55Chapter 6
I really do not understand women. The night before Antonia had been kind and gentle when she asked me to sing to her. That morning she nearly bit my head off! I know I should not have been in the library but there was no need to shout as she did. I was so shocked I could hardly say a thing. Antonia was so complex; one moment she was kind and light-hearted and the next she was cold and bad-tempered.
After the incident in the library I went straight out to the vineyards in now my own bad mood. I think I must have looked angry because no one dare talk to me. I picked a bucket full of grapes and walked to empty them before I heard Cordius calling.
"Antonia! Antonia where are you?" he called looking frantically around. I frowned wondering myself where she was. I put my bucket down and I walked to the gardens.
I could see no sign of her. She looked as if she had disappeared off of the face of the earth. I walked past the large tree in the secluded corner of the gardens, I stopped when I heard a rustling in the leaves. I turned and looked up to see Antonia sitting in the tree!
"My lady? What are you doing up in the tree?" I asked, not even bothering to hide the amusement in my voice.
"None of your business!" she snapped, I just smirked. "Could you - um - help me down? I am stuck" she added sheepishly.
"Well, how did you get up? You should be able to get down the same way" I replied.
"It is too high, I forgot how much I hate heights" she clung to the tree like her life depended on it. It was not even that high off the ground.
"Well there is only one way to get down, you are going to have to jump" I said.
"What?! I am not jumping down from here!" she exclaimed.
"My lady, I will catch you" I assured her.
"Are you sure?" she asked sceptically.
"Positive, you may hang me by the neck from this very tree if I drop you" I smiled holding my arms up in a gesture for her to jump.
"Alright" she shifted herself into position and muttering something incoherent. She looked down at me, swallowed hard and pushed herself out of the tree. I caught her around the waist but I was not counting on the force with which she fell. She knocked me straight to the ground, I was now lying on my back on the floor with her on top of me with my arms still curled around her waist.
"Well, this is - um - interesting" I tried to stop myself from laughing. She was close to laughing herself judging by the wide smile on her face. I rolled so we switched positions and stood and held my hand out to help her up.. She smiled and took my hand and I pulled her to her feet, but I did not let go of her hand. "My lady, are you going to tell me why you were in that tree hiding from Cordius?" I asked and she looked at the floor.
"How did you know I was hiding from Cordius?" she mumbled.
"I am not blind and deaf to the world my lady" I smiled. "Will you not share with me?" I asked. She sank to the floor against the tree trunk, I immediately sat next to her, she looked absolutely distraught. "My lady?" I tried gently, I got silence as my reply. "Antonia" I used her first name and I saw a tear slide down her cheek.
"Why am I such a fool?" she said more to herself than me. She drew her knees to her chest and sobbed into them. I was at a loss at what to do, so I did what I thought best and I put my arm around her. She withdrew from her knees and clung to me and cried into my chest. I put both arms around her shoulders and hugged her tight.
"Shh, please do not cry" I whispered to her. "I am here" I rubbed her back. Her sobs slowly subsided and her grip on me relaxed slightly. "Now tell me what he has done" I said softly, completely covering the anger that I felt to think that Cordius had even touched Antonia.
"He will not leave me alone" she whimpered pulling back and wiping her eyes.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"He keeps trying to kiss me and touch me" she took in raged breaths to try and control herself. "He says he loves me and wants to bed me" I fumed inside at those words, I stood in complete rage to find Cordius.
"That dog!" I hissed and went to give him a piece of my mind among other things when Antonia grabbed my hand.
"No, I need you here with me" she looked up at me with teary eyes, I felt like my heart might break as I sat back down. She snuggled up to my side and I put a protective arm around her shoulders. I brushed her hair back with my fingers and laid a soft kiss on her forehead, hopefully making her feel better. "Theodorius - " she began before I stopped her.
"Call me Theo" I smiled down at her and she looked up and smiled back, then her face went sombre.
"Theo, I kissed him," she said in a shaky voice.
"Why?" I asked, shocked at the statement.
"He had me on his lap and he would not let me go, I could do nothing but kiss him, he will never stop pursuing me. I am at a loss" I saw another tear slide down her cheek.
"Come my lady, no more tears. You are a beautiful girl and tears do not become you" I wiped the tears from her eyes. This elicited a small laugh from her and she took my free hand and started stroking it like she did when I first saw her, not that I minded.
"You have beautiful hands Theo" she told me in a wistful voice, feeling my fingers with her own.
"Oh and I suppose the rest of me looked like the rear end of an elephant do I?" I joked.
"No, I would have said the rear end of a baboon" she laughed; she had regained her sense of humour.
"I am offended my lady" I pouted and feigned a sniffle.
"No, you are as beautiful as your hands" she told me entwining her fingers with mine. I felt my stomach flip when she told me that.
"And you," I began, taking my arm from around her and lifting her chin so she looked at me. "Are more beautiful than Venus herself" I smiled and cupped her cheek with my hand.
"Beauty is not everything, Cordius is enough proof of that" she replied, not taking her eyes from mine. I was lost in the blue that would have shamed the deepest ocean.
"Yes but you are beautiful in here," I lifted her hand to press against her heart.
"I am sorry for snapping at you earlier in the library, I was in a foul mood and was Cordius' fault, the imbecile," she growled.
"You have no need to apologise to a lowly slave, my mistress' word is law, and you must learn to ignore Cordius," I advised, enjoying the way her fingers stroked my hand.
"How can I ignore someone who physically restrains me and gropes me?" she laid her head on my chest and took a deep breath.
"As long as someone is with you he will not dare for fear of it getting back to your father, always walk with someone, whether it be myself or Euphemia, Virius regards you as a little sister, he will guard you with his life" I assured her.
"Thank you Theo" she smiled at me and kissed my cheek dangerously close to my mouth, it set a fire alight within me. I looked down and scaled her face, stopping at her lips and unconsciously I licked my own.
"Forgive me my lady," I whispered before gently placing my lips on hers. Her grip on my hand increased and her body tensed. I did not take it any further than just having my lips on hers; I did not want to offend or anger her. After a few seconds she responded turning fully to me and putting her arms around my neck, she was almost sitting on my lap.
But suddenly she stopped and pulled away with a horrified face, I frowned wondering what I had done wrong.
"No, I cannot do this" she scrambled to her feet I went to walk away. For a reason I cannot fathom I became angry, what had I done to offend her so? Before I could control myself, I stood and took her wrists in my hands and spun her around to face me, I did not take into account that she was still my mistress and that I should not handle her in such a way.
"Why? Why can you not do this? What have I done? I am not a toy you can pick up and drop when it suits you, I am - " I never got to finish, I was about to say that I was a human being when she engaged me in a passionate kiss. I was more confused than ever, when will I learn that women were put on earth to confuse men? Our tongues played with one another as her hand came up and entwined in my hair at the nape of my neck, gently tickling it. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer. My senses had never been bombarded so badly, I could hardly control myself.
She slowly broke away from me and her eyes were a deep indigo and she breathed heavily.
"Do not speak to me like that again or I shall have to punish you" she purred with a smile, referring to my rant earlier.
"If that was punishment, chain me to the wall" I breathed, never wanting to let go of her.
"That can be arranged" she smiled wickedly and went to kiss me again before a voice broke us apart.
"Antonia!" it was Cordius, I seethed inside wanting to kill him for touching Antonia.
"It is Cordius, I have to go!" she pulled away and went to run from his but I caught her hand.
"You must not hide from him, stay with me, he cannot do anything then" I assured her and reluctantly she stayed.
"Antonia, there you are!" I saw him approach.
"I have nothing to say to you Cordius" she replied coldly.
"What do you mean?" he looked confused.
"You are a pervert Cordius, I have nothing more to say on the matter, just stay away from me" she replied with such a strong tone that I could not believe that she was about to run away earlier. "Come Theo" she turned to me and began to walk away.
"At once my lady" I replied with a smile, sending a glare at Cordius before following her to the vineyards. Once there and out of sight of Cordius she leant forward and whispered to me.
"I will see you tonight, come and sing to me" she instructed and to finish the sentence she gave my ear a soft nip on the earlobe, sending shivers up and down my spine.
"Who am I to refuse my mistress?" I smiled roguishly as she left, collecting Euphemia on the way, she had heeded my advice.
I awaited that night with great anticipation.
(Thanks for all the reviews but I need more, MORE my precioussss. Oh gods I've gone into Gollum mode again. Please excuse that, but review anyways! Luv Stick)