This chapter is the first installment in my completed NaNo novel, the idea of which I've had for quite some time. This is the first completed draft, and it has been lightly edited. Harsh critiques are appreciated! Enjoy.
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In the unearthly hours of the morning, when dawn was still hours from breaking, Madeleine Grey awoke to indistinct noises coming from the ground floor. Almost instantly after her eyes had cracked open, the noises began to fade and she came to the lazy conclusion that she was hearing things and shut them close, sinking her head backward into her pillow. However, as she lay there, she found herself not being able to drift back into sleep. As the minutes ticked by, Madeleine remained awake, the dark and shadowy space of her bedroom becoming clearer as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Lying in bed, she thought about reading to pass the time. However, she didn't want to go through the trouble of lighting a candle. So she laid there for several more minutes before she slowly crawled out of bed, and sat in her velvet armchair that was by the windows, which were slightly open. From the chair, she had a clear view of the middle of the ceiling, where a silver and crystal chandelier loomed. Madeleine remembered back to when she was fourteen and had just arrived in Port Royal after a long and grueling three month journey from England. On the first day the house, she, her sister, and her father were searching through the various rooms and looking for where the bedrooms were to go. She had seen the chandelier and had instantly admired it.
Madeleine sighed. For some reason, the memory comforted her. For several more minutes, which seemed like hours, she sat in the chair and stared emptily up at the chandelier. That was when she began to hear the noises which had woken her up again. Madeleine frowned, leaning forward somewhat in hopes of hearing what exactly was going on. At first, she could not, so she tried as best as possible to ignore them. When this failed, Madeleine got up and left her room, standing just outside the door. The noises were louder now, and Madeleine came to realize that they were voices. She recognized those of Sarah, the housekeeper, and her father. There was another voice which she could not place. Madeleine did not know what they were discussing, but their voices were urgent, raspy, as if they were arguing over something. Her heart began to race. She was curious and wanted to go downstairs to figure out what was going on, but she knew that it would not be safe or proper to intrude on their conversation.
That was when she heard Sarah softly speaking to someone else. At this point in time, however, she had realized how tired she was and her thoughts began to turn to her bed. If it concerned her, she would find out in the morning. Right now, she wanted to rest.
Madeleine went back into her bedroom. By the time she her head had hit her pillow, she was already slipping back into sleep. The night was once again peaceful.
In her dream, Madeleine was riding in a carriage made of glass. There was no window or door. It was dawn; the sky was an easel of orange and red and pink. There was no driver of the carriage; it was being pulled by a single black horse that Madeleine had never seen before. At first, these observations did not concern Madeleine; it was a beautiful morning, rather calm. In addition, she realized where she was; just outside of the premises of her old estate back in England. She had not been here in three years and thus was thrilled to ride through where she used to live once more.
However, things quickly started to become disorienting. For one, Madeleine noticed the horse was starting to grow progressively faster. At first, he had been at a slow walk. Then, he started to canter. This grew into a gallop within minutes, and soon he was going so fast that Madeleine could barely keep her surroundings straight.
She could, however, make out the lake which was looming in the distance. The water was almost black and seemed to stretch across the whole horizon. Madeleine's heart began to race as she soon became aware that the horse was heading right toward the lake.
Because there was no door or no window, there was nothing she could do. She tried screaming at the horse, but to no avail. Madeleine realized that her heart was racing even faster and that her stomach felt weak, as if she was about to vomit. There would be no escape from the carriage; she would plummet into the sea, right with her horse and carriage.
She tried to calm herself, tried to tell herself that this was not the end, that perhaps there was a way out, away she could break the glass. Going at this speed, she would most definitely be injured, but at least it would be better then death.
Eying her surroundings, Madeleine again noticed the sky. It had seemed so beautiful to her before, but now she wanted to vomit. As she looked down, she almost fainted when she saw a familiar face pressed against the wall of the carriage.
Her cream-blonde hair seemed almost straw-like, and her ice-blue eyes were glassy and filled with worry.
“Helena?” Madeleine said, nearly screaming. But Helena didn't seem to hear her.
“Help me, sister.” she said, “Help me. Please let me in.”
Now, Madeleine vomited. She hated herself, hated that she could not let her sister in, help her. But didn't she know that Madeleine was heading into the lake, which was not a safe direction?
“It is not safe,” she said. Again, her sister did not hear her. She tried screaming louder. “It is not safe!”
Madeleine turned forward, unable to look at her sister. The lake was approaching quickly. Madeleine held her breath. There was nothing she could do.
A giant wave sent the two plummeting down into the water. Deeper and deeper they went before the glass spontaneously shattered. Water floated in, filling the carriage. Madeleine wished she knew how to swim.
For what minutes she lie there, trapped in the broken carriage. Just before she blacked out, her sister's lifeless body floated into her arms.
Madeleine awoke with a shock; she was breathing heavily and there was a a band of sweat across her forehead. It was late. She didn't know what time it was, but she knew from the blinding sunlight which her curtains just barely shielded and the way her arms and legs were sore that she had arisen well past when she usually awoke. She sat there ominously, unable to erase the grisly and rather vivid details of the dream from her mind. It was only a dream, yet still Madeleine did not feel at ease. She wished she could see her sister, talk to her, confirm that she was okay.
Madeleine sat up in her bed and outstretched her arms, yawning. The grandfather clock beside her door said that it was eleven. Although today was Saturday and she had no lessons, Madeleine wondered why Sarah let her sleep so long. On a usual Saturday, she was woken up at nine-thirty and not allowed to sleep into the afternoon.
That was when there was a knock at the door.
“Miss Madeleine? It's Sarah.”
“Come in.”
Sarah was smiling and carrying a silver tray. As she came closer, Madeleine saw that it contained glazed jelly buns—her favorite breakfast treat. There were three of them. Her eyes widened and she could feel her mouth water. Sarah laughed and placed the tray on the side table next to her bed.
“Eat quickly,” Sarah said. “There is a surprise downstairs.”
“What sort of a surprise?” Madeleine grabbed the tray and ate the first one greedily.
“You will see,” Sarah replied. “Please, eat quickly. When you get dressed, put on something nice. I will be out in the stables; I believe Snow and Alice need to be groomed. You can come and get me if you need anything. Leave the tray on the desk. I will get it later.”
As Sarah left, she finished the other two, slowly and lazily arising from her bed. She went to her wardrobe, just beside her velvet armchair, and began to look for a nice dress to wear. The only one she immediately thought of was her black and silver one, but then she decided that it would not be proper. She wore the dress at funerals, which she attended frequently with her sister and father. He was a Vice Admiral in the Royal Navy and thus was expected to attend the funerals of those who had died with a name for themselves within the ranks. Madeleine looked through her dresses for a few minutes more before finally finding something that she thought would be appropriate. It was light blue, like the sky, with a rosy pink lace trimming and a bodice of the same pink color. Madeleine did not remember when or where she had gotten it, but it was on her favorites. She seldom wore the dress as not to soil it, but still, she thought it might be nice to wear it today.
Within five minutes she was dressed. She left her bedroom and headed down the long and rather empty hallway of the second floor. Soon, she came to the marble staircase which separated the two stories of her home; it always kept shining and polished. Madeleine scurried down it, nearly freezing with fright when she came to the bottom. Just at the left edge, a familiar person was standing, her smile wide. Her cream-blonde tresses, which mirrored Madeleine's, were full, clean; they hung loose over her face.
“Helena?” For a moment or two, Madeleine gazed, awestruck, into the eyes of her sister. The irises were a light, ice blue, not unlike her own. Last December, Admiral Grey had decided that because Helena was nineteen that it was high time she married. He had found what he considered to be the perfect match for her. His name Captain George Harris, and he was recently widowed. Very handsome, he had shown bravery and promise in the navy. He introduced Captain Harris to Helena at the end of the month, and in mid-February they were married. The wedding had been the last that Madeleine had seen of her sister; with her marriage she had moved to Kingston, a city a few miles inland that was forty minutes away by carriage. That was nearly six months ago. The two had tried to arrange a time to meet, either for Helena to visit for dinner with her husband or for Madeleine and Admiral Grey to come to Kingston. It never worked out, however, due to busy schedules on both sides. Nevertheless, the two sisters still wrote to each other, but this was nothing compared to seeing her in person.
“Hi,” Helena said, her voice thin. Her smile grew wider, and she stepped forward, hugging Madeleine tightly. “I've missed you a lot.”
“I can't believe it's been six months,” Madeleine said, continuing to hug her sister tightly.
“Why didn't you tell us you were coming?”During the hug, Madeleine couldn't stop thinking about the dream, about her lifeless body floating into her arms. It gave her chills, especially thinking about her earlier wish about seeing Helena.
“I couldn't, really,” Helena said, her face becoming pale. “Let's go into the parlor and we can talk about it. I was in there, sewing.”
Madeleine nodded and followed her sister across the hall, to the parlor. It was a large, rather empty room with a dark color scheme; the couches and chairs were a navy blue with legs made of a dark wood; the outer edge of the fireplace on the middle wall was constructed of the same dark wood. The curtains were black, as was the carpet.
Helena motioned the couch nearest the fireplace. It was not running; it rarely was. Madeleine guessed that they had used the fireplace five or six times in the three years that they had been there. It wasn't because it was difficult for their servants to get wood. Rather, In England Madeleine and Helena enjoyed curling up by the fire on cold winter nights; in Port Royal it was hot and the sun was out all year long.
As they sat down on the couch, Madeleine's eye caught a small cloth lying on it, a rich ivory color. Beside it, a needle and thread lay, as well a small wooden box with various colors of thread.
“What are you making?” Madeleine asked.
Helena picked it up and smiled. “It's a blanket.”
“For what?”
Helena froze for a moment or two, and her mouth widened into a smile. “I didn't tell you yet, did I?”
“What?”
She paused a minute before answering. She kept smiling, and her rose-petal cheeks grew deeper in color. “Madeleine,”Helena said in a loud whisper. “I'm pregnant.”
Madeleine smiled, leaning forward to hug her sister tightly. “Oh, Helena, congratulations! That's wonderful,” she said. “Do you know when--”
“Sometime in March or April. I'm not exactly sure. I found out two nights ago.”
“Congratulations,” Madeleine repeated. “Does father--”
“Yes, father knows,” Helena sighed, turning again to her blanket and picking it up. “To answer your question, this is for the baby.” She placed it down again and eyed her box of thread. “I know that I will want to add some sort of a pattern later. I'm not quite sure exactly what, though. I do not want to include a feminine pattern and have the child turn out to be male.”
Madeleine did not know what to say. For a few moments they simply sat on the couch, staring at the empty fireplace. Then, Helena turned to Madeleine, her eyes wide and bright.
“Do you think Sarah will let us ride our horses before lunch? I haven't had the chance to see Snow yet—I was going to wait until I was with you to do that. I hope she hasn't forgotten who I am. Have you taken good care of her?”
“I have,” Madeleine said quietly. Snow was Helena's horse that their father had gotten her for her seventeenth birthday. Madeleine had gotten her horse, for her birthday that year as well. However, when she had married, she had moved to a much smaller house –there was no room for horses. So Snow had stayed in the care of the Grey family.
Helena smiled. “Let's go on the trail that goes to the beach, the one we always used to take.”
“Of course,” Madeleine said. “I think Sarah's out grooming our horses now. Let's ask her if we can go.”
“It sounds wonderful,” Helena said. “I hope I haven't forgotten how to ride.”
When they got out to the stables, Sarah was just about finished. She had said that it would be fine as long as they didn't stay out for more then two hours – she would fix lunch while they were gone. For their safety, a servant who worked in the gardens (Madeleine didn't know his name) was to go with them.
Upon seeing Helena, Snow had become ecstatic, whinnying furiously and nudging his head against Helena's shoulder. Madeleine watched this with a smile on her face. “I think he missed you.”
“Yes, I believe so!” Helena replied, laughing.
They each saddled up their horses and held on to the reins, waiting for the servant to be ready. Within minutes he was; after he mounted his horse, Madeleine and Helena followed suit.
He told them that he would stay about three feet behind them; far enough as to respect their privacy, but close enough so that he could protect them if anything was to happen.
They pulled back on their horses reins, and soon they began to ride the trail which they had taken so often before.
First Draft:
Spoiler
For the very first time in six months, Madeleine Grey saw her sister. They were in the gardens of their old home in England – vast, lovely and just overlooking the lake. She didn't know why she was there; all that mattered was that she was. It was a beautiful day – the sky was a clear blue, the sun was shining with just a hint of a breeze, and the waves of the lake gently flapped back and forth; just the kind of day that Madeleine loved the most.
She didn't know where her father was and didn't really care. She walked, feeling the breeze, taking in the smell of the flowers. That was when she heard her sister softly call her name.
Although she had heard Helena's voice many times before, Madeleine could barely place the voice. She had thought that maybe she was hearing things; the voice calling her name had been very quiet, after all. But when she took a seat on of the wooden benches, she heard her name called yet again.
That was when she had considered the possibility that maybe her sister was trying to talk her. But Madeleine had quickly shrugged it off, not getting up from the bench. Helena wasn't even with her. Again, the voice called her name.
This time, Madeleine was fairly certain that the voice belonged to Helena and now she was certain that she was going to go and search for her. Madeleine slowly got off the bench, and as she did, she noticed that Helena's calls seemed both quicker and more desperate.
She walked down a small set of stairs and was now almost at the edge of the lake. She saw the glass table and chairs her mother used to use when she had friends over for tea, but this time it was surrounded with rose bushes that Madeleine had never seen before. In the chair directly facing her, she saw Helena's blonde waves and ice blue eyes.
For a few minutes, neither said anything but instead just smiled at each widely, Helena's smile beaming as always.
“Helena,” Madeleine said, her throat dry. “Oh, Helena, I've missed you.” She ran and hugged her sister tightly, tears forming in her eyes.
“I've missed you too, Madeleine,” she replied. “But I want you to know I've enjoyed being married. I'm very, very happy. He treats me well.”
“Good,” Madeleine said. “You deserve nothing more then the best.”
Helena laughed, her already rosy cheeks turning beet red.
“How long are you here for? Please don't tell me you have to leave soon. At least tell me that you will come visit Father and I.”
Helena frowned, sighing deeply. “I have to go, sister,” she said quietly. “It was nice seeing you.”
Madeleine started to protest, but she only felt herself becoming weaker and thus incapable of doing so.
When Madeleine awoke, she noticed that she was breathing heavily and that sweat was dripping furiously down her forehead. Through the curtains, she could tell that it was still dark out. She wanted to call for Sarah so that she could talk to her, or at least bring her a cold rag. But, as she noticed earlier, it was very dark. Sarah was probably still sleeping and she didn't want to disturb her, her father, or any of the other servants. So she laid her head back down on her pillow and tried to rest and not think about the dream. She'd ask Sarah about it in the morning, but for now, she wanted to rest.
Madeleine was back at her home in England. But this time, she wasn't in the garden. Rather, she was in a carriage riding away from it. She could still see her house in the window. She was by herself, and there was no driver – just a black horse that she had never seen before pulling the carriage furiously, like he was in a hurry. Madeleine didn't know where she was going, especially since dawn had just barely broken. The sunset was very vivid, but in such a way that almost made Madeleine sick.
With each minute, the horse grew faster and faster and her house got smaller and smaller until it was out of view. Madeleine was very scared. She tried to get out, but the door was locked. And she had no key. Screaming would have done no use, because there was no one else outside to hear her that she could see.. Madeleine started to consider one option; killing the horse so that it would stop and running away, back toward home. As much as she hated the idea, she knew that it was probably her only option. But then she began to consider was no way she could crawl through the tiny window to get at him, and she didn't have anything that could be used as a weapon, anyway.
That was when she saw her sister. She was just outside the window, and was seeming to keep up with the fast carriage. She was screaming Madeleine's name and trying to get in. The door was locked from the outside, too. Madeleine knew that she was in deep pain and wanted to reach out and help her, but she couldn't. And it pained her, it pained her very, very much. From the look on Helena's face, Madeleine knew she was feeling the exact same way.
A giant sea loomed ahead. And Madeleine knew what was going to happen. The horse dove into the lake, and the carriage began to fill with water, sinking slowly toward the bottom. Some time passed, and eventually the lock on the door broke. It swung open, and more water began pouring in like mad. She didn't know why she wasn't dead yet.
That was when her sister's limp body floated into her arms.
Madeleine screamed. Her face felt very, very hot.
She tried to tell herself to relax. It was only a dream. Well, two dreams. And they were both very scary dreams, scary in their own ways, but they were still only dreams. They were not real and they would never be real. Helena was not really dead – two nights ago, she and her father and written a reply to a letter that she had sent.
Madeleine wondered if her screaming had woken anyone. She waited for a few minutes, and when no one came, she laid her head back down on her pillow. It was then that she realized that she was afraid to and probably could not go to sleep. She didn't want to have any more nightmares.
Lying in bed, she thought about reading to pass the time. However, she didn't want to go through the trouble of lighting a candle. So she laid there for several more minutes before she slowly crawled out of bed, grabbed her robe, and sat in her velvet armchair. She stared up at the middle of the ceiling, where the silver and crystal chandelier loomed above. Madeleine remembered when she was fourteen and they had just moved and were still deciding where to put where, she had seen the chandelier and it had quickly become her favorite thing in the house. She had shown Helena and father, saying that Helena ought to have that room as her bedroom because beautiful things ought to go to together, but Madeleine knew that secretly she wanted it for herself, although she was hardly beautiful.
She sighed. For some reason, the memory comforted her. So for several more minutes (it seemed like hours) Madeleine gazed emptily up at the chandelier. All of the while, she thought about Helena. Even though Madeleine knew she was alive, she still wanted to talk to her, see her, at least for reassurance.
That was when Sarah came rushing in, carrying a basin of water and candle. Madeleine noticed that she was already dressed.
“Oh, you poor child,” she said when she saw Madeleine, “Oh, child.”
She put the basin and the candle on the desk next to her armchair and knelt in front of her. Madeleine noticed how tired and stressed Sarah looked, and suddenly, she felt guilty for making Sarah tend to her when dawn had not yet broken.
“I heard your screams from across the hall,” she said, “You look very flushed. What's the problem, child? Shall I fix you some tea?”
“Tea would be wonderful,” Madeleine said with a horse whisper. She sighed and slumped back into her chair.
Sarah gave her a worried glance. “Alright, Miss Madeleine. I'll fix your tea.” She grabbed the basin of water and placed a rag in Madeleine's hand. “Dip the rag in the water, and then place it on your forehead,” she said, showing her what to do. “It will make you feel better. Then, when I get back with your tea, we can talk.”
Sarah left hurriedly, shutting the door, and Madeleine began to stare up at the chandelier again. She remembered what her mother had told her once; that one always dreamed the things that they dreamed for distinct reasons. This in mind, she thought about her dreams and wondered if they meant anything. But she was not in the mood to analyze anything. She just wanted Sarah to return with her tea so that she could rest.
The minutes ticked by and Sarah didn't come. Because Madeleine was beginning to grow very worried, she got up and opened the door.
“Sarah?” She tried to be loud enough so that she might be able to hear her, but quiet enough so that she wouldn't wake the other servants.
That was when she heard faint voices downstairs. She recognized Sarah and her father; there was a third voice that she couldn't place. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they sounded urgent, raspy. And Madeleine wondered what was going on. Her heart began to race; she was curious and wanted to go downstairs and figure out what was going on, but she knew that it wouldn't be safe or proper to intrude on their conversation.
She heard the sound of boots and the slamming shut of a door. Sarah was speaking softly to someone else – Madeleine didn't know who it could be. She sighed, It was then that she realized how tired she was and went back to sit in the chair and wait for Sarah.
After a bit, she heard her walking up the stairs. But by then she was already slipping into sleep – sleep which would finally be dreamless.
She didn't know where her father was and didn't really care. She walked, feeling the breeze, taking in the smell of the flowers. That was when she heard her sister softly call her name.
Although she had heard Helena's voice many times before, Madeleine could barely place the voice. She had thought that maybe she was hearing things; the voice calling her name had been very quiet, after all. But when she took a seat on of the wooden benches, she heard her name called yet again.
That was when she had considered the possibility that maybe her sister was trying to talk her. But Madeleine had quickly shrugged it off, not getting up from the bench. Helena wasn't even with her. Again, the voice called her name.
This time, Madeleine was fairly certain that the voice belonged to Helena and now she was certain that she was going to go and search for her. Madeleine slowly got off the bench, and as she did, she noticed that Helena's calls seemed both quicker and more desperate.
She walked down a small set of stairs and was now almost at the edge of the lake. She saw the glass table and chairs her mother used to use when she had friends over for tea, but this time it was surrounded with rose bushes that Madeleine had never seen before. In the chair directly facing her, she saw Helena's blonde waves and ice blue eyes.
For a few minutes, neither said anything but instead just smiled at each widely, Helena's smile beaming as always.
“Helena,” Madeleine said, her throat dry. “Oh, Helena, I've missed you.” She ran and hugged her sister tightly, tears forming in her eyes.
“I've missed you too, Madeleine,” she replied. “But I want you to know I've enjoyed being married. I'm very, very happy. He treats me well.”
“Good,” Madeleine said. “You deserve nothing more then the best.”
Helena laughed, her already rosy cheeks turning beet red.
“How long are you here for? Please don't tell me you have to leave soon. At least tell me that you will come visit Father and I.”
Helena frowned, sighing deeply. “I have to go, sister,” she said quietly. “It was nice seeing you.”
Madeleine started to protest, but she only felt herself becoming weaker and thus incapable of doing so.
When Madeleine awoke, she noticed that she was breathing heavily and that sweat was dripping furiously down her forehead. Through the curtains, she could tell that it was still dark out. She wanted to call for Sarah so that she could talk to her, or at least bring her a cold rag. But, as she noticed earlier, it was very dark. Sarah was probably still sleeping and she didn't want to disturb her, her father, or any of the other servants. So she laid her head back down on her pillow and tried to rest and not think about the dream. She'd ask Sarah about it in the morning, but for now, she wanted to rest.
Madeleine was back at her home in England. But this time, she wasn't in the garden. Rather, she was in a carriage riding away from it. She could still see her house in the window. She was by herself, and there was no driver – just a black horse that she had never seen before pulling the carriage furiously, like he was in a hurry. Madeleine didn't know where she was going, especially since dawn had just barely broken. The sunset was very vivid, but in such a way that almost made Madeleine sick.
With each minute, the horse grew faster and faster and her house got smaller and smaller until it was out of view. Madeleine was very scared. She tried to get out, but the door was locked. And she had no key. Screaming would have done no use, because there was no one else outside to hear her that she could see.. Madeleine started to consider one option; killing the horse so that it would stop and running away, back toward home. As much as she hated the idea, she knew that it was probably her only option. But then she began to consider was no way she could crawl through the tiny window to get at him, and she didn't have anything that could be used as a weapon, anyway.
That was when she saw her sister. She was just outside the window, and was seeming to keep up with the fast carriage. She was screaming Madeleine's name and trying to get in. The door was locked from the outside, too. Madeleine knew that she was in deep pain and wanted to reach out and help her, but she couldn't. And it pained her, it pained her very, very much. From the look on Helena's face, Madeleine knew she was feeling the exact same way.
A giant sea loomed ahead. And Madeleine knew what was going to happen. The horse dove into the lake, and the carriage began to fill with water, sinking slowly toward the bottom. Some time passed, and eventually the lock on the door broke. It swung open, and more water began pouring in like mad. She didn't know why she wasn't dead yet.
That was when her sister's limp body floated into her arms.
Madeleine screamed. Her face felt very, very hot.
She tried to tell herself to relax. It was only a dream. Well, two dreams. And they were both very scary dreams, scary in their own ways, but they were still only dreams. They were not real and they would never be real. Helena was not really dead – two nights ago, she and her father and written a reply to a letter that she had sent.
Madeleine wondered if her screaming had woken anyone. She waited for a few minutes, and when no one came, she laid her head back down on her pillow. It was then that she realized that she was afraid to and probably could not go to sleep. She didn't want to have any more nightmares.
Lying in bed, she thought about reading to pass the time. However, she didn't want to go through the trouble of lighting a candle. So she laid there for several more minutes before she slowly crawled out of bed, grabbed her robe, and sat in her velvet armchair. She stared up at the middle of the ceiling, where the silver and crystal chandelier loomed above. Madeleine remembered when she was fourteen and they had just moved and were still deciding where to put where, she had seen the chandelier and it had quickly become her favorite thing in the house. She had shown Helena and father, saying that Helena ought to have that room as her bedroom because beautiful things ought to go to together, but Madeleine knew that secretly she wanted it for herself, although she was hardly beautiful.
She sighed. For some reason, the memory comforted her. So for several more minutes (it seemed like hours) Madeleine gazed emptily up at the chandelier. All of the while, she thought about Helena. Even though Madeleine knew she was alive, she still wanted to talk to her, see her, at least for reassurance.
That was when Sarah came rushing in, carrying a basin of water and candle. Madeleine noticed that she was already dressed.
“Oh, you poor child,” she said when she saw Madeleine, “Oh, child.”
She put the basin and the candle on the desk next to her armchair and knelt in front of her. Madeleine noticed how tired and stressed Sarah looked, and suddenly, she felt guilty for making Sarah tend to her when dawn had not yet broken.
“I heard your screams from across the hall,” she said, “You look very flushed. What's the problem, child? Shall I fix you some tea?”
“Tea would be wonderful,” Madeleine said with a horse whisper. She sighed and slumped back into her chair.
Sarah gave her a worried glance. “Alright, Miss Madeleine. I'll fix your tea.” She grabbed the basin of water and placed a rag in Madeleine's hand. “Dip the rag in the water, and then place it on your forehead,” she said, showing her what to do. “It will make you feel better. Then, when I get back with your tea, we can talk.”
Sarah left hurriedly, shutting the door, and Madeleine began to stare up at the chandelier again. She remembered what her mother had told her once; that one always dreamed the things that they dreamed for distinct reasons. This in mind, she thought about her dreams and wondered if they meant anything. But she was not in the mood to analyze anything. She just wanted Sarah to return with her tea so that she could rest.
The minutes ticked by and Sarah didn't come. Because Madeleine was beginning to grow very worried, she got up and opened the door.
“Sarah?” She tried to be loud enough so that she might be able to hear her, but quiet enough so that she wouldn't wake the other servants.
That was when she heard faint voices downstairs. She recognized Sarah and her father; there was a third voice that she couldn't place. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but they sounded urgent, raspy. And Madeleine wondered what was going on. Her heart began to race; she was curious and wanted to go downstairs and figure out what was going on, but she knew that it wouldn't be safe or proper to intrude on their conversation.
She heard the sound of boots and the slamming shut of a door. Sarah was speaking softly to someone else – Madeleine didn't know who it could be. She sighed, It was then that she realized how tired she was and went back to sit in the chair and wait for Sarah.
After a bit, she heard her walking up the stairs. But by then she was already slipping into sleep – sleep which would finally be dreamless.
You're a fan of writing these kind of novels, aren't you? I like it. Anyway, if you have any questions or comments after this review, just let me know and I'll be happy to answer/respond to them. 
It's probably because of how tell-y it is-- it's like, oh, look, I'm being thrown into the sea by a strange horse with my sister somehow keeping up beside me. I'm submersed in water and facing imminent doom. Oh, look, my dead sister. "She screamed" and "Some time passed" just isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid. I know it's a dream...but don't treat it like one. I'm not worried at all about her or her sister here, because Madeleine doesn't even seem worried. I also can't imagine the scene very well. Raise the stakes! Clear up your narration! Bring us 
If Madeleine were to have more emotion to her, I feel like I'd be able to get a lot closer to her as a character, which is always what you want. 