern look as he slowly pulled out of his coat and settled it over a small chair near his bureau.
"He is moving," Lydia chuckled.
Calvin turned his attention to his wife, as if just noticing she had recently pulled from the washroom.
"Pardon?" he asked.
"Your first born, he kicks," she whispered.
Calvin gave a nod and suddenly Lydia frowned when he did not reach to touch her swelled belly.
"Calvin, please...have I not proved to you how much I love you?" she said.
He stiffened as he turned to look at her broken expression. Long ago, it had not affected him to see her weep. Now it tore through him as tears slowly trailed down her flushed cheeks.
"We do not speak of such things," he forced himself to say.
"Your father turned you into a brute of a man! A monster with no affection, I wish I had not fallen for you that night. I wish I had made a choice to leave," she wept.
"Must I repeat myself every time you try to pry feelings out of me?" he questioned. "I do not express my emotions; it is nothing but a form of weakness that only gets you into misfortune. Keep your emotions in check for Christ sake Lydia," he stated.
Lydia wept and gently took a seat on the foot of the bed holding her belly tight.
"You care so little," she sobbed.
"Actions speak louder than words ever have. I have given you all, a home, house cleaners at your beck and come. How can you say I have no emotions," he sneered.
"Three little words would fill the emptiness inside of me, just three," she whispered.
"Lydia, I've proven my love to you for nearly a year now, why must you keep trying to pry simple words from my mouth?" he asked.
Covering her delicate features she wept but she suddenly chocked in her weeping as she gasped and held on to her stomach.
"The baby, the baby is coming," she gasped.
Calvin froze as he turned to look at her and quickly pulled the large velvet rope near their bed.
He scoffed as he recalled now that it had been Henrietta who had answered to his call. She looked so much younger then, her face that of a child in his eyes as she had shyly walked in to await his command.
"Call for a doctor immediately," he snapped out at her.
She rushed from the room glancing in Lady Lydia's direction before vanishing. Calvin paced the large chamber watching as Lydia simply groaned and wept from the pain consuming her body.
"It hurts, Calvin it hurts," she wept.
Lydia had died giving birth to Henry. He had lost the love of his life that day and now all she had left in her absence was a ghost. Calvin reached out to caress one of her silk pink robes and felt his eyes water. He cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes as he pulled his hand from the garment and turned to storm from the room.
Closing the door to his old chamber bedroom, he walked quietly down to the second floor where he heard his son's laughter come from the library. Calvin approached the door and gently pushed it open. There before the crackling fire sat Ettie, a velvet blush on her face as Henry rolled on the floor filled in laughter.
"Oh Ettie, I can picture it!" he chuckled.
"It is not easy trying to take the eggs from hens that have already begun to grow an attachment to it. I rushed from the hen house screaming, I was only eight years old at the time, but dear me, did I really get a fright that day," she laughed.
"Tell me more, tell me another story Ettie," he pleaded.
Calvin rested his back against the wall, making certain she did not utter a word of the incident. Instead, Ettie spoke of nothing but Lydia; she spoke of her with such admiration and kindness. It made his stomach turn as he dared to look through the crack of the door once again to find his son gently lay his head against her thigh.
"Tell me Ettie, did she love me?" Henry asked.
"She told me every day," she whispered.
"And my father did she love him?" he asked.
"There was not a moment where she did not tell me she did," she sighed.
"Tell me...why does my father frighten you Ettie," he asked.
His gaze fell unto Ettie as she smiled shyly to Henry. He waited her reply, surprisingly anxious to know what she thought of him. Calvin felt sweat form at his brow as he tried to move closer to the small opening. She hesitated before letting out a weighty sight.
"He is the Master of Potent Keep, who does he not intimidate," she replied.
"It's the way you said it, it was as if he intimidated you in a different manner. Has he offended you in any way, hurt you?" his son asked,
Calvin's heart suddenly escalated, thumping like a drum in time of war. A slithering hint of anger surface, gripping his throat shut. Would she dare say what happened? Surely, she would not dare, not to his child of all people. Her reply paralyzed the urge to want to reveal himself.
"Your father has been nothing but a kind man to me Henry. Although many might fear him because he is desolate and distant, I know he has a heart. You see, when your mother asked me to come live in this mansion...it was his decision in the end that kept me out of harm's way. No matter what they might say, there is kindness in him. It is the forged exterior he displays about the mansion that intimidates me, funny isn't it?" she chuckled.
He eased away from the door and quietly made his way back into his study where he took a seat before his writing table. His mind raced as he lifted a few papers in his hands, determined to distract his thoughts. However, Henrietta's last reply could not seem to vanish from his thoughts. She had been frightened of him long ago. Had he been wrong in implying that she wanted to manipulate him? Did he need any more evidence to see that she was clearly just upholding Lydia's request before she died? Calvin set his calligraphy pen unto his desk and rubbed his weary eyes, trying to compose his thoughts as he gave a loud sigh.
A rapping soon came and he composed his slouched position as he called for whoever stood at the door to enter.
"Master Potent, the girl still awaits," the headmistress reminded.
"I will be there in a moment," he replied.
He stood and adjusted his attire making certain he looked presentable as he strode out of his study, down the large staircase, and into the tearoom. To his surprise, a much younger maiden sat quietly sipping tea. Her hair curled in shinning locks of orange and red, her skin a perfect shade of pink. Calvin lowered his gaze allowing himself only a small glimpse of her. The maiden curtsied and smiled at him, her eyes that of emeralds as she reached out for Calvin to take her hand.
"It is such an honor to meet you Master Potent," she said. How many times had he heard how pleased they were to meet him? It was all a white lie no doubt. He was certain that if they had seen him reveal his true façade they would have squirmed at the sight of him. Much like Henrietta had done in the maid's chambers. When his stomach knotted at the thought of his mouth invading the silken warmth of her own, he pushed the memory away.
"Please, be seated, we have much to discuss," he replied. He made certain to make eye contact with the young girl but his mind seemed to drift in a different direction. It was evident to see he was attracted to the little minx. In the back of his mind, he realized this but he refused to admit it upfront. She was after all a woman.
Any man who lived for a long time without a woman's touch would feel drawn to her. She was simply a carnal crave that would soon drift to the far end of his mind. He inwardly smirked as the thought put him at ease. He felt he could think better as he gestured for the girl to take her seat. Calvin studied every movement of her hands and her replies.
He asked the same questions and waited for her to reply what many of them had already said. Boredom quickly settled as he watched her smile and giggle as if she had heard a joke.
What am I going to do about Henry? So far, none of these young girls have come close to gaining my interest. Will Henrietta forever be a shadow in my son's life? I cannot have her filling up his head with useless emotions. I must obtain my promise to Lydia if he is to grow up to be anything close to a man, he thought to himself.
The longer he pondered on it the more he realized no one would be fitting enough to fulfill Lydia's rank. With a defeated sigh, he stopped her chatter and stood. He had forgotten her name but that was the least of his problems.
"Have I offended you?" she asked, concerned.
"Not at all. I only seek to ask if you have brought your belongings," he forced himself to say.
"Well...no I never thought I would need them," she honestly replied.
"I'll have to make myself clear. I ask for your hand in marriage to provide my son with a mother that can raise him and teach him to be a proper gentleman, nothing more," he said.
Her face paled and her smile faded as she averted her gaze. "I never thought I would actually be chosen. I considered my chances slim to none," she muttered.
"I have very little time on my hands at the moment. I would like an answer by sundown." Calvin replied.
Without another word, he slipped from the tearoom knowing she would not disappoint him. No one did, except a specific someone he refused to acknowledge.
***
Ettie sat quietly on her bed as the rest of the maids entered the chambers, each one undressing to slip into their nightgowns. She wrapped the sheets tighter around herself as she laid her head to rest. The last thing she needed was for any of them to bicker about the incident today. There had been at least two of them outside. Clearly, they were confused about the whole ordeal and it was best that it stayed that way.
Closing her eyes, she pretended to be asleep once she heard the deep thuds of Mrs. Sally's heels clatter her way. Sweat formed at her brow as the sheets were suddenly ripped from her grasp. Ettie shot up in bed and looked at Mrs. Sally a bit confused. Mrs. Sally fisted the white sheets in her hands, a stern look covering her features.
"I have strict orders from the Master, he has asked that you abide by every command I bestow on you. You are to remain under my watch and away from his son. A suitable wife has been found and they will wed at the end of this week. Do not disappoint him or I, are we clear?" she sneered.
She tossed the sheets at Henrietta's feet and went on her way. As the door to the room shut, Ettie fought not to cry from the horrible news. She could feel the rest of the girls lingering eyes upon her. To avoid any eye contact she simply rested her head against her pillow and forced herself to close her eyes and fall asleep.
"Serves you right," one of them suddenly said.
Ettie turned to look at Heather, her blond curls shaping that of her heart shaped face. Her cheeks blushed with anger as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"What?" Ettie asked, confused.
"Trying to seduce the Master, really Ettie, you are clearly not bright at all. Whatever made you think that brute of a man would even consider looking at you?" she questioned.
Heather snuggled into her bed and scoffed at Ettie, her back turned from her as she laid her head on her pillow.
"I heard he fell for it, Cassia claimed to have seen them kissing each other like hungry dogs inside the stables," another giggled.
"Did you really seduce the master and succeed?"
"What was it like? Did he have a fierce tongue?"
The bundle of maids began to chatter and laugh amongst them. Henrietta's face grew red as she tossed the sheets over her head. The encounter inside this very room had left her shaken. Where had the master gotten such foolish thoughts? Had she mistakenly presented herself as a seducer?
Closing her eyes, she fought to blank her mind but today had been such a hectic day. As much as she wanted to ignore the boldness of Master Potent, her curiosity would not let her.
Had she been more swooned than frightened she would have remembered how it all felt. All she could recall was being scared out of her wits. No man had dared to touch her much less kiss her as he had.
"We are doomed to work here forever as old hags, the only other way out of this hell would be to escape on a ship towards Sovereignty, the land of freedom," said another.
Ettie paid no mind to their bickering. It haunted her still, to feel the master's large and strong hands on her skin. It frightened her and still she could not help but feel somewhat of curiosity spark in her as she closed her eyes. Why had the master kissed her? If she was clearly of no interests to him what on earth had led him to do such a bold deed?