The Storm After the Calm

Yesterday Charlotte didn't eat lunch or dinner except for a pack of candy and a glass of beer if that was even counted as a meal. Sleeping early on an empty stomach caused her to wake up hungry at dawn. Nonetheless, her laziness on top of her sad heart made her stay on her bed until the sun had risen.

Charlotte finally left her comfortable bed when she could hear loud noises from downstairs. It was subtle voices, but she had a feeling something awry was happening. She grabbed her thick grey fur shawl and covered herself with it.

When she came down the stairs, Charlotte started to hear more clearly her father's conversation with the man she knew since childhood.

Uncle John?

Charlotte didn't bother hiding her presence, in contrast, she pushed the door handle almost instantly. She opened the drawing room lightly, but voices from both men stopped immediately.

"Father, what happened?"

Once again, Charlotte didn't bother with basic courtesy. She didn't greet her father nor Mr. John. Technically she did give her greetings to Mr. John in the form of a small nod.

"The workers on the farm stopped working because of yesterday's dismissal," Baron Riverion gave a short explanation.

Charlotte's eyes examined her father's clothes before asking, "Are you going to go to the farm?"

"Yes, I am afraid I had to calm down the riot."

"Father, just let them be. It will aggravate them more if you suddenly show up giving unpleasant explanation."

Baron Riverion smiled at his eldest daughter's concern for his safety. However, he couldn't just leave the people there without explaining things properly to the people that deserve to know the truth.

"Father!" Charlotte protested once more with a more pleading tone.

"Charlotte, you can rest for today," Baron Riverion showed another fatherly smile to his daughter.

"Father!" her voice raised in frustration as she saw her father walk past her to the door ignoring her plead.

"Mr. John, proceed like what we had talked before," Baron Riverion said.

"Sir, are you sure about the store?" Mr. John asked when he saw that Baron Riverion was ready to go.

"What about the store?" the confused Charlotte turned her face between her father and Mr. John, "Father, I believe you won't hide this from me, right?"

Seeing the Baron stopped moving but didn't answer, Mr. John took the initiative to answer, "Miss Charlotte, your father decided to close all stores leaving only the trading of goods."

"And you have no plan to tell me if I didn't come here, Father?"

Baron Riverion looked at his daughter with loving eyes. He caressed Charlotte's hair, and said, "I wouldn't want to worry you. I know you are already sad with the closing of the hotel."

She clenched her hand because of the frustration. Nevertheless, her furrowed eyebrows lost their tension when she realized the same exasperation in her father's eyes. Therefore, she decided to be a good daughter and comforted her father.

"I planned to bake Victoria's favorite chocolate cake. Please come home soon," Charlotte erased all worries from her face and smiled brightly. She gave her father a big hug before sending him off to the carriage.

As she had told her father, Charlotte put an end to her laziness and headed off to the kitchen with Emma after breakfast. Before heading to the kitchen, Emma already warned her mistress to cease her baking plan. Why? The simple reason was because Charlotte always messed up the kitchen thus giving the kitchen staff and Emma more work to do.

"I smelled something burning...," Baroness Riverion showed her rare presence at the kitchen. She was shocked at the sight in front of her.

"Hello, Mother. Please forgive my disheveled appearance," Charlotte spoke a bid loudly as she stood up straightly after half crouching trying to clean the spilled chocolate. With the hair tie already loosen, her hair was more unkempt than the broom at the corner of the kitchen.

Baroness Riverion turned her eyes from Charlotte's light green apron that had already turned brown to the mushy black thing on the table. She knew immediately that her daughter had made a huge mess: pot on the floor, iron stove full of other black thingy, table full of chocolate marking, and the worried face of the kitchen staff.

"Chocolate cakes?" Baroness Riverion asked.

"Yes, Mother."

"My dear Charlotte, we have talked about this before. Please, never again you try to cook or bake. Is that clear?" Baroness Riverion managed to walk the dirty kitchen floor without wetting her shoes. She held her daughter's hand and escorted her out much to the staff's relief.

"But Mother, I promised father to make Victoria a chocolate cake," Charlotte protested but didn't refuse her mother's hand.

"Your father will understand," Baroness Riverion said while giving gesture to Emma asking her to clean Charlotte's mess.

"But, Mother," Charlotte didn't accept defeat.

"Let Emma made the cake, and you could just rest in your room, alright?" like the daughter, the mother also didn't accept defeat and gave a very good or rather tempting suggestion.

Being kicked out of the kitchen, Charlotte sat on the chair behind the table in her bedroom. She saw several letters and papers still scattered there for the past three days ago. She said to Emma that she would clean it, but clearly it was just some lip service.

Didn't want to be called a liar, Charlotte started clearing up her table. While cleaning, she read some papers and thought of a good business plan with the Duval. Therefore, the cleaning just had to wait again for about another week or more.

Charlotte finished writing the business plan to trade flour with the Duval. She stretched out her arms, then opened the table drawer. She took out her journal just to stare at a newspaper cut illustration of her uncle and Princess Eleanor.

Uncle, have I done a good job? I apologized for failing to protect the hotel.

Emma knocked on the door and entered, "Miss Charlotte, I have finished baking the chocolate cake. And Mrs. Riverion invited you to have lunch."

"Please tell my mother, I will be downstairs in a minute."

Emma gave her mistress a small bow before exiting the room.

Victoria was complaining that Charlotte had stolen her portion of blueberry pudding at today's lunch, when suddenly the butler hurriedly announced that the baron had come home. His face alluded to the urgency of his words. Upon hearing it, Charlotte had terrible feelings about this since her father came home way too early than usual.

Victoria rushed first to the front door followed by Charlotte. Baroness Riverion followed from behind with the butler.

"Father," Victoria yelled loudly.

Charlotte heard sunk the moment she heard her younger sister's high-pithed voice. Charlotte stood motionless for a second when she saw her father's head covered in blood.

"My dear, what happened?" Baroness Riverion shrieked as loudly as Victoria.

The moment her mother's shrieking voice entered her ears, Charlotte snapped back to reality and regained full senses of the situation. She immediately ordered the butler to bring the family doctor and the maid to prepare the room for her father to rest. Charlotte wanted to stay by her father's side all the time just like her mother and sister. Nevertheless, it wasn't the privilege she had as the heir to Riverion house for she had to take charge in her father's absence.

Baron Riverion regained consciousness after a couple of hours. He only saw the baroness and Victoria in front of him. His youngest daughter immediately screamed for the doctor. The doctor said he had a concussion in his head and ordered him to rest for several days.

"Where's Charlotte?" the baron asked with a faint voice.

"She left," Victoria held her father's hand.

After making sure her father would be fine and arranging work with Mr. John, Charlotte left the household matter to her mother. She left in a hurry and only informed Victoria at the last minute.

"Where did she go?"

"I am not very sure, but I heard her mentioning the Graford's residence."