Chapter Twelve
Victoria
The next day I was tasked with a mind-numbingly boring job of dusting. At least I could move from room to room, which provided some stimulation, but what wouldn’t I give to be outside instead of in those stuffy rooms.
To make matters worse, Matthias suddenly straightened and looked towards the closed door of the room I was currently cleaning. If he really was a guard dog his ears would be standing at attention.
“That bastard Carl is outside.”
“Really?” I tried to listen for the hated voice. “I can’t hear anything.”
“My hearing is quite good,” Matthias shot me a grin. “He is quite a way down the corridor yet, but I believe he is searching for you. Do you think he will try to lay his hands on you again?”
“I don’t think so. Not with you here. Theo did a number on him and, well, you are… much more intimidating,” I said apologetically.
“I don’t mind being scary if it helps me protect the people I care about.”
Was I really one of those people?
“I think he may try something different though,” I cautioned.
“He won’t get physical but I have a feeling he will try to use his position over me instead.
It had happened before, when he assigned me tasks to either humiliate me or tire me out.
And let’s not forget about the setup when he requested me to bring tea to your meeting… ”
“He is the lowest of scums,” Matthias said in disgust. “Maybe we can barricade ourselves in here, how about that? That weakling won’t get in if I hold the door closed.”
“That would just be delaying the inevitable. But I have an idea…” My eyes sparkled with mischief as I explained my plan to Matthias.
“…that’s why I don’t like them,” I finished, my voice trembling a little.
“Those foul beasts!” Matthias thundered. “You are right, those big teeth and their beady eyes… horses are terrifying. It’s a good thing you don’t have to work with them.”
“Yes, it would be horrible if I had to…”
The door banged open to reveal a smugly smiling Carl.
“Victoria, my dear,” he said with cloying sweetness. “I’m glad to see you. Here I thought you had been avoiding me, but that couldn’t possibly be true, right?”
“Of course not… sir,” I said with a blank face.
“Hey, we are busy here. What do you want?” Matthias interjected, using his reputation as a brute to just shove the false pleasantries aside.
Carl glared at the man but didn’t dare to say anything. He just ignored him and turned back to me.
“I wanted to find you because I have a task for you. You will attend to my horse.”
“No, I can’t—”
“Nonsense! It’s a great privilege,” Carl stressed with glee. “I will leave you to it.”
With a grin on his face, he sauntered out of the door.
We made our way to the stables as quickly as possible. The moment I saw Clementine, the beautiful chestnut mare Carl took a liking to, I pressed my head to her neck.
“Good girl,” I cooed, petting the mare who happily huffed into my hair.
“Your ruse worked like a charm,” Matthias beamed at me. “Let’s see if I can find an apple for this beauty. Score! Here’s one!” He extended his hand with a red apple towards Clementine and she gobbled it up.
Not only were we out of the house, but we could spend the whole day with the animals we loved. Maybe even make a picnic out of our packed lunch. This day was turning out to be awesome.