The Mafia's Contract

Chapter 12

JOAN'S POV

I stared at her in shock. She was the lady from the armor room, the one who was stating at me. She's real. I thought it was just a figment of my imagination.

I bowed my head respectfully "Good afternoon, Lady Irene."

She was seated by the window, looking at her laptop. The sunlight shone on her skin. As I looked up, I couldn’t help but marvel at her beauty. The magazines and blogs that featured her did her no justice. In person, Lady Irene was breathtaking. Her porcelain skin glowed and her pretty brown eyes twinkle in the sunlight. She had long and luscious auburn hair.

"Hello, Joan," she said in a nice tone.

I was surprised. I thought she would ignore me but she actually sounded nice.

I smiled weakly "I'm here to clean your room. Is this a good time?"

"Yes. You can go ahead. Thank you"

"Okay then"

I was about to get started but her voice stopped me once more

"I've heard a lot about you," Lady Irene said "You’ve been doing an excellent job around the house."

"Thank you" I said "I just do my best."

Her kindness took me off guard, and I found myself relaxing slightly, though a part of me still felt suspicious. Was this a trap? I had heard rumors about how snobbish she was in the papers. Could she be testing me?

She looked at me, tilting her head to the side "Now I see why my brother is so interested in you."

Her comment made me look at her. For a moment, my heart skipped a beat. What did she mean by that?

"Huh? What was that?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

Her eyes widened, and for a brief moment, she looked like a child caught in a lie. Then she waved a hand dismissively,

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself." she said

I nodded then I went straight to the work I came for. I began to arrange her room. I started to straighten the books on her shelves then I fluffed and dusted the pillows on her bed and couches. While I did this, I couldn't get the comment she made out of my mind.

*

I stood at the kitchen counter, chopping vegetables for the dinner. My thoughts were elsewhere. I thought of the words Lady Irene told me earlier.

"Now I see why my brother is so interested in you." she said.

Her words echoed in my mind, making it impossible to focus on the things was doing in the kitchen.

Sir Derrick... interested in me? The very idea seemed strange. He was handsome, rich and well out of my league. I didn't even feel worthy to be in his presence. I was just a maid. He could have any woman he wanted; why would he ever look twice at me?

Yet, I couldn’t deny the flutter of excitement I felt when I thought of him. I had tried to deny the attraction I felt to him but it was evident in my mind. My body reacted to him in ways I had never experienced before. I shouldn't be thinking like this.

"Joan, are you dreaming with your eyes open?" Emily teased.

I smiled. "Sorry, Emily. Just lost in thought."

Before Emily could respond, Miss Sullivan walked into the kitchen.

"Girls, we need to prepare the horses for tomorrow's hunt" she said "Emily, show Joan how to get the horses to like her. It’s her first time, and we want everything to go smoothly."

"Yes, Miss Sullivan," Emily replied.

With those words, Miss Sullivan left the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, Emily turned to me with a grin.

"Come on, Joan. This will be fun. The horses are lovely."

I was excited about it as well. I had never touched a horse before. I had always wanted to ride one.

"I can't wait" I said with a squeal.

When we were done with the meal prepping, we headed out of the kitchen. Before we could step out, Sarah blocked us at the entrance. She squinted her eyes at me.

"I don’t trust you, Joan," Sarah said.

I blinked, taken aback by her comment "What? Why?"

"Because Lady Irene requested you personally," Sarah said "Why would she do that unless there’s something going on? You're trying to sabotage us by getting close to her, aren't you? "

"Sarah, that’s ridiculous," Emily said "Lady Irene can request for whoever she wants. Joan’s done nothing wrong."

"Really?" Sarah snapped at me "What did she want with you, Joan? What did you talk about?"

"She just wanted me to clean her room" I whispered.

"Yeah right"

"That’s enough, Sarah," Emily said, stepping between us.

Sarah’s eyes flashed with anger. "You’re defending her?"

"Yes, I am defending her," Emily replied. "Joan’s done nothing to deserve your suspicion. We’re all here to do our jobs, and we should be supporting each other,."

The tension between them increased. I was scared that things would escalate but Sarah backed down. She muttered something under her breath before turning away to leave.

"Thank you, Emily," I said quietly.

"Don’t mention it," she said with a smile "Now, let’s go see those horses."

I followed Emily outside to the stables. The stable was a large wooden house at the far end of the grounds. Inside, there were stalls for each horse. I scanned the surroundings as I entered.

Emily entered a stall. Inside, there was a beautiful chestnut colored horse.

"Here’s the first lesson," she said, patting the neck of the horse. The horse used her head to nudge Emily playfully. "Always approach them calmly and speak softly. Horses are sensitive to our emotions. That's something most people don't know. You try. ."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. With trembling hands, I reached out and touched the horse's smooth coat.

"Good," Emily said. "Now, talk to her. Let her know she can trust you."

"Hey there, girl," I said softly, stroking the horse’s neck. "You’re so beautiful."

The horse nickered softly and she leaned into my touch. I smiled in excitement.

"See?" Emily said with a grin. "You’re a natural."

"Thanks, Emily," I replied, smiling back at her. "This is amazing."

Emily went to another stall and brought out a horse.

"Let's take them outside" Emily said.

Carefully, I brought the horse outside along with Emily. The horse cooperated with me. While I waited outside, Emily went in and brought more out for walks. Sarah joined us later but she completely ignored us.

For the next hour, Emily and I continued working with the horses. She taught me how to care for them.. I was growing more comfortable around them. They seemed so majestic. I was more and more intrigued. Emily had been patient and encouraging

"You're doing great, Joan," Emily said as I led a beautiful bay horse named Starfire back to the stable. "You’ve got a natural touch."

"Thanks, Emily," I grinned "I’m really enjoying this."

"I'll be right back. I want to get more hay. Take her in and lock the door"

"Okay"

As Starfire and I walked, I couldn’t help but be curious about what it felt like to ride a horse. I had seen people riding with such grace and ease, and I wondered if I could ever do the same. The idea took hold of me, and without thinking, I decided to give it a try.

"Just for a moment," I told myself, looking around to make sure no one was watching.

Emily had gone to fetch more hay, and Sarah was nowhere to be seen.

I led Starfire to a small mounting block and, with a deep breath, climbed up and swung my leg over her back. The sensation of being so high off the ground was both thrilling and terrifying. I tried not to look down. I was scared of heights.

"Okay, Starfire," I whispered, stroking her neck. "Let’s see what this is like."

Due to how nervous and excited I felt, I made a crucial mistake. My legs pressed against Starfire's sides, signaling her to move forward. Before I knew what was happening, she bolted, galloping away from the stable with me clinging desperately to her mane.

"Whoa! Whoa, Starfire!" I shouted.

But she didn’t slow down. The world became a blur of colours as we raced across the fields. We were moving at such a high speed that I could barely see anything. I didn't even have the time to process what was happening. I held her tightly, the wind whipping through my hair. I was starting to get dizzy. I could hear Emily and Sarah shouting behind me.

"Help! Somebody help me!" I screamed.

I tried to pull back on the reins, but my lack of experience made it useless. I didn't know what to do. Starfire seemed to sense my fear. I could feel her muscles tense as she sped up. The ground seemed to rush beneath us, and I clung on to her for dear life. My heart pounded loudly and fear gripped me tightly.

"Joan, hold on!" I heard Emily's voice "We’re coming!"

But I couldn’t see them. All I could see was the rapidly approaching forest. If Starfire didn’t slow down, we would crash, and I couldn’t bear to think about what would happen then.

"Please, Starfire, stop," I begged.

She didn't stop. She kept moving at a fast pace.

I gulped. This is it. This is how I die.