The Eye of the Beholder by Elizabeth Darcy Read Free Book Online Page A

and one of the guest chambers! We shall be prepared to deal with whoever returns here in a fortnight's time."

Chapter 6: Papa Returns

    The wrath of my sisters had not cooled with time, and they were determined to see me punished from the moment Papa left until the moment he returned. They helped me even less than usual, creating messes throughout the cottage and leaving me alone to clean them while they went to court their smitten swains. I preferred their absence, though, for when they were home they were careful to make as many hurtful comments to me as possible.
    "Thomasina, I do believe I have had a change of heart," Rowena said. She rested indolently upon one of the exquisite chairs in our sitting room as I cleaned the chimney.
    "About what, dearest?" Thomasina asked lazily. She had brought her jewel case down from the room she shared with Rowena and her necklaces, bracelets, and earrings were strewn over every surface. I knew she would leave them there when she left, and she would claim it was my fault if any went missing.
    "I have decided that when Papa dies, I will allow Mirabelle to come live with me."
    My back stiffened at the sound of my name coming from her lips. She spoke it with a mocking emphasis on the last syllable. Gritting my teeth, I attacked the chimney with vigor, and was rewarded with a spray of ash that blackened me from head to toe, spilling across the floor and making a mess of the room, in spite of the old sheet I had laid across the floor to protect it.
    "You nearly spoiled my best dress, you clumsy idiot!" Thomasina cried in a hard voice.
    "She did it purposely," Rowena told her.
    They were doing their best to goad me into fighting with them, but no matter how much it pained me, I would not fight. I would not give them the satisfaction of knowing that they had once again angered and hurt me.
    "Of course she did. Horrible, dark little beast. She cannot help but be jealous of us, you know," Thomasina said.
    "As well she should be."
    "And why ever would you wish her to come live with you when Papa is gone?"
    "She is quite useful, you know, and I will be in want of good servants."
    Thomasina burst into cruel laughter. "I am ashamed I did not think of it myself! Why, only look at her. She certainly looks like a servant."
    "Come now, Thomasina, that is unkind. Most servants are better kept and not nearly as ugly as she is," Rowena replied. The two of them laughed, and I bent my head so that they could not see the tears that were gathering in my eyes.
    "I grow tired of this," Rowena yawned. "Surely it cannot still be too early to visit the Ashworths."
    "Surely not. Let us go now before another cloud of soot rains down upon us."
    My sisters left, closing the door behind them with a resounding slam. I could hear them laughing as they walked toward the lane. As the sound of their voices faded, I allowed my sense of self-pity to overtake me and wept for a few moments, soot running down my face in sludgy black rivers.
    Enough. This is precisely what they wanted , I told myself, and the thought stopped the flow of my tears. As I wiped my face with my dirty apron, I could not ignore the sick feeling in my stomach. Surely, Papa would be home soon.
    But that thought was of little comfort to me; for the last four days I had been expecting Papa to return at any moment, and still he was not home. I tried to tell myself that this was because he had enjoyed such success with the market that he had decided to stay at the inn in Swan Hollow for a few extra days, so that he could take more orders before returning. While this was possible, I could not convince myself to believe it. I continually fretted that something dreadful had happened, and I knew that I would not be easy until Papa had returned.
    Cleaning the chimney and the damage that had been done to the sitting room occupied me for the rest of the day. When I was finished, I scrubbed the soot from my skin and changed my chemise and skirt before going outside to