Chapter 4.2: Overwhelming Truth

After her bath, the women dressed her for warm weather. They reminded her to be careful not to dirty her dress in the property's various gardens as they slipped it on. The dress came to her knees, with a more modern cut compared to outfits she'd worn previously. The skirt was thin enough for her to move in comfortably without sweating buckets from its fabric. The sleeves were short and puffy, reaching just below her shoulders. It was a color Clarissa described as marigold with the titular flower being sewn on her collar in white. Finally, Agatha styled her long hair into a bun that was neat and fit for a princess.

Her aunt's property stopped at a greenhouse. This was where she grew herbs, flowers, and plants she used to create potions. The building was beautiful, with a brick pathway leading to its entrance. Glass doors sat open with the woman standing a few feet away. She wore a short dress like Elaine that had had a cape sewn on its back. Her long, chocolate hair was done in two braids down her back. In her gloved hands was a pair of metal scissors. She used them to snip away at a rosebush that towered over her. Red and white roses hung above her head as she turned to meet the eyes of the teenager.

The woman smiled and set her scissors down. She beckoned for the girl to be brought closer with a wave of her hand. "Thank you, ladies. I'll call you back in an hour for her potions."

From behind the teenager's wheelchair, Agatha looked at her Mistress with confusion. "I thought you wanted us to bring her lunch, Mistress?"

Dainty, chocolate brown gloves were folded as the woman clicked her tongue in reply. "I changed my mind and sent Sasha to get something from the market."

"You two can go prepare an order of fever kits. A nursery has had an outbreak and they need fifty bags by noon." She said as the woman wheeled the teen over to a large picnic table.

Both apprentices carefully sat the girl down on a bench. A lightweight blanket was laid across her lap to keep her comfortable. The table was large for a group of six to dine at. A pretty tablecloth made of cotton hung off the table on each end. Two plates sat empty with matching golden utensils in their middle. The entire aesthetic of the greenhouse matched perfectly with the woman. It gave off the vibe of an old, Gothic home you would see in period pieces. Elaine couldn't help but watch her aunt in shock at how beautiful she was. Even when she was working with dirt and nature, the brunette looked like a doll. Her dainty hands crossed over one another as she sat down across from the teen. She stared at the two women who stood awkwardly under her scrutiny.

There was a quietness that overtook the room as her aunt stared at them. Neither spoke, waiting for the other to take control of the conversation. Finally, Agatha opened her mouth to say something but a jab from Clarissa's elbow closed it. Elaine could tell the other woman wanted to get as far as possible from her. She practically jumped for joy when she was dismissed, a wide grin blooming on her face. The teenager wished she could wipe it off her face as she held her comments inward. Clarissa directed her attention to her coworker who nervously looked at the teen. Their eyes met and the golden-haired woman jumped back a bit. Elaine's expression must have been sour as her face crumbled.

The apprentice bowed her head, with Clarissa following. "Alright, have a good day Mistress."

Both women walked off as their Mistress waved at them. Her wave reminded the teenager of a debutante, prim and proper enough to remain as ladylike as possible. She used her other hand to pat Elaine on the head. This messed up the girl's hair, her bun becoming loose enough to allow strands to poke out of it. Eventually, the bun just collapsed and her hair sat down on her shoulders, curled up. This didn't bother the older woman who wiped pieces of rose off of the table and stared at Elaine intensely. The teenager felt like she was being judged by her and squirmed in her seat. The woman could switch off her warmness with a simple blink. Her stare turned into a glare as she started to speak.

"I have to apologize, Rebecca." Her aunt deflated and leaned over to hold a strand of her hair.

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Elaine gaped and found herself stuttering. "Um…why?" She was lost by the sudden change in behavior by the woman.

Her aunt played with her hair between her fingers as she talked, with an absent-minded look on her face. "I know that my apprentices haven't treated you the best. So I must apologize, they aren't aware of your connection to me."

She let go of her hair, moving back into place. She put her hand under her chin as she continued. "If they did, they would know better than to show their distaste for you so openly. I feel guilty that you have been neglected by women I employed and trained for years."

The teenager didn't know whether to be relieved or angry that the woman was aware of her treatment. She stared at her silently, her hands balled up fists as the woman watched her. It hurt that her aunt hadn't said anything before now. She wondered if the woman just didn't see it as important to speak up. And that she hoped, apologizing to Elaine quietly would be enough to solve the matter.

"I understand you're upset," Her aunt said with her eyes layered onto her fists. "But, I cannot do much about it at the moment. You're very young Rebecca, intelligent yes but still a child. So you won't understand what I'm saying but I need to say it."

"Your mother scares them and so do you. You are my niece but I cannot share that openly due to her behavior." Her voice was emotionless as Elaine felt goosebumps go down her spine. The woman had a faraway look in her eyes as she mentioned Lucille briefly.

"Why?" The teenager asked, wishing she could ask more. Thankfully, the woman knew what she was trying to say and held her hand.

"Lucille made mistakes when we were young. Cracks developed in nearly all of her relationships. Your father was the only person who could heal them. He helped people regain trust in her. When Lucille threatened my head apprentice she made what little trust they had to crumble." She sounded odd as she finished speaking.

"I cannot fix the distrust she created towards you but if it ever gets bad, please tell me." Her grip on Elaine's hand grew tighter as she practically demanded the teenager to agree.

She didn't know what to say or how to process the info dump thrown at her. The fact that Lucille had done something so hurried every apprentice hated her was a lot to take in. No wonder they tried to scam her, they hated her guts and wanted her to get frustrated enough to just leave. It explained why the woman was such an isolationist, she was running away from her problems. Now that she was a mother everything must have made her paranoid. There could be hundreds of people out there with vendettas against Lucille and any child she had. The teenager felt awful for her, she had so much on her shoulders and an injured child just made it worse.

It was her fault that Lucille had threatened the head apprentice. She was scared for Elaine and was ready to do anything for her to feel better. God, the teenager wanted to smack her past self. She had caused the witch so much grief for nothing. The woman was in a place where nearly everyone wanted to get at her. They called her a whore and saw her as a monster mooching off of them. They probably thought Lucille would stab them if they stood too close to her. When really, all Elaine could see was a scared mother forced to raise her daughter in hiding. She had only made such a threat out of mind-numbing fear for her only living child.

"Sorry." Elaine apologized and fought to make her toddler body not cry. She felt so guilty, it hurt to even breathe as she tried to agree with the woman.

"It's alright, Rebecca. I should be the one saying sorry. You're too young to hear any of this." Her aunt let go of her hand with her own guilt evident.

She got up from her seat and wiped her skirt off with her bare hands. "I'll bring your lunch to your room, I shouldn't have overwhelmed you." Quickly, she put her gloves back on without facing her.

Elaine cursed her body as tears went down her face. She was thankful for finally being told what the hell was going on. However, it felt like someone had to punch her in the stomach for it to happen. Her hand hurt from how hard the woman had held it. It was bruised as the teen gave it a look and winced. She'd have a lot to think about now with everything she knew. First, she wanted to find Lucille and hug her.

That was the only way she could convey how sorry she was. The woman was going through so much because of one stupid choice she made. She watched the woman move to grab her wheelchair and she shook her head. No, she wanted to stay away from the drama to think clearly. If any of the apprentices saw her blubbering she'd feel worse.

"Want to stay," She forced the words out in a weak croak. Crying had made her sore throat return with a vengeance as she tried again. "Want to eat here."

"Oh, little one." Her aunt started to wipe away her tears with her gloved hands. The touch felt nice as the woman began to dote over her.

"I ordered pastries that will make you feel better," She smiled at her, albeit it was clearly fake. "You can have as much as you like. Don't worry about it affecting your diet, you can eat solids soon anyway."