This scene is from Ro’s point of view. If you enjoy it, let me know if you would want to read more from her perspective, or from other characters’ points of view! There were quite a few sections in the original manuscript that got taken out – as you know if you’ve read the book, the way the story is published, it’s told wholely from Ayla’s point of view.
A Taste of Ro's Point of View
On this particular Resday, Ro had decided to try and practice reading so she wouldn’t have to depend on others as much anymore. Her uncle had been the best of teachers when it came to surviving outdoors and getting the upper hand in a fight, but he had always gone on about how learning letters was a waste of time and had therefore left that out of Ro’s education. What little she knew, she had learnt from her mother before fate saw fit to deprive her of parents.
As a bonus, she was hoping to impress Ayla who was probably off riding around on Zephyr, her fancy new horse. She wasn’t jealous, persay, as she had never taken to the four-legged creatures, but she did hope she could one day reach the same level of respect Ayla seemed to garner from everyone at Hammond House.
For now, the house was quiet; it was still early. Finding her way into one of the smaller libraries on the first floor of the West wing, Ro picked out what looked to her like an easy book to tackle. It was thin, and ever so slowly, Ro said the golden letters on the cover out loud. The title was “Ladies’ Manual” which would surely be better to decipher than some heavy tome about history or religion.
Although she knew her letters, Ro struggled to go from recognizing individual ones to understanding the word they were meant to make when grouped together. She decided to read out loud, which was tedius, but helped a little bit. Except it covered the sound of footsteps, so when Mistress Lihanna’s voice interrupted her, Ro was so startled she clapped the book shut on her thumb and sat up straight in the couch she was on. Why was she on a couch? She hadn’t meant to sit down, but had done so absentmindedly. It was meant to be for just a moment while she debated if this book was worth borrowing and taking back to her room where she could read in peace. And now she had been caught! She did not think Master Hammond would mind, but she had never asked, and with Mistress Lihanna… before her imagination could get the better of her, the lady of the house came and sat next to her.
“What have we here! Young… Ro, isn’t it?” Mistress Lihanna was almost purring, which surprised Ro. She was not sure what to make of it. “Are you trying to teach yourself how to read? You know, I could help.”
Ro nodded, heart thudding against her ribcage while blooming in hope that maybe she had simply found an unexpected ally and was not in a tremendous amount of trouble for violating some unwritten rule (not that she would have known better if it was written, which was the whole point of this exercise).
Sitting closer to the young girl, Mistress Lihanna leaned in slightly to see the title of the book. Her perfume was subtle yet intoxicating, a heady mix of vanilla and spices. Catching herself breathing in a little too deeply, Ro blushed and was relieved when it seemed that her misstep had gone unnoticed.
“Oh no, this won’t do – it’s terribly dull and full of complicated words.”
Leaning in further so she could reach the nearby bookshelf, Mistress Lihanna grabbed a slightly thicker book instead. As she did so, her breasts pressed ever so slightly against Ro, who did her best to maintain a poker face while finding herself enjoying the situation she was in. Try as she might, it was undeniable based on the butterflies that materialized in her stomach. What was happening to her? She had kissed a girl once and enjoyed it, but assumed it was just a phase all girls went through before boys became the shinier, more appealing prize.
Seemingly oblivious, Mistress Lihanna straightened herself while handing the book to Ro and explained her choice. “Here, this one is about the Legend of Morella – do you know that one? If so, it will make reading it easier.”
Ro was mortified. “Thank yer, milady. I’ll do me’best.” She hoped her thoughts were not written all over her face. As she started standing up to take her leave with the book in one hand, Mistress Lihanna grabbed her other hand gently and caressed it ever so slightly.
“You know where to find me if you decide you want my help… or my company while you practice your reading skills.” She winked.
Feeling her temperature soar, Ro knew she was blushing again and felt like this time it went far beyond her cheeks, from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes. Mortified, she looked up shyly and nodded before running out and back to her room.
She decided she would ignore what had happened and pretend nothing was wrong. It helped that technically, that was the truth, even if Ro’s instinct – which she knew she could rely on when it came to more practical skills, but did not trust much in this particular case – was ringing the alarm bell like her life depended on it.
If you enjoyed the above, and haven’t read “Flight of an Orphan Thief”, you can find it on the Zon or on Kindle Unlimited. For more such content, you can follow me on Instagram or sign up for my mailing list. Thank you for reading this far – you’ve just made one indie author very happy.