FORBIDDEN

chapter 5. Valerie

"Valerie am serious about you talking to that boy"

"But it's not my fault Luisa" I told Luisa as we had one of our Tom argument's.

"Valerie your barely trying to get away from the boy" she remarked, " I can see the glares your getting from master Bennet and the others, please stop this dear". I too had seen the way master Benet kept glaring at me, and it sometimes scared me

I stared forlornly at the ground and agreed.

I continued with my job that day cooking the food, washing the dishes, dusting all the books in the library, mending the curtains in the living room and helping miss Olivia dress for one of her tea times with her friends. when I was done with that I headed to the fields where I tried helping with the tobacco plants which were fully grown and ready for harvest. I tried slowly cutting the stalks but kept cutting them to high or to low. "That's not exactly how you do it" spoke a familiar voice behind me. I turned and there was Tom , shirtless and showing way too much abdominal muscle, it wasn't like he was way too muscular or too skinny, he was perfect, his muscles reminding me of the chiseled statues that stood inside of my old master's house.

Oh gracious my, I thought as he slowly handed me the tobacco leaves that he was carrying. "Like this" he said before cutting the tobacco stalks. "It's not that hard you just have to know how to handle a knife, want to try?"

"I ... I ... I have to go now. I guess am not quite cut out for working in the fields." I mumbled under my breath, hoping he mistakes the blush on my face as too much sun, before running back indoors. I slowly sighed, when I was sure I was at a safe enough distance from Tom.

"AH there you are" said the Misses who I was sure barely knew my name, and kept calling me you or you girl. She had a funny very thick Scottish accent that Lulu and I love to imitate.

"Listen closely, I'm having a picnic with my children soon, so I want you to go tell Luisa to prepare the picnic basket.'she said, speaking slowly as if I was too stupid to understand.

"Yes ma'am" I replied.

"Good now get going"

I slowly walked to the laundry room where I knew Luisa would be.

"LUISA!" I shouted.

"What!? What happened are we being robbed?" she ran out eye's wide, holding the hot iron above her head.

"Um, no Luisa the mistress asked if you could prepare a picnic basket for her"

She sighed loudly, "next time you call me child try being quieter, will ya", then she made her way towards the kitchen.

A few hours later we were walking over a grassy hill, me holding the basket full of food while the Smith's walked in front of me all of them except Bennet who couldn't make it since he said he had something urgent to do.

"Hey, need help?". I slowly looked up and saw Tom looking at me.

"Nope, I'm fine"

"you sure?"

"yes"

"Fine" he said shrugging but as soon as I turned my head away from him he snatched the basket from my hands and went racing away from me.

Fortunately Tom gave me the basket when we arrived at the picnic area he probably knew of the trouble I could get in if he's mother saw him carrying the basket.

Before eating we (meaning Olivia ,Tom and I) sat next to the pond, while Tom and Olivia threw bread at the swans. "Olivia, Tom" shouted Mr's.smith."come on were starting our picnic".

"Will you please come with us Valerie" asked Olivia, turning her full big blue eyes on me.

"She can't Olly come on" he said extending an arm for her, which she took. It was suddenly lonely without them, the only noise was the beating of the swan's wings.

Tom was soon at my side again after just 30 minutes.
"Here" he muttered handing me a sandwich wrapped in foil. I don't know why, but a smile materialized on my face, I took it and thanked him and devoured it very slowly trying not to look like a pig while eating.

I wrapped the foil and kept it in my pocket to throw later (there's no cause to ruin such a place). I fell back onto the soft cut grass, after a few seconds Tom did the same.
"What would really be great is if it were night and the sky was full of stars"

"Yeah" I agreed gazing at the setting sun.

"We should do this more often". I looked at him surprised, and saw that he was doing the same, I look I could not tell but unreasonably liked was on his face.
He was so close I could feel his breath on my skin as he edged closer to me his lips slowly coming closer to mine,
"Valerie I'm serious about you talking to that boy" Luisa's words woke me up from my fantasy. I quickly turned my head away.

" Tom time to go"

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