Die for You

Chapter 36

Showered and dressed in something comfortable, I walked down the stairs of the hall to see Becky sat waiting for me with a small knapsack in her hands.

"There you are," she said grinning, "I thought I was going to have to come up there and drag you out of that shower. You've been in there that long. I've been waiting here for ages."

"I'm sorry, Miss Armstrong," I said noticing Andrew was loitering nearby. "What is it you were waiting for me for?"

"Well, I'm starving and I know you've not eaten, but I want to go for a walk around the grounds, which you won't let me do on my own. So I've had the kitchen staff make us a few sandwiches and I thought we could eat something on the way."

"I'm at your disposal, Miss Armstrong. Let me tell the team that we're going out into the grounds, just in case."

I lifted the small 2-way radio I was now carrying to my lips and radioed in, telling the security team of my plans, trying not to smile at Becky's impatient foot tapping; attempting to keep that professional veneer up in public.

"Finally," she said as I tucked the radio away and went to grab her bag. "Do you have to do that every time I want to leave the building?"

"I do, Miss Armstrong," I replied smoothly; watching as Andrew's ears pricked up on the other side of the hallway where he was making a big show of rearranging some flowers in a vase. "I believe we have had this conversation before. I am not employed by your father because I cut corners. I will ensure your safety and that of your family, that is my only role here."

Becky looked across at the man servant and cocked her head at me, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Well," she said standing up and folding her arms, "Mum and I like you as a person and as an employee, Freen, so you'll just have to accept that, won't you? Whether you like it or not."

"Whatever you say, Miss Armstrong," I said, ending the conversation. 

I hitched the bag onto my shoulder and walked towards the doorway, opening it and making a big show of checking outside was clear before waving towards Becky to follow. With a roll of her eyes, she stepped outside and walked away, me trailing behind. It wasn't until we got out of the line of sight of the house that we dropped the act we'd been playing; her leading me down the paths we had run along and into the small copse. 

As soon as she thought it was safe, she grabbed my arm and pulled me alongside her and we walked through the trees practically joined together.

"What was that all about, Freenky?" she asked as we strolled. "Back at the house I mean. You were so fucking distant again, it was weird. Was it because Andrew was there?"

"Yeah," I replied actually liking the fact that she thought it was weird that we should act so 'normally'. Well, normally for a CPO and her package that was.

"I don't trust Andrew," I told her, tying to articulate something that I didn't truthfully understand.

"There's something about him I don't like."

"Andrew's brilliant, he's been with us for years. You don't have to worry about him, he's as loyal as they come."

"It's not that, Bec," I said squeezing her arm. "I just don't think it's a good idea to behave in any way other than professionally around him, or anyone else. There are some people I trust and he's not one of them; he watches me and you far too carefully at the moment, has done since we first came here. I can't say what it is but there's something not right about the way he watches you."

"You're too suspicious, baby," she said laughing at me and pulling away, linking her fingers with mine and dragging me along behind her.

"That's what you pay me for," I told her half running to keep up with her.