Lady Illea (Lady Illea #1)

Chapter Forty Three

"Urgghhh!" I grumbled.

   I swung the hammer once more and it hit the nail on the head. The smell of autumn, while summer was still clearly here, was hitting Carolina quite quickly.

"The nerve!" I mumbled, angrily.

    Continuing to hammer on the roof I let all the reasons I hated Will cloud my mind. Nothing. Nothing from him but a stupid letter from the palace asking when I was returning and the letter America sent. I don't want to go back. And if he wants me to go to the palace so badly he can come and get me! I don't care!

     Today my three days were up and I was supposed to return. Daddy had been scolding me all morning so I decided I ought to go outside and patch the hole in the roof. My pampered palace hands were again calloused, and soft, scared, and battered. 

     Wiping sweat from my brow I stuck the hammer back into my belt and carefully descended the latter. I was hot, frustrated, and filled with angst.

I was not in a good mood. And it was taking everything I had in me not to cry from heartache.

"Lady Alessandra!"

    Reaching the ground I turned around and to my surprise I saw Godfrey on my front lawn. I blinked hard trying to see if he was a dream but when his tall broad shouldered figure was still standing there I realized it wasn't a dream.

"Godfrey?" I wiped my hands on my worn out jeans, suddenly self conscious of the way I looked. "What are you doing here?"

In his sophisticated, palace trained manor, her spoke. "You have not contacted us"

Feeling a bit guilty I tied my hair up, avoiding his eyes. "Not. I haven't"

"Why?"

"It's been busy-"

"Rubbish" he looked at me boldly. "It's Will isn't it?"

I scolded him. "The world does not revolve around his royal highness Prince Will! At least my world doesn't"

"Everyone's wondering when you're coming back"

"My father just had a heart attack!" furiously I picked up my tool box and stalked towards the front door.

'I understand that," Godfrey insisted, his eyebrows creasing. "But tell me you don't feel enough for my friend that you would not be willing to return!"

I looked at him levelly then unable to hold his stare, I looked down. "My feelings do not matter. My father's health does."

Godfrey examined me carefully, his honey eyes turning darker. "I'm trying to decide if you're the most selfless person I've ever met or the most stupid."

"Get. Out."

The front door opened and I spun around to see daddy wheeling into view on his wheel chair.

"Daddy." I dropped my tool case and ran over to the front door. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I heard commotion, of course!" he waved me away and turned his attention to Godfrey. 'Who's this fine gentleman."

"No one, he was just leaving"

"I'm Godfrey Shaw. Prince Will's right hand man" Godfrey looked rather superior in his palace attire.

Daddy nodded slowly. "I see"

"You should go back inside," I said. "Its hot out here. And the fan is on inside, you're wasting electricity."

   We didn't have air conditioning. Too expensive.

"I was just convincing your daughter, Mr. Carswell," Godfrey spoke loudly. "That she should return to the palace"

Daddy held up his hand and rolled his wheel chair past me.

"Daddy!"

"You know I keep telling her its a good idea!" Daddy says. 

Godfrey smiled smuggly, as though he had accomplished something great and daddy didn't seem to notice.

"She should leave right now!"

"Daddy!" I squealed.

"Allie, I have a nurse. And Emilie and Leslie. We talked about this" he said.

"But-!"

Daddy made a face and looked at Godfrey. "I'll be right back. Let me bring her bag"