Chapter 30
****
As Tilly strode briskly toward his master, he paused when he spotted the maid standing shakily. Her face was pale and her nervousness was palpable.
Not again...?
His gaze naturally turned to the Master.
He could tell by the coldness in his eyes.
The master had scolded her again.
Celeste was right. The master had been too harsh with this maid in particular.
Didn't he usually scold his maids and treat them as if they didn't exist?
Tilly snapped out of his daze. It wasn't important now.
"Master!"
He stood before Theodore, panting.
"With all due respect, I think you'd better return to the Shore now. If the river rises further, it will be dangerous."
He looked anxiously out the window.
"I'm sure Mr. Wimfred is worried as well. Last year, too, the water rose and filled the warehouse down there by this much. I've brought the horses, now why don't you get up?"
Theodore didn't answer, but set down his glass and pushed himself to his feet.
"Why don't you put these on first?"
Tilly stepped around his master's back and unfolded the raincoat, then nodded to Dana.
"There's yours, too. Go ahead and put it on."
"...Thank you."
Dana replied meekly and slipped her arms through the ultramarine blue raincoat.
"Why did it only occur to me in the heat of the moment that you took her with you?"
Tilly glanced at Dana as he buttoned up the Master's raincoat.
Dana stood at a distance, facing away from him, her large raincoat over her head.
"Don't worry."
Tilly turned to her and gave her a sudden, wry smile.
"I'm not going to ask you to walk home alone."
He said soothingly, then turned back to his master.
"There's a two-person saddle in the stables. It's only for carrying small children, but if she's as small and slender as she is, she'll be fine. I'll carry her, and you don't have to worry about her...."
"Tilly."
An eerily cold voice interrupted Tilly.
"Who let you take Vice and Kunt with you?"
Theodore pointed to the hounds licking their paws under the porch.
"Oh, that's...."
Tilly paused for a moment.
"Don't bring them out in the rain for nothing. They'll catch a cold."
It was a dry voice, with no highs or lows, but it was enough to make the big man flinch.
"I'm sorry... I just... I was worried about you...."
Theodore stared at Tilly coldly, then slowly turned his head away. His icy gaze bored into Dana.
"And don't bother with that girl. She’s walking home."
Tilly froze in place at the shocking command.
***
Walking in the rain was nothing new to Dana.
The first year she came to Belvida, it rained just as suddenly on mushroom picking day, and last year she had to run like a drowned mouse back to the mansion after a beach outing with her friends.
She didn't even have a raincoat.
But...
Why did these tears keep coming?
Dana tugged at her sleeve and pressed at her eye sockets. She blinked rapidly to push away any moisture that hadn't been wiped away with the cloth.
Through her blurry vision, she saw Tilly hand Theodore a glove.
He slipped the gloves on himself, while Tilly knelt before him and laced up his riding boots.
A dim lamp cast a halo over his face. Particles of orange light slid down his sleek sideburns.
A moment later, he was atop his horse.
It was a beautiful horse, with a dark chocolate body and a jet-black mane the color of his hair. The diamond-shaped birthmark on its forehead shone like a jewel.
Theodore straightened his back on the horse and pulled the hood of his raincoat over his head. He stared off into space for a moment, then spurred at his flank.
The two hounds recognized him first and took off like bullets.
He slid forward, his hooves creating a light rhythm. Muddy water splashed this way and that over the soft ground. Then it quieted.
Next it was Tilly's turn. He was ready to go, but he couldn't get going right away and wandered around the stable.
He waited until the master and the dogs were completely out of sight before cautiously approaching Dana.
"Look... I'll keep an eye out and come back for you at the right time. Don't rush, just walk slowly. I'd tell you to wait here, but it's a little dangerous."
He glanced toward the riverbank.
It was completely different from what he'd seen this morning. The river had turned from calm to muddy, and the ferry tied to the bank was rocking wildly, as if it might tip over at any moment.
"I promise. I snuck this on."
He patted the two-man saddle with his hand as if to say.
"I'm fine."
Dana forced the corners of her mouth to curl up.
"I’m wearing a raincoat...and it's only two o'clock... It's not night, and it's not like I'm going to get lost."
She said it as calmly as she could, but she couldn't keep the faint tremor out of her voice.
Tilly looked down at Dana with a pity glance.
"Go on... Don't get in trouble because of me...."
Tilly's head jerked toward the forest path where Theodore had disappeared, his eyes narrowing in question and resentment before he looked back at Dana helplessly.
"Okay... I shouldn't have stirred up his anger... It could be worse...... As you say, I'll go first. Remember, it's dangerous when there's a thunderstorm, so never use an umbrella."
Before he could finish his sentence, thunder crashed down. The two of them cowered in surprise. Only the horse, blindfolded and deaf, stood nonchalantly, tail wagging this way and that.
Tilly craned his neck out from under the large mass and looked down at Dana again.
"I'll be back... It's going to be slippery down there. Please be careful...."
He turned his horse's head urgently with a muffled whine. The muddy road crunched under his hooves, sending up another splash of mud. And Dana was truly alone.
Another bolt of lightning flashed before her eyes.
It's okay.
Dana steadied herself and made her way down the stairs. As she stepped out of the awning, the rain pelted her with a fierce downpour. It felt like someone was throwing rocks at her.
Dana curled herself into as round a ball as she could and started toward the forest path.
With a squelch, the mud stuck. The hem of her skirt was soaked through in an instant.
Cheer up. It'll be better once I get there.
As she entered the wooded trail, the rushing water predictably calmed down a bit. The lush foliage blocked out the sky.
But the ground was a problem.
The path was a mess of mud, leaves, and puddles.
As Tilly had warned her, the mossy stones and gnarled tree roots were slippery, and to make matters worse, her virtually soaked shoes kept trying to slip off.
She felt miserable.
It was one thing to get caught in the rain, but quite another to be deliberately thrown out in the rain.
...Why did the man hate her so much?
No, it wasn't just 'hate'.
Theodore's demeanor towards Dana was filled with contempt and disgust.
No matter what she did, no matter what she vowed to do, it was useless.
Not many people could stand strong in the face of such one-sided, pure hatred.
Tears stung her eyes.
Dana gathered up her soaked raincoat, crossed her arms over her chest, and walked briskly.
How long had she been walking?
Ten minutes? Twenty?
Dana stared at the end of the road as if to gauge. Tilly had told her it was an hour's walk on a normal day.
Add in the bad weather, and she figured it would be twice that.
The path got harder and harder.
Her shoes creaked to the point where it was pointless to keep them on, and her maid's outfit under her raincoat filled with moisture and sweat. Every now and then, the wind picked up, sending rainwater rushing into the hood.
Dana had to stop again and again to wipe the water off her face.
The events of the day flashed through her mind like a flashlight. It felt like a year had passed, not just a day.
She wondered if it was really time to leave Belvida.
Dana's thoughts drifted in and out of her mind several times a day.
There must be a place that could use an experienced maid.
Noah had told her that unlike in the countryside, maids in the city changed jobs several times a year.
But it was never easy to leave everything familiar behind.
Even when the potato fields in Dorset turned black and they had to survive on grass porridge for months, Dana never thought she would have to leave with her grandfather.
Just a few days...
Just a few days...
Sooner or later, the lady will come... until then...
Dana repeated the words like a mantra and paced diligently.
Then.
Suddenly, her body jerked. Her legs buckled and she sank to the floor. She lost her balance and landed on her bottom. She'd stepped squarely into a puddle of water she hadn't realized was there, covered in fallen leaves.
"....!"
The ice-cold water came up to her thighs.
She hadn't sprained her leg or anything, she just needed to get back on her feet and start walking, but she felt herself growing heavier and heavier, like a soaked cotton ball. Instead of getting up, she just buried her face in her knees.
It felt like she'd touched a hornet's nest. The hot lump that had been building up earlier had risen to the top of her head.
Hot tears rolled down her cheeks as her cold face twisted into a mess.
Dana burst into tears again. And it wasn't just a silent stream of tears.
She was sobbing like a child.
She felt sorry for herself. She hated it. She was scared and confused.
As Dana crouched in the middle of the puddle, sobbing, she heard the sound of pitter-patter, pitter-patter, over the pounding rain.
Her wet face slowly lifted.
Someone was approaching on horseback. Someone other than Tilly...
Dana choked back a sob as the man's figure drew closer.
He pulled on the reins. The horse snorted, blocking her path.
"..."
Dana looked up at him wordlessly.
Under the hood, dark, clear green eyes stared down at her, calmer than ever.
"Ask me to give you a ride."
The low, deep voice held no emotion.
"Don't beg, don't cajole."
A whipping, gusting wind ripped off Dana's hood and pelted her face with rain. Dana turned her head away from the downpour.
Theodore leaped lightly from his horse.
Clop, clop, the man's riding boots slammed into the puddle.
"What's so hard about that? You've gotten so much more out of me, after all."
He stooped suddenly. His gloved hand reached out lazily. Fingers brushed through her hair, grabbed the end of the hood that hung loose at the back of her neck, and pulled it back over Dana's head.
The rustle of fabric tickled her ears.
"Get up."
Dana's brow tightened.
Did he really think she was going to obey him?
"No... I... just... keep... walking...."
Dana replied, her tone stronger than ever. A coldness crept across the expressionless man's face.
"Don't make me keep getting my head in the wrong place."
"....."
"I could mess up all your favorite things, enough to make you feel like the teacup was nothing."
It felt like a blunt object had hit her in the head. Dana stood frozen, her mouth open.
"It's all so easy for me, you've been showing me your weakness."
Theodore grabbed the reins, patted his horse gently on the body as if to calm him, and then extended his arm to Dana again.
"Come on, get on. I'll hold you."
Dana couldn't move an inch. Her body was stiffening with shock.
He could ruin everything she loved? Make the broken teacup feel like nothing...?
Would he really go that far, and not just make a verbal threat?
Even though she told herself it couldn't be true, her heart continued to flutter.
The cold stare in his eyes only seemed more serious.
"Don't try my patience."
If only she could just ignore it.
If only she could just coldly tell him to do whatever the hell he wanted to do...
But Dana knew she couldn't.
If she was going to leave Belvida, it would have to be on her own terms.
Not by hurting someone or being sent away miserably.
Dana clamped her mouth shut and slowly pushed herself to her feet.
It was the same as that day at the pond.
Just like the day she'd handed him the bow tie, she walked in silence, avoiding his stare. She didn't even glance at the hand he offered to hold.
She pushed past him and stood in front of the horse.
Trembling hands gripped the handle of the saddle. Dana pushed herself upward and sat in the saddle, her body high but suffocating as if crushed beneath his feet.
Her wet clothes clung to the saddle leather. Down her thighs, she felt the cold leather, and further down, the heat of the living beast.
Her whole body began to tremble like an aspen tree.
Theodore wasted no time in pulling Dana onto the horse.
A gloved hand gripped one side of the handle roughly. The recoil of kicking the ground ripped Dana’s hood off. Her rain-soaked hair billowed up over the horse.
The large man's body enveloped Dana from behind.
Another hand closed on the other rein. Their arms and legs
brushed against each other.
The scent of the man she'd grown tired of smelling in the hut washed over her like a tidal wave.
***
To donate for extra chapters for my series or to tip me visit my kofi page
Write a comment