Chapter 5


    The next time Teddy appeared around the corner of the house I knew it was time to go. A brown tweed


    newsboy cap restedfortably over his head. I thought he looked like a true Englishman then,


    reaffirming he was born and bred on this ind. He stopped some distance from me, and took his time


    observing my precise trimming of the top of the hedges to ensure it was perfectly straight.


    “We should go.”


    “One more minute,” I begged. I felt his presence encroach upon mine, and soon enough I could see his


    towering shadow in the corner of my eye.


    “It is too high for you,” he observed, before he unhanded therge hedge shears from me. Teddy took it


    upon himself to cut the top of the bushes. He was most careful not to get anything on his nice suede


    jacket, moving back a tiny step to create some distance from the high green hedges. “I don’t know how


    Daphne does it. She is smaller than you.”


    “I imagine she uses adder.”


    The man beside me chuckled with amusement as he continued to snip at the prickly bushes. “It would


    take twice as long with that.”


    “Has she ever asked you for help?”


    “No, she is far too independent for that.” I crossed my arms, unsure if he was implying that I was not an


    independent person. Teddy must have caught my bodynguage from the corner of his eyes, for he


    laughed lightly with a hint of endearment. “It bothers you that I am helping?”


    “No, it is too high for me to reach.”


    “I was saving you time,” he noted. “How about you clean up the rest of the gardening supplies while I


    finish this up?”


    “Alright, I will be back.”


    “I’ll meet you at the shed,” he quipped, before he continued with his attentive trimmings of the hedge.


    It must say a lot about Teddy that he was willing to assist me with the gardening. He was very attentive


    towards me, almost intent on pleasing me in some way. It was evident he was going out of his way to


    make me feel morefortable in his home, though it made me suspicious as to his motives. Was it


    the kindness of his heart or something more than that? And what could he possibly gain from it?


    I worked hard to clear up the shed until it was nice and tidy. I knew Teddy was very particr about


    these things, so I had to ensure everything was to his liking. He returned to my side a few minutester,


    wearing almost a smile once he caught my eyes. I watched him stride over to me with confidence, chin


    held high to maintain his noble position. “Are you all set?” he smoothly inquired. He leaned his body


    into the shed, cing the gardening tool on a small ledge where it would be perfectly safe. “Did you


    forget anything in the house?”


    “No. I am ready.”


    He plucked up a key off the hook and made sure I stood far enough away from the swinging door for


    him to shut it closed. I watched him lock the shed door with particr care, and then pocket the key in


    the inner p of his suede jacket. “I parked my car a little further down the hill.” He took the lead,


    determined to show me the way. “How was your first day so far?”


    I decided to take a more enthusiastic route, so I eximed: “It was just lovely! You have such a nice


    garden, and this area is so quaint and quiet.”


    “Yes,” he drawled out with suspicion.


    “And it is such a nice spring day,” I pointed out. “Perfect weather to go for a walk.” The man beside me


    nodded his head as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. “Or to paint, as you say. The sea is not


    so far away, do you ever go sunbathing?”


    “No,” he chuckled.


    “I suppose you can’t swim in it.”


    “Oh, I could,” he assured me. Teddy let his leather boots strike the hard pathway of carefully chosen


    stone bs, while motioning with his hand for me to follow the exact route. “But it isn’t safe going out


    into the ocean alone.”


    “That is true,” I mused aloud. “Why there is no one out here for miles?”


    “I have no neighbours,” he conceded, after he looked over his shoulder to take in the house. “There is a


    lighthouse further up north along the rocky coast, but I doubt my body would stray there.” He turned his


    gaze to me with care. “If I should die.”


    “A terrible thing to say,” I chided, which earned me a sly smirk. I shook my head at him in disapproval,


    and then looked straight ahead where I could see the outline of his navy-blue car. “Do I detect a hint of


    dark humour from you?” I lightly teased. “Or are you beingpletely serious?”


    “I do have some darkness to me,” he responded with an easy air. “But it is nothing to worry about.” The


    hill became significantly steeper, forcing us to slow down our steps. The dampness of the morning rain


    made the grass slicker, and unfortunately for Teddy it became a perilous journey. He reached out to


    touch the side of my arm, hoping to have some support as he attempted to regain his bnce. He was


    a tall man, and I could feel his immense weight leaned against my upper arm to the point that hisrge


    hand was gripping into my flesh. “Sorry,” he quickly apologized once he regained his bnce. “These


    shoes have no grip.”


    “It’s alright, Teddy,” I softly replied, whichpelled him to slow down his steps. I got the sense that he


    was watching me, and when I turned around, he gazed into my eyes intently. I cast him a nervous smile


    and continued onwards, feeling the need to distance myself from him. The hill continued to go


    downwards, though the steepness was not as severe as before. His car was parked over a patch of


    dirt, and to my surprise the outside of his car was not as clean as his house. I stopped at the passenger


    door, letting my eyes trail over the older car that could have easily been twenty years to date. Teddy


    came over and walked around the vehicle to unlock the door. He slipped inside with ease, settling down


    into his seat before he outstretched an arm to utch my side of the door. I propped it open and took


    my ce beside him. “Thank you again.”


    “I must obey my conscience,” he slyly replied. The key was thrust into the ignition, signalling he was


    ready to leave. “And it berated me for letting you wander down the hill all alone, only to stand in a


    secluded spot in the hopes of waving down a bus.”


    “Oh, but we do live in the country.”


    The engine roared in front of us, encouraging me to put on my seatbelt. “I dare say we do,” Teddy


    agreed with me. “But it would not be right for a woman such as yourself, to be alone out here.”


    “Will it be a long drive to the station?”


    “Long enough.” He pressed down a button to put on his cassette yer, an old device that I had not


    seen since I was a child. “I don’t mind the drive. Sometimes it is best to get out of the house.” Soft


    piano music came through the speakers, and then Teddy turned his attention to winding down the


    window with a manual device. His car was very outdated, and I wondered why a man that owned such


    a nice house would allow himself to be tied to this ancient car. “If I didn’t know any better,” he


    continued. “I spend far too much time there.”


    “Do you ever throw any parties?”


    “Heaven’s no!” heughed.


    “Why not?”


    He reversed out of the dirt patch that made up his parking lot. “The house must be quiet,” he drawled


    out slowly. “Always quiet.”


    “But why?”


    “It has been that way from the start,” he deliberated aloud. “And it must continue that way.” The car


    reversed sharply to the right and then barrelled ahead to drive us down thest of the hill. “And she


    would disapprove of it.”


    “Who?”


    “Oh,” he mouthed out absentmindedly. “My conscience.” He drew a hand upwards to scratch his fingers


    against the side of his jawline. “A slip of the tongue.”


    My voice was soft as I uttered: “I see.”


    We left thest of the lonely dirt trail, and finally entered the smooth paved road that would take us


    back to the vige. He turned the opposite direction from which I came, so I rolled down the window


    just a tad to gaze at the green scenery. The trees were budding, and the long stretch of green grass


    was decorated with vibrant blue bells that curved downwards into the low valley that Teddy’s car was


    speeding along. The scenery was calming, undoubtedly beautiful, and I began to love the ce as if it


    were my own.


    “You are very quiet.”


    My gaze flickered over to the driver of the car, taking in his calmposure. “I was just thinking…” My


    gaze averted back to the sublime scenery. “You live in such a beautiful ce.”


    “Thank you, S.”


    “Do you feel this way too?”


    “I don’t think I could ever bear to part with it,” he said in half jest. “It has be a part of me now.”


    “You have no reason to leave it?”


    “The house is all paid for, but there is still the issue of maintaining the ce. I am not as rich as…” He


    stopped himself, and for some reason there was a darkness to his eyes. “Others,” he breathed out with


    a look of pain.


    “You don’t make enough money through painting?”


    “I make just enough.”


    “Can you afford Daphne?”


    “I can. The house is all I have, so I must invest in it,” he calmly ryed with a wave of his hand. “At the


    end of the day it is my greatest asset.” He let his hand fall onto the steering wheel. “I sometimes feel it


    is my fate to live and die there.”


    “It could be if you never leave it. Have you travelled anywhere?”


    “I’ve been to France,” he rapped out happily. “Germany. I have visited the Swiss Alps.”


    “You have?”


    “Much of my paintings are inspired by the travels I took as a boy and well into my adolescence.” The


    road turned smoothly to the right, leaving thest of the towering hill behind. “I dream of seeing Italy


    one day,” he said with a charming ring to his voice. “Barcelona,” he added. “Spain.”


    “You should go.”


    “I would need an awful amount of money,” he entreated. “And when I go, I would like to spend a great


    deal of time there. A few months at least.”


    “You could, though.”


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    “Maybe when I was young and carefree, but I have responsibilities now.” The outline of houses could


    be seen in the very distance, the pale brown roofs blinding in the sunlight. We were approaching the


    closest vige to his home, an odd sight since I knew we would soon be parted.


    “You are not old, Teddy,” I pointed out. “There is still time.”


    “It would be unwise to leave my home. I must take care of it.” He gripped onto his steering wheel with


    more force. “But sometimes I close my eyes and dream of farawaynds. Things that I have not seen


    yet, and people…” His voice trailed away. “But I am a difficult person to be around, or so I’ve been


    told.”


    “Is it because you are sensitive to sounds?”


    “Yes,” he agreed with me quickly. “And the fact that I have certain peculiarities. I had them since I was a


    child, you see, but as I have gotten older it has be far worse. I think my life and the seclusion of


    my home is enough to keep me sane.”