Forgotten (3 page)

“Now can you tell me how old you are?”

“Seventeen; in four months I’ll be eighteen.”

“And do you know where you are?”

“Yes, I am in a meadow behind my house.”

“Which country are you in? Are you in America?”

Katrina began to laugh softly. “No, I am not from the New World, but I have heard father speak of this America. I am in Greendale, Buckinghamshire. In England!”

“Can you now tell me what year it is?”

“The year? Why? Do you not know?”

“Yes, I know; I’d just like it if you told me.”

“All right then. It is the eighth of June in the year of 1762.”

For a moment Doctor Clairmont sat in shocked silence, before asking, “Is there anything else you can tell me?”

Katrina did not reply; a noise had broken her concentration and Katrina looked around to see a rabbit hop into the clearing in front of her.

After the rabbit had disappeared back into the long grass, Katrina returned to looking at the clouds making shapes.

I must be going mad, hearing voices in my head. I’d better just forget the whole incident ever happened or mother might send me to live with Aunt Emma in Bath. And then who would look out for Suzanne and stop her from doing her silly stunts or cover for her when she disobeys father?
Katrina thought absently.

Katrina felt the warm, hazy sunshine on her face as she looked up at the clouds and drifted off into a daydream.

A sudden noise startled her. Her spaniel Bonnie rushed toward her with something in its mouth. Katrina squinted, then –

“How dare you kill a poor innocent rabbit!” Katrina yelled, jumping up in horror.

The dog dropped the rabbit and looked up at her with its big soft brown eyes.

Fortunately the rabbit was only stunned and scampered off to safety as soon as it was free. Softening, Katrina stooped and patted the dog’s head.

“I didn’t mean to yell at you; it’s just that I feel peculiar today and everything’s annoying me.”

Standing, Katrina began to walk toward her house. To Bonnie she called, “Come on, girl; let’s go home.” Wagging her tail, Bonnie obliged, trotting after her mistress.

As Katrina neared home she sensed her sister and mother arguing. “Oh, not again.” Katrina sighed heavily.

When she finally reached the house Katrina tried to hear the argument – but she could not make it out, so she pushed open the door dejectedly. Bonnie sprinted in toward the kitchen.

“Watch it!” Katrina called down the empty hallway, then made her way to the parlor and went inside.

“What is it about this time?” Katrina asked as she went to sit down.

“Well,” her sister began, “Mother has just informed me that she and Father won’t let me go to the midsummer ball and I think they’re being unreasonable!”

“Why do you want to go to the ball?” Katrina asked, feigning interest.

“Because next year it’ll be my turn to be presented to society, when we go to London next spring, so I thought if I go to the ball I can see for myself,” Suzanne smiled innocently.

Katrina rolled her eyes but remained silent.

“You’re far too young to think about such matters,” Mrs. Harvey interjected.

“I won’t be next spring! Mother, I am not your baby anymore!” Suzanne shrieked, slamming down the lid on the piano and jumping up to face her mother.

“Suzanna Louisa Harvey! Sit down!” Mrs. Harvey cautioned.

“Don’t you want me to have a good match? If I end up becoming a spinster it will be all your fault!” Suzanne screamed before she stalked out of the room, making sure the door slammed on the way out.

Suzanne was a tall sixteen-year-old with a petite frame and hazel eyes. Her long blonde hair was always worn loose. Although Katrina loved her sister very much, she wished sometimes that she could lock Suzanne in the attic to keep her out of mischief.

Later that day in Katrina’s bedroom, Suzanne was still talking about the ball to her sister. Katrina tried to suppress a yawn and failed miserably.

“I’m not boring you, am I?” Suzanne asked.

“No. I’m just a little tired, that’s all. Please continue.”

“If you’re sure. Do you think Mother is being fair?”

“I think that she and Father are just trying to protect you.”

“Protect me? I don’t need protecting.”

“Yes, you do. You think that you can take on the whole world, but we live in dangerous times and if you stay at home we know you are safe.”

“But …”

“I know it’s hard to understand and that it doesn’t seem fair now, but we have your best interests at heart.”

“But
you’re
going to the ball.”

“If I could get out of it, I would. I would much rather stay here with you.”

“I just don’t understand why I can’t go.”

Seeing that Suzanne was close to tears, Katrina reached for her sister’s hand and held it in hers. “Suzanne, do you trust me?”

“Yes, you know I do.”

“Then promise me something.”

Seeing the concern in her older sister’s eyes, Suzanne said, “Anything.”

“Just drop the notion of going to the Midsummer Ball.”

Suzanne looked down at the floor and kicked at the rug scuffing the tip of her shoe, before replying in a barely audible voice, “Okay.”

“Promise me, Suzanne.”

“I promise.” Suzanne no sooner said the words when the tears she’d been holding in began to slide down her cheeks.

Katrina pulled Suzanne into an embrace and kissed her sister’s forehead. After what seemed like a brief moment but was probably longer, their father entered the room.

“Katrina!” Mr. Harvey said quietly. “I am sorry to interrupt you and your sister.”

“Father, what’s wrong?” Katrina asked, breaking her embrace with Suzanne.

“There has been an accident.”

“Is it Mother?” Suzanne interjected, alarmed.

“No, it’s not your mother. It’s Bonnie.” Turning his attention back to Katrina, Mr. Harvey continued, “One of the maids must have left the front door open. Bonnie saw that I was coming and decided to greet my carriage, but somehow she got caught up in one of the back wheels. Jack tried to avoid her but couldn’t turn the horse in time. It happened so quickly …”

Katrina began to shake with disbelief. It couldn’t be true; Bonnie had been sleeping on Katrina’s pillow on her bed just earlier! But Katrina knew by the knot in her stomach that when she went to look at the pillow, she would find it empty.

“Bonnie!” Katrina called hopefully for her beloved spaniel.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Katrina waited for Bonnie to come padding into her room and jump onto her bed.

“I’m sorry, Katrina,” Mr. Harvey said, reaching out to console his eldest daughter.

“It’s not true!” Tears began to fall down Katrina’s face. “She is just hiding under the bed,” she continued disbelievingly.

She knelt to peer under the bed – but there was only dust beneath it. Getting back up, Katrina pushed past Suzanne and their father to get out of her bedroom. Once at the top of the main staircase she rushed down it, nearly knocking over every maid that was in her way.

When Katrina reached Bonnie, she knelt down, and picked up the bundle of blood-soaked fur. Gazing into the dog’s soft, dark eyes, so full of pain, tears streamed down her face and onto the dog’s matted coat.

“Katrina?” came a low voice from behind her; her father’s.

Holding Bonnie tighter in her arms, “Yes, Father?”

“Give the dog to me.”

Katrina hesitated, but knew if she handed over Bonnie to her father what would happen to her.

“No, Bonnie’s mine and I won’t let you or anyone else take her away from me!” Katrina said to her father defiantly, before running off down the path with Bonnie still held tightly in her embrace.

Moments later, the sound of quickened footsteps could be heard as Suzanne ran to catch up with her sister.

When Suzanne found Katrina she was by the river at the back of their house, trying in vain to rip her petticoat to make some bandages for Bonnie.

“Katrina?” Suzanne placed her hand on Katrina’s shoulder.

Katrina looked up at Suzanne with tears of frustration in her eyes. “I can’t rip my petticoat.”

Flopping onto the grass, Suzanne revealed her own petticoats and tore off a strip of white linen. Handing it to her sister, she said, “Here, use this. Mother said she would be getting me some more dresses and things the next time she accompanies Father to London.”

Katrina managed a weak smile as she took the strip of linen from her sister and started to construct a makeshift bandage for Bonnie’s injuries. “Thank you.”

“It is fine. Do you need any more?”

“I think what you gave me will stem the blood flow a little but I don’t know what I am going to do. I don’t want to lose her. That’s why I disobeyed Father; if I gave her to him, he would have just shot her.”

Suzanne winced. “We will figure something out.”

“But Bonnie is running out of time. She is losing a lot of blood.”

“I know that, but you getting worked up will not do Bonnie any good. We just have to think.”

An uneasy silence descended over the girls as they tried to think of a way to help Bonnie, when out of the blue Katrina said, “I seem to remember something that my friend, Sarah Danvers, said about her father.”

Suzanne snapped her fingers as if a sudden memory had come to her, “Yes, I think Victoria, Sarah’s sister, said something about how he had looked after their horses when one had gotten colic. I believe he is a doctor or something of that nature.”

Katrina rose to her feet and dusted off the damp grass from the back of her dress. She carefully picked up Bonnie so she would not exacerbate her injuries and wrapped her cloak around them both, “We should make our way to the Danvers’; it is only a mile away or so, and we should be back home before nightfall.”

After a brisk walk, the two arrived at the Danvers’ ivy-covered house, surrounded by sycamores. When the girls had been let inside the house by the Danvers’ butler, Mrs. Danvers came out of the library and approached the girls, who were standing in the hallway.

“What’s the matter?” Mrs. Danvers asked, with a concerned tone to her voice, her brow furrowed.

“It’s Bonnie, my dog; she’s had an accident,” Katrina answered.

“Well take her into the parlor and let’s see what can be done,” Mrs. Danvers said with a smile.

Mr. Danvers was already in the parlor and stood up when the girls and his wife entered the room; Katrina gently placed Bonnie in a chair that Mr. Danvers pointed to before asking if they had any old blankets.

“Of course we have, my dear,” Mr. Danvers said cheerfully, as he dismissed one of the maids. A couple of minutes later the maid returned with some warm, soft blankets.

“There you go, Miss. I hope these will be okay,” the maid said, handing the blankets over to Katrina.

“Oh, the blankets are perfect. Thank you,” Katrina said with a wan smile.

After Mr. Danvers had looked over Bonnie, he said, “She’ll be sore for a couple of days and she will need plenty of rest, but apart from that she’ll be fine. She is very lucky not to have any broken bones.”

“What about all the blood loss?” Katrina inquired.

Mr. Danvers smiled warmly at Katrina. “I know it must have been quite a shock but she has only minor scrapes and flesh wounds. As I said, after a couple of days she will be fine again. Just remember to change her bandage twice a day and keep her indoors for at least a week.”

“We had better get going if we want to get home before nightfall. Please tell Sarah and Victoria that we called upon you,” Katrina said, picking up Bonnie from the chair she was lying on. Apologizing for their abrupt departure, she thanked the Danvers and said goodbye.

The walk back was long and tiresome, and the sun was just beginning to dip behind the trees when they finally reached home. As soon as they had, Suzanne went straight to her room and slammed the door shut. Katrina took Bonnie into the laundry room and placed her on some old sheets, then went back into the kitchen to get some food scraps off the cook. When she came back, Bonnie was fast asleep. Katrina put the food scraps in a bowl and placed it on the floor next to her beloved pet. She patted Bonnie gently on the head before deciding it was time that she went to bed.

As Katrina passed the parlor, her mother came out and asked if she could have a quick word. Once inside her mother motioned for Katrina to sit down before she began to speak.

“Katrina, is Bonnie all right?” Mrs. Harvey asked with genuine concern.

“Yes,” Katrina replied, “Mr. Danvers helped me patch Bonnie up, but she’ll be sore for a couple of days.”

“I hope you and Suzanne thanked the Danvers for their help,” Mrs. Harvey said with a serious look on her face.

“Mother, what’s wrong?”

“We, your father and I, want to know if you had that chat with your sister regarding the ball.”