They also invested in a few racehorses, but by the way my dad slumped over his desk going over the expenses, I knew things were tighter than normal.
Because we can’t afford it! My father’s words echoed in my head, weighing heavily on my chest.
I was stuck in a loop. I wasn’t allowed to go to school to gain skills to get a proper job, to get money. But because I had no money, I couldn’t go against the wishes of my family.
There was movement down our long driveway, a black car pulling my focus, my lids squinting to see who might be coming. It was far too early for my mother to be returning. She usually stayed at a luncheon until dinner, coming home drunk, claiming a headache, and going straight to bed. The guys took the horses and were in the back of our property. Who would be stopping by? Our estate was more than two hours from the capital city and well off the main road. It wasn’t a convenient “I’ll pop over and say hi” kind of place.
I wasn’t in the mood to play gracious host, offering tea and biscuits, which is what people would expect of me. A polite trained dog.
Exhaling with annoyance, I tossed my book onto the bench seat, standing up and straightening my tank, jean shorts, and light cardigan. My hair was down and loose, and I was pretty sure I hadn’t run a brush through it today.
“Nara?” I yelled. She was our only housemaid now who was full time and had been with us since I was five. She was a spunky older woman with gray-blonde curly, short hair and a slim figure. Always moving, she had no problem giving her opinion on things. My mother complained about her, but for some reason would not get rid of her, for which I was glad. I think Mother secretly liked her blunt persona. It was nice for once to know what someone was really thinking or feeling.
Nara’s job was endless in this place; she’d start on one side and get to the other and have to start all over again. Most of the time, she kept the main area clean and greeted guests if no one was here. Her husband, John, was our cook, and he was the one thing my mother and Fredrick both agreed on. She would not cook or even step foot into the kitchen. Baronesses did not do that, I guess. Nara and John lived in a cottage on the property.
Fredrick and Lauren had at least three maids, two cooks, four gardeners, and a steward. Seriously, I think he believed it was still the early 1900s.
“Nara?” I called again, wandering into the foyer, peering up the mahogany staircase, wanting to run upstairs and hide.
“What are you screeching about?” Nara came to the top of the landing, peering down at me.
“Someone’s coming.” I motioned toward the front door.
“Yeah? So? What do you want me to do about it?” She placed her hands on her hips.
“Can you handle them?” I motioned to the door again.
“Oh sure, why don’t I stop what I am doing, cleaning up after you and scrubbing your mess, so the princess doesn’t have to break a sweat and answer the door.”
“Not a princess,” I grumbled.
“You’re sure acting like it.”
Yeah, fair enough. I was acting like an entitled brat. As brash as Nara could come off, I knew she had a weak spot when it came to me. She had watched me grow up and knew that being the eldest, things would land on me that would never be asked of my sister. She was the kind who grumbled and rolled her eyes while sneaking me a cookie my mother denied me because of my “teenage baby fat” that she considered an issue.
“But… you know I don’t like people.” I was the person who’d rather be with animals than people; it was why I had only two friends and was related to one of them. He had no choice. “Please?” I could hear the crunch of the wheels coming to a stop at the front of our house. Through the side window at the door, I could see a black SUV, the windows completely blacked out except the front windshield. The driver’s face was slightly hidden by the sun’s reflection off the glass. Had to be one of my father’s acquaintances, though he looked young.
After my mother learned Theo and I were no longer together, I noticed over