Journalistic chapt.31

Chapter Thirty-One:

Summer heat had already started to worm its way into the morning air. Vera groaned and rolled over in her bed, not wanting to leave the haven it offered. She raised her head, the ponytail she'd neglected to take out the night before proving to be a rat's nest of hair. Sweat already caked her brow, and the thought of having to put on another corset made her head fall back onto the pillow.

"Vera!" Helen called, knocking on the door of Vera's bedroom, "Breakfast is in an hour."

The blond woman's head rose again as her sister-in-law walked into the room. "Is it really going to take an hour to get ready?" She asked with a tired frown.

"Of course!" Helen exclaimed, "Did those woods turn you into a barbarian?"

"I'm just tired I guess." Vera explained as she rummaged out of bed, frowning at herself in a mirror.

"Didn't you sleep well?" Helen asked politely as she searched through dresses in a mahogany dresser, pulling out two and comparing them.

"Not particularly," Vera answered as she brushed her hair, "It was obviously the heat, I mean, it was like the sun came into my bedroom." She rushed to finish her sentence.

"I keep telling you to move to one of the downstairs bedrooms!" The mousy woman exclaimed, "It's much cooler down there, and during these kinds of summers it's dream." She put a green dress back into the cabinet and held out a blue one, looking lancing it over.

"I'm sure it is, but I like the view." The blond woman said, looking straight into the mirror as she retied her ponytail into something more neatly done.

"I guess the view is nice, but it's not worth sleepless nights." Helen scolded, "We need you healthy for your wedding."

Vera put down the hairbrush with more force than necessary, "Can't be sick for that can I?" She replied before turning around, keeping both hands planted on the dresser.

Helen rolled her eyes playfully, "Obviously not, now what do you think of this dress?"

"Short sleeves?" Vera asked, "I don't know I was thinking of long sleeves today."
Helen shot her a look, "Not three minutes ago you told me you were hot last night!"

"I did," Vera said slowly, "But now I'm cold."

"It's August, you're not cold, and you've been wearing long sleeves since you got here!" Helen protested, "It's time to spice it up a little!"

"Helen-"

"Oh I think I know what this is about." Helen said, looking over her friend with a sly smile, "Vera, it's a new time, and just because you're getting married doesn't mean you can't show a bit of arm!"

"What?"

"Oh don't play innocent with me darling, Leon honestly won't mind if you show your arms, don't be so paranoid, it's not like you're walking around in your knickers! Hasn't anyone told you that?"

Vera stared at her questioningly for a moment before a look of understanding appeared on her face, "Oh, well, I don't know Helen. I don't want anyone looking at me but Leon, any part of me!"

"Oh you're adorable honey!"

"Please don't make me wear short sleeves, I know it's silly but I would never forgive myself if I went on a stroll and a man looked at my arms!" Vera pleaded.

Helen laughed, "Fine, fine! I'll leave you to pick out your own outfit then, see you at breakfast."

"Thank you for understanding." Vera said, clasping her hands together until Helen closed the door behind her. The blond woman rolled her eyes.

"Really? Men looking at my arms?" She put the dress back in the closet before pulling out the long sleeved green dress Helen had previously put back.

After taking off her nightshirt she brought her hands to the scar tissue on her arm, touching it gingerly. It had ceased to sting but had left a soft pink scar as a reminder to what her fiancé had done to her. The blond woman inhaled and exhaled with a sigh before stepping into the hot dress. She smoothed it out and walked to her vanity to pick up face powder.
~*~

The heat almost convinced Vera to go back into the house during her stroll, but Margaret had begged to see her, and she couldn't refuse a chat with her childhood friend. The brunette was already waiting for her at the park, seated at a marble bench with a parasol above her head. Upon seeing her Vera smiled and took the seat next to her, looking out on the park goers that had made it for another lunchtime stroll.

"Good afternoon, Margaret." Vera greeted as she adjusted her skirt.

"Good afternoon? You lie to me at lunch and the best thing you can say is 'good afternoon'?" The brunette said bluntly, whipping around to face Vera with a look of rage on her face.

The blond recoiled, "How did you know?" She asked.

Margaret look at her with disbelief, "We've only known each other since we were children, and you just so happen to be the worst liar on this planet." She flipped her hair before tucking it into her headband.

"I am not the worst liar on the planet, and trust me when I say that you don't want involved."

"Yes I do." Margaret demanded, "So hurry up and tell me! If you lied to me then I know it's important and that I need to know right now."

"It involves my family and it's my family alone."

"Right now."

"Margaret, it's not a big deal, it's over and can't be fixed."

"This very instant."

"You won't let the subject drop will you."

"Not until you tell me."

Vera paused, looking at her friend who now hand both hands together and looked as though she would pop if she begged for any longer.

"Alright." The blond breathed, putting a lock of hair behind her ear.

Margaret smiled and straightened her position, looking at her friend eagerly.

"But you can't tell anyone, not a single soul, not your maid, not your family, not your horse, no one!"

"Who do you think I am?" The brunette said with a smile.

Vera looked at her unsurely, "I didn't get lost in the woods."

"I knew it!" Margaret exclaimed, clapping her hands together, stopping when she saw the look Vera gave her, "And now I'll be quiet so you can continue, no more from me, just a little church mouse over here."

"Right, well I ran away. I thought about this wedding and I just got scared I guess," Vera explained as she twirled her ponytail with her hands, "So I took some money and made my way toward Brittsville for a break."

"Nice little town, I remember when we went there on Sundays, oh that reminds me- no wait, church mouse, go on, go on!" Margaret rambled, holding a hand to her mouth when she finished.

"Well I ran into this man-"

"Oh my lord Vera! You slept with someone while you were engaged!?" Margaret exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"What? No! We didn't sleep together!" Vera protested, "Now be quiet!"

When she silenced herself Vera continued; "His name was Sam, he looked lower class, and he wore this paper boy hat around and made sure to never leave it anywhere. He was having trouble with some brutes and I helped him out. We went to Brittsville together where we were followed by said brutes and well, Leon."

"What did you think Leon wouldn't come get his runaway fiancé?" Maragret pointed out.

"It didn't cross my mind, but anyway. Sam and I became good friends, he was interesting. Life wasn't all dressing up and acting classy to impress each other all the time, it was talking and laughing." She smiled on the memory, "And, we were going to go back to his city together."

"You what!? You were going to runaway with someone and you didn't find a way to tell me?!"

"I'm not done yet!" Vera protested, "Leon showed up and I told him the truth. Needless to say he was upset."

"Who wouldn't be?"

"Yeah well not everyone would get their revolver and try to shoot him!" Vera explained, lowering her voice in case someone might overhear.

"Oh my god, go on, go on, what happened?" She was practically jumping in her seat.

"He moved to shoot him and I got in the way." Vera explained slowly, "So he kind of shot me."

"He what?!" Margaret shrieked, closing her hand over her mouth.

Vera glanced around before lifting her sleeve, exposing the scar the incident had left behind.

"He shot you! Leon actually shot you!"

"I'm not done!" Vera demanded, "After that we met a nurse named Rosie, and after we left Leon shot the doctor she worked for and kidnapped her to get to me!"

"Now that sounds outlandish." Margaret said, "I mean I believe you, but it sounds like some kind of thing you'd read in a book!"

"Anyway, we made an exchange, me for the nurse."

"They always run away with the nurse in the end." Margaret interjected, shaking her head.

"It wasn't like that, Sam was my age and Rosie was young, she reminded him of his sisters." Vera explained, "But that's it, I'm here and he's back home."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing, it's over, I've forgotten all about it."

"No you haven't." Margaret explained, resting a hand on her childish friend's hand, "If you felt the need to tell me weeks later, you're not over it."

"I'll be over it eventually, Leon and I are getting married and then it'll all leave my memory." Vera concluded, straightening her posture.

"You're still going to marry a man who shot you?" Margaret asked, "Who killed people? Leon's handsome but he's not worth it."

"If I don't marry him, his father's company and my father's company will never get together, my family would never forgive me."

"If you're family's forcing you to marry a killer, I don't think they're worth giving yourself away for." Margaret demanded.

"I'm not just going to leave again, they'll know where I'm going and I won't leave my mother or Helen, Maggs." Vera stood from the bench, "I should be getting home to lunch."

"Alright, but we'll be talking very soon, trust me on that one." Margaret stated, and when the blond turned to her friend she saw genuine concern in her face as she walked back toward her family home.