Another vignette
CRACK!
The sound of flesh upon flesh, a lady's elegant, long fingered hand with it's perfectly manicured and polished nails meeting the soft skin of a young girl's cheek.
Refusing to cry, the dark haired, pale skinned girl looked away from the furious woman in the black evening gown in the latest fashion on Tharkad, pale blonde hair twisted up in a coif that required hours of effort, her grey eyes snapping with fury."You will study what I tell you to study, you will behave and dress according to your station, or I swear that you will never be able to speak with your wretched father or his boorish brother again! And despite what that man told you, I can have that happen. Do I make myself clear?"
One delicate hand upon her reddening cheek, Marlana Halas nodded silently to Catharina Dinesen-Maynard, Grafina von Schwanensee. Her mother.
"I didn't hear you, Marlana," came the cool, imperious voice.
The girl spoke in carefully neutral tones, "Yes, Lady Mother."
A cold smile curved the woman's lips and wasn't reflected in her eyes, however the wrath slowly bled away. "Now that wasn't very hard, was it?"
"No, ma'am."
"Good. You are a lovely girl who will grow up into a heartbreakingly beautiful woman, and unlike many of those who are simply pretty, you have intelligence as well. If you listen to me and learn what you should, you will go a very long ways."
"Yes, Lady Mother."
The woman nodded approvingly, "On your way then, I had better not hear another similar report from your governess again. Now give me a kiss good night."
Somehow hiding her sulleness, Marlana brushed her lips in the air near her mother's cheek as she'd been taught before returning to her rooms. As she walked oh-so-carefully, she kept her large blue eyes downcast to hide the emotions swimming in them. There was more hate, anger and bitterness than an eight year old should have.
Finally she got into her rooms, seeing the governess had retired for the night, the girl gratefully flung herself onto her bed and wept bitterly. Not for the first time she wished she were with her father, even if she had never met him. His constant messages and the few gifts he was permitted to send to her were her only hold on her sanity. And not for the first time she wondered what was wrong with her since she couldn't seem to want the same things her mother wanted. Things that her little brother and sister seemed to want.
Not realizing it, she cried as decorously as possible so that she would look helplessly pretty, not a red sodden mess. Despite herself, she learned how to comport herself the way her mother wanted her to.
Soon the sobs faded, mindful of the latest lecture, Marlana grabbed a handful of tissues to wipe away the damages. Then inspected herself in a mirror to make sure the job she did was thorough, silently despising herself. Only two more years, Marlana told herself, only two more years then she would be old enough to be sent away for school. Still staring in the mirror she practiced her neutral expression, the one that was always safe to use around her mother and the people her mother surrounded herself with.
Just two more years...
The sound of flesh upon flesh, a lady's elegant, long fingered hand with it's perfectly manicured and polished nails meeting the soft skin of a young girl's cheek.
Refusing to cry, the dark haired, pale skinned girl looked away from the furious woman in the black evening gown in the latest fashion on Tharkad, pale blonde hair twisted up in a coif that required hours of effort, her grey eyes snapping with fury."You will study what I tell you to study, you will behave and dress according to your station, or I swear that you will never be able to speak with your wretched father or his boorish brother again! And despite what that man told you, I can have that happen. Do I make myself clear?"
One delicate hand upon her reddening cheek, Marlana Halas nodded silently to Catharina Dinesen-Maynard, Grafina von Schwanensee. Her mother.
"I didn't hear you, Marlana," came the cool, imperious voice.
The girl spoke in carefully neutral tones, "Yes, Lady Mother."
A cold smile curved the woman's lips and wasn't reflected in her eyes, however the wrath slowly bled away. "Now that wasn't very hard, was it?"
"No, ma'am."
"Good. You are a lovely girl who will grow up into a heartbreakingly beautiful woman, and unlike many of those who are simply pretty, you have intelligence as well. If you listen to me and learn what you should, you will go a very long ways."
"Yes, Lady Mother."
The woman nodded approvingly, "On your way then, I had better not hear another similar report from your governess again. Now give me a kiss good night."
Somehow hiding her sulleness, Marlana brushed her lips in the air near her mother's cheek as she'd been taught before returning to her rooms. As she walked oh-so-carefully, she kept her large blue eyes downcast to hide the emotions swimming in them. There was more hate, anger and bitterness than an eight year old should have.
Finally she got into her rooms, seeing the governess had retired for the night, the girl gratefully flung herself onto her bed and wept bitterly. Not for the first time she wished she were with her father, even if she had never met him. His constant messages and the few gifts he was permitted to send to her were her only hold on her sanity. And not for the first time she wondered what was wrong with her since she couldn't seem to want the same things her mother wanted. Things that her little brother and sister seemed to want.
Not realizing it, she cried as decorously as possible so that she would look helplessly pretty, not a red sodden mess. Despite herself, she learned how to comport herself the way her mother wanted her to.
Soon the sobs faded, mindful of the latest lecture, Marlana grabbed a handful of tissues to wipe away the damages. Then inspected herself in a mirror to make sure the job she did was thorough, silently despising herself. Only two more years, Marlana told herself, only two more years then she would be old enough to be sent away for school. Still staring in the mirror she practiced her neutral expression, the one that was always safe to use around her mother and the people her mother surrounded herself with.
Just two more years...
posted by Reika at 9:08 PM
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