The man stared at her with interest, his eyes enchanting. It took Sarah a moment before she realized that they were two different colors. Just when she had thought to say something, her stepmother stepped into the room holding the baby. "I am so sorry about that, Mr. Jones. My stepdaughter can be quite dramatic." Elizabeth glanced sideways at her.
Sarah could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as Samson charged into the room, stationing himself between her and the stranger. He growled softly, hackles rising. Elizabeth turned once more to glare at her. "Really, Sarah, I've had enough of that creature! Get him out of here, now!" Her eyes flashed angrily as she turned around.
Taking hold of the dog's collar, Sarah began to drag him towards the stairs. All the while she could hear her stepmother's voice following her. "I think that thing should have been put down a long time ago. She has no control over it, none whatsoever." As if he could understand the words, Samson let out a pitiful whine. "Don't worry, boy, she'll never get dad to agree with her." She reassured her faithful companion.
Upon reaching her room, she pushed the unhappy pup inside. Samson tried to push back out, but she stopped him. "Stay here." She commanded him. With a flop of his ears, the dog trotted over to her bed and crawled up, turning around a few times before laying down. "Good boy." Sarah smiled at him before shutting the door firmly.
"Sarah!" Came Elizabeth's nasty voice from downstairs. Taking a deep breath, Sarah descended as quickly as she could. Once she had come down, she followed the sound of voices to the kitchen. Dad had come back upstairs and stood by Elizabeth, who turned as she walked in.
Holding out Michael to her, Elizabeth quickly moved across the kitchen. "He needs a changing and I can't afford to ruin my clothes. You'll have to do it while I change into something else." Sarah gathered the baby in her arms as her stepmother passed by and climbed the stairs. Instantly her father was beside her taking the baby from her. "I'll change him, you deserve some rest." He shushed her before she could protest. "I want to do it."
With that he was up the stairs leaving her alone with the strange man. Thinking of nothing to say, she simply smiled at him and began clearing up her leftover tea. As she rinsed out the pot, she could feel his eyes following her every movement. Her heart was beating almost as much as when she thought she had seen a figure in the window.
"Sarah...your name is Sarah, isn't it?" A hypnotic voice asked startling her. Sarah turned to face the man, nodding slowly. "I'm sure you must be wondering where I came from." Sarah nodded again. "I got caught out in the storm and your parents were kind enough to bring me here. They told me I could stay until it has passed."
"That was kind of them." She said softly, eyes still riveted on his face. "You aren't from around here, are you?" She asked, before hurriedly explaining. "It's just that I have never heard anyone around here with an accent like yours." He grinned at her, his eyes slightly creasing at the edges.
She suddenly felt very shy and embarrassed so she turned back to the sink. The man continued to watch her and inched towards her when Elizabeth sailed back into the room. "Well, she isn't boring you, is she, Mr. Jones? My poor stepdaughter has absolutely no idea how to behave around important people." She dropped her voice an octave before continuing. "She spends most of her time buried away in dusty old books. We'll be lucky if she ever makes anything of herself."
Sarah slowly washed her hands, listening as her stepmother enumerated her many failures. Quickly she dried her hands and plastered on a smile before facing Elizabeth. "Is there anything else you need?" She asked sweetly. Elizabeth dismissed her with a wave of her hand, continuing her complaints. Bidding them both goodnight, she fled the kitchen with her stepmother's voice trailing her.