Vandem House – Past
Lying rigidly in her bed, Cecily kept her chin rested on her arms, her eyes glued to the light under the door.
“Go away,” she murmured. “Please, go away.”
In her long nightgown, the young girl’s red-rimmed eyes and occasional flinches of pain were the only outward signs of the harsh punishment she had received a few hours ago, but despite the biting sting from the welts that lay crisscrossed against the back of her legs, her focus was across the hall and three doors down. She’d heard Meg being deposited in her room before her uncle had come to punish her. She didn’t know what horrors Meg had been forced to endure while they’d been separated, she only knew that she couldn’t go to her until the light under the door was gone.
Quietly, very quietly, she reached inside her pillow case and pulled out a loose down feather. Beginning her ritual, she held it over the edge of the bed and let go, watching it float slowly to the ground. It landed like a flake of snow on the ornate rug, bathed in the pool of light spilling in under the doorway. Reaching for another, she began to count, “two, three, four . . . twenty-one . . . sixty-two . . . ninety-five,” and then they were gone. The light had been turned out. Cecily lifted her head, listening for the telltale sounds of her uncle’s departure from his study; the winding of the clock, the clink of glasses, footsteps descending the long flight of stairs, and finally, the click of a door.
Moving carefully, Cecily slid off her bed, pulling at the back of her nightgown to keep it from brushing against her legs. Moving awkwardly toward the door, she brushed the moisture from her eyes and bit her lower lip when it began to tremble. Stealing out into the hallway, she crept along, her hand on the opposite wall until it landed on the third door then, as softly as a shadow, she slipped inside Meg’s room. The stifled sobs coming from the large bed near the window immediately drew her focus.
“Meg, I’m here.”
The moonlight coming from the window guided Cecily to her cousin’s side. Meg was lying on her stomach, one tightly knuckled fist crammed against her lips as she tried to control her crying. Cecily could see several dark patches on the back of Meg’s nightgown where blood had seeped through. She reached out gently to move the matted hair from her cousin’s face. Her cheek was a dark purple from the base of her temple to the top of her jaw.
“Oh, Meg, my poor Meg . . .”
Bahj,
This is simply exquisite. It is heartwarming, poignant, and
full of hope and promise. If you decide to write a sequel, I would love to read it even though my favorite character is LJ.
This was a great story. So intense. LotG of pain and grief and a nice ending. I was Glad Sissy and Meg got back together in the end. Good always conquers over evil in the end. Thanks
This story touched my heart, and you wove it seamlessly into the tapestry that is the Cartwright family. A beautiful story of love and redemption, disappointed hopes and hearts torn and broken, only to be mended again by unbreakable love and devotion.
Beautiful.
What a wonderful, multi-layered absolutely gorgeous story. It moved me to tears more than once. Thank you for this. 🙂
Bahj, I read this magnificent story last night and was moved to tears at least a couple of times. The art of accurately portraying our favorite character, Adam Cartwright, is tricky to say the least but you have passed the test with your colors flying!!! I particularly enjoyed the fact that when he found out about Sissy’s past that he showed his great love by marrying her on the spot, without hesitation. I could feel the sweet love emanating from them both throughout the story and also I loved the fact that Meg had filled Tag’s ears with the truth about his long lost parents. That part was so pleasant to read when he met them for the first time! Tag behaved as I feel Adam would have at 15, calm and easy going without that exploding anger that Little Joe always seemed to have festering toward Adam when Little Joe is that age.
Suffice as to say, I desperately want a sequel(s)!! I’ll be checking on your author category for new stories you post, thank you so much for your talent!!!!!
This was a different story in it’s order of things, but it was very good, and I loved the ending when Adam finally found Sissy and everything turned out alright for the cousins and those two, It was wonderful that Meg’s cousin took the baby, THANK YOU
This is such a beautiful story of fear and faith. I would love to have a peek at their lives a year down the road… just sayin’. Thank you, bahj.
Bahj, absolutely beautiful, heart wrenching, faith restoring…
I’d love to read of a continuation.