Season of Terror
by Tigger
Copyright 2002, All Rights Reserved

Chapter 20: A Time to Rest

When they got to the stable, William helped remove the tack from the horses, but as Victoria reached for the brush to groom them, he asked, "Um, Vic, would you do me a favor and finish up?  I need to go talk to Aunt Jane about something."  

"Of course," she said politely.  "I don't mind anyway.  I love working on them."  

"Thanks, bro, see you up at the house."

When Victoria had completed caring for the horses, she strolled up the path to the house with a combination of distraction and anticipation.  She wanted to talk to William some more, about what he had said, but it wasn't something that could be discussed at Miss Jane's formal dinner table - not with Penny there, too.  When she reached the door into the kitchen area, Marie met her with a broad smile.  

"Ah, cherie, you smell like horses.  Again."

"Sorry, Marie.  It happens."

"I know, child, but you need to go get cleaned up.  However, Miss Jane wants to see you first.  She's in the library with Penny."  

"Before I shower?" 

"Yes, ma petite, right away."

When Victoria reached the library, the door was open and she saw Penny, carefully navigating the room in her latest pair of high heels, one hand tucked into crook of William's elbow and the ever-unwelcome Mr. Webster perched atop her now-blonde head. *My goodness but those make her so tall! Like she is all leg from down there to up here! She must have four, maybe five inches on William in those spikes.  Her ankles are going to KILL her tonight.* She was raising her hand to knock politely on the door's frame when Jane saw her standing in the doorway.  

"Come in, Victoria," she called, amusement rather than distaste in her expression, despite Victoria's smudged face and . . . distinct aroma.  

William smilingly excused himself from his 'companion' and turned to greet Victoria.  Jane moved around the still-marching Penny, and faced her diminutive charge.  "I just wanted you to know, that William has my permission to make his request of you, but how you respond is your choice."

"What request?"

Jane's eyes twinkled, but she shook her head.  "That is for William to explain."  

Just then there was a thud behind them, and they both looked at the sound to see Penny bending down, picking up the dictionary that had fallen from her head.  

Jane sighed, and said, "Perhaps you should go get cleaned up now, Victoria."

"Yes, ma'am," Victoria dutifully replied.  She retraced the familiar path to the top of the second floor, but before she could reach her room, she was again intercepted.

"Vic, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked William.

"Of course," she said politely.  

"How long has it been since you've seen a movie?" he asked.

"A movie?"

"Yeah. Or, in the terms of upper-crust snobbery, a 'film.'  You're not a snob, are you?"

"No!  At least, I hope not."

"Good.  So, let's go see a movie.  We'll get a little dinner first, okay?"

"I, uh, you mean, go out together?"

"Sure.  Why not?"

"But I'm a . . . I mean, you know I'm a . . . "
William laughed and said, "Sure I do and you know that I'm married - quite happily as a matter of fact.  But you're still mighty decorative so it's not like it would be a hardship to spend some time with you.  And unless you intend to throw me down and rape me - which I don't think you're quite big enough to do, besides I've been trained in hand-to-hand combat by experts - we'll just be two friends hangin' out, having a good time. Do you have a problem with that?"
"Uh, no, I guess not, I mean, no, not at all.  Heaven knows I haven't had much in the way of 'hangin' out time' since I first arrived here at Jane's place."

"Great, see you in - hmmm, you *will* need to take a shower - say, an hour?"

Victoria nodded, her mind whirling with the unexpected development.  It was all right, really.  William could spend an evening with Victor doing exactly what he described, so why not Victoria?  Yet, it was . . . different, too.  But Miss Jane had said it was okay, so . . . 

"That would be, um, fine.  What's playing?"

"Well, there's where you've got a choice.  There's the new Mel Gibson war movie, a Jim Carrey comedy and a, uh, well, I guess you'd call it a chick-flick."

"Chick-flick? What is that?"

"My wife loves them.  Romantic, usually with at least two scenes guaranteed to make the ladies cry, one of them happy tears, guys being made to look foolish at least three times by their girls and a happy ending, which usually means marriage with the bride meeting all criteria to wear white."

"Oh.  Umm, have you seen any of the movies?"

"Nope."

"You don't have a preference."

"Not fair, Vic.  I told you to choose."

"Oh. Well, could we go see the war flick, but if asked, sort of hint we saw a, what did you call it? A chick-flick?  He is a favorite of the ladies, isn't he?"  
"I think we could tell her we saw a Mel Gibson movie without lying."

"Good. And I want popcorn!  A bucket with LOTS of butter and salt.  I am so bloody tired of Marie's low-salt, low fat healthy snacks.  I think she does that to encourage us to learn to bake!"

"Go get cleaned up, Vic, and I'll meet you downstairs."

Victoria hurried into her room, stripping off her riding clothes and hoping Marie wouldn't be too angry that she just left them lay.  But she had more important things to worry about.  What was she going to wear?!

~----------~

The Armani pants suit was just what she wanted - elegant and dressy enough to suit Aunt Jane, but not 'dress-feminine'.  Somehow, both factors had been important to the teen when faced with the problem of selecting her outfit.  Suiting Aunt Jane was important because, well, she was Aunt Jane.  Victoria wasn't quite so sure about why the second factor she was important. *Maybe because it is hard to guard somebody's back in spiked heels and a hobble-skirt?* she thought as she slid into the seat of William's Mustang.

"Still want to see the Gibson?" he asked as he pulled onto the private drive leading to the main road.  At Victoria's nod, he grinned.  "Look, Vic, relax, okay?  I know about Penny, and Jane felt you had earned a little decompression time.  If there's something you'd rather do than go to the movies, tell me.  Think of it as a 'guy's night' if you want, instead of as a date."

"A guy's night?"

"Sure.  Feel free to cuss like a sailor and far. . .I mean, pass gas if you want.  Or, if you prefer, we can go to the country club - Jane arranged a guest membership for me - and do the guy and gal on a date thing.  You like dancing?  It's the one thing Jane made me learn that I really did like, even if I did have to let her lead."

Victoria laughed and felt herself relax.  "I think I'll pass and the swearing and gas-passing, and I don't feel like dancing.  The movie sounds perfect.  But I WAS serious about that popcorn, mister!"

"Okay, but you figure out how to keep the grease stains off that silk suit. *I* am not explaining to Jane and Marie how it got messed up."

"SILK?!?!  Oh, Shi. . sugar!"

"I thought we weren't swearing tonight, Vic?"

"Shut up, Wilma."

"Yes, Aunt Jane."

~---------------~

"I'm so glad you came, Will," Jane told her student as she and Victoria escorted him to his car the next morning.  "I just wish your wife could have come, too."

"She's tied up with the emergency recovery stuff, but she insisted I come up to see you before I. . .before I ship out."

"Tell her I'm very grateful," Jane said, pulling him into her arms for a tight, loving hug.  "I'll write.  So will Marie."  The little maid was inside supervising Penny in the cleanup following breakfast.

William nodded, then smiled down at Victoria. "Will you write to me, too?"

"Me?" she squeaked in surprise.  

"Sure.  Include a picture, and spritz it with perfume.  I'll be the hero of my battalion.  Maintaining the most honored traditions of the Corps - a girl in every port." 

"Oh, you!" Victoria snorted, playfully swatting him on the arm. She had him figured for the 'hopelessly in love with his wife monogamous' sort since he'd spent their entire meal the night before regaling Victoria with stories of his wife and family.  

"Well?" Will insisted, cocking a brow in challenge.  

"Well what?" she sniffed, beginning to enjoy the flirtatious banter.

"Are you gonna write to me, too?  I'd like to hear from you.  Really."
Jane watched as her student blushed, and then nodded.

"And a picture?" William wheedled, earning himself another blush and another hesitant nod. "Great.  And tell your twin that I'd like to hear from *him*, too."

"Okay," she said quietly.  "I'll make sure he gets the word and that you get your letter."

There was an awkward moment as the pair, both students of Jane Thompson stared at each other, unsure what to do next.  Jane looked around and made sure they were alone.  "Look, you two, if you were both in trousers, you'd probably hug. If you were both in skirts, you WOULD hug.  Let's not be foolish here!" she snapped in her best school-marm voice.

William grinned at Jane, then opened his arms in invitation.  With only a moment's hesitation, Victoria stepped inside their strong circle and returned the embrace, her head resting on his strong chest.  "Hang in there, bro," William whispered just before letting her go, "You're gonna be one of Jane's great ones."

Jane and Victoria stood at the head of the circle, watching, long after the little red sports car was no longer in sight.  Finally, the fall wind whipping about their hair chilled them enough to break through the reveries.  "Come along, Victoria.  Penny's new clothes arrived yesterday and we have a great deal to do so that she will be ready for her first salon visit day after tomorrow." With that, the Mistress of Seasons House offered her hand to her senior student, and then led the way back to the mansion's door.