Read Online Mirror Sight by Kristen Britain - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kristen Britain
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staring unblinkingly in at her, she screamed, and barley soup cascaded across the room, the bowl smashing on the floor.
Mirriam burst in almost immediately, with Lorine on her heels. “Miss Goodgrave! What on Earth? How dare you fling the professor’s porcelain!”
Karigan hissed as the burning hot soup soaked through her nightgown, and she plucked the fabric away from her skin. “I saw a pair of eyes! In the window.” Now for certain, she’d utterly convinced them of her insanity.
Mirriam stomped over to the window, gazed up, gazed down, and gazed all around. “I see nothing,” she replied, whirling around to stare at Karigan, her hands on her hips.
Karigan was not surprised, and as her wits settled back into their proper place, she belatedly realized that whiskers, and white and pale gray fur had accompanied the eyes before her scream had scared the poor cat off her window ledge. She laughed at herself.
“Miss Goodgrave, stop this instant.” Mirriam raised her hand as if to slap her.
Just as quickly Karigan raised her arm to block it. “I am not hysterical,” she said, no laughter in her voice now. “I was laughing because I’m just realizing I was startled by a cat. A cat at my window.” Karigan did not add that her sighting of an apparition in the early morning hours had put her on edge.
Mirriam’s posture relaxed, and her upraised hand fell to her side. Her expression, however, revealed she was not entirely convinced.
“There has been a cat hanging about the back garden lately,” Lorine said.
“White with gray?” Karigan asked.
Lorine nodded.
“No one had better be feeding it,” Mirriam replied. “Filthy creatures.”
Lorine clasped her hands in front of her and glanced down at the floor, but Mirriam did not observe it for she was gazing intently at Karigan.
“Just after we’ve cleaned and put fresh bedding on,” Mirriam said. “Now we’ll have to do it all over again.”
“I’m sorry,” Karigan said with a grimace. “I was just really startled.”
“See that it does not happen again.”
A clean nightgown and bedding were brought in, and after Karigan changed, she was ordered to sit in the chair while the bed was made anew, soup was sopped up from the floor, and broken porcelain swept away. In addition, the butler arrived with a little table, Mirriam directing where it should be placed.
Not
next to the window, she ordered the butler.
“From now on,” she informed Karigan, “you shall dine at this table. You are obviously well enough to sit up, and I won’t have you flinging the professor’s porcelain.”
“I did not—”
“And slippers!” Mirriam threw her hands into the air. “Why do I see no slippers? That girl never remembers anything I tell her, and I must do it myself.” She turned on Lorine who had a rag bunched in her hand from wiping up stray droplets of soup. “I am off to Copley’s for slippers and perhaps a few other shops while I’m out.”
With that, Mirriam marched out of the room, and both Karigan and Lorine sighed simultaneously. Lorine smiled shyly at Karigan.
“Is there . . . is there really a cat in the back garden?” Karigan asked.
“Oh, yes, miss. We do give him leavings now and then, but please don’t tell Mirriam—he does no harm.”
“I certainly will not tell Mirriam,” Karigan said with more feeling than she intended.
“Thank you, miss. Like I said, we just give him leavings. He’d like to come in, but, well, as you saw, Mirriam wouldn’t have it. He lets us near enough to pet him sometimes. Well, I must be off to begin laundry now.”
“I’m sorry,” Karigan said again as Lorine loaded her arms with sheets, cleaning rags, and Karigan’s soup-stained nightgown.
“No trouble, miss,” Lorine replied, voice muffled by linens as she headed out the door.
Karigan sat back in her chair wondering if she’d made enough trouble for one day.
Not by far,
she decided. Mirriam had left the house to go shopping, which
Mirriam burst in almost immediately, with Lorine on her heels. “Miss Goodgrave! What on Earth? How dare you fling the professor’s porcelain!”
Karigan hissed as the burning hot soup soaked through her nightgown, and she plucked the fabric away from her skin. “I saw a pair of eyes! In the window.” Now for certain, she’d utterly convinced them of her insanity.
Mirriam stomped over to the window, gazed up, gazed down, and gazed all around. “I see nothing,” she replied, whirling around to stare at Karigan, her hands on her hips.
Karigan was not surprised, and as her wits settled back into their proper place, she belatedly realized that whiskers, and white and pale gray fur had accompanied the eyes before her scream had scared the poor cat off her window ledge. She laughed at herself.
“Miss Goodgrave, stop this instant.” Mirriam raised her hand as if to slap her.
Just as quickly Karigan raised her arm to block it. “I am not hysterical,” she said, no laughter in her voice now. “I was laughing because I’m just realizing I was startled by a cat. A cat at my window.” Karigan did not add that her sighting of an apparition in the early morning hours had put her on edge.
Mirriam’s posture relaxed, and her upraised hand fell to her side. Her expression, however, revealed she was not entirely convinced.
“There has been a cat hanging about the back garden lately,” Lorine said.
“White with gray?” Karigan asked.
Lorine nodded.
“No one had better be feeding it,” Mirriam replied. “Filthy creatures.”
Lorine clasped her hands in front of her and glanced down at the floor, but Mirriam did not observe it for she was gazing intently at Karigan.
“Just after we’ve cleaned and put fresh bedding on,” Mirriam said. “Now we’ll have to do it all over again.”
“I’m sorry,” Karigan said with a grimace. “I was just really startled.”
“See that it does not happen again.”
A clean nightgown and bedding were brought in, and after Karigan changed, she was ordered to sit in the chair while the bed was made anew, soup was sopped up from the floor, and broken porcelain swept away. In addition, the butler arrived with a little table, Mirriam directing where it should be placed.
Not
next to the window, she ordered the butler.
“From now on,” she informed Karigan, “you shall dine at this table. You are obviously well enough to sit up, and I won’t have you flinging the professor’s porcelain.”
“I did not—”
“And slippers!” Mirriam threw her hands into the air. “Why do I see no slippers? That girl never remembers anything I tell her, and I must do it myself.” She turned on Lorine who had a rag bunched in her hand from wiping up stray droplets of soup. “I am off to Copley’s for slippers and perhaps a few other shops while I’m out.”
With that, Mirriam marched out of the room, and both Karigan and Lorine sighed simultaneously. Lorine smiled shyly at Karigan.
“Is there . . . is there really a cat in the back garden?” Karigan asked.
“Oh, yes, miss. We do give him leavings now and then, but please don’t tell Mirriam—he does no harm.”
“I certainly will not tell Mirriam,” Karigan said with more feeling than she intended.
“Thank you, miss. Like I said, we just give him leavings. He’d like to come in, but, well, as you saw, Mirriam wouldn’t have it. He lets us near enough to pet him sometimes. Well, I must be off to begin laundry now.”
“I’m sorry,” Karigan said again as Lorine loaded her arms with sheets, cleaning rags, and Karigan’s soup-stained nightgown.
“No trouble, miss,” Lorine replied, voice muffled by linens as she headed out the door.
Karigan sat back in her chair wondering if she’d made enough trouble for one day.
Not by far,
she decided. Mirriam had left the house to go shopping, which
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