by annie nadine
“Just a moment, Baden,” she said as she wrapped her arms around her waist. He paused and looked to her. “Will you come back?” Her voice seemed to have a different kind of pain amongst it with her question. A pain not caused by physical wounds but as if there was somewhere in her soul that hurt to keep him near.
He could feel that she almost needed him to come back and it made him feel guilty. Why on earth would she want him to come back? She didn’t even know him. It concerned him that she seemed to be so careless when it came to her own safety and who she trusted. He just watched her as she stood there, waiting…hoping for him to say yes.
The faint light coming from the manor reached only part of his face and she tried desperately to take in as much as she could.
“I…” Before he could finish his answer he heard someone coming towards the door. “I must go.” Then he was gone.
Annie blinked trying to see if she could see him off in the night but it was too dark. Before sorrow from his absence could set in Rosemary opened the door and the light flooded onto Annie. She squinted her eyes from the bright contrast and winced from the now agony in her chest.
“Heavens above, Annie!” Rosemary’s voice conveyed her horror at the state her friend was in. She grabbed Annie as she fell through the doorway, trying to hold her up as best she could. “Micah!” Rosemary screamed into the room.
Micah was quick to respond and took Annie in his arms. Somehow they didn’t feel as comforting to Annie as Baden’s arms had. He took her to her room, which was just off the kitchen. There was a little corridor with a few rooms which was where the help slept and lived. Rosemary opened the door for them and lit a few candles as Micah laid Annie on the bed. It was a small bed with just one white quilt. The rest of the room was bare except for a set of small draws, a reading chair and a small window.
“I will get some warm water and a wash cloth,” Rosemary said on her way out. Annie just tried not to focus on the pain as Micah knelt next to her bed and held her hand.
“Annie, what happened?” He asked, tears filling his eyes. She looked over to him feeling guilty for causing his sorrow.
“I became impatient waiting for you to come back. I decided to take a quicker way by going through the graveyard but someone was there…he attacked me.” She took a moment for a breath.
“How did you get away?” Micah asked, disturbed by what had happened.
“There was another man who came along and helped me,” she answered. A lovely man, she thought hazily.
“Who was he?” Micah asked but she had already passed out from her pain and exertion.
CHAPTER 3
Annie woke in her bed. Her ribs were still sore but she was able to breathe more easily. She heard a noise from the corner of the room and looked to see what it was.
“Micah,” she whispered when she saw him. He looked up from where he sat on the reading chair and closed the book he was reading. He quickly set it down and rushed to her side, kneeling beside her bed.
“How are you feeling?” He asked searching her face for any signs of pain.
“Much better than how you found me. How long have I been asleep?” She asked still trying to wake up.
“You have slept for almost two days,” Micah sounded alarmed.
“What has Miss Danes said?” Annie was concerned about her reaction, never mind the fact that she was almost killed.
“Nothing, just to let you rest,” he assured. Annie felt relieved and frankly, a little shocked by her compassion. It was so out of character for Miss Danes. “The physician said you were quite bruised but nothing was broken. Rosemary has been taking care of you and I have been minding you.”
“You both are too kind,” she thanked him.
“Annie, the man that attacked you was found…” Micah waited for her reaction. She was a little stunned by what he said.
“Where is he?” Annie asked.
“He is dead.” His words came out rather blunt.
“What do you mean? What is going on?” She asked confused as she tried to think back.
“He was found it the graveyard…” Micah hesitated on the next words. He knew Annie was a strong person but he felt the need to protect her.
“What, Micah?” She prompted him.
“He was murdered,” he said in disbelief. Annie’s eyes narrowed as she tried to remember what she had seen. “Do you remember anything of the man that helped you?”
“Uh…” Annie hesitated.
Baden…they thought Baden did this? She tried to think back to the night in question. Maybe Baden had killed her attacker? She felt unnerved by the thought but if he was a murderer then why had he been so kind with her? She thought the best thing for her to do was tell Micah what happened. After all, she always told him everything and this now seemed to be a police matter.
But there was something inside her that didn’t want to tell so, for reasons she didn’t know, she kept it to herself.
“I cannot remember,” she lied. She felt guilty for lying to him but it wasn’t enough to change her mind. “It was dark and I was in too much pain.”
Micah’s eyes narrowed, in what she thought was suspicion, but he simply nodded and took her at her word. This made her feel even more guilt but it didn’t stop her from keeping the information a secret. Rosemary hurried into the room and closed the door quickly.
“Annie, are you feeling well enough at the present time?” She asked standing against the door as if she was blocking someone from opening it.
“Yes, I do. Why?” Annie answered with half a smile on her face at Rosemary’s peculiar stance.
“Well, Mr. Brighton is here. He sometimes works with the authorities on investigations and he is here to question you about the attack.” Rosemary sounded as surprised as she looked.
“Well…if he must then he must. Can you help me get dressed?” Annie asked her. She began to try and sit up but struggled and Rosemary quickly waved her back down.
“He said it would be fine if you needed to stay resting in bed. He can question you in here.” Rosemary walked over and started helping her sit up against the plain, wooden bedhead.
“Alone?” Micah asked sounding utterly appalled.
“Yes, Micah! He is working for the police. It will be fine,” Rosemary assured. She pulled the blankets up around Annie’s chest and smoothed her hair back to make her a little more presentable. Annie was internally panicking as she silently prepared herself for the interrogation.
“Then why can we not remain in the room?” Micah stood as if he was ready for battle. Rosemary took him by the arm and fluttered her other hand about in the air.
“Stop being so unreasonable, Micah,” Rosemary said as she pushed him out of the room. She closed the door as if this would confine him. As she turned to go back to Annie Micah defiantly stuck his head back in the room.
“Then I will be outside this door for every moment of the interview,” Micah announced. Rosemary swept him back out the door and closed it again, this time it remained closed. She went and sat on the bed beside Annie.
“Do no fret. Everything will be fine. After the interview is over you will be able to go back to your everyday life,” Rosemary promised her. Annie simply nodded, hoping she would be able to keep herself together.
As Eli approached Annie’s room he stopped when he saw Micah waiting impatiently outside the door.
“Is Annie fine to take the interview?” Eli asked.
“Apparently so,” Micah responded harshly. “I will be right outside this door if she needs me,” he warned.
Micah seemed to forget who he was speaking to but Eli wasn’t offended. It appeared that Micah was just trying to protect Annie and he couldn’t fault him for that, as long as it was sincere. Eli’s mouth turned up in a crooked smile suggesting something unspoken and obscure between them. Rosemary came out of the room and stopped abruptly when she saw Eli, surprised that he was already there.
“She is ready for you now, Mr. Brighton.” Rosemar
y moved away from the door to let him past.
“Thank you,” he said respectfully as he walked into the room. She closed the door behind him.
“Why did you close the door?” Micah whispered agitatedly.
“Micah, you are simply impossible. Do not interrupt them,” she warned as she made her way back to the kitchen. He turned back to the door and stared at it, as if by doing so he would be able to see through it. Needless to say, it didn’t work.
Inside the room Eli stood inspecting Annie from across the space. He pulled out a little leather notebook from his jacket and a small metal writing utensil.
“What is that?” Annie asked curiously, straining to get a better look. It was hard to see the detail from across the room.
“This?” Eli lifted the pen like design for her to see. She nodded. “I use it to write.”
“Do you not use a quill?” She wondered, fascinated by the object.
“Ink and quill I found tiresome to carry. I based this off the designs of a caliph of the Maghreb, he ruled in the tenth century. He requested a device to write with in which he ‘could not stain his hands or clothes’. He was given a device where the ink was in a reservoir residing in the shaft and did not leak when upside down. Or so the records say.” He pointed to the length of the pen. “I just refined the design a little.”
“And what is it made from?” Annie had never seen anything like it, she was surprised at the detail and research of the information she was told. She loved learning and she liked how he was so thorough. The metal was lustrous and reflective like a mirror but with a shiny, steely-grey colour. Eli smiled a little at her perceptiveness.
“It is called Chromium. A type of metal that is strong but malleable. It is quite a recent discovery, 1797 actually. It has a few unique uses,” he explained, admiring the metal.
“Such as?” Annie was riveted, she took in knowledge like a sponge soaked up water. He looked to her a little suspiciously, as if she knew more than she should.
“Anyone would think I was the one being interviewed.” He changed the subject smoothly and she became nervous. He pulled the chair over that Micah had been sitting on and sat close to her near the bed. He smiled before he spoke. “So tell me what happened, Annie,” he asked. She swallowed hard from the nerves.
“Well, I was meant to wait for Micah to come back to the markets to retrieve me. I became impatient and decided to walk home. I decided to take the faster way through the graveyard. I heard someone following me so I ran but they caught up to me. That is when they attacked me,” she recounted. She tried to list what happened so she wouldn’t have to give much detail.
“And what did they do?” Eli asked. So far he hadn’t written anything but he had his pen poised, ready to write.
“He…” Annie paused. She thought it would sound crazy if she said what the attacker did. Who could throw someone that far?
“You can tell me, Annie.” Something in his voice spurred her on.
“He threw me and I landed against a tombstone,” she said. “It sounds impossible but I promise it happened.” Eli was writing something, when he was done he looked back to her with a ready smile.
“I believe you,” he assured. “Now tell me of the one who helped you?” He made certain he didn’t say any specifics so she would be the one defining the helper’s characteristics.
“I was unable to see clearly but he fought off the attacker then helped me.” She kept it as simple as she could.
“Where did he come from?” Eli questioned.
“I am not sure. As I said, it was hard to see.”
“And how do you know it was a man?” Eli started writing again.
“What woman that you know of could fight off an attacker so easily?” She asked a question to avoid having to answer.
“How did he help you?” This time he looked up to watch her face as she answered.
“He carried me back to the manor.” She tried to pre-empt his next questions so she could think of better answers.
“He carried you the whole way, in the dark?” Eli asked looking a little surprised. Annie simply nodded. “And he said absolutely nothing to you?”
“He asked if I was hurt.”
“So you knew it was a man because of his voice, not just because he could fend off an attacker?” Eli caught her out in her omission.
“I suppose, yes.” Her nerves doubled instantly. What was she trying to hide anyway? Eli took notes.
“And what did his voice sound like?” He asked.
“It was…a man’s voice.” She tried to avoid answering but Eli had caught onto her tactic.
“Was it deep?” He probed, looking up when she didn’t speak. She thought for a moment and decided that it was so she nodded. “Husky?” She shook her head. “Clear?”
“Smooth,” she accidentally said reminiscing Baden’s voice. Eli wrote.
“What was his manner like?”
“He was gentle and caring,” she explained. He paused before he looked up, brows slightly furrowed in confusion.
“Did he say anything else?”
“He asked my age and suggested I try to sleep,” she said.
“What happened when you came upon the manor?” Eli asked as he continued to write.
“He said he had to leave and left me at the door. That is when Rosemary found me.” Annie finished the recount, happy to be done.
“Why did he not come in?” Eli asked pointedly. Annie shrugged her shoulders unable to think of an answer. She honestly didn’t know why he hadn’t stayed with her but she wished that he had.
“Did you see his face at all?” Eli watched her closely. She just shook her head. “Did he tell you his name?” Annie hesitated, this would be her first actual lie not just an omission. Why was she going to lie anyway? She had no answer for herself. So without knowing the reason, she lied to protect Baden.
“No,” she said evenly. Eli looked at her as if he could tell she was lying but he decided to let it drop.
“May I check something, Annie?” Eli asked looking at her neck.
“Yes,” she said nervously. Eli stood and moved over to her. He placed his notepad and pen on the bed and slowly lifted his hands. He placed a hand either side of her neck and softly felt along her skin. He lifted her hair and inspected her neck.
“What are you looking for?” Her voice was shaky, she had never had a man touch her so intimately before. He stepped back and looked at her for a moment, glancing down at her wrists. He reached down and felt along the unmarked skin of her inner forearms. When he was done he picked up his belongings and took a step back.
“That will be all for now, Annie.” He smiled at her kindly.
“Thank you, Mr…” She stopped when he raised his eyebrows. “Eli,” she corrected herself, remembering their deal.
“No, thank you. If you remember anything else please contact me.” He wrote down his address and handed it to her. “In fact, feel free to contact me for anything.”
She took the paper and as she did he winked at her. Micah chose that moment to burst through the door and disrupt the interview.
“We are done for now,” Eli said to Micah as if he had expected the interruption. Eli left without another word and Micah’s eyes trailed after him as he walked away.
“How did it go?” Micah asked when they were alone.
“As well as expected.” She smiled falsely, hoping that she hadn’t given Baden away.
CHAPTER 4
A few days later Annie was feeling much better and she woke up early after a restful sleep. She had spent most of her time thinking of Baden and hoping she would get the chance to see him again. She started to feel a little crazy, thinking of this stranger so often. She dressed for the day in a simple, black dress and tied her hair up before she went into the kitchen.
“Annie, what are you doing?” Rosemary asked, frozen in complete shock that she was even out of bed.
“I am feeling better and I want to help,” Annie answered as she sta
rted on the preparation for breakfast. After Rosemary moved past her initial surprise, she saw Annie’s resolve and decided not to question her. Even though she was tempted to drag her back to bed and force her to rest.
“If you feel you are up to it then there is no problem. But let me braid your hair so you will not have to wear it atop your head. It may give you a headache.” Rosemary sat her down on a chair and gathered her hair to start the braid.
