FOREVER MINE.

Chapter Twenty- Five

In the middle of the night, when happy dreamers embrace their fantasies, Esther sat curled on her bed bare-eyed soaking in her agony. She had been like this for hours staring in space, her mind sprawling in a stream of thoughts. Suddenly, her eyes became heavy and her head, weighty.

She lay on her side and closed her eyes. She had started to feel drowsy when she had an instinct that she heard the sound of footsteps; as if someone walked past her window.  She was seized with a tinge of fear. Quietly, she turned to a sitting posture and peered through the window. There was nothing. The white curtains were well-drawn and a shaft of light from the security bulb let in some dim light.

"I think I must have been dreaming." She thought and climbed down her bed to check whether she had perfectly locked the door to her room. As she lingered around in fright she led to the door and turned on the handle. The door was locked. She turned and trotted across to her bed, but her heart was unsettled. Eventually, she went back to sleep, but her ears were fully awake. She swung facing in the direction of the window and strained her eyes to keep alert, but slowly her vision blurred. Then suddenly, a tall dark silhouette passed across her window. Her heart somersaulted. "Godawful! What was that?"

She trembled and clapped her hand on her mouth? It was awkward because the mansion was encircled by a concrete wall fence. "It couldn't have been an intruder. Perhaps it's a roaming dog!" She wondered. They didn't own any in the mansion. It couldn't be a dog because there was no way it could have jumped over the wall fence unless it had wings. She was confused.

"Oh, mother Mary, I am scared." She hauled the blanket over her head shaking tremendously. Suddenly, she vividly recollected the story about ghosts; Her mother had once told her that in some families, the dead return during the night to haunt their enemies or watch over their loved ones.

 "Could this be one of those ghosts?" She asked herself and obstructed her ears and closed her eyes, but her mind was pretty much awake. She could feel the anonymous figure everywhere around her. 

"Who will help me now? I can neither scream nor walk out of the room. Aunt Jina will lock me outside if I do. God have mercy." She thought and the degree of her fears rhymed with the violent palpitations of her heart. 

The figure walked along the veranda and moved across to the rear end towards the last room which was the guest room. Here, Richard sat on the couch near the window, his heart heavy with sadness. He was pondering on his dilemma when a whip of a sweet-scented perfume gig his nose.

His nostrils flared as he tried to sniff the heady scent.

 " Jina!" He muttered and leapt on his feet.

"Wait," he said and halted, "Jina has never worn this kind of perfume." He's sure because he was the one that would buy her all her perfumes and didn't recall buying any such as this. "If it wasn't Jina then who was it?" He was curious. He lingers around the room and then opens the door and stands on the doorstep. There was no one outside. If anyone was there, he would have sighted them with the help of the diffuse light that spread around the whole yard. Then he noticed that as he moved out the sweet scent grew faint." How curious! Am I running crazy or what?" He asked himself and went back inside and fastened the door. The perfume filled the entire room. He was confused. There was a throb of fear in his heart. His body became damp with perspiration and he stood rooted in the middle of the room. In a moment something hit on the window. Richard marshalled courage and strutted towards the window and slightly drew the curtain.  Barely had he peered through when he saw a human figure standing close peeking at him. He was petrified. The presumed intruder didn't stir at his sight.  Suddenly, the illumination of the scent was conjured up in his mind. Julie had worn the same perfume on their first acquaintance. "Could it be Julie? Which crazy woman would dare storm into someone's compound in the middle of the night? No, impossible!" Then she lifted her hand and waved at him with a smile after removing the hood that hid her identity.

"Julie, you!" He muttered and rapidly opened the window to be sure and the plain reality dawned on him. It was her! 

He had no sooner opened than she clasped his hand and pleaded, "I waited for you, and you didn't show up. I had to see you, Richard." She said in a sad tone as tears rolled in her eyes. Richard was entrapped. Much as he had wanted to be with her, he felt this wasn't the right time.

" Wait," he interposed, "how did you know my address and how did you get inside the fence?" 

"Anyhow, I struggled to get here. How I succeeded in doing it doesn't matter. All I know is that I yearned to see you." How could she tell him that she had sent someone to follow him? That she had to risk by climbing a laser to be able to sneak in? She was as sly as a fox and manipulative. Richard gazed at her with a frown and muttered,

" She's mad!" He meant to close the window but Julie clung to it and implored, "Honey, please, I just need to talk to you in a minute. I swear I won't stay long. Please let me in, Hmh." Richard was at crossroads. Julie was stubborn. If he didn't do something promptly, she might plunge him into danger. Jina would castrate him if she got to find out. After a minute of thought, he eased up and went and opened the back door. Julie hurried in and he fastened the door. "I missed you!" She said and smiled amiably and stretched her hands to his shoulders giving him an alluring smile. She was in a vile mood. Richard looked at her and couldn't resist her temptation. She drew closer and kissed his lips.  This reawakened his warmth. He felt alive again. Julie chuckled. 

"Shush! The kids might hear you." He whispered and Julie pushed him on the bed.

Esther was so frightened that she couldn't stay in her room. Briskly she opened the door and went across to the adjoining room which was Mercy's. Before she could knock on the door, she heard muffled noises coming from the direction of the guestroom and this aroused her curiosity. "Visitors! I didn't hear them come in. Who could it be?" She wondered and turned walking steadily in that direction.