I hid in my room for the rest of the day. I only emerged once, and that was to grab a sandwich and some fruit from the kitchen. My encounter with Lawson was very unsettling, and it didn’t help that I did not fully understand why Lawson had acted the way he did. I told myself to just shake it off, and for the most part I did exactly that. However, I would find myself thinking about it again, and replaying the incident in my mind, and it brought back my feelings of fear.

It was also pleasant not having to deal with Mother, and since my bedroom was a large and comfortable room, with its own separate sitting area, I didn't feel confined at all. Mother was always making snide little remarks about me, and in my room I was free of all that drama.

I read my book and sketched for a while to calm my nerves. I was working on a drawing of the house. Mostly, I wondered about Lawson Jackson. As my pencil glided over the paper, I would be thinking about the structure and details of the house, and then my mind would drift back to Lawson and his weird behavior. I couldn’t concentrate.

Why did he feel the need to come to the house and meet me? What was his real agenda? I had lots of questions, but no real answers. All I knew was I would stay far away from him in the future. His behavior with me had been unacceptable, and I didn't have to entertain him if he returned to the estate.

In the late afternoon, I fell into a troubled sleep. I woke up with a start, but at first, I was confused as to what had disturbed me.  I heard raised voices that sounded very far away. I sat up and rubbed at my face, confused, and moved towards the door.

I strained to make out what was being said, but couldn’t understand the shouting. I was surprised to hear any noise at all because sound didn't carry very easily in this house with its stout, thick walls.

Was there some emergency? Opening my bedroom door, I crept into the hall.

"I don't care. I don't want Lawson Jackson to go anywhere near Darby again. That man is never welcome here for any reason. Have I made myself clear?"

It sounded like Nathan and someone else were on one of the staircases, arguing. Nathan was very loud, and very angry.

“I like having Lawson around. He makes me feel closer to Savannah. I miss her so much sometimes.” Was that Mother? Her voice was so faint that I wasn’t sure.

“He’s an asshole, and he’s not welcome in my house. That’s final.”

“That’s not fair. This is my home, too, and I should have any visitor I choose.” Yep, that was Mother.

I didn't wait for Nathan's reply.

I slipped back into our room and shut the door softly behind me. I sat down on the sofa and picked up my sketching again. I was so glad Nathan was home, and much earlier than I had expected. It was barely time for dinner. Didn’t he say it would be bedtime before he returned?

Nathan opened the door and walked towards me. "Are you ok, sweet girl?"

He was carrying his suit jacket, but did not take the time to hang it up. Maybe he was as glad to see me as I was to see him.

Smiling, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Nate, I'm so glad you are home!"

Everything was okay again now that my husband had returned. I knew I didn’t need to worry about Lawson as long as Nathan was at home. Lawson had said as much.

I raised up on tiptoe to plant a kiss on his lips. He ran his hands down my arms, and I winced.

"What is it? Are you hurt somewhere?" Nathan looked at my arms.

Sure enough, a dark bruise had developed where Lawson had grabbed me earlier.

"It's nothing. Just a little bruise." I pulled away just a little. For some reason I didn’t want to make a big deal of my earlier encounter.

"Did Jackson do that?" The naked fury on Nathan's face made me falter.

I nodded, hesitant to upset him further. I didn’t want Nathan to think he had to handle this situation for me. Now that I understood Lawson Jackson's real character, I would have no problem turning and going the other way if I saw him again. Or kneeing him in the balls. Also, if he came to Peacock Alley, I would call for Maxwell right away to escort him off the property.

Nathan made me give him every detail of my encounter with Lawson, and his anger grew the more he heard. However, he seemed relieved that Lawson hadn't touched me more. Why was that? I really wanted to learn about Nathan’s history with Lawson, but I felt shy about asking.

"I want you to stay far away from him. He cannot be trusted. I came back as soon as Maxwell told me that bastard had been sneaking around the estate." Nathan’s voice was tense, and he crossed his arms across his chest as he spoke. “I cut my meeting short in Atlanta to get back here.”

“Why don’t you trust him? He said you were friends, that you go way back.”

“I have my reasons. I don’t want to go into all that right now.” Nathan turned his back on me, and crossed the room to hang up his jacket.

I followed behind, not wanting to let the conversation end until I found out more. "He told me he was friends with Savannah, too. I have no desire to make him my friend, Nathan. Honestly, he seemed like an ass. I’m not sure why he even came over. He made a point of saying he waited until you weren’t here."

I hoped Nathan would tell me why they disliked each other so much. I needed him to trust me enough to tell me the story.

I looked earnestly into his eyes, and he regarded me with his usual serious expression. Whatever he saw there made him relax, and he drew me in for a lingering kiss. I returned his kiss, and then began removing his tie.

I guess Nathan wasn’t going to tell me the story today. It frustrated me that he wouldn’t share this information with me, but I could wait.

I wondered why Lawson was so "close" to Savannah, but Nathan did not like him at all.