The Sleepless Night of the Maid

The Sleepless Night of the Maid — Chapter 49

“–up.”

Eva heard a tiny whisper somewhere, a voice coming from an unfamiliar man. Thinking she had nothing to do with him, she fell asleep again. There was a mountain of things to do today. She had to wash summer duvets, then prepare duvets for the autumn, take Cecil to a hospital, and in the afternoon, she and Pamela…

“Wake up, Lily, Margaret.”

That man’s voice once again came. The alien names caused a stir in the subconscious and woke Eva up.

Upon opening her eyes and straightening her back, her eyes met with Jack’s, who sat across from the baggage. Bright sunlight was leaking through the leather fabric at the slightly open entrance. She just remembered that she was on the run with Cecil. As soon as her eyes cracked open, hell welcomed her.

“I guess you were tired, seeing you’re still asleep.” Jack huffed with a dry sigh and held out a bundle of cloth.

“What is this?” Eva received the bundle with sleepy eyes, still feeling tired. Cecil also slowly sat up and looked at Jack tiredly.

“It’s bread. I took and sneaked in a bit, but it won’t be enough. I’ll try to bring more in the evening, so hang in there. This is water.”

“Oh, thank you very much.”

After her mind cleared, Eva gave a greeting to him with a bashful expression. Although she just woke up and her head was empty, she became hungry once the bread’s smell hit her. She dipped her head slightly, feeling both grateful and embarrassed.

“Is it already lunch time?” Cecil asked Jack in a weak voice. Eva thought she would get better after waking up, but she seemed more exhausted.

“It’s over. Eat and clean up before we leave again. We’ll take a break again on the way, so I’ll let the two of you come out for a while.”

“What about the guards?”

“When on break, the guards huddle in one place. You don’t need to worry too much as they’ll come back when we move. Still, you have to be careful.”

Jack said what he needed to say quickly and left the wagon in hurry. Nevertheless, he tied the leather loosely, purposely made a gap so the light could go in.

Eva was touched by his consideration. She then unpacked the bundle on her lap. There were only two slices of small bread without cheese, butter, or cream. She was grateful, but it wasn’t enough for one person to eat.

“Nanny, eat these. I’m not hungry.”

Truth is, she was hungry. However, she was more worried about Cecil’s sickness rather than her own hunger. Cecil should have eaten well, rested enough, and relaxed, but she didn’t have the luxury. Even if she ate two slices of bread, it wouldn’t satisfy her stomach. Still, Eva hoped Cecil got better.

“My lady has grown now. I was going to say it first, but you beat me into it.”

Eva noticed that Cecil had read her mind. Cecil wanted to make an excuse to have Eva eat the bread. Cecil stroked her head proudly, looking at the bread that Eva offered. She took one piece of bread from Eva.

“Let’s share. From now on and in the future.” Cecil pushed Eva’s hand that held the rest of the bread away from herself.

It was unnecessary to persuade further so long they understood each other’s intentions. After all, neither of them wanted more. In order to continue living together in the future, she was unsure if bickering would be wise.

Sheepish for a moment, Eva smiled tenderly and brought the bread into her mouth. Even while being chased like this, the bread was delicious.

* * *

She was determined to sit in the wagon all day, but it was harder than she thought. First of all, the place was too small to lie down and there was no space to stretch out. Luckily, when the wagon stopped, Eva pushed some luggage to create a room to stretch her legs with grunts.

The darkness that soothed them now felt suffocating. Although Jack allowed light to enter, it was still very dark inside, even during the day. Now she understood that being able to see the sunlight as much as she liked was a blessing.

During the day, she was nervous and her eyes swept around dozens of times before getting off the wagon and stepping on the ground. That was frightening, so she was hiding inside most of the time.

When the night fell, they had more freedom. Jack stopped the wagon in a quiet place, and the guards didn’t patrol meticulously. They even didn’t show up properly from the second day.

Which was strange. Because according to Jack, the guards were mercenaries from Potasha. They were well-known for being the strongest in the world and infamous for never backing down from battle. How could the strong and capable mercenaries become so lazy and neglectful? Needless to say, it was a blessing for Eva and Cecil.

“Be careful, my lady. The water is cold.”

“I’m okay with this. I’m more worried about you.”

On a deep night, Eva and Cecil left the campsite and sat in a nearby valley to wash themselves. It felt good to finally wipe the clammy body, but painful when ice-cold water touched their skin. They didn’t have to wash up until they reached Montana, but Cecil couldn’t stand being dirty, no matter how sick she was. Since Eva was still young and healthy, it didn’t matter if she was washed with cold water, but Eva was always worried that Cecil’s illness would get worse.

Even like that, she was freshened up and her mood improved. The two sat side by side on the rocks and enjoyed time-limited leisurement. A time where they could taste even a small amount of happiness. They could relax their stiff bodies from sitting all day and had a short conversation freely.