Arianta showered briskly, vigorously removing the mud and blood from her body. She hastened to keep up with Katherine's schedule, but upon returning outside, Katherine was absent. It was unusual for Katherine not to be out in the field at this time of day. Suspecting that Katherine might be in the barn cleaning the pig for dinner, Arianta strode in that direction.
As she reached the door, she tried to open it, but it remained immovable. Was it locked? The latch and lock hung loose, unattached. Had it been locked from the inside? Arianta shrugged and gave the door one last forceful tug. Suddenly, it gave way, not due to her strength but from Breana opening it from inside. She stumbled back but quickly regained her balance.
Breana's face turned red as her eyes narrowed. She yelled while slamming the door shut behind her, gesturing wildly. “No! Never! Off-limits!”
“I'm sorry. I was only searching for Ms. Bishop. She instructed me to follow her everywhere, and I thought she might have gone in there while I was showering.”
“Go!” Breana forcefully shoved her away from the building, obviously mad from the steam blowing from her ears. “Madame go town. You do book. Inside.”
The insistent pushing seemed peculiar. While Arianta recalled Katherine mentioning the barn was off-limits, Breana's behavior seemed more unsettling than simply looking out for her safety. It was as if she was hiding something inside it. Forced her towards the main house, Breana reiterated, “Go. Work.”
“Okay. Okay.” Arianta complied and entered the house.
The door clicked shut with a bang, rattling the hinges. Instead of heading to the study, she moved towards the window and peeked out while attempting to remain concealed, hoping that Breana wouldn't spot her. As Breana stomped her way back to the barn, she glanced back at the house once. Again, it was as if Breana had a secret hidden inside. The wheels turned in her mind. A cautious woman with blood-stained clothes. A omnious barn she couldn't visit. A protagonist missing in action. It was thriller waiting to be written. It was strange for Katherine to leave without mentioning it, particularly in the midst of her chores and Arianta's note taking. She would have enjoyed accompanying her to town, if that is where she went.
Spending an entire week with no social interaction aside from Katherine had been… challenging. The arduous work schedule left her exhausted. With no phone service or access to the internet, she couldn't even check in with Shannon back home. A leisurely afternoon in town would have been delightful. Instead, she returned to the study, furiously typing away at the metal keys, striking words based on the morning's conversations and taking her frustrations out on the infuriating relic.
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