Perfect Strangers

'Because, m'lady,' he replied, placing the food tray down on the floor and sliding it through the slot at the bottom of the bars, 'were you to perish, there would be nothing left to lighten my day.'

He looked up at her and Lady Violet felt her heart skip in her chest. She struggled to keep her face impassive. She had told herself countless times that she would not be affected by his words. But the way that he looked at her in those moments, the subtle curve of his lips as he smiled. She wondered perhaps if he felt the same way about her that she did about him.

'Good evening, m'lady,' Emmanuel said, and he stood to leave, turning his back to her.

'Wait!' Lady Violet called, the sound leaving her throat before her brain could stop her. Emmanuel turned around, his eyebrows raised slightly. '... Thank you,' she said under her breath.

Emmanuel smiled in that way that only he could. He nodded his head before turning away again and climbing the stairs to the deck. Lady Violet watched him go, yearning for his company, if only for a moment longer. When he was gone she sat down on the bed, looking at the plate of food. Her stomach rumbled loudly beneath her corset. Succumbing to her hunger, she reached down and grabbed the chicken leg. Taking a bite, she closed her eyes as she tasted the succulent meat against her tongue.

~~~

Veronica lowered the book and leaned her head back in the chair. A cheer erupted from the television but Veronica ignored it. She got up to get herself a glass of water, then settled back in the chair and kept reading. A few hours later, when Greg had finished watching television, he came to tell her it was time for bed. She looked up and nodded, folded the corner of the page, and followed Greg to bed.

Chapter 5

Veronica never mentioned her little episode in the dining room to Greg. She honestly wasn't sure how he would take it, whether or not he would make a big deal out of the situation. Or, perhaps worse, not make any deal out of it at all. She kept up with her daily routine of cooking, cleaning, shopping, reading. She kept a smile on her face whenever Greg was in the room, but other than that her face was usually slack.

A few days after her "episode", Veronica left the house to meet up with her walking group. Today they were going to the town bluffs, to walk along the edge and look out over the nearby lake. Veronica grabbed her coat on the way out, expecting it to be windy at the top of the bluffs. She got into the car and drove to her destination with a few minutes to spare.

When she pulled into the parking lot she scanned it for empty spaces and saw Jason's car, the black Chevrolet, parked near the back. She chose a spot close to the front and got out to join the group.

"Hi Veronica!" Nancy said as she approached the crowd. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"It's gorgeous," Veronica replied, smiling automatically. "Great day for a walk."

Veronica scanned the group and noticed Jason standing off to the side, reading his book. There was a buffer of empty space around him as everyone else talked in small groups. Veronica saw that he was wearing the same leather jacket as before, and what looked like the same jeans.

"All right gang, it looks like everybody's here!" Doug yelled out. "Let's get going!"

Everybody started shuffling forwards, Jason putting his book away inside his jacket as he started walking. It was a beautiful day and they walked along the paths that led to the bluffs. Nancy began talking about how her children were doing in school while Veronica nodded along politely. When Nancy asked what she'd been up to, Veronica brought up the book she was reading but Nancy didn't seem very interested in it. After a while their conversation petered off and the two walked in silence.

After about 20 minutes of walking, the group reached the bluffs. It was a fairly clear day, and from those heights you could see for miles out over the lake. The wind whipped peoples' hair around, making them zip up their jackets and turn their backs to it. Some of the members carefully skirted up close to the edge of the bluffs, trying to look over. It was a steep drop — about 100 feet or so.

Nancy left Veronica to talk to another friend, leaving her standing by herself. She watched one of the women creep up to the edge of the bluffs, holding the hand of her friend who stood back. She got close enough to glance over, then scurried back, the giggling nervously.

Veronica looked at where the dirt and rock ended and slowly began walking towards it. When she got to about 10 feet from the edge she started sliding her feet, feeling the ground beneath her before moving on. Soon she was close enough to look down over the edge, see the foam and spray of the lake as the wind caused waves to crash over the rocks below.

"Pretty far down, isn't it?"

Veronica jumped and took a hasty step backwards, her heart pounding. She turned and saw Jason standing a few feet to her side, his hands in his jacket pockets. He was peering over the edge, his expression one of calm indifference.

"I'm sorry?" Veronica asked as her heartbeat started returning to normal.

"I said, it's pretty far down," Jason repeated, turning to face her. His eyes were green, she noticed. "About a hundred feet, I think."

"Yeah, it's far," Veronica replied. She put a hand to her chest. "You scared me. I thought I was going to fall off the edge."

"Don't worry," Jason said. "I wouldn't let you fall."

His eyes were focused on hers and she had to look away for a moment.

"Um, have you been here before?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Just once," Jason said, "but it was at night. It's a lot prettier at night."

"I can imagine," Veronica said. Her heart had finally slowed back down to normal. She looked at Jason again,

who was glancing out over the lake now. He was definitely younger than she was, in his late 20s at the most. And she could see the faint traces of scars on his face. Two for two, she thought to herself.