Author Notes: I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Please let me know your thoughts and reviews on the story as it unfolds. As always, thank you to those of you following this story. Please keep your comments coming, I really do enjoy reading all of them.
CHAPTER 10
Judy, exhaling deeply, listened carefully as the unknown vixen's footsteps began descending the stairs, fading into silence. Rushing back over to Gideon, Judy fell to the floor next to the unconscious fox.
"Sir, please, can you hear me?" Judy called softly to the fox, shaking him. "Please, you have to wake up." Judy repeated as Gideon opened his eyes slightly.
Suddenly from behind her, fast steps began once more climbing the stairs beyond the small room she and the injured fox were in. As she was raising herself again off the floor, the door to the room quickly opened.
"Miss Hopps, what is it? Is anything wrong?" Nick asked, quickly seeing the deep fear on Judy's face as he entered the room, fully clothed, having changed out of his sleeping shirt.
"I saw her, Mr. Wilde…Anna…she was right here not even a moment ago." Judy said, speaking very fast, pointing at the door to the room. "I thought she was coming back to kill him, but she did not."
"I am sorry, Miss Hopps, I should have never left you alone up here." Nick said, still looking at Judy's fearful expression. "But you are completely safe, I promise."
"Safe?" Judy asked appallingly. "How can anyone in this manor house be safe with that savage mammal in it?"
"Miss Hopps, please, I promise, I will do something, but right now we need to get him downstairs and to the auto car." Nick said quickly, pointing to Gideon.
Nick, grabbing hold of one of Gideon's arms, swung it over and around his head, as he began lifting Gideon Gray up. "Gideon? I need you wake up."
As the early morning skyline slowly began to lighten, Nick, positioning Gideon in the rear seat of the auto car, turned to Leodore. "I need you to get him doctor Sanders' house as quickly as you can." Nick said hastily to Leodore.
"Yes sir, I will." Leodore replied back quickly rushing to the driver's seat.
"Nicholas." Gideon's weak voice suddenly spoke from the rear seat as he began to gasp for air, coughing with each few words. "Please, take care of her. She is in a very delicate condition."
"I will continue to do the best I can, as I always have done." Nick replied hastily in a deep tone. "Leodore, go, quickly!"
As the auto car made its way out along the gravel path, Judy, exiting the front door now dressed in one of her simple dresses, watched how still Nick stood as he watched the car disappear. Advancing slowly toward him, covering herself with a long shawl around her shoulders, Judy simply stared at him.
"Was Mr. Gray talking about Anna?" Judy spoke in a light whisper. "Is she a relative of his, possibly?"
"Why does it matter if he is or is not, Miss Hopps?" Nick suddenly replied back, shouting. "I am sorry, I should never have barked at you like that. You do not deserve that type of response from someone like me. Forgive me, Miss Hopps." Nick spoke softly turning his eyes away from Judy.
"There is nothing to forgive, sir." Judy replied softly.
"Miss Hopps? Would you care to walk with me?" Nick asked suddenly turning to Judy. "It will be light soon. I have not watched the sunrise over the east gardens for some time now."
"Are you sure, Mr. Wilde?" Judy asked questionably, as each beat of her heart quickly increased.
"Please, Miss Hopps, I insist." Nick replied back.
Judy, turning her head up, quietly glanced up at the manor house. Slowly turning back to face Nick, Judy began to step forward, thinking only of the joy of being in Nick's company once more. Reaching the security of the manor's superb vegetable gardens, neither one having spoken a word, Nick suddenly stopped and turned toward Judy.
"Miss Hopps, please, I want to thank you once more of assisting me in a time of great need." Nick said to Judy as both stood in the vegetable garden.
"I was more than happy to, Mr. Wilde." Judy replied.
"No, you did not have to at all." Nick responded back. "It was wrong to ask of your help in such matters as to what had transpired. I should had never involve you." Nick said sadly.
"I do not fully understand your meaning, sir." Judy watched as Nick's eyes slowly began to gaze out into the distant grounds.
"Nothing, Miss Hopps." Nick said turning his head back toward Judy.
"Mr. Wilde, if it was not Anna who attacked Mr. Gray, who could have done such a thing?" Judy asked.
"I cannot tell you that, Miss Hopps. All I can say is that you, or anyone else in this house, are in no danger." Nick replied back as he continued to gaze at Judy.
"Sir, why are you protecting this…this beast? Did you not see the injuries made to Mr. Gray?" Judy spoke, her eyes reliving the sight of Gideon's bleeding. "What if it was Sophie or Mrs. Otterton?"
Turning his eyes fully away from Judy, not answering her question, Nick resumed the walk toward the east gardens, Judy still beside him. As they both soon arrived into the east garden, Nick began to walk over to a short wooden bench under a lonely Birch tree, sitting down quietly. Judy, observing Nick, his sadness evident in his movements and expression, slowly walked over and took a seat next to him.
"Miss Hopps, can I ask you something?" Nick spoke softly, as he gazed to the gardens edge.
"Certainly, Mr. Wilde." Judy replied quickly.
"Say there was a young mammal, lost and alone for the first time in their life, having no family or attachments. This mammal finds himself traveling to a place he has never seen nor experienced before, and makes a mistake while there." Nick asked, looking once more into Judy's eyes.
I do not know, sir. What kind of mistake would he have done?" Judy asked, replying back.
"Not a crime, but a lapse in simple judgment. Only now, many years later, this mammal may have a chance correcting that mistake from so many years ago. " Nick replied. "Do you think this mammal should take that chance, even though there is still a small, you could say, convention, which stands between that mistake and that mammal?"
Judy thought carefully about this question before replying. "If I was such a mammal, and I had made a mistake, I truly feel it would be a sense of duty in bearing any punishment or misfortune brought on by that convention."
Nick, hearing her reply, his eyes shocked, was left utterly speechless momentary. "What on earth does duty have to do with anything? Of course." Nick taking a deep breath. "Mr. Bogo's teaching I dare say. His faith in a higher being and living the remainder of your days in suffering."
Raising up from the bench, Nick motioned Judy to remain seated, as he circled the tree and bench. "Miss. Hopps, what would you do if I was to ask you to secure happiness?"
"For who, sir?" Judy asked, her mind racing with thoughts as if not of her own.
"You or I, let's say." Nick quickly replied.
"Well, I would want to do whatever I can to secure that happiness." Judy said as her head turned, watching Nick walk pass around once more.
Nick, stopping just behind Judy, turned his head back to the manor house and then quickly back to Judy. "I am sorry to trouble you with these questions Miss. Hopps. But I think I finally know the proper answer."
Judy, smiling slightly for the first time in days at Nick, titled her head slightly as she gazed up at him, standing over her. "Sir, why ask me these questions than?"
Walking around to face Judy once more, Nick sat along the bench with Judy again. "Because…I need to know for myself if my notions were true, and I now have an answer." Nick, turning his head toward the brightening skyline, watched as the morning sun rays rose up. "It's rising." Nick said standing up as Judy followed suit.
As the minutes went by, both Nick and Judy continued to stare as the sunrise rose higher and higher. Nick, turning slowly, watched Judy as she became lost in the beauty of the morning sunrise.
"I am sorry to keep you out here so long." Nick said softly to Judy. "We should make our way back to the house. I have missed our talks these past days."
"As I have also, Mr. Wilde." Judy replied.
Later that day, after morning lessons with Sophie had concluded, Judy, feeling the need to rest for an hour, began heading toward her room along the corridor when she began to hear her name suddenly called.
"Miss Hopps." Tabitha called, advancing toward Judy from the staircase. "Mrs. Otterton sent me to get you. You have a visitor downstairs."
"A visitor? Who?" Judy asked questionably.
"I do not know. Mrs. Otterton said they would be in the small sitting room off the foyer." Tabitha said, making her way back down staircase.
Confused as to who may be calling on her, Judy turned and descended the staircase. Reaching the small sitting room just inside the foyer, Judy quickly noticed an elderly looking gray female rabbit sitting in one of the chairs.
"Hello." Judy spoke lightly as she entered the small room. "Can I help you?"
The elderly rabbit, standing up and turning toward Judy, suddenly smiled as she looked quickly over her. "Miss Hopps, you have grown up into such a lady."
"I am sorry, but do I know you?" Judy asked.
"I've known you since you came to us as a little kitten with your uncle." The elderly rabbit said still smiling. "Before you left us I wished you only happiness."
"Bessie!" Judy called out, her eyes widening quickly. Rushing over to the gray rabbit, she quickly embraced the once young maid she knew before being sent to live at Clawood by her aunt. "Why are you here?" Judy asked, slowly releasing the elderly rabbit.
"Your aunt sent me to see you." Bessie said, her smile failing. "She's dying, your aunt. She says she needs to see you again."
"Why would she want to see me? What about my cousins?" Judy asked, not knowing what to think about this news of her aunt.
"Your cousin Johnathan is dead." Bessie responded, looking down at the floor. "Agatha and Sarah are with her now, but they have new lives now and do not want to be bothered long with their mother's health. Your aunt gave me this letter to give you." Handing Judy the sealed letter, Bessie turned to grab her hat lying on a side table. "I will be at the village inn tonight and then I have to get back to Bunnyborrow. Please think about it, young miss. I truly feel she needs to make peace with her life."
Judy, walking quickly toward the drawing room, the open letter from her aunt held tightly in her paw, opened the door and entered.
"Can I help you, Miss Hopps?" Lizzy, one of the house maids said, quickly looking up from the couch she was currently cleaning.
"Where is Mr. Wilde?" Judy asked suddenly, looking about the room.
"He went up to the library a few minutes ago, Mrs. Otterton told, me to clean the drawing room while everyone was out of it." Lizzy replied back, looking at Judy questioningly.
Turning back toward the main hall, Judy quickly began climbing the stairs to the second floor landing. Turning down the corridor towards the library, she began to hear laughter coming from beyond the library door. Grabbing hold of the door, Judy opened it, stepping quickly across the doorway.
"Mr. Wilde…I…" Judy spoke, suddenly stopping just inside the library. Nick, she quickly observed, was standing behind a seated Veronica, leaning in over her shoulder as both were in the process of reviewing large landscape paintings from an oversize leather bound book.
"What does that creature mean by rushing in here?" Veronica said, her eyes full of rage at Judy's disturbance.
"Mr. Wilde…please, I need a moment of your time." Judy spoke, gazing at Veronica with slight discuss.
"Come with me to my private office across the hall, Miss. Hopps." Nick spoke, walking around from behind Veronica in a business manner.
"Nicholas?" Veronica called out, as he and Judy stepped out of the library to his office, shocked slightly at being left alone.
Entering Nick's private office for the first time, Judy was immediately taken aback by the dark green walls within the room. Covered with maps of the world and colorful oil paintings, along the left side wall a dark ornate marble fireplace stood empty. Above the fireplace mantel, a large painting of a tall male fox standing in late colonial clothing glared out at the room. Turning her attention back to Nick, she observed him taking a seat at a rather large, ornate oak desk positioned in the center of the room. Judy, turning once more to the large painting over the fireplace, quickly noticed some very familiar likenesses to Nick.
"That is a painting of my late, dear father." Nick said softly as he watched Judy gazing up at the painting. "It was painted a year before his death."
"He has a very handsome face, your father." Judy said still gazing at the painting.
"Yes, he was always a ladies' man. I sometimes wonder what it must had been like for my dear mother." Nick said laughing. "Now, you have something important you needed to talk to me about?"
"Yes, sorry." Judy said suddenly remembering what she rushed to ask him. "Sir, may I have a leave of absence?"
"Why?" Nick asked, his face once full of laughter, now showing concern. "Are you not happy here at the present time?"
"No, nothing like that sir. You see, my aunt is dying, Mr. Wilde." Judy spoke, handing Nick the letter from her aunt. "She has asked for me to see her." Judy replied back.
"The same aunt that rejected you and forced you to live your childhood at Clawood?" Nick asked.
"Yes, sir, but should I deny her the chance to make amends before she departs this world?" Judy replied back. "Is it right to do that to someone?"
Nick, remaining quite for a few moments, reread the letter over two more times. "You will be traveling a long way, Miss Hopps. Bunnyborrow is at least a two days travel." Nick raised his eyes toward Judy. "Very well, you may go." Nick said getting to his feet "But, you must promise me one thing. You are not to stay any longer than what is required at your aunts." Reaching into his coat. Nick withdrew a money wallet from an inside pocket. "…I am giving you a month's salary to assist you on your trip."
Hearing this, Judy's face grew with joy as she began to beam back at Nick. "Thank you, sir, very much. I promise, I will return as soon as I am able. A maid from my aunt is staying at the village inn and will be leaving in the morning, I can travel to Bunnyborrow with her."
"Let me know and I will have Leodore take you down to the village whenever you are ready, Miss Hopps." Nick said as he approached her from around his desk. "I wish you a safe journey." Nick spoke softly, extending a red paw.
Judy, raising her own paw, felt a slight warm chill flow through her as her and Nick's paws clasped together. As both stood there in Nick's office, they continued to look at one another, wordlessly, holding the other's paw, unwilling to let go of the other.
"I must go." Judy said, suddenly returning to herself as she released Nick's paw. Exiting the room in rather a hurry, Judy began to rush down the hall toward her room.
"Nicholas, what on earth is going on?" Veronica said watching Judy rushing out of the office door, followed by Nick as she stood inside the library doorway. "Did you sack the little creature for her blatant rudeness? It is the only proper thing to do. Never would I, nor mother, allow a servant like that to just barge in while their employer was entertaining, demanding something from them." Veronica said, smiling at Nick.
"I think you and I have major differences when it comes to blatant rudeness, my dear Veronica." Nick said not looking at her but in the direction of Judy's form disappearing. "Forgive me, but I need to take care of a few things." Closing the door to his office, Nick, leaving Veronica still standing in the doorway of the library, began to make his way along the hallway, quietly.
"Nicholas, what about luncheon? We were to spend the afternoon…" Veronica called out toward Nick.
"I am sorry Veronica but I cannot, I have been outmaneuvered." Nick replied, not looking back at her.