Free Eternal Melody by Anisa Claire West

until it bruised dark purple .
    Luke spoke up finally, but in a voice as intimate as though he and Rebecca were the only ones present.  “Rebecca, would you like me to stay, or would you be more comfortable if I left?”
    She looked gently at him, relieved that he did not seem aghast by the antics of her family.  “I need to sort out some business with my family, but thank you for asking.”
    She then fell mute, desperate to be alone with him and continue the kiss that they had started, to carry on her life like the grown woman she was.  But first she had to battle with her ill-timed relatives.  That was likely to be a display of fury that he would not want to see.
    “Very well, Rebecca.  You know where to find me if you need anything.” Luke squeezed her hand reassuringly before turning to leave.
    She stared after him with a swelling heart, wondering frantically if Gregory and Ethel had just ruined any future possibilities with the man .   In slow motion, Rebecca turned to face her relatives with a murderous glower in her dagger-spewing eyes.
    “How dare you?  What is the meaning of this?  I live and pay rent here, and I will not have you barging in on my property nor on my personal affairs, in which you have no interest whatsoever ! ” Rebecca was just getting warmed up, but Gregory nonchalantly interrupted her escalating tirade.
    “Dear sister, your behavior is appalling.  I never heard you speak this way to me before.  Perhaps there’s some sort of poison in Viennese drinking water that strips one of all decorum ?  That could be the only plausible explanation for this unacceptable treatment of your eldest brother.”
    Gregory’s arrogant monologue made Rebecca feel as though she were about to implode if someone didn’t explain to her, in a considerate adult manner, just what was going on here.
    “Gregory!” Rebecca gritted, exasperated, “stop dancing around the subject and tell me why in the world you’re here!   Don’t you have a job to worry about back home? ”
    Gregory and Ethel exchanged a secretive look that made Rebecca arch a suspicious eyebrow, but she said nothing.  If she were going to get the truth, it would have to be from Ryan.  These two evil jesters clearly had no intention of explaining themselves.
    “Fine, don’t answer me, but please get out of my way.  I’ve been out all day and need to retire to bed.  I start a job tomorrow and need to awake refreshed.” Rebecca pushed her way past Ethel, thinking glumly of her pending first day as a maid.
    Unbelievably, Ethel said, “My husband and I will inhabit this room now.  You’ll have to find yourself another.”
    If Rebecca had wanted to strike Ethel before, the impulse was exponentially greater after the portly woman uttered those callous words.  Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, Rebecca said through clenched teeth, “No, you and my brother will have to find yourselves another room.  Today is Sunday, and the leasing office is closed.  But if it were open, I am quite certain the secretary, Beatrice, would support me in the fact that this floor is reserved only for women, not for married couples.  You will have to see tomorrow if there are any more rooms to rent.” Rebecca concluded, praying that all the rooms would be occupied.  Then, assaulted with a fresh concern, she demanded, “Where is Grandmother?”
    “We put her in a hotel with Annabelle.” Gregory clipped.
    “Which hotel?” Rebecca persisted , further outraged by Gregory’s lack of concern for the matriarch of the Meadow family .
    “Just down the road, number five hundred twenty-five , I believe, not far from the Ringstrasse .” Gregory provided, and Rebecca felt a little comforted, as the Ringstrasse was a lovely area of Vienna, a large circular boulevard bustling with museums, cafes, and universities .
    “Then I suggest you and Ethel find yourselves rooms there as well.  Now please leave me alone.  I have just been stricken with a