by Coralee June
Sometimes I wondered if Josiah felt anything for me outside of familial obligation and brotherly friendship, but every day before walking out the steel door of the Stonewall dwelling, he looked back at me with longing eyes, and I knew this affection, this want, wasn’t one-sided.
Chapter Two
Over the next few days, I spent every waking moment scrubbing the Stonewell Manor from top to bottom. The list of chores Mistress Stonewell required of me was never-ending, but a good distraction. I used the Black Family’s arrival as an excuse to stay up late and avoid the basement as much as possible. Josiah set up a beautiful nightlight that filled the basement ceiling with a star constellation that was breathtaking. The sweet gesture had me swooning and smiling throughout the day.
A few days passed of cleaning and preparing for the expansive meals Mistress Stonewell required. Josiah spent most of that time avoiding me. I could tell something serious was bothering him, and I desperately wanted to be the person he revealed his troubles to. This visit was causing him immense amounts of stress, and it bothered me that it made him go out of his way to avoid me. What could the Black Family be doing to have Josiah all out of sorts?
I spent the morning of their arrival baking goods and adequately preparing the guest rooms with clean sheets and putting homemade mints and flowers on the pillows. I wondered briefly what deal could possibly be made between the two families, but I was mostly too busy to ponder it.
About an hour before they were scheduled to arrive, Mistress Stonewell cornered me in the kitchen with a fierce expression.
“We need to do something about your appearance. I can’t have the Black Family thinking that I let my Walkers go around looking like that.” She then gestured to my dress and sighed dramatically, causing a self-conscious blush to overcome my cheeks.
Once I finished what I was doing in the kitchen, she quickly ushered me to her upstairs, lavish bedroom with a king-sized, four-poster bed topped by a thick, red comforter. She sifted through the many racks of long dresses in her walk-in closet until she found a modest, forest-green, floor-length, 3/4 sleeve dress. I felt the thick, velvet material and sighed. It was rare that I was allowed to wear such beautiful clothes, but the fabric would be too delicate to keep clean as well as too hot for my daily walks to the market.
“Go shower and scrub the dirt from under your nails. And for the love of God, try to brush your hair.” We both knew that trying to tame my wild curls was useless, but I nodded at her orders, nevertheless.
I made my way to the bathroom and shut the door. Usually, I was allowed two timed, showers—always cold—a week, but given that this was an unusual circumstance, I took this opportunity to truly enjoy the scalding water that beat against my back comfortably. I scrubbed the dirt and oil from my face and hair until the water ran clear down the drain. Then, I towel-dried my body and hair and attempted to make my appearance pleasing to Mistress Stonewell.
She usually was disinterested in what I looked like, but given the circumstances, I didn’t want to disappoint. I put oil in my hair to smooth the unruly, coarse, golden-brown curls and applied some bee’s wax to my plump lips to help them shine. I shimmied into the form-fitting dress and repositioned my breasts so that they no longer spilled out of the low-cut top. The green color made my lightly-freckled skin take on a golden hue, and the overall effect made me smile. Not being one to obsess over my looks, it was nice to have a brief moment of vanity to appreciate my appearance. I even quietly stole Mistress Stonewell’s eyelash curler and used it to make the thick lashes around my hazel eyes form my lids nicely. Then, using my nails, I plucked a few stray hairs from my thick brows.
As I finished, I glanced down at my watch to see an alert from Mistress Stonewell flash across the screen:
Hurry up, they’re almost here.
I sighed and stole one last look before slipping my feet into flat, black shoes, and headed downstairs. While making my way to the entryway, I passed by Josiah’s room and briefly wondered what he would think of my dress. Feeling brave, I casually stole a glance through the crack of his open door and found him hunched over his desk, wholly absorbed in his work. He was massaging his temples, with a scowl on his brow when he looked up.
I felt the caress of his gaze as he openly observed every inch of my body. He bit the eraser end of his pencil, and a slight groan escaped his peach-colored lips. His reaction made my heart race, but my feet remained firmly planted outside his door, despite my body’s desire to be close to him.
With a strained voice, I broke the silence. “Your guests are almost here.”
He stood up from his work desk and then adjusted and tightened the blue, striped tie that lay loosely around his neck
“I’ll accompany you downstairs,” he replied with a hoarse, gruff voice.
He then walked towards me. Once close enough, he placed tender fingertips at the base of my hips and guided me out of the hallway, down the steep steps towards the common room. The tension between us was thick and suffocating, and I deepened my breathing to stop myself from doing something foolish, like kissing him.
Once at the base of the stairwell, Josiah briefly glanced around, checking to see if we were alone, then leaned in to whisper against my neck, “You look stunning.” His words tickled my exposed skin, and I imagined what it would feel like if his lips touched where his words were. Before either of us could lose ourselves in the moment, he briskly walked away.
A loud buzzing erupted, alerting me to the arrival of our guests, and I shook off the remaining feelings of lust left behind by Josiah. The effects of Josiah’s compliment still hit me like fireworks, making it hard to focus. Rolling my neck, I lifted my chin and prepared myself to meet the ever-important Black family.
The buzzing hissed again throughout the house, and Mistress Stonewell ordered from the common room, “Open the door, you idiot!”
After twisting the knob, I was surprised to find a teenage girl that appeared to be around sixteen, scowling at me. She wore a thin, white dress, which showed off all her developing curves, and bright-red lipstick. She had dark-black, straight hair and beautiful, deep-brown eyes. She was gorgeous.
“Good morning, Ma’am,” I said politely.
“Oh good! A Walker,” the young girl said in a distracted manner while fanning herself. “Quickly, gather our suitcases before someone steals them. I’m not sure where my brother disappeared to.” She huffed in discomfort and smoothed her dress. “I’m sorry, do you not speak English? Are you going to let me inside?”
I fumbled in embarrassment, stepped to the side, and bowed as she entered the Stonewell Manor.
“Please have a seat,” I said while motioning her towards the white couch in the Stonewell’s large common area. Mistress Stonewell introduced herself politely, while the young teen made herself comfortable. The room was decorated in all white, giving off a sort of clinical feel. Mistress Black practically blended in with her white dress. I quickly placed a tray of baked cookies on the table in front of her, and after making sure that she didn't need anything, made my way outside to gather her belongings. Josiah still hadn’t made his grand entrance.
I went outside to the busy street where transports hovered by, blaring loud music and honking at a parked transport in front of our manor. I looked inside and found many pieces of brown luggage and began huffing and hauling each heavy piece out and towards the building. It felt like a lot of luggage for a mere four-day stay.
“STOP THIS INSTANT!” a booming voice commanded from down the street. I turned around to see what the cause of the commotion was and dropped the clunky luggage. A tall, tan man with wild, curly, black hair, brown eyes, and a rugged beard waved his arms at me in a frantic and aggressive motion. He wore black jeans and steel-toed boots with a partially-unbuttoned, navy-blue sweater, revealing some of his delicious chest. He was attractive in a terrifying sort of way.
“What do you think you’re doing? Stealing is punishable by death where I come from.” He had a clipped accent an
d a sharp gaze that made my fingers tremble.
“I . . . I’m so sorry . . . Mistress Black asked me to collect her luggage. I . . . I assumed that this was it. Oh, pl-please don’t report me to the Archés,” I begged with a stuttering voice. I then dropped to my knees and bowed in fear. Walkers had no rights. If I were accused and convicted of stealing, not only would I lose my position in the Stonewell home, but also go to jail. The gruff man sighed and ran his hands through his curly hair with more force than necessary.
“Fuck. My apologies, babe. I’m not used to your province’s use of Walkers. My sister is more educated in your ways. I thought you were trying to steal from us,” he explained with a sneer.
“N-no. It was my mistake. I should have announced my presence and my intentions. Please forgive me for my transgressions.”
He looked me over curiously, then without saying a word bent over to help me carry the sizable and cumbersome luggage.
“Oh, please allow me to get that for you,” I pleaded. “Master Stonewell is waiting for you inside.” Allowing Master Black to bring in his suitcases would be reason enough for Mistress Stonewell not to give me my rations for the day, not to mention I’d be forced to recite the laws regarding proper etiquette when housing a visiting diplomat.
“A pretty, little thing like you isn’t big enough to haul these up the steps,” he said lightly while ignoring my pleading expression. He gathered up the two heaviest suitcases and began walking up the steps towards the front door. “Master Black, if you don’t allow me to bring in these suitcases I’ll be punished,” I whispered, praying that he would not be angered or offended at me correcting him.
Master Black turned slowly and once again peered at me with what I could only assume was a curious expression. Just before he could say anything, Mistress Stonewell appeared in the doorway.
“Please forgive our Walker, Master Black,” she cooed. “She can be somewhat absent-minded. Although we've provided her with the best training money can buy, she still seems to forget her place in our household,” she said with a sneer. I cringed while she threw metaphorical daggers at me with a deadly expression. Her thin lips forced themselves to smile, but I could sense that I would be punished later for this.
“Ah, of course. Your Walker insisted on carrying my luggage, but I was being stubborn,” Master Black answered with a charming grin. “Forgive me for stepping on any toes.” He then dropped the luggage where he stood and walked up the drive where they both disappeared inside, leaving me to gather the rest of their belongings.
It took me a while to get their heavy luggage up the two flights of stairs and inside the guest rooms. Mistress Stonewell paged me twice on my watch, and by the third signal, I had finished hauling all of their luggage. I sprinted to the sitting room where everyone but Master Black and Josiah were scowling at me.
“Good heavens, Walker, our guests are parched. Hurry up and get them some tea,” Linda ordered. I looked over at the full tray of tea and crackers I had purposefully placed on the nearby bar earlier and fought the urge to roll my eyes. She could have efficiently served our parched guests, but she was too prideful to lift a finger. Nevertheless, I nodded yes and made quick work of serving their drinks.
I poured Miss Black’s tea first, but she refused to acknowledge my existence. She lacked any warmth and politeness. It wasn’t uncommon for various prejudices to exist against Walkers, but her overall dismissal seemed to speak volumes about her character.
When I went to pour Master Black’s tea, he nonchalantly reached into his belt and pulled out a long knife with a shiny, golden handle encrusted with jewels. The sudden appearance of a weapon made me gasp, and I almost dropped the tea tray. Weapons are outlawed in Galla, and it was rare to see one up close. I trembled in fear and wondered what made him reveal it while I was standing so close.
“I bring my late Uncle’s blade as a gesture of peace. In the Dormas province, it is customary to place all weapons on the table when sharing a drink with a potential ally,” He explained while dropping the knife on the coffee table with a loud clank. He then grinned at me, obviously amused by my discomfort. I wanted to scowl at him but bit back the urge.
When it was time to serve Josiah’s drink (green tea with two cubes of sugar and a chocolate chip cookie on the side), his fingers grazed mine when I handed him the cup. I blushed at his quiet show of affection, but when I turned around to make my way over to my designated Walker chair in the corner where I was to wait in case I was needed, I noticed Master Black staring curiously at us. Did he see our brief interaction? I scolded myself. We needed to be extra careful.
“How were your travels, Miss Black?” Josiah asked her politely before sipping his tea.
“It was enjoyable, thank you. We greatly appreciate you lending us your transport. It was much faster and more luxurious than the train,” Miss Black answered in a voice that sounded sickly sweet to my ears. “Oh and, Josiah, please call me Jules. We’re to be engaged, after all.”
We’re to be engaged, after all…
My stomach dropped at this revelation, and my heart pounded. It felt like the entire room was swallowing me whole, and Josiah’s eyes darted to mine in shame. I forced the teardrops that demanded to fall down my cheeks to remain behind my stony eyes. I knew that arranged marriages between provinces were somewhat common, but how could he be engaged to such a young woman? And why didn’t he at least warn me?
I quickly surmised that this all-important deal between the Black and Stonewall families involved this arranged marriage, and it was also the reason why Josiah was so distant over the past few days. Anger filled me to the brim. Was there so little between us that I wasn’t at least owed a warning? How could he let me walk blindly into this situation?
“Jules, you know your engagement to Josiah isn’t final yet. We have a few other decisions to make before arrangements will be made. Plus, you have at least two years before you turn eighteen and the wedding will happen,” Master Black scolded her with a thick tone. I noticed him once again staring at me curiously, and I prayed that my reaction to this news wasn’t overly noticeable.
“I feel honored by the privilege of calling you by your first name, Jules,” Josiah muttered, and I immediately hated how her name sounded on his tongue.
Mistress Stonewell revealed a wide grin then looked back at me with a sickening sense of satisfaction. A part of me wondered if she had coordinated this union or if Josiah did. It seemed like the perfect way to provide permanent distance between Josiah and me. Although legally, Josiah was the master of this house, Linda wielded her powers of manipulation like a skilled swordsman. She wouldn’t dare have me removed, as Josiah would merely forbid it; but she would, however, make my life as miserable as possible as long as I stayed.
“Walker, you are dismissed and free to start preparations for dinner. I will page your watch if you are needed,” she said with a smile.
I nodded and shuffled towards the basement. Unlike before, I welcomed the dark, damp, room where even Josiah’s starlight nightlight couldn’t brighten my mood.
Chapter Three
I allowed myself ten minutes of grief and tears before pinching my thigh and willing myself to overcome the emotional turmoil. It was a tactic of avoidance I learned long ago. I knew that eventually Josiah would be expected to marry and fulfill his duties as Master of the home and Governor of Galla. Although I wanted to have faith in our secure connection, ultimately, he was a high-ranking member of society and I was merely a Walker.
I reminded myself that I was lucky. Jules may have Josiah's future, but I would always have the memories of our childhood together, which was something not even Linda Stonewell could steal from me. Although I wanted nothing more than to weep for a love and future I would never have, I refused to lay in bed and feel sorry for myself.
I gave myself a pep talk and told myself that it was time for me to accept this arrangement and embrace my position in Josiah’s world. Despite wanting to crawl into a hole and cry my eyes o
ut, I kept strong. I just couldn’t let a childhood love jeopardize my safety. I wouldn’t last one hour in the Walker Zones. A broken heart was nothing compared to what I would face if I went there.
After a few hours passed, I went upstairs to prepare dinner. I ignored the childish giggles that overflowed from the living room as I pulled the roast from the oven and set the dining room table. Mistress Black reveled in being the center of Josiah’s attention. She laughed at every word he said, and when I snuck a quick peek in the standard room at them, I noticed her perfectly-manicured hand bravely laying on his shoulder while they spoke.
I fought back the waves of jealousy that tore me apart and allowed the image of them together to burn into my brain. I needed to see Josiah’s new relationship and betrayal. I prayed that, eventually, the pain would make it easier to let go.
When it was time to eat, they filtered elegantly into the dining room, and I poured each of them a glass of wine in silence while ignoring their chatter to the best of my ability. When it was time to serve everyone's food, I didn’t spare Josiah a glance when I accidentally plopped his serving down forcefully on his plate. Droplets of grease splattered on his suit, but he didn’t flinch or even acknowledge my faux pas. I almost felt disappointed that he didn’t react to my less-than-stellar table service. I badly wanted to be on the receiving end of his stare but hated that his blue gaze would never be mine.
I continued to make my way around the table politely, and with much effort, resisted the urge to dump an entire plate on top of Jules’ head. After serving everyone, I put the tray down at the center of their chestnut, eight-guest table and bowed to indicate that I finished. Linda waved her hand casually to suggest that she no longer needed me. I passed Master Black on my way out the door, but just as I moved passed him he grabbed my wrist and pulled me close, forcing me to bend over so that our faces were level.