章 27: Chapter 27
As soon as the tower's door closed, Stefan and Francesca looked at each other and smiled wide.
"That's it! We did it!" Stefan said to her.
"Yes. But…" Francesca began to say something, but Stefan made her nod to stop because they were still outside the door, and someone may have set her ear to hear what they were saying.
"Let's go home to rest and eat something," he told her and hugged her by the shoulders, making their way back.
After they had walked away from the door, Francesca continued her thought. "But are you sure you want us to work there?
If for any reason we decide to leave. Will we be able to find somewhere else, or will we be branded, and no one will want to take us to work?"
She seemed worried and meant everything she said. Stefan noticed it and laughed softly.
"If he wasn't a doctor, I might have had concerns too. But now I have none. For remaining in our town that means the people here have accepted him and respect him."
Francesca thought about it for a while.
"Yes, I probably worry for nothing. I have heard of someone Dr. Mason and they said nice things about him."
"You see? Everything will be fine." He told her and kissed her on the cheek.
"And what will we do about the house we rent? Tomorrow we will have to go with all our belongings to the tower and we have already paid the rent for a month. Does that mean we will lose our money? "
Stefan thought for a moment rubbing his perfectly shaved cheek.
"When we return home, I will go and explain the new facts to the landlady. I hope she will show understanding and returns the money to us."
"Okay. Hopefully she will show understanding." Francesca agreed.
When they got home, Francesca set fire to cook, and Stefan went to find the landlady who had rented the house.
He explained the new situation to her, but the woman didn't show the understanding that the couple hoped for.
"It's your choice that you decide to leave home. I am not kicking you out, so, I don't find a reason to return your money," she severely told Stefan.
Stefan kept his temper and cited that they were poor people; poor people must support each other. She should have been happy that he and his wife had managed to find a job and returned the money to them.
"But you already slept one night at the house and you will sleep tonight as well, right?" she asked him.
"Yes, that's right," Stefan admitted. He had understood that he would not get along with the woman. He decided not to fight it anymore and returned to Francesca.
Without saying anything to her, he turned around to leave.
"Wait!" the woman said, grabbing him by the shoulder. "How about I give you back half of the money?"
Stefan looked at her. "It would be perfect. Thank you." He accepted her offer and smiled.
The woman pleaded with him before Stefan left her house before he and his wife fled to hide the house's key under the pot with the red geranium.
Stephen returned home in good spirits and told Francesca what had happened.
He gave her the money to keep it safe, packed their belongings for tomorrow morning, and sat down to eat.
When it came time to go to bed, they were so tired that they immediately fell asleep hugging each other.
The next day they woke up before dawn. They ate breakfast, packed their last things, and left the house, hiding the key under the flowerpot. They would always have a sweet memory for that small beautiful house that had become the witness of their love.
***
After a prolonged walking, they finally stood outside the tower's door and knocked on the door.
They waited for a while, like the last time, until they heard footsteps approaching. When the door opened, they saw the same maid as yesterday.
"Ah, you come?! Dr. Mason informed me he hired you."
"Good morning," Francesca said and smiled at her.
"We will see. Let me show you your dormitory. I personally prepared it for you, for the first and last time of course. From now on, the responsibility for its cleanliness will be yours."
She was moving forward, and the couple was following her.
"But yes, of course," Francesca assured her.
The couple looked ecstatically around the rooms of the tower. They measured two living rooms with heavy velvet curtains and dark shades of the furniture and two living rooms with more vivid colors and silky ethereal curtains.
Priceless paintings were hanging, and the furniture seemed to be very expensive.
"It's my duty to inform you about some things about living in the tower. All members of staff of servants live out of the tower. Except for me, who I am the housekeeper of the tower. There are some stone-built houses at the back of the tower. When the doctor came here to live, they were just ruins. Dr. Mason rebuilt them, and the staff now uses them. As you understand, since you are married, you will have a small house at your disposal, only for you two.
"Oh! Thank you very much!" said Stefan, enthusiastic.
"Don't thank me but Dr. Mason. I carry out his orders," she told him dryly, and Stefan didn't open his mouth to speak again.
They entered the tower's kitchen at some point, and from there, the housekeeper opened a wooden door and went out into the yard.
What Stefan and Francesca saw was a small paradise to them.
The stone-built houses were built in order next to each other. There were trees everywhere, various kinds of home-bred animals, and a big well.
There was silence.
"Everyone is still asleep. In a little while they will all wake up to set to work. I woke up early to wait for you to come." The woman uttered.
She led them to one of the stone houses, they stood out of the door, and she gave them the key.
"Welcome," the woman told them without revealing any emotion on her face.
Stefan took the key and unlocked the door.
They came in, looking around - a bed, a table with two chairs, a fireplace, and a large window bringing out into the open where the forest stretched as far as the eye could reach.
"It is wonderful!" Francesca said excitedly and sat down on the bed.
"Don't sit," the housekeeper said sternly, "You, Stefan, go to the stables. Damien will tell you what to do and you Francesca will come with me to the tower. We start work! You didn't come here for vacation, did you?"
"No, of course not, Mrs. uh…what is your name?"
«Oh, yes right. I am not Mrs. I am Miss Emma. And get up of bed for heaven's sake!" she raised her voice.
"Yes, Miss Emma, I am sorry, let's go." Francesca said and got up abruptly.
Stefan kissed Francesca on the cheek and headed for the spot that Miss Emma had pointed out to him, where the stables were.
Francesca and the housekeeper left the house together.
As they approached the tower, Francesca raised her eyes to the imposing building that stood haughtily, and up there, behind one of the windows, she saw someone looking towards her.
It was not difficult for Francesca to discern that behind the pushed-out curtain was Dr. Mason.
-- 贈り物
が届きました 
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット