“Where are you?” Penelope’s voice was coming out strained now. All manner of terrible scenarios had already begun to play out in her mind.
What would happen if she could not find Odette? Alexander would never forgive her, and worse, she would never be able to forgive herself. Penelope had developed a fondness for the girl that was as close as she had ever felt to motherhood. Not being able to find her was the worst thing that could happen.
“Odette?” Penelope called out again for what seemed like the hundredth time. She looked back at where she had entered the park , wondering if she should suspend her search and head back to the estate.
That was when she heard a familiar bark.
“Apollo?” Penelope spun around so fast that she nearly knocked herself over. Sure enough, a wagging tail greeted her from the distance. She ran over to him. “Apollo! There you are. Where is Odette?”
If the dog was here, then Odette should be close by. The realization restored the color in her cheeks, and finally Penelope felt she could breathe again.
Apollo continued wagging his tail, looking anything but bothered.
“Come on, boy,” she said to the dog, sinking to her knees to get on his level. “Where is she? She came with you, didn’t she?”
It was then that Apollo turned around and began to run over to a spot behind the trees. Penelope promptly picked up her dress, and ran after him.
Hidden behind the thicket of the trees sat Odette on a bench, a small bag tightly clutched in her hands. She did not immediately notice Penelope but nearly jumped when she did.
“Odette!” Penelope exclaimed in a voice that was both relieved and admonishing. “What are you doing here by yourself? Oh, heavens. I thought I had lost you.”
Penelope rushed over to embrace her, but Odette remained stiff even as she wrapped her arms around her. Penelope looked down at her face, but she simply turned the other way.
“You’re upset with me?” Penelope asked, slowly extracting herself from the embrace. She took a seat beside her, keeping a close watch on her in case she decided to run off again.
Odette merely responded with a ‘hmph’.
“That answers it,” Penelope sighed, rubbing the side of her face with her hands. “Why are you upset, love?”
Odette narrowed her eyes at Penelope. “Do not call me love, not when you deny me the things I want the most.”
“You wanted to go to the park,” Penelope said, keeping her tone as calm as she could. She did not want to escalate what was already a very delicate situation. “And now you have fulfilled your wish. But tell, was this the right way to go about things? What if something had happened to you?”
Odette gestured around her, “Everything is fine, is it not? I am intact, and nothing terrible happened the moment I stepped out of the estate.”
“Yes, but was it really worth the risk?” Penelope asked. “What did you plan on doing once you were done with the park?”
Penelope glanced at the small bag that Odette was clutching in her hands, and a part of her was scared to hear the answer.
“I decided to run away,” Odette announced with a certainty that only someone her age could have about something so drastic. “If I am not allowed to have even the simplest of pleasures, then how am I meant to go on?”
“Your father…” Penelope stopped to gather her thoughts. “Well, your father would have come around to the idea eventually. But you did not even give me the time to convince him.”
“You say that only to momentarily placate me,” Odette responded instantly. “But I know how hard it is to change his mind. He only responds to action, and the only way forward is to never return.”
Penelope’s heart skipped a beat whenever Odette brought up the idea of running away. But panicking was no solution to things. Penelope had to deal with the situation diplomatically.
“Pray tell,” Penelope scooted a little closer to Odette, “What would your plan be once you did manage to run away? You do not have any earnings or means to sustain yourself on your own.”
Odette faltered for a moment, but then answered back with even more inclination. “I would have figured it out. It is better than the alternative.”
“By alternative, you mean living in a home inhabited by people who love you and care about you?” Penelope’s voice softened.
“You do not understand,” Odette shook her head. “I can no longer do this. Father keeps such a tight hold on me about all things that I do not know how I will ever do the things I wish to do with my life. How am I meant to find a husband if I have a pair of nagging bodyguards following my every move? How am Imeant to travel the world if I cannot even leave the premises of my own home?”
Penelope did not answer right away. As much as she wished to defend Alexander, she saw a part of herself in Odette’s frustration.
“You are right,” she said finally, sighing.
