NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: Return
Dearest Emberline,
Your last letter reached me as we were about to leave for Mr Wainrights dinner party. It was a bittersweet read, knowing you won’t be returning home for Christmas this year. I miss you more than words can say, and Mortmain does too. He’s been saving every penny he can from his small errands, only to splurge it all on postage for our letters to you. He’s asked me to tell you that he hopes you’ll send a reply just for him. He’s a bit shy about saying it directly, but you know how much he adores you. He has been especially nice to me ever since you told him to be kinder. He even broke into Aunt Joan's pantry to get me hazelnuts and dates.
There’s news from home that I wish I could share in person. Jeannette has returned, and she’s made it clear that she’s ready to settle down and find a husband. I asked her if she’d like to include a note for you in this letter, but she declined. You know Jeannette—she is no less angry than before although she is far more reserved. I also told Father about your job, and his reaction was slightly underwhelming. He began talking about the politics of the city. He was concerned. He even mentioned an old family friend he thought you might like to meet if you ever find time to visit. He does not know how to show his love but he truly cares far more for you than for any of us, and it makes him sad that you’re missing so much here at home.
There’s one more thing, and it’s not easy to write. Father hasn’t been feeling well lately. He says it’s nothing serious, but you know how he is about admitting to anything. If there’s any way you can come home, even for a short time, it would mean the world to him—and all of us.
Please write back soon. I’ll keep writing until you return, no matter how long it takes.
With all my love,
Anna-Lynn.
...
The words blurred before her eyes, not from tears, but from the flood of emotions that threatened to drown her. Her father’s silence about her absence hurt her in a way she didn't know would hurt. And yet, as soon as she felt herself resent him, there between her hands was the news of his illness— she felt the guilt in her heart grow. At the same time, her chest tightened with the bittersweet news of Jeannette’s return. Jeannette, the sister who had walked away had now come back. It was conflicting news, she did not know how to feel about it.
She could almost hear the voices of the people Jeannette had chosen to surround herself with—sharp, hollow, their morals as loose as the wind and just as directionless. Their words were compelling, Emberline thought. She still remembered meeting one of Jeannette's older friends and feeling a pull. Which is why Emberline couldn’t muster anger, not anymore. That well had dried up long ago, on the day Jeannette severed their bond over something so unimportant Emberline could barely recall it. Jeannette had made her choice, and Emberline had made hers: to stop expecting anything from her sister.
Folding the letter, she let out a shaky breath. She gathered herself and descended the stairs, her steps heavy, her thoughts heavier still. She decided it was best to walk a bit of the distance, but the more she walked, the more she felt her temperature rising. It was a sunny day, there was little to do but to return home. Perhaps take Elena out to shop but she knew there would be no money to spend.
From afar, she could spot the place where she stayed, and she couldn't help but feel dreadful. Day by day it became difficult for Emberline to live here. She missed home. She missed family.
Recently, she had taken a permanent spot on the window. There was little she was doing, but it was simply what she wanted. She would stare at the window as if awaiting a time when she would finally be released from this place.
At the building’s entrance, Sergeant Wilkes loomed, his shadow stretching across the dim hallway. He reached for her hand, but she pulled back, her instincts quickened with time. Her paranoia had prepared her for a time like this.
“What do you want?” she asked, her voice steady despite the anger inside her.
“Have you learned anything about the emblem?” He questioned.
“I haven’t,” she replied quickly. “He doesn’t have one.”
Wilkes narrowed his eyes, stepping closer, the weight of his suspicion pressing down on her. “You’re lying.”
His voice was low, and the space between them seemed to close. Emberline held her ground, though her fears held her by the throat.
“I don’t lie,” she said, though even she could hear the unconvincing edge to her declaration.
“You know I don’t take well to lying.” His voice dropped further, almost to a whisper. Emberline felt her heart race but she did not show it.
“I don’t know Nicholas as well as you think.”
“Another lie!” he shouted, leaning in, his breath hot.
“If I did,” she shot back, her voice trembling but defiant, “don’t you think your precious plan would’ve crumbled by now? I would’ve warned him, disappeared someplace you could never reach.”
His smirk was cold. “But you didn’t. And you haven’t.”
“You’re a foolish man,” she spat, her frustration rising, “if you think—”
“If you don’t bring me news of him,” he interrupted, “or the emblem within a week, I’ll show you what a foolish brute I can be. And when that happens, Emberline, no lover, no family, no brother will save you. You’re a nobody. You’ll die a nobody.”
The venom in his words struck her, but she wouldn’t let him see her falter. Shoving past him, she fled, her feet pounding up the stairs to Elena’s apartment. There, she would find some measure of safety.
But something she had said was a clear indication of what she wanted to do. She wanted to find Nicholas. She wanted to tell him.