“Are you crazy!” Eyes wide, William couldn’t stop himself from shouting. “You literally barged into my home this morning!”
“Actually, I knocked a few times, if you remember.”
“Ugh.” William dropped the poker onto the sideboard and walked three paces away from Edward. “If not breaking and entering, your crime is being the most annoying man I haveevermet.”
Edward smiled. “I’ve been called worse.”
William couldn’t believe he was doing this. Then again, he couldn’t believe that he’d considered moving into a run-down manor in the middle of nowhere with little to no idea of the immense work ahead of him, nor the trauma behind him.
This felt like a cruel joke on Archie’s part – leaving such a place to William, knowing the turmoil he would face just to make it liveable.
Then again, mistakes had been made; what was so terrible about making a couple more?
“As soon as I see aslitherof blue in the sky,” William said. “Your gone.”
“Sounds fair.” Edward stood, flattened out his trousers with a brush down of his hand and then offered that same hand to William. “I promise I’ll go when the storm lifts. I’m a man of my word.”
William regarded the offering of a hand and ignored it. Surely that had to hurt Edward’s ego.
“I get the impression you don’t like people very much,” Edward said, lowering his arm.
“You’re very wrong,” William replied, unable to shift the irritation this man caused him.
“How so?”
William smiled; this time, it lit his face with honesty. He said the truest thing to come out of his mouth in weeks. “I like people, generally. It’s strange men who I can’t stand.”
“Annoyingandstrange,” Edward said, tracing his eyes across every inch of William, who suddenly felt very small beneath the man’s glare. “You’re certainly a joy to be around.”
Sarcasm dripped from Edward’s tongue but did little to offend William. After all, the power was in his hands.
“Good. Then you’ll keep your distance from me,” William replied quickly, beckoning Edward to follow him from the doorway. He pointed to the front room that Edward had last barged into. “Go in here. Keep out of my sight. Otherwise, the police will be the ones escorting you out of here.”
“And if I need the toilet?” Edward’s face lifted in a mock grin.
“Your trousers are already wet, I’m sure you won’t notice a difference.”
Edward grimaced. “Thank you so much, William. I really appreciate your warm hospitality.”
There was so much William wanted to say, but he closed the door to the front room with a slam. Unfortunately, there was no lock to keep Edward inside, so instead, William dragged the sideboard over and propped it in front of the door.
Edward knocked on the closed door. “Urm, William. What was that noise?”
“Call it necessary measures,” William shouted back, dusting his hands as he stepped away from the barricaded door.
The brass handle rattled, and the door budged open as much as the barricade allowed. And out the gap in the door, Edward peered at him with wide eyes. “Is there really a need for this?”
It was William’s turn to smile. “I’ve seen enough horror films to know what happens when strange men worm their way into people’s homes. Consider my kindness limited. If you want to stay out of the storm, this is your only option. Or you are welcome to venture back out – the choice is yours.”
Edward’s single eye narrowed, and then the door closed slowly, shutting him from view. “Fine,” came his muffled voice.
“Fine,” William repeated before leaving his captive alone.
William Thorn knew he was making a mistake letting the stranger stay out the storm inside his manor, but something chewed at the back of his brain.
The last time he’d kicked somebody out during a storm, they died. His Archie. One death on his conscience was unbearable, two – stranger or not – would truly destroy him.
Tears welled in William’s eyes, blinding him completely. He could barely see the object, but he clutched it tight in his hands,feelingit, and that was enough to shatter him.
