Isabelle
Agatha cooed in Alfred’s arms, as he walked over to her mother sitting in a chair near the window.
It still hurt Isabelle to walk, but she grew tired of taking the ill tasting medicine that made her too unaware to take care of her daughter. Alfred had been over concerned at the length of time it was taking her to heal and had called for two doctors to come out already. They assured him everything was fine and some people took longer to heal than others. As long as Isabelle took much bed rest, and soaked in long warm baths she would heal in her time.
He leaned over and showed Agatha to Isabelle.
Isabelle touched her daughter’s face lightly and smiled. “Agatha Chastity Gaunche, what a blessed little girl you are.” she said softly.
The chambermaid came in and signaled the bath was ready for Isabelle. Three female servants came to attend her while Alfred walked his daughter to the window.
Isabelle slowly eased down into the hot gray soapy water. She bathed in a loose fitting cotton brown two piece bathing gown. She wore it because she had to lay in the tub for extended periods of time and she could not be seen in her undress. The maids were working on making some of other colors for her, she had seen the linen when it came in. Soon she would have a blue and a dark red one.
She laid back and felt the warm brass of the tub against her back. She let out a breath of air and relaxed. A maid came in and knelt beside the tub. She took a wash cloth and wet it in the warm water, wrung it out, and set it on Isabelle’s forehead. She then sat and watched to make sure Isabelle did not fall asleep in the tub, or some other misfortune.
A violin started playing slowly, and sadly somewhere within the house.
They had recently took on a new male servant around the age of thirteen. It had been a questionable choice because the child was of african descent and he looked different than the rest of the staff. The Butler and Head Housemaid protested he might be treated wrongly, or feel excluded because he stood out.
Alfred and Isabelle withstood the accusations and posturing for as long as they dared and then set down the rules of the house. Ndidi was treated as all the other servants, given all privileges and rights, and anyone caught violating this was terminated immediately.
Ndidi found the violin while cleaning the attic to see if the old owners left any toys he might clean up and give to Agatha. He would not say where he learned to play, or how. He just did play, the most beautiful sad melodies. He played after his work was done in the afternoons or late at night. It seemed to be the only thing that made him happy.
Isabelle listening to the heartbreaking sad slowness, felt her muscles relax in the heated water. She thought to herself how wonderful Ndidi was, how lucky she was to have him in her employ. All the pain seemed to float away on the notes he played.
Isabelle wanted to send him for lessons with a maestro in the city, he could be a great composer. It was the topic of many dinner conversations with Alfred, he was against it. She was bound to his will now legally, as his wife, she had to obey him. Still she tried her best to persuade him to change his mind. It was a crime to cripple a gift.