He was smiling broadly then laughed a little then I realized that he was laughing at my surprised expression. I closed my mouth that I did not even realize were opened. I tried to compose myself trying not to feel awkward then I cleared my throat, “May I help you?”
He kept on smiling that made his eyes twinkle more and I could feel myself losing control, excited and afraid at the same time. For the first time in my life I felt alive. It was like, before this moment, everything was a blur, as if a cloud was in front of me all this time but it was finally lifted and I saw clearly every details and I did not know why his face was the center of it all but I could not resist staring.
“I came to deliver this loaf of bread for Mrs. Gertrue,” he replied happily.
For some reason, I couldn’t comprehend the words he said so it took me a minute to gather my thoughts and I was about to say something when mom came over.
“Ellie, what are you doing just standing there?” mom was looking at me annoyed.
“Please tell Mrs. Dudley thank you for this fresh bread,” she said gratefully while taking the loaf of bread from him.
“I will Mrs. Gertrue,” he complied willingly.
Mom left us and I remained at the door speechless. I had no idea what was I waiting for so to break the embarrassing pause, I just said, “Thank you,” and I slowly closed the door but halfway through, he said in the most gentle way, “You’re welcome. See you tomorrow?”
“Huh?” I was confused what he meant by that.
He chuckled, “Tomorrow on your way to work,” he explained.
“Oh!” it was all I could muster as I felt myself blushing and feeling foolish. I smiled at him and shut the door and I leaned on it and felt completely embarrassed by what just happened.
“Aaargh.. kill me now,” I told myself while I buried my face in my hands. I can’t walk out there tomorrow with him across the street. Maybe if I go to work early I wouldn’t see him. I let out a deep breath, feeling exhausted and defeated. I stayed by the door for a while. Was this what it felt like to have feelings for someone? The sensation that was discouraged by the law unless you were matched to each other; but it was hard to live without acting on it or even not having the choice to try. Was this what the lawbreakers felt? The emotions that they felt for each other that they were willing to risk their freedom or even their lives for it? To be free but not having the one thing you ever wanted; or risk everything just to spend those moments in hiding with the one you love. In the end though, we were all prisoners.
CHAPTER 3: Homecoming
CURTIS
It felt good finally spending some time outside the manor. It has been two weeks since my arrival at Pinewood and I had been longing to explore the land just to have an excuse to leave the house. Horseback riding was a good idea especially in the early morning, and it felt comfortable wearing my Lord’s clothes for a change and not the uniform from the Institute. A short black frockcoat and a white collared shirt and gray vest underneath, beige pants tucked in on my long leather dark brown boots, and a black buckle was better in my opinion. The air was cooler as it hit my face when my black stallion galloped through the green meadow on a cloudy day. Although Mr. Witherson, who cared for our horses, kept on discouraging me from riding today especially when the grounds were wet from the rains the other day. I understood his concerns because no one spoke about it freely but I shared the same fond for horses with my mother and it was a day like this that led to the accident that caused my mother’s untimely death while on horseback riding. I finally persuaded Mr. Witherson that it was safe and told him that I was good with horses which he already knew. He wanted us to wait for the ground to be dry enough but I couldn’t wait and besides, the weather in Pinewood was so unpredictable that it was either rainy or sunny or sometimes both on the same day. I could hear the mud squished under the hooves of my horse as I slowed down to a trot when we approached the woods. Peter, my escort, was having a hard time catching up with his horse which had less speed compared to my larger and faster stallion. He looked pleased when I slowed down when he finally caught up. Peter was scrawny built and was probably two or three years older than me. I would bet that he was one of Andrew’s errand boy, an Omega that he did not needed anymore then assigned him to me. I was not complaining though, Peter was hard working, obedient and never complained. He never spoke unless spoken to, I am not sure if it was because he feared me or was just shy. He was also useful because he knew the people and the land making him an excellent guide.
We rode side by side when we entered the forest. The trees here were colossal and their roots overlapped one on top of the other. The smell of the wet grass and leaves was stronger here and you could hear the rustling branches swaying against each other when the wind blew hard. I was looking around and thought to myself that you could get lost here despite the narrow path that goes through these woods.
“How much farther?” I asked Peter.
“A little farther my Lord, as long as we stick to the path, we’ll be out in no time,” he replied.
“What’s beyond these woods?”
“One of the small farming village my Lord, we could take a rest there.”
“Good,” I responded contented with the idea.
I reined my horse to a stop and Peter did the same with his. I heard something rustled nearby then under the dead leaves a little gray rabbit emerged and went its way back to the woods when it realized that it was not alone.
“Remind me the name of this forest?”
“Greendale, my Lord,” Peter answered eagerly, “I should give caution my Lord. These woods are dangerous at night, it is when the wolves come out and hunt,” he warned me.
I nodded, “And this is the fastest way?”
“Yes my Lord but I highly dissuade you to take this path. Few people take this road, most of them will take the long way around Greendale forest,” he declared trying to convince me.
“Duly noted.”
It was not Peter’s plan to take this road when we started this journey but I insisted we go through here for a shorter route. He was not happy about it but he did not have a choice. Greendale was the biggest and thickest forest in Pinewood. Miss Pattilyn used to tell me stories when I was a child about this forest and the many haunting creatures that lurks in it to scare me. It did not look terrifying during the day though but I would not risk going through here at night.
We rode in silence until we reached the other end of the forest. The sun finally shone, and it was passed midday.
“Are we near the village?” I asked impatiently.
“Not far my Lord, just straight ahead.”
I motioned my horse to gallop towards the nearest village. Peter followed from behind. We arrived not long after. The farm fields were stretched around the village. People stopped what they were doing on the fields to watch us as we slowly passed by. There were whispers and when they recognized who I was they bowed. Some had a welcoming smile while some looked curious.
“May I lead the way my Lord?” Peter asked.
I nodded giving him my consent. He rode ahead of me and I followed. We passed some more fields and houses until we reached the village and came upon a small white house and it had wooden fences and a small garden on the front yard. A man came out of the house grinning and eager to welcome when he saw us got off from our horses outside his home. He had dark black hair and a few grays, and he was not tall but stocky built, and had a jolly smile.
“Welcome my Lord, we weren’t expecting to see you here,” he greeted us with a cheerful tone.
“My Lord, may I present Mr. James Conolly, in charge of the Eastwood First Village,” Peter introduced him with utmost respect.
Mr. Conolly bowed and spoke very politely and happily, “My Lord, may I offer my humble home to be at your disposal.”
I smiled at him and replied, “You are most kind Mr. Conolly, if it isn’t any trouble, I would be honored to.”
“No trouble My Lord, please come,” he motioned u
s to follow him.
We were at the doorstep when I noticed there were two women both with long blonde hair waiting.
“Aaah.. My Lord, may I present my mate and my daughter Hannah.”
They curtsied after the introduction with their lovely smiles.
“Good afternoon, I am very sorry to interrupt on this lovely day,” I said in a most apologetic manner.
I saw Hannah gazing at me so I looked at her and gave her a warm smile. She giggled and I saw her face turned to red.
“You’re not interrupting my Lord, please come in, forgive our small house,” Mrs. Conolly opened the door for us to let us through.
The house made out entirely of wood was not a manor but it had a homey atmosphere inside. Everything was pleasant and warm, and you could tell that it was a happy place. Mr. Conolly ushered us to the dining area which was also the kitchen. The table was set which looked like they were about to have their lunch before we interrupted them. Mrs. Conolly and Hannah hurriedly set two extra plates for us, one at the head of the table and the other on the left side while they moved their own plates to give space.
“I am really sorry once again, it seems that we were intruding while you were having your lunch,” I expressed my regret.
“Oh no my Lord, we are truly happy and honored to have you dine with us today, it is not everyday we have visitors around especially from a Lord of the House of Bermule,” Mr. Conolly beamed, “and besides, I should be the one asking for forgiveness my Lord, as you can see we only prepared such a decent meal. If we knew you were coming, we could have prepared a feast for you my Lord,” he continued sounding worried.
I examined the table, “Is this all grown from here? And cooked by your lovely mate?” I asked.
“Yes my Lord,” Mr. Conolly replied proudly and cheerfully while glancing lovingly at his mate.
I looked at him and said, “Then I look forward to this feast, nothing can stop me from eating the produce grown on the lands of Pinewood.”
Mr. Conolly’s was elated as he guided me to have a seat at the head of the table while he took the right seat and Peter on the left with Hannah beside him, Mrs. Conolly took the seat beside Mr. Conolly.
The table became alive, Mr. Conolly was chatting away about what it was like in the village while we passed around the food. This was my first in such a setting; it was completely new to me but in a very pleasant way. There were beans, carrots, and potatoes boiled and mixed and flavored. A loaf of bread which I could see was made from scratch by Hannah as Mr. Conolly boasted of it. An entire chicken from their barn was roasted by Mrs. Conolly herself. Everything smelled good and tasted delicious. For dessert, Mrs. Conolly placed her lemon pie on the table which she used the lemons from her garden that she planted herself and made it taste heavenly. I was full after the meal and I have never been happier since the day I arrived that I get to experienced such homemade food carefully prepared with love. These were not like the extravagant food served at the manor but this was for me far more superior.
“Mrs. Conolly, your mate is a very lucky man to come home everyday to eat such delicious meal,” I complimented.
Mrs. Conolly was beaming and humbly replied, “Thank you my Lord, I am so pleased you like my cooking, it means a great deal.”
“And a compliment to Hannah, who knew such delicate hands could knead such a soft and tasty bread,” I continued acknowledging her skills and she shyly smiled.
After lunch, Mrs. Conolly served us coffee while Hannah took away the plates to be washed.
“Would you like to take our coffee my Lord in the living room?” Mr. Conolly humbly suggested.
“Certainly,” I complied happily.
We brought our coffee to the other room and sat at the comfortable cushions and drank our coffee.
“So Mr. Conolly, how’s the harvest this time of year?” I spoke first.
“Couldn’t be better my Lord, the land is still rich and the rainy season is coming which is good for the crops. Let’s just hope there will be no storms,” he responded.
“Let’s hope not,” I concurred, “Any problems you encountered so far?” I added.
Mr. Conolly suddenly became reluctant to answer. He cleared his throat and finally spoke, “Well, my Lord, there’s no problem that we can’t handle,” he grinned unconvincingly. I sense that he was not completely telling the truth and he did a poor job of hiding it.
I looked down at my cup and took a sip, placed it on the coffee table in front of me, and looked at Mr. Conolly in the eye. I could see that he was getting uncomfortable.
“It’s okay, you can tell me,” I assured him.
Mr. Conolly had a surprised look on his face and glanced at Peter unsure of me. He became uneasy on his seat but eventually he spoke, “Well, since you asked my Lord,” he hesitated again then continued, “We’re having problems with our harvest lately, we’re having a hard time completing the quota with the lack of manpower and equipment.”
“Lack of manpower?” I repeated.
“Yes, my Lord, most of the able men and women have been recently working at the Steel Plants rather than on the farms,” he explained.
“Go on,” I urged him to continue, “Is it because of the higher pay at the Steel Plants?”
Mr. Conolly paused before answering, “Not exactly my Lord,” he shifted on his seat and his brows were starting to sweat.
“What then?”
Mr. Conolly didn’t speak.
I was confused, “You mean some of them are forced to work at the Plants? But I thought people preferred to work there?” I presumed.
“Oh yes my Lord, some probably preferred to work there but some….” Mr. Conolly resisted but finally gave in, “some don’t because of the working conditions….”
I frowned, thinking that our working conditions at the Plant were always safe and clean so I did not completely understand his meaning why this was a problem.
“I’ll make inquiries about that, in the meantime, you could request for more equipment to help in the harvest to compensate for the lack of manpower,” I suggested.
“We did my Lord but it never came,” he shook his head, “We make a living out of our farms my Lord and a large portion of it is given to the Dukedom as payment for the lands that belongs to the Duke. If we fail to meet the quota, the Duke will strip us out from our farms and our homes and we have nowhere else to go if that happened,” he continued looking very upset.
I felt sympathy for Mr. Conolly and the villagers. I could see that the men and women here were working hard to keep their farms and homes, and I wanted to help.
“Do not worry Mr. Conolly, I’ll speak with the Duke about this personally, and we’ll find a way to help you with your farms,” I promised with a reassuring tone.
He suddenly became his cheerful self again after I told him that, “Oh thank you my Lord, we will be forever grateful to you.”
“Well, we better get going. We still have a long way to go,” I smiled as I took our leave.
“Of course my Lord,” Mr. Conolly agreed as he stood up and accompanied us to the door. Peter went out first in a hurry to prepare our horses. I stood at the doorway and held out my hand to Mr. Conolly, then he accepted and shook it, “Thank you again Mr. Conolly, I had a marvelous time with you and your family in your lovely home,” I stated with gratitude.
“Our home is your home my Lord, you are always welcome here. Do come see us again,” he offered happily.
I nodded and smiled, “I’ll certainly do that.”
I waved my goodbyes to Mrs. Conolly and Hannah and they waved back smiling. I walked across the small front yard towards Peter where he was waiting with the horses. He held the bridle as I climbed up the saddle then he rode his. I gave one last look at Mr. Conolly and his family then we left. We passed again the houses and the fields on our way out of the village. The villagers bowed and some waved as we rode away.
“Where to next my Lord?” Peter asked respectfully.
“Take me to o
ne of the Steel Plants Peter,” I requested.
“There’s one here at Eastwood my Lord and there’s Westwood where most of the Plants are,” he informed.
“Westwood then,” I decided.
We rode with Peter leading the way, traveling through smaller farms and villages, and trees. I took our time enjoying the scenery. The sun was still up but the cool wind was blowing, and the birds were singing like they were grateful for the beautiful day. We stopped on a hilltop and Peter nodded his head towards a place not far.
“That’s Moors, the town between the borders of Eastwood and Westwood my Lord, shall we take a look?”
“Sounds like a good idea,” I declared.
We rode forward and arrived at Moors town. It was full of people from all over, mostly farmers, merchants and steel workers. It was a lively place where some came to sell or to buy, and some came just to have a good time. There were market stalls, bars, shops, and inns all cramped inside this small town. Nobody seemed to know who I was which was a relief. We left our horses at the town stable and continued on foot. We entered a bar and ordered a cold beer. We sat at our table at the far end of the room minding our business. I was watching the people come and go the crowded bar when I noticed a man with a short white hair wearing a leather black coat sitting alone from across the room staring at me.
“Peter, there’s a man staring at our direction behind you. Do you recognize him?” I asked in a low voice.
Peter who sat opposite me slowly turned around trying not to look conspicuous. After he saw him, he faced me and shook his head, “No my Lord.”
The man was still watching us, drank all his beer and stared directly at me one more time then stood up and left the bar. I found his actions odd, maybe he recognized me and chose not to acknowledge it but it does not matter since he was gone anyway.
The Premortals (The Premortals Series Book 1) Page 5
