by Anna Katmore
“I will take this cup to your mother.” My aunt poured steaming water into a mug and dipped a tea bag in and out. “Then we can start with la tour.”
I nodded while I took another small bite from the pastry. A couple minutes later, the snack was gone and I waited for Marie’s return. Three minutes stretched into five. What kept her away so long? After all, my mother’s room was just around the corner.
Tracing the geometrical line of triangles along the plate’s brim kept me occupied for another minute or two. I chewed on my lower lip. How rude that she could forget about me in such a short time. No voices in the hallway or footfalls announced her return. The tap-tap-tap of my shoe against the warm terracotta tiles on the floor was the only sound cutting the eerie silence. Bored now, I pushed to my feet and carried the plate over to the sink; it took a minute to wash up.
“I see you are already making yourself useful,” Aunt Marie chimed behind me.
I whipped around and met her delighted gaze in the doorway.
She took the plate from my hands to store the saucer away in a cupboard above my head. “Come. It is time to see your new home.” Soft hands on my shoulders shoved me out through the door.
The living room on the opposite side of the hallway was partly walled with panes facing west. Gorgeous sunlight filtered through. A grand piano in front of the windowpane dominated the room. According to the set of sheet music on the stand, the glamorous instrument was actually used. My fingers brushed over the ivory keys chiming three dissonant notes as I walked by.
Next to an open fireplace, a big grandfather clock ticked in a hypnotic rhythm. It took me into a past, where the sound of a clock had provided my only comfort at night. My hand lifted to my left elbow, an injury that had long since healed. I pushed the memory away.
After I finished my walk around the room, Marie showed me their bedroom and my uncle’s study, the one room I’d gotten a sneak peek into earlier.
When I stepped out into the hallway again, the front door tempted me as it stood ajar. A warm breeze beckoned me to take the chance and break free. Maybe, if I could catch Marie in an unaware moment and make a dash for the exit, I would get enough of a head-start to find a hiding place in the woods we had passed on the way here. In the dark I’d travel back to the airport and somehow manage to get a flight back to London.
Hands shoved into my empty pockets, I abandoned the idea of escape. With no money, the journey home would be more of an adventure than I cared for. A snort came over my lips as my mind worked hard on another solution.
“This is our bathroom. You can take a look as well if you like.” Marie stepped in front of me and ruined my hope for freedom.
She knew what I was thinking.
For now it was best to follow her. Later, when I had a few minutes to myself, I’d make a detailed plan of my bid for freedom.
The only downstairs room I didn’t get to see was my mother’s. Fine with me. I’d be happy as long as the dragon remained inside her hole with the door shut. But to my annoyance the wooden door cracked open just as we headed back to the stairs.
Julian slipped out and silently closed the door, taking every care a parent would when leaving the nursery of his sleeping newborn.
“Is she asleep?” Marie’s voice dropped to a whisper.
Julian nodded.
“Ah, the ever-present caretaker. Did you tuck her in like a toddler and kiss her goodnight at three o’clock in the afternoon?” I said.
He leaned closer and whispered, “I can do that with you tonight if you like.”
My gulp echoed in the high hallway. I stepped back, fixing him with an unimpressed stare. A tingle in my stomach irritated me while shock and excitement pulsed through my veins.
Marie slapped his arm. “Oh, be nice, Julian,” she scolded him, but he only laughed. Then my aunt turned toward me. “Your mother sleeps a lot these days. And the journey to London exhausted her even more.” She snaked her arm around my waist and made me move forward. “Come, chérie. I believe you want to see your room next.”
Upstairs, the corridor spread to both sides. I whirled around on the gallery, enjoying the sunny place. As I leaned over the balustrade, I saw Julian below, crossing the hallway with loose-limb strides, headed for the kitchen. Sunrays breaking through the dormer made the fair strands of his hair gleam. Being tucked in by him might make an interesting experience. My heart beat faster.
He stopped as if he could feel me watching him. His gaze lifted to me. His blue eyes twinkled.
Shit. I jerked back as embarrassment filled me. I whirled around to face Marie and let her show me to my room. His soft chuckles drifting to me from downstairs annoyed me to no end.
“We have a small library up here,” Marie explained and pointed to the door around the corner to our right. “You can get yourself books whenever you like. Julian stays in the room on the far left. And this will be yours.”
Great, Julian didn’t only live in the same house, but also on the same floor. One foot of solid wall was all that separated us. I suppressed a snort.
Next to Julian’s room, she opened the door to my private place, and I entered. As I crossed the threshold, I found myself in a fifteen-by-fifteen-foot piece of heaven. My breath caught in my throat, and I truly hoped my jaw wasn’t hanging open.
Sunshine swamped in through wide windows on two connecting walls. The wind played with sheer curtains, pushing the white fabric in and out through the French door at the far wall that exposed a beautiful balcony.
The rubber soles of my boots made a squeaking sound on the light gray parquet floor as I crossed to the bed made of maple wood. A teddy bear was carved into the footboard and lured me to trace its outlines with my fingers. My hands skimmed over the floral design of the covers, and I enjoyed the luxurious feeling of the silken bedding. They were nothing like the stiff covers in the orphanage.
“I hope this room is not too childish for you.” My aunt’s worried voice broke my fascination. “Albert built the furniture with timber from our own woods. That was in the early days of our marriage when we hoped for children.”
In the mirror of the wardrobe door, I caught a glimpse of her sad eyes as she rocked in a white rocking chair with a stuffed bear cradled in her arms. Although I hadn’t paid much attention the night before, I remembered my mother mentioning that my aunt and uncle didn’t have kids of their own.
If it had been anyone else, I would have asked straight away. But facing my aunt who had looked at me with those big warm eyes from the moment had I arrived, I considered it rude to ask for the reason they didn’t have kids. However, my staring must have given me away.
“A genetic disease.” She rose from the chair, placing the teddy back on the seat. Then she crossed the room in a stride that made it hard to back off. “I cannot get pregnant.”
As she caressed my cheek, I was wondering if, over the years, she’d longed for a child as much as I had yearned for a caring mother. Everything might have gone differently if I had been born her daughter.
Marie would have loved me.
I bit down on the anger of this realization. After all, I wasn’t supposed to like this stranger aunt of mine. But when she pulled her soft hand away, I almost reached for it to bring it back to my face. I covered the awkwardness by scratching my nose then marched toward a door standing ajar next to the wardrobe. “What’s behind there?”
“A bathroom. Both upstairs rooms have one.”
“You’re shitting me. A bathroom for my private use?” With the door opened fully, I popped my head inside, then turned back at my aunt and cocked one brow. “Let me guess, you hoped for a girl?”
Marie laughed. “What gave me away? The pink and white tiles? Yes, I did hope for a girl. But also for a boy. Julian’s bathroom is tiled all in white and blue.”
Curiosity nagged at me; I wondered whether our rooms were totally identical. But I refused to ask. I didn’t want her thinking I was in any way interested in the guy. Because I sure as hell was no
t.
“We will eat at seven,” Aunt Marie informed me. “Take the time to refresh and make yourself at home. Albert brought up your backpack earlier and stored it in the wardrobe.”
Some alone time sounded fantastic after this long day with people always surrounding me. I nodded, longing for the first shower in a private bathroom after more than twelve years.
“I will give you a shout when dinner is ready.” As soon as the door closed behind her, I felt a bit lost. Of course she said this was my room now, but I had my doubts and refused to see it as such. The bed, so nicely made, tempted me.
I eased onto the mattress. Not one bedspring gave so much as a peep. With my feet dangling from the edge, I sank into the pillow and started counting the small round spotlights dotting the ceiling. I could sneak out of the room and downstairs now. With any luck, no one would notice my disappearance within the next three hours, until it was time for dinner. A fantastic and maybe unique chance.
The curtains wafted over my face. A soft wind carried the scent of trees and freshly cut grass into my room. I took a deep breath.
And what if I stayed? Could I bear to live in this house for six weeks?
Tempting. But beyond all question.
The most I would do was delay my escape for one night. After all, it would have been a shame not to test this cozy bed just once.
I sat up with a jerk, kicked off my shoes so they’d not mess the beautiful bedding, and knelt on the mattress with my arms propped on the windowsill above the headboard. My head slipped under the thin fabric of the curtain. With the first glance outside, a stunned whistle escaped through my teeth.
A slim path led away from the house, about three hundred feet, to a giant garden that rolled out like an oversize vegetable patch. The whole vineyard was laid out in all its splendid glory in front of me.
Lush green shrubs rose side by side from the ground in several square yards. Broader paths separated them. The soft wind ruffled the fuzzy heads of the bushes. In the distance the misty rain from the sprinklers performed a dance of sparkles. Birds took a busy bath in it. I’d never seen such an enchanting place before. Not in reality, anyway.
I closed my eyes for a couple seconds, wondering how it might have felt as a child to run free and explore.
What would it feel like now?
The pounding of my heart in my ears, the wind in my hair—I hoped I’d get to roam the place soon.
What would Quinn say if he knew what a beautiful prison Abe had sent me to? He’d probably tell me to forget about my mother and enjoy the French way of life.
But I could never forget about that woman or pretend she wasn’t there.
Or could I? I might for one day. A grin tugged on my lips. In high spirits, I bounced off the bed and went to inspect the bathroom.
The pink and white room was like walking into a fantasy. The sun peeked through frosty glass, gracing a spacious shower cubicle in the corner with warm light. Pulling one of the huge towels out, I rubbed the soft fabric to my face then wrapped it around my shoulders, drowning in the scent of peach. I could happily move into this small room for the rest of my stay.
A metal square built into the wall next to the credenza caught my eye. It resembled a cat flap. When I stood and pushed against the metal, it even moved back like one. I bent forward and slid my head into the hole in the wall to see where the shaft behind the flap would lead. Totally dark inside, I couldn’t see anything. But my call echoed funnily in there. “Helllououou…”
Someone cleared his throat behind me.
I bumped my head as I jerked back. Shit, that hurt.
“That’s a laundry chute. You drop your clothes in there when they need to be washed.”
Glowering at Julian’s amused face, I rubbed my skull. “Don’t people ever knock in France?”
“Actually, I did knock. But when you didn’t answer, I assumed you were having a shower and considered it safe to come in. I didn’t know you were playing the terrycloth-princess in here.”
I yanked the towel from my shoulders and shoved it behind my back. Heat rose fast to my cheeks. “And what is that?” I nodded my chin at the pile of clothes in his arms.
Julian ambled over to my bed where he dropped the entire load. “Marie had me bringing this to you. Apparently, these are things she no longer wears. Said to keep the stuff you like and burn your old ones.”
“She said that?” I squeaked in disbelief.
“Well, not the burning.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “But I believe you can discard your shabby things now that you have a selection of nicer clothes.”
The sound of my grinding teeth reverberated through my head. If I wasn’t careful, I’d wear down my molars in this damn place. “My clothes are not shabby.”
Julian pointed to my leg. “There’s a hole in your knee.”
“That hole is personal.”
“Ooh, don’t tell me. It’s a special reminder of one of your reckless raids.” He quirked one brow. “The pants got ripped during the dramatic escape, didn’t they?”
Get bent and die.
I shrugged, lips tight. The pair of Doc Martens had totally been worth the sore knee and the damaged jeans.
His laughter as he walked out of my room haunted me. Only when I was undressed and standing under the warm spray of the shower did my irritation ease. This time I made sure the bathroom door was locked.
By the time I stepped out of the cubicle and wrapped myself into a soft white towel, the skin on my fingers and feet resembled prunes. But my hair smelled like a pool of rosewater, and my body soaked in the lotion of some gorgeous flowers. I figured Marie wouldn’t mind if I used some of the stuff stored behind the mirror or else she wouldn’t have placed it there. After all, she had told me to help myself to anything. I applied the creams generously.
On the credenza, several brushes and a hairdryer lay neatly arranged by size with the handles toward me. Marie could hardly have bought all these things for her possible future daughter the day she thought of getting pregnant. She must have stocked the credenza with ladies’ utensils when she heard of my visit. The woman really made it hard for me not to like her.
When I was done with the difficult task of drying and brushing my hair at the same time, my usually dry, brittle strands had changed into a soft well of silk. Curtains of shiny auburn framed my face, and I had to double check the mirror to make sure it was really me.
Like a horse, I swayed my head from side to side as I galloped out of the bathroom, enjoying the sweet smell and the gentle caress of my hair on my cheeks. I leaped onto the bed and squealed, rolling on my back, feeling fresh like a newly plucked peach. Everything felt right in this brief, perfect moment.
But in the next, footfalls on the wood boards of the balcony stopped me in my gambol.
Clutching the towel to my naked body, I glared at the French door, but no one appeared in the frame. On tiptoes, I sneaked behind the curtains and peeked through. Outside was empty, but to the left, a silky white veil wafted in and out through a door just like mine.
Great. Marie had neglected to tell me the balcony connected Julian’s room with mine. And unless I was totally mistaken, he’d just come to pay me another surprise visit. My heady romp probably scared him off—or maybe some sense of decency made him retreat.
Whatever the cause, it would be wise to get dressed. And fast. Last time a boy saw me naked, the oaf hopped out of the girls’ shower room on one leg with a broken toe and a black eye, courtesy of my fist.
My body had sprouted curves since then, and Julian was the last person I intended to grant an exclusive look.
I dragged my backpack from the built-in closet and rummaged for a set of underwear. A faded gray t-shirt in my hands, I remembered the stack of clothes Marie sent me, which currently sat on my bed. Of course, I wouldn’t do as that moron had suggested and burn my own clothes. But taking a look at what my aunt had given me wouldn’t hurt. Maybe borrow a thing or two, just for today. Of course, the clothes would
stay behind when I parted from the house and my family tomorrow.
Marie had been generous in her donation. This was the widest selection of clothes I had ever possessed. Several shirts with and without sleeves in different colors and patterns spread on the bedding. After wearing the same jeans and sweaters for so many years, this felt like diving headfirst into a pool of treasures.
I grabbed one piece after the other and held it to my chest in front of the mirror. Wow, what did people do with so much luxury? Folding the clothes carefully, I stored them in the wardrobe. For now, a black, snugly fitting tee with a V-neck would do.
There were also jeans and skirts. In this warm climate, I refrained from picking long pants. But not being the type to wear medieval gowns that reached my ankles, I chose one of the few pairs of shorts among the pile of cotton and linen. Hems fringed, it looked like someone had cut off the legs of a pair of jeans.
I had no trouble fitting into Marie’s clothes. The shorts enhanced my hips like they were made for me, although they covered little more than my bottom. The tee accentuated my breasts a tad too much, but long strands of my hair covered it nicely.
A whole new Jona stared back at me from the mirror. But most unfamiliar was the happy smile tugging on my lips.
Did I just think happy? No, definitely not. Marie and her family must have been out of their minds if they really thought they could bait me with a beautiful room and nice clothes. I didn’t belong here and more importantly, I didn’t want to live here. No one could make me, not even a bald judge with a wooden hammer.
Nothing wrong with enjoying one day in this place, but tomorrow I’d be off.
The little, round clock next to my bed said it was just shy of seven, and I decided not to wait for Aunt Marie to come and get me for dinner. I cast one last look out on the balcony, careful not to step on the boards, but only leaning my head out. The wood construction hovering fifteen feet above the ground made me aware of my vertigo all the more. Yet the balcony provided a priceless view of the vineyards.
