The Shed

As Jayne approached the door of the worn down shed, a small whimpering could be heard from behind the door. Jayne hastened her pace towards the shed and called out to the sound of the voice.

"Charlotte, I'm here with food and blankets."

Rustling could be heard inside the shed as someone desperately banged against the door. "Young M-Mistress!" Jayne opened the door to the shed, which was locked from the outside, and saw her loyal maid on the ground. Her face had been bruised and her body had been whipped after she had defended Jayne against her parents. Jayne's parents were using Charlotte as leverage against Jayne and would threaten her using Charlotte's life.

"Are you hungry Charlotte? I brought some bread and cheese for you and some water. It's also getting colder lately so I've brought an extra blanket with me as well." Jayne took out the blanket and draped it around Charlotte who had been shivering. From the looks of her face and the state of her body, Jayne could tell that her parents had let the other servants do whatever they wanted to Charlotte and anger rose within her.

Charlotte greedily chomped on the bread and drank the water. "Thank you Young Mistress, but you really shouldn't be here. You could get in trouble with the Duchess and the Duke. I'll be fine; I'm just worried about you. Have you been able to sleep well lately?" Charlotte casted a worried look on her face as she stared at Jayne. Ever since Jayne's parents had started restraining Jayne's every move and abusing her, Jayne had never been able to sleep soundly through the night. Each night, she would wake up screaming from nightmares and it was only after some coaxing from Charlotte by her side was she able to sleep soundly.

Jayne smiled at Charlotte and said,"Don't worry about me too much, just worry about getting better first. I've been able to sleep alright through the night and I can withstand my parents for a few more days." In reality, she hadn't been able to sleep and the tiredness was catching up to her, but she didn't want Charlotte to be worried. Charlotte was her loyal nurse maid who had been with her since birth. She was her only friend inside the mansion and it broke her heart when Charlotte had been punished for her sake.

After talking with Charlotte for a little, Jayne got up to go back to her room. "Are you going to be okay Charlotte? I'll promise to visit you as soon as I get back from the academy tomorrow."

Charlotte gave her a warm smile and replied," Yes, I'll be fine M'lady. Don't worry about me and just focus on your studies!"

With a reluctant look, Jayne closed the shed door and headed back to her bedroom. As she entered the main hall, she saw her mother and father sitting at the parlor and beckoning her to go over. Her father had cold eyes as he spoke to her.

"Jayne. I thought I told you to befriend Viscount Noress' son Gerard. Why did you instead push him away? You should have followed him to play billiards."

Jayne looked up with indignant eyes. "Father, he obviously had other intentions other than playing billiards. Things would have gotten out of hand if I had followed him and it would have damaged my reputation."

Duke Clarke looked at his daughter with furious eyes. In a cold, booming voice he bellowed, "Don't go against me when I tell you to do something Jayne. Don't forget that you are nothing more than a pawn I can use to gather connections and advance my wealth. What you want and what you say doesn't matter. I am your father and you will follow my orders as long as you live in this house, is that clear?"

Jayne looked up at her mother, only to see the same contempt in her eyes as her father had. She replied with blank eyes,"Yes, father."

"Go to your room. You will not be allowed to have breakfast tomorrow and if you don't give me satisfactory results for the academy exams, there will be consequences. Don't forget who I have in that shed, Jayne."

Jayne clenched her fist so hard that she could feel the skin bleeding from her fingernails. She bowed to her parents. "Yes father."