Chapter Five
Anna sat up in bed. It was the middle of the night, and she had a splitting headache. She rolled out of her four poster bed and pulled on her blue velvet dressing gown. She slipped on a pair of slippers and opened her window. She climbed outside and down the side, jumping when she was six feet off the ground.
She hurried to the stables and quickly found her large white stallion Flash. There was no one about and for that, she was thankful. She saddled up Flash and jumped on. She began going out when she realized she hadn't the foggiest notion of where she was going.
She knew that she wanted to thank Christian but didn't know where he resided. She rode to the church and jumped off Flash and made her way inside. It was as silent as a tomb, it was supposed to be, she thought. Her thoughts were still a tad bit affected by the drink but she would be okay.
She walked down a corridor and saw light coming from underneath a door. She walked to it and opened it. A young man sat in a chair reading and was startled by her presence.
"My lady? Is there something I can help you with?" he asked jumping to his feet.
"Ah, yes actually. I was wondering if you could direct me to the vicar's house. It is of up most importance that I see him." She said innocently, her eyes wide.
"He lives in 534 Oaklawn street my lady. The corner house." He replied.
"Thank you, I would appreciate it if you would keep this to yourself." She said and handed him a few gold coins.
He smiled and nodded gratefully. She turned and hurried outside and climbed back on to her stallion and rode off. The streets were also quiet, and she could feel raindrops his her nose.
By the time pulled to a halt in front of his mansion, it was raining hard. She pulled flash to the back of his property, and into the stables. She ran back to the front of the house and pounded on the door. A candle flashed in the window and the door opened. A old lady in her robe stood there. She recognized the duchess and quickly stepped aside and allowed her to come inside.
"My lady, its pouring outside! What are you doing out in that kind of weather?" she asked.
"I had to see Chris...the vicar..." Anna answered.
"I'm here Mrs. Potter. Could you fetch the lady some coffee and a blanket then you can go back to bed." Christian said standing at the base of the stairs. When Mrs. Potter bustled away, he went over to Anna and pulled her into the sitting room.
He knelt down by the fireplace and lit a fire. Anna was shivering and he sat beside her. He pulled her to him and rubbed her arms. "What were you doing, out riding around in the rain?" he asked.
"I had to come and thank you." She began but stopped when Mrs. Potter came into the room, carrying a tray of coffee and tea.
Mrs. Potter set the tray on a side table and wrapped the blanket around Anna. She handed her another one and left them, the door clicking shut behind her.
"Thank me for what?" he asked.
"For telling my grandmother that I was ill. Granted she was hovering over me for the whole day, but still. It was very kind of you." Anna answered and took the cup of coffee he offered.
He watched her sip at it and leaned his tall frame against the mantle. He was dressed in only a pair of britches, and a white shirt, that wasn't buttoned all the way. He was barefoot also. He had very manly, big feet, she thought.
He saw her looking at him and shook his head. "So you came all the way over here just to see me. I feel respected." He jested.
Her eyes narrowed on him. "Don't be a pompus ass." She said.
"You called me a pompus ass...the vicar...a pompus ass?" he said incredulously.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were the new vicar?" she asked, her head cocked to the side.
"Well to be honest, it rather slipped my mind. And I don't get to see people for who they really are when I tell them that I am a vicar. It is like they are afraid of having any fun around me." He replied.
"Well, you are a man of God. And most people feel threatened because you are closer to him, than we mere mortals." She said, sipping at the hot coffee.
"You are going to catch yourself a real cold if you stay in those clothes, wait here." He said and left her in the room.
He came back a few minutes later with a shirt, and pair of britches. "Sorry I cant offer you a gown, but anything is better than what you're in right now." He said and tossed her the clothes. "I'll wait outside."
She waited until the door was shut and began peeling off the wet layers of clothes. She pulled on the shirt and bitches. They were too big on her, so she tore off a piece of her nightgown and made a makeshift belt. She pulled the blanket back around her and curled up in a chair beside the fire.
Christian came back into the room a few minutes later and sat down on the ground in front of the fire. "Edward told me that you lost your parents when you were younger. What happened?" he asked looking up at her.
"Well, they were murdered, along with my little brother. They were on their way to visit me in Paris, at my boarding school." She replied staring into the flames. They crackled and popped and she felt calm, and safe all of a sudden.
She looked back to him, waiting for him to say something but he didn't. "What about your parents? I recall you saying something about your father but that is it."
"My parents are still alive. I haven't seen them for many years. They shipped me off to Oxford when I was 9. From there I went into war, and then to Seminary school and here I am. Last time I saw them was about two years ago." He replied.
She nodded into the fire. "Any brothers or sisters?" she asked.
"Two brothers."
"Why did you want to become a vicar?" she said, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.
"I knew that was coming. I suppose I became one because after the war, after seeing a lot of my friends dying, something just touched me." He answered.
"Oh," she said blandly.
"Why do you and your grandmother fight so much?"
"Well," she began, pulling her legs up under her. "I suppose that she doesn't see me as a lady. And so she tries to hard to make me one, and it gets so frustrating." She said standing and beginning to pace. "She just doesn't understand! She is so worried about me spoiling her precious reputation." She added.
He stood up and stood in front of her. "What is the real reason that you are here?"
"I already told you. I came to thank you." She said, hoping that he would believe it. She knew the real reason, but wasn't going to let him know.
He looked at her, eyebrow raised. She opened her mouth to retort, but instead, she threw her arm about his neck and brought his lips to hers.
She jerked away and ran out of the room and out of the house. She ran to the stables and flew onto Flash and rushed away. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she was laughing.
When she put Flash in his cubicle she ran to tree outside of her window and climbed it. She jumped from the tree onto her balcony and went into her room. She undressed and slid into another nightgown. She climbed into bed and curled up under the cover and fell asleep.
Anna sat up in bed. It was the middle of the night, and she had a splitting headache. She rolled out of her four poster bed and pulled on her blue velvet dressing gown. She slipped on a pair of slippers and opened her window. She climbed outside and down the side, jumping when she was six feet off the ground.
She hurried to the stables and quickly found her large white stallion Flash. There was no one about and for that, she was thankful. She saddled up Flash and jumped on. She began going out when she realized she hadn't the foggiest notion of where she was going.
She knew that she wanted to thank Christian but didn't know where he resided. She rode to the church and jumped off Flash and made her way inside. It was as silent as a tomb, it was supposed to be, she thought. Her thoughts were still a tad bit affected by the drink but she would be okay.
She walked down a corridor and saw light coming from underneath a door. She walked to it and opened it. A young man sat in a chair reading and was startled by her presence.
"My lady? Is there something I can help you with?" he asked jumping to his feet.
"Ah, yes actually. I was wondering if you could direct me to the vicar's house. It is of up most importance that I see him." She said innocently, her eyes wide.
"He lives in 534 Oaklawn street my lady. The corner house." He replied.
"Thank you, I would appreciate it if you would keep this to yourself." She said and handed him a few gold coins.
He smiled and nodded gratefully. She turned and hurried outside and climbed back on to her stallion and rode off. The streets were also quiet, and she could feel raindrops his her nose.
By the time pulled to a halt in front of his mansion, it was raining hard. She pulled flash to the back of his property, and into the stables. She ran back to the front of the house and pounded on the door. A candle flashed in the window and the door opened. A old lady in her robe stood there. She recognized the duchess and quickly stepped aside and allowed her to come inside.
"My lady, its pouring outside! What are you doing out in that kind of weather?" she asked.
"I had to see Chris...the vicar..." Anna answered.
"I'm here Mrs. Potter. Could you fetch the lady some coffee and a blanket then you can go back to bed." Christian said standing at the base of the stairs. When Mrs. Potter bustled away, he went over to Anna and pulled her into the sitting room.
He knelt down by the fireplace and lit a fire. Anna was shivering and he sat beside her. He pulled her to him and rubbed her arms. "What were you doing, out riding around in the rain?" he asked.
"I had to come and thank you." She began but stopped when Mrs. Potter came into the room, carrying a tray of coffee and tea.
Mrs. Potter set the tray on a side table and wrapped the blanket around Anna. She handed her another one and left them, the door clicking shut behind her.
"Thank me for what?" he asked.
"For telling my grandmother that I was ill. Granted she was hovering over me for the whole day, but still. It was very kind of you." Anna answered and took the cup of coffee he offered.
He watched her sip at it and leaned his tall frame against the mantle. He was dressed in only a pair of britches, and a white shirt, that wasn't buttoned all the way. He was barefoot also. He had very manly, big feet, she thought.
He saw her looking at him and shook his head. "So you came all the way over here just to see me. I feel respected." He jested.
Her eyes narrowed on him. "Don't be a pompus ass." She said.
"You called me a pompus ass...the vicar...a pompus ass?" he said incredulously.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were the new vicar?" she asked, her head cocked to the side.
"Well to be honest, it rather slipped my mind. And I don't get to see people for who they really are when I tell them that I am a vicar. It is like they are afraid of having any fun around me." He replied.
"Well, you are a man of God. And most people feel threatened because you are closer to him, than we mere mortals." She said, sipping at the hot coffee.
"You are going to catch yourself a real cold if you stay in those clothes, wait here." He said and left her in the room.
He came back a few minutes later with a shirt, and pair of britches. "Sorry I cant offer you a gown, but anything is better than what you're in right now." He said and tossed her the clothes. "I'll wait outside."
She waited until the door was shut and began peeling off the wet layers of clothes. She pulled on the shirt and bitches. They were too big on her, so she tore off a piece of her nightgown and made a makeshift belt. She pulled the blanket back around her and curled up in a chair beside the fire.
Christian came back into the room a few minutes later and sat down on the ground in front of the fire. "Edward told me that you lost your parents when you were younger. What happened?" he asked looking up at her.
"Well, they were murdered, along with my little brother. They were on their way to visit me in Paris, at my boarding school." She replied staring into the flames. They crackled and popped and she felt calm, and safe all of a sudden.
She looked back to him, waiting for him to say something but he didn't. "What about your parents? I recall you saying something about your father but that is it."
"My parents are still alive. I haven't seen them for many years. They shipped me off to Oxford when I was 9. From there I went into war, and then to Seminary school and here I am. Last time I saw them was about two years ago." He replied.
She nodded into the fire. "Any brothers or sisters?" she asked.
"Two brothers."
"Why did you want to become a vicar?" she said, not wanting to beat around the bush any longer.
"I knew that was coming. I suppose I became one because after the war, after seeing a lot of my friends dying, something just touched me." He answered.
"Oh," she said blandly.
"Why do you and your grandmother fight so much?"
"Well," she began, pulling her legs up under her. "I suppose that she doesn't see me as a lady. And so she tries to hard to make me one, and it gets so frustrating." She said standing and beginning to pace. "She just doesn't understand! She is so worried about me spoiling her precious reputation." She added.
He stood up and stood in front of her. "What is the real reason that you are here?"
"I already told you. I came to thank you." She said, hoping that he would believe it. She knew the real reason, but wasn't going to let him know.
He looked at her, eyebrow raised. She opened her mouth to retort, but instead, she threw her arm about his neck and brought his lips to hers.
She jerked away and ran out of the room and out of the house. She ran to the stables and flew onto Flash and rushed away. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she was laughing.
When she put Flash in his cubicle she ran to tree outside of her window and climbed it. She jumped from the tree onto her balcony and went into her room. She undressed and slid into another nightgown. She climbed into bed and curled up under the cover and fell asleep.
