Page 29 of The Beast of Ashwood Manor

“Thank you.” Clearing my throat, I asked, “Do you want to eat breakfast with me in the morning?”

Gil’s mouth opened, hesitating. Then he said, “I don’t eat in the dining room.”

“Then maybe we could eat in here?”

“No.”

My shoulders fell, but I masked my disappointment with a smile. “Okay.”

He stared at me long and hard before he licked his lips and turned away. “Good night, Cale.”

After Gil left the room, I stood there in silence, too stunned to move for a while, mostly because I couldn’t believe he’d actually talked to me. In a daze, I made my way to the table and looked over the plain rocks there. Sitting down, I got out my paint set and brush and painted one of them green.

I thought of Gil’s smile, how his lips had tugged up to one side of his mouth as if he’d genuinely appreciated me asking him to build a new chicken coop.

He really is handsome, despite how dark and gloomy he appears. There’s something gentle about him that I can’t put my finger on.

When I looked up and noticed something at my window, I jumped. But it was only Dyna, and I let out a breath. Getting up, I walked over to the window and opened it.

The cat jumped inside right away, much to my surprise.

“Hello, Dyna.” Crouching down, I put my hand out.

She sniffed it cautiously then rubbed her head against me.

I petted her sleek fur all the way to the tail. “I’m about to get ready for bed,” I told her, “so I’m afraid I don’t have any food for you.” Looking over at the end table, I spotted the bowl of water I hadn’t used for my hands. Taking it, I set it on the floor for her, and she drank from it thirstily.

Smiling, I let her be while I cleaned up my paint, then I got into the bed. That’s when the sting of Gil’s rejection hit me. He was kind, but also cold. It was clear he didn’t trust anyone, and regardless of what he had told me about not taking it personally, I couldn’t help but to.

“Breakfast, that’s all I asked of him.” I sighed and laid on my back. Dyna looked at me from her bowl. “I suppose it’s pointless. I won’t get anywhere with him.”

A meow pulled me from my thoughts. I looked down to see Dyna on the bed inching towards me.

“Are you going to keep me company?” I scratched behind her ears until she purred. “I’m glad. I feel alone here sometimes. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”

My eyes closed, and then I ceased scratching her and fell asleep.

IwatchedasCalebuilt the chicken coop. He’d placed a red scarf around his head like a headband to keep his hair from falling in his face, and his shirt was gone, too, no doubt because of the unusually warm November day.

Several times, Natalie had come out offering him a drink, and he’d taken it. I knew he preferred men. He’d told me as much. But did he like women as well?

I ground my teeth, jealousy swelling inside me. Natalie always took up with Eugenia, but their relationship was a strange one, as Natalie sometimes went to Edgar’s bed, too, and Eugenia didn’t seem to mind. Natalie had tried to court me very early on, but when I rejected her, she hated me from then on. She didn’t continue to try like Cale did.

But now she was going around Cale often.

‘You are staring again,’came Dyna’s voice.

“I don’t like Natalie talking to him.” I glanced back at the paper I was writing on. I’d only managed a few words all morning.

‘So you are jealous.’

“Yes, I am. I won’t deny it. But jealousy won’t win someone’s heart. It never does.” I scribbled half a sentence of a poem out.

‘At least you know that now. And, speaking of Cale, he let me in his room last night.’

“He did?” I looked at her as she jumped up on the window sill.

‘He is very kind. He gave me a bowl of water and scratched me until he fell asleep.’

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