When she stopped waiting

Fifteen minutes past, Victoria Blackwood had been counting since Walter disappeared through the shop's brass handled door, and fifteen minutes was too long for a man sent in only to collect a parcel. She smoothed the front of her coat, glanced once at her own reflection in the tinted window, the same way she checked a table setting before guests arrived and let herself out of the car without waiting for anyone to open the door for her. The pavement was uneven near the curb, a seam where the concrete had been patched and never quite leveled, and Victoria's heel caught it exactly wrong. For one second there was no dignity in her at all, only the lurch of a body realizing, too late, that it was about to fall. A hand closed around her arm before she'd finished deciding whether to be embarrassed. "Whoa I've got you. Easy ma'am." The voice belonged to a young woman coming out of the shop at that exact moment, a small paper bag in her hand, now abandoned mid air as she helped Victoria regain her balance with both hands, as if there had been no decision involved at all, only reflex. Victoria straightened, found her footing, and became aware in the space of a breath that she was being looked at with nothing but plain concern. No recognition. Just a stranger checking whether another stranger was alright. It had been a long time since anyone had looked at her that simply. "I'm fine," Victoria said, and heard how clipped it came out, and tried again, gentler. "Thank you. That was clumsy of me." "It's that seam." The young woman nodded at the pavement, already releasing her grip now that Victoria was steady. "It's gotten two people this week. I keep telling the shop they should paint it a warning stripe or something." Up close she was younger than Victoria had first thought mid-twenties, maybe, with the kind of open, unguarded face Victoria associated with people who hadn't yet been taught to be careful with it. Her coat was plain. Her boots were practical. Nothing about her suggested she had any idea whose arm she'd just caught, and something in Victoria found that almost restful. "I don't believe I caught your name," Victoria said. "Sophia, yeah Sophia." She said it easily, the way people say their names when nothing is riding on it. "Victoria Blackwood." Victoria introduced herself. Sophia smiled "Well, Blackwood sounds familiar buh I don't really know just mind the seam on your way out." Sophia said, her brows slightly raised. Victoria barely reacted. The Blackwood name was hardly unfamiliar to anyone in their social circle. Her family had been wealthy for generations, and the Blackwoods were one of the most recognized families in the city. It was only natural that someone might have heard the name before. She therefore didn't think much of Sophia's words . “Perhaps you've heard of the family before,” Victoria replied casually. Sophia nodded, but said nothing more. Victoria didn't ask for her surname. Sophia hadn't offered it either, and there was no reason for Victoria to press her. As far as she was concerned, she had simply met a kind stranger who had helped her avoid an embarrassing fall. Neither woman had any idea that they would meet again. "I'd offer to walk you in, but I'm late as it is." Sophia said making attempt to move "Go," Victoria said because she doesn't want to keep Sophia late "And thank you. Truly." "Anytime." Sophia was already moving, lifting a hand in a small wave without looking back, and then she was past the car and down the avenue and gone, swallowed by the ordinary traffic of people who had somewhere to be. Victoria stood a moment longer than the situation required, watching the space where the girl had been. Then she smoothed her coat a second time, stepped carefully over the seam in the pavement, and went to find out what, exactly, was taking Walter so long. Victoria pushed through the shop's glass door and immediately spotted Walter standing near the counter. “What is taking so long?” she asked, her voice sharp enough to make the shopkeeper glance up. Walter turned around quickly. “Mrs. Blackwood, I’m sorry. I was just about to come out.” “You were just about to come out fifteen minutes ago.” Walter looked apologetic as he held up the parcel in his hand. “They couldn't find it at first. The parcel was listed under a different name, so they had to check the records before they could release it to me. I had to wait while they searched through the deliveries.” Victoria glanced at the parcel, then back at him. “And all that took fifteen minutes?” “I tried to hurry them, ma’am.” She let out a quiet sigh. “Next time, make sure you know exactly what you're collecting before you go in.” “Yes, ma’am.” Victoria turned toward the door. “Come. I have things to attend to at the mansion.” Walter followed her outside, carrying the parcel carefully. Before getting into the car, Victoria stopped and looked back at him. “And be careful next time.” Walter nodded. “I will.” “I don't like staying longer than necessary in places I have no business being in. I have enough waiting for me at home.” “Yes, ma’am.” Walter hurried ahead and opened the rear door for her. Victoria slipped into the back seat, smoothing her coat before settling comfortably into the leather seat. A moment later, Walter placed the parcel safely inside and took his position behind the wheel. The engine came to life. As the car pulled away from the curb, Victoria glanced once through the window at the shop they had just left. She had already forgotten about the young woman who had caught her. At least, she thought she had. Neither of them knew that their paths would cross again sooner than expected. The car disappeared down the road, leaving the quiet afternoon behind.