Read Online Matronly Duties by Melissa Kendall - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Melissa Kendall
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million tiny rainbows are bouncing off the walls.
“This is beautiful,” I say, my eyes darting around to take it all in.
“This isn’t even the best bit,” he replies.
We turn a corner, and the tunnel widens in front of us, directly into a cavern the size of a city block. The walls are bare rock and, in the distance, I can hear a trickle of water. As in the tunnels, rainbows bounce off the walls wherever Howard shines the torch.
I gasp. The beauty of it literally leaves me breathless.
“You okay?”
“Yes, it’s just so beautiful.” I take the torch from Howard and shine it around. The rainbow of colours is stunning.
“Come, have a seat,” Howard says. I turn and at my feet is a blanket.
I sit, still trying to take in everything around me. Although the light seems to barely penetrate the darkness, there is still much to see.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? The crystal spread throughout the rock is mesmerising.” I nod because it truly is a remarkable sight. “It took me two years to explore it all.”
I turn my head to the left to look at him. “Really. Why so long?”
“Well, I don’t get to come here as often as I would like with all my other responsibilities. So I only come about once a month, sometimes less, and it is much larger than you’d expect.”
“I can see that it looks like it goes on forever. What did the other girls you’ve brought here think of it?”
“I haven’t brought anyone else here, let alone a girl.”
I blanch at his admission. “Really?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I was more thinking what makes me so special?”
“There are a few things that come to mind. I can list them if you’d like.”
I slap him on the arm. “Don’t be silly.”
He returns my slap with a playful shoulder bump. When he laughs I can’t help but join in. He pulls me in closer, his arms wrapped around me to keep me warm.
We sit in silence, admiring the beauty surrounding us. I am expecting it to feel awkward, but it doesn’t. Eventually, Howard’s voice breaks into the quiet.
“I’m sorry ’bout your family.”
“Why?” It isn’t his fault I don’t get to see them.
“Well, it’s just . . . I wouldn’t have shown you that photo album if I’d known you didn’t have any happy memories, or you didn’t see your family.” His tone is apologetic, but he didn’t do anything wrong.
“It’s true, I do miss my parents, and I’m excited when I get to see them. But I accepted only seeing them a couple of times a year a long time ago. That’s part of the responsibility of becoming Matron, it’s how it is for those at MITI . . . how it’s always been. I guess it was a case of not knowing there was any other way. But when I saw those photos . . .” I trail off, lacking the words to explain the range of emotions I felt earlier.
“You realise it’s not normally like that, right?”
“I do now, but there’s no point wishing for my life to be different, because it isn’t.”
“Do you want to be Matron?”
I am taken aback at his question. “I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that before, but it is my duty and honour to be Matron. I am looking forward to serving my nation.”
“Is that how you really feel? Because that sounds like a line you’ve been fed.”
I think about it for a second. “I don’t know,” I reply, frightened about the fact that I don’t have an answer. “Training to be Matron has been an isolated existence. I can’t imagine it will be any different when I’m actually Matron, but it is my duty and it’s not like I can do anything to change it.”
“Is that why you don’t want to have children?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to have children,” I clarify.
“Your comment earlier, though, suggested you wouldn’t.”
I hesitate, not sure how much I want to share with someone who was a complete stranger to me less than a day ago. His beautiful blue eyes, however, crumble my
“This is beautiful,” I say, my eyes darting around to take it all in.
“This isn’t even the best bit,” he replies.
We turn a corner, and the tunnel widens in front of us, directly into a cavern the size of a city block. The walls are bare rock and, in the distance, I can hear a trickle of water. As in the tunnels, rainbows bounce off the walls wherever Howard shines the torch.
I gasp. The beauty of it literally leaves me breathless.
“You okay?”
“Yes, it’s just so beautiful.” I take the torch from Howard and shine it around. The rainbow of colours is stunning.
“Come, have a seat,” Howard says. I turn and at my feet is a blanket.
I sit, still trying to take in everything around me. Although the light seems to barely penetrate the darkness, there is still much to see.
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? The crystal spread throughout the rock is mesmerising.” I nod because it truly is a remarkable sight. “It took me two years to explore it all.”
I turn my head to the left to look at him. “Really. Why so long?”
“Well, I don’t get to come here as often as I would like with all my other responsibilities. So I only come about once a month, sometimes less, and it is much larger than you’d expect.”
“I can see that it looks like it goes on forever. What did the other girls you’ve brought here think of it?”
“I haven’t brought anyone else here, let alone a girl.”
I blanch at his admission. “Really?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. I was more thinking what makes me so special?”
“There are a few things that come to mind. I can list them if you’d like.”
I slap him on the arm. “Don’t be silly.”
He returns my slap with a playful shoulder bump. When he laughs I can’t help but join in. He pulls me in closer, his arms wrapped around me to keep me warm.
We sit in silence, admiring the beauty surrounding us. I am expecting it to feel awkward, but it doesn’t. Eventually, Howard’s voice breaks into the quiet.
“I’m sorry ’bout your family.”
“Why?” It isn’t his fault I don’t get to see them.
“Well, it’s just . . . I wouldn’t have shown you that photo album if I’d known you didn’t have any happy memories, or you didn’t see your family.” His tone is apologetic, but he didn’t do anything wrong.
“It’s true, I do miss my parents, and I’m excited when I get to see them. But I accepted only seeing them a couple of times a year a long time ago. That’s part of the responsibility of becoming Matron, it’s how it is for those at MITI . . . how it’s always been. I guess it was a case of not knowing there was any other way. But when I saw those photos . . .” I trail off, lacking the words to explain the range of emotions I felt earlier.
“You realise it’s not normally like that, right?”
“I do now, but there’s no point wishing for my life to be different, because it isn’t.”
“Do you want to be Matron?”
I am taken aback at his question. “I don’t think anyone has ever asked me that before, but it is my duty and honour to be Matron. I am looking forward to serving my nation.”
“Is that how you really feel? Because that sounds like a line you’ve been fed.”
I think about it for a second. “I don’t know,” I reply, frightened about the fact that I don’t have an answer. “Training to be Matron has been an isolated existence. I can’t imagine it will be any different when I’m actually Matron, but it is my duty and it’s not like I can do anything to change it.”
“Is that why you don’t want to have children?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to have children,” I clarify.
“Your comment earlier, though, suggested you wouldn’t.”
I hesitate, not sure how much I want to share with someone who was a complete stranger to me less than a day ago. His beautiful blue eyes, however, crumble my
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