Chapter 1
It was the end of summer on the bustling streets of London. With talk of transients and the development of railroads, my Inn was lively and full of people from all walks of life. But just as well as the city was growing and expanding, so were the buildings. My Inn paled in comparison to the “hotels” that were starting to sprout up and many of the Inns were being combined or turned into homes. I didn’t let the pressures frighten me though, I ran a good and honest business that I refused to let me swept into the new revolution.
As the freshly washed linens began to pile up on the bed, the refreshing, clean scent that filled the small space ignited a smile from me. Just as I began to fold the final pillow covering and place it into the finished pile, a rapid knock came upon my chamber door. I quickly pushed the pile down and made my way across the creaking floor to the door. I opened it to find a frail maiden, Mary, staring at me with wide, green eyes and her already pale face looking even more drained under the candlelight.
“Mary, is everything alright?” I furrowed my brow, pressing the back of my hand to her forehead to find her clammy and warm, “What’s going on?”
“Si-Sir Edmund James, he-he-he’s requesting a room,” she stuttered in almost a whisper. I’m sure that I probably looked similar to her within a split second of hearing that infamous name ringing through my ears. I gripped her arm tightly and gave her a firm nod, not wanting to waver and cause more fear for her.
“Put those linens away, I’ll deal with this,” I responded, though I knew my voice was shaking. The color was slowly returning to her face as she brushed past me and into my room. I took a shallow breath, dusting my hands off on my smock, and marching down the hall to the stairs. My mind was racing as I opened the door at the top of the stairway to reveal the lobby, warm and glowing. I glanced to the left and saw another maiden, Eliza, clutching her smock tightly in her fists as she stood behind the front desk. I could see her slender frame trembling and her pretty blue eyes stark with shock. I stepped out of the stairway, closing the door behind me quickly before spinning around and finding him standing there.
“Hello, Annie,” Edmund’s voice came out like a growl with that sinister smirk on his lips. He towered over me, his normally neatly slicked back brown hair was disheveled and long, his face was unkempt without having been shaved in a while, and the dark bags under his piercing blue eyes took away some of the fierceness normally there. His clothes were tattered, ripped, and dirty, and I could smell the alcohol on him without being within 10 steps from him.
“I’m sorry, but we do not have any vacant rooms,” I spoke in my strongest voice as I refused to waive under his eye; he had no power over anybody anymore after all. I watched his jaw tighten and his hands close to fists in an instant while I continued to stand my ground.
“That’s not what the sign out front says,” he grunted, making me flinch as he took a step forward. I lifted my chin higher and began walking towards him. His nostrils flared as he glared down at me.
“We just sold our last room-”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go!” he shouted, but instead of smacking me across the face, or gripping my arms so tightly that they bruised, he collapsed to his knees, grabbing my hand with his freezing cold ones. My lips parted in surprise as his body trembled. I stared at him for a moment, wondering how he could’ve gone from being a stone cold tyrant who’d ruined my life, to a pitiful, drunken, shell of his former self, knelt before me like a child. I hastily pulled my hand from his and he glanced up at me, his hollow eyes tired and scared. I cleared my throat and glanced back at Eliza.
“Prepare a room and have Matilda make some tea,” I demanded, to which Eliza quickly scurried off to start preparations. I took a few steps back as Edmund clamored to his feet, a small spark in his eyes.
“Thank you, Annie. I really-”
“Do not mistake my kindness as weakness,” I spat and I saw his eyes grow dark momentarily.
“Don’t you remember that I once was a man of dignity and grace? A little sympathy I hope you can show me,” he scoffed as my blood began to boil. But unlike him, I would not punish and abuse him, I was a bigger and better person than that. I wouldn’t allow him to scare me anymore because there simply wasn’t anything he could do to me anymore.
“Miss,” a soft squeak came from behind me and I saw Mary peering down the entryway as Edmund shuffled awkwardly behind Eliza who’s form was still visibly shaking as they disappeared into the darkness.
“Don’t worry, Mary,” I assured her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly. She gave me a small smile on her pale lips, but her eyes remained full of anxiety and fear.
“Come, we can start prepping dinner,” I exhaled, trying to find a way to take both of our minds off of the situation that was sure to plague us for who knew how long.
