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Nov. 22nd, 2008 09:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fiery_ringIt was, perhaps, unfortunate that Carlotta's school play fell on the last night of term. It didn't give her father and grandmother any time whatsoever to cool off before picking her up the next day.
Carlotta wished they would get it over with. But the car journey home was mostly full of awkward silence. But when they got home, her father seemed to have made up his mind, and called her into his study.
"So." he said, sitting down in his chair and facing her with a grave expression. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Carlotta hesitated. She'd never seen him like this before. Perhaps it was because he was so rarely home.
"I'm sorry for hurting you." she said after a moment. "I didn't mean any harm. They're my friends."
"You are well fed." Her father says, with a dangerous tone to his voice. "You are clothed. You are provided with entertainment and schooling of the highest quality. You are free to roam around the grounds of this beautiful estate, to have a butler and maid to attend to you, a generous amount of pocket money for your own leisure, need I continue? I spent more than ten years searching for you. I, Carlotta Brown, am your father, and whether you have known me truly for one year or your whole life you will treat me as such, is that clear?"
"Yes Father."
"I am, quite frankly, appalled that you have been going behind my back with these circus folk, after all your grandmother and I have done for you. I was more than happy for you to keep in touch, they were after all your family before. But bringing them into the school was extremely rash, and very embarrassing for the both of us. How do you think we felt when some frauds sat next to us pretending to be your relatives? Do you have any idea what went through my mind? I didn't know whether to think they were kidnappers trying to weave their way into your life, or con artists, or goodness knows what!"
"Father, please, I'm not that stupid..."
"What you did was stupid and has made me question whether I can trust you." His voice is raised now. "And for that, my girl, you will be punished, and later you will understand and thank me for it."
He stands. She stands. And they face one another, the usually defiant girl with fire in her eyes, and the father determined to set her right with the belt in his hand.
Carlotta wished they would get it over with. But the car journey home was mostly full of awkward silence. But when they got home, her father seemed to have made up his mind, and called her into his study.
"So." he said, sitting down in his chair and facing her with a grave expression. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Carlotta hesitated. She'd never seen him like this before. Perhaps it was because he was so rarely home.
"I'm sorry for hurting you." she said after a moment. "I didn't mean any harm. They're my friends."
"You are well fed." Her father says, with a dangerous tone to his voice. "You are clothed. You are provided with entertainment and schooling of the highest quality. You are free to roam around the grounds of this beautiful estate, to have a butler and maid to attend to you, a generous amount of pocket money for your own leisure, need I continue? I spent more than ten years searching for you. I, Carlotta Brown, am your father, and whether you have known me truly for one year or your whole life you will treat me as such, is that clear?"
"Yes Father."
"I am, quite frankly, appalled that you have been going behind my back with these circus folk, after all your grandmother and I have done for you. I was more than happy for you to keep in touch, they were after all your family before. But bringing them into the school was extremely rash, and very embarrassing for the both of us. How do you think we felt when some frauds sat next to us pretending to be your relatives? Do you have any idea what went through my mind? I didn't know whether to think they were kidnappers trying to weave their way into your life, or con artists, or goodness knows what!"
"Father, please, I'm not that stupid..."
"What you did was stupid and has made me question whether I can trust you." His voice is raised now. "And for that, my girl, you will be punished, and later you will understand and thank me for it."
He stands. She stands. And they face one another, the usually defiant girl with fire in her eyes, and the father determined to set her right with the belt in his hand.
