‘How could you be so stupid girl?! Lord Geastly is your
master now, and you’ll soon learn to get in line’ Lumi hisses at Bella as they
wind further and further into the mansion.
‘I could never agree with that foul man, and I’d rather do
anything than spend time alone with him. How dare he single me out and treat me
differently to the other girls’
‘Here we are’ – Lumi gestures to an iron door, embedded in
the wall of a quiet corner of the manor. Beginning to feel uneasy, Bella’s
starting to realise the weight of her actions as she’s pushed into the room and
hears the bolt slide across the door behind her. Waiting for her eyes to adjust
to the dim light, Bella begins to realise that, for the first time since
entering the manor, she’s completely alone.
‘Lumi? Lumi?! How long will I be in here?’
‘As long as it takes girl, I warned you not to do this’,
Lumi shouts over his shoulder, walking away from Bella’s isolated den.
Bella sinks to the floor, the weight of the past 24 hours
hitting her: can she really do this for the rest of her life? And how could her
mother try to get a job here without even telling her she’s leaving?
A few hours later, Bella hears someone walking towards her
door again.
‘Hello? HELLO? Can you hear me? Who’s there?’
‘Miss, I’m just a maid, please, I don’t want any trouble,
and we’re forbidden from speaking with you’.
‘Please help me, it’s so cold in here, and it’s terrible
being here all alone. What’s your name? When can I get out of here?’
‘It’s Fifi, but miss, I can’t help you, I’m so sorry, the
Lord is a stubborn man, and no one knows when you’ll be released.'
Fifi knows that speaking to any girl in the room is banned,
and she’s scared of what her punishment might be, but she can’t just ignore Bella’s
pleas. As the days pass, Fifi and Bella grow closer, one girl trapped in her
cleaning role on the outside of the door, and Bella trapped inside, hoping to
be released.
‘I wish I could see what you look like, you have such a
beautiful voice’, Bella sighs as Fifi explains to her the gossip making its way
around the walls of the manner. But she’s beginning to lose hope: there’s not
enough light in here to keep her strong, and the meals she’s given each day are
barely enough to sustain her. Fifi feels herself growing ever closer to Bella
as the days go on. It’s the first time she’s felt this longing inside her for
someone since her love for Lumi turned bitter, as his personality did the same.
Trying to discover a way to escape the manor together, the
girls are unaware of a plan growing outside of the grounds …
Back in the village
‘Gustavo, I’m so sorry to bother you, but I know how much
you loved Bella, and how kind you were to her, and I’m so scared’.
Helping Maureen down to a seat, Gustavo allows her to
explain what’s happened.
‘How can he get away with this, the bastard!', Gustavo cries, 'It’s time to do
something, we can’t go on letting him treat people like this.’ Between the two
of them, Maureen and Gustavo gather most of the town to their village hall to
host a meeting protesting the rule of this rich brute over all of them. Fired
up from the meeting, the villagers create signs and banners and get ready to
march on the manor. They’re determined to make Lord Geastly see sense, and if
nothing else, release their friends and loved ones from his rule: if no one
will work for him then he’ll have to change his ways, right?
Finally caught up on this latest installment!!! Enjoying the story so far 😍 xx
ReplyDeleteEeek thank you!
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