•ℰ𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉•
AS MARILLA HAD SENT AMYBELLA towards the barn, when she asked for Anne, she met Mr. Cuthbert on the way.
"Hello Mr. Cuthbert, is Anne in there?" Amybella asked Matthew, who turned to her.
"Oh Eh.. she should be up in the hayloft." he said and she nodded hastily.
She thanked the man and made her way inside the barn. She got up to the hayloft and looked around for the girl, but didn't see any red hair.
„Anne?" she asked and when she heard a noise next to her, she turned her head to the side.
She expected to see Anne, but instead, Nathaniel's eyes met her own and she startled slightly.
"Well if it isn't the girl Bella" She looked at the young man in confusion.
Her eyes fell on the bottle in his hand.
Marcus had been holding one of these a lot lately and he'd always been off his game afterward.
"What? Never seen alcohol before?" He asked and took another sip.
"Thought you were a rebel." Amybella wrinkled her nose.
"Alcohol is disgusting." She said and he laughed. But then his gaze suddenly turned serious.
"Come here." He said and Amybella's heart began to beat faster. Her stomach formed a knot.
"Sit with me. Come here." Amybella stood still.
"Are you scared of me?!" he asked, amused and provocative.
"You've been drinking." She realized how panic was slowly rising in her.
He stood up.
"So? Aren't you into it?" He came towards her and Amybella took a few steps back.
He took another sip and then held his bottle out to her.
"Come on. That'll make it easier!" Amybella gasped indignantly. She shook her head.
"Are you mad?" she asked, startled.
"Are you scared?" he laughed.
"No." she now said resolutely. Her trembling hands betrayed her, however.
He moved towards her and she backed away further. Behind her, however, was the ladder that led down to the horses and cows.
"Well." he stopped in front of her again.
"Girls shouldn't drink." he leaned down to her.
"I'm looking for Anne." she then said, trying to escape from the situation.
"Well she's not here." Nathaniel said. He eyed her smirking.
"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" he asked and Amybella shook her head.
He looked at her one last time, then walked past her and down the ladder.
The girl let the pent-up air out of her lungs and took a moment to process what had happened. Nathanael was truly a disgusting man for her now.
She then got down the ladder too and out of the barn.
"Amybella!" she heard Matthew, who had just looked after Nate.
"Everything all right?" he asked.
"Yes, eh.. Anne's not here." She replied, hoping fervently that her slightly trembling voice and pale face wouldn't betray her.
The man's gray eyes scanned her.
Matthew may have been shy and rather withdrawn, but he was never stupid. He looked at Nate again and seemed to suspect something, so Amybella hastily put on a smile and walked past him.
"Bella!" she heard Anne's cheerful voice and recognized the girl standing on the terrace of the house. Amybella quickly ran up to the girl and hugged her.
"Are you all right?" Anne asked.
"I was looking for you." Bella replied, grinning at the red-haired girl. Anne grinned back, then grabbed Bella's hand, which was still sweaty, and pulled her along with her.
—
The room of Barry's residence was filled with the sound of people talking loudly, clinking glasses and the piano pieces performed by Diana and Amybella in a duet.
As they finished playing, applause rang out from the audience in the room.
„Another one?" Diana asked, smiling at Bella. The blond girl shook her head.
„No, this is your evening, I don't want to steal you the show Diana! You're truly
amazing!" Amybella said, but the truth was, that her fingers were tired and out of practice, since she didn't have a piano at home. She stood up from the seat and stood a few steps away, as Diana started playing again.
„He's quite the prize pony, your Nate." she heard Rachel Lynde say and really had to pull herself together to not laugh out loud
Nate was many things, but not prized.
„He's hardly mine!" Marilla told her in an offended tone.
„I just meant he's practically part of the family now." Rachel said, looking at Nathanael.
Amybella chuckled and decided to get herself a small cake.
She walked over to the table where the various delicacies were and saw Mr. Lynde filling his plate with food. She grinned at his behavior and watched as Mr. Andrews and Mr. Barry spoke to him at the same time.
"You look like a bright shining penny tonight," came a voice from behind her. The grin melted off Amybella's face as she turned to Nate.
"Thank you." she said, unable to stop her face from blushing.
"Amybella I want to apologize for my behavior the other day. I'm really not the drinking type but the whole thing with quitting my job and my company.. it must have gotten to my head," he said, taking a sip from his glass of champagne.
Amybella didn't believe a word he said.
"It's alright." she replied. She watched Mr. Dunlop as he began to sing in the company of Diana.
"So.. why are you here? Isn't this evening only for adults?" Nate then asked, his apologetic tone washed away and replaced by his teasing one.
"Is that so? Well then I'm taken by surprise that you're here too." Amybella replied with a straight face and a sip of the cub of tea, that she had just filled. Nate next to her giggled.
„I like you. Bella. You're a feisty one." he replied. Bella turned around to him, when she was Marcus standing a few feet away from them, behind Nate.
He gave her an angry look and gestured for her to come to him. Bella swallowed worriedly and turned to Nate.
"Pardon me." she said and then ran to her stepfather.
Marcus leaned down a little towards her.
"What did I tell you about not talking to that man?" he hissed quietly, yet harshly enough to send a shiver down Amybella's spine.
At that moment, she caught her mother's nervous glance darting between Bella and Marcus, as if she was afraid he would do something.
"He just started a conversation, complimenting me." Amybella replied in a shy tone.
"Don't put up with him, the last thing I need is for my daughter to be a-"
"I will not." Amybella interrupted him, not daring to imagine what word Marcus would have used to finish his sentence. Still, her stomach twisted when he said the word 'daughter'.
She would never be his daughter
And he would never be her father.
"Stay with us. The only reason you're here is to present us as a good family, so please do the same.
„Yes Marcus."
—
When Amybella and her parents came home, the girl turned around to them.
"Will you make the investment?" she asked cautiously, trying not to upset Marcus. She fiddled nervously with her fingers on her dress.
"I will take it, yes." Marcus replied, empathizing the ‚I' and catching the shocked look on Marissa's face.
Bella's mother quickly looked back down to the floor.
"What?" asked Marcus and Amybella felt the air in the room grow thinner. She had the feeling the temperature had dropped a few degrees.
"Do you have anything to say in this
matter?" the man asked sharply.
"No nothing." her mother said hastily and intimidated. Amybella had never seen her like this before.
"I know how to handle my money, I know when such an investment is worthwhile!" Bella saw her mother's eyes dart nervously to her, as if she didn't want her daughter to see the scenario.
"N-no it's only.. $150 that's half of our annual income-.." she broke off her sentence immediately when she saw the look on Marcus's face.
The man had his hands clenched into fists and his jaw tensed as he stared at Marissa like a predator.
"Amybella, go to your room," he said in a low and so calm tone that it sent a shiver down the girl's spine.
Amybella looked at her mother and dreadful fear now bubbled up inside her.
She had heard her mother's sobs and whimpers all those nights and now the whole scenario would play out before her eyes.
"Marcus-.." the girl said quietly but his bursting loud voice interrupted her.
"Go to you room!" He pointed his finger up the stairs and Amybella followed his instruction. She could feel her fingers trembling
and her body was sweating as her heart raced in her chest.
When she got to her room, she sat down by the door and had to listen to Marcus shouting.
This house was no longer her home.
Author's note:
We won't talk about the second-hand embarrassment I had because of Marilla and Nate.
Like DUDE what was happening?
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