THE CROW & THE BUTTERFLY

2. Running

Everything happened so quickly, that Mary in all the shock didn't even realize, that they were standing outside of a house. Nobody ever in her life dragged her like that. She was taken aback, scared and shocked. The moment he stopped outside his house, obviously, Mary jumped off the horse, but her heavy dress didn't help a lot and she landed on the mud. Thankfully she supported herself from hands. For god's sake, she thought, this must be the worst day of my life and it keeps getting worse. Her dress was ruined, she was desperate. She wished for no one a marriage like this one. Slowly she stood up and looked up at him. "Don't ever grab me like that again!" She said to him dead serious.

His eyes remained vacant and his face stern. James jumped from the horse and went toward a house. "Go inside," he said in flat voice and opened the door, gesturing her to move. He opened the door and she looked in the darkness of the house, like someone opened the door of hell to let her take a look. She swallowed hard and naturally took a step back out of fear. That place looked haunted,as welcomed as his owner. No, she shook her head without a word. I'm not going in there, Satan. She looked at him and a shaking breath came out of her shaking lips. She started to run. She grabbed the layers of her dress and ran so fast, that at some point her shoes fall but she continued barefoot. Passing the gates of the house,she ran inside the woods spreading across his house. Anywhere but here,she kept saying inside her as she kept running without looking back. A loud whistle was probably the first thing, that she heard in between her heavy quick breaths. The next thing was barking. Approaching and furious, not one, not two or three, whole pack of hounds. It didn't last more than few seconds and she stopped, surrounded by them. Growling, showing fangs, she moved and they seemed to attack immediately. It felt like eternity and James' voice echoed behind her. "You either come home alone or I'll make you."

Her breath was caught on her throat unable to move in case some of them attacked her. But the worst of them was standing behind them. Slowly, she turned to see him and looked down. She wasn't proud of course for reacting like a small child, but she couldn't care less about his opinion that moment. "Take them away and I'll come with you," she replied coldly.

He whistled sharply and dogs calmed. Slowly they moved by his side and he gestured her to move back toward house. Dragging her steps she lead the walk back to the manor house. Slowly as she walked, with the corner of her eyes, she noticed that the dogs were free on the garden. Her mind was spinning so fast, trying to find a gate away from every small detail of the house. Slowly she walked the steps of the main door and walked inside. Cold, like him, she realised looking around. Dimming light from the candlelight nothing more. The shutters closed,the walls dark and empty. She swallowed hard, when she heard the door closing behind her.

"What on Earth just happened? James?" Sudden woman's voice came from hallway and the moment Mary's eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed woman approaching.

"How did it look like?" He spoked behind Mary, passing her by.

"Aren't you hurt?" Woman came to Mary, looking at her carefully.

"Is her room ready?" James asked.

"Yes, b..."

"Good, show her in," he said before woman finished her sentence and vanished in one of rooms.

Mary didn't say anything, just looked at him disgusted as he walked by, then turned to the woman. "At least it's a room." She wasn't being sarcastic that moment. Simply she wasn't sure, what to expect from him.

"I am Lorna. You must be Mary. Please, come with me," she said and led her through the house. "I will show you house later, now I believe you will need a bath and silence. Silence is actually, what this house offers the most," she stated with a small sigh.