The Collector | 18+

【49】Mistress of the House

While the blackout panels would have probably allowed me to sleep until early in the afternoon, Reggie's empty stomach didn't. It was his insistent meows right in my face and his weight on my chest that pulled me out of my sleep.

"Yes, I'm awake," I mumbled, seeking my phone in the dark. When my hand located it, I turned the screen on to gaze at the time. "Shit..."

It had been bold of me to assume that my body would wake up at a reasonable time, given that I'd gone to sleep at three in the morning. But it made sense that I emerged at past eleven, which never happened. I'd canceled my alarm so I would get more than four hours of sleep, but it hadn't occurred to me to set one for later. To be fair, by the time I'd been done booking my plane ticket for the next evening and preparing my things, all I'd wanted was to close my eyes and sleep.

Damn it, today was my last day at the estate, and half of it was already gone. Thankfully, my flight wasn't until late in the evening, which would allow me some more time in the reserve.

I groggily made my way out of the bed, grabbing the room's remote as I did. The shutters slowly opened on my demand, and I walked to the tall window to admire the view. It was one of my last opportunities to do it.

To my surprise, tiny specks of white were descending from the sky, an unexpected but welcomed sign of the winter approaching. I watched for a moment as the snowflakes slowly made their way down. Nothing was sticking yet; the ground was too wet and warm for that. But if it snowed all day like this, I might get to see the fjord covered in white, which I was certain was an amazing sight.

Something about this cozy weather and the fact that I was all alone in the house made me grab a hoodie instead of getting changed for the day. It was already late, and I wouldn't waste time picking an outfit that no one aside from Reggie would see me in. I slipped it over my pajamas—a pair of flannel shorts, a mismatched tank top, and warm socks—and made my way outside.

The cat led me to the kitchen, apparently famished, and I poured some kibbles in his bowl before going to get my own much-needed sustenance. The rich smell of coffee floated to my nostrils as the luxurious machine filled my cup, and that was already enough to wake me up a little more.

With the steaming cup in hand, I made my way to the stairs. The polished concrete was warm under my socks, which I was used to in my room but not out here. Heated floors were such a must... Money really could buy happiness, couldn't it?

Wealth had never been a motivator for me, as I'd always been perfectly happy in my small apartments and modest paychecks, but I could see the appeal. I had picked the wrong line of work to ever become wealthy, though, but at least I'd be comfortable and do my favorite thing ever. What was the point of being as filthy rich as Ulrik if it was to become as stuck up and unfazed as he was? My little life of passions and friends was a lot better than his, in my humble opinion.

As I passed the glassed room on the upper floor of the reserve, I slowed my steps and allowed my eyes to wander on the leather spines of the old books, doing my best to ignore the pinch of regret in my chest. Since my time here was so minimal, I'd prioritized the collection below over everything in there. It would make for a better exhibit, as people preferred artifacts over barely readable pages. But as a historian, I would have given my left kidney to spend a month in that section, meticulously reading and studying everything in there. Entering this room now would be like falling down the rabbit hole, though, and I didn't have time for it.

I checked on my phone and calculated how many hours I had left. Since I didn't want to bother Jakob all the way to Trondheim, I'd asked him to drop me off at the small town nearby, where a bus line would take me to the big city. Because of Reggie, I needed to head there first to drop him off at a shelter. Following some tearful goodbyes, I'd take the shuttle to the airport and arrive with some time to spare. It meant I had about five hours left in this house before leaving forever. If the caffeine kicked in soon, I might be able to do a lot in such a short amount of time.