I wanted to spend the whole of the next day hiding away in my room where no one would bug me, but I couldn't. Not completing my chores would be a quickfire way for me to be dismissed but I felt as though I was past the point of caring what Mrs Ealing did to me. She had broken me down too many times and for the first time in a long time, it felt easier to give up than to keep fighting. It was a fight I knew I would lose no matter how much effort I put into it and I didn't think it would be worse the hassle if Mrs Ealing had her way.

Back at the factory, we knew that if someone lost all hope if they gave up fighting for even a second, they weren't going to make it. We watched people stop working in the middle of a shift, exhausted from the earlier hours and lack of food that they simply stopped working. The foreman would remove them from the factory floor, and they would never be seen again. We all knew what had happened to them even though we would never speak the words out loud. I hadn't given up at the factory because of Isabel. Now Isabel was gone, and I had no reason to keep fighting. I was ready to give up once and for all.

Fighting no longer seemed worth the effort, though Miss Jenkins had different ideas.

"You can't hide away in your room. I know yesterday was tough, but you have to work through it or you'll just be giving Mrs Ealing what she wants," Miss Jenkins said. She nudged a plate of scrambled eggs towards me, but I ignored it.

"I don't see what is so bad about that. She wants me out, who am I disappoint?" I mumbled, digging my nail into the wood of the table.

"After everything you've been through, I never thought I would see the day when you give up. Eat that and you can wash some of these dishes. You'll think clearly once you've got some food in your stomach."

Sighing to myself, I grabbed the plate of scrambled eggs and pulled it towards me. I had no desire to eat any of it no matter how much my stomach may have wanted me to. In truth, I had no desire to do anything other than stare at the wood of the table and think about how many more times I could end up letting everyone around me down. Doctor Ealing and Robert had taken a chance on me when I agreed to allow me into their home, and I had done nothing but drag them down and disappoint them. The best thing I could do for everyone would be to leave, but Miss Jenkins was determined that I would stay, even after what she had heard the day before.

Still, I didn't want to start the day by upsetting someone else, so I slowly ate my way through the eggs even though my stomach churned, and I felt as though I was going to vomit every time I ate something. I couldn't shake the feeling that Mrs Ealing was just waiting in the hallway for me to make a mistake so she could throw me out of the doors without looking back. It was a stupid fear, I knew that, but I couldn't shake the feeling. It felt like the factory. Where every movement of every day I waited for the foreman to throw me out for the smallest of things. At least my dismissal with the Ealing's wouldn't result in possible death.

When I had scraped the plate clean, just to prove to Miss Jenkins I had eaten everything, before shuffling my way around the table to the sink. Manoeuvring my way around the table with the cane was difficult but at least I was hidden out of sight from the rest of the family. Usually, I would have gone to the office with Doctor Ealing and Robert, but Miss Jenkins had made the decision that it would be best if I stayed behind and Esther took my place. I would spend the day hidden in the basement where no one could get me.

"I need to go and complete a few chores upstairs, you'll be fine here on your own?" Miss Jenkins asked, handing me another plate.

"I'm not going anywhere in a hurry," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Alright, I'll be back as soon as I can. Once you're done with that, you can start to peel the potatoes, they're in the pantry."

"Take as long as you need, I'll be fine down here."

Miss Jenkins smiled towards me before dropping a cloth onto the table and leaving me alone in the kitchen to finish the washing up. It felt odd to be confined to the kitchen with nothing but the washing up to occupy my time. I couldn't help but feel like I was back to my trial period when Doctor Ealing thought it best I stay out of the way when Mr Warrington and Alexander were around. The only difference between then and now was that I could re-emerge when they were gone, this time I was trapped.

If I were to emerge from the kitchen, there was little doubt in my mind that Mrs Ealing would either banish me back or find the smallest of things to give me my third and last infraction. If I wanted to keep my job, I had to stay out of sight from everyone. Not just Mrs Ealing, but the entire family because even talking to someone could lead to my dismissal. Although being kept in the kitchen and out of sight reminded me too much of my life at the factory, I knew it was for the best. I didn't think I could stand seeing Robert again after what I said to him.

I hadn't meant any of it. It had all just come running out like water and I couldn't take it back no matter how much I may have wanted to. I had made a mistake, a huge one and it would remain until the end of time. Robert hated me, that much was clear. Saying what I said had ruined any possible friendship between the two of us and he had been one of my most prolific supporters against Mrs Ealing. Now that he was no longer on my side, I had nothing left to lose.

Finishing up one of the last plates from breakfast, I went to move it onto the draining board beside the sink. With my mind elsewhere, I missed the board by the smallest of margins and sent the plate crashing to the ground. The plate hit the ground and smashed into several shards, some spilling under the table and others just staying in front of me. I swore loudly and bent down to collect the shards closest. My knee screamed out in pain as I crouched and started picking the larger shards off the floor and placing them into my hand.

A sharp pain travelled down my leg from my knee causing me to drop one of the shards I was holding. It sliced into my right hand, sending a stream of blood trickling down my palm and onto the floor in small droplets. Pushing myself into a standing position, I swore again.

"That wasn't a very ladylike thing to say," a voice said behind me. I spun around and came face to face with James who grinned slightly.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, cradling my hand.

"I ran into Esther in London and she told me what happened, I thought you could do with some brotherly advice, and by the look of it some medical help." He gestured to my hand.

"It was an accident."

"I know but standing there gawping at it isn't going to help, come on."

James took a step into the room and lightly wrapped his fingers around my wrist. He took me the few steps towards the sink and turned the tap on. I winced slightly as he held my hand under the water for a few seconds before pulling it back and tilting it to the side so he could get a better look. He hummed to himself slightly before finally speaking.

"It's not too deep, but it might be worth bandaging it up, so you don't get blood everywhere. Do you have any bandages down here?"

"Over there."

I gestured to a drawer at the far end of the room and watched as James left my hand hanging over the sink and crossed to the other side of the room. He reached into the drawer and pulled out a roll of white bandage and a small piece of cloth. He closed the door and rejoined me at the sink, moving me backwards until I was sitting in the seat I had vacated not too long before. James placed my hand face-up on the table and started to unravel the bandage. He placed the small square of cloth on the cut and lightly wrapped the bandage around my hand. When the bandaged had been wrapped, he tucked the end in and pressed his hands against his thighs.

"There we go. Reminds me of when you were little and you'd scrape your knee, I was the only one you would let bandage it if Mother wasn't around. Feels like so long ago now," James said.

"It was," I replied.

"Hm, maybe to you but it feels like it was only yesterday for me. Sometimes I forget you're fourteen, I just see that small curly-haired girl you were all those years ago. Christopher is going to be shocked when he sees you."

"I don't think I've seen Christopher shocked by anything."

"There's a first time for everything."

"I didn't know we had any visitors," Miss Jenkins said, stepping into the room with an armful of bedding from upstairs.

"I came in through the back, your Esther said it would be for the best though she wouldn't tell me why."

"Hm, Esther was right." Miss Jenkins turned to look at me. "What happened to your hand?"

"I dropped a plate, cut my hand trying to clean it up."

"We have a dustpan in the other room."

"I wasn't thinking."

"Are you going to manage the cane?"

"We'll see."

"I know you're short-staffed, what with Esther being in London and my sister's remarkable skills of getting injured at the most inconvenient time possible, but I was wondering if I could perhaps steal her away for ten minutes or so. It seems we have a lot to discuss," James said.

"Be my guest, just stay out of sight of Mrs Ealing's room. If she finds out you're here we're all for it."

"We will."

I pushed the chair back against the floor and walked around to the backdoor with James following close behind. The cut on my hand ached against the cane but I had no other way to move around and my hand would have to pay the price for it. James followed me through the backdoor and back down the gravel path and away from the house. Staying anywhere near the house would be a terrible idea, but we were hidden from sight in the woods and Mrs Ealing would have to leave the house to try and find us. We would be safe from her watchful eye and that was fine with me.

The two of us moved off the gravel path and into the line of trees around the house. My hand ached as I led James through the trees and towards the river that had become my escape since joining the household full time. Despite what had happened to Zachariah during my trial, I enjoyed the solitude of the river and it allowed me to keep out of the way on my afternoons off. Sometimes Robert would join me, other times he wouldn't. It felt odd to be taking James to a place that had been ours, but I doubted Robert would talk to me again after what I said to him.

When we reached the river, I sunk to the ground and laid the cane beside me whilst my feet dangled just over the edge of the rock. James sat down beside me and placed his hands on his lap. The sound of water rushing past filled the silence between us. If I didn't have so much rushing through my mind at once, I would have thought it was a usual Sunday afternoon, but I couldn't think like that.

"Esther didn't tell me too much about what had been happening here recently, but she gave me the general idea. She mentioned your knee, the second infraction and the incident with Robert, all of which happened within a day. What on earth is going on, Rosie?"

"I wish I knew," I muttered, watching the water in the stream.

"This can't continue, you know that don't you?"

"Of course I do, but what can I do about it? If I stand up to Mrs Ealing, I lose my job and if I don't, she keeps attacking me until I am dismissed. Either way, I'll be out of a job within a week."

"Is that such a bad thing?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "Listen, you've gone from seven years in a factory under the thumb of someone serving a jail sentence only to be working for a woman who thinks talking to her son is worthy of an infraction or dismissal. None of this is good for you. Since I've seen you, you have damaged your shoulder, your knee and now your hand and it can only get worse from here. I know you liked working here at first, I know it was a relief from the foreman after all those years, but perhaps leaving wouldn't be such a bad thing.

"I know Matthew spoke to you about moving in with him, we've spoken about it since and I'm inclined to agree that that would be the best solution. However, Sebastian would be remarkably unsettled by it and an unhappy three-year-old is never a good thing. So, whilst the offer still stands, it would be for you to move in with me, not Matthew. I've already spoken to Kitty and she thinks it's a wonderful idea, all we need is for you to agree."

"I can't just leave, after everything they have done for me it wouldn't be right."

"You don't have to leave straight away, you can sort things out with Robert and explain everything to Miss Jenkins and Esther. I'll even give you time to write a letter to give to Doctor Ealing to explain your decision, but you can't stay here. Besides, what reason do you have to stay after yesterday?"

As much as it may have pained me to say it, James was right. The past few days had been chaotic, and it didn't look as though it would let up any time soon, Mrs Ealing was coming for me and I couldn't avoid it. After what happened between myself and Robert, I couldn't see many other reasons to remain in the household if I didn't even have him by my side. Leaving felt like the only other option I had left. All other attempts to make things better had failed and I had nothing else to give and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to give any more if I would get nothing but resentment from Mrs Ealing out of it.

Before leaving had been something that had just played at the back of my mind and I hadn't even thought about actually doing it. Even when Matthew had approached me with the offer, actually following through with it didn't even cross my mind. I didn't feel as though I could leave when they had done so much for me but even that didn't stand up to how I felt after everything else that had happened. They had taken me into their household when I thought I would spend my life on the streets, but now even spending time on the streets seemed better than having to face Mrs Ealing day in and day out.

"Don't make a decision now. Sleep on it and then write to me when you know what to do. If you agree to leave, you may have a week to say your goodbyes and do whatever you need to do. If you stay, Matthew and I will be checking in and if Mrs Ealing dismisses you then the offer is there should you choose it. I won't tell you to think one way or another, it's entirely up to you," James said.

"I should get back, Miss Jenkins will be wondering where I am."

"Alright. Write to me when you have a decision. Send it to the shop."

"I will."

"Good. I'll cut through the woods and head back to London, that way Mrs Ealing won't see me."

James crawled onto his hands and knees and pushed himself to a standing position. He held his hands out and I graciously accepted them, allowing him to pull me to my feet before grabbing the cane off the floor. We stood facing each other for a few seconds before James wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. He squeezed me slightly and placed a small kiss on my forehead before releasing me.

"I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Alright."

With a small smile towards me, James walked in the opposite direction to the house, moving through the trees as though he had walked through them hundreds of times before. I sighed to myself and brushed my hands off on the front of my apron to remove the small stones and mud that had stuck to the palm of my left hand and the bandage. As James' footsteps retreated into the distance, I gripped the top of the cane and made my way back through the woods towards the house.

As I crossed the grass, keeping out of sight of Mrs Ealing's watchful gaze from an upstairs window, I knew James had been right about something even though I didn't want to admit it to myself. For months had been trying to convince myself that staying at the Ealing's was for the best, in spite of what Mrs Ealing may have been doing to me. Yet deep down, hidden in a part of me I didn't even know existed was the truth I didn't want to admit.

There was nothing left for me at the house. I had no other option but to leave and never look back. 

~~~

A/N - It's Tuesday and that means we are back! Just a note, next week's chapter will be going up on FRIDAY since it is Christmas. I'll be posting it on my messageboard as well.

Also, TSG hit 10K READS!!! Honestly, I love you guys so much!

Alrighty, Rosie and James have had a heart-to-heart and it looks as though Rosie has made up her mind... Is it the right decision?

Comment below!

Dedication - This chapter is dedicated to calmwolf for binge voting/reading last week! Love ya, Vi!

First Published - December 17th, 2019