Chapter 8 – Passion and Flames
In the following months, since Nick's return, Judy could not help but feel an unknowing sensation grow within her from her employer and his unusual quirks. While the two of them were rarely seen alone together during the winter months, other than celebrating holiday festivities, Judy would find herself lost in her mind whenever they did cross each other's paths. But soon, luck would be on her side as warmer spring days seemed to arrive early. This allowed her to find other means to be away from him.
Wishing to find a reason to get outside in the fresh air, Judy chose a warm day to break from lessons. Sophie, who had grown slightly during the winter, was just as happy about this as Judy was. With most of her winter coat starting to thin out now, Sophie wanted nothing more than to be free of the manor's long, dreary walls. The pair, laughing at one another, started a friendly game of badminton next to the house vegetable garden with the help of one of the footmen. Judy, who was relatively good at the game, had mentioned it to Sophie a few weeks earlier and discussed the rules of the game. To her amazement, the young vixen quickly grasped the game's skill.
Judy seemed to feel alive again as sunlight soaked into her fur. Breathing hard, she suddenly lunged with her racket to strike the small shuttlecock back over the net. The cone-shaped ball, flying over her, landed on the ground a few feet from her. Laughing, she looked over her shoulder as she eye where it had landed and went to pick it up, "10-14, Sophie." When she bent down to pick up the shuttlecock, Judy's ears rose suddenly to a familiar male voice just a short way from where the two females were.
The doe, raising her paw to help shield her eyes from the sun, stood up and gazed at the low-cut lawn ahead of her. What she saw next seemed to take Judy a few seconds to comprehend. Noticing the manor's head gardener at once, an elderly brown beaver called Henry Patterson appeared to be wrestling with a chain around a massive aged tree stump on its side. The stump itself, exposed halfway out of the ground, had several thick roots busting out from it. From her distance, Judy listened as Henry seemed to be talking to two other individuals hidden behind the stump. A second male, a younger-looking mole, suddenly walked from behind the roots before climbing on a motorized tractor. "That must be Kreston, Henry's new apprentice I heard of." Judy thought to herself as the sound of the tractor's engine roared to life, noticing both males in their light brown coveralls, covered in dirt.
"Hold on, Kreston." another familiar voice called out before. Nick's head and shoulders suddenly appeared from behind the aged stump, to Judy's amazement. "Henry, wrap the chain between these two here," Nick called over to the old gardener, directing him. "Then pass your end over to me." Henry, wiping his forehead with the back of his paw, walked over to where Nick was. Sophie, having wandered over to where Judy was only moments before, the pair seemed captivated by what was happening. The red fox, wearing his own brown coveralls, sleeves rolled to his elbow, noticed the two females watching their progress from their location.
"Ready to go here, sir," Henry spoke, passing Nick the end of the long chain. Nick took it in paw, moving over to the tractor's rear hitch and attaching it.
With the motor of the tractor revving, the small tracked vehicle crawled slowly at first before coming to a stop. Taking a few steps along the chain, Nick, gripping it with his paw, called out, "Take it slow and easy now, Kreston." The young mole, shifting gears, inched the tractor on slightly more. "A little more power now!" Nick shouted over the noise of the engine. The sudden sound of cracking wood echoed around Nick and Henry before, with a massive jolt, the ground around them lifted as the remaining section of the embedded stump broke free. Reaching for an ax laid out on the ground, Nick began chopping at the base of a massive root. "Stop!" He shouted to Kreston as he swung the blade multiple times. Breaking the stump free, he dropped the ax by his side and wiped his brow with his free paw. "Alright, Kreston, you're clear. Drag it over to the workshop. Hamish said he could use it in his woodshop." Smiling, Nick patted Henry on the shoulders as the two stood by the now hole where the stump had been. He turned and looked once more at the two females. Raising a paw at them, he gave them a simple wink as he seemed to grin more back at Judy.
Judy, turning around, felt the sides of her face burn as the rate of her breaths increased. Taking a few steps back toward the game net, she ran a paw down her neck, stopping at her chest.
"Your cheeks are rosy, Ms. Hopps." Sophie, laughing softly, spoke as she watched Judy for a few seconds.
"Are they?" Judy raised her paw to her face, unsure what had come over her. "I... It's getting a little too cold out here. We could head back inside and finish our lesson for the day. She walked over to a set of wooden chairs they had used earlier while the footman set up the net for their game. She placed her racket on one of them and turned to Sophie as she walked over and set her racket down. Interlocking her arm with the young vixen, the pair silently walked back up to the manor.
Sitting in her bedroom late that evening, Judy did not feel the same as she did earlier. Her mind seemed to want to return to when Nick had winked at her frequently as she shifted in her chair next to her room's small burning fire. After ensuring that Sophie was settled in for the night, she suddenly realized she had left a book she had immersed herself in downstairs in the visitor's parlor. Judy let out a short sigh, thinking about having to walk back downstairs. But knowing how she longed to finish the chapter she had left on, she rolled her eyes before exiting the room.
The visitor's parlor, located immediately to the right of the foyer from the main door, Judy had found an ideal place for reading in private or gathering one's thoughts during the winter months. Judy enjoyed the room's simple old meadowland features, used mainly for tea service or the occasional visitor conducting business. Two elegant medium-sized mammal chairs and a matching sofa made up the room's main furniture. For tea service, a small circular table sat in the middle of the room.
With a single candle holder in her left paw, Judy passed through the parlor throughway and over to a narrow pedestal table, where she had left her book earlier. She returned to the staircase and noticed a few oil lamps burning low along the passage leading to the manor's back area. Due to the lateness of the hour, she was surprised to see the lights still burning in that area of the house. Raising her ears, the sound of what seemed to be a violin began to play softly in the distance. Unsure of what to do, Judy stood there, somewhat captivated by the music and the person playing it. Not knowing why, Judy yearned to find out the identity of the musician playing. With her book clutched tight in her arm, the grey doe moved carefully along the low-lit passage. She continued to listen as the soft vibrating tones of the violin seemed to guide her along the unknown path. While there were still a few areas within the manor she had yet to venture into, Judy was more than adequate with the main rooms she occupied with Sophie or herself.
Only then did the musical notes stop as the doe turned her head around, gazing back along the passage. An uneasiness seemed to fall over her as her small nose twitched nervously. No lamps appeared to be burning where Judy now found herself as she extended an arm, holding the candle up as she struggled to see around her. "Where am I?" She thought to herself as the soft notes from the violin started again. She took a deep breath and felt her legs tremble in hesitation as she stepped forward. It was only then a narrow door emerged through the darkness. Judy, leaning an ear against the cold wooden door, closed her eyes and, to her surprise, thought as if she could almost feel the soft vibrations of the rhythm of the vibrating strings. With a firm grasp of the door handle, she found the door opened with her touch, causing the music being played from within to grow in volume. Taking a few steps inside, Judy, utterly breathless at that moment, her eyes struggled to adjust to the unknown room's captivated features. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the room's high ceiling. What seemed to be golden inlays mixed with white and powder blue surfaces appeared to reflect the glowing light from what little the room was providing.
"Ms. Hopps, is that you?" Nicolas, to his own shock, noticed Judy slowly enter as he lowered the violin bow to his side. His predator's eyes were more adapted to seeing in the low light as they fixed on the now-shocked bunny before him.
Her attention was suddenly drawn to one side of the large room. Judy, not expecting to find her employer, as the cause of the music being played, standing by a small fire set in a marble fireplace. Showing shock and amazement at discovering him there, she remained silent and cautious. Dressed in dark trousers, Nick wore a long-sleeved white shirt with a black burgundy-patterned vest. Judy noticed the loosely held violin and bow in his paws. "I... I'm sorry, Mr. Wilde, I heard music, and I..." She stopped before saying something foolish, "Forgive me, I'll leave you to..." Judy started to back away nervously.
"Nonsense, Ms. Hopps, please," Nick interrupted as he gestured her closer, setting his violin and bow on a small bench beside him. Set off along the side of the room where he stood, two large grand windows draped in white silk curtains sat between the white marble fireplace. Nicolas noticed as Judy seemed to take in more of the room's splendor as she cautiously approached closer toward him. Her eyes glimpsed the room's two elegant brass chandeliers before turning to marvel at the white Italian flooring. Nick held his paw out and motioned Judy to one of two upholstered chairs placed close to him. He immediately sat on the other before crossing his leg, his tail hanging off the seat. Judy, hesitant as she reached her chair, watched him sit quietly, the firelight reflecting off his red fur.
"What you see around you, Ms. Hopps is my late father's work," Nick said as he watched the grey doe. "He was known in the district and other places as a great admirer of dancing. He was always seeking out a known party at times in his life. So he had this..." Nick waved a paw around. "ballroom built to accommodate local dances and grand balls when he felt the need to celebrate." He eyed Judy as she chose to remain standing next to her chair before motioning to her. "Ms. Hopps." The tod cleared his throat. "If you are enjoying your position here, I must insist you at least try and obey my wishes when I address them to members of staff, such as yourself." He again motioned for her to sit down in the chair. With a look of humiliation at this comment, Judy raised her brow before taking her seat. She immediately turned her body, not wishing to look at him directly.
The pair sat silently momentarily, almost as if reliving their first official meeting at the manor. Nick finally broke the silence, "I never asked you more about yourself during the winter months. You always seemed to hurry out of the room for some reason when we often found ourselves alone." He began to scratch at a small spot on the arm of his chair with one of his claws. "So, tell me, what is your sad story? I must know?"
"What?" Judy looked over at Nick, somewhat shocked at the question. "What do you mean by sad story?" Her ears remained flat behind her.
"Am I not wrong?" Nick replied as he studied her further in the low burning light. "Don't all governesses, like yourself, have some kind of sad back story about their life?" The tod brushed his paw along his leg as he shifted his body in the chair. "I recall my late sister's governesses, Ms. Prairie was her name, told us both hers one day during one of our lessons." For a moment, Nick closed his eyes as he reminisced on his late sister from what seemed ages ago. "If I were to believe every story she had told us when I was a kit, she would have us thinking she had been raised in some village of wild tribe mammals deep in the middle of nowhere."
"I was raised by my uncle, Mr. Wilde, if you must know. The family is called Footerton." Judy turned to look at him. "When he died years later, my aunt took over my upbringing and education." She then took a long, steady breath before continuing. "When I was ten, she sent me to live at Ravenswood. I was then able to receive a proper education any young female would be happy to acquire." Judy paused, "So no, Mr. Wilde, I do not have some sad story to tell." Judy finished, but not all too convincing.
"So you said you had been raised by an uncle. What about your parents?" Nick asked.
"Dead, Mr. Wilde," Judy answered directly. "Due to a deadly virus that had plagued the area where they were living at the time. I was the only one to survive my litter due to complications my mother faced during her pregnancy and a late-stage fever. I was two years old when my mother sent me to visit her eldest brother, my uncle. He had been informed to keep me there when word of the virus broke." She struggled to hold back her emotions, thinking of her parents again.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Truly, I am." Nick turned to look at the embers burning in the fire. "So why choose this kind of career? Why not continue to live with your aunt?"
"The truth was, she never really loved me. To her, I was a threat to her own children. So when she could, she found a way to get rid of me for good and sent me to live at Ravenswood full time." Thinking back on this, Judy swore under her breath as a few choice words of her aunt came to mind.
"And how long were you at Ravenswood?" Nick resumed his stare once again at Judy.
Judy, taking a moment, thought back on this question. It was only a few seconds when she answered, "Fourteen years. If my numbers are correct, Mr. Wilde. I spent five years there as a student. Then, I accepted a position as an apprentice with the teaching staff for three years. Once I had completed the apprenticeship, I remained for six more years as a teacher."
"Well, I must say," Nick now smirked at her. "After everything you have told me, you expect me to sit here and believe you do not have some kind of sad story?" He laughed at this question, not breaking eye contact with her.
Unsettled by this, Judy crossed her arms angrily in front of her. Thinking momentarily of simply rising and walking out of the room, Judy looked back into Nick's eyes. Her eyes seemed to trace over his features for no apparent reason before becoming lost again in the emerald green eyes across from her.
"You are examining me, Ms. Hopps," Nick spoke after a minute of silence. "Do you find me handsome?"
"No," Judy responded rather suddenly, not thinking how she may have sounded as she said it. Nick simply laughed at this. "What I meant to say was..." Judy struggled to correct any rudeness she may have given him when interrupted.
"No, don't try to change your answer, Ms. Hopps. It was an honest one." Nick got up from his chair and moved to the fire. "So what kind of faults do you find in me, by your quick observation?" He looked over his shoulder at Judy. "Does the simple fact that I'm a fox revolt you?"
Not sure how to answer this, Judy simply said, "No, sir, I was only..."
Nick turned on his hind paws. "Perhaps my looks are not charming enough, or maybe it's my claws." He flexed his ears upright. "Or my tail." Nick's white-tipped tail tapped on the floor before moving to the other side of him.
"If you would stop your senseless yapping and let me answer," Judy barked out, unashamed. Nick simply raised an eyebrow and stood silently, taken aback by this. Judy took that moment to take a short, deep breath. She did not wish to give herself away at the sudden wondrous thought of the tips of her paws brushing through the tail across from her. "I would like to say that they are all charming in their own way, Mr. Wilde. But I find them of no real importance to me regarding looks or beauty. I'm a simple bunny, and you are my employer."
"Is it?" Nick replied. "The fact is, Ms. Hopps, I'm asking you such questions as to gauge you, so to speak." He walked back over to the chair but remained standing next to it. "I find it, I don't know, somewhat refreshing to talk so naturally to you when I'm around you. Mammal to mammal. Could the two of us not be able to enjoy one another's company and discuss some topics openly? Of course, we can, so let's discuss something of the world right now, Ms. Hopps."
Her ears raised slightly; Judy found these words to be nonsense. "So, you wish me to talk to you openly as if equals, yet command me to engage you in such as if you were an officer ordering one of his troops around."
"As the master of my own house, is it not my right to address my employees as I see fit?" Nick asked, placing his paws behind his back.
"It is, but it is also my opinion, Mr. Wilde, with minimal experience in the matter, I think far too few employers have any real burning need to talk openly with their employees. Let alone brave enough to do so. Perhaps Mrs. Otterton, maybe." With a smug look, Judy continued, "Where would one draw the line to what one might say to another that could be harmful or out of line?"
"You are a rare breed, Ms. Hopps," Amazed even more now by her sharp wit and character, Nick simply smiled at her before reaching for the violin on the bench. "Now, it would be best to leave it for the night. Do you not agree?"
Judy, thankful to be able to leave finally, stood up from her chair with a simple nod. "Yes, perhaps we should. Goodnight, Mr. Wide." She turned at once and returned to the open door she had entered. Nick began to play once more as music filled the room. Judy quickly glanced at the tod out the corner of her eye as she closed the door. Not knowing why, she lowered her head and smiled as she turned and walked away.
Over the next few weeks, Judy was surprised to find herself more restrained in speaking as she and Nick intrigued each other in casual conversations about life and politics. Careful not to show any added affection toward him while around other staff members, in private, she found herself growing eager to be in his company more often.
"Could you tell me anything about Sophie's mother, Mr. Wilde?" Judy asked one late afternoon as the pair walked along the outside grounds while Sophie herself was ahead of them. "I've never asked Sophie due to not wishing to cause her added sadness."
Nick, his eyes watching the young vixen as she approached the small fishing lake attached to the property, thought for a moment about answering the question. The pair stopped and watched Sophie skip a stone along the water's surface. "It was during my young adult years I was called upon to take over the running of the manor that I met her. Her mother was from the capital city, Zootopia; Elizabeth was her name. But her friends at the time called her Sky." Nick closed his eyes for a moment, picturing her in his mind. "Due to my father's failing health, I was forced to attend almost weekly meetings there in his place. While in the city, I ventured to this theater performance one night. Seeing her on the stage that night, I was struck by her beauty. I don't even recall the show's name if you would believe it." He let out a short laugh.
"So you were engaged to her," Judy spoke, her eyes still trained on Sophie.
"No, but she was a grand passion of mine." Nick took a deep breath as he rubbed the backside of his neck. This forced Judy's full attention on him. "A few months later, I found she had simply vanished during one of my return trips. I searched for her desperately, spending a sizeable amount of money." Motioning to Judy to follow him to a large oak tree near the lake's edge, the pair sat on a metal bench under its branches. "When I was finally successful in locating her years later, I rushed to where she had been found, only to discover her destitute and dying." He thought back on this painful memory, sadness spreading over his face. "Only then did she tell me of Sophie, lying there on her death bed, begging me to forgive her."
Choosing to remain silent, Judy watched him raise both paws and cover his face before sliding them down as he bent over a little. Her ears raised in suspense as she looked over to where Sophie was.
"Have you ever been in love, Ms. Hopps?" Nick asked her.
"No, sir," Judy replied honestly.
"I thought as much. How lucky you are that you have never truly felt real love. Your heart sleeps, Ms. Hopps, so soundly." He placed his paws and rested them on his legs. "But I will tell you, there will come a day in your life when it will wake, and you will be completely helpless to stop it." Nick stood up suddenly. He turned and made his way back up to the house with a slight nod. Judy, remaining seated, watched in silence as he departed, his tail dragging along the grass behind him.
Later that night, the form of the now familiar mysterious figure seemed to emerge once again along the second-floor female corridor. The figure moving silently, its face covered in old torn material, began to whisper mumbled words as its breathing came in rapid rhythms. Judy, asleep in her bed, found herself suddenly aroused by what could only be described as eerie claws being dragged along the hallway wall, outside her room. She raised a single ear above her, listening as the sound slowly stopped near her bedroom door. Her nose bouncing in fear, she clung to the bed's comforter covering her. Unsure of the reason or cause of the clawing sound, Judy quickly scanned her room, thinking if the sound was within.
"Hello?" She spoke in a calm voice. Almost at once, the handle to her door shook with force as if someone were trying to force it open. "Who's there? Sophie, is that you?" Judy called to the door. The shaking stopped at once. Judy listened as faint breathing, followed by a burst of horrid laughter, echoed into silence.
The grey doe remained where she was for a few minutes, unsure of what had happened. It was only then, withdrawing herself from the safety of the comforter, that she slipped out of bed. Dressed in a simple white nightdress, she cautiously crossed to her locked bedroom door. Pressing an ear to the door, she listened for a moment before determining everything appeared silent on the other side. With a steady turn of the key in the lock, followed by a soft click, Judy carefully opened the door, peering out along the long, dark hallway.
Minutes later, alert as she stepped gingerly along the cold second-floor hallways, Judy held tightly to her candle holder. Due to her lack of night vision, she relied heavily on her sense of hearing as she approached a second corridor. Another low cackle to her left echoed faintly before Judy soon realized that she had somehow ventured into the male wing of the house close to the library. This hallway, generally closed to all females between the hours of nine until sunrise, was one area of the manor she rarely ventured. Hearing the low cackle again, Judy noticed something out of place as she noticed a strange object a short way ahead: a burning candle sitting on the floor in its holder.
Approaching it cautiously, unsure what to make of it, she bent down and picked it up. She immediately gave a quick turn as she rose back to full height, thinking about who and why it would have been left there. Inhaling a little, she blew the candle out and continued along the passage, only to have her nose suddenly catch a strong scent of smoke a short way away. A white trail of smoke, emerging from a door ajar nearby, propelled the grey doe into action as she made a dash for it and pushed the door open. As she rushed into the room, what met her eyes sent a heavy chill down her spine. Finding herself standing in a magnificent bedroom, she noticed Nick, still asleep, lying in a lion-sized four-poster bed as fire danced around and above him, the drapes hanging along the top of the poster frame on fire.
"Mr. Wilde! Mr. Wilde, wake up, please!" Judy struggled to shout as she inhaled thick smoke into her lungs. Coughing, she rushed to a nearby washstand and quickly reached for a half-filled water pitcher beside a bowl. She immediately threw the pitcher's contents on Nick's face. "Mr. Wilde, you need to wake up!"
Shock and anger bursting from the now waterlogged tod, Nick noticed the flames hovering over him, wiping the water from his eyes as he shouted, "What the hell is going on?" he struggled to get free of the bed covers and out of bed. Dressed in a long nightshirt, he stumbled a little before pulling the burning drapes off the bed and onto the floor, trying to smother the flames. While he was doing this, Judy, thinking quickly, rushed to the bedroom window and opened it, allowing fresh air to flood into the room.
"Are you alright, sir?" Judy turned around by the open window. "Someone tried to set fire to your bed while you were asleep."
"I can see that, Ms. Hopps," Nick replied sarcastically, coughing up some water. "So you thought you might as well also try and drown me in the process?" After ensuring all the flames were out, he got off the floor.
"I noticed the candle over there," Judy pointed to the now broken candle on the floor beside its holder. "It was on the floor a few feet from your bedroom door. I had heard someone cackling outside my room a short time ago. They tried to get in…" Judy fell silent, thinking about the unknown mammal's clawing sounds along the wall. "I'll go and wake Mrs. Otterton and have her..."
"You will do no such thing!" Nick called to her before pausing. "What could she possibly do at this moment?" Nick spoke frantically, clearly trying to develop some form of explanation. "Sit down, Ms. Hopps, over here. You're shaking like mad." Nick reached for her arm and led her to an ornate chair in the corner of the room.
"I don't think I should, Mr. Wilde," Judy replied, not wishing to remain in the room.
"So you save my life and now refuse my kindness, Ms. Hopps; for the love of God, just do as you are ordered and sit down in the chair," Nick spoke in his familiar stern voice. Judy, without arguing, simply took a seat, folding her knees up to her body as she huddled along the back of it. "Now stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." Reaching for a small blanket off the floor, he placed it over her shoulders before leaving the room hastily.
Almost ten minutes later, Nick returned to find Judy still wrapped up in the chair he had left her in. He turned his attention to the burnt drapes and blackened bed frame. "Why do you allow her to remain in the house?" Judy spoke softly, not looking at him but at the open window. "This Anna, is she another one of your passions?" She turned her head to him.
"Anna?" He repeated in a weak voice before correcting himself. "Yes, Anna. She has been a long and faithful family servant for many years."
"She could have killed you tonight." Judy turned her head to look at him, fear in her voice.
"But she didn't, Ms. Hopps. You prevented that from happening." Nick knelt down on one knee beside the chair. Gently, he reached out and enclosed her paws, his eyes level with her.
"I must return to my room!" Judy interrupted as she practically leaped out of the chair and ran out of the room, dropping the blanket. Nick, still beside the chair, in utter shock, did nothing. Once back in the safety of her bedroom, Judy crawled into bed, crying as she curled up next to her pillow. Not knowing what her mind was doing to her, she felt deep inside her emotions flooded over her.