[Continued from here]
“Miss
Tuple.” He said finally. Shock was turning rapidly to anger in the lines of his
face. “What are you doing here?”
“Ah,
Master Nereus.” Lord Winstanleigh interrupted cheerfully. Beranwen looked down
into a face that showed no sign of the worry of moments ago. “I asked the girl
to come see me. I hope you don’t mind. But Quinton had such a good time today I
wanted to say thank you.”
“I
see.”
“It’s
a shame she has to leave.”
“Yes,
it is. Miss Tuple…”
“But
I said she should come back and visit whenever she can. I do love having
visitors. That would be okay, wouldn’t it Master Nereus?”
“Very
good, my lord.” Nereus bowed stiffly. “Now, if I might have a word with you?
I’m sure Miss Tuple will excuse us.”
Beranwen
didn’t need telling twice. With a hurried curtsy to lord Winstanleigh, she practically
ran out into the hall.
Damn! She didn’t know
what to do now. She couldn’t even decide what to worry about more, the words
that lord Winstanleigh had said, or what Nereus was surely going to do to her.
Somehow, the punishment for talking to lord Winstanleigh without Nereus’
permission seemed meaningless in the face of what she had learned, but it still
spelt out the end of any references. Finding a new job was going to be…
But
did she have to look for a new job? Lord Winstanleigh had suggested the
college. She could train as an advisor. And why shouldn’t she? If she passed
the entry tests, they wouldn’t care what her background was, and one day she
could knock that condescending attitude right out of Nereus.
Thinking above
your station, are we?
She scolded herself. But the idea was tempting anyway.
But
then there was Stan to think about. Something worried her about him. He was
falling asleep a lot - or passing out, she wasn’t sure which. Maybe sleep was
what he needed, but how was anyone to know what was healthy or not for a
mechanical man? She ought to track down his creator. At the very least he could
be properly mended. That broken tube running from his torso into his legs
needed work, surely. And since she was at a loose end, what was stopping her
trying to track this creator down?
Aside
from having no money and not being able to forage for food…
These
were all problems for the morning, though. Tiredness was creeping back in
again, and a grumbling that reminded her she’d had no dinner last night. There
were more pressing concerns right now than what she would do when the sun rose.
With enough food and sleep, she could face anything. She tried to make herself
believe that.
The
morning was strangely dreary for such a beautiful dawn. When Beranwen woke, the
other girls had already gone – they had waited up for her the night before,
demanding to know what lord Winstanleigh had wanted, so she had told them he
had just thanked her. She felt like the keeper of a horrible secret, but there
was no good to be found in telling everyone she met. The girls were
disappointed, but promised not to wake her for work when they rose. Beranwen
smiled a bitter little smile. Nereus had said to leave early, but above stairs
staff never truly appreciated how early below stairs staff rose. She could have
a lie in and still be gone before Nereus awoke.
It
was small comfort to her as she pulled her suitcase out and carried it down the
stairs. She was leaving her home, with nowhere else to go.
In
the kitchen, she filled the corners of her suitcase with food sneaked from
under the watchful eye of the cook. In the kitchen garden, she looked around
for Stan.
“Morning,
Master Win.” Stan greeted her. He was perched on the corner of a low wall,
eating an apple, and grinning widely. The sight of him cheered Beranwen up.
“Morning
Stan. How are you this morning?”
“Fine.
Well, I think I’m fine. Would I know if I wasn’t fine?”
“Probably,
Stan.”
“Then
I’m probably fine.” He chuckled.
“You’re
in a good mood.”
“I’ve
got my legs back. I’d forgotten how good it is to have legs. But I woke up this
morning, and remembered waking up yesterday without them, and it made me happy
that they were still there.” He paused suddenly. “Are you not happy, Master
Win?”
“I’m
leaving, Stan.” She said simply. He looked puzzled. “I was think about going to find the man that
created you. I don’t know if you want to come with me or not – Quinton will
want you to stay, I’m sure. But I’m heading off soon, so if you’re staying I’ll
say goodbye.”
“When
you say ‘leaving’…?”
“I’ve
been dismissed.”
“What?
They can’t do that! Can they? They can’t do that.”
“It’s
alright, Stan. They can do it, and they have, but it’s okay. It means I can go
look for your creator, and do all sorts of other things I want to do. I could
go to the city. I’ve never been to the city before.” She stopped herself before
she could be accused of rambling. She wasn’t sure who she was trying to
reassure.
“Is
Quinton going with you?”
“No.”
Stan
looked torn.
“It’s
okay if you want to stay here with him, Stan. Honestly it is. If I find your
creator, I’ll come back and tell you, so you can visit him if you want.”
“But
won’t you need me? What if you need me? I’m sure there’s other things I can
tell you… I just have to remember…”
“Stan,
don’t worry. I’ll be fine. And besides, I’ll be happier knowing someone’s here
to keep Quinton company. Just do me a favour and keep out of Master Nereus’
way. He’s in a bad mood, and I don’t want him taking it out on you.”
“It
would be nice to have a roof over my head for a bit…” Stan still seemed
uncertain.
“There
we go, then. I’ll go and find your creator, and you look after Quinton for me.”
“Alright.
But you have to come back soon. I’ll wait here until you do.”
“Deal.”
Beranwen stuck out her hand, and Stan shook it. The act seemed to make him feel
better, and certainly made Beranwen feel less wretched about leaving him
behind. The smile on his face carried her out of the kitchen gardens, and most
of the way out of the grounds before she realised that she wanted to cry.
There
was no one to hold the tears back for, so she let them fall as she walked.
There was nothing else to be done.
[Part 27]
[Part 27]
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