By: Lillabeth B.
Duke Everlark's room was twice the
size of Lady Hermione's, with high ceilings and an elegant silver chandelier
with diamonds embedded into its arms. The walls were barely visible, for before
them were shelves and shelves of books, books of every size, shape, and color. Dark
oak ladders attached to golden rods that ran around the room, allowing access
to the highest shelves. In the far right corner of the room, a cushioned
leather chair sat beside a tall lamp. In another corner, a large bed with a
carved mahogany headboard and shining tan covers. The gleaming oak floor was
clearly visible.
In
the center of the room, with his back to the door, was Duke Francis Everlark.
He wore shiny leather shoes under pristine navy blue pants, and a white
pinstripe shirt peaked up from behind a slim red velvet vest and stretched
along his arms. His light red hair with streaks of white was neatly parted to
the right.
Her
skirts gathered in her hands, Lady Everlark walked elegantly into the room, her
chin held high, a delicate smile gleaming in her face.
"Still
awake this late?" Duke Everlark said as he turned to face her, revealing
crystal blue eyes, a small nose, a light red and white beard, and a warm smile.
Hermione
lowered her head and curtseyed low. "Yes, your Grace. Speeding through the
air, the view is amazing. What a sense of bliss and serenity."
The
Duke's smile disappeared and he turned his back once more. "Hermione, I've
told you many times before that there's no need to curtsey or use 'your Grace'
in my presence. I am your father after all."
The
Duke's daughter rose, her body more relaxed, but her expression was one of
indignation. "I was only practicing, Father. I would like my etiquette to
be impeccable when I stand before the king."
"That
is not why you curtseyed," he contradicted her, "but I won't waste my
time on adolescent quarrels. I called you here on account of a different
matter." Expressions of astonishment, anger, great annoyance, and defiance
passed over Hermione's face in an infinitely surprisingly short period. Duke
Everlark was not, unfortunately for him, looking, and so when he glanced over
his shoulder he saw only an expression of intent curiosity plastered on his
daughter's face.
“This is not the first time I’ve
flown on this airship,” Duke Everlark explained, his back still to Hermione. “I
did so many years before, and it was on that flight that you were born.”
“So my mother was on the ship!” Lady
Everlark’s brow furrowed intensely the gears of her
mind beginning to turn.
“Indeed,” her father responded, “I’ll admit that there
are some signs of her presence on board; but I must insist that you not look
for them.”
Needless to say, Hermione was more than a
little startled.
She rushed toward Duke Everlark.
“How do you mean?”
Despite the fact that Lady Everlark’s
mouth was mere inches from his neck, he did not flinch. “I’ve
instructed the captain to make sure you don’t
go beyond the residential area of the Crowned
Tawny, and do not stray into the engine room, the airmen’s
or servant’s quarters, and especially not the Observation
Deck.”
“Not
the Observation Deck!” Hermione took another step. “Father, you can’t!”
She was yelling now, obviously intensely angered. This show of ferocity did
cause the Duke to move, turning to face her and backing away, a stubborn glint
in his cold blue eyes, once warm and gentle.
“Hermione Harriet Francis Everlark,
you will not raise your voice to me and you will respect my personal space!”
With that the Lady hiked up her skirts and rushed forward. Duke Everlark made a
gesture to his guards, who wore black pants and bright red coats emblazoned
with a golden coat of arms.
“Indeed I will! You can’t
take away my liberty, Father. This has gone on long enough!” Hermione hurried toward her father with raised fist, and was preparing to strike
him when his guards reached out, took both of her arms and pulled her back
toward the mahogany double doors.
Most
would expect a lady to scream or faint, but Hermione only grunted and attempted
to kick the guards, but to no avail, as her short legs could not reach far
enough to make contact. But her voice would not be silenced “Father! Stop this
madness! I just want to live my…" but she was cut off as the guards opened
the doors with their free hands and thrust her out into the hallway.
Lady
Everlark fell on her knees and turned to just in time to see the doors close
with a bang. "Whoa there, Hermy," a voice with a cockney accent, and
Hermione saw Madeline Hinny, the cook's daughter and Hermy's new friend,
running down the hall toward her, a silver tray of lemon cakes teetering
dangerously in her hand.
"Maddie!
Just who, I need! Here," the Lady wheezed, short of breath, and her long,
delicate fingers reached around to the back of her dress, where she began to
undo the bow that held a white rope in place. The rope wound through the fabric
of the dress, making it tight, but as she pulled on the bow, the rope loosened
just enough to reveal another winding on another piece of fabric wrapped around
her stomach. The fabric was obviously suppressing her breathing. "Undo my
corset."
Maddie looked shocked as she set the
tray on the ground with a clatter. "Hermy... It's not ladylike."
"Do it!" Hermy commanded
on her last breath, and the servant girl hurriedly knelt down and untied the
bow, then laced her short, stubby fingers through the rope and pulled the two
parts of the fabric away from each other. Lady Everlark reached back and pulled
the rope clean out, and then removed the entire corset. She began taking deep
breaths.
"I
really don't understand the use of those horrid things," Hermy said as she
recovered. "Certainly not the thing for your everyday girl on the
town."
"Well, you're no everyday maiden,
if I may say so, Hermy," Maddie replied, as confused as her friend was
relieved. "You could hear the racket all the way in the kitchens! Did your
father just throw you out of his room? What in the name of the sun and the moon
is happening?"
"Well,"
Hermy began, "It started a long time ago. When I was very young I would be
allowed to play in our backyard, which is about an acre in size; but that all
changed on my seventh birthday, when my father forbid me to ever leave the
house. I now only leave the house when Father goes on a trip and takes me with
him, and even then, it's straight into the carriage, straight onto the boat or
the train, and not a step outside until we arrive. And now, we're on an
airship, the trip I've been waiting for my entire life, and what does he do? He
forbids me to leave the residential area! He forbids me to go on the Observation
Deck!" With each phrase she threw her hands in the air in frustration.
"He stuffs me in a cage for the billionth time. This is not the first time
I've lashed out at him before. Sometimes this life just gets unbearable."
Maddie
sat down on the floor next to Hermy. "So...you had no friends?"
"Oh, I had friends, good
friends, but I didn't see them often. I'm very good friends with the Cardinal
of Southbay's eldest daughter, Rosianne, and the Prince of Netla's sister,
Michelangela, and even King Rona's youngest, Helga, but I only see them about
once every two years."
"Well,
I don't mean to be rude, but there is another reason I came here," Maddie
said gingerly. "I thought you said, when you were yelling, that your
father told the captain not to let you on the Observation Deck?" " Yes," Hermy said, cocking her
head in confusion, "Why?"
"Well," the young servent girl
said carefully, "the captain said he wanted to talk to you. He said he
wanted you to come meet him." She trailed off.
"Meet him where?" Hermy
pushed on.
"Well," Maddie began,
"He said for you to meet him on the Observation Deck."
At
this, Hermy cracked a most unladylike grin. "He's on my side! He wants me
to be able to go outside, and he's willing to disobey Father to do it! Oh, this
is brilliant!" And her smile was so contagious that Maddie couldn't have
resisted even if she'd wanted to.
"Here,
I'll show you how to get there," she said, grabbing Hermy's hand and
pulling her up.
And
off they walked together, two unlikely friends smiling together, leaving behind
two objects that marked the life they had and the life they would soon leave
behind; a corset and a tray of lemon cakes.
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