Chapter 78 - - 78 : Four people
Night had fallen, and Leyla had finally gotten the chance to retire back to her lonesome. She sat in her bed, illuminated only by her sole lamp on the desk as she basked in the darkness of her room.
The night had gotten so late already, but she hardly felt the need to sleep. She tried to force herself to sleep at some point earlier, but all she achieved was more tossing and turning. It was in her restlessness she could find clarity in her mind.
Her windows immediately rattled by the strong gust of wind, snapping her alert as she whipped her head to stare in alarm at her windows, fearing the worst.
For a second she thought Phoebe had come by with a note from the duke, until she realized that couldn't happen. The duke was away after all, it wouldn't make sense for Phoebe to visit the mansion.
Relief quickly swelled in her chest, enabling her to get up and wrap a shawl around her thin arms. Her lips chattered against the cold, and she tried to imagine what Uncle Bill would see if he were to return at the moment.
She felt so lost right now. He'd only left not two days ago, and already she was feeling so lonely. She couldn't imagine just how hard the next two weeks would be for her.
She walked closer to the window, re-checking the locks were secure before she found herself seated at the dining table, cradling a warm cup of tea in her palms.
"-it must be difficult for you."
Claudine's voice echoed in her head, rising above the mingling voices in her head. She could practically hear her ear ringing in the loudness of the silence around her. Leyla put the cup down on the table, having lost the appetite for the tea, the cold digging into her deeper.
She wanted to do something. She wanted to scream her heart out and probably kick some stones with her feet in frustration, break something even! Anything!
But when she was walking back to their cabin, with her head trailed on the ground beneath her feet in the light of the moon, she only found herself feeling so guilty and ashamed. It didn't matter if Claudine was antagonizing her purposely or not, Leyla felt like she lost the right to be upset with her.