CHAPTER 9
"Welcome to the Darkwoods Estate," Edward announces as he opens the door for me, taking my hand. Today, Peter didn't drive us; Edward preferred to drive alone when leaving the city. I smile tensely, and Edward notices, frowning slightly. "Hey, are you okay?" he asks with concern.
I try to gather some happiness and excitement in my answer. "Yes, oh my god, I'm so happy. I mean, I'm fine," I reply, though my voice lacks conviction.
"Okay," Edward says, looking at me awkwardly. "Come on, let's get inside. I'll get your bag." He heads back to the car and retrieves my bag, along with his own briefcase. Taking my hand, he leads me up to the mansion.
As we approach the door, it suddenly swings open, nearly giving me a heart attack. An old man and woman stand in the doorway, and I can't help but laugh awkwardly. Edward looks at me strangely, but then joins in the awkward laughter.
The old man comes toward us and helps Edward with the bags, while the old woman remains at the door. When we reach them and step inside, Edward greets the woman affectionately, kissing her forehead, and hugs the old man before introducing us to each other.
Edward introduces the old woman as Margaret and the man as Manuel.
"This is my girlfriend, Ruby Reginald," he says, and I feel a flutter in my heart. I suppose I should have expected it, but he's never called me his girlfriend before. So I smile brightly at that.
"And this is Margaret and Manuel. They help me around the house, and they don't live far from here. They've been with me forever. I think Margaret may have changed my diapers at one time in my life," he teases, and everyone laughs.
Margaret looks distant, but Manuel is bright and charming as he welcomes me to their Darkwoods Estate. Suddenly, Edward smells the air and says,
"What's that, Margaret? Don't tell me you prepared my favorite berry cupcakes." Margaret beams at him.
"Of course I did. Come on, join me in the kitchen."
We follow her to the kitchen, where she hands us a bunch of cupcakes. Edward snaps them up in quick succession, and I widen my eyes at him. Even though we've lived in his apartment for nearly three weeks, we haven't actually had much time to spend together. We've only eaten together a few times. And I guess with a body like his and such stamina, he must be a big eater.
Margaret starts delivering food right there in the kitchen, and Edward attacks his meal like he hasn't eaten in days. "I've really missed your cooking, Margaret," he tells her, and she's filled with pride.
I have to admit, the food Margaret makes is really good. And I'm afraid if I stay here too long, I'll gain a hundred pounds. After we've eaten, we finally go upstairs to our room.
"What was that out there?" Edward asks me as we settle in our room. "What?" I reply, confused. "When we reached here, you started acting strangely. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you keep asking me that?" I respond, feeling a bit defensive.
"I keep asking because... you were... you're just acting... different," he explains.
"No, I'm okay. I promise.“
“ Is it too much? The house? You don't like it here?" He inquires, getting concerned.
"No, I mean, the house is beautiful. It's nice. It's just so... secluded. Do you even get internet here?" I question.
Edward laughs. "Of course, there's electricity, there's... internet. There's everything you could ask for. The whole world could burn to the ground and we would survive."
"Stop that. It's not funny," I tell him firmly, but then curiosity gets the better of me. "As we came upstairs, I saw there were a lot of rooms... on the first floor. Do you stay here... by yourself in this whole house?"
"Yes. Is that a problem?“
“Why would you want to stay here with this whole house by yourself?" I probe gently.
"Okay, come here," he says, taking my hand and leading me to sit on the bed. "Margaret and Manuel live not far from here.“
“Where is their car? I didn't see a house for a lot of miles."
"They park in the garage. That's where I also put the car. So they come in the morning and they leave in the evening. This house and property has been in the Darkwoods Estate for hundreds of years. My parents wanted to have a huge family. But then they weren't so lucky. But we have relatives who come to visit from time to time. The house hosts a lot of parties. So the house gets filled sometimes."
"I'm still thinking," I admit. "Okay, so you are an only child."
"Yes, I am. And I don't like sharing my toys," he teases, and I can't help but laugh as he kisses me.
"So like, don't you get lonely here?" I ask, pushing him back when he tries to deepen the kiss.
"Well no, I don't. I love the wilderness. I love running and the privacy. it's quiet. It gets me grounded and focused. I love being here. Do you hate it? I mean, it would crush me if you hated it. Because it's the one happy place, I am not really a city person."
"I don't know, maybe I can get used to it when I get used to it. I will have to answer that after I have spent a few days."
"Okay, just promise me you will give it a chance," he pleads.
"I promise," I assure him.
That night passed uneventfully. I guess I was too tired, so I slept through it. When I wake up, it's already 10. And Edward has just gotten out of the shower. He comes to the bed and kisses me.
"Good morning," he whispers.
And we get acquainted with the bed again that morning. I wake up, go to the bathroom, and when I come back, Edward delivers me breakfast in bed.
"Here you go, darling," he says with a smile, placing the tray in front of me.
After, he gives me a tour of the mansion. It's divided into three wings. And, of course, he uses the centre wing. He says his parents used to have the right wing, and the left one was used for guests.
"We've got a whole setup here," he jokes. "Once we have our mini-you and mini-me, they can take the right wing. What do you think about that?"
I laugh at it, and we continue through our tour. By lunchtime, Margaret serves us a hearty meal, and I find out that Edward is a meat lover. He loves eating meat. Barbecued. Red. And juicy.
"You've got quite the appetite," I tease him.
He grins. "I like my meat." And then winks.
That night, when we got to bed, we made love again, twice, before I succumbed to sleep. I don't know what wakes me in the middle of the night, but I guess I'm kind of thirsty too. Edward is not by my side, and I wonder where he could be. I check the bathroom, and I go to the mini-sitting room of the bedroom. He is not there.
I decide to go down to the kitchen and get some water, as I try calling out for him.
"Edward? Edward, are you here? Are you here, Edward?" I call out as I navigate through the dark mansion.
But the whole house is dark. It's eerily calm, and I start getting scared on my way down the stairs. Look, it's the whole house in the middle of this forest. What if somebody gets in? What if something is already in? What if something attacks me? I'm a scaredy-cat. I think to myself nervously.
"Hello? Is someone there?" I call out, my voice trembling.
Silence.
I reach the kitchen and just as I go to get a bottle of water from the fridge, suddenly the back kitchen door is opened, and someone gets in. I'm so scared that my eyes get fuzzy. I scream, so damn high, so damn hard, my heart racing with fear.