Here (finally) the second part of the past story of Meg and John. This is about Meg's childhood and how she ended up in the school where later she met John.
Hope you'll like it, and hope that my english here is good enough X3
Try to imagine the england countryside in spring: the air was still cold, but the scenery was full of green grass, a green landscape interrupted here and there by some flowers yellow and violet or by some trees.
Only nature for miles and miles, and then a manor.
And in the manor there was a tower, and in the tower a window was opened, and a girl was looking out of it.
She could be 11 or 12, and she seemed really bored: she was keeping her head in her hands, leaning against the window.
Behind her there was her room, but it didn't seem at all the room of a young girl: the walls were sadly blank and empty, there were nor toys of an happy childhood nor gadgets for a teenager.
Only a bed with a beside table and a little lamp on it, a wardrobe with a few black dresses inside and a desk with a chair and a few books put in a perfect order on it and a door that leaded to a little bathroom.
And then, next to the girl, a little radio that was turned on and was singing a happy song that was in stark contrast with the depressing atmosphere of the room.
That little radio was the most precious treasure of the girl, probably the only one: her only way to feel that out there there was a world, her only way to listen another voice that wasn't judging her, her only way to have fun.
Everytime that she could, she loved to let herself down from her window, climbing down a tree to go to listen some music lying on the grass, enjoying the sun, she earth, the wind and the apparent freedom. But she had to be careful to not being cought: the few times that she had been bought she had been punished severely, but luckily nobody understood how she went out. She wanted so badly go out in that moment and lying on the grass, next to a little river, but it had rained recently and the grass was still wet and the earth had been turned in mug: she couldn't go out without being discovered. All she could do was to enjoy as much as she could the music from the little radio.
She loved to listen the songs, but even the news to know what was happening in the world, or the weather and try to guess if the radio was right or wrong, or the shows, or the stories…
She was stuck in the manor like in a bad fairytale, a new Rapunzel stuck in a tower, and like in every fairytale there was a witch.
Miss Minchy. She was the woman that was taking care of her, and together with the two old servants Edgard and Ella she was the only human being that lived in the manor with the sad girl.
The only human beings for miles and miles...
Explain who Miss Minchy was, was a bit difficult: she wasn't her mother, nor her relative, she wasn't even her legal tutor. She was the sister of the man that was her legal tutor, Mr Ratcliff.
Oh, she couldn't complain that much of her: she feeded her, dressed her, gave her her room, she was also her teacher, and she had though her to write and read, the math, the science, and also how to play piano, how to sew and how to embroider… All things that she hated, but all things that, listening to Miss Minchy, were really important. All the things that a girl of good family needed to know to be a good wife.
Even if, as Miss Minchy used to say often, she wasn't a girl of good family: she was a streetwalker's daughter, good for nothing and destined to become like her mother if hadn't been for the good pitiful heart of Mr Ratcliff. A story that she had heard even too many times, cause Miss Minchy couldn't refrain herself to repeat it to her at least twice a day.
She knew nothing more about her past. If anybody knew something nobody wanted to talk about it: it was a taboo, she couldn't even ask. But she had formed her own idea about what had happened…
Lost in her thought, still listening some music looking out of the window, the girl's glance was captured by something that was moving fastly toward the manor: a black car. Mr Ratcliff's black car: she knew that car even too well, besides it was the only car that went along that road.
The girl frowned: Mr Ratcliff had always came once a month to drink a tea with Miss Minchy and talk to her, but he was already came that month. Why was he there?
The girl sighed and turned off the radio: as soon as Miss Minchy had seen it, she would have arrived, and she hated that radio. She had allowed her to keep it just because of the news, but she had a lot of rules about how to use it. Not that she respected them, of course… But it was better don't make Miss Minchy know about it.
As she thought, after a few minutes she heard Miss Minchy's steps on the stairs and then the door opened.
"Megara."
oh, she hated so much her name in Miss Minchy's mouth… her voice, her tone… she couldn't help but hate it.
"Get ready, Mr Ratcliff is arriving."
"Yes, miss Minchy" she replied curt before the woman left.
Meg had time to take a shower and dry carefully her hair before to take one of the black dresses and put it on. The dresses were all really simple, black and white, and she hated them with all herself but she hadn't any choose about them.
When she was ready she went downstairs, where Miss Minchy and Mr Radcliff were finishing to drink their tea.
"Megara, finally you're arrived. Say hello to Mr Radcliff"
"Good evening Mr Radcliff" she greeted bowing her heads as she had been taught.
"Good evening to you, Megara" replied him with his trailed voice.
As always Meg couldn't help but observe him carefully: he never said it to her, nobody ever said it, but she knew. She was almost sure that it was the true. Because she had his eyes, his hair's colors, the same hands… sure she had to had take the beauty from her mother, but still it was evident in her eyes: he was his father.
As each visit, Mr radcliff started to question her: his way to show that he cared for her. It was ridicoulus, and so useless, since he neither cared for real: if he cared at least a bit he would have understood that Meg was telling nothing.
"Have you been fine?"
"Yes, Mr"
"No illnesses?"
"No, Mr"
"Have you been studying?"
"Yes, Mr"
"Have you done mischiefs?"
"No, Mr"
"Have you rated properly?"
"Yes, Mr"
As always the question continued for a while, with some comments here and there by Miss Minchy that however couldn't care less so commented really rarely. When Mr Radcliff was satisfied, he smiled as always, nodding pleased toward Meg, and then complimented, as always, Miss Minchy.
Meg looked at the scene with her usual faked smile, waiting to Mr Radcliff to pat twice her head, as always, before to leave. But this time Mr radcliff didn't move. Meg looked at him and at Miss Minchy, they just kept drinking their tea.
After a couple of minutes that for Meg were incredibly long, Mr radcliff layed on the table his empty cup and, looking toward the girl, he said
"Megara, you're already 12 years old. Girls of your age study in private schools, to become good women and good wives. I've thought a lot about it: I think that you should go to London to study. There's a good private school for girls, the 'Saint Madeline', i know the directress and i'm sure that she'll be glad to have you in her school."
Meg couldn't believe what she was hearing: she was going away! To London! She was going to study in London! She was going to the city, leaving the countryside and Miss Minchy!
"You'll leave the next week: the school year is ending but you have already studied here and you won't have problems to catch up with the class. Then you will have all the summer to study there."
She wasn't even going to come back for the holidays! For everyone else it could have been a sad news, the confirmation of how much unwanted she was, but not for her, cause she hated Miss Minchy, the servants and that house as much as they hated them.
"You'll go in London with me, so i will be able to talk to the directress: i have already told her, but i have to be there for the registration. Before it, i'll have to talk to the directress alone, in the meantime you can go to shopping, I suppose that you'll need new dresses for the college."
It was an evident way to been forgiven: Mr Radcliff had to belive that leave that house was a problem for her…
"Miss Minchy will come with you..."
Meg barely kept herself to jump on her seat in disgust, then, with as much politeness as she could use, she interrupted him
"Sorry Mr, i'm sure that Miss Minchy has already some commitments, she's a busy woman and i don't want to annoy her. I can go alone to buy my dresses."
"Well… right… if you're sure…"
Mr Radcliff looked undecided at Miss Minchy: luckily the woman was too intolerant toward Meg to protest. She had also to be really happy to finally get rid of her.
So in the end, Mr Radcliff accepted.
When he leaved, Meg didn't need to fake a smile: she was honestly happy.
Finally, she was going to leave.
Finally!
