Episode 8: Purely Evil III

     

      The Baron paced around his chambers  pondering over the plan his wife had mapped out for him. His face crawled out with a slight smile, Lady Alfreda was excellent in her scheming ways. His business has been placed under the microscope of the Royal knight with its current problems , there are so many mouths that need more money to keep them shut. 

    "Sir Victor came at the right time.." He muttered. 

Even if the sick bastard was a fool that can't fix his drinking problem, he was the right match. All the Baron needed was his money.

 If only James was docile and brilliant as expected,  He was sure his wheat farm business would still be progressive. 

He mentally reminded himself to deal with him after solving his current problem. 

   On the second night, Jaylyn got released from the dungeon. Miss Camila hugged, kissed her and pampered her although the day with food and massaged her body. 

Drugs were sent by her uncle, this came as a surprise because they were expensive. 

Despite her anger , the drugs were quick and effective, it healed her completely within four days. Miss Camila advised her to go thank her uncle, and immediately sought out the problem especially now she had no idea what to expect and her place within the Baron home was hanging on a cliff. 

   " If anything goes wrong, I have some money, I have been saving for a while, You can use it to escape this place".  She said when they talked about their plans. 

     While she was preparing to speak to uncle. A loud knock came from her room door. 

Without waiting for her response, the housekeeper, Mrs Phillip , a hulky mingling and meanest woman walked in. She viewed her with resentment, she never liked Jaylyn and treated her very badly. She and Lady Alfreda would have been best friends, if only she was not born from a lowly background.  

      Mrs Phillip was hardly penalized by the Mistress ,One could call them twins except she was Grotesque and graceless. She walked inside with two servants each holding an old fashionable gown that once belonged  to her cousins. 

    " Miss Jaylyn, our Mistress asked us to fit you a bath downstairs and gift you these  outfits to choose from any you like," she ordered the girls forward and they placed the gowns on her bed. 

" You must be joking!Why would my aunt suddenly want me to look good after so many years?" Jaylyn asked, looking dazed and numb by the happening event. 

      The housekeeper scorned in a way that made her face look more unappealing, she ignored Jaylyn and started to leave the room. 

" I am here to deliver my message, this two servants," she pointed out 

"Will bathe you and get you ready to see Lady Alfred when they are done." when she was about to leave, 

Jaylyn asked her again 

" Are you sure I am the right person, you might have made a mistake, maybe this outfit is for someone else, a guest?, "  she suggested. 

    The housekeeper turned and replied with the same curiosity 

" I asked myself the same question... Before coming here, Be happy you have been favored by our Mistress  and enjoy it while it lasts. " 

After saying this she left. 

    The servant girls were relentless at first but they quickly composed themselves since they were left with no other option than to obey. Jaylyn wanted to ask the girls if the housekeeper had heard the right instruction but she too noticed that the girls were both uncertain as she was. 

     After being washed, bathed and clothed for the first time, Jaylyn was overwhelmed, she tried her best not to enjoy it but she couldn't. She decided to listen to the housekeeper's advice and enjoy it while it lasted.

"Maybe they were feeling bad about what they did to me in the dungeon,"she thought. 

She was dressed in her cousin's old fashionable pink gown and went to the family drawing room to see her aunt. 

As She walked inside, her aunt Lady Afreda was seated with her daughters Malinda and Olyvia looking pleased with her accomplishment she smiled at Jaylyn as she walked in. Her daughters on the other hand had an opposite reaction. Their faces were infuriated with a cruel frown not minding the fact that the gowns were already worn. 

" Ah! You are quite a beauty,... " Lady Alfreda exclaimed 

" I can see you have' been taken care of"

Jaylyn curtsied and thanked her for showing her care and kindness. 

" You should be thankful and better don't think highly of yourself " 

her cousin warned... 

" You are nothing but a pest to this family, I can't wait for you to be thrown into a big.... ", before she could finish her last word, her mother silenced her with a slap. 

    " That's enough Olyvia! You both should start treating your cousin nicely" she said with a tight twist on her lips like she had just tasted a soured  plum. 

she quickly replaced it with a soft smile. 

   She ordered the girls to give her their old clothings, shoes and hats. This got her glares from them. 

Her uncle stopped her from working, in his own words

 "It was time she should be treated like a family member ". 

Jaylyn just waited patiently for their charade to be over. 

            ******

      Now welcomed to the family, she was given a new room, bed, clothes, shoes and even old jewelry. The cook, Mrs Camila warned her not to get too comfortable because the after effect of being carried away by new things could be devastating. 

" Trust not too much to appearance, my darling"

    Mrs Camila advised her on how to act with caution. 

Her uncle had requested her presence to join the family dinner.

 Mrs Camila had a troubling  feeling that something big was about to take place in Jaylyn's life. 

  " If anything goes wrong, remember, be smart, act wisely, I will help you flee this place. 

The time's right, you need to leave before you turn twenty to prevent your uncle from forcing you into what might bring great harm to you my child" 

she warned in-between her coughs. 

      Mrs Camilla had been worried for days now. It has even affected her health since she was the only one she had left, Jaylyn promised to be careful. 

" I know, besides what more can they do to me " She hugged her tightly and kissed her cheeks.

" Mrs Camila, I have always considered you my mother, no matter what happens, I will seek your help if things get tougher but first take care of yourself, you have been shivering all afternoon, you got caught in the rain."

She helped her to sit next to the kitchen fire. 

" You know my Aunt won't care if you die of cold as long as she sees food on her table", Jaylyn reminded her. 

"Here, Have some hot tea , it will calm you down while I prepare some bread. " she said, handing her a hot cup of tea. 

     Mrs Camila protested for a while but she later gave in when Jaylyn paid no attention to her grumbling. 

*****

    It was quite obvious that her relatives wanted something from her with their new attitude . 

They we're  planning to blackmail her with their new act of kindness and acceptance, something Jaylyn had wanted from the first day she walked into their home. 

   Her grandmother arrived in the afternoon and decided to stay over for dinner.

    During the dinner, The Bennetts sat down calmly for their meal. No one said anything except her cousins Malinda and Olyvia who laughed at her lack of dinner etiquettes. 

They kept giggling and making side comments.

 It was obvious that everyone knew what was at stake for Jaylyn and couldn't wait or hide their excitement. Jaylyn ate absently, trying hard to outlook their schemes and pretentious behavior and enjoy the meal she was offered, one she never had all her life, even if it was to be her last decent meal. 

     Lady Alfreda kept giving her encouraging smile, purely fake and misleading. 

James cared less about what was happening,his mind was clearly at the last gambling game he lost and his plan for a better come back. He said no words, the same goes to his grandmother who just ate her meal, caring less about the happening matter. 

     While her uncle had a cruel smile plastered on his face. 

Jaylyn ate patiently,  waiting for the meal to be over. 

  "I hope you have been treated kindly as I have instructed within these few days? " her uncle asked with a perpetual smile. 

   At the sound of his voice, Jaylyn shook from her seat, the roasted ham went down the wrong path and it got stuck in her throat, she coughed loudly uncomfortable while everyone stared at her as they waited for her response.  She drank water to clear her throat. 

" I'm really thankful uncle for everything " She finally said. 

   When the footmen brought in dessert of sweet pudding, lemon cake and chocolate, there was a slow release of tension. 

    " Jaylyn, at least you know how to eat cake, you won't make a fool out of yourself this tim, "

Malinda mocked her while her twin sister laughed along. 

 " That's enough children, let her be, this is but her first time take it easy on the poor child since she is now part of the family "

Her aunt stated,  trying hard to win her over. 

" Am I not right , mother? " she asked the dowager. 

The dowager baroness just nodded. 

      She noticed her aunt and uncle making side glances at each other as if to have passed a silent message. When she looked away she found James studying her briefly, he smiled and toasted his wine to her as if he had just congratulated her on something. 

Jaylyn wondered if he was aware of how his mother murdered Lillian and his child. 

    As the meal drew to its end, her uncle cleared his throat. This got everyone's attention as they sat up straight waiting for his announcement, But Jaylyn just kept eating without paying attention.

" Jaylyn...., he called her as he watched her carefully. 

" I am glad that you have finally join the family and as a part of this family you now bear our joy, sorrow and happiness " 

He proclaimed as he wiped his mouth with a table napkin and raised from his table. 

" You see, he continued 

" You've come of age and by right as your guardian, I have the right to hand you over to the man of my choice as your husband. "

" My very good friend, Sir Victor, is in need of a fine bride that would bear him children, male children to be precise and he has paid quite a lot for it , he is now your betrothed, your wedding shall commence in five nights from now. "

" Yeah!, yeah!,"

her cousins clapped without waiting for her response  

" Isn't this the best news, we've heard in a while, Jaylyn now on the marriage mart before us "

" What!, five days! " 

     Jaylyn jumped up to her feet. 

This got her daring stares from those on the dinner table but this time she wasn't backing down

" So all the clothes, food, jewelry was just so you could sell me off like a piece of rag to a drunken man who is well-known for his brutality to women, a man four times older than me" her rage erupted.

" I refuse to marry him, over my dead body will I stand for this, how could you?!" She snapped 

   " A poor farmer is ten times better than him, everyone in the village, even newly born babies are warned to stay off horrible Sir Victor and here you are planning to marry me off to a beast of a man. "

Her aunt flared off, pulling down her mask of pretenses. 

    "How dare you speak to us in such a tone, sit down! you ungrateful maggot, you should be thankful that we had found someone worth enough to marry you"

    Malinda poured her water from her drinking cup. 

" You better cool off your hot head and don't forget your place in the family, " 

She rebuked her just to get her mothers support like always. 

    Jaylyn now caged with nowhere to run to realize  her sudden rebellious act would land her into a bigger problem, she needs time to plan her escape for she wasn't going to marry that drunk no matter what happens. So she pretended to give in to their demand. 

She bit her tongue and suppressed her anger. 

   " Forgive me uncle, I am sorry for my outburst, I accept every decision you've made . " 

She lowered her head in submission. 

" Good! To be sure of your obedience you will be locked up in your new room till your suitor comes. 

    He instructed his guard to send her off to her room, preventing from leaving the house. 

That night she was locked inside her room by her aunt to prevent her from escaping before the wedding, but now things didn't go as planned.