Wolfe Read online

  Wolfe

  "H-He-Hello?" Ruby called out nervously into the dimly lit entrance, her hands trembling as she gripped the side of the over-sized oak door that hung between her and the 18th century mansion that she had arrived at for her first day at her new job. There was no reply, kicking her foot against the stone step to shake off the inch thick snow that had encrusted itself on her boots on the two mile walk through the woods from the sleepy village of Warrendale where her and her father lived. She took a breath to steady herself she eased the door gently to reveal more of the house she now found herself standing in body shaking, unable to discern whether it was the cold or nerves.

  There she stood, hands firmly in her pockets, fidgeting in their damp woollen gloves, unsure, like the rest of her, what to do with themselves. Her eyes scanned her surroundings, she had walked past this place a few times during her childhood but she had never actually taken any time to really look at it, its reputation preceded itself, the years of rumours surrounding its owners hung over it like a low-lying storm cloud that never broke but was always present. The walls were lined with oversized portraits of the mansions predecessors and tapestries that once would have been rich in colour but now were shrouded in a layer of dust, having faded in the light that, on a sunny day would beam through the arching window that imposed itself upon the room, the stained glass an artistic blend of red, green and purple that would not have been out of place in a cathedral.

  Taking a few steps forward, the ageing floorboards groaned beneath her ice cold feet.

  "He-Hello?" She calls out again, this time hearing footsteps from the room to her right, she steadies herself, her heart pounding, feeling like an intruder. She wondered in a moment of panic, should she just make a run for it before he found her? She turned quickly, about to make for the door fearing this was a bad idea.

  "Can I help you?" A voice called after her, sounding like burnt caramel, it was enticing and intimidating all at once. She stopped in her tracks and turned on her heel, slowly, afraid that when she turned around the rumours spread by Landlady Sally of the Angel Inn would be true, he would be seven feet tall, he would be covered in terrifying scars and burns, which was the reason he had been locked away in this house for the last fifteen years, and Ruby would be unable to hide her fear, and simply scream and try and run through the three feet of snow that had fallen from the skies in the last twenty fours hours, and which by the looks of the white, grey, blanket that was hanging over them showed no sign of relenting any time soon.

  Lifting her eyes from the ground slowly she saw him, stood before her, Mr Nathaniel Wolfe, who had always been referred to by everyone that knew him as simply 'Wolfe', the infamous artist that everyone talked about but no one really knew about. He wasn't seven feet, but wasn't far off, the scars however were very real, half of his face scarred from what looked like burns, his neck partially covered in scars too, but despite this he wasn't the monster everyone had made him out to be, far from it in Ruby's eyes. His gaze was firmly fixed upon her, Ruby felt it almost intrusive, like he could see more of her than she was happy to reveal, and yet she found herself feeling attracted to him, his presence was overpowering, she thought if she looked at him too long she wouldn't be able to stop.

  "Hi, so sorry to have just walked in like this, the door was open and I wasn't sure anyone could hear me, I'm Ruby, the agency sent me, to help with some cleaning jobs you had?" trying to sound as light as she could, yet fearing she still came off sounding nervous. She scanned his face for any sign of recognition, did he know she was coming? Perhaps it had all been a mix up like she originally thought, his eyes were still firmly upon her, his looks was intense, his eyes burning into her, Ruby was unable to gauge what he was thinking, she was about to excuse herself and apologise for the mix up when he responded,

  "The agency? Right, sorry, yes, my assistant, Sarah, she usually handles all these things, but she has been unable to make it in the last few days due to the weather.." He signalled to Ruby's boots, that despite her efforts had still brought in a trail of snow that had now melted and left a trail of water on the Persian carpet she was stood on. She felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment and shuffled her feet nervously.

  "Oh, of course, yes, the snow, yes it would make it difficult if you drove here I suppose" She replied

  "How did you get here?" He asked sounding more concerned than Ruby felt necessary.

  "I walked, I live in the village on the other side of the woods, Warrendale" She shrugged,

  "You walked through the woods by yourself in this weather?" He asked, sounding almost horrified at the prospect, Ruby unsure what to make of his reaction.

  "ERM, yeah, its only a couple of miles, not a big deal" she was trying to maintain the light tone she had effected previously and keen to move this conversation along so she could get on with whatever task she had been hired for.

  "Couldn't someone have walked with you? You could have cancelled, it's dangerous out there" Ruby found a part of herself feeling flattered by Mr Wolfe's concern for her well being, she could see that before whatever accident had caused his scars he would have been incredibly handsome, in fact there was a part of her that thought him still incredibly handsome, his scars made him more intriguing to her, what had happened to this man to make him lock himself away for the last fifteen years?

  "My dad is ill at the moment, which is why I have to work all these different jobs, he can't even drive, so walking through the woods in a storm is definitely a no go"

  A warmth spread across his face, a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

  Unsure how to respond to this he shifted awkwardly, unsure what to do with his hands.

  "So did Sarah mention what it was you had been hired to do?"

  Ruby felt slightly taken back by his change in tone, unable to tell whether he was nervous or angry with her, her discomfort returning.

  "She just mentioned it was a cleaning job and maybe running a few errands, she didn't really go into detail"

  "I see, well if you come with me I will show you myself, it's quite a large job, it may take you a few days, are you going to be OK coming back and forth each day? It gets dark very early now?"

  He sounded concerned again, Ruby felt her heart contract in response to his obvious worry for her safety.

  "Yes I'll be fine, maybe I could just work through my lunch break and leave a bit earlier or something"

  He pressed his mouth into a hard line, clearly disapproving of Ruby's nonchalance regarding her own safety.

  "Come with me" he turned and led her down a narrow passageway that ran to the left of the staircase, the walls clad with dark mahogany, Ruby felt her heart race, unsure of where he was taking her, the passage feeling almost endless, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole she found herself wondering what she would find at the other end.

  "Just in here" Wolfe said turning the handle, the door groaning in response, as if in relief at finally being opened, after years of feeling forgotten at the end of this dark hallway. He opened the door, stepping in before her, his arm brushing over her shoulder gently ushering her in, her breath caught in her throat at his touch, she found herself stood in a dimly lit room that smelt of old books laced with dust, having laid unread for years.

  Wolfe stepped to the other side of the large room to switch on a small table lamp. Ruby realised she was standing in a library, the walls were lined with books, the floor hidden beneath piles of ones yet to be homed on a shelf, even in her days as a volunteer librarian at the university library she had never seen such an impressive collection.

  "As you can see it's got a little out of hand in here, the room hasn't been touched for years, I was hoping for someone to organise it, but if you think it's too big of a task I completely understand"

  "No, no, not at all, it's
perfect actually, I used to do this sort of thing all the time?"

  "Sorting out old artists libraries?" he smirked, it was the first hint of a smile she had seen since she'd arrived, Ruby found it disarming, shuffling her feet, her hands fidgeting awkwardly again,

  "No, I was a voluntary librarian during my degree" She replied

  "What did you study?" Wolfe asked, trying to maintain an air of nonchalance, he couldn't let her find out, not yet anyway, she'd never stay.

  "English Literature" She replied, a small smile spreading across her face.

  "I see, so you could probably teach me a thing or two about my own library then?" A wolfish grin spread across his face, but was gone as quickly as it came, he was shocked by his own behaviour, how he felt around her, after fifteen years of barely speaking to anyone other than his assistant Sarah he had lost the confidence he once had around women, and besides, he knew no one could love him looking the way he did.

  "Well, I wouldn't go that far, but this shouldn't be as hard as you think, it should take me maybe a couple of days and then I'll be out of your hair" she replied casually, surveying the endless piles of books, wondering if anyone had ever in fact read them, Ruby had always thought it sad to own a book and never read it, like it was unfair on the book, books want to be read, everything in life wants to fulfil its purpose, even books, and a books purpose is to be read, Ruby mused. Wolfe's face fell, a darkness was cast over it, his heart began to race in a way he hadn't experienced before, he was afraid, afraid she would leave, but he couldn't make her stay, how could he? She would have to leave eventually and would have no reason for coming back. His mind was racing, frantically trying to think of something.

  "So I should probably get started, I'll have to leave in a few hours before it gets dark" Ruby walked towards the nearest pile and began looking through, trying to figure out some sort of working order.

  "Oh- OK right, yes, of course, I'll just leave you to it then" Wolfe's response was wooden, awkward, clearly unsure of what to do now, not wanting to leave her alone but knowing that hovering would maybe make her uncomfortable.

  "I'll just be in the study at the end of the hall, if you need anything just ask" he stood by the door, holding it ajar, not wanting to close it, afraid to leave her, afraid that when he came back she'd be gone, would have left without saying anything and that would be it, 15 years of waiting for her would be wasted.

  "Oh, by the way, the door over there, just leave it, it's ERM, it's, well, it's just private" and with that he walked off, closing the door behind him, knowing he had sounded far more stern than he was intending to, and perhaps had he not said anything at all she would never have noticed it, now not only had she noticed it, she will more than likely be wondering what was behind it.

  The snow was still falling, endlessly, and unapologetically covering everything in sight in a thick white blanket, the wind had picked up in the last hour and it was becoming more and more blizzard like, the snow which had previously been causing quiet chaos was now wreaking unadulterated havoc outside, battering against the single window panes, the wind howling as it swept around the building, the skies that were once white were now grey, heavy, and menacing. Wolfe became even more concerned about Ruby's journey home, he could offer to walk her, that would be the gentlemanly thing to do, he didn't like the idea of being seen by anyone in the village but, he liked even less the thought of anything happening to Ruby in the woods by herself. He was about to go and make some coffee and offer Ruby some when he heard a devastating crashing sound outside in the gardens, running to the door, which as soon as the handle was turned flung itself open against the wind, revealing the 250 year old oak tree that was planted at the bottom of the garden by the gates, had fallen, blocking the gate and entrance entirely, the wind now so strong it blew Wolfe back into the house, the door slamming behind him, shutting him back in the house. He was winded, it took him a minute or two to catch his breath, then it hit him, this was his answer, this is how he could get Ruby to stay, she couldn't possibly go home now, there was no other way out of the grounds, and he wouldn't be able to get anyone out to move the tree until morning now, not with the storm being as bad as it was. Wolfe and Ruby were trapped. He allowed himself to feel hope, for the first time in 15 years, or maybe longer than that, Wolfe felt hopeful.

  "Are you OK?!" Ruby cried, running toward him to help him up off the ground, she placed her arms on his shoulders without thinking, he flinched under her touch, he hadn't been touched for so long, he could feel her breath close to his cheek, he could smell her, if Rubies themselves had a smell he imagined this is what they would smell like, rich, sweet and beautiful, Ruby.

  "Yes, yes, I'm fine, I just got blown back in the wind" Heaving himself up onto his feet, Ruby took his hand to help him, he held onto it for a moment more than was necessary, catching her eye, in that moment something passed between them that they both felt. Ruby was the one to let go.

  "I'm OK, the Oak tree at the end of the drive however isn't, it's collapsed and blocked the whole of the gateway" He walked toward the window, inviting Ruby to see for herself.

  "Oh my God, that's what the noise was, that's why I came running" pressing her face against the glass, noting the skies were growing darker. It then dawned on her what this meant, how would she get home?

  "I was going to offer to walk you home, but there isn't anyway out until I can get someone to move the tree, which I'm guessing won't be until morning when the storm has passed." Wolfe tried to hide his inner excitement at the prospect of Ruby spending the night.

  "You will have to spend the night, I have plenty of room, and you can call your father, and I promise to have you home as soon as I can get someone to move the tree in the morning" Wolfe continued. Ruby looked concerned, worried,

  "Is everything OK?" Wolfe asked, his nerves returning

  "Yes, yes, sorry, every things fine, I'm just thinking about my dad, I'll have to call him, make sure he knows I'm safe, he wouldn't want me walking home in this anyway. Is it OK if I use your phone mines got no signal out here?"

  "Of course, it's just on the side table over there" he gestured to the gilded table in the corner, Wolfe tried to listen in to Ruby's conversation, worrying about what she would say to her father, he surely wouldn't be happy about her staying with a strange recluse artist that nearly ten years her senior? He couldn't hear much though, Ruby had turned the other way.

  "I promise dad, I'm fine, I'll call you in the morning and you just call me back on this number if you need anything, just make sure you stay inside!" Wolfe smiled to himself, it was obvious how much Ruby loved her father, the fact she loved him enough to forgo her life at university to come home and take care of him, taking small jobs when they came up to help towards bills was testament enough to how kind Ruby was, Wolfe felt a sharp pang of guilt, he had never really had to work for anything, he had been born into a wealthy family, an only child, his parents now gone, he had inherited their fortune, along with this house, his career as an artist had happened effortlessly, where as most artists work for years without a hint of recognition or success, Nathaniel Wolfe, being from the Wolfe family, had been more successful than he could ever have hoped for, and certainly more than he deserved.

  "Everything OK with your dad?" He asked as she placed the phone back on the table,

  "Yes, he's fine, I mean he's worried obviously, but I assured him I was safe here, and that it was safer than me trying to get home tonight"

  "Good, can I get you something to eat, drink? You must be needing something by now?" Wolfe asked, not knowing what he would make her as he had never actually used his kitchen, and was unsure if he had anything in the fridge, yet another task he left to his assistant.

  "A coffee would be nice if you have any?" Ruby replied, fighting back a yawn, she hadn't quite realised how tired she was until she stopped for a moment.

  "Coffee I can do, I'll bring it through to you in the library" he offered,

  "Perfect, I'll get back to it,
now it looks like I'm staying a little longer I should be able to get it done quicker than planned if I work through the evening, that is if you don't mind" She asked

  "Of course not, but you don't have to, maybe we could do it together for a little while and then break for something to eat, there's no rush to get the library done tonight and you must be tired after walking here this morning" he was worried he sounded too desperate, his sense of urgency seeping out, if she finished the library tonight she would leave tomorrow and never come back.

  "Actually dinner sounds great, I am pretty hungry, and maybe instead of going straight home in the morning I could just work through tomorrow and go home when I finish in the afternoon, if that's OK with you?"

  Wolfe felt his heart race, but this time with excitement, relief,

  "Of course, that's a great idea."

  "Good, see you in a minute then"

  A couple of hours later they had drunk their coffee and eaten two bowls of pasta Wolfe had made them, pasta being the only meal he knew how to cook without poisoning anyone. Their conversation had been light, Ruby found herself still wanting to know more, but not knowing how to ask, still unsure what to make of Wolfe. Wolfe feeling more and more frustrated with himself, being around Ruby made him realise he had never really talked to anyone, not properly, he'd never really had to, he'd never kept anyone around long enough to make conversation with, the women he had spent his life painting were just their to be looked at, or at least that's what he thought then. Now there was Ruby, Wolfe could see a beauty in her unlike any he had seen in a woman before, Ruby was quietly beautiful, unassuming, her beauty could almost go unnoticed but when you looked it was definitely there. Her hair was the only thing about Ruby that shouted, her untameable red hair hung in loose long waves around her pale peach like skin, her green eyes hiding under shy lashes. He had to actively stop himself from staring at her, noting how her eyes scanned the covers of every book, what made her smile quietly to herself, how she sat with her legs crossed, quite comfortably, as if she'd been here before. Of course in many ways she had, Ruby had been on Wolfe's mind for 15 years, 'red hair, wait for the girl with red hair' that's what the woman had told him all those years ago, the night it happened, the night he lost everything, and became what he was today, every night since that night, Wolfe had dreamt of Ruby, and now, here she was.