Sir Arthur

• Twenty-eight

Kimberly had woken up earlier than she normally did. She had even tidied her room and was dressed exceptionally brightly. Lily and Faye failed not to notice all that and they had been slyly giving her suggestive looks.

It had to do with a certain man who was still residing in their compound. He had stayed after the evening meal yesterday when her father had pleaded with him to stay to which he relented.

Faye had gone to town with Lily to get her the necessary supplies to prepare her weekly concoctions. The two had eagerly agreed to her request so Kim was sure they were up to something else. Perhaps two scholars she knew.

Madame Paula came into her room to deliver her afternoon snacks that she always had since she hardly had her midday meal. She had been cocooned in her room since morning only walking out a few times.

"Is father home?" Kimberly asked Madame Paula just as she exited the room. Her voice quivered a bit trying to appear inconspicuous. She really wanted to know where Matteo was.

"He's in the study with the knight." She replied and left her quarters. Kimberly looked out of her window once again. She had peeking through since morning to see if Sir Arthur had left.

She opened the book he had granted to her the previous night and her thoughts tried not to wander to her fast beating heart in his closeness and her shamelessly embracing him.

Shaking her head and flipping through the pages, she found a perfect recipe for her next medicine. With renewed energy, she gathered all what she needed and went down to the yard where she usually sat preparing her herbs.

She began crashing the lemon balm till they became a powdery substance and then proceeded to wash a few raspberry leaves she'd gathered though they were not enough. Kimberly still awaited Lily and Faye to bring her garlic and nettle.

"Is Lady Arthur feeling better?" Lady Heather questioned the young knight as they walked into the backyard. She had not been closely acquainted with the Arthur's though she had often seen her and hearing that she had been unwell made her feel uneasy.

"Yes ma'am, she's doing well." Matteo replied politely. "Let us know when anything is up," she added while smiling briefly at him. He was always too polite although she had already accepted him into her family.

"Kimberly is usually here at this time," Lady Heather continued and she noticed a slight change on his neutral face. "Oh, there she is." She exclaimed once she saw her daughter seated on the bench.

They both walked to Kimberly who had been too immersed in preparing her herbs to hear their approaching voices and steps. She jumped in fright almost knocking down everything on the bench were it not Matteo's quick reflexes.

He held the sides of the bench with his hands just before everything overturned came tumbling down. Lady Heather looked at her daughter frowning. She was one to scare easily.

"It was just us dear," she placed her hand on Kim's shoulder pulling her into an embrace. Ever since that night Kim and Faye failed to return home until later the next morning, she noticed that Kimberly had become more sensitive to the slightest of sounds.

She had cornered Faye a week later into getting the details of what had happened as Kimberly dared not utter a word. The strange cloaks on their bodies also didn't calm her. It was not until she got the bottom of everything that she greatly had immense gratitude for the knight.

Lady Heather pulled away and cast an eye to the young man who worriedly looked at her daughter. He was expressionless for the most time but as she dwelt longer on him, she had noticed slight changes.

"Your father needed help with something," Lady Heather excused herself and walked back into the manor humming merrily as she swung her hands to and from.