"Get out of the way, girl!" the horse's neigh, combined with the boy's scream, brought Louisa back to the real world. "Are you going to stare at me with that dumb face?" The knight's voice rumbled in the girl's ears, who just lowered her head and took a step to the side.
"Sorry, sir." She said quietly, however, he was already far away. The carriage following him passed her shortly afterwards.
Louisa loved to walk around the lands of Iontach Estate. The farm was close to the sea and it was one of the things she liked best. Whenever she could, she would take a few minutes to enjoy the property. Today, unfortunately, was a very busy day, and she could only walk out to the road and sit on the grass to get some sunlight. That is, until she heard those horses noises.
When Louisa, at the height of her 12 years of age, looked up, she had the most important vision of her life: a handsome young man was galloping towards her, mounted on a black Azalon. He was smiling and a dimple could be seen on his left cheek. Louisa had risen to greet anyone coming along the road, but she was so enchanted by the handsome young man that she did not realize that she had walked halfway. At least until he changed his expression and yelled at her in an ungentlemanly way.
Louisa softly kicked a small pebble in her path, before starting to walk towards the big house. Her mother was the cook and her father was the stableman, there. She had been born in that place, and so it was as if Iontach Estate was her own.
During the first part of her childhood, Louisa just played and roamed around the farm, carelessly. She vaguely remembered the bosses' son, Benjamin, before he went to prep school at age nine. He was four years older than her. All she remembered was that he was very kind and had even helped Louisa sew up her doll's arm once.
As soon as she turned eight, Louisa started helping with some small chores around the house, like fetching soap for the laundresses or carrying some wood for the fireplace in the great room. Now, at age twelve, she folded the sheets, made the beds, and swept the floors.
She was already reaching the house's back door, when Eva, her mother, opened it and let out a sigh that was a mix of relief and irritation.
"Louisa, how many times have I told you not to stray too far during the day? I was like crazy looking for you. The bosses' son has arrived and we have to queue up to receive him! Go wash those hands and face!"
"Yes, mama." Louisa replied, smiling. She was looking forward to seeing Benjamin again. Would he still recognize her? He was now sixteen and attending Eton College. However, this was the first time he had returned to the farm, since he had gone to prep school outside Sussex.
After cleaning up, she ran into the main room and stood beside her mother. Her father was at the other end, with the servants who worked outside the big house. Louisa couldn't forget the boy from a few minutes ago. Was he a friend of Benjamin's? Yes, because this one should have been inside the carriage that was right behind the one containing the 'pretty and arrogant boy'.
"Welcome back, my son!" Judith greeted him, walking down the stairs with open arms to welcome her son, who came in right after his father, Harry Dankworth.
Louisa looked at what was behind her boss, and as soon as she laid eyes on the boy, she couldn't believe it.
"You?" She almost screamed, without meaning to. Everyone fell silent and looked at her.
"What are you doing?" Eva asked, from the corner of her mouth. Benjamin raised his eyebrows and gave Louisa a condescending look.
"Oh, sorry. I got confused." That's what Louisa ended up saying. "Welcome, sir." She bowed and Benjamin gave her a weak smile.
Judith continued walking until she reached her son and gave him a tender hug. Harry was close behind, proud of the son he had. Now that Louisa could see more clearly, she could see his almond-shaped eyes, which blended in complete harmony with his brown hair. Despite these traits he had inherited from his mother, he was very much like his father. Almost a younger copy.
Eva nudged Louisa to stop staring and follow her to the kitchen. Louisa was still red in the face with embarrassment, and Eva was walking fast. No other servants commented on Louisa's slip, which was comforting to the girl. Everyone adored her.
"For God's sake, girl!" Eva said, stopping and turning suddenly to face Louisa, with her hands on her own hips.
"Sorry, mom. It's just that I saw him on the road a few minutes ago and he was mean to me." Louisa told her mother what happened before.
"Well, nevermind." Eva then let out a sigh and said softly, so that only her daughter could hear. "Try to be more careful, okay? Benjamin used to be a very kind boy, but we don't know what he's like now. We depend on our employers for shelter and food, and it wouldn't be very convenient for you and him to become enemies. He will be the future owner of this farm, Louisa, and our boss."
"I know, mother. I promise that I'll be good." Louisa said, but added mentally, 'IF he does the same'.
Benjamin was finally able to go to his room, without his mother or father being glued to him. He placed his hat on the small sofa just outside the bedroom door and laid down on the bed, heaving a sigh of relief. Seven years away from the farm and it felt like he was in another world. His last years were inside a school, with concrete walls, and finally, he could spend two months in Iontach Estate before returning to Eton.
He remembered the girl who had stood in front of the horse, like an idiot, looking at him. She was very pretty, even though she was younger than he was and couldn't have been more than thirteen! He was already sixteen and clearly was interested in women with more developed bodies. 'In about four or five years she'll be perfect,' his mind thought, but he shook his head to get such thoughts out of there. In five years he would be having fun with women, before looking for a good marriage with a young woman of good family and an excellent dowry. A farm girl was no woman for him. It wasn't just the fact that she wouldn't add anything to the family fortune, it was also that he had respect for these country girls - even if other boys his age didn't share such ideas - and would never play with one of them.
He sat up in bed, removed his jacket, and laid back down. He needed sleep. Traveling on horseback was really exhausting. But first, he had to take a bath, he reminded himself. Dragging his own body out of the bed, he opened the bedroom door and walked out, heading towards the kitchen. He would ask someone to heat up water and fill the tub for him. When he entered the room, he saw the same girl as before, this time she was cutting vegetables. The light coming through the window illuminated her blond hair, making her look like an angel.
"I need a bath." He announced, clearing his throat to get her attention. The girl lifted her head and looked at him. Benjamin could see her disgusted expression, but it was quickly replaced by a neutral one.
"Of course, sir." He nodded and left, swallowing the urge to make a comment about the girl's fake smile. He went to his bedroom and waited.