The Shadow Chapter 3.

 

Chapter Three.

 

Emma Gets Lost.

 

Once a year, when the Taxes had been paid and the Clerks from the Palace had been and checked that everything was in order, Lord and Lady Dalbard threw a huge Summer Party for everyone in Town.

This was held on a field outside the town. Marquees were brought in and long tables set up to hold the huge amounts of food and drink which were provided.

Everyone joined in, the Baker made lots of bread and cakes. The Brewer brewed a special beer. The Butchers set up a fire pit and roasted a whole cow. There were games for the children and seats for the older folks. There was dancing and singing and even a tug of war.

Getting ready for the Garden Party was the busiest time of year for the Dalbard’s servants. So it was that a few days before the Garden Party, Lady Dalbard wanted a servant to go into town to collect the dress she had ordered from the Dressmaker.

Charles was buried under the Marquee, trying to get the poles to stay up, while John was very busy laying out the ropes for the Tug of War. Cook was cooking and all the maids were cleaning things, cutting up vegetables, peeling fruit and generally being rushed off their feet.

That left Emma, who was just as busy as the others, but as the youngest servant, she could not refuse to go. She was too shy to say that she had no idea of how to get to the Dressmakers. Lady Dalbard would not have listened anyway. She was in too much of a state, rushing around with a list of things which had to be done and generally getting in everyone’s way. Wilfred very sensibly had gone off to the Royal Palace for his holidays.

Emma was pushed out of the Servant’s entrance by the next lowest maid. "It’s down there," she said pointing vaguely in the direction of the Town Square.

Emma carefully arranged her hair over her ‘mark’ and set off. It did not take her long to get hopelessly lost. She stood at the junction of two streets and scratched her head. She took a few steps in one direction, then came back and took a few in the other. She was not a girl given to tears. The Orphanage had made her tougher than that, but she was getting very close.

From somewhere behind her a voice said "Excuse me miss, but you appear to be lost. Can I help you?"

Emma gave a little squeak and whirled round. There was no one there.

"Who, who!" Emma took a deep breath. "I will not be afraid!" She told herself "Who are you?" she asked, turning a full circle. There was no one there."

"Some people call me The Shadow," said a voice from over her left shoulder. "And you should stop turning round like that, you will make yourself dizzy. Now, where are you trying to get to?"

Emma stopped trying to see the owner of the voice. "If it pleases you, sir, Mrs. Diamond’s, the Dressmaker."

There was a gentle laugh from nearby, "I am no gentleman so a ‘sir’ is not needed. But it does please me to able to help. Now turn left and go to the end of this lane. The last building has a green door. Turn to the right and Mrs. Diamond’s is the last shop on the corner."

As an afterthought, the voice added. "You do know which your left is and which your right is, don’t you?"

Emma sniffed loudly and replied tartly. "Yes, of course I do."

She followed the instructions and soon came to the Dressmakers. She opened the door and went inside. Emma had never been inside a Dressmaker’s shop before so she did not know what to expect.

Inside was a tall, elegantly dressed lady with a sheet of paper in one hand. She read from the paper. "The green parcel is for Mrs. Draper." A girl not much older than Emma wrote something on a slip of paper and pinned it to a green parcel.

The woman went on, "Now Miss Bridger did not like the blue ribbons so her dress will have to be altered. Take it back into the workroom.

Another girl, who looked almost exactly the same as the first, carefully gathered up a dress and walked off through a door and disappeared. Emma caught a glimpse of pink ribbons as she went.

The woman, who Emma guessed to be Mrs. Diamond, went on. "That just leaves Lady Dalbard’s outfit. She was supposed to be sending someone over for it today."

Emma coughed.

Mrs. Diamond turned and looked down at her.

Emma blushed.

Mrs. Diamond sniffed. "From the uniform I presume you are here from Lady Dalbard?"

Emma curtsied, as she had been taught to do at the Orphanage. "If it please, ma’am, yes."

Mrs. Diamond clicked her fingers and a third girl, no different to the first two appeared carrying a large parcel. She gave it to Emma. Mrs. Diamond went on. "That is one of my finest creations, so do not drop it in the mud on your way back to the Kingsman’s house."

"No, ma’am," said Emma and tried to curtsy again. The parcel almost slipped from her grasp.

Mrs. Diamond tutted. "Well," she said. "I made the dress and it will not be my fault if you ruin it. Now, be off with you. I have a very important customer due at any moment and she will not want to wait behind a slip of a serving girl."

Emma turned and made for the door. However, before she reached it, the door opened with a crash. A woman strode in. She seemed to fill the room immediately. Emma moved quickly to one side. She had seen this fearsome lady once before in her life. The woman had visited the orphanage looking for a girl to work for her as a maid. None of them had suited, which was perhaps a good thing, as this was Calizone the Witch of the Dark Forest.

Mrs. Diamond almost pushed Emma out of the door and started to close it behind her. As it closed Emma heard Mrs. Diamond say, "How nice to see you again, madam. Your dress is ready and waiting for you to try on."

Then the door was shut and Emma was again on the outside. She looked to the left and then to the right. She had no idea which way to turn to get home again and she really wanted to get home.

She had something she dearly wanted to ask the Witch, but she needed her saved up wages for it.

"Lost again?" said a familiar voice.

Emma nodded. This time she did not look for the owner of the voice.

"Well, I am supposed to be very good at finding lost things and returning them to their rightful place."

"I know! You said before" said Emma sharply.

The man laughed. "So, where are you trying to get to?"

"The Kingsman’s House!" Emma replied. "And, if possible, by the shortest route. I have to get back here before the Witch goes."

"Right you are," said the Shadow. "And right you go. When you reach the Town Square, turn left and the Kingsman’s House is the biggest of the three in front of you."

Emma said, "Thank-you!" and ran.

Normally she would have gone round to the back of the house to the Servant’s entrance. She was in too much of a hurry and the big front door was open. She rushed up the steps and carried on up the main stairs. She usually used the back stairs as she was supposed to do.

She ran down the corridor to Lady Dalbard’s room. One of the other maids stood by the bed. Emma handed over the parcel. Before the maid could say anything, Emma turned and ran.

In her little bedroom at the very top of the house, she stopped to catch her breath. Once her heart stopped pounding she found her box and took out the money. Carefully she wrapped it in her handkerchief.

This time she did use the Servant’s stairs and door. She did not want anyone to stop her. This time she did not get lost. She opened the door of the Dressmaker’s and peeped in. The Witch was no longer there. One of the Dressmaking girls was inside sweeping the floor.

"The Witch?!" blurted out Emma. "Please where is she?"

The girl stopped brushing and looked at Emma. "Her dress is not quite ready, so she left. I think she said she was going for afternoon tea at the Café in the Town Square."

Emma did not stop to thank the girl or to ask for directions. She closed the door and turned to look for the Café. She looked left and right. She could not remember which way was the correct one for the Square.

"Lost again?" said a very familiar voice. "Well, I am supposed to be very good at finding lost things and returning them to their rightful place."

"Please, not again," said Emma. "I am in a dreadful hurry. Just tell me how to get to the Café in the Town Square."

There was laughter in the Shadows voice. "Turn right and straight ahead. Even you cannot miss the Café, it is the one with tables outside."

Emma did not wait to say thank-you, she ran.

When she reached the Square, as the Shadow had said, the Café was easy to see with tables outside. She was about to cross the Square when the Shadow spoke to her again. "Having found you three times now, I feel rather responsible for you. You do know that the Witch of the Dark Forest is having afternoon tea at the Café don’t you?"

"Yes, it is her I really need to speak to." Emma replied.

"Well," said the Shadow I hope you know what you are doing, she is not the sort of person most people want to visit. I hope she is in a good mood."

"So do I," muttered Emma. "So do I."

She crossed over the Square to the Café.

Calizone was sitting at one of the tables, looking out over the Square. Emma took a deep breath and curtsied. Calizone put down her cup and raised one eyebrow.

"If it please you Ma’am" began Emma. She raised a hand. Emma flinched.

"You are in my line of sight across the Square," said Calizone in a cold voice. "Either move left or right, but move."

Emma moved to her right and tried again. "If it pleases you Ma’am."

Calizone interrupted, "If you have a message for me then give it and go back to that man you were with on the other side of the Square.

Emma looked back across the Square. She could not see anyone there at all. She turned back and gathered up her courage.

"No message, ma’am, I want to ask you for a Potion. I have money."

Calizone sniffed and pointed to a chair across the table. "Sit," she ordered.

Emma sat.

"I suppose you want something to make that young man over there fall in love with you," said Calizone.

Emma looked across the Square. She still could not see anyone.

"Oh no ma’am," she said hurriedly. "I want a potion to remove this." Then she did something which she had never done before and pulled her hair back to show the mark.

"Interesting," said Calizone. "Different. Most girls want Love potions." She leant across the table and reached out a long finger. Emma backed away.

"Sit still, silly girl," ordered Calizone. "I won’t harm you………..probably."

Emma kept still as she traced the outline of the hand on Emma’s cheek.

"Fascinating," she said. "How did you get this mark?"

Emma explained about the orphanage and the jealous girl.

Calizone nodded. "I am very sorry, but I cannot get rid of this for you."

Emma felt her heart sink. "You mean it cannot be removed?" She was nearly in tears.

"That is not what I said," snapped Calizone. "I said ‘I cannot get rid of it.’"

"Then it CAN be removed?" Emma was confused.

"Oh, yes," replied Calizone. "When you discover who put this Spell on you and on the day you really wish to be the prettiest girl in the place it will go forever. Now go away, my tea is getting cold and I want to talk to that young man over there."

Emma tried to give Calizone her money. She shook her head and waved Emma away.

Emma stood up, curtsied and ran. This time she did not get lost and soon she was back in her little room having a good cry.

"I never want to be the prettiest girl," she sniffed. Then she took a deep breath, washed her face, pulled her hair over the mark and went down to help get the place ready for the Garden Party.

Back in the Town Square, Calizone drank her tea. Aidan stood in the shadows and watched. He was rather puzzled at his own behaviour today. He had done something new to him. He had spoken to the girl, not just once, but three times. Yes, she had been lost, but even so, it was very worrying.

He shook his head and turned to go back into hiding. However, before he could move, the Witch put down her cup and made a peculiar gesture with her left hand. Aidan found himself walking across the Square. Try as he might, he could not control his feet. They took him to Calizone’s table. She pointed to the chair opposite her and he sat down.

He felt very uncomfortable, being out in the open like this and he tried as hard as he could to get up and go. She frowned and made another gesture with her right hand.

"Is that better?" she said. "I can see that you prefer the shadows to the open. No one can see us now."

"You mean we are invisible?" said Aidan.

"Not at all," replied Calizone. "But people will just not notice us."

She was right. A couple strolled past and neither of them gave Aidan or Calizone a second glance. Aidan was still uncomfortable though.

"Now," said Calizone. "You have me interested. I have been to this town twice now and each time you have stood in the shadows and watched me very carefully. I do not like being watched. Who and what are you?"

"People call me the Shadow," said Aidan. "I watch everything that goes on in this town. I mean you no harm."

Calizone laughed nastily. "I doubt very much that you could do me any harm." She went on. "Yes I have heard about you. None of the townsfolk know who you are, but you can tell me."

Again, she waved her fingers and Aidan found himself telling her about his Nan and how she had taught him to stay hidden.

When he had finished, the Witch leant across the table and took his chin in her hand. She turned his head first to the left then to the right. "Well, well, well," she said. "This is delicious. Was this Nan person your grandmother?”

Aidan found he had to answer." I don’t think so, she was just Nan. She would not let me call her Grandmother, or Granny or anything else."

Calizone nodded. "And what about your parents?"

Once more, Aidan had no choice, something made him speak. "I never knew them and Nan never spoke about them. When I asked her about them she burst into tears and said that she could not remember them. She had nightmares after that so I never dared ask again. Do you know anything about them?"

Calizone did not answer, she just smiled and it was not a pleasant smile either. "I heard that you are very good at finding lost things." "Yes!" said Aidan.

"Good then I may have a job for you before long. There is something which I need to get," said Calizone.

"I will not steal," protested Aidan. "Nan said that boys who steal get taken to an awful place."

Calizone frowned. "An awful place, hmmm. Be that as it may, I am sure you could find out something for me."

"I do not repeat other people’s secrets," said Aidan. "Nan said that if I did I would be taken to an awful place."

"An awful place," mused Calizone. Then she said it again and again. Then she gave an unpleasant chuckle. "I think I know where your awful place is. But do not worry, it is no one’s secret I may want you to get for me, nor is it stealing. This is what I want you to find for me."

She took out the piece of material and placed it on the table between them. Aidan could not help himself. He leant forward and looked closely at the cloth. He reached out to take it.

"I have never seen anyone wearing clothes made from material like this," he said. He did not tell her that he already had some small pieces of it that had been left lying around ‘for the Shadow’ by Mrs. Diamond

Calizone repeated the gesture with her left hand and Aidan found himself unable to move a muscle. She picked up the cloth and carefully folded it up and put it in his shirt pocket.

She made another odd gesture with both hands this time. "You interest me greatly but for now you can get back to your shadows, until I call for you to come."

Somehow Aidan found himself back across the Square. Calizone was nowhere in sight. He shuddered and crept back to his hiding place.