Thankfully, the man had turned his head away to look outside the window that gave Penny the opportunity to use the kerchief by running it around her face, neck, and the sides of her head. The water had seeped into her clothes and hair, enough to give her a small headache. The windows were closed but as she was out of the rain finally, light termors of shiver started to run over her skin.
She hugged herself with her hands, not knowing that even though the man had turned his face towards the window, he had been watching her from the reflection of the window.
The kerchief in her hand turned wet with water quickly and she said, “Thank you for the kerchief and for the pick up here. The rain was pouring so much I didn’t know how long it would take to go back.”
“It is a pleasure to be able to help you. I don’t think we got to introduce ourselves properly last time,” he said, giving his hand forward this time to say, “I am Robarte Varreran.”
“Penelope,” Penny took his hand to shake. She decided not to give her last name because calling herself to be Artemis would mean she was accepting that she was part of a white witch’s family. Of course, this man wouldn’t be knowing about it but it was better to be safe.
His eyes fell on her hand as they shook hands, and he said, “You must have been standing out in the rain for a long time. Your hands are cold,” she took her hand back where she couldn’t detect the temperature.
“I thought the carriages often moved around but there weren’t any today,” Penny responded back to him. Dropping the kerchief on her lap, she rubbed both her hands together before stopping so that it wouldn’t create too much noise or movement.
The rain didn’t stop and the clouds thundered in the sky, often lightning itself up to show the clouds and their lining.
The previous time Penny had met the man, he had somewhat come to be rude with the way he called her a slave and how he had eyed her the first time. Thinking about it gave her chills and she wondered if her luck was bad that she had moved her hands for the wrong carriage to stop for her. Strangely right now he came across to be a polite, gentleman kind who was being kind enough to turn his head away from her when she was wiping her face.
That didn’t mean she had lowered her guard down. She still remembered their last encounter near the tailor’s shop where she had seen him with a slave who was covered in bruises.
“The carriages have stopped functioning if you are asking about the local carriages,” she didn’t hear about that. He said, “There was a recent murder case that took place in a local passing carriage which is why they have temporarily paused their functioning but it should be back up in two weeks.”
“I didn’t know that,” she whispered. She asked, “How is your slave been doing?” she was curious if the man was abusing her. It wasn’t uncommon in the vampire world to mistreat slaves.
The man gave her a sweet smile as if the memory of his slave brought an instant smile on his lips, “She has been doing well. Her previous master had been mistreating her and I had to buy her,” was that why the slave had bruises then?
When silence fell again in the carriage, Penny didn’t know what to speak to him. Even Mr. Varreran didn’t speak and she wondered if being quiet was the best thing to do.
“How has life been treating you after turning to a lady?” and there went the silence, thought Penny to herself.
Mustering a smile that was tight on her face, she answered, “It has been good.”
When the carriage finally came to a stop, Penny was glad that was finally back at Quinn’s mansion. The rain didn’t appear to stop and when the coachman pulled the door open and she stepped down, Penny frowned to see that this wasn’t Quinn’s mansion.
“This..” she turned to look at Mr. Varreran to ask where they were.
“This is my mansion, Miss Penelope. I didn’t know you were expecting to be at your home as you didn’t give the coachman an address,” he said to her.
He was right that she hadn’t given him the address but she had believed that the man was already well aware that she wanted to go to Quinn’s residence and not his home.
“Could you be kind enough to let me borrow your carriage? I will send it back once I reach-”
The blond man in glasses responded back to her, “Going back will take time again and you might fall very ill. How about you take a sip of tea to warm yourself and change your clothes in here. I am sure the clothes you are in right now are uncomfortable.”
As much as there was logic in his words, Penny didn’t like the thought of spending time with him. She was grateful for the ride but that was that. She was in no sense looking forward to drinking tea with him and chit-chat when they could have done it in the carriage.
She gave him a smile and tried to go about, “That’s alright. It shouldn’t be that far. I will make sure to get myself dried once I reach back.”
“One cup of tea shouldn’t take much time. I am sure it would do good,” on his words, Penny finally gave him a nod. He had after all given her a ride. It wouldn’t be right to refuse the third time. This way she would also know if he was beating the slave. There was something very unnerving about him that made Penny question his character.
It was because compared to the first time he appeared in front of her, he was different now and she couldn’t point out what it was that bothered at the back of her mind. It wasn’t the way he behaved but his appearance.
“Please,” he said, leading her as he walked at the front and she followed him. If he was going to try anything funny, her needles were always ready in her pocket.
