“Nothing at all, but I understand if you don’t believe me. You don’t trust me, and at the moment, you have no reason to. If I have to track down every possible suspect and line them up for you, then that’s what I’ll do. If only, to prove that it wasn’t me.”
“Mr King, I could have made you lunch. It’s what you pay me for.” My maid, Heather, playfully scolded. I hadn’t noticed her enter the kitchen but figured her timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
“That’s okay, Heather.” I gave her a tight smile.
While I didn’t mind joking with Heather in private, I wasn’t sure how I quite felt about Anastasia witnessing it. She might’ve taken it the wrong way.
I’d known Heather since I was a child. For a short time, she was our nanny. Eventually, my parents fired her, as they did with most of the nannies. But in the short span of time that she was with us, I grew to like her. She was the mother that we never had. It was by coincidence that she was looking for a job, at the time that I was looking for a maid.
“Will you be requiring dinner tonight, sir?”
“I won’t but Anastasia will. Heather, I’d like you to meet Anastasia Exley. She’ll be staying here with us, from now on.” I made expectant eyes at Anastasia, waiting for some form of small rebellion. To my surprise, there was nothing but that only seemed to put me more on edge. They exchanged polite pleasantries as I watched on.
Heather had already been briefed on our new house-guest and had been informed that while I was gone Anastasia was to have the rule over the house. To some extent.
While Heather didn’t know the specifics about the arrangement, she’d given me her full approval with a wide smile and a wink.
I hoped that it gave Anastasia a small comfort to know that there were people around. We weren’t alone here, and in time she’d come to know that she wasn’t trapped here - not completely anyway. We had a long way to go, while I wanted to trust her my instincts told me that I couldn’t. Not yet.
I put out a can of food for Achilles before moving into the living room. The fire was lit, as it usually was in the evenings. I lounged back into the couch and watched from across the room as Anastasia stood awkwardly under the kitchen arch.
“Are you waiting for a formal invitation? Come, sit.” We were alone again and I could see the effect that had on her. Our conversation from earlier was dead and gone, we’d reset back to complete strangers.
Anastasia gingerly took a seat on the armchair farthest from me. Her eyes flickered to the staircase but I couldn’t let her retreat yet.
“My brothers will be coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I know it’s soon but they’re eager to meet you.”
“You said you mean me no harm. Assuming you meant that, does that extend to your brothers?”
“I know it must be hard to trust me at the minute. But you’ll come to learn that, I’m a man of my word. I’m also very protective of what’s mine.” Resting my elbows on my knees I leant forward, I wanted her to see the full extent of truth that’s reflected in my eyes. Eyes now locked, I continued. “You’re safe, you’re under my protection now.”
She still seemed unsure but I could see the extent of relief as the tension in her shoulders settled. I wanted to reassure her, but I didn’t know how without coming off too strong. One wrong move and the house of cards I’d been building would come crashing down around me.
“I’m at a loss of how to reassure you, without scaring you. I think you’ll get along well with my brothers though, most people do.”
“What do you expect from me?”
“At dinner tomorrow?” I asked to clarify. I was unsure of what exactly she was referring to.
“At dinner tomorrow, and in general. Am I to be a puppet that you pull out of the closet when you have guests? Am I expected to cook, to clean? I assume you wanted me for a reason, aside from the obvious - getting back at my father.”
And there we had it. She wanted to know if I was going to have her in my bed, force her to live as some perverted sex slave.
As I stood, I heard the shaky release of her breath. I stepped closer and kneeled down at her feet. I urged to reach out and touch her but I knew that would be pushing my luck. “You’re expected to live here. That’s it. There’s no hidden agenda. There are some rules, of course, but mostly you have free reign within these walls.”
“Where will I sleep?”
“Wherever you like. But the room you were in last night is yours, for the time being. By tomorrow morning Heather will have it fully stocked for you.”
She sat, bobbing her head silently. I waited for her to respond but I could see that her mood had done a complete one-eighty. I supposed that she’d been through a lot already, I didn’t want to keep her longer than need be. “Do you want me to show you back to your room?”
“Please.”
I led her up the stairs and back to the guest room. Anastasia opened her door and stepped inside. Before closing the door completely and bidding her goodbye, I pointed to my door.
“That’s my room, if you need anything just let me know. I’m going out but I’ll be back in a few hours. Also, in case you feel like attempting an escape, the property is covered by cameras and there’s security at every entrance. I’ve left the key to your door on your nightstand.”
She closed the door, not wasting any more time with pleasantries. Words sat on the tip of my tongue - an apology, comfort, anything to help break that ice wall she kept up all the time. But then I thought better of it. She’d probably heard enough from me right now. I couldn’t help thinking if the situations were reversed, I don’t know if I’d have been able to handle all of this as well as she had. My response would have been ‘fuck you’ at every turn.
My shoulders sagged as I released my breath. I knew I had to be gentle, I knew I had to give it time but I didn’t want to. Truth be told, I really couldn’t be fucking bothered with any of this. I hated that my brother was right.
I wasn’t used to being patient, having to wait for what I wanted. I didn’t know how long this new attempted patience was going to last, so she better hurry her ass into gear.
My stomach weighed me down the whole day. After having the best night's sleep I’d had in a long while, I awoke feeling refreshed and well-rested.
I was in the shower by the time the conversation I had with Nikolai last night reared its ugly head. His brothers were coming round for dinner. Despite him trying to reassure me about my safety, I was still on edge. And pissed. I felt like a toy being pulled out of the attic and put on display.
I stayed in the room to avoid any further contact with him. I didn’t think I could deal with any more just yet.
As Nikolai had promised, the next day, the maid brought me bags full of clothing. All brand-new with their tags still attached. As I looked through the bags, I had certain expectations about what an older lady would have chosen for someone like me. I assumed she would have been the one to pick out all of the clothes but, to my surprise, everything was in my style. Had Nikolai picked these out? Surely not. He must have better things to do with his time.
Heather knocked on the door several times, handing me a tray with breakfast on it, and then another laden with lunch. We’d exchanged the necessary greetings but nothing that ventured beyond niceties. She didn’t seem the particularly chatty type, and besides, I was beginning to feel bad for holding her up from her regular job.