After lunch - which was surprisingly similar to what one might find on Earth - the women were let out of their rooms, and told they had the afternoon to do as they pleased. Unlike Eldon, they were more civil, which eased the towering resentment somewhat, but there was still a boiling sense of frustration at not being able to vent their feelings to one another, and as Hope went in search of entertainment, the feeling of isolation grew worse, until she felt she could bear it no longer. Her stress, in part, was eased when she found an enclosed swimming pool, and in short order, she changed into a swimsuit she'd found in her wardrobe. The water was warm on her skin, easing some of the tension in her body, and once she'd gotten used to the water, she took a deep breath and went under, shutting the world out and leaving her resentment and hurt on the surface.
For a little while she let herself float just under the surface, exhaling slowly, until lack of air forced her above water. But she didn't stay long on the surface, going under again once she'd got her breath back, letting the water cradle her, trying to forget all she'd discovered in the last few hours, wishing there was someone, anyone she could talk to so she could vent her worries about this new place. She wasn't going to call it home - it didn't feel like home, but there was, she knew, nothing waiting for her back on Earth, except for her father, desperate for vengeance. As she came up for air again, she made up her mind that, should the chance arise, she'd remind the other women they'd come here to get away from life on Earth, and that the same old miseries would waiting for them. She could only hope, as she went under again, that she'd actually get the chance, and that the others would listen, and not let their foolishness get in the way of the new lives they hoped to lead. They were, Hope reminded herself, guests on another world. They had no right to criticise Pandorans for wearing what they wore, or didn't wear, in some cases. They had to abide by the local rules now, and if that meant swallowing their outrage and venting in private, well, Hope knew she was prepared to bite her tongue until it bled, if it meant staying here. She didn't want to go home and face her father, because he'd kill her before letting her escape again, and that was not something she was keen on, not for her, nor for her unborn child. For both their sakes, she prayed she'd have a chance to get her friends to see the light.
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Later that afternoon, the staff collected the women and led them back to their rooms, where they'd wait until dinner time. Nothing was said on how the meeting with the council was going, but none of the women were allowed to ask in any case, and the staff didn't volunteer any details. Hope amused herself by sitting at the window and watching the shining city below her, and when dinner arrived, she ate with gusto, feeling better now that she, at least, had come to a resolution to hopefully get her friends to see the light. 83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxk5l6bFBYH
No chance was given that night, however, nor the next day, and it wasn't until the morning of their third day in the city that Eldon finally reappeared. His face was like stone as he gathered the women in the ground floor study, and Hope felt her heart sink to the soles of her feet as she found a spot on the couch. Eldon didn't look like the same urbane man who'd spoken so compellingly on Earth, and Hope once more had the nasty feeling this was the real Eldon. She kept her mouth shut, however, resisting the urge to shiver as his hazel eyes swept over them all, no trace of his former warmth showing. "Well, I am not entirely impressed," he opened. "I understand there is a ... handful of you who are not good at obeying orders."83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3eoXGgXCO
Hope felt shame scorch her from head to toe, but that feeling soon passed when she saw that Eldon was glaring at Aoife, Emma, and Daisy, much to Hope's dismay. Emma had been the first friend she'd made when she'd woken in the Yorkshire cottage after her rescue, and Daisy had also been the soul of kindness to her. To know Emma and Daisy were just as rigid as Aoife was a nasty shock, and Hope shook her head as the three women sat in silence, their faces showing their shame. I wondered how long it would take for Aoife to break the rules, she thought dully. That tears it, then. Dad's going to be furious when he gets his hands on me again, if he doesn't just slit my throat and dump me in the river to make sure it sticks this time!
Eldon spoke again, cutting through Hope's dismal monologue. "I knew Aoife was the ringleader," he said, "but I thought better of you and Daisy. Who did it?"
Emma spoke slowly, reluctantly. "Aoife came to me first," she muttered, staring at the floor. "She told me 'twasn't right for women to wear almost nothin' but the skins they came in. I tried tellin' her to shut her gob, but she rode right over me, tellin' me I was a sinner, and that there'd be no chance of redemption unless I saw her way of thinkin'."
"Emma came to me in tears," Daisy confessed. "She told me she'd come to see the light, and that it was her job to save the rest of us." She met Hope's eyes, her own eyes filling with tears of shame. "She wanted me to go to thee," she said, fighting sobs. "I'm so sorry; Aoife and Emma were determined to save us all, especially the young girls. Aoife said she saw God in a dream, and she said He told her the devil lived in Pandora, and that he'd lead us all down a path of debauchery that would cost us all our places in Heaven at God's side. Aoife prayed night and day for intervention, to ensure the young girls didn't lose their places at God's feet. She was most worrited for thee, and thy unborn babe."
Hope felt rage rise inside her, eclipsing her earlier anger and hurt at Eldon. When she looked at him for permission, he nodded, and for the first time since their arrival, she saw compassion come back into his eyes. "I trusted you," she said angrily to Emma, who shrank under her glare. "You were the first friend I made after my rescue." Her glare turned to Daisy, who shivered. "And yet, the both of you let your prudishness cost us all our places here! Now we have to go back to Earth, and I know my father is just itching for the chance to get his hands on me! I'm going to probably be dead within the first twenty-four hours of getting back to Kings Cross, and how will I and my unborn baby be saved then? Have you idiots any idea of just what the hell you've done?"
Aoife opened her mouth, but Eldon cut her off. "No," he said, and now the compassion was much clearer. "The rest of you haven't lost your places." He took a deep breath. "All of that when we got here was a test," he told them. "Well, there was a bit of annoyance as well, but the majority of it was a test to see how you'd react to our way of life. I didn't mean for the test to be so harsh, but the council insisted, because they knew, from the moment we arrived, that there'd be trouble. So I had to be the way I was to see who was worthy of staying, and who wasn't. Aoife, Emma and Daisy failed, spectacularly. The rest of you are free to go, and yes, you're all allowed to speak to each other, and to the staff."
Mia let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," she said fervently, before a wicked glint entered her eye. "If my future husband dresses like some of the men we saw on our first day, I'd be jumping his bones for all to see." This sally released some of the long-held tension, and Hope laughed with the others as they left the study, but despite her levity, she felt fresh hurt and betrayal, this time at Emma and Daisy. Still, she was relieved that Eldon had only been testing them, and she found, as she followed her friends to the luxurious garden they'd glimpsed two days ago, that she really didn't mind as much as she'd thought. It meant that the real Eldon had been the one she'd first met on Earth, and it also meant she and her friends could stay. It was worth it, she thought, to be given the chance to live a new life, and despite her lingering sadness, she knew she couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for her now.
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