Come Find Me
Marié Digby
The air in the cloudy overcast morning was chilled and cut like a knife, and there seemed to be little gasps and peals of laughter hidden in it as I hurried past the trees. I heaved my heavy bag over my shoulder and pulled out my pocket-watch. Ten minutes late to my history class. I sighed and stopped my pace, and examined my watch. It was a fine, grand thing- an oval of brass, with organic leaf designs etched into it. There was also a small font embedded on the lid that read, 'DUKE OF SOMERSET'. I clicked it open, and inside, along with the face of the watch, was a small, well-worn photograph of my parents and myself as a child. I closed the watch gently, and was pleased with the weight of it resting in my palm.
The Duke of Somerset, Bradley Stewart, my father- had originally arranged a promising marriage between me and a young, attractive Spanish nobleman. The small, oil-paint portrait of Reginald Vera Navarro, with his red lips and shiny copper-gold hair, was sent to our home just days before my father had taken notice of my broody moods and uncontrollable tantrums. My governess was dismissed from our household, making her a free woman, and my father had taken me to a physician, who had recommeded this small, obscure asylum in Scotland. I had begged my father not to force me to go, and had broken one of his great silver plates and ripped down a tapestry, in my fit of madness.
That was four years ago. As I blinked, I found tears gathering in my eyes. I harshly wiped them away and threw the watch into my bag. Instead, I pondered what Sister Temperance had spoken to me the day before, of a girl named Odette.
"Oh, she is a most frightful little thing, Bronwyn," she sobbed as she pulled her crisp, ironed handkerchief from her sleeve. We had been lingering about in chapel after Mass and had fallen to talking about her. "She takes great pleasure in biting others when she is angry- students and nuns alike are her victims!"
"That is quite disturbing," I had replied with. "I pray that you were spared?"
She shook her hand. "Aye, I thank ye for your good wishes, but--" she rolled up the right sleeve of her black robe "-- I am afraid I am her latest." My breath drew in as I caught sight of the fresh bruise, a lively mix of purple and yellow. "You'd best get Dr. Templeton to look at that bruise, dear Sister," I had said as we parted ways. "I wish you a Godspeed receovery."
Now as I hurried across the courtyard, I began to wonder, what was Odette's motive to bite the nun? Had she provoked the girl in some way, or was it simply a nasty habit? My conscious was entirely engaged with this thought, and I was so preoccupied, that I did not notice someone had stepped into my path and we had a horrible collision. Books and quills were tossed into the air, and clattered upon the ground.
"Dear me, I didn't know anyone was around!" I shrieked, and quickly drew a small bag of salts from my pocket, and inaled the smell scent of the contents. Smelling salts had a soothing effect on my paranoia, which was awakened often. I glared rudely at the intruder, who was collecting the mass of quills and papers lying on the ground. To my great surprise, it was Dr. Warbler, a member of the small clique of doctors that kept watch over the well-being of the girls here.
Dr. Warbler sprang to his feet. "Miss Bronwyn, I'm so terribly sorry! My thoughts had gotten the best of me, and, well--" he shrugged his shoulders. "I believe this is yours," he added, handing to me my thick volume of Voltaire essays.
"Thank you," I said, and accepted the book. I had seen Dr. Warbler many times about the asylum, treating the other girls, but as I glanced up, and saw those warm, enticing brown eyes gazing into mine, I felt as if I had encountered a completely different person.
"Well," he finally said, "I'd best be on my way; I'm sorry again and hope you will pardon me." He bowed, and with a swish of his long, black cape, he was gone. I glided up the steps of the schoolroom building, thinking about how wonderfully alluring Dr. Warbler's eyes were up close.
- my first actual set/story for my character, Bronwyn. both are major ick.
i'll let you know how kel has been getting along lately. soon.
-- also: if you hadn't looked at this set: http://www.polyvore.com/oh_doctor_dear_you_know/set?id=18551869 Dr. Warbler is Johnny Depp's character from Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane. major swooning. :D
--- ALSO ALSO: i'm watching Beetlejuice right now. my life rocks :]