Upon returning to her room, Arabella found Ada waiting.
Seated by the already dressed table she was, her expression ambiguous. Sothing tainted the feeble smile clinging to her features.
"Is everything alright, Ada?"
"Oh! Yes, of course!" her words offered a confirmation, but the shaking of her head gave denial.
"Please, tell what’s putting such a damper on your mood?" Arabella insisted, bringing a chair to sit facing her friend.
"It’s just that...," the maid trailed off montarily, "I wish you had told you wanted to see Edna before we got to the kitchens. I was taken aback, that is all,"
"Please, forgive ," the young woman hastened to take Ada’s hands in hers, "I simply didn’t want to cause you any worries," she shook her head, attempting to lock eyes with Ada but to no avail.
It wasn’t until Ada decided to, that their gazes finally t, "Is it really the reason? Or did you hide your true intentions because you knew I’d oppose the idea and try to change your mind?"
"I swear to you, Ada! This thought never crossed my mind! Not even once!" she paused, took a short breath, "In fact, it wasn’t until we started making our way downstairs that the idea of speaking with Edna ca to , but I still couldn’t voice it. I don’t think I would’ve ever voiced it if it wasn’t for the head- maid’s insistence,"
Ada shut her eyes and took a deep breath before reopening them and adopting a sowhat apologetic look, "I apologize for accusing you in such a manner. I shouldn’t even have believed you’d do that to in the first place. Forgive ,"
In reply, Arabella gave her hands a squeeze as her face bead, "No, it’s alright. I understand you. In your shoes, I would’ve leaped to the sa conclusion,"
Ada nodded at first, but then a little grimace appeared on her, "May I ask about the nature of your conversation with Edna?"
"Well, I didn’t do or say a fraction of what she did to . I can tell you that much," Arabella sighed, "I rely stood in her face and refused to budge for once,"
"Oh...," Ada shivered, "If I were you, I’d watch my back now more than ever. Edna doesn’t take too well to people standing up to her,"
"I think I may have been too harsh on her...," she trailed off before finishing her sentence, "Considering what happened to her, I an,"
"Honestly, Miss?" the maid pushed her weight off her chair, "Even though Miss Allegra says it was unprovoked, I doubt it’s the case. I reckon Edna did sothing to Miss Katherine way before the attack. Miss Katherine has never ever been aggressive without a valid reason before,"
"Yes, but I believe her current condition played a roll in her behavior,"
"I wish I could say Edna had a condition," Ada muttered through curled lips while looking away. Though her face lit up quickly after that, "In any case, please eat your dinner before it grows cold," she ushered at the table near them.
As Arabella turned to face the table and began to eat, the silence that had fallen between them did not last.
Indeed, Ada’s legs kept on fidgeting resulting in the rubbing of the fabric between them.
The whispers that yielded caught Arabella’s attention, prompting her hand to stop with a spoon full of food midway to her mouth.
"Is there more you’d like to share?" she squinted her eyes.
"What?" Ada straightened her stance, "No, no, no, no, I’ve said my peace. I have nothing to add," she shook her head profusely, clearly doing her best to plaster a smile on.
"Is that so?" one of her eyebrows rose up her forehead.
Seeing that the young woman wasn’t having it, Ada pushed a sigh and allowed her shoulders to slump, "I wanted to know where you were all this ti I spent waiting for you?" she bit her bottom lip.
Arabella took a deep breath then exhaled shortly after, "It seed my feet led to Master Silas’ chamber,"
Ada’s widening eyes prompted her to elaborate, "I ant to co straight here like we’d agreed but ended up in front of his door. I am sorry I didn’t an to worry you. Were you scared when you didn’t find ?"
"At first, yes," Ada nodded, "I thought you’d gone to the dungeons to see... Miss Katherine, but when I ran there and opened the underground level door, I noticed the torches hadn’t ignited which ant there was no soul down there, and then I rembered...,"
"You rembered the Mirari...,"
Neither of the two mustered the courage to look the other in the eyes. Both for different reasons.
"Did he let you in?" Ada was the first to break the newly fallen silence.
"Yes, he did invite ," she bit on her bottom lip in a manner that gave the impression she attempted to seal her mouth... To no avail, "He wanted to stay,"
"Why didn’t you stay?"
"I stayed for a while. I even made you wait," the young woman twiddled her fingers.
"I did not wait for that long," Ada shook her head, pushing forward the most innocent of looks to date.
Arabella saw right through it, "Really now?" her eyes squinted again.
"Yes, yes! Really! Did you two-"
"We did not do anything that we shouldn’t have," red in the face, Arabella sprung to her feet at once.
"I was rely going to ask if you two spoke, I swear!" Ada put both hands up as shields.
"I am sorry," she simred down, plopping back on the chair, "I didn’t an to yell,"
"Did he try to do sothing... He shouldn’t have?" Ada was very sheepish with her words.
"I am not sure, but I didn’t allow it. It’s not right for either of us," she shook her head.
"I am afraid that won’t stop him from loving you,"
Those words hit Arabella like a hurricane, causing her breath to hitch sowhere between her throat and lungs, "What did you say?"
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