The blonde beauty is on a ladder, cleaning in her uniform and his view point makes him smile. He would have to be a saint not to notice the perfect shape before him. She is petite and curvy in all the right places, and he is shocked to feel a stirring of lust. Careful not to startle her, he starts forward intent on the view, when he hears the sharp sound of a child’s cry, he stops. Her head whips to the side and she leaps from the ladder to check on Jonah.
“What in the world?” She murmurs to herself and hurries to the upper level balcony. Glancing down, she sees Jonah holding his chubby hand and tears running down his cheeks.
“Again, Master Jonah! Your calculations must be precise if you want to make anything of yourself.” Jonah hiccups and using his chalk, he tries again to calculate the math problem. “Incorrect!” He snaps and swiftly cracks the child’s knuckles with a ruler.
Victor watches the swiftness with which she descends the stairs and he smiles, feeling sorry for the poor man, almost. He will deal with him striking his child in a moment. No one touches his son! A gleam of rage enters his green eyes when he hears Jonah apologizing.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Sanders. I, I, I don’t understand it!” He says, scrubbing at his nose with his red striped hand.
“How dare you strike that child!” Summer says in a deadly voice. Her ice blue eyes are filled with fury and Jonah leaps up and runs to her. She drops to her knees and wraps him in a hug. “Children learn with love and patience, Mr. Sanders not violence!” The aristocratic upbringing shows through when she stands glaring before him, unafraid. Standing with Jonah in her arms, she feels his tremors in her body and shushes him gently.
“What would a scullery maid know about arithmetic? Do you know Latin, Miss Denning?” The aggression in his step has her backing up. “Or Greek? If you think you could do better, please tell me what credentials you possess that would make you a better tutor?” He says sneering at her and stepping forward again. Summer moves back with the child held tightly in her arms.
“As a matter of fact, I am educated in Arithmetic, Latin, German, Spanish, and Chinese; although I am not proficient yet in the latter. My father made sure to educate all of his children, sir, and not by striking us, ET lascivus stultus!” Victor moves swiftly down the stairs, but not fast enough.
“I will show you a lecherous fool, Miss Denning!” Mr. Sander’s grabs her by her upper arm and Jonah turns leaping out of her arms.
“Don’t you touch my Summer!” He screams and punches the man square in the nose before dropping to the ground to kick him in the shin.
Summer is so taken aback that she can only watch horrified as the man lifts his fist to strike the child. She leaps at them, placing her body in front of Jonah’s “NO!” She screams, but the tutor is large for an older man and he put all his weight behind the punch, landing on the side of her face. The blow knocks her unconscious and she goes down hard, striking the desk with her face. Jonah is screaming and holding tightly to Summer as Mr. Sanders rages, “I will teach you both your place!”
Victor steps up unheard, grabbing the man by his throat, he tosses him across the room and into a bookcase. The force sends books flying and breaking shelves. He hauls the unconscious man into the courtyard by the leg of his pants and yells for help. Jonah does not need to see what comes next. “Take him to the barn and tie him up, I will be out to deal with him later.”
Returning he finds Jonah crying and patting Summer’s cheek, trying to wake her. “Please, please don’t die!” He cries over and over. Victor drops to his knees and checks for a pulse.
“She’s breathing son. He just knocked her unconscious.” Jonah leaps at his father and is rewarded with a hug. “You did well, son.” Setting Jonah away from her body, he turns. “I need you to go get Mrs. Evert and have her send for the doctor. Can you be her hero now?”
Jonah’s chest puffs with pride, “Yes, sir.” He runs from the room shouting for the housekeeper at the top of his lungs.
Victor turns his attention to the woman on the ground. She looks young, in her twenties. Pale blonde hair tied up and small pert nose above a lush pair of pink lips. Her breathing seems even, so he tries to prod her forehead to check for breakage. “Oh…” she moans, and her eyes flutter open as her hand goes to her face. Panic fills her blue eyes and she tries to sit up, “Jonah!” She starts to yell, but he stills her with his hands.
“Be calm, Miss Summer. He is fine, thanks to you.” Victor says gruffly. “Do you think you can stand?” All the color drains from her face when she looks at him.
“Are you the doctor?” She asks softly. When she sits up, the room spins, causing her to vomit. Summer closes her eyes against the pain and waits for another wave of nausea to pass. She gulps in air and almost blacks out again.
“Just breathe, it will pass,” he promises being sure to steady her, so she doesn’t fall again.
“In here, Mrs. Evert hurry!” Jonah comes running and drags with him a very irate housekeeper.
“What in the world,
