Chapter 78: Whispers on the farm
Chapter 78: Whispers on the farm
Thomas worked the soil with slow, distracted movements, his boots sinking into the soft earth as the morning sun stretched over the farm. He had heard the rumors since dawn. Whispers from the workers, half sentences that stopped when he walked past, eyes lowering too quickly.
Someone had said she couldn’t walk anymore. Someone else had said it was permanent. Thomas had brushed it off, told himself people exaggerated, told himself Audrey was stronger than gossip. Then he looked up from the rows and saw her.
She came into view at the edge of the farm road, seated in a wheelchair, her posture straight but fragile in a way he had never seen before. Lorrine walked beside her, one hand on the handles, her expression stiff and watchful. Audrey’s dress moved lightly in the breeze, but her legs remained still, positioned carefully, unmoving. The sight hit Thomas hard, like a punch he hadn’t braced for. His chest tightened, his breath catching before he could stop it.
“No,” he muttered under his breath. “Nah… this can’t be real.”
He stood there frozen, the tool slipping from his hand and landing in the dirt. For a moment, Audrey didn’t notice him. She stared out across the farm as if she were seeing it for the first time, her face calm but distant. Thomas wiped his hands on his jeans and started toward her without thinking, each step heavy, disbelief weighing him down.
“Audrey,” he called softly.
She turned her head at the sound of his voice. Her eyes found him, and something flickered across her face, gone almost as quickly as it appeared. “Monkey.”
He stopped in front of her, staring openly now. “They said… I heard… I didn’t believe it,” he said, his voice rough. “What happened to you?”
Lorrine shifted slightly, tightening her grip on the wheelchair. “That’s enough,” she said. “She doesn’t need questions.”
Thomas glanced at her, irritation flashing in his eyes, then looked back at Audrey. “Can I talk to her?” he asked. “Just for a minute. Alone.”
Lorrine shook her head immediately. “No.”
He frowned. “I’m not trying to hurt her. I just…”
“Tennessee instructed me clearly,” Lorrine cut in. “Audrey is not to be left alone with anyone. Not here or even anywhere else.”
Audrey inhaled slowly, her jaw tightening. “Lorrine,” she said, measured but sharp, “give us a minute.”
Lorrine didn’t move. “I can’t do that, ma’am.”
Audrey’s eyes snapped to her. “I’m telling you to.”
“And I’m telling you I can’t,” Lorrine replied, her voice firm, almost apologetic. “If something happens, it’s my head. I’m not risking that.”
Thomas let out a humorless laugh. “You serious right now?” he asked. “You think I’m the problem?”
Lorrine met his stare without blinking. “I think my instructions are clear.”
Audrey’s hands clenched in her lap. “This is ridiculous,” she said. “I asked for privacy. Why is that suddenly a crime?”
“I’m sorry,” Lorrine said again, though there was no softness in her tone. “I really am. But I won’t move.”
Silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable. Thomas looked at Audrey, his expression torn between anger and concern. “You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly. “If you don’t want me here, just say it.”
Audrey shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“Then what is it?” he pressed. “Because I wake up every day hearing new stories about you, and nobody tells me nothing. And now I see you like this, and I’m supposed to just stand there and say okay?”
Lorrine straightened. “You need to watch your tone.”
Thomas turned on her. “And you need to mind your place.”
Audrey raised her voice. “Enough!”
Both of them fell silent. Audrey’s chest rose and fell as she fought to keep control. “This isn’t helping,” she said. “Thomas, it’s not your fault. And Lorrine, I don’t need a guard dog right now.”
Lorrine’s lips pressed together. “I’m doing my job.”
“Well your job is suffocating me,” Audrey snapped.
Thomas looked between them, then back at Audrey. “If you don’t want me around, say it,” he repeated, softer now.
Audrey’s anger shifted, draining into exhaustion. “I never said that,” she replied. “But clearly, I don’t get to decide much anymore. And stop sounding like we’re friends, there’s nothing wrong with me not even wanting you around.”
Thomas nodded slowly, jaw tight. “I see.”
He stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets, frustration rolling off him in waves. “So this is how it is now,” he said. “Everybody telling you what you can and can’t do.”
Audrey looked away, toward the fields. “Seems like it.”
Lorrine cleared her throat. “We should head back,” she said. “You’ve been out long enough.”
Audrey’s head snapped back to her. “No,” she said sharply. “You’re taking me to Tennessee. Right now.”
Lorrine hesitated for the first time. “Tennessee said…”
“I don’t care what he said,” Audrey cut in. “I’m done being managed like luggage. Take me to him. Now.”
Thomas watched closely, saying nothing, his anger now mixed with concern. “You sure?” he asked.
Audrey nodded once. “Very.”
Lorrine exhaled, clearly torn, then nodded reluctantly. “Alright,” she said. “But that’s on you.”
Audrey looked at Thomas one last time. “We’ll talk later,” she said quietly.
He held her gaze. “Yeah,” he replied. “We will.”
Lorrine turned the wheelchair around and began pushing it back toward the main path leading to the house. Audrey didn’t look back again. Thomas stood where he was, watching them leave, his fists clenched, something dark and unresolved settling in his gut.
Lorrine took her straight toward the mansion, exactly as Audrey had ordered.