Elizabeth and the Vampire's Cabin(13)

Elizabeth looked out the window. She saw the glistening sun and its position in the clear, blue sky. Barely a cloud and bright as could be. What could make anyone think it was getting too late? The journey was only to be a couple of hours. Mark and the captain had plenty of time to get back in time for dinner. And she didn't like his tone earlier. He had an imperious edge to his voice that would need to be rebuked quickly. There was one boss on this trip and that was her.

"We go when I say we go," she said coolly. "I'm your boss. You're not my boss. I say when I'm ready to go."

She was surprised to see Mark continue in his defiance. She was accustomed to obsequiousness from her employees. Typically, they would fret at the mere thought of not being able to fulfill her orders. But Mark continued to stand in front of her. He shifted uncomfortably and averted his eyes, but he was clearly still standing his ground. Elizabeth could not fathom this standoff with her guide.

"Go," she said coldly. She even snapped her fingers sharply. She did not look at Mark. She would not acknowledge him any further. He needed to learn that he could not pressure her. She felt him leave and almost let out a sigh of relief. But she kept herself in check. She wanted to appear strong in front of her brother and Tim.

"Well done Elizabeth," Austin praised. "Obviously, I don't have to worry about you. You have things under much better control than I expected of you."

Elizabeth gave a small smile, but she was rethinking her decision inwardly. She glanced at her watch. Mark may have had a point. She had been on enough trips, camping or otherwise, to know that these things could take more time than expected. The boat trip could take longer than planned, or her cabin might be more difficult than anticipated to set up. She was expecting most of her stuff to be unpacked when she arrived, but she would still have to direct them to position things "just so" when she showed up. They were also supposed to have dinner ready for her, and she didn't want to be late...Oh gosh. Maybe we should leave, she mentally grumbled. But she put the thought from her head. She had to be firm and consistent. Anything else would be seen as weakness. She resolved that she would spend an hour, at least, dining with Austin and Tim. If her new employees got home late, then so be it. This is what it meant to work for her. She was always up front about that. Every time she hired someone, they were warned of the potential long hours. She was nothing if not honest.

She continued to dine with Austin and Tim for the hour that she had committed herself to. At the end, they all walked towards the boat to see Elizabeth off. When they reached the catamaran, Austin turned to Elizabeth. The concern was suddenly back. The praise and good faith in her that he had shown earlier was dissipating. His restraint was no longer holding. Something in his subconscious appeared to be coming to the surface of his being. Austin's character, normally a dull black jewel with no sparkle or facets, suddenly seemed to glimmer in the sunlight of her departure. Shades of real, true, brotherly concern appeared to be emanating from him. Elizabeth was unsure of how she should feel about this and looked upon Austin with trepidation. There was no remedy for Austin's feelings that she could think of. In their eighteen years together, she had never experienced concern from him and so had no idea of how to quell the disturbance in his mind. She wondered if Austin had any idea of how to deal with it. Then, with disgust, she reminded herself that Austin was not actually concerned about her. He had an ulterior motive.

"Elizabeth, please don't go. I have a premonition. I have this feeling that something horrible is going to happen to you if you go through with this."

Elizabeth held firm. She knew that Austin was getting married to a rich Texas heiress, and he would need her to help make arrangements. He had plans to move to Texas, and merging households with his soon-to-be new wife would require someone (preferably, in his mind, not him), to run things and make sure everything was in order on his end. Tim could see to a lot of that, but Elizabeth was a bulldog. She ran a tight ship and was an aggressive mistress.

"You know you only want me to stay with you because you want me to continue organizing and planning your life for you. But, I can't do that. This is a cabin on a beautiful island. It's my dream. I've always wanted this. And I have it all to myself. It's time for me to start planning and living my own life."

Austin looked hurt for just a fraction of a moment. Elizabeth thought it was possible that she imagined the look. But she would never know the answer to that. Austin said goodbye to her, then turned and walked off without another word. Elizabeth looked after him and thought, You are selfish. You have planned your whole life around yourself and never once though about what I wanted or needed. If you were really concerned, you would go with me.