AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dusting off my skirts, I take the roast chicken into the dining room, unable to keep a smile from spreading across my face.
Everyone is already seated, even Cyprian and Amadeus, each wearing clean outfits as they glare at each other from across the table.
From the tight expression on Merelda's face, she's already impatient for the meal to be over and done with. Father, however, smiles at me, giving my arm a little squeeze as I serve him first.
“It smells heavenly, Hazel,” Father compliments before taking a bite.
“Tell us, Leoric, how were your travels?” Merelda asks, drawing his attention away from me and the meal.
I serve the rest of my family, avoiding the looks Cyprian and Amadeus shoot me, before taking my own seat. Picking at the food on my plate, I listen quietly as Father regales us with tales of his trip. From the dusty inns he stayed at and the strange characters he met along the road to the fine manor of his latest client, he spares no detail.
Merelda pretends to listen, her gaze mostly trained on her plate as she makes small sounds of absentminded acknowledgment at regular intervals. I do my best to ask the questions that she fails to.
Watching him, I can't help but feel that there's a new pinch to his eyes. A new tightness around his mouth. Try as I might, I can't seem to write it off as him just being travel weary.
“Next week, I'm expected back at the coast,” Father says, pushing his empty plate away. “Lord Savvas has commissioned three new books. All tales of the gods to be illustrated, and I'm afraid I'll be quite busy for the foreseeable future.”
“That's great news,” I say, perking up. “I'd be happy to help you illustrate them, Father.”
“I may just have to take you up on that,” he says, giving me a tired smile as he pushes his chair back. “However, if you'll all excuse me, I find that my travels have worn me quite thin.”
He stands, his brow furrowing for a moment as he sways on his feet.
“Father?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat in my chest as I jump up and hurry over to stand at his elbow.
I press a gentle hand to his side, but he waves me off. Merelda is at his side a second later, taking his weight as she wraps her arm around his waist and levels me with a look.
“See to it that dinner is cleaned up before going to bed, Hazel. I'll tend to your father.”
Father meets my gaze, giving me a small nod as if to assure me that he'll be fine. I take a small step away, but can't help linger a moment longer.
“I'm fine, Hazel,” he says, reaching out to cup my cheek briefly in the palm of his hand. “Nothing a good night's rest in my own bed won't fix.”
Still, I hesitate, watching until the two of them disappear upstairs. Part of me wants to follow after them, to make sure he's really all right, but I don't.
I have to trust that Merelda will take care of him and see to it that he gets the rest he needs. Still, it takes me another moment to force aside the pit my of worry in my stomach.
I'd better not get caught standing around, or Merelda will certainly find a way to punish me. Turning, I begin collecting the dishes from the table.
Thankfully, Cyprian and Amadeus have already disappeared, which is a small relief. As I clear the table, wash the dishes, and straighten up the kitchen, my worry only seems to grow. I can't help feeling as if I shouldn't have let Merelda handle things. That I should have insisted on helping take care of Father.
Merelda isn't exactly the most understanding. She may not see to it that he gets the rest he needs.
Hard as I try, I can't push the worry and regret from my mind.
It's not like Father to fall ill, even when traveling ... This thought haunts me as I finally make my way upstairs for the night.
Passing by my father's room, I note the flickering light beneath the door and find myself stopping just outside it. I hesitate for a second, glancing about the dark hall before stepping closer to press my ear to the wooden door.
Frowning, I hear urgent whispering from within. Closing my eyes, I try to focus, holding my breath in an effort to hear better.
“...honestly, Leoric. She is much too old to be this useless,” Merelda says, her tone harsh and demanding. “She does little around the house but mope and whine while you are away ... and you should have seen the state I caught her in not moments after you left!”
“I'm sure there must be some sort of misunderstanding--”
Merelda gasps, a strangled sob escaping her.
“How could you question me?” she wails. “Really, Leoric, if I didn't know better, I'd think you didn't care for me at all. You should know how much it pains me to tell you this, but they're my sons. I have to protect them, even if it means from your daughter, the little temptress. I will not allow her to drag our family into such a scandal as that. You should be thanking me for bringing this up before she ruins her own prospects.”
