Chapter 49 Comfort

Chapter 49 Comfort
As usual, my first stop was the dining room.
I glanced up at the clock and saw it was breakfast time, but there was no sign of either my mother or Malcolm. I took a seat at the table, expecting that one of the staff would come out to take my order. But they pretended not to notice me, so I finally had to go into the kitchen and demand that they make me some food.
Of course, they were acting all surly and put out. One of them even had the cheek to tell me that the cook was off sick, so all they could offer me was some fruit. That made me really angry, but I was too hungry to argue, so I went back to the table and waited for them to serve me.
After my belly was under control, I was ready to begin my mission to find my mother. Since I'd already tried and failed to find locate where Malcolm was keeping her inside the house, my plan was to go and track down Ricardo. I headed out to the back lawn and began searching for the landscaping crew.
Once again, I was amazed by just how expansive Malcolm's estate was. Truly, it was the size of a small city, and I began to start to get thirsty as I rambled across the endless terrain of perfectly manicured grass and tailored hedgerows.
A couple of times, I did spot people working out there, but whenever I got close, I realized they weren't Ricardo. I tried asking if they knew where he was, but none of them spoke English, making me sorely regret that I hadn't paid more attention in Spanish class.
After a while, I was starting to really get overheated. That's when I found myself near the stairs that led down to the Kent private beach. Urgently in need of a quick dip in the water to cool myself off, I made my way down to the beach, which was deserted as usual.
I flung off my dress and went crashing into the waves. The salty water stung my wounds a bit, but it was a healthy kind of pain, and I instantly felt better once I was out of the burning rays of the sun.
I don't know how long I frolicked there in the water, but I was feeling a lot better by the time I turned around and headed to the beach. Since I didn't bring a towel, I had to lay out on the sand to dry off, but the breeze on my wet skin felt magnificent.
I knew I had to go find my mother and get us free of this golden prison, but I knew I'd miss this glorious beach, the source of so many happy memories during my time on the estate.
I lay back and closed my eyes, savoring every moment, knowing that it would be the last time I'd probably ever get to be naked on a beach. Pretty soon, the sun started to warm me all over, and I spread my arms and legs to take it all in.
My skin got dry pretty quickly, and then I felt my temperature begin to rise, but I embraced it instead of fleeing from it, letting it burn me with its delicious fire.
I found myself rolling over onto my stomach to ensure that every inch of my skin got one last final kiss of the sun. I shifted my hips up just a bit to get more comfortable, and then I sighed with pleasure as I felt that old familiar heat rise up inside of me.
A medley of images began flashing through my mind, little snippets of exciting moments that had been seared into my brain, and it wasn't long before I started to drift off, lost in the sea of those special memories.
When I woke up, my muscles were stiff, and I realized with a start that it was early evening. Worried that I'd gotten burned, I sat up and started inspecting myself, relieved to see that my skin had returned to its formerly lustrous glow.
Despite the late hour, I felt magnificent, and I giggled to myself as I stood up and did my best to brush the sand off of my body.
My private time on the beach had once again awakened a deep hunger inside of me, so I threw on my dress and then bounded up the stairs. I hadn't forgotten my mission to find my mother, but I decided to make a detour to get a quick bite to give me some stamina to continue my search.
When I got to the dining room, I was surprised to find Malcolm sitting at the table. He gave me a quizzical look before returning his attention to his newspaper. I sat down and nearly began to drool as an army of staffers came filing out of the kitchen laden with steaming trays of food in their arms. Malcolm, as usual, did not bother saying grace, so the two of us dug in, with me shocked yet again at my ravenous appetite.
Once my stomach was satiated enough to let me behave like a civilized person, I turned to Malcolm and inquired about my mother.
"Yes, the poor woman still isn't feeling well, I'm afraid," said Malcolm, affecting a forlorn expression.
"Well, I really want to see her," I said, feeling uncharacteristically defiant, perhaps because I had been supercharged by my time in the sun.
"Naturally," said Malcolm. "I am sure she would benefit by seeing you as well."
I was prepared to offer a stinging rebuttal to his refusal, so his agreement to my request left me momentarily speechless.
"I moved her into one of the guest bedrooms for her comfort," said Malcolm before clapping his hands together. "My staff will show you the way."