Midnight's Song Read Online Free

see that the younger one
wore a big-brimmed hat with a lacy veil that covered the top of her
face. Her dress was wildly expensive, and the bustle looked as if
it contained a weather balloon. The old woman was dressed
similarly, but more to her age. She sat in her chair at the bottom
of the steps – forcing the 12 th caste boy to hold a parasol
over her head to protect her skin from the
clouds.
    “Elissa Celeste? Of the
McClellan’s?” The lacy woman uttered when she saw my face in the
door.
    “That’s me…”
    The woman let a deep
breath escape from her corseted chest. A weak smile appeared on her
face, seeming as though she must have felt she had felt some
long-lost treasure. The young woman’s demeanor still struck me as
cold and contained, but it was notably warmer than
Beeti’s.
    “You do favor us,” she
faintly mused.
    I still couldn’t see what on earth she
was talking about.
    After a minute or two of silence, I
spoke up. “Excuse me, but who are you?”
    “I’m your Aunt Wren.
You do have another aunt that you’ve seen. Her name is Beeti. She
was at the funeral, but she couldn’t be here today.” I connected
the name to the face immediately, unable to forget the complaining
woman at the gravesite. Wren continued. “This is your grandmother –
you might call her Grandmamma – Lady Abilene Deveraux. We’ve been
staying at the foreigner’s hotel in the 8 th Sector. There are many
things we have to discuss. May we come in?”
    I looked at the people,
biting my lower lip to hide the fact that I was actually very
curious. Part of me truly did want to know them. The other part
could clearly feel the barriers that cut between our classes.
Despite my mixed feelings, I still didn’t see any harm in allowing
the two to come in.
    “Yes, yes. Of course you can come in,”
I sighed, opening the door to Wren and showing Grandmamma to the
ground-level door out back.
    As soon as they came into
the house I fell into a deep embarrassment. For the first time in
my life, I saw my home as the shack that it was in comparison to
their finery. The floor was falling part; something evident to
grandmamma as her wheels became stuck in between loose plywood.
Although my home was clearly dilapidated, neither of the women said
anything demeaning.
    “Child, is this where you live?” My
grandmother gently posed. I nodded.
    Suddenly, the door to the
back room was opened. For the first time in a number of days I saw
the begrudging silhouette of my father. I caught a glimpse of his
face and could immediately sense that his feelings were neither of
warmth nor welcome.
    “Gaerwyn,” my grandmother spoke up as
soon as she saw my father approaching. “We were hoping to see you.
There are things that we must discuss now that Rose is gone. We
must discuss Elissa’s future.”
    “Get out.” They were the only words he
wished to utter.
    “If we should leave now, then when
should we discuss such matters? Please give me a good time.”
Grandmamma sternly approached once more.
    “I’ll find a good
time for speakin’ with ya,” he told them angrily, his tone becoming
louder. “Now ain’t a proper one. Leave .”
    “Mother, we should
probably go,” Wren whispered cautiously. Grandmamma ignored her
cowardice and waved her hand in the air as if the situation were no
more dangerous than swatting a fly.
    “Nonsense. We shan’t let intimidation
drive us sour!” Grandmamma affirmed. “In any case, Gaerwyn, we will
leave your home as you request. Though, first I must inform you
that I have a proposal that mustn’t wait until a future meeting. If
only you would allow me to briefly explain, we might decide upon a
time to discuss it formally. Then, I will take my daughter back to
the carriage and leave.”
    “Alright.…” Papa told them
after a few moments of contemplation. “I’ll only listen once. Then
you have to go.”
    Both parties urged me to
leave the room. It was at that moment that I realized what this was
about –