Huffing, I threw myself down onto a nearby sofa.
The big question was, would Blackthorn even believe me? Or had I waited too long and now it seems like I was just trying to run back home to Rumple?
Ugh, I didn’t know what to do. No one prepared me for this kind of situation. I wasn’t meant to have to think beyond what orders had to be done that day. Trying to convince a decades or even centuries old vampire that he should let me go was not in my skill set.
I leaned forward, rubbing my hands over my face in frustration.
A knock sounded on the bedroom door before it cracked open. I glanced up to see Fran peering into the room, her face filled with concern. Once it landed on me, her eyes narrowed to slits.
Chin lifted, she shoved the door open with a tray in her hands. Fran didn’t look at me once as she strode through the room and sat the tray down so hard on the nearby table that the dishes clinked against each other.
My shoulders bunched together with each scrap and loud clack. I worried the dishes would break in her little display of displeasure.
Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. She and the others had been nothing but nice to me and the first chance I got, I tried to run. They probably hadn’t seen a new person in decades and,from everything they’ve said and the way they talked about Blackthorn, they probably saw me as some crazy selfish person who didn’t see a good thing when she had it.
I waited until Fran finally stopped before turning in my seat to face her. “Fran, I just want to say—”
“Your breakfast, mistress.” Fran’s words were stilted as she curtsied to me, head bowed.
I closed my mouth and nodded, understanding her anger.
Moving from the sofa to the table, I sat down and looked over the food she had brought for me. Unlike the first few times when it had been piled high with every type of meat and fruit imaginable, there was a bowl of lumpy porridge and a single piece of bacon that looked as if it had been forgotten in the pan with how black and charred it was.
So this would be my punishment for deceiving them. Well, it wasn’t any worse than what I was given every day at the factory. In fact, the bacon was more than I could have hoped for most days.
Still, I knew this was Fran and the others way of showing me they were upset with my actions. The least I could do was show how sorry I was.
Quietly, I picked up my spoon and scooped up a spoonful, shoving it into my mouth. Ice cold. I moved it around my mouth before swallowing it with a grimace. I picked up my cup and took a sip. Tepid water. No more fancy honeyed mead for me it seemed.
The entire time I sat there and ate, Fran never moved from her curtsy, her eyes on the ground the whole time. Only when Ifinished and pushed back from the chair did she lift her gaze to mine.
I locked eyes with hers, putting how sincerely sorry I felt into them as I said, “Thank you for breakfast.”
Fran’s face softened for a moment and then bunched up in annoyance. “You can’t even let me be mad at you without making me want to bundle you in my arms, can you, mistress?”
I didn’t answer, not knowing how she wanted me to respond.
She went about clearing the plates, muttering as she did. “I know this isn’t your home, and you were brought here without warning, but we really thought you would want to be here after a time. Do you know how beside himself Cookie was when he found out that you had tried to run away this morning?”
I winced, remembering how I’d run into the older cook last night while stealing from the kitchens.
“And don’t think he didn’t take stock of everything you took.” Fran gave me a pointed look. “Don’t worry, master brought it to me and returned the items to Cookie.”
I sat there and took her chastising, wringing my hands in my lap.
“I just don’t understand.” Fran shook her head. “Master said he saved you from a bad situation. Why would you want to go back there?”
I opened my mouth to tell her my prepared answer and then clipped it shut. I didn’t want to lie to Fran. She’d been so kind to me, and I’d already broken her trust once. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anything she could do with the information.Blackthorn wouldn’t likely believe her any more than he’d believe me.
“I’m signed a contract,” I said truthfully.
“So? Contracts are meant to be broken, especially if you’re getting the raw end of the deal.”
I winced, shifting in place, trying to figure out how to explain. A spell that actively hurts you if you didn’t obey it sounded farfetched even to me. “Rumple put a —” I choked on the word spell, gagging as I fought to get the words out. Instead of saying what I wanted, I spit out, “banana.”
Fran’s brows furrowed. “A banana?”
I tried again. “A sp—butter squash. Damn it!” I pounded my fists on the couch beside me.
