The Beast of Napa

26 - Boundaries

"Is this your place?" Patrick asked.

Catriona nodded shyly, her eyes narrowed in embarrassment. He shrugged, putting a smile on his face.

"It's charming," he said, "but it seems you've outgrown it."

He gave her a warm smile, patting her coupled hands on her lap. Her shoulders relaxed as they slipped out of the car.

"I hope your sister isn't attached to this place," he said as they went up the stairs. "You'll both be much more comfortable in Chicago. I promise you that. My estate isn't as luxurious as Nathaniel's, but there will be more than enough space for all of us."

Catriona smiled at this, hoping Patrick couldn't see how empty it was.

Catriona's heartbeat strangled her more with each step up the stairs, towards her sister who hadn't returned a single letter or even tried to contact her in the time she was at Griffin Estates. How would Sarah even react to her showing up? And was she even there?

Patrick followed Catriona to the door, her palms sweating as she lifted her hand to knock. It felt strange to knock on her own door, and even stranger to have to wait for someone to open it.

"I told you!" Sarah's voice bellowed from the other side. "You'll get your blood money as soon I speak to --"

The door flew open with a gasp. Sarah looked at Catriona, mouth agape, and with a smile and a cry threw her hands around her sister's neck and cheered with relief.

"Oh, Catriona!" she cried, her hug tightening, "it's you! How I've been waiting for you to come back home! You came just in time, too. The landlord, he's been making such a fuss about --"

She stopped, her eyes meeting Patrick's.

"Catriona?" Sara's tone suddenly becoming sweet. "Who might this be?"

Patrick smiled, his teeth glistening as he held out his hand to greet her. "The name is Patrick, my dear. You must be Catriona's sister. Your beauty is undoubtedly similar as sisters, yet completely unique."

Patrick gave Sara's hand a quick peck and then dropped it, stepping back to Catriona's side. Catriona shifted her weight as her sister blushed and grinned.

"Well, well, well," Sarah chattered. "You brought home a real gentleman, Catriona. Bring him inside and let me offer him a drink."

Patrick stepped in after her, and Catriona puffed out some air before walking in behind them. As she walked in, she noticed that the apartment was even more empty than before, the shelves bare, the walls uncovered, and the linens gone. There was a small corner of boxes.

Sarah stepped over and grabbed a wine bottle, corking it and pouring a dusty glass for the three of them. Catriona could only stare at the wine, unable to not compare the pale color of the cheap wine to the deep color of wine at Griffin's estate.

"I hate for you to come home to bad news, Catriona," Sarah said, sipping her wine. "But it seems we've been evicted."

Catriona said nothing, only surprised that Sara hadn't been kicked out before that.

"Evicted!" Patrick said with concern. "Whatever for?"

"Oh, the landlord is an absolute brute!" Sarah replied. "He's no better than a tyrant. I worked double shifts to make enough money to make ends meet, but he had no interest in my profession or my money. I think he hates us simply because we're immigrants, I do. That's the kind of discrimination I can't tolerate, you know."

"But when I paid the rent, he said nothing at all," Catriona pointed out.

Sara swallowed her wine and continued to speak to Patrick as if Catriona had said nothing at all.