SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Six
Chapter Six
New Clothes
When I returned to the main room it was to two stunned faces.
“What? do I have it on wrong?” Feeling nervous that I may have gotten things on backwards.
Leonardo strode towards me his strides defined and purposeful. I was a little hesitant as I was sure I did something wrong.
“Bella you are beautiful. I would very much like to paint you.” I swallowed on a dry throat, not what I was expecting him to say.
“Oh! Oh?” My cheeks fired up knowing they were red as a beetroot. For some reason I had a thought that Leonardo didn’t paint just anyone. Solai had mentioned earlier some of the ladies’ names that Leonardo had painted. Those being prominent people including Lord Sforza’s wife and mistresses. He had also stated that Leonardo was not fond of painting preferring to draw his sketches of weapons and write plays. I should be extremely proud that he wanted to paint me but unsettled at the same time.
The thought that he wanted to do a painting of me brought to mind what he would name the painting. I guess he could call the painting ‘the girl who dropped in headfirst’, or ’the woman who can’t remember her name. Presently I was an unnamed, unknown woman. I scoffed at the insane ramblings in my head. I felt fatigued from trying to dig into my thoughts for something other than my likes of colour and food.
Solai came to his side studying me as he was inspecting a piece of cloth. “Maestro I think her hair needs to be up if anyone was to see her, they would take her for a free maiden.”
“What?” I spun to look at him. “I’m not free and I’m not a maiden, I don’t think anyways.” Something else to think about, damn this was giving me another headache.
“Bella would you mind if Solai fixes your hair for you, he’s very good at it?” Leonardo asked.
Solai waggled his eyebrows again. “Told you, I’m the best at everything.”
“Sure, why not MacGyver do your worst.” I sat in the chair at the table.
“Who is this Muckgiver?” Solai was notably confused.
“Never mind, I don’t know either.”
Solai twisted, turned, pinned and knotted my hair until it was intricately plaited around my head. It felt rather strange having a young man fuss with my hair, at the same time it was relaxing. His fingers were fast and gentle, actually easing the pain in my forehead. Finishing way too soon.
He leaned down to my ear. “I’ve got an excellent brain and great with my hands as I told you.”
When he went to remove my necklace, I grasped a hand to it.
“It is ok, I am not taking it. This will not look right with your dress and it being so unusual it could cause attention.” He was right of course. If someone was looking for me to do me harm it would only bring their attention. There was nowhere to hide it within the dress. I removed my hand; he unclasped it and placed the pendant on the table in front of me.
A tingle of electricity zapped me from toes to head as a ripple of air crossed over my body. Somewhat akin to a door had just been opened to a strong wind, lasting only seconds. Now that was strange.
Leonardo picked up the necklace studying it. “This is indeed a very strange item. Half of a pendant with unusual markings. I wonder where the other half is and who is wearing it?”
Half a pendant? To think there was another half was another piece of a puzzle. A puzzle that was getting bigger and more complicated by the hour. He opened a small leather pouch and dropped the pendant into it, not waiting for an answer.
“This will keep it safe. I suggest you put it in your room for safe keeping. I have also arranged for my students to meet in another workshop rather than coming here for the present. You will not be interrupted or have nosy students bothering you.”
I spun to face him. “Oh, I am sorry I do not want to disrupt your home and your life. If I’m in the way…”
He didn’t let me finish. “Bella, as I said you are welcome to stay as long as you like. You are not disrupting me. I don’t think it is a good idea to have my students wandering in and out. Your safety is my concern. It is not an inconvenience.”
“If I do then please let me know.”
“As you say Bella.”
“There you are done.” Solai smiled taking a step back to Leonardo’s nod of approval.
I took the pouch with the pendant, the crossbow and pouch holding bolts obviously for the weapon to add them to the bundle of clothing under what was not my bed in the spare room. I took a glance at myself in the mirror. Solai had certainly created a very neat and complex hairdo. He was gifted but there is no way I’m going to be telling him that, lest his ego get any bigger. I’m almost grateful for his cheeky personality, it is helping to evade my angst at not remembering anything. That’s not entirely true either I can remember silly things but not the most important, name, age, address.
Sitting on the bed I still had a headache though it had lessened with Solai’s hair dressing ministrations. I felt my forehead a small lump was still there.
The feeling of something missing caused another bout of heaviness to my chest. It wasn’t just the information I can’t remember, but something much more painful. A loss of what or who was overwhelming. If I had to try and put my finger on it, it was like my heart was breaking.
Did I lose someone? If I was married did he die? A million ideas surged through my head and none of them were good. Stop this now, thinking of the worst is not helping your situation. I turned my mind to Leonardo and Solai, the clothes, the place and year I was in. None of it felt right.
I felt utterly displaced. Laying down on the bed and closing my eyes shadowed images and people yelling filled my mind. I couldn’t for the life of me hear the words.
The feeling of wanting to cry hasn’t left me, not because I am sad, which I am, but more of desperation and entrapment. I’ve lost my freedom because I don’t have the context that tells me whether something I want to do or say is appropriate or right or even true. Solai had said that my accent was strange and my words at times stranger.
An icy finger travelled up my spine. What if I stay this way? What would I do if my memory never returns? Is there someone looking for me? Do I have a family, a husband and children? Taking a deep breath to steady myself trying to hold tears back was a fruitless effort giving way to a dam bursting. I was sure I wasn’t a crier but the way I feel, it seems I am, at least at the moment.