The encounter cheered Willa up somewhat. Her siblings usually surrounded themselves with sycophants who were afraid of them. Katrina was certainly different!
Willa slipped around the house so she wouldn’t be seen. Like Puck, she thought, and tears gathered in her eyes. Would she ever see Puck again? See any of them again? When Sean and Diana returned, would anyone tell her?
But it had been months, and no one had contacted her about anything. It did cross her mind that since she’d not told them where she was, it would have hindered them. But they could have asked her family. They could have...
In the next second she remembered Nicky’s words, and the tears gathered again.
She sat down under a big oak tree that she’d always liked, drew her knees up and put her head down. It’s time, she told herself. Time to stop wallowing in misery and do something with her life. She was young; she had money. She...
When Willa heard a noise, she looked up. Katrina was coming toward her. Under her arms were two rolled-up rubber mats.
She didn’t look at Willa, just unrolled the mats on a flat, grassy area. She stood on one, then looked at Willa as though to tell her to take the other one.
“I don’t—I mean, I can’t—” Willa began.
The woman wasn’t a nanny for no reason. She gave Willa a look that almost made her say, “Yes, miss.”
Willa took her place on the other mat.
Katrina put her legs in a wide stance and raised her arms. “We will salute the sun.”
For the next hour, Willa tried her best to follow. It wasn’t easy. She wasn’t used to her newly acquired weight and she had trouble balancing. And the stretching just plain hurt.
But the good part was that for one whole hour she didn’t think of her misery. Didn’t think how she would soon have to face her siblings and father.
Katrina rang a little bell and they were done. She handed Willa a refillable bottle of water.
Katrina took another one and for a minute they sat in silence on the mats.
“I despise your family,” Katrina said.
“Me too.”
“They say such terrible things about you that I thought you must be a good human being.”
“I am,” Willa said, and that made her feel better. “So why are you working for them?”
Katrina took a moment to consider before she answered. “I was a yoga instructor. I had my own studio and held classes. I fell madly in love with one of my students and we married. I got pregnant instantly.”
She took a breath and Willa saw her blink back tears. “Six months later, his heart exploded. He was fine one minute and the next he was dead. The shock made me miscarry.”
“Oh,” was all Willa could say.
“I sold my studio. I couldn’t bear people’s pity. I wanted something new and I heard of this job and...” She shrugged. “Your brother thinks sex with me is part of what he’s paying for. I’m handing in my notice right after the funeral. Maybe you’ll give me a ride.”
“To where?”
“Italy? Greece? Wherever.”
Willa gave her first smile in a long time. “Me too. I plan to go down the rabbit hole.”
“Pistol in hand?”
Willa actually laughed. “How do you possibly know about that?”
“It’s a legendary Willa story. One of many that they have. They...” She stopped.
“It’s okay. I know what they say.”