Chapter-6

Kate looked around. She was in her room which was in complete darkness,She could hear sounds coming from outside. She had probably been unconscious for awhile now. She tried to get up but soon saw that her right leg was bandaged. She could move it but it was a little stiff, She slowly sat up and put her feet gingerly on the ground. It didn't hurt much. She played the events of the day through her mind and suddenly the thought that the owner of the eyes that so bemused her might still be in the house swiftly put her in motion. Her sudden sprightly movement caused her to lose her balance and she ended up on the floor with a loud thud.

"Kate, are you okay?" came her mother's voice and the door to her room opened. Her mother walked in towards her and started fussing about and asking her questions but Kate could make no sense of any of this and her eyes wandered past her mother to the open door. She could see a shadow emerging. Her heart started beating uncontrollably and she looked with utmost anticipation. She had never experienced as much disappointment as she did when she saw Simmonds emerge from the shadows. 

"How're you miss" came his kindly voice.

"I'm fine. Just a little unused to the bandage." she replied

"Maybe you should stop looking for trouble, I told you specifically not to go there and you as always had to disobey me. When will you ever listen? I've never seen a more troublesome child than you--" her mother went on.

What if she had imagined it?What if it was Simmonds who carried her? Kate sighed and she looked once again towards the door. She gasped. He was there leaning against her wall. 

"Kate are you okay? What is the matter?" her mother asked in a worried tone. 

"I'm fine. Just-- nothing." she replied.

"Come, lets go into the dining room." her mother said."Can you walk though?"

Kate knew she could walk till there, but one look again at the stranger made her give a negative answer hoping that he would once again carry her.

"Oh" said her mother. "Maybe one of us could carry you there."

 Simmonds was way too elderly and tiny to carry Kate and her mother could probably but she chose to ignore that possibility and waited with happiness for everyone to come to the conclusion that there was only one person eligible to do it.

"No. She should not get used to any help, That is only going to make her recovery slower, Let her try walking." came the arrogant sound of the stranger.

Kate felt so angry. She no longer cared about her leg and she got up hastily. She walked with as much poise as she could possibly with one leg heavily bandaged, She moved past him, giving a menacing glance. She moved into the dining room and quickly sank into a chair. 

Her mother sat beside her and Simmonds slipped outside inconspicuously. 

"Come, sit here" her mother beckoned the stranger to a seat opposite her. 

"I should probably get going." came his voice from behind.

"No, please, The least I can offer you is something to drink," her mother said.

The stranger reluctantly took the seat. 

"This is Mr. Ryder, and of course you would by now know that this is my naughty daughter, Katherine. We call her Kate." said her mother introducing them to each other.

"Yes, I met her very briefly." he said.

"Oh  really. Where?" her mother asked, surprised.

"Well it was more like we brushed past each other and coincidentally in the same place  we found her, today." he said looking at Kate towards the end, giving her a slight smile akin to a smirk.

"You went there! You lied to me Kate! You don't listen to me and now you've started lying as well."her mother said angrily.

"Well I thought--" Kate began.

"Well enough. We'll talk about this later." her mother said in a hardly controlled voice and went into the kitchen.

From her mother's expression, Kate knew she was in deep trouble. She sighed and looked angrily at the stranger who was gazing outside.

"Did you really have  to tell her." she asked him.

He turned slowly towards her and said-"Well unlike you, I don't find lying amusing."

"I did not lie, I just did not say it which you could have done too" she said angrily.

"I could have but again why should I?" he said.

Before she could reply, her mother walked in with a tray and she had to be content just glaring at him. She gobbled down the food offered to her.

"So when're you starting your work?"her mother asked.

"Shortly." he replied.

Her mother tried to make conservation but all her attempts were dampened by the his curt, short answers. He got up after a while and said-"Well I should leave.I'll call you later with the details."

He left abruptly without even glancing at Kate.

Soon after he left, her mother began scolding Kate who hardly heard any of he things being told. When she saw that her mother was done talking she slowly made her way to he room. She fell asleep the moment  her head hit the pillow,