Cruel Muse Chapter Nine
- Ro Salarian
- Apr 14
- 8 min read
Val woke to the sound of birds chirping, the sun shining on her face. It took her a moment to realize where she was. A strange bed could feel like an entirely different planet in those first moments of consciousness. Once she was rooted back to Earth, she checked her watch. It was after 11. In a panic, she ran downstairs, worried her father would be grumbling as he worked by himself, but he was not there.
Dorothea was in the kitchen in a pale peach nightgown trimmed with lace, beneath a black silk kimono. Her hair was in a loose bun atop her head, and her lips were painted a plum color. She was pulling a cast iron pan of bacon out of the hearth just as Val entered, and placed it beside a tower of blueberry pancakes. “Ah, you’re just in time,” she said, pulling a clean dish down from a cupboard. “There’s maple syrup or loganberry jam. Hash browns are under the cloche. Did you want coffee or tea?”
Val looked at where her hostess was standing, and remembered with a shiver the wan girl standing there the night before. She coughed before speaking, to clear the nerves from her voice. “Tea, thank you.” She began to scoop crispy potatoes onto her plate. “My father isn’t here yet?”
“Not yet,” Dorothea replied. “The roads are still underwater, but the sun is shining now. I’m sure they’ll be dry soon.”
