ZOE

CHAPTER 02

Zoe was tired, but not so tired that she couldn’t keep her promise to her father.

She went downstairs to the kitchen, where her father was already waiting for her at the table. They had lunch together in silence—both were curious about the applicants for the stableman’s position.

After lunch, Zoe told herself she had to look her best in front of a potential future employee. She went to her room and stood in front of the mirror. Well, it’s not the worst, she thought. She kept her dress, but she wasn’t happy with her hair at all. Her restless red hair stuck out in all directions, as if it had a life of its own. Zoe quickly thought about what she could do with it. Finally, she decided to braid it. She looked at herself in the mirror again and had to admit that it suited her.

She ran down the stairs, stopped in front of the door, and opened it. Then, as befitted her position, she walked gracefully out into the yard. Her father was already there.

“Did I come on time?” she asked politely.

“Yes, you did, but our candidate is nowhere to be found yet,” he said, looking a bit disappointed.

“Don’t worry, Dad, he’ll come. And if he doesn’t, I’ll take care of the horses myself.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he said with a smile. “I know you’re capable of anything.”

Zoe laughed, unable to resist joining in his amusement.

Just then, the candidate for the stableman position arrived. Zoe was cuddling with Dark, whom she had brought out so she wouldn’t be bored.

“My name is Mark, and I’ve come to apply for the stableman position,” the young man introduced himself.

Tadeo looked at him curiously. “So, how old are you?”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty? So young? And what did you do before you came to apply for this job?” Tadeo continued.

“Do you think twenty isn’t a good age?” Mark asked.

“Not necessarily,” Tadeo replied. “But our former stable boy started here at thirty.”

“Ah. Well, to answer your question—I worked for Mrs. Mongomeriová.”

Tadeo paused. “For Mrs. Mongomeriová? Do you happen to know her first name? And why did you leave?”

“I think her name was Ellen.”

“Ellen?” Tadeo repeated, startled.

“Yes. And I left to… broaden my horizons.”

“Alright, alright,” Tadeo said with a nod. Then he turned to his daughter. “What do you think, Zoe? Should we take him in?”

Zoe was there, but she hadn’t been listening at all. She didn’t even look at Mark.

“Sorry? I wasn’t listening,” she said sweetly, lifting her head from Dark. When she finally looked at Mark, she froze. It was the same man who had watched her at the lake that night.

Mark, seeing her face, became uneasy. It was the same girl who had yelled at him last night. And rightly so—he now realized it probably hadn’t been appropriate to stare at her like that. Besides, she would be his mistress now.

Zoe was the first to recover. She put on her usual charming smile. “I’m very pleased to… uh, what’s your name again?”

“M-M-Mark,” he stammered.

“I’m so glad, Mark. My name’s Zoe—but I’m sure you’ve heard that from my father,” she said with a polite, though slightly stiff, smile.

“So, shall we take him, honey?” Tadeo asked.

“I’d give it a try,” Zoe replied, her eyes flashing dangerously. Just wait—you’ll pay for spying on me last night, she thought.

Mark noticed her expression and felt a little uneasy, though he tried not to show it.

“Very well,” Tadeo said. “If you’d like, you can start right away.”

“I’d love to, sir.”

“Klára!” Tadeo called toward the servants’ quarters.

Klára came running almost immediately. “Yes, sir?”

“Please show our new stableman to his room,” Tadeo said. “It’s the same one the former stableman used. I hope you don’t mind, Mark—you can arrange it however you like.”

“Thank you, sir,” Mark replied.

“Zoe, go to the kitchen and bring Mark some lunch,” Tadeo told his daughter gently. Zoe obeyed without complaint.

She knew exactly where the former stableman’s room was. She arrived there with a tray in her hand and knocked. No one answered, so she opened the door and went inside—but the room was empty. She didn’t mind. She placed the food on the table and headed for the library, where she had left a book she was in the middle of reading.

She never made it there. A sudden commotion in the yard caught her attention—her mother had arrived.

Ellen, who rarely liked anything unless it was her own, was striding toward her.

“Zoe, my dear!” Ellen called out in an overly cheerful tone. She rushed to her daughter and hugged her—though it felt forced.

“Hello, Mom,” Zoe replied, not hiding her lack of enthusiasm.

“I’ve decided that you’ll come live with me and my husband,” Ellen announced.

“That’s not possible, Mom. I’m not going anywhere! I’m happy here!”

“You’re saying that now, but you don’t know what kind of luxury you’d have with me.”

“I don’t care about luxury! I have friends here!” Zoe shouted, almost desperately.

“You can find new friends. Besides, once people know who your mother is, many will want to be friends with you—especially the rich ones. And you should start looking for a man to spend the rest of your life with,” Ellen said calmly. Then she added with a sly smile, “Perhaps even him.”

Zoe just stared at her in disbelief.

“Oh, nothing,” Ellen said dismissively. “I have to go—I still have business to attend to in the city. Send me your answer later.”

“I’ve already decided, Mom. I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here.”

“We’ll see, darling,” Ellen said with a cold smile. “For now, stay here.”

“You too,” Zoe replied politely and walked away.

She was deeply unsettled by the encounter. Her mother’s unusual calmness frightened her. Normally, Ellen would have been shouting or criticizing—but today, she was composed, almost smug. It was as if she already knew how things would turn out—and that was what scared Zoe the most.