Night of Eden 28

 Chapter 28

***

He wordlessly wiped the water off, then signaled with a stern face to continue.

Dana blinked a few times, then pulled her arms as hard as she could.

The boat curiously lurched forward slightly as it cut through the water.

Is it working?

Dana cautiously studied his expression. Theodore's face was expressionless, this, that, and the other, but he didn't say anything.

Dana kept waving her arms.

Once, twice, three times, four times...

The more she flailed her arms, the less she staggered, and she picked up quite a bit of speed. She stumbled a few times, but she was making good progress. When she was about twenty or thirty meters into the water, she glanced at the man across from her one more time.

She expected to be scolded for not doing enough. But Theodore wasn't even looking in her direction.

He was looking elsewhere, one elbow propped up on the wooden ledge, as if he had decided he didn't need to worry about getting drenched or capsizing again. If he didn't act like a scary overseer, Dana would live.

Maybe it was because rowing was surprisingly fun?

Little by little, she gained confidence. She was getting the hang of it, and it seemed like she just needed to be careful not to splash like she had earlier.

Dana aligned the tips of the oars, dipped them back into the water, and paddled vigorously. The boat went straight and cool. A thrill of exhilaration ran through her fingertips.

Nature played a part in this unexpected pleasure. As if to comfort Dana, the gods had covered the sun with low clouds, and the view from the water could not have been more beautiful.

There was a large willow tree with a bowed back and a family of ducks wading through it. Dana couldn't help but smile as she watched the ducklings follow the mother duck in a line of all sizes.

A large arch bridge led to the river. Rowing became a little more difficult as the current took on a direction. Her arms were starting to ache.

How much further did they have to go?

She looked around curiously; there was nothing that looked like a hut yet. Dana picked up her paddle again. Her skin tingled from holding it so long. There was a red swelling along her knuckles where she had gripped the handle.

Dana rubbed her clammy palm gently against her thigh. Then, just as she was about to grip it again, something surprising happened: He snatched the oar away.

"Let me tell you something."

He said, his face grim.

"Celeste used to take my mother up and down this road many times."

He muttered something under his breath and pushed himself up slightly.

Theodore furrowed his brow as Dana stared at him in disbelief.

"Move."

He motioned for her to change seats.

Dana's rounded eyes stared at the cushioned backrest, then met his frustrated face, and she had no choice but to rise.

After a few moments, the two swapped seats.

Theodore paddled with his hands. Dana's eyes widened as he pulled his arms back and forth. He'd gone so fast in a single movement, so unbelievably fast.

He wasn't even using all his strength like she was; he was more intent on glaring at the maid across from him than rowing.

"...Why are you so skinny?"

Now he was criticizing her body.

Besides, Dana wasn't that skinny. Despite her anger, Dana bit her lip to hide her expression.

"Like you're not a maid, but a young lady."

Sarcastically, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and took a more serious stance. His sinewy hands gripped the oars tightly and pulled hard.

Splash, the prow cut another cool swath through the water.

She remembered a story she had heard from Noah long ago. At Master Edwin's school, he said, there was an annual boat race.

He had taken both that and polo in his freshman year, but he chose polo at the urging of the Crown Prince.

He said it's a game where several men row together in a long boat...she wondered if Theodore had learned it too?

"Hold on tight, the current picks up over there."

Dana did as she was told.

The river narrowed and then got really rough.

Dana tightened her grip on the seat. It wasn't as dangerous as he'd warned.

Dense forest surrounded them on all sides. Long water plants swayed in the breeze. The lapping of water and the sound of paddling rang out pleasantly like music.

Irises bloomed endlessly along the shore. Dana relaxed and reached out to lightly touch the yellow petals.

As they passed the iris clusters, the current slowed to a crawl again, rocking the boat slightly. A heavy feeling rose from the bottom and then, with a thud, the boat stopped. Dana craned her neck over the man's shoulder. She could see a small log house at the end of a long bank.

***

It was a small cabin with a fireplace, bookshelves, and a fire pit.

She could tell by the taxidermy of a deer on the wall and several long guns. It was obviously used by the MacMilan family during hunting season.

As she stepped inside, the scent of dry earth and old wood tickled her nose. Taking a deep breath, Dana paused.

"I’ll….start a fire... fire."

She headed for the fireplace without a backward glance.

She'd been a little uneasy all the way from the boat to here.

It was the uncomfortable realization that she had watched him while he rowed.

She admired his appearance with heat. After all she'd been through yesterday...... why?

Probably because he seemed like such a normal person the entire boat ride.

He held his temper when she splashed him with water, and he rowed for her even though she insisted she could do it.

For the first time since meeting him, Dana didn't feel afraid.

No, she shouldn't let her guard down.

Don't forget.

He's the one standing over everyone.

She shouldn't let her guard down just because he's treating her like a common maid.

Dana rolled up her sleeves and pulled herself together.

The first thing she did was light the fireplace. After making sure the logs had a good flame, she rearranged the couch and lounge chairs, gathering cushions and throw blankets for him to lean back on. She also shook out his jacket, which was haphazardly hanging around, and hung it on a coat rack.

When she was done, she stood there, hands clasped together, and bowed at the waist. In Belvida, the head servants always did this when they cleaned their master's room.

There was a reason Dana was suddenly imitating the head maid.

She'd never rowed before, and she wanted to make sure she did it right, even if she had no choice.

Theodore wouldn't care if she did or not, but at least she didn't want to come across as an incompetent, useless maid.

"...... I'll get to work... then... make yourself comfortable... Rest...."

Theodore, who was looking out the window, slowly turned around. Unlike on the boat, his expression was a little sharper.

"What are you doing?"

The cold tone of his voice made Dana lose her nerve and panic again.

"Cleaning......."

"Cleaning?"

"Yes..."

The cold eyes narrowed.

Was he angry?

But why?

Didn’t he bring her here to clean?

Dana was confused, feeling her lungs shrink again, even though she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Is there something I should do... If you have... just let me know...."

As soon as she finished speaking, she darted into the storage room by the back door. She needed a place to get away from the cold stare.

When she returned, Dana's hands were full of mops, buckets, polish, and other items.

Meanwhile, Theodore was sitting with his legs stretched out in a lounge chair that Dana had organized. In his hand he held an apricot, which he rolled playfully in his palm, staring uncomfortably straight at Dana.

"Take it out and eat it."

Theodore gestured to the fruit basket. At any other time, her mouth would have been watering, but now she felt sick to her stomach.

"...Thank you...."

He stared wordlessly at Dana and bit into an apricot. The flesh crunched freshly.

Theodore ate it as quietly as he drank his tea, then tossed the seed lightly out the window.

Dana stared at him blankly, then came to her senses. She grabbed a grease mop from the pile of cleaning supplies and began mopping the floor.

She scrubbed the side of the fire pit farthest from Theodore. But her mind kept drifting toward him.

The flick of a lighter, the sparks, the intense stare with a cigarette in his mouth...

She might as well have been studying in the study.

Theodore's idle flirting in the cramped cabin made Dana strangely uncomfortable.

After a while of mopping, she absentmindedly turned her head to the window, and the next moment, she stopped dead in her tracks.

It was raining.

Tap. Tap.

It was definitely raindrops, tapping regularly on the windowsill.

Dana's mind raced.

How were they going to get back to the Shore?

"Over there...."

Dana cautiously called out to Theodore, who had just opened his book. He, too, paused as he spotted the pattering rain.

"Do you want me to...look for an umbrella?"

"No need."

He replied nonchalantly.

"Someone will come, they know I'm here."

Someone would come, thank God.

Dana turned her attention back to her work.

There was nothing like cleaning to disperse the clutter.

As she scrubbed the floor vigorously, the cigarette smoke slowly thinned. The man's gaze, which kept coming back to her, became a blur.

After a while, she straightened her stiff back and looked around at the clean floor. She wasn't proud. It was because she wished it had been messier.

Luckily, there was still work to be done. It was time to mop up the dust. She had already seen the dusty spots when she mopped the floor earlier.

Dana returned the mop to the cleaning bin and poured water into a bucket. She soaked the cloth, twisted it, and wringed it out, then scurried around in search of lingering dust.

Mantels, shelves, railings, clocks, vases, bronze and wood ornaments... it would take a while.

It would take a long time to finish it all.

And then someone would come, right?

And then she might be able to get through the rest of the day.

But the dust in the hut had disappeared far too quickly for her liking.

As she reached for the vase she had already wiped, she felt Theodore close the book behind her.

Her hand tightened on the rag.

"Having fun?"

Theodore's voice was low and indifferent. Dana moistened her dry lips with her tongue, then turned away cautiously. A shadow fell over her head.

"Was cleaning that much fun?"

There was no sarcasm in his voice; it was irritation and displeasure.

Dana was confused again.

Why was he angry, and at what point?

When he was paddling, it was clear why he wasn’t angry. That had been a relief.

But now?

Dana felt afraid of the man who had become unruly again.

"You are an innocent maid, with no greed or ambition."

Maybe he didn't even need the cleaning in the first place.

Maybe he'd summoned her here just to tease her, to take out his frustration on her.

"Sit down."

Dana placed a hand on her nervous chest and plopped down on the edge of the couch.

"A good maid is one who entertains her master with just the right amount of flattery and eloquence."

"..."

"And you need to tell me something."

Something?

"Yesterday."

The mere mention of the word made Dana's heart sink.

"You were trying so tearfully to protect Edwin, you'd think he was a hostage."

Dana froze, her hands clasped together.

"Tell me. Tell me what's so good about him."

His voice sounded like it was chewing on something, followed by a thud, thud, thud...

The pounding rain on the glass rapidly accelerated.

Her white face turned toward the source of the sound.

It wasn't just rain like earlier. It was a full-blown rainstorm that threatened to shatter the windows.

***

To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page 

https://ko-fi.com/doradora