Crossing

Separation

“The first step to getting the things you want in life is this: decide what you want.” Ben Stein


2

Separation


Estovers and Acadia crept cautiously out of a side door and onto a narrow alley way near their house. Their belongings were being sent in a carriage and there was no room left for them in the small two seater. The men weren’t after them but Acadia still covered her head with a dark scarf and Estovers pulled his flat cap low.
“I wish we had been left the house and nothing else. That would have been better than living in slightly more luxury with someone we barely know and having to leave something so dear.”
“Accie, dear. I don’t think you understand politics and money. If we had kept the house we would have no money to live off and nobody to make sure that some con man didn’t swindle us out of any other thing we owned.”
“I do understand but we would have been able to work, you at an office somewhere and me, I would be an old lady’s companion for the daytime.”
Estovers gave out a harsh laugh. “Accie. Rhoe is dead. No one would employ two orphans who lived by themselves in a near derelict house. Yes, Rhoe was different from others he didn’t care for prejudices and made that obvious. I wish you’d realise that dream world is over. You’d hate being a companion; you think it’d be about reading them books and fanning them. The type of woman who hires a companion is the type that wants to have someone to hear about their illnesses and to read them novels. You’d hate it.”
“Not if it let us keep the house.”
“I thought you were sensible. A house is just a house but life is different. What ever we have we must make the most of it. You understood that before, why not now. You’re fifteen years old.”
“Shall I tell you why?” Acadia was almost shouting even though they were in the middle of the street, she knew she was being stupid and selfish. “Because I thought life with Uncle Rhoe was for longer than this. What was it, two years? We’re cursed.” Acadia began to walk faster as if to escape from an inevitable truth.
“Careful little lady” She knocked into a man and pushed him away almost upsetting a cart selling apples.
“Acadia.” Her brother grabbed her shoulder. “You’re hysterical. I know you wouldn’t be like this without a reason. Sit down.” He sat her down on some house steps set back from the street. “Death is final. I thought you had realised where our future lay but obviously you haven’t quite understood. We have no choice.”
“You just want me to give up? You still have a future, mine has been taken away. When you are learning to be a doctor or a lawyer I will still be stuck at home in the same place I’ve always been, learning to knit and sew. It doesn’t matter so much for you as it does for me but you wouldn’t understand that.”
“What are you saying? You think I don’t care? Well if that’s how you think, I’m going to leave you on this doorstep and see if you think you can manage to look after yourself without any help.” Estovers started to walk away, turned round to see it Acadia was repentant and as he could see she wasn’t carried on.
         Acadia got up and looked around properly now that she felt that she could do what she wanted. The man whose cart of apples she had almost knocked over eyed her suspiciously as if to say that if she came near him again she would find a very hard apple had just hit her in the face. Choosing a direction which did not include the apple seller in it, Acadia rearranged her skirts to look more respectable and set off. Estovers would feel very guilty when he came back and found that she was not there. She chuckled and as she pulled the headscarf back a bit, for it was really hot, someone came up behind her and called her name.
          “Acadia. What are doing walking the streets by yourself? Isn’t it dangerous for young women to be out alone and especially some one so well dressed as you.”
         She turned around and was faced with the sight of a dark blue waistcoat with a silver watch chain attached to it. Then she looked up and saw a face she recognized. It was Fidayeen but a better dressed and bespectacled version of the one she knew. “I was with my brother but he has just popped into a shop to buy something so I obviously missed him when he came out again.” Acadia realised how ridiculous this excuse must sound to Fidayeen, but why did she feel like she had to almost apologise to him?
         “I’ll escort you back to your new house as I’m sure that that is the first place which your brother will look for you.”
         “It’s all right, I’m sure that I’ll catch a glimpse of him soon enough. I should expect that he is quite worried by now.” Someone that looked pretty similar to Estovers was lounging on the street corner. But Estovers never lounged and Acadia suddenly found herself wishing he did. There was another youth who was coming towards them but looked so unrecognizable that Acadia ruled him out along with others that had crossed her mind for the briefest of seconds. “If you don’t mind I need to carry on with the shopping which we started.”
         “But how can you? You have no purse or money bag on you. Don’t think I’ve been fooled Acadia, you have no idea where your brother is, do you?”
         “Why would he go off somewhere and not tell me? You have a strange take on loyalty which worries me, Uncle Fidayeen.”
         “Why did I see him just walk off leaving you alone on a doorstop only about 10 minutes ago? I doubt that would be called very brotherly.”
         “So you’ve been following us from the moment we left Uncle Rhoe’s house?”
         “Only to see that my wards got to their destination safely and it’s lucky I did because I think that your headstrong brother underestimated the dangers of the city.”
         “Excuse me sir.” The young lad which Acadia had noticed approaching had finally broken into their argument after waiting patiently for a couple of minutes. “I thought you might like to know that the gentlemen which you asked me about… Well I saw them a few streets away.”
         Fidayeen turned a slightly paler colour, “Thank you lad. Take this coin and remember to inform me if this happens again.” He turned to Acadia and whispered to her hoarsely, “No arguing. Come this way.” He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down an alleyway and soon she was lost in a warren of streets. Suddenly Fidayeen knocked on an unremarkable door. “Paeon – it’s Yeen. Let me in quickly, they’re after me again.”
         “I can’t let you in again Yeen. You said last time that this wouldn’t happen again.”
         “I’ve got a girl with me. Don’t drag her into this, please.”
         “What do you mean by a girl?” The door opened slightly and a grubby beard poked out. “What’s she doing here? She looks a bit young for you Yeen.”
         “She’s a ward.” Fidayeen obviously wasn’t on the friendliest terms with this man, everything he said was through gritted teeth.
         “Don’t count on me again.” The door opened wider to admit the two fugitives in before the slippery owner closed his premises to the world again.