Once bitten - chapter 4

It had been a week since the incident at the manor, and Rose’s funeral had been two days ago. Will had not left her grave since the end of the funeral. He simply sat by it, his arm resting along the small monument at the head of her grave.
 
‘’We were going to do it all Rose’’ he snickered softly, tapping his fingers lazily against the marble.
‘’Get married.’’ he muttered, pulling out a small scrap of battered paper from his back pocket. He opened it up and in it was a small ring, not expensive looking, at all, in fact Will had only been able to afford scraps of metal from the blacksmiths after buying a small diamond, which turned out to be glass anyway.
‘’Its nothing special…But you’d have loved it, I know you would’’ He smiled softly, holding the small band in his fingers
‘’I was going to ask you on your birthday, but you know…’’ he looked over at the gravestone.
‘’And we were gonna have kids, remember?’’ he chuckled softly, his mind drifting back to the day they spent at the beach, drawing pictures in he sand and talking about the future,
‘’Harry, after my father, and Poppy, your favourite flower’’ he chuckled before ceasing to chuckle and started to sob softly.
‘’This isn’t happening’’ he shook his head and sobbed
‘’Rose please. Just wake up.’’
 
**
 
Five days passed, Will did nothing but drink and wallow in his grief, the thing he promised Rose he wouldn’t. This night in particular, he had gotten himself into a bar fight and ended up with a bust lip and a black eye. He made his way back home, stumbling as he closed the door behind him.
‘’Will’’ Sara breathed out in a sigh of relief, she had been situated on a loveseat by the entrance to Roberts study, a blanket draped over her by the governor as she was sleeping lightly. She ran over to her son, hugging him tightly before glancing up at his face and gasping in horror.
‘’Will what did you do!’’ she whispered, though it was more of a shout than a whisper.
‘’Mum its fine’’ he batted away her hand from the increasingly dark mark around his eye
‘’You stink of beer’’
‘’I’ve been drinking’’
‘’Get to bed. Now’’
‘’I’m a grown man mother. Don’t tell me what to do.’’
‘’You are a child William, a child throwing a tantrum, now get to bed’’
‘’My girlfriend died mum!’’ Will screamed down at his mother, His mother, taken aback by his outburst, he was never a loud child, and never screamed at her. Without thinking she raised her hand and slapped her son hard across the face.
 
Will seemed to be shocked by her reaction, she’d never hit him.
 
‘’I lost my husband Will, your father, and now I lose a daughter too. You are not the only person that has lost someone in this household. Now get to bed.’’ His mother spoke tearfully as she watched four finger marks stretch out across his face.
 
Will nodded and headed down to his room, the heated argument having quickly sobered him up. He glanced over his shoulder at his mother, who stood with her back to him, her arms folded but her body trembling as if she were crying.
‘’Im sorry’’ he croaked before pushing open the heavy wooden door to get to his room.
 
The next morning he was up at the crack of dawn, before most of the house servents. He packed up all of his clothes and headed into the dining room, his satchel strung over his back. There he saw his mother and the governor, deep in conversation, until Will arrived.
 
‘’I cant stay here’’ he shook his head and looked on apologetically at his mother.
 
‘’What do you mean?’’
‘’I…’’ Will sighed ‘’Everything reminds me of her and me being in this state, its not helping anyone’’ Will looked down and took a deep breath ‘’I’m going to join the Navy. Clear my head.’’
‘’Will you are not joining the navy’’ Wills mum placed down her cutlery with a clatter and stood up in her seat.
‘’Well what else is there for me here mum? Besides you and Mr James. Theres no work, no Rose’’ he smiled weakly as he held onto his mothers forearms. His mother faltered but she knew he was right, he was hurting himself and her
‘’Why do you have to be right’’ she chuckled softly and stroked the cheek of her son, he’d changed over the years, he wasn’t a gawky scrawny boy anymore, he was a man, handsome and tall.
‘’Theres a ship at the harbour, arrived yesterday, Captain Tempest of the Royal Navy says
I’ve got a place with him and his crew. I just need to pack my things and I can sail tomorrow’’
‘’Well. Seems you’ve got this all figured out.’’
‘’Im sorry mum, I just need to do this’’
‘’I know…Just promise you’ll visit.’’