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Authors: Catherine Winchester
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place.”
“But I will be blamed,” she said, collapsing into a chair by the fire.
The door then burst open and Richard came in. He quickly took in the pale Annabelle and the anger on his mother’s face.
“Mother , what’s happened?”
“I’ m not quite sure.” Lavinia admitted. Then came a knock at the door. “Ah that will be the tea.” She opened the door to the servant and took the tray from her. “Thank you, that will be all.”
Richard placed an ornamental table by the fire, which she set the tray upon.
“You’re cold,” Richard noted as he saw Annabelle shivering. “Shall I light the fire?”
“No, I’m fine.”
So instead , he removed his frock coat and placed it around her shoulders. She didn’t argue and pulled it closer around her, slipping her arms into the sleeves. Lavinia then handed her a cup of strong, sweet tea which she sipped with slightly trembling hands.
“Perhaps you had better tell us the whole story,” she suggested.
Annabelle nodded.
Lavinia took the other chair and Richard knelt on the floor beside Annabelle.
“ Frederick always resented my mother; he felt that she had taken his place in the family. They fought dreadfully, until he struck my mother and was finally banished. When I came along, things only got worse. My father used to like to bring me out when we had guests over and show me off. He would have me play the piano, or perform a dance or recite poetry. Of course, word of all this got back to Frederick.”
“He can’t have liked that,” Lavinia agreed.
“No, but then he didn’t understand our father. He wasn’t the devil, but he was an entirely selfish man who cared only for his own needs. He didn’t care who else got hurt as long as he was happy. I was never shown off to these people on my own merits but only as his offspring, as a reflection on him. The way one might show off a pretty vase that they have recently purchased. He hit my mother on many occasions but we were his possessions you see, so he was allowed. Frederick was not because we belonged to father. Father much preferred women to his son because women flattered his ego and they were status symbols that he could show off to his peers, you see, which left Frederick constantly vying for the affections of a man who could see no real value in him. Of course, he saw no real value in Mother and me either.”
“And Frederick was too blind to see the difference.” Richard surmised.
“Quite. As soon as the guests left, we were put away in our boxes, too insignificant to be bothered with, until he had an audience again and we would be brought out once more.”
“That doesn’t account for the fear that Frederick struck into your heart.” Lavinia said kindly.
“No, that happened after Father died. ” Annabelle kept her eyes focused on her tea cup, unwilling to look at them as she confessed the rest. “Frederick returned home as soon as he heard and began lording it over Mother and me. Mother was already succumbing to insanity by then, so he took his anger out on me. I wanted to leave but we were stuck there until the will was read because we had no money, save for what we might be left in the will. When Frederick found out that I had been left an inheritance in lieu of my dowry, he was furious and that night when we got home, he attacked me.”
She took a long sip of her tea and when she had finished, Richard took the cup and saucer away from her, then clasped her hands.
“I fought him as best I could, then I finally got a hold of a candelabra that had been knocked over in our struggle. The scar on his forehead that runs into his hair line, that’s what I did to him that night.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Bruises…” She swallowed. “He- he tore most of my gown from me before I could stop him. He put his hands…”
“You don’t need to continue if it’s painful.” Lavinia assured her.
Annabelle nodded gratefully but Richard still needed to know.
“Did he…
“But I will be blamed,” she said, collapsing into a chair by the fire.
The door then burst open and Richard came in. He quickly took in the pale Annabelle and the anger on his mother’s face.
“Mother , what’s happened?”
“I’ m not quite sure.” Lavinia admitted. Then came a knock at the door. “Ah that will be the tea.” She opened the door to the servant and took the tray from her. “Thank you, that will be all.”
Richard placed an ornamental table by the fire, which she set the tray upon.
“You’re cold,” Richard noted as he saw Annabelle shivering. “Shall I light the fire?”
“No, I’m fine.”
So instead , he removed his frock coat and placed it around her shoulders. She didn’t argue and pulled it closer around her, slipping her arms into the sleeves. Lavinia then handed her a cup of strong, sweet tea which she sipped with slightly trembling hands.
“Perhaps you had better tell us the whole story,” she suggested.
Annabelle nodded.
Lavinia took the other chair and Richard knelt on the floor beside Annabelle.
“ Frederick always resented my mother; he felt that she had taken his place in the family. They fought dreadfully, until he struck my mother and was finally banished. When I came along, things only got worse. My father used to like to bring me out when we had guests over and show me off. He would have me play the piano, or perform a dance or recite poetry. Of course, word of all this got back to Frederick.”
“He can’t have liked that,” Lavinia agreed.
“No, but then he didn’t understand our father. He wasn’t the devil, but he was an entirely selfish man who cared only for his own needs. He didn’t care who else got hurt as long as he was happy. I was never shown off to these people on my own merits but only as his offspring, as a reflection on him. The way one might show off a pretty vase that they have recently purchased. He hit my mother on many occasions but we were his possessions you see, so he was allowed. Frederick was not because we belonged to father. Father much preferred women to his son because women flattered his ego and they were status symbols that he could show off to his peers, you see, which left Frederick constantly vying for the affections of a man who could see no real value in him. Of course, he saw no real value in Mother and me either.”
“And Frederick was too blind to see the difference.” Richard surmised.
“Quite. As soon as the guests left, we were put away in our boxes, too insignificant to be bothered with, until he had an audience again and we would be brought out once more.”
“That doesn’t account for the fear that Frederick struck into your heart.” Lavinia said kindly.
“No, that happened after Father died. ” Annabelle kept her eyes focused on her tea cup, unwilling to look at them as she confessed the rest. “Frederick returned home as soon as he heard and began lording it over Mother and me. Mother was already succumbing to insanity by then, so he took his anger out on me. I wanted to leave but we were stuck there until the will was read because we had no money, save for what we might be left in the will. When Frederick found out that I had been left an inheritance in lieu of my dowry, he was furious and that night when we got home, he attacked me.”
She took a long sip of her tea and when she had finished, Richard took the cup and saucer away from her, then clasped her hands.
“I fought him as best I could, then I finally got a hold of a candelabra that had been knocked over in our struggle. The scar on his forehead that runs into his hair line, that’s what I did to him that night.”
“Did he hurt you?”
“Bruises…” She swallowed. “He- he tore most of my gown from me before I could stop him. He put his hands…”
“You don’t need to continue if it’s painful.” Lavinia assured her.
Annabelle nodded gratefully but Richard still needed to know.
“Did he…
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