satisfied groan.
The strength of the release was so strong it was all she could do to curl herself into a foetal ball and cry bittersweet tears against the pillow. She wasn't aware of how long she lay like that but her rest was disturbed by Helena stroking gently against her cheek. The affectionate gesture was so soothing Rachel felt a pang of guilt for having used the servant while pretending she was someone else. Familiar with the emotional sways of her life in Master Vince's service, she was quickly able to put the self-recriminations to one side.
'You saw something bad in the cards, didn't you?' Helena whispered.
Rachel brushed the servant's hand away and stared unhappily up. She shook her head as though disagreeing and said, 'I didn't see something bad in the cards. I saw something unimaginably terrible.'
'What was it?'
Rachel shrugged. 'I can't say for sure. I just know it was bad, and I believe it all revolves around Pearl.' Speaking almost to herself she said, 'I don't think Pearl can be trusted.'
Helena placed a horrified hand over her mouth. 'You don't think Pearl can be trusted? But you told the master he could deal with her. You told him she could be trusted!'
'I know what I told him. But I didn't have any other option. I've read the cards and re-read the cards and I know that troubled times are coming. Pearl's arrival heralds a lot of suffering.'
Helena's hands fluttered in her lap like agitated butterflies. 'So, why did you tell the master he could deal with her?'
'The suffering would be just as bad regardless of whether he traded with Pearl or not,' Rachel said tiredly. She didn't like answering the servant's questions because they made her realise she hadn't thought everything through before deciding how best to deal with the situation. At the time she had remembered the adage, "keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer," but that no longer seemed like a sensible way forward. Disliking the fear of error, she glared angrily at Helena and said, 'Don't you go telling anyone what I've done.'
'Of course not,' Helena assured her. She looked set to place a reassuring hand on Rachel's bare leg, then seemed to think better of such unsolicited intimacy. 'I'd never tell anyone what you've done. But how are you planning to rectify the situation?'
Rachel considered her reply carefully, thinking back to the plan that had seemed so clear earlier in the evening. 'We have to let the master work with Pearl for now,' she said, trying to inject her words with conviction. 'When the time is right, when the cards say the troubles have passed, I can read the tarocco for the master and tell him to end his association with Pearl.' She exercised a tight smile, hoping it looked more convincing than it felt.
'What suffering have you seen?'
Embarrassed, because she didn't have an answer, Rachel looked away. 'I can't say,' she admitted.
'Who would it affect?'
Rachel shrugged. 'Me. You. Everyone. All of us.' She was guessing, not sure whom the suffering was meant for, only knowing the tarocco had told her it would be bad.
'And, when is it meant to begin?'
Rachel frowned because she knew the answer to that one. 'It's meant to begin soon,' she said solemnly. 'It's meant to begin very soon.'
Helena was momentarily silenced. When she glanced up from her study of Rachel's legs her frown was a deep crease along the centre of her brow. 'You said you plan to get rid of Pearl once the cards say it's safe to get rid of her. Do you think it will be that easy?'
Rachel hesitated before answering and didn't get the chance to reply. A knock at the door made them both start guiltily. Helena glanced nervously at Rachel, her eyes wide with the fear of discovery.
'Answer it,' Rachel snapped, trying to sound braver than she felt.
Unable to contain her dread, Helena cowered on the bed and shook her head.
The knock came again, louder this time
The strength of the release was so strong it was all she could do to curl herself into a foetal ball and cry bittersweet tears against the pillow. She wasn't aware of how long she lay like that but her rest was disturbed by Helena stroking gently against her cheek. The affectionate gesture was so soothing Rachel felt a pang of guilt for having used the servant while pretending she was someone else. Familiar with the emotional sways of her life in Master Vince's service, she was quickly able to put the self-recriminations to one side.
'You saw something bad in the cards, didn't you?' Helena whispered.
Rachel brushed the servant's hand away and stared unhappily up. She shook her head as though disagreeing and said, 'I didn't see something bad in the cards. I saw something unimaginably terrible.'
'What was it?'
Rachel shrugged. 'I can't say for sure. I just know it was bad, and I believe it all revolves around Pearl.' Speaking almost to herself she said, 'I don't think Pearl can be trusted.'
Helena placed a horrified hand over her mouth. 'You don't think Pearl can be trusted? But you told the master he could deal with her. You told him she could be trusted!'
'I know what I told him. But I didn't have any other option. I've read the cards and re-read the cards and I know that troubled times are coming. Pearl's arrival heralds a lot of suffering.'
Helena's hands fluttered in her lap like agitated butterflies. 'So, why did you tell the master he could deal with her?'
'The suffering would be just as bad regardless of whether he traded with Pearl or not,' Rachel said tiredly. She didn't like answering the servant's questions because they made her realise she hadn't thought everything through before deciding how best to deal with the situation. At the time she had remembered the adage, "keep your friends close but keep your enemies closer," but that no longer seemed like a sensible way forward. Disliking the fear of error, she glared angrily at Helena and said, 'Don't you go telling anyone what I've done.'
'Of course not,' Helena assured her. She looked set to place a reassuring hand on Rachel's bare leg, then seemed to think better of such unsolicited intimacy. 'I'd never tell anyone what you've done. But how are you planning to rectify the situation?'
Rachel considered her reply carefully, thinking back to the plan that had seemed so clear earlier in the evening. 'We have to let the master work with Pearl for now,' she said, trying to inject her words with conviction. 'When the time is right, when the cards say the troubles have passed, I can read the tarocco for the master and tell him to end his association with Pearl.' She exercised a tight smile, hoping it looked more convincing than it felt.
'What suffering have you seen?'
Embarrassed, because she didn't have an answer, Rachel looked away. 'I can't say,' she admitted.
'Who would it affect?'
Rachel shrugged. 'Me. You. Everyone. All of us.' She was guessing, not sure whom the suffering was meant for, only knowing the tarocco had told her it would be bad.
'And, when is it meant to begin?'
Rachel frowned because she knew the answer to that one. 'It's meant to begin soon,' she said solemnly. 'It's meant to begin very soon.'
Helena was momentarily silenced. When she glanced up from her study of Rachel's legs her frown was a deep crease along the centre of her brow. 'You said you plan to get rid of Pearl once the cards say it's safe to get rid of her. Do you think it will be that easy?'
Rachel hesitated before answering and didn't get the chance to reply. A knock at the door made them both start guiltily. Helena glanced nervously at Rachel, her eyes wide with the fear of discovery.
'Answer it,' Rachel snapped, trying to sound braver than she felt.
Unable to contain her dread, Helena cowered on the bed and shook her head.
The knock came again, louder this time
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