Jennie remained standing for several moments after Miss Lily footsteps disappeared into the corridor .Her gaze remained fixed on the closed door before her legs suddenly weakened. Slowly she sank to her knees,the tears came before she could stop them.
"What have I gotten myself into?" she whispered, pressing a trembling hand against her mouth.
A sob escaped her throat.
The room seemed quiet now,not the peaceful kind of quiet she had grown accustomed to inside the estate . The sort of silence that settled after words had been left unfinished.
Her gaze drifted toward the closed door.
"You might not be lucky the next time." Lingered in her mind
Would I ended up like Sophia someday,what have i gotten myself into she found her self mumbling .The warning lingered in her mind.
Slowly, she crossed the room and sat at the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped beneath her weight,tears streamed down her cheeks freely now, the thought terrified her.
Several minutes passed before her crying finally began to subside. She wiped at her face repeatedly, trying to regain control of herself. Sunlight from the tall windows spilled across the floorboards, warming the ivory dress .
Downstairs, somewhere far below, servants continued their duties as though nothing had happened.As though a woman hadn't been left bleeding across the office floor.
Jennie lowered her eyes.
A part of her wished she could stop thinking about Sophia.
Another part couldn't.
The memory kept returning anyway.How broken she looked in the office,the hate in her eyes when she looked at me.
The fear.
The terrible certainty in the room after Jacob spoke.
No one had argued.
No one had protested.
Not even Mr. Reg.
Especially not Miss Lily.
The estate had simply accepted the order and moved forward.A sharp knock at the door startled her from her thoughts, Jennie quickly stood and wiped her face. She hurried toward the bathroom mirror,attempting to smooth away any evidence of her breakdown. Her eyes were still red.
Another knock sounded against the door.
Jennie stood by her bed .
"Come in." she said, grateful that her voice didn't crack.
The door opened Jake stepped inside carrying a black leather laptop case and envelope, the moment he looked at her, his expression changed.
"Jennie?"
I immediately looked away.
"What?"
"You've been crying."
"No, I haven't."
Jake raised an eyebrow.
"Jennie."
She sighed.
"Fine. Maybe a little."
"A little?" he repeated. "Your eyes look like you've been crying for an hour."
Despite everything, a weak laugh escaped her.
"You're impossible."
"And you're a terrible liar."
Jake stepped further into the room and placed the laptop case beside her luggage. For a moment neither of them spoke.
"You really okay?" he asked quietly.
Jennie's smile disappeared.
The concern in his voice nearly made me cry again.
"Jennie are you alright,you look pale."
Jake was one of the few people in the estate she could actually talk to,one of the few who treated her like a normal person.
"Travel anxiety no need to worry " I said while trying to steady my voice
Jake noticed her expression and smiled gently.
"Hey."
"What?"
"No matter how weird this trip gets, at least you'll finally get to see something other than these walls."
Jennie managed a small smile.
"I suppose that's one way to look at it."
"There you go."
She looked at him gratefully.
"Thanks, Jake."
"For what?"
"For checking on me."
His smile softened.
"Someone has to make sure you don't spend the entire trip overthinking."
Jennie laughed quietly.
"Actually, I came here for a reason the Young Master requested that this be delivered before departure ."
He placed the case beside the traveling trunk before producing a cream-colored envelope.
"And these as well, I have to get going now"
The paper felt unusually thick between her fingers.
"Thank you."
He bowed before quietly withdrawing from the room.The door clicked shut behind him.I glanced down at the envelope.Her name was written neatly across the front,she opened it curiously ,several documents slid into her hands.For a moment she simply stared;Identification papers,Travel permits,Official records bearing her photograph, weirdly enough everything processed and prepared for even a cross country marathon .
Her brow furrowed.
The trip had only been announced less than an hour ago.
"How had all of this already been arranged?"
I looked down at the documents
again.She wasn't sure whether it was admiration or discomfort she felt , perhaps both.
The more time she spent around Jacob, the more she realized how little anything happened by accident even the smallest details seemed to have been anticipated long before anyone else became aware of them.
A distant engine suddenly echoed outside.Jennie walked toward the window. Below one of the estate vehicles rolled into the circular drive.Several staff moved immediately to meet it.
Another vehicle followed shortly after.
The reality of the journey finally began to settle inside her.For the first time since arriving at the estate, she would be leaving its walls and strange routines,leaving the endless corridors, leaving the uncomfortable sense that everyone around her knew secrets she did not.
The thought should have felt freeing,instead I found myself oddly nervous.Her gaze drifted toward the laptop case resting beside the packed luggage .
Toward the packed luggage.
Toward the closed door.