by Helen Bright
18
Tess
Coming in to land wasn’t as bad as I had imagined it would be. Maybe it was because Kolya held my hand the whole time, or it could have been because I was taking in the sight of his home for the first time.
His house seemed to be in the middle of nowhere; all I could see surrounding it were fields. The façade of his home was an old, stone-built manor house, but as we had neared the helipad I could see that the house had a new-looking addition spanning the back of the property to make a square. In the middle of that square was a swimming pool and what looked like a basketball court.
“Welcome home,” Kolya said while carefully unfastening the safety belt. I must have looked a little worried at his words as he quickly added, “This will be your home for as long as you want or need it, malyutka, and everyone here will make sure you are safe and well cared for.”
Nate helped me down from out of the helicopter, leading me quickly into the back of the house. We walked through a small, sparsely furnished room, into a large modern kitchen with a huge dining table that was set with plates of buffet-style food. A pretty woman with short grey hair stepped away from the table and approached me.
“Hello, you must be Tess. I would hug you or shake your hand but I don’t want to hurt you, and I bet your injury is aching a little more after your journey. My name is Nancy, but you can call me Nan, all this lot do,” she said, as Nate bent forward and kissed her on the side of her cheek.
“I’m Kolya’s housekeeper, and my husband, Jack, is the groundsman,” Nan informed me, pointing to a man who was approaching us. Jack had no qualms about taking my hand and shaking it.
“Pleased to meet you, Tess,” he said with a beaming smile. Both Nan and he looked to be in their early sixties, and I immediately felt at ease with both of them.
“I’ll show you to your room and when you’re ready you can come and get something to eat. I wouldn’t leave it too long though, as these men are always hungry, and Ivan seems to eat for three,” Nan said with a giggle, and I laughed along with her.
“How long have you worked for Kolya?” I asked as she led me down a hallway.
“I was brought in when James was born. I wasn’t a nanny as such—his mother was very hands-on and wanted to be a full-time mum. They had staff already, so I was just someone extra to help out when needed. My husband had come to work for Kolya when he’d left the army, so I knew the family anyway. My son had cystic fibrosis and passed away after a severe bout of pneumonia when he was twelve, so being around James was like a balm to my heart and soul. I like to think I was the same for him when his mother died. I’ve missed him so much since he’s been in the States. I wish he’d chosen to study in England.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your son, Nancy,” I said as we stopped outside a door.
“Thank you, Tess. He’s in a much better place now, without pain, and I will get to see him again one day. In the meantime, I have all these boys to look after, no matter how grown up they are.” She opened the door and gestured for me to enter.
The room was painted a pale cream and held a double bed, a tall chest of drawers, a four-door wardrobe and two bedside cabinets.
Even with all the pale oak furniture it was spacious. The bed in particular was something that drew the eye. The head of the bed, from what I could see over the pillows, looked like it had wooden leaves climbing up the central five spindles, and the posts at each corner were shaped like acorns. The same leaf and acorn designs were echoed throughout the rest of the furniture, and the overall effect gave the room a cosy cottage feel. The bed linens and curtains were a slightly darker cream than the walls. A patchwork comforter folded over at the bottom of the bed in various shades of cream, sage green, and taupe—along with two matching throw cushions—broke up the plain colours perfectly.
“If you don’t like anything in here, malyutka, we can always change it. It has only ever been a guest room and never used before, so if it is not to your taste you can change anything you wish.”
I turned to find Kolya in the doorway. He was looking at me expectantly. As if I would tell him I wanted new curtains or a new bed. I wouldn’t dream of saying anything like that. Even if I didn’t think it was so beautiful and homely that I just wanted to lie on the bed and marvel at everything in here. This man had paid for me to have private healthcare, brought me to his home to recover, and vowed to keep me safe from the men who were pursuing me—as well as offering my friend a job. I wasn’t an ungrateful bitch and I wasn’t an idiot, either. You don’t “bite the hand that feeds” as the saying goes.
“It’s beautiful,” I answered truthfully. Kolya nodded and watched as Nancy led me through a doorway on the left side of the room, which turned out to be an en-suite bathroom. Inside there was a separate bath and shower that seemed quite modern in design, as opposed to the bedroom furniture—although the beige marbled tiles had a similar leaf design bordering them. The sink and toilet spanned one wall and had integrated cupboards surrounding them in a glossy cream finish. There were two towels hung over a heated towel rail and Nancy showed me which cupboards held more.
“I’ll unpack your things if you want to go and get something to eat, Tess,” Nancy said as she walked over to where Kolya had placed my bags from the hospital.
“No, that’s okay,” I answered quickly. I wanted to show these people that I was no slacker and could earn my keep.
“If I have an early night tonight I’m sure I’ll be able to help you with the housework. Maybe some dusting and wiping around the kitchen? Then when my wound is better I can have some proper duties.”
I heard Nancy gasp and Kolya looked so angry that I stepped back until the back of my legs hit the bed. He stalked towards me glaring, but closed his eyes as he came to a stop in front of me. He seemed to take a deep breath then opened his eyes. “Do you think I brought you here to work for me?”
I shook my head, gesturing around the room and to the clothes I wore. “But you’ve been so generous, Kolya, and I have nothing to give you in return.”
“Did I do or say anything that led you to believe you needed to pay me, Tess? Do you think the only reason I brought you here was because I need a cleaner?”
“No. Not really, I…I don’t know what to make of all this. I don’t really know how to deal with it…with kindness and generosity.”
It was the truth. Jean had been kind and generous with her time, then that had been taken away from me. There was a little voice at the back of my head saying any minute now it will all be taken away again. I suppose I thought that if I was useful and worked for my keep, I had more of a chance at staying around.
Kolya placed his forehead against mine and sighed. “Tess, you haven’t been brought here to work. But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with the situation, either. Will you promise me that for the next eight weeks you will just relax and recuperate? Then we can discuss further what will make you more agreeable to accepting my help.”
“Okay,” I answered, although with his forehead against mine and our bodies in such close proximity, I would have agreed to anything he asked.
Never before had I been affected by a male in this way—be it man or boy. The opposite sex used to make me feel nervous, and hearing the noises they made when my mother took them to her room made me feel physically ill. So what had suddenly changed?
Kolya was an extremely good-looking man. He had a face and body a film star would be proud of, but he was way too old for me.
He could probably have his pick of sexy, sophisticated women too, so it was silly of me to develop feelings for him. I was a nobody in the grand scheme of things. Just a random teenage runaway he felt indebted to. My frizzy red hair and too many freckles meant I couldn’t pull off a sophisticated look, and my past gave me way too much baggage for even the strongest man to carry. So I would have to be content to stay in this man’s shadow and accept whatever scraps were offered until I could branch out on my own.
He did say he wan
ted to give me a good life, and I do believe him. But giving Danny a job and providing me with this lovely room was payment enough.
Kolya took my hand and led me back to the kitchen. It turned out that Nancy was a great cook, and most of the buffet was home made. I chose pasta with tuna, mayo, sweetcorn, and salad. I’d barely begun to eat when Ivan handed over a plate of vegetable samosas and mushroom pakoras. He didn’t say anything, just nodded and sat down opposite me.
Kolya sat beside me, and Nate and another guy named Kevin sat beside him. Then someone I recognised as Lucas came in with Jack, Nancy’s husband. They each grabbed a plate and selected a few things from the many on offer.
I don’t know what I’d expected, but everyone sitting around the table together and chatting like good friends wasn’t it. It was almost as if Kolya wasn’t their employer today, and the less formal setting and friendly atmosphere made me feel more at ease.
I asked if any of them lived on the estate and was surprised to find they all did. The manor house itself had been converted into apartments in which all the staff other than Nate and Kevin lived. Kolya lived in the new extension, and his room was next door to my own.
Further round the extension were Nate and Kevin’s rooms. Kevin operated the computer systems that ran the cameras and kept all the accommodation secure. By his own admission, he said he was a geek, but looking at him from where I sat, he didn’t quite fit the stereotype. He was tall with an athletic build, shoulder-length shaggy blond hair and deep-blue eyes. I imagined he had girls throwing themselves at him. But then I looked over at Lucas, Nate, and even Ivan, and realised I was sat with some of the most handsome men I had ever seen. Yet none of them made my knees weak like Kolya did. He just had that certain something extra. Something that I couldn’t quite identify, but was there all the same.
Nancy was fussing around everyone, making sure they had enough to eat and asking what they wanted to drink. She seemed like a really nice lady, and obviously adored these guys. And they seemed to enjoy her mothering nature too, by the look of it.
19
Tess
My first night in Kolya’s home had been so different than I’d expected. Although my surroundings were new to me, I felt at ease with everyone, and my bed was the comfiest I had ever slept in.
Whether it was exhaustion from travelling after just being discharged from hospital, or the pain medication I’d been sent home with, I slept like the dead—only waking when Kolya came to check on me with a cup of tea. I’d slept for ten hours, and felt quite stiff when I began to sit up in bed.
Kolya helped me get comfortable, then left the room to bring me breakfast in bed. I loved being pampered by him, but still felt like a bit of a spare part when neither he nor Nan let me wash my breakfast plates.
When it came to getting dressed, I found myself with a bit of a dilemma. One of the nurses had helped me get dressed yesterday before I left the hospital, and as I’d worn a button-up blouse and cardigan, it had been easy to take off, and I hadn’t needed much of the help Nan had offered.
She’d hung up all the new clothes Kolya had bought me, and from them I selected a Henley style cream-coloured long-sleeved T-shirt. Wearing a bra was out of the question until my wound had healed more and I could put one on without it causing me too much pain.
Kolya had taken the sizes of the clothes they had cut from me before they operated, and due to eating very little in the week I’d lived on the streets, most of the clothing his assistant had selected was quite loose, which I appreciated as I struggled to put the top on. I selected a pair of pretty pink lace knickers and navy-blue yoga pants.
Kolya bought me a pair of suede ankle boots to travel home in yesterday, and also a pair of slip-on trainers—which I knew I would live in as they were the most comfortable footwear I had ever owned. After putting on the trainers I thought about going back to the kitchen to see Kolya again, but I felt a little dizzy. All the effort of getting dressed as carefully as I could while still feeling pain had taken its toll on me. So I lay back down on the bed to rest for a few minutes.
There was a knock at the door so I shouted for whoever it was to come in. Kolya opened the door with a smile, then immediately became concerned.
“Tess, are you alright? You look so pale again.”
“I think getting dressed has taken it out of me, but give me a few minutes and I’ll be okay.”
“Nonsense, malyutka. You will rest for an hour or two, at least. Are you in any pain?”
“A little. It was more awkward putting my clothes on than taking them off.”
“Then you should have accepted mine or Nan’s help. Promise me when it comes to getting dressed and undressed you will let us be around to help if you find you are having difficulties. The same goes for bathing. I know you said you would have a bath tonight, so when you do, let one of us be around in case you need help getting in or out.”
“I’ve told Nan she can wait in here while I get out, just in case I find it too difficult. She said she would help me re-apply the dressing, so it doesn’t matter if it gets wet. That means I could have a shower instead.”
“How about washing your hair? Do you think you can manage to lift your arm up enough?”
“The nurse washed my hair again at the hospital yesterday morning. I don’t normally wash it more than three times a week due to how long it takes to keep my curls under control afterwards.”
“Okay, well, when it’s time to wash it again, you can let Nan help you. I would hate for you to fall because you made yourself dizzy by doing things your body is not yet ready to do without help. How about I bring in my laptop so you can choose clothing that will be easier for you to put on while your movement is restricted? That T-shirt looks like it could have been hard work.”
“I’ll manage with the clothes I have, Kolya. You’ve spent too much on me already.”
“Tess, you cannot just have the handful of items my assistant brought you. And you must not worry about me spending money on you. I will do it often, so it is better that you get used to it. Now, shall I leave you to sleep for a while or are you ready to do some shopping online?”
“I’m not sleepy, Kolya, but I’m not sure about shopping online, either. It’s not something I’ve ever done. I don’t even have a proper bank account, never mind a bank card. I know Jean used to do her supermarket shopping online sometimes, and she used her card to pay. But, I just…”
I sighed heavily, feeling so out of my depth in the life I now found myself living.
“Tess, we will take our time and I will show you everything you need to know about online shopping. I’m sure it will be something you enjoy once you get used to it. How about I bring us a hot drink before we attempt to fill your wardrobe?”
Kolya laughed at the horrified look on my face.
“Oh, Tess, you may be the only woman I have ever known who doesn’t want to buy new clothes. I promise it will not be so bad.”
He took my hand and kissed it before frowning.
“You are not wearing your sling, malyutka. You must wear it at all times during the day. Let me help you put it on.”
I told him I hadn’t put it on yet due to just getting dressed, but the truth was I had forgotten about it. He was careful when he helped me sit up so I could slip it on, and I found myself enjoying his touch as he adjusted it for me. When he left the room to get his laptop and our drinks, I couldn’t wait for him to return. Not for the shopping, but because I enjoyed being in his company.
I wasn’t sure how long he’d want me to stay here with him, but I hoped it would be for longer than my recovery would take. I felt at home here, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the building. It was Kolya himself that made me feel safe and secure enough to relax in my new surroundings.
* * *
Kolya asked me to choose which stores I wanted to shop from, but I was hesitant in my reply. So after a moment, he picked up his mobile phone and asked whomever he spoke to which were the most popular st
ores that young women preferred. It turned out that Greta—his assistant—recommended Top Shop, River Island, and Vivian Westwood.
Now, I know I’m not the best person to ask when it comes to fashion, but I’m pretty sure that Vivian Westwood is way out of most girls’ budgets, especially where I come from.
Kolya wouldn’t be deterred, however, and pretty soon he was buying everything I expressed an interest in. So I stopped telling him I liked something in the hope that he’d slow down. He didn’t.
Regarding jeans, I’ve never been sure what leg length I needed, so Kolya brought Nan in with a tape measure. At five foot four, most things—including the yoga pants I was wearing—were always slightly too long for me. Nan measured my inside leg at twenty-nine inches, then proceeded to measure the rest of me, including my bust. I blushed as she remarked that I wasn’t wearing a bra and was glad that Kolya had the decency to look away at that point. In fact, he seemed a little uncomfortable, and I didn’t know how to take that. It should have made me happy that a man wasn’t interested in my boobs, but truthfully, I felt a little disappointed.
Kolya wrote down all my measurements, leaving Nan and me to choose new underwear and nightwear, which she insisted were from Marks and Spencer. “You can never go wrong with M&S knickers,” she stated.
Kolya came back ten minutes later with a glass of water and one of the antibiotics the hospital had sent me home with. After I’d taken it, he ordered me a new coat and three pairs of shoes for various occasions, as well as two shoulder bags and a purse. He let me enter the details from his bank card to complete the purchase, so I would be confident to do it on my own the next time I “needed” to shop. Ha! As if that was going to happen any time soon.
I thanked Kolya so many times he actually put his hand over my mouth to stop me before saying, “Let me spoil you, Tess. It makes me happy to do so. Would you be so cruel and deny me happiness?”
