(A/N-Special thanks to a friend who beta read another version of this story for me. And thanks for all who read, review, follow and fav.)
Miss Felicity Smoak prided herself on possessing more than her fair share of British courage, and a positive deposition that inclined her to always look upon the brighter side of life, she got that she thinks from her father. But this day, finally, both courage and good cheer had deserted her.
The rain had been falling without letup for the past two days, and the tracks that the locals insisted upon calling roads had long since degenerated into oozing mud. From experience, she knew the sullen gray light would soon give way to impenetrable darkness, making travel hazardous to the point of madness.
Worst of all, a few minutes ago, the driver hired to take them to the Villa of the Three Fountains had suddenly stopped the carriage in the filths courtyard of a wayside inn, and refused to try to drive them any further. Felicity tried to protest, but the driver had simply unhitched the horses and disappeared into the darkness of a hut behind the inn. Despite her pleas, he had refused to come out, and the three extremely tired travelers had no other choice but to seek refuge in the tavern.
Her father and her maid Sharon walked in and looked around the taproom, met the hostile gaze of the inn keeper, and tried her best not to feel terrified. She would not surrender to hysterics just because they were lost, stranded in a hovel that barely deserved the name of the inn, abandoned in a remote region of Italy hovering on the brink of war at any moment.
The inn keeper watched them in calculating silence as they shook the worst of the rain from their cloaks and hoods and settled in the taproom. He now inches from behind the counter and bowed very low, his manner a strange mixture of hostility and submissive courtesy.
"Most gracious to you all, how many I be of service?" he asked in thick dialect.
"We need to hire a new carriage driver for the rest of our journey," Felicity answered in standard Italian, hoping he would understand.
His eyes gleamed as he rubbed his hands, "Most honored and excellent, signora, I am at your service." His voice tailed away and he looked pointedly at her purse.
Felicity sighed. They had very little money left now, and she was becoming desperate. She pulled a crown from the tiny travel pouch hidden at her waist and held it up.
The inn keeper snatched at the coin, and she moved it just out of his reach at the last second, aware that she'd taken a grave risk by letting him see that she carried money on her person. The poverty they had witnesses during the past week had been so appalling that she had lived in daily expectation of being murdered for their money.
She was shaking inside, but she forced herself to show no fear, "To earn this crown, you must tell me how to reach the Villa of the Three Fountains. You must also provide me with a driver who can take us there."
If she had not been watching so closely to make sure that he understood her Italian, she might not have noticed the tiny shudder, and the flicker of his eyelids at the mention of the villa. Then his expression shuttered and he bowed, shaking his head regretfully.
"I beg your forgiveness, but there is no one here who can take you to the villa, signora," he said.
With extreme reluctance, she reached into her pouch and extracted a golden guinea. The inn keeper's eyes bulged at the sight of the shiny coin. His hands clenched at his sides and he licked his lips, "Is that really gold, signora?"
"Yes, it's a British golden guinea, and it can be yours. To earn it, you have simply to drive me and my two companions to the Villa of the Three Fountains."
A bead of sweat popped on the inn keeper's forehead. Then he turned away, closing his eyes, as if he could scarcely beat to look at the gleaming gold. "I can't take you, I am sorry, signora I can't help you."
His words were simple, but Felicity could hardly believe she'd understood the Italian correctly. For what money she had offered him, she had expected the inn keeper to vault into the driver's seat before she could finish speaking.
"What!" she said, "Of course you can take us there!"
He didn't turn around, "No signora, I can't drive. I can't take you to the Villa of the Three Fountains." Almost to himself he muttered, "I must protect my children."
Felicity felt her self control begin to waver around the edges. "If you are not willing to drive, then find us someone in the village who can," she insisted.
"Alas, I can't help you, signora. There is nobody in the village who will drive your carriage," he said.
Felicity bit her lower lip, ready to scream in frustration. Ever since their journey had began, they had been met with conspiracy of evasion and silence.
"What does the inn keeper say, Felicity?" her father asked.
"He can't take us and no one will either," Felicity answered.
"I believe you would be wise to spend the night here. We have a rooms in the loft, I could make it comfortable for you all," the inn keeper said.
Just then in walked two soldiers who were talking to the other, "We're almost to the villa."
"The Villa of the Three Fountains?" Felicity asked them
"Yes," one said.
"How splendid, then you can take us there," Felicity said.
"Is the Count of Arrowhead expecting you?" the soldier asked, "The Count is not...that is to say, I have not found him to be a man who receives many visitors."
"I'm sorry but there must be some mistake," Felicity said, "Our destination is the Villa of the Three Fountains, but we are not familiar with anyone called the Count of de Hood."
"But I assure you, the Count owns ze villa, he owns all ze land for miles around. You might say zat he is ze grand seigneur of the region," the soldier said.
Felicity's stomach lurched with premonition of disaster. "Then we must be seeking a different villa with the same name, as my father here owns the villa, it was deeded to our ancestors many years ago."
The soldier shook his head, "You may take my word for it, signora. There is only one Villa of the Three Fountains in this area, and the estate is quite definitely owned by the Count of de Hood."
"The villa we seek has been in the hands of caretakers for over a hundred years," Felicity said, "perhaps the Count of Arrowhead has rented the villa along with the farmland."
The soldiers stared at her in silent incredulity. "Ze Count Arrowhead is not a caretaker," one assured her. "Ze villa belonged to ze count's father and his grandfather before zat. It is a place of most great prosperity, or so I have been told."
"Can you take us there so we might straighten all this out please?" Felicity asked.
"Yes, signora," one soldier answered.
An hour later they were back in the carriage, when one shouted to them as they rounded another sharp curve, "The villa is straight ahead of you. There it is! The Villa of the Three Fountains!
Felicity's first impression of the villa was not favorable. Set atop the crest of a low hill, its exterior washed in grey, the shuttered windows seemed to stare sightlessly into the lashing curtain of rain. As the horses headed toward the massive entrance gates, and her view became clearer, Felicity decided that the layout of the house created the bleak impression that it was disconnected from the surrounding countryside, a lonely fortress set in a sea of brown fields. She wondered if the present count was responsible for the unhappy effect, or if he merely had to live with the architectural mistakes of his forebears.
They arrived at the front and were assisted by the housekeeper, an older lady named Anna, "The stable boys will take care of your horses, just like always. Here they come now."
Three youths ran into the courtyard, all of them were wearing sturdy leather shoes, an amazing luxury for this part of the world, and all of them looked well fed. The count went up a couple of notches in Felicity's estimation. He might live in a dreary home, and have a strong aversion to visitors but at least it seemed that he made adequate provision for feeding and clothing his servants.
Anna the housekeeper spoke the the soldier, "Who all have you brought with you?"
"Three travelers, a Lord Noah Kuttler, his daughter Lady Felicity and her maid Sharon," he answered.
"English women? You've brought them here?" Anna asked clearly surprised.
"Yes, that is correct-"
Anna shook her head, "Sorry, but you know they'll have to leave right away. I can't have women on the premises."
"I understand the count's rules, however they have traveled a long way," the soldier said. "Surely he can make an exception for one night."
"Rules are rules," Anna said. "They can't stay here and you know that as well as I do. They're females and the count will never allow them to sleep in the house. Especially now. This isn't a good time," she stopped abruptly, as if regretting having said as much.
Felicity found the conversation so extraordinary, she wondered if she misunderstood Anna's Italian, although the woman spoke with clearness and accuracy of an educated upper servant. She couldn't believe that, even in this part of the world, the Count of de Hood, was so old fashioned that he forbade all women to enter his house.
"But what are they to do? It's late and they are foreigners and the country is about to tumble into civil war!" the soldier said.
"Then they shouldn't have left England. I'll have the stable boys give them fresh horses, there's nothing more I can do for them," Anna turned to go.
"Wait! Please wait, signora! I must talk to you!" Felicity raced after the older woman.
Anna turned around and raised her eyebrows at her.
"Please reconsider your decision," Felicity pleaded with her. "We have been traveling over three weeks and are in urgent need of the count's help."
"How can you need his help? I'm sure he's never met you," Anna said.
"We have papers that say we own this villa and we need to meet with the Count urgently," Felicity explained.
"That's impossible, the Count and his father and grandfather before him were all born here," Anna explained.
"Please," Felicity said.
"Anna!" a voice called out from inside the house. Anna walked in and reappeared minutes later.
"The Count says you may stay this night," Anna said and they were shown where they could stay, Felicity with her maid and her father across the hall from them.
Later that night, Felicity walked out of her room intent on looking around, she was in a study looking at the books when she sensed a presence behind her. She turned around to see a man standing in the shadows, he was tall and broad shouldered that much she could see. Just as she was about to speak, a lamp was lighted and the mysterious man was revealed to her.
The count's eyes met with her for the briefest of instants, and Felicity thought she saw his jaw clench as if the mere sight of her set his teeth on edge. Why, she wondered? What could she possibly have done to provoke such a reaction? His hair was dark blonde, he had stubble on his jaw and piercing eyes. His skin was pale similar to hers.
As if mesmerized she watched him walk about the room. To her acute embarrassment, she realized that her gaze was fixed with most unladylike intensity on the movement of his hips, and she hastily jerked her eyes upward, toward some more polite spot.
Her gaze landed on his face and she saw his features were strongly defined. His cheekbones stood out with particular prominence, their height and sharp angles underlined by a flush of hectic color that suggested he had a fever. Perhaps she had misinterpreted the clenching of his jaw when he looked at her earlier.
He must be in some sort of pain from his expression.
"You shouldn't be out alone in the dark," the Count said.
"It's not the dark that is to be feared, just the things in the darkness," Felicity countered.
She saw the white of his teeth as he smiled at her reply, "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself, I am Count of Arrowhead. I believe you wish to speak with me and I hope you will tell me how I may be of service?" Oliver introduced himself.
