Victoria is a wealthy British businessman's wife. They live in Northern Rhodesia where her husband is in charge of the mines in the Copperbelt. He often travels for long periods of time, leaving his wife home because the mine is no place for
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Victoria often joins Mutale in the gardens as he works, trimming and digging alongside him. He shares whatever knowledge he has about plants and flowers while Victoria listens intently.
"It's best to plant these just before the rains because they require a lot of water to grow well." He explains. Victoria kneels in the dirt beside him pressing seedlings into the ground. "Don't squeeze too hard or you'll crush the roots," He instructs, placing his hands on top of hers to guide her. When Victoria looks up, she meets Mutale's dark brown orbs and time stills. Between the wild drumming of their hearts and sparks in their eyes, Mutale draws a finger across her cheek smearing a bit of mud on her face. Breaking their trance, they both burst out laughing as she tries to cover him with mud as well. They are so caught up in their own little world that neither of them notices the cars parked outside her house.
Victoria abruptly stands and dusts her skirts that now covered in dirt. "Jesus Christ of Nazareth!" Victoria exclaims under her breath. She looks at Mutale muttering "I completely forgot that I'm the one hosting the tea."
"If you hate these ladies so much, why do you entertain them?" He asks.
"I don't really have a say in it, I'm just expected to." She huffs.
"I don't think they saw us; we were kneeling down. Go, you'll be fine." He nudges.
She marches up to the front of the house where the ladies are waiting and she fiddles with her skirt in an attempt to brush off more dirt but it only smudges into the material. Leaving behind brown stains. She takes deep breaths trying to stay calm "They didn't see you; they didn't see you..." She chants to herself.
When she accents the front step, she smiles brightly at them. "Good afternoon, ladies."
"Dear me! Victoria! What happened to you?" Susan exclaims looking her up and down.
To which she chuckles uncomfortably in response. "Ohhhhhh, you know, just a little bit of gardening." She adds without breaking her smile. "I must have gotten carried away, but tea is almost ready, you make yourselves comfortable while I change." Victoria leads them into the house before they can fuss further.
"Mwansa!" She calls as the ladies get settled. "Please offer the ladies some beverages while I change." She instructs. Excusing herself she turns away from her company and heads for the corridor.
Once in her room, she slams the door and lets out a breath she didn't notice she was holding. She closes her eyes in agony as she mentally prepares herself for the gathering ahead. It's not a huge gathering but the people in her circle tend to be overwhelming to be around.
She throws on a clean garment, brushes her hair and dabs a bit of floral-scented perfume before going back to her guests.
"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."
"Oh, dear me! We didn't even notice you were gone." Margret says waving her off.
"We were just talking about how much longer we take to prepare considering we have children and all," Theresa says.
