Chapter 18: If This World Were Mine

[Stella]

I thought that Cassius was going to take me back through the house and to the car for the drive back to the cottage house.

“No, we can go out through the kitchen door,” he explained. “There is a gate at the end of the back fence and a path that goes across the backyard to the cottage house. It’s a nice walk.”

“Oh,” I responded, wondering why he’d let us use the car if it was such an easy walk.

We walked together in silence at first. Once we were beyond the outer gate, I noticed that I could see the cottage house not too far in the distance.

“It is interesting that the cottage house is situated in a way that it was hard to see the mansion from down there.”

“I am quite sure that was on purpose,” Cassius commented.

“Why?”

“Well, usually the inhabitants are people that work for the mansion, usually a husband and wife with children. Could you imagine trying to feel at home and your boss's mansion is taking up a portion of your landscape?”