The night was quiet. Viola was sitting on her bed, staring into space. She could not sleep. There were too many things on her mind.
She looked around her room. It was a simple bedroom with an en-suite. There were only a single bed with a table lamp beside it, a wooden desk with a chair and a wardrobe. The only thing that lifted up her mood was the standard size window at the end of her room that provided beautiful view to the back garden of the house. Not that there was anything much to see during this cold season though.
She lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. What should I do from now? Should I look for a job in Bellfield? Do I just sit quietly and do nothing at home besides acting as a good wife? No, that would make me look like an ungrateful freeloader. I should at least do something.
A sharp knock on the door startled her.
"Are you asleep?"
Viola knew the owner of the voice. She got off from her bed to open the door.
Leon was standing in front of her door.
"You are home." Viola said softly when their eyes met.
"Can I speak with you?" Leon asked.
"Aren't you going to sleep?" Viola retorted.
Leon scratched his eyebrow, unsure how to reply. "I'll come back tomorrow then."
"No, wait! Just... say what you want."
"Are you angry?"
Viola stared blankly at Leon. What is he talking about?
"Leon, I don't know what..."
"Is that why you choose to sleep here?" Leon sounded upset.
Viola now understood the situation. It seemed that Mrs. Ellis had communicated her request to Leon.
Leon was staring at her, waiting for an answer. Viola's body turned stiff.
"No, you see... I thought it will be better for both of us if we can... minimize our interaction." Viola tried to explain without looking at Leon's eyes. "Err... less interaction, less problem...? I won't go into your room, I won't touch your things... I won't..." Viola was so nervous she could not stop babbling.
"You are right." Leon cut her sentence.
"Eh?"
"That would be all. Good night." Leon closed her door. His footsteps faded as he walked away.
What was that all about? Was he angry? Viola thought after calming herself down.
Her energy had all been drained by her 2-minute conversation with Leon. She went back to her bed and fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
A week passed without incident. Viola had not seen Leon after that night.
"Madam, you and young master had not seen each other for a week, A WEEK! Is he really that busy that he cannot even come home for a dinner?" Nadia grumbled while serving tea to Viola in the living room.
Leon had been staying at his office for the past week. He told Nadia he was busy every time she called to his office. Viola saw Tom a couple of times when he came to do errands for his master. He would then receive some scolding from Nadia while apologetically explained the situation to her.
"Mrs. Ellis..."
"Please call me Nadia, Madam." Nadia insisted.
Viola smiled tenderly at the senior maid who was standing beside her. "Thank you, Nadia. But please don't be angry at Leon because of me." Viola looked down to the tea cup in her hand, her lonely face reflected on the surface. "Leon and his father saved my family and they even support our new life here. I don't know if we will ever pay them back enough. The least I can do for him is not to trouble him in any way."
Nadia wanted to hug the delicate girl in front of her. "Oh, Madam..."
"Thank you for worrying about me." Viola held Nadia's hand. "I'm okay."
Viola finished her tea and got up.
"Are you going out again, Madam?" Nadia inquired.
"Umm... yes."
For the past week, Viola too, had been going out to look for job. Nevertheless, it had been a disaster – not because she was incompetent professionally but her terrible sense of direction coupled with the unfamiliar environment of Bellfield City had left her wasting more time in finding her way around rather than using the time to look for a job.
"I have been walking a lot these last few days my legs are all sore." Viola mumbled as she massaged her legs on the side road while waiting for the traffic lights to change color. As the pedestrian light turned green, Viola began to cross the street. She was walking in the middle ofthe road when all of a sudden, a car came towards her, blinding her eyes with its headlights.