Cruel and Unusual - serialised novel EXCLUSIVE to Steemit Part 31

For the full list of episodes, please see this post: Episode List

Images below from Google and Pixabay

From yesterday’s episode:
“It is perhaps another Wolf, a stranger?”
“It could be, but not at this time of the month, surely? And it seems Wolf and yet not Wolf. Perhaps we have a Throwback here.”

“We may have but as you know, by their nature they are unpredictable and mostly secretive, especially if they can sense Wolf, their instinct is usually to avoid us, it is only the exceptional one that turns Hunter of Wolf and even they are not the true exception. All throwbacks are extremely dangerous to us. Keep a weather eye out for it, just in case, though I do not advise informing your pupil for the moment, you do not wish to alarm him or warn the Throwback that you are aware of their presence.”

“Quite right and now if you will excuse me, I really must sleep.”

Hazel had stopped. They were standing next to a very high brick wall with no windows. Just a little farther up the street was an imposing wooden gate, large enough to allow passage of a four-horse cart.

She turned and he saw that she was very tired. She went towards the smaller gate cut into the right hand half of the larger ones.

“What is this place, Hazel, a warehouse?”

He caught hold of her arm to stop her. She looked down at his hand as though daring him to keep hold of her and he let go of her arm as her temper suddenly flared.

“Yes it is a warehouse; it is a very well-guarded one. I am completely safe here. There is no need for your concern.”

“Safe you may well be but you cannot be comfortable.”

“It is somewhere safe to sleep that is all.”

“No, you are tired because you are not getting sufficient rest. How long have you been here?”

“A week or so, I move often. I am fine.”

“And I tell you that you are not. You are tired and weary. Your temper is frayed and you have no patience with your pupil. It is because you try to sleep in a place that allows no quiet. I dare say that you have to fight rats for your bedding?”

“Not quite, but you are right, it is noisy. I could do with a bath.”

“We go to my hotel then. Go and gather your belongings. I shall wait.”

She was back in just a few minutes. She waved farewell to the little old man that opened the gate for her and they went to the hotel.

“When you said ‘my hotel’ I did not realise that it belonged to you and that it would be quite so magnificent.”

He smiled at her admiration but asked, “Why on earth were you dossing in that place?”

“It was an easy alternative. I always find similar accommodation and I move frequently; I do not like the fancy trappings of establishments such as this one. Besides, if you live in hotels you have to keep up appearances. I do not enjoy fancying myself up each time I leave the place. Sometimes I like to blend in with the ordinary people, you can learn a lot by doing that.”

“It is time that I spoiled you Hazel. This afternoon we will go out shopping.”

“I do not want to. I like these clothes; it doesn’t matter if I tear or dirty them. With new and fancy clothes, I must take care not to splash them with mud or catch them on anything so therefore, I cannot be myself.”

“Hazel, listen to me. You are a beautiful woman; you draw attention no matter what clothes you wear. Admiring glances are yours whether you wear rags or riches but you look suspicious in these rags.”

“Why do I?”

“You do because people wonder why such a beauty with such bearing as you carry yourself with is not the mistress of a wealthy man. They wonder why she has no sponsor. Well I shall be your sponsor and by allowing this, it will be so much easier to tutor Keme. Now I shall have you shown to your rooms, a bath is waiting. In the morning I will have a seamstress visit you and you will be civil towards her.”

“Yes Anton I will and you are right as usual and I am too weary to argue.”

He whispered as they were shown upstairs to her rooms, “Just because you are Wolf does not mean that you cannot be civilised too.”

She realised that she had been living wild and that Anton had forced Keme’s tuition onto her in order to bring her back into society.

She bathed and then crawled into the bed, the soft sheets and mattress were a luxury to her and she fell asleep, safe and secure – with no rats to bother her for the first time in months.

Chapter 2

Gentle tapping on her door awakened Hazel the next morning. Unthinking, she rose from her bed and opened the door. Anton stood alone in the hallway.

He said, “I thought you might answer your door this way.”

He kept his eyes fixed on hers. “You need to remember that you have servants now and they are not used to the naked female form, not even the other females.”

She stepped back to allow Anton entry to her rooms, then turned back to her bed chamber for find her clothes. She could not find them and was just beginning to pull a sheet from the bed when Anton called from the sitting room.

“There is a robe hanging on the back of a door somewhere in there, I suggest that you use that.”

Locating the robe, she put it on; tying the sash as she got back to Anton.

“Morning Anton,” she muttered.

“Good morning Hazel.” He seemed rather too joyful for Hazel’s frame of mind for the moment and she scowled but Anton was determined and he persevered in his niceties. “You look well rested and dare I say, clean?”

“I do not feel particularly well rested. I have had far too much sleep and slept too deeply. My mind is fogged, I feel thick-headed.”

“Do not worry. I have asked for coffee to be brought up as well as a decent breakfast. Then the seamstress will come to see you. I do not know how long a dress takes to make but if needs be, I dare say that I could borrow one from one of my lady acquaintances in order that we may step out this evening.”

“I have a prior engagement this evening if I recall. I will be tutoring Keme once more.”

“Yes, he may join us.”