Chapter 23 First Day Of My Life
Sharon
As luck would have it , there was no need for pretense on my part, Earl of his own accord decided that I needed lots of rest and kept me confined to my bed, where I proceeded to spend the best week of my life. Young healers were always at my beck and call, ready to tend to my every need, even if it was something as simple as moving from the bed to the chamber pot. It was the most rested I had ever been in my entire life, and even though I knew I should be relaxing, I just couldn't.
For as soon as I cleared my mind and tried to relax, thoughts of the scary future I was sure to face would cloud my mind and I would jolt up and begin to hyperventilate at the thought of the uncertainty my future held.
I had scared myself with so many different scenarios so often that when Earl told me I was healthy enough to leave the infirmary at the end of the week,I was equal parts apprehensive and glad.
For as much as I would miss the break from the real world that the infirmary afforded me, I was ready to face the future and get it done with.
When I woke up the next morning, one of the young healers was standing at the end of the bed, obviously waiting for me to wake up.
“ Good morning,” she said as soon as I opened my eyes.
“ There's bath water and a change of clothes in the next room, you're expected to be bathed, dressed and waiting outside in half an hour.” She added, leaving before I could ask her who it was that was expecting me.
With a heavy sigh, I stretched and looked around the room that had been my home for the past week before getting up and trudging to the next room where I was greeted by a large tub of warm water and a neatly folded set of clothes.
Twenty minutes later, after the longest bath of my life (I had luxuriated in the tub for ten whole minutes). I had buttoned myself into the set of clothes, which to my amazement, contained two whole petticoats along with a pair of bloomers. It took me a couple of minutes to learn how to walk under the added layers, but I finally got the hang of it and with more than five minutes to spare, I made my way outside to find a tall dark haired and dark eyed young girl of about my age leaning against the wall. She was wearing a dress the same shade of blue as I was, so I assumed that she was waiting for me.
“ Good morning.” I greeted with a smile that slowly faded when she turned to look at me with a scowl. With a look of unmistakable derision and contempt, she raked her eyes over me from the
roots of my recently washed hair that was still wet to the soles of my new shoes that were a little too big for me. She concluded her examination with a soft but easily discernible hiss.
“ Follow me,” she finally spoke, turning and stalking off.
“ And hurry.” She threw at me over her shoulder as I struggled to keep up with her long legged stride.
“ I'm too busy to either walk at your crawling pace or lead you by the arm like you're some kind of blind animal.”
“ I'll keep up.” I assured her, hurrying after her. I ended up alternating between running around and walking really fast to keep up with her, which meant that by the time we arrived at our destination, I was out of breath and struggling to regain my breath.
My guide took one look at me and clicked her tongue.
“ You really are pathetic,” she said. “ You had better be prepared to go to work in the fields, there's no way you'll be able to keep up here in the palace.” She added, before pushing open the oaken door in front of which we were standing and dragging me in by the elbow, right in the middle of a deep breath. She didn't let of my elbow when we got in, but continued to drag me through what a quick look around quickly identified as a very busy kitchen with people, young girls of different shapes and sizes running around carrying bowls, pans and pots and other cooking implements both full and empty. My guide kept dragging me until we got to a burly middle-aged woman in a tight fitting black dress, and a low worn cap out of which tendrils of gray hair were trying to escape. She was standing behind a large table, carefully mixing some kind of batter in a huge wooden bowl. My guide pushed me forward with so much force, I almost rammed into the table and upset her batter.
“ Here she is.” She announced wiping her palm over her apron, as though anxious to get the feel of my arm off herself.
“Thank you Elle,” the older woman said, without looking up from her batter. “ You can get back to work now,” she added.
“And as for you, go wash the dishes.” She continued, still without looking up.
Neither her nor my guide whom I had just discovered was christened Elle offered to show me the way, and I was left to find my way around the kitchen, getting in people's way, all of whom looked at with varying degrees of hatred and contempt. Apparently not even working in the palace could stem the hatred and contempt that an omega invariably stirred up wherever they might go.
At long last, either as a result of a kind soul taking care of me, or a not so kind soul getting tried of having me in her way, someone whose face I couldn't see grabbed my arm and pushed me through the girls and to the back of the kitchen where two girls were sitting in front of a huge pile of plates, bowls, and pans, along with huge bowls of water. I started to smile, but as soon as they caught sight of me, they hissed in unison and got to their feet, one of them even pushing me out of the way with their shoulder.
With a soft sigh I seated myself, rolled up my sleeves and began to sort through the dishes.
“ I can handle this,” I said to myself as I reached for the lard and bark sponge. Not able to help the thought that if this was all my future life here was about, then I had spent sleepless nights and worried myself for nothing. Sure, being avoided like a plague and seeing nothing but contempt and hatred in every eye that looked at me was far from ideal, but it wasn't any more than what I was used to. Hell if this was all there was to it, and got at least one meal a day, then it was already much better than life with my family.
“Not that I didn't deserve any of it.” I quickly mumbled out loud.