The royals stayed only after being promised Anne would be whipped for her behavior, and after Reyna made the greatest apology speech known to man.  Therefore, the rest of the evening went as planned minus one.  The royals ate, talked, and left without seeing Anne’s quilt-work.  Then, once everything was cleaned up, Thaniel had one last thing to do before going to bed.  He had to deal with Anne.

Anne was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling from under a cast of graying moonlight.  She knew her parents were extremely angry with her, but she wasn’t sure just how angry until her father walked in unannounced.

“Anne…” He began before she cut him off.

“Daddy, I’m really sorry, I just…” He didn’t let her finish.

“Don’t you ever, I mean ever, interrupt me again!”  Thaniel had never yelled at Anne before, nor had he ever looked so dangerous.  “Do you not understand that this world is not your playground?  You cannot simply decide to make it as you wish it to be.  There are rules, Anne, and due to those rules, one must make compromises!  Now, what you did tonight was inexcusable, and you must pay the price for your actions.”  That’s when Anne took notice of the whip at her father’s side.

“They told you to do this to me didn’t they?”  She couldn’t believe her father was going to go through with it.  She wanted to cry, but instead she stood, turned her back to him, and began to remove her dress.

Her father seemed to be swallowing awfully hard, and when he managed to tell her that undressing would not be necessary, Anne thought she could hear a quivering in his voice.  He just wanted her to lean against the footboard of the bed.  Anne did as she was told.  In the cool gray light of the moon and room’s stunned silence, Anne placed her face into her hands and received eighteen lashings as was suggested by the duke.  She had to admit it wasn’t as painful as it would have been had she removed her clothes, but some of the lashes did make it through her dress to sting her skin.  When he finished the job, he left the room, and allowed one of the servants to see to her wounds.

Anne, not once in the presence of her father or their servants, did she wince or cry. However, alone, in the watchful quiet, she wept.  Her heart ached and for the first time she felt lost and confused.  Though the young woman who had dressed her wounds had done well, her back ached, but the pain from behind did not come close to the despair she felt from within.  She couldn’t believe her father had actually done as the duke demanded.  She felt as if her family had turned on her and now, she was all alone.

The next morning, a letter came from the duke.  He wrote to thank the de Rangers for a lovely evening and to ask if Ethana would be available for tea at his palace.  He said he and his wife were quite taken with the younger girl and would like to see her again.  Reyna was more than ecstatic, but Thaniel was concerned about what the duke might be proposing. 

“Reyna, we cannot marry Ethana until we settle things with Anne.  It is the only proper way.”

“Yes.  And it was always the way for young ladies to mind their tongues when in the presence of men as well,” Reyna looked extremely crossed.  “Anne had her chance, and just as with everything else, she threw it to the wind.  I am tired of her defiance, Thaniel, and from this point forward, the child who behaves the way she should, will win all the prizes.”  Reyna left Thaniel standing in the dining room with letter in hand.  Shaking his head, he remembered he had forgotten to tell Verna to have some food taken to Anne.  He was sure she would not be coming down today.

Verna, a much older and very plump lady, had been the manor’s cook for as long as Thaniel could remember.  She was a sweet little thing barely clearing five feet and having the loveliest crystal blue eyes.  Verna was like a grandmother to Thaniel and had always spoken her mind.  However, this morning he would have rathered she kept her opinions to herself.

“Verna,” he entered the kitchen, “will you please take some breakfast up to Anne?  I’m sure she will not feel much like coming down today.  He then grabbed a sliced carrot and tossed it into his mouth before grabbing a larger one.

“Dur it yerself,” Verna spat at him.  Her eyes were not the crystal blue he’d always loved, they were now deeper, looking somewhat clouded over.

“Excuse me,” he put the rest of the larger carrot down.

Verna turned away from her pot, in which she was making stew, to give Thaniel her full attention.  “Ye hert dat poor gerl lass night fer no reason!  Nah, ye want me te go up thur an’ fix da mess ye made!  Well, I say dur it yerself, ye no gud coward dat ye are!”  Then she moved back to her pot.

“Verna, don’t ever speak that way to me again if you wish to remain here,” Thaniel fumed.

“I’ll speak at ye enna way I chuse!  Ye may be da man of da manor nah, but thur was a time when I wiped yer boddum, an’ ye called me mum when yer’s weren’t ‘round te be found, ye spoiled boy!  Nah, if ye think yer a man nah, p’haps ye shud act like one an’ go apologize te dat gerl of yer’s!  I’ll not dur it fer ye, even if ye whip me once more dan my seventy-three yurs,” she was waving a spoon at him.  Then she went back to her stew.

Verna had never raised her voice to Thaniel before; however, he did remember a time when she had exercised her opinion on the poor gardener the year the potatoes were extremely slight.  Now, not quite knowing what to do, but knowing he didn’t want Verna yelling again, Thaniel picked up the plate of bacon, boiled eggs, and a roll which lay on the large oak table and left the room.  He knew he should apologize to Anne, but he also knew that he wouldn’t.  She had to learn her lesson else nothing would ever change.

Thaniel walked slowly up the small staircase to the second floor and turned to his right so he was facing Anne’s door.  Wondering if he should knock, he stood there for a moment before deciding he should.  He made a slow rap at the door, “Anne, I have some breakfast for you.  Is it all right that I bring it in?” 

There was no answer.  He knew she was quite likely furious with him and would give up eating if she felt it was the only way to gain revenge.  

“Anne, this is ridiculous.  I’m coming in, “ he stated as he opened the door to a sad, soundless, and sullen room.  The thick velvety curtains on the facing wall had not yet been drawn, and the light filtering through made the space look misty and foreboding.   He was sure Anne had not left her room that morning, so where the devil was she?  Thaniel went to her dresser to set the plate down as he contemplated the impossible, but before the plate touched the table, a note caught his eye.  It was small and quite delicate as if written on a piece of old cloth.  On the outside it had that day’s date, and on the inside a heart wrenching goodbye.  Thaniel dropped the plate as he read the note, sending it crashing to the floor.

Well, I suppose you have found my note.  I am not sure of anything I wish to say, so you must bear with me.  The events which took place last night were indeed terrible.  I must say I regret the way I behaved, though I still believe all my statements to be true and honest to the best of my knowledge.  I am sure the duke no longer wishes me for his son, which I am also sure is for the best.  However, in light of everyone caring more for the duke and his family than they do for me, I have chosen to relieve you of the burden I apparently cause.  Perhaps with me out of the way, you can peddle Ethana to Oren.  They seem more suited for one another anyway.  As for my lashes, I am sure they will serve as reminders of your new bitterness toward me and will keep me from the sickness of wishing to return.

~A

Thaniel couldn’t believe she had truly left and suddenly found it difficult to breathe.  He fell to his knees, one of which smashed the boiled egg which had landed dejected upon the floor and now with its insides accenting its outside, a fleshy white with a crumbly yellow the same shade of crushed dandelions.  Thaniel did not notice the egg.  He was too busy trying to decide what to do.  Anne was tough. But he didn’t believe she could survive on her own for too long.  A pretty girl, with her upbringing, and that ill temperament of her’s could easily find trouble if she hadn’t already.  He wondered what she was doing now and where she might be.