Chapter 52 Mother of Emmett
“That, she did not lie about. Don’t you worry, as I’ll be sending in an application with a charitable foundation for children with leukemia on his behalf. Next time, don’t be so trusting of strangers and go running off to some deserted warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Have a little bit more awareness for your own safety, would you?” Emmett said with a hint of anger.
Savannah was relieved to hear that the boy’s medical expenses would be taken care of. At the same time, she thought Emmett was not actually as cold and insensitive as he so often portrayed himself to be.
She nodded profusely. “Never again. I promise to take better care of myself.”
“Good. Now make yourself at home. I’ve something else to attend to,” he said as he got up to exit the room.
Despite being alone together, engaged in conversation for so long, he still did not make any moves on her. It would seem that he had not the slightest interest in her indeed.
She had a creeping feeling that he felt that she was tainted.
In the months she had been living with him, she learned that he was someone who was obsessed with cleanliness. Be it the place in which he stayed or objects he used, he liked for them to be spic and span.
He would shun anything that had even a speck of dust upon it. Even if he initially had an enthusiasm for a long-sullied woman like herself, it was only passing and burned out just as quickly as it began.
She felt it just as well that they might be able to get along cordially from here on out.
Lost in her own thoughts, out of place in a strange environment, and sleepless in an unfamiliar bed, the woman got out of bed and walked towards the window in the room. In the depth of night, the lighthouse in the distance stood erect over the pitch-black sea. The sound of the waves as they crashed repeatedly upon the shore and retreated was near and crisp. This was indeed the room closest to the ocean.
Residential construction by the seaside required a special permit in Lightspring because the spectacular shoreline had long been gazetted as a natural cultural heritage. No one would be able to build private properties here at will any longer.
To be able to own such a villa here spoke to the exceptional privilege that the Quaker family possessed in this city.
The dusky sea roared like a raging beast and was intimidating when beheld in its presence for an extended period. She shut the window and considered returning to bed, but her belly started to stage a protest. There did not seem to be anything inside the room that she could munch on to stave off those hunger pangs.
The woman cautiously pushed open the door with the intention of looking elsewhere inside the villa for food. The living room was situated just outside. Only the walls of the corridor were lit, but barely.
Where can I find the main switch? Where’s the kitchen? Without any sense of direction, she could only hug the walls as she hunted for a way to turn on the lights in the living room.
Her hands found nothing despite being at it for some time. Thoughts about shouting for Emmett to come out and help find her something to eat then surfaced.
However, she considered that he might be quite annoyed should he be summoned out like this, so she thought the better of it.
A momentary loss of focus saw her run her abdomen into a hard object. Her fingers located what felt like a narrow table.
She wondered why a table would be placed against the side like this. Assuming that it might be a shoe cabinet, she continued on. This was when the entire living room became illuminated.
The woman raised her head to come face to face with a portrait of a lady which made her skin crawl.
Her eyes widened and were briefly transfixed. The lady in the photograph was all smiles and appeared kind and genial. She could feel the person’s warm and gentle personality by her appearance alone.
On careful inspection, she found some similarity between her features and that of Emmett’s, and had some idea who that might be.
“Is there something you need from the living room, Mrs. Quaker?”
Only that voice brought her attention to the elderly woman who stood in the corner of the living room. There, by the wall to that woman’s side was the switch she had been looking for.
With both hands held over her belly, she spoke self-consciously, “I… I’m just a little hungry.”
The elderly woman smiled. “Come with me to the kitchen. Mr. Quaker already had me prepare a bit of supper as he thought you might like some.”
Savannah felt salvation for her rumbling stomach at hand as she quickly followed.
The older woman tabled a still warm almond porridge and some snacks. “Would these be enough?”
“Yes, thank you so much.” The snack went headfirst into Savannah’s mouth. That tasted so good. As she regarded the kindly old woman smiling at her, it made her a little bashful. “Are you from the Quakers? How is that we’ve never met before?”
The smile faded from her counterpart’s face. “I’m not one of their helpers. There isn’t one decent soul amongst them!”
Savannah held her tongue as it had her thinking if this woman had something against that family. Could it be that where she was at did not belong to Emmett, and this was not the property of the Quakers?
It might explain why there was a portrait of the late Yona Bardsley here, but not at the Quaker residence.
Upon seeing Savannah’s response, the old woman mellowed down as she figured Emmett must not have shared anything with her. “Mr. Emmett calls me Dolores. I’ve been working for the Bardsley family from young. When Ms. Yona married into the Quaker family, I stayed together with her at their residence for a while. By the time she was gone, the Bardsleys was about done, so I’ve been staying here taking care of Ms. Yona’s favorite house ever since.”
When she finished, Dolores’ eyes moistened as she looked toward Yona’s portrait.
Savannah placed down the snack in her hand. She had gained a better understanding of the situation.
“Are you alright?” She did not know how best to comfort the older woman. “I’ve never met Emmett’s mother, but I could tell from her photograph that she must have been a very special person, and both of you were close.”
Dolores acknowledged that and contained herself well as she lamented, “Ms. Yona had too good a heart, which was why she was bullied to death.”
Savannah was dumbstruck by this revelation, as she had been under the impression that Yona passed away in a traffic accident.
“Please forgive me. Since you’re here for the first time, I shouldn’t be yammering on about this. Come. Do finish the porridge before it turns cold.”
“Thank you, Dolores.” Savannah picked the bowl back up and continued eating from it.
The elderly woman went on to clean up before she regarded her. “Do turn in early when you are done. Mr. Quaker will like to take you along to visit Ms. Yona tomorrow. I’m sure she would be delighted to meet his son’s wife.”
“Alright, please go on ahead. I’ll be okay by myself.” Savannah smiled, and guessed Yona must be interred nearby.
The elderly woman pointed out where the switches for the kitchen were located before she took her leave.
Savannah felt more at ease now that she was free to explore on her own. She even opened up the fridge to check if there was anything ready to eat.
“Was that not enough?” A hand extended over to help keep the door open.
