The Stranger- Chapter 2

I sat in the chair in silence for a bit, eating the rest of my ice cream and getting up to leave. Mariam came up and blinked in confusion,

"Where is Mr. Inkcrest?"

"He left... There was an unexpected guest, so to speak."

"Was it that Larissa?"

I sighed, "Yes..."

She sighed with me, "That young lady sure does know how to make a temper rise. Honestly, it astounds me that no one else except you has told her what her place really is." Mariam stared at the money on the table and smiled back at me, "Have a wonderful day, then, Miss Drevensek."

"You too." I scooped up my sketchbook and left, standing out in front of the restaurant to look at the clear afternoon skies. July 2, 1899, another beautiful day. The slightest breeze swished my hair, and I searched the streets for Kendell. He was nowhere in sight. I cursed Larissa for barging in on us, and decided I might as well give him some time alone. My heart ached for him, for all he's been through in his life. What would a spoiled daughter of a lord like me know? He had to rely on drugs and gambling to keep himself sane, and many people in the town treated him awfully for it. Once they got to know him I'm sure they wouldn't feel as they do now. But no one wanted to take the chance. Except me, of course…

God, how I wanted to help that poor boy.

I guess you could say I was slightly... infatuated. But definitely nowhere near love. I could never love a man at this age. It was too... Binding.

I skipped down the road until I came to the bottom of the hill that lead to my father’s manor. There was nothing else in town to do at the moment, so why not spend the rest of my day in the comfort of my home? And besides, my dress was starting to irritate me.

I all but ran up the hill and up the steps of the manor. When I got inside, I ran upstairs. I passed my father’s lounge, and he called out,

“Now where do you think you’re going, Annabelle? Nichole won’t appreciate you running in the house.”

I backed up and smiled at him through the doorway. He was sitting in his favorite red chair reading, for what must have been the hundredth time, “Around the World in Eighty Days”.

“I know, father.”

“What are you doing home now, anyway? Shouldn’t you be taking your walk to the pond, or somewhere out in town?”

I sighed, “I was…”

He read my face and frowned, “Come sit down and tell me what happened.”

I told him about my stroll with Kendell and how we went to the restaurant, and how Larissa so rudely interrupted our chat, which caused me to explain this morning’s incident at church. I always hated explaining things.

My father sighed with me, “That girl is rotten to the core. And so is that boy Kendell!”

“Father…”

He sighed again, “Yes, yes, Mr. Inkcrest is your friend, I know. And what is this about Father Patterson? Has he gone mad?”

“Apparently so,” I huffed. I meant no disrespect, but the intolerance these people had for me was simply absurd.

“It’s alright, petal. As long as I’m alive, you’ll never be in any true danger, you know this. I could never allow you to be hurt.”

I couldn’t help but to smile, “Thank you, Father. Now if you don’t mind, I wish to change out of this dress.”

“And back to the pants and shirts she goes, “my father chuckled, “Alright.”

I smiled and wandered back out into the hallway. One of our maids, Katherine, smiled at me as she walked towards me,

“Hello, Miss Drevensek.”

“Katherine, how many times must I remind you to call me Annabelle?”

She looked down in embarrassment, “I-I’m sorry, it just seems so… informal…”

“Don’t worry about it. I do hate formality anyway, as you know,” I winked and she laughed heartily.

“How could I ever forget? Is there anything I can get for you today?”

“Oh no, I’m fine. Thank you anyway.”

She nodded and I continued down the hall to my room. My room was my everything. The walls were painted a deep brooding purple, the curtains and silk bedspread a slightly lighter color. A dark purple canopy hung above the bed. A grand piano covered with blank sheet music and a violin sat in one corner of the room, my art supplies and writing desk in the other. The vanity sat in the last corner, along with my closet. This was where I created everything, from music to stories to art. Some days I wouldn’t even leave my room. The maids would just bring my meals up.

I stared lovingly at my piano for a few minutes before I walked to my closet. I managed to undo my dress and corset by myself, although it took a bit longer than I anticipated. Tossing the white pile of fabric to the ground, I sat in just my underclothing as I ran through the clothes in my closet. I found another more practical white corset that covered everything well and a simple white blouse with black pants. Out of stubbornness, I had learned how to put on a corset myself. When it was on, I heard the door creak open and I turned around, expecting a maid.

“Oh, I’m sorry Annabelle!” Kendell had walked in and stood blushing as he eyed me.

“Damn it, Kendell…” I sighed and crooked a finger, motioning him to come in and close the door. I didn’t care if he saw me without proper clothing on.

“No, no, I shouldn’t see you like this-“

“Just get in here.”

He timidly scurried in and closed the door, shying his eyes away from me. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his embarrassment. I turned to face him as I pulled on my pants and work boots, then put on my blouse, leaving it slightly unbuttoned.

“I thought you would enjoy seeing a woman in her underclothing,” I smirked.

“Ah-I-well, you know-“

My laughter cut him off. “I’m astonished at your reaction.”

Kendell blushed deeper, “Well, I can’t help it! Anyone else and I wouldn’t have cared!”

This caught my interest. I looked at him with amusement, “Oh? What do you mean by that?” Soft chuckles continued to escape my lips.

I swear, I could almost hear the pounding of his heart from across the room. He stuttered, “It’s j-just so forbidden, s-seeing you that way…” Kendell eyed me again with lust.

Forbidden because I was a friend and a lord’s daughter. These were his reasons, I could read it off his face. I sighed, “Ugh, forbidden. You know how I hate being treated like I’m any higher than others. And please, do tell me what you decided to stop by for.”

He sighed as well, “I’m sorry for leaving at the restaurant.”

“Oh, don’t be. That harlot Larissa was so rudely speaking of things that were not her business. I should be apologizing to you for that.”

Kendell smiled, “Thank you for understanding.”

“Of course.”

He sat on my bed and reclined, his hands behind his head, “Care to make up for the lost time?” That devilish smirk crossed his face and I couldn’t help but smirk back.

“Mr. Inkcrest, what are you implying we do?” I jumped up on the bed next to him.

Kendell rolled on top of me, pinning me down with his hands on my shoulders. The smirk never left his face as a mischievous gleam crossed his eyes. He bent his head to my ear and whispered, “Well, I was thinking we could fool around a bit…”

I rolled him over and leaned over him, grinning, “Absolutely not! I wish to keep my innocence for as long as possible and you aren’t taking it. Unless you want to marry me, of course. Then it would be all yours…”

The look on Kendell’s face suggested he was actually considering it before he pouted, “What an offer. But you and I both hate the idea of marriage, sweet Annabelle, so I guess I will just have to try harder for your love.” He feigned a serious nature, one of his strong hands curling into my hair that brushed his chest as I leaned over him. I smiled and let my gaze flicker down to his beautiful red lips, then back to his blue eyes. They looked a deeper blue in the dim light of my room, sparkling like a lake. Kendell was my best friend, my only friend, and my piece of living artwork. I cherished him.

The door creaked open again and I heard a gasp. I laughed as I turned to see Katherine staring at us in shock. The young maid, no older than twenty five, blushed a deep red and looked down at her shoes, “I’m so sorry, Miss Dre- I mean, Annabelle! I didn’t know you were busy…”

Now it was Kendell’s turn to laugh, “Katherine, we weren’t doing anything we shouldn’t have. We’re just friends.”

A small dagger of pain ran through me as he said that, but I shrugged it off. He was right, we were friends, only friends. And that alone was wonderful. Katherine chuckled and spoke,

“Well, you certainly could have fooled me. If I had ever seen love, this would be it. Anyway, I had come to take your clothes down to be washed…” She walked over and collected the heap of clothe that was my dress.

“If I had ever seen love, this would be it.”

Was it really? I smiled and looked down at Kendell, who must have had the same thoughts. He met my eye and his cheeks rouged again. It was confusing, because I didn’t know what I exactly felt towards him. But I could tell by his reactions that he felt something for me.

“Well, I’ll be going… Don’t do anything sinful, you two.” Katherine smirked at us and disappeared back out the door into the hallway.

I got off the bed and straightened out my blouse. Kendell sat up and stared at me with curiosity, “What are you doing?”

“Let’s dance.”

His face blanked at my words. “Dance? With no music?”

“Dream it, Kendell. Move with me.”

A smile broke out on his flawless face and he got up off the bed, clasping his hands around my waist. He began to follow my random movements as blissful piano music ran through my mind. We twirled and twisted for the longest time, our laughter the true music in the air. The dancing slowed, and Kendell pulled me up against him. His arm curled around my waist and he stared into my eyes, then whispered softly,

“Why can’t all the young women in this town be like you?”

I was flattered, “Because then you would never take a second glance at me. There’d be so many copies, they’d all be the same to you.”

Kendell smiled, “No, I’d take a second glance. And a third, and a fourth, and a fifth…” I giggled as he rested his head on top of mine, “I’d want the original, not the copies… Only you, Annabelle Delilah Drevensek.”

My heart fluttered in my chest. His beautiful blue eyes slipped shut and his head dipped in towards mine. I let my eyes close and reached up as well.

Before our lips could meet, the door flew open and my father stood in the doorway smirking. Kendell and I jumped and I stared in disbelief. He interrupted us on purpose!

“Dear Annabelle, dinner is ready. You can join us if you’d like, Mr. Inkcrest.”

My head turned back to Kendell and I bit my lip. He looked at me and smiled uneasily, “Thank you, Lord Drevensek, of course I will.”

“Please, call me James.” My father turned on his heel and continued back down the hallway, walking confidently.

The awkward silence was left between us. I sighed and was about to step away, but Kendell kept me close. He dropped his head into my shoulder and ran his hand through my hair. I bit back a shiver as his voice, low and husky, murmured,

“You drive me mad, woman…”

My face was in flames, truly. Why was he being this way now? My heart wasn’t fluttering anymore, it was hammering. A pounding beast in my chest.  I leaned up and kissed him softly on the cheek, then turned and beckoned him to follow me down the hall.

Reviews

[Wolfwind]

I loved the personalities that are shining through on Annabelle and this boy Kendell. The scene in her bedroom was priceless, as the emotions and description painted both humor and the hint of young romance.
I also enjoy how you are bringing the father across as a more laid back individual, I can see how he has had an effect on Annabelle's on personality.

Great Chapter!
Aaron

[Review]

somethings up with that Kendell kid i just know it