The Valentines

XXI

A knock to the front door startled Theo. Esmé had left for the mainland that morning, and Mona was out doing something or the other. Theo didn't want to work on her present for Esmé without Mona there as she didn't want to screw it up or get too frustrated.

The time alone meant Theo was able to work on her dissertation without any interruptions, so she'd grabbed her laptop and set up in the office. It had been a few hours since then and she'd managed to get through another draft. Honestly, she wasn't impressed with it, but the knock on the door meant she would be forced to take a break.

Getting up and stretching out her upper body, Theo wandered over to the front door, peering around it and through the glass panes on either side. To her surprise, Minerva was standing there.

Maybe she didn't know that Esmé was on the mainland and had come to see her. Theo opened the front door to greet her. Minerva wore a simple sundress, the material hugging her curves. Without the heels, Theo realised Minerva was only a few inches taller than she was, which was a relief. On a daily basis she was surrounded by people so much taller than her.

The woman's black hair was down, falling to just below her shoulders, a pair of designer sunglass atop her head, holding it back. Compared to the previous night where Minerva was all sharp lines and dark colours, this was a striking difference. Even her makeup was softer.

However, as soft and gentle as Minerva looked, Theo knew better than to believe what she was seeing. There was a reason William and Mona were terrified of this woman, why she had a reputation as someone that should not be underestimated under any circumstances, and that knowledge had Theo slightly on edge.

"Good morning, Theo," Minerva spoke with a smile, having noticed Theo eyeing her carefully.

"Morning," she replied, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Esmé isn't here," she told her, assuming that was why she was there.

"I'm aware," Minerva said, folding her hands neatly in front of her. "I'm not here for Esmé."

"Oh," Theo frowned slightly. "Mona then? She's also not here. I'm not sure where she is, actually."

"No," Minerva chuckled lightly. "I'm not here for Mona either," she paused for a moment, regarding Theo. "I'm here for you."

"Me?" Theo took an involuntary step back, making amusement cross Minerva's features. "Why?" she asked.

"It's nothing to worry about," Minerva soothed, voice still silky soft. "There are some things I want to tell you."

"Okay," Theo replied slowly. Minerva didn't seem threatening, although if she was, Theo might genuinely start crying. After Xenovia's performance the night before she hadn't spoken to Minerva again, and so couldn't gauge how she felt about Theo being with her best friend.

This conversation Minerva wanted to have with her shot terror through her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to have it. The woman had been pleasant enough the night before, but Theo knew that was because she had more respect for Esmé than Xenovia did and wouldn't cause a scene in public.

However they weren't in public currently. It was just them on an isolated island with the nearest person being in a village at the boat dock, nowhere near them.

"Do you want to come in?" Theo asked, realising she'd just been staring at the woman with barely concealed terror since she'd last spoken. Minerva still had that charming, soft smile on her face, as if she thought Theo was an adorable little creature she'd stumbled across.

"That would be nice."

Theo stepped out of the way and Minerva walked inside. As she shut the door, she felt like she was trapping herself inside this house. Forcing herself to get a grip, Theo followed Minerva into the living room. Nothing Minerva had done indicated that she was going to hurt Theo, so she had to stop acting like the woman was going to come at her with a knife.