Five

She smiled as she breath in the cool morning fragrance of her surrounding, it smell of life, nature.

Her daughter got down from the car and ran towards the tree by them.

'Merci, c'est magnifique!' (Thanks, it's beautiful.)

Her mother smiled. At least once in a while they should do this.

She walked to the car to get the picnic basket, since they were going to be here for a while, they had to make something out of it.

'Honey, come help me, set the picnic.' She called Katie.

They set the sheet on the floor and arranged the basket, Pearl smiled; they should do this more often.

'Mom, I want to say something about the master; Mr William.'

She nodded for her to go on as they sat on the sheet.

'What do you want to say?'

Katie smiled. 'The master is very nice, I think I like him better than daddy.'

Pearl nodded and smiled. He was nice; she could vouch for him on that.

'He is very neat, his room is big and he has fine things.'

Pearl looked at her. 'What!' What was she doing in his room?

Katie smiled. 'Mom, I went to look for him because Jacob told me, he was calling me.......'

She looked at her daughter's face that was filled with contentment and free of fear. What now? Does the master also like little girls?

'He told me thank you for saving Jacob from cutting himself.' She repeated the same William had told her.

'Cutting himself?' When did that happen where was she when it happened?

Her daughter recounted what happened. Jacob had been sad for a while and that was all.

'Jacob was fine after that and then I gave him the present, he smiled and hugged me.'

Pearl listened as she continued. What did William want with Katie, just because he is the master of the house, he could touch everybody including her daughter? 

'But I wonder with such a big house, many animals, Jacob, the master is still not happy.'

Pearl looked at her and shook her head. She wondered how many other things she knew or noticed. 'Baby, not everyone has had happy experiences.' Not even her baby girl.

Katie smiled and looked at him.

'I like him very much; do you think he has been up here before?'

Pearl shook her head. 'I'm not sure, honey, this is his land.'

'We could bring him here and maybe he might want to have picnic with us.'

Pearl shook herself and stood. Okay, enough!

'Katie, let's play hide and seek.'

She didn't stand up knowing she wasn't good at it.

'Mom, you know I can't catch you.'

She pulled her daughter up. 'Trying won't hurt beside if you get tired you can always come back here and I will look for you.'

Katie nodded with a smile. 'Okay, please, make it easy.'

Pearl nodded. 'I will start.'

'Dad, was there any need to bring your horse?' He sat on his horse as William took the strings of the horse.

He nodded. 'Yes, if anything happens, the horse is very fast.'

Jacob looked at his father. 'Dad, I will be careful, I told you so.'

William stopped and looked at Jacob. 'Let's rest now.'

William help him get down from the horse, when Jacob felt his leg on the ground, he turned to his father.

'Dad, we should have brought Katie, she love horses and I will like to teach her how to ride one, you could teach her.'

William snuffed. 'Katie is with her mother, Jacob, even if I wanted to I can't, I'd have to ask for permission from her mother.' As far as he knew, he sounded awkward.

'But dad, she could have come too.'

'Son, she had other plans.' He said absentmindedly.

Jacob dusts the sand of his shoe. 'Katie talks a lot though but she is very nice, maybe we can go back and get her.'

William looked at Jacob; was he that boring beside they still had a lot to do, they just got here.

'Jacob, let's play a game.'

Jacob's face lit. 'What kind?' Great all the games he had taught him, Jacob was as good as him.

'Hide and seek.'

'Alright. You will start.' He told his father with a smile; saying he was in for it.

With just that Jacob won't talk about Katie anymore or his teacher.

She paused for a second and wondered where Katie was, she had made her catch easy on two rounds but this time, she would try hard.

She sat on the ground and waited.

'The master is very nice, I think I like him better than daddy.'

Of course he was nice, who wouldn't say he wasn't and moreover, he was better than her father and better than any man she had met. Much better than any man she has ever come across. He was better than Richard; he had a noble soul, fine body and beautiful heart; who wouldn't like him?

Maybe she should have invited him as Katie suggested, or did they still come to the mountain or they changed plans.

She shook and shocked when she heard footsteps running towards her way; she smiled Katie really did it this time.

She listened from where she hid, the footsteps were coming closer to her and then it stopped in front of the tree she hid behind, at least Katie have gone this hard, making it easy, she came out of her hiding place and with a smile, she held the waist in front her.

'I knew you could do it.' She said extremely proud of her daughter, then she heard;

'Mom, where are you!' A little further from where she was.

She blinked once and blinked again; one; she could never mistake her daughter's voice and two; Katie didn't like pranking. Then who was this she was holding that wasn't her daughter, was she dreaming?

She did a double check and looked down at the feet of the individual; it was very big, two times bigger than Katie's and she glanced up and then she shook herself off the individual, as she moved away, she looked at person, her heart went to her mouth.

'Oh God!' Then she shook herself hard. Pearl, what have you done?

She frolicked with her fingers, wondering how she ended up holding......

She watched him smile at her, why was he smiling?

'Master.......'

'Hello, Pearl, do you just hugged anyone that come your way?'

She shook her head, almost immediately. 'No, I was just.......'

He waited. 'Just....'

She shook her head. God! Where was her head?

This time Katie moved closer to her and stopped when she saw the master.

'Master, you are here?' She asked with a smile.

William nodded.

She turned to her mom. 'Mom, Jacob is here too, he is waiting for us at the picnic basket, the master will come with us, right?'

William answered for her. 'Sure, I will.'

Katie smiled and scanned her mother again. 'Mom, are you okay?'

She managed a nod. 

'But you are shaking.'

Pearl glanced from her daughter to William who had smiles written all over his face. She hid her hands. 'Nothing, honey. I was just......'

William sighed with a smile and looked at Katie.

'Your mother and I were just.....' He didn't finish as Pearl moved in between them; to stop her daughter from hearing what he was going to say.

'Nothing. We were doing nothing.' She told her, took Katie's hand and they walked away from him but Katie looked back.

'Come on, master.'

She didn't know why she felt the way she did right now, how could she, what was she thinking, she watched as they sat down together with them on the sheet, the horses were tied to a tree close by and she hoped that they would soon leave, she pray heavily for that.

'Jacob, what games do you like playing?' Katie asked him.

Jacob smiled. 'I like playing chess, snakes and ladders; that is grandma's favourite game, I play soccer.'

Katie shook her head. 'We don't have chess but we have snakes and ladders, mom, please.'

Pearl bought it out of the bag; Katie likes to take lead and she knew that.

Katie placed the game in front of them.

'I am best at the game, Katie, so you have to prepare to lose.'

Pearl saw her daughter laugh. 'My classmates would say; how funny!'

Pearl smiled using that chance to look at William who was enjoying everything.

'My mom advices me; it isn't good to brag but....l like challenges.'

Jacob nodded his head with pride. 'Okay.'

'What is the prize?'

Pearl glared at her daughter. Not that again.

'You will teach me anything you want.'

Katie eyes lit. 'Basketball.'

'Basketball? I hate basketball. Pick another thing.'

Pearl smiled as her daughter answered. 'Okay. Basketball.'

Before he begin. 'And the loser?'

Then Jacob had his chance to state his prize. 'Chess.'

Pearl smiled. Katie loved all games, nothing would scare her off. Her daughter nodded.

'Okay. You will play first.' She said giving him the dice.

Pearl watched them and that was when she noticed William looked at her.

'Come, I want to show you something.' He said standing up.

She watched him leave; he didn't give a chance to even say no.

She went to him by the horses. 'Is there a problem?' She asked him.

He shook his head and looked at her.

She didn't understand; why did he send of her?

'I was tired of watching them, beside they can be able to know each other this way and so it gives us time to know ourselves.

As what? Is there any need?

He nodded. 'I will like to understand the woman, my son speaks highly of, and I will like to have a relationship with her.'

She was taken aback. 'What are you saying, you have a fiancée and you want to have a relationship with me, how can you be so low?'

She saw him smile; he has been doing that a lot after the incident at the pool.

'Where is your mind, what are you thinking? How can you think such dirty things? Yes, I have a fiancée, I respect her a lot, and didn't you know there are different kinds of relationships.'

She shook her head. 'Whatever the case might be, whatever relationship you want to have with me, it is not happening. Everything is fine the way it is, we should remain the way we are.'

'Are you sure?'

She nodded. 'Yes, I am.'

'What happened earlier? What is that called?'

She put her finger to her lips. 'Shush! What are you saying, it was a mistake, my mistake and I'm sorry, I thought you were Katie, please forgive me.'

She looked at his face as she said all those words, he still remain unmoved.

'I'm sorry. Please.'

William smiled.

Was this man joking with her?

'Pearl, if I wanted to have a relationship, I would rather have it with Katie; she is less of a blabber mouth.'

She stopped her tracks; he was insulting her, Katie talks more than she does.

'Let's get back to the children, it is better knowing them.' He said and walked away.

Great! He had a good sense of humour but he was still mocking her and she didn't like it.