They rode in silence away from the homestead. At first along the road and into the scrub. Open sweeping pastures became scattered bush land, and then tall majestic gum trees, which grew much closer together as they ventured deeper into the forest. The tree trunks were thick and wide. Brown and grey bark wrapped each one snugly. Patches hung in places as though a child had perhaps come and pulled frantically here and there leaving the bark ripped and falling. Jessica closed her eyes and imagined her hands touching it. Soft and velvety with strips of stringiness glued roughly to it.

She didn't know where Louis was taking her. He hadn't said and she hadn't asked.

Jessica watched a mother wallaby and her joey lift their heads. Ears pricked at the sound of the horses. They shot into thicket of trees and disappeared out of sight. She wished she could run as fast as they bounded. Louis halted suddenly, surprising her out of her reverie. He dismounted and tethered his horse to a nearby branch. Jessica wasn't sure why they had stopped or whether she was to wait on her horse. She sat rigid in her saddle as he came toward her. She was afraid of him, of his presence and his ability to make her feel lost and unsure of herself.

Louis sensed, after their last encounter, that she was unsure of him. She was in her rights. He had behaved badly and needed to explain why? He lifted his hands to her waist to pull her from the horse. She tensed, jerked away and pushed his hands down.

"I can do it myself, Master."

Jessica watched a flicker of emotion cross his face before he said, "I'd like to help you if you'll let me."

Without saying a word she nodded.

Louis put his large hands to her waist, lifted her from the saddle and set her on her feet. Taking the reins from her hand he tethered her horse beside his. He had to find a way to stop her from being uncomfortable in his presence. He grabbed the saddlebag from his horse, took Jessica by the hand and led her behind him along the track.

She stumbled, finding it hard to keep up. "Master. Please slow down or let go of my hand." He stopped and turned to look at her. She murmured, "I cannot keep up, sir."

"I'm sorry," he said. When he continued he walked slower and lessened the grasp on her hand. As his grip relaxed so did his tension. He hadn't realised how nervous he was. 

Jessica felt the essence of him seep into her sentience. She decided she liked the feel of his callused hand holding hers so she closed her fingers around his.

This act told Louis another brick had fallen. He kept his focus on the track as a small smile flicked across his face. He thought she would have been more hostile toward him, but she had not refused to follow him on the horse.

The track sloped gently downwards. Jessica heard the sound of running water. Leaves lay thick on the ground. The smell of the rotting foliage was strong in her nostrils. She liked the rich dank aroma as it mingled with the scent of the surrounding eucalyptus trees. The path got steeper, large boulders appeared here and there, sometimes encroaching on the track, making their way harder. Jessica's grip tightened on Louis's hand for support.

He liked the way she seemed to place her faith in him. Even if it was just to prevent from slipping. It comforted him to know he hadn't totally lost her trust.

When they reached an opening in the path Jessica was taken aback by the beauty of the falls. Her eyes followed the flow of the water as it cascaded over the rocks to the pool below. She was astounded by the huge gums that clung to the rocks by their intricate root systems. Jessica's eyes opened in awe trying to take in the view. She gasped, "It's so beautiful!"

"Yes." The sight of her face, lit up like a small child's opening a gift, made Louis so happy. He couldn't help staring at her as he smiled and added, "Stunning."

Jessica hung her head, embarrassed, at the way he was looking at her instead of the falls. He was so handsome. When he smiled his soul opened to her, allowing her a glimpse of that other deeper part of him, which she felt enhanced the person he was. She lifted her face and peered at him. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Because I wanted to." Louis sighed and looked from her and down at Fairy Dell. "I thought perhaps you'd like it here." He didn't give her a chance to answer but moved on down the track pulling her along behind him. It widened into an open area. He let go of her hand, threw the saddlebag onto the ground and crouched down beside it. Louis pulled out a blanket and spread it out on the ground.

Jessica watched him work. His presence was smothering, making her heart pound harder and filled her with feelings of disquiet. She didn't want be alone with him and thought perhaps she should have refused to come. She had her right to refuse, but the cognizance of him channeled her to follow no matter how much she tried to convince herself that she mustn't.

"Sit down, Jessica," he said as he continued to pull various items from the saddlebag. When she still hadn't sat by the time he had emptied the bag of the bread, cheese and wine he had packed, he leaned back on his haunches and looked up at her anxious face. "Is there something wrong?" he asked concerned because her face had drained of all colour. "Are you unwell?" Louis felt a surge of want sweep through him. It heightened his senses making him realise that she wasn't ill, but afraid of him. This wasn't the reaction he wanted, but he understood why, and would never forgive himself for his behaviour the day before.

"Why are we here, Master?"

Louis sighed and looked down at his knees, not quite knowing how to answer. "Please sit down." He lifted his face, and then said, "We need to talk."

Jessica walked around the blanket and sat on the opposite side to put space between them.

He poured some wine into a glass and handed it to her. She took it gingerly, not looking at his face; but she felt his eyes watching her.

He poured himself a glass then turned and sat on the blanket. Louis looked across the water to the falls and said, "We call this place Fairy Dell." He paused and looked at the sand between his feet without noticing it. Then he added, "Alice named it the first time we came here." Louis lifted his hand and pointed at the large rock covered in tree roots. "She said the gaps within the roots were where fairies lived." Louis looked over at Jessica and was glad to see she was smiling.

"Yes, I think Alice is right, Sir. The quartz sparkling on the rocks must be the fairies themselves."

Louis chuckled. "You and Alice have the same imaginative minds, I think."

She smiled shyly as she took a sip of her wine.

Louis watched her lips touch the glass. He remembered the feel of them pressing on his own. He knew then that his desire for her would never leave him. Louis looked back at the sand and drew circles, one on top of the other, with his finger. "Jessica. I brought you here to say how sorry I am for what I did to you yesterday." He looked back at her, the glass was still held to her mouth, but she wasn't drinking. She lowered it and looked over at him without saying a word. He continued, "I don't know how to explain to you why I reacted the way I did. The truth is I could not bear seeing you in Daniel's arms."

"Master I did not want to..."

Louis raised his hand to stop her from speaking. "I know. Daniel told me. I know none of what happened yesterday was your fault." He looked deep into her eyes. "You happened to be the victim of one man's perversion and another man's jealously." Louis shifted his gaze to once more look at the water. He wasn't sure how to continue. There was a hollow deep inside of him that only she could fill.

"Why were you jealous," Jessica whispered.

Without looking at her he said, "Because I want you to be mine."

Jessica's heart ached. She sensed he wanted to say more but didn't know how to say it, so she tried to ease his pain and whispered, "But I do belong to you, Master."

Louis chortled, thinking Jessica had misunderstood what he meant. He ran his fingers through the sand, and then looked over at her. "Yes...I guess in one way you do belong to me." He focused on the food and said, "Would you like to eat?"

"I'm not very hungry, Master."

"Can you swim?" he asked suddenly.

"No...not very well."

Louis beamed at her. "Perhaps you would like to learn?"

"Perhaps I would, Master." Jessica raised her eyebrows. Her smile widened. "But I could not swim here."

"Why not? The water is very nice. The only deep area is in the middle in front of that large rock." He pointed across to the opposite bank then added, "I would like to teach you."

"I could not." Jessica shook her head and giggled. "What would I swim in? My skirt is too heavy. It would fill with water and I should sink to the bottom!" She laughed at the thought of herself trying to swim in her clothes, knowing it was impossible.

"Take them off," Louis scoffed. When he saw the horrified look on her face he quickly added, "You can wear my shirt. Change behind that rock." He pointed. "I'll go and check on the horses while you do it."

Before she had a chance to answer he stood and pulled his white cotton shirt up over his head and handed it to her. "Oh...I couldn't, Master!" Jessica turned her face away not knowing where to look but he didn't seem bothered at her seeing him shirtless.

"Yes you can," he said and then strode toward the path.

Copyright © 2019 Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

Do you think Louis is going to win her over?

The photo is the real Fairy Dell

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