Chapter Text
The day after tomorrow had arrived, and for Agatha, it brought with it a host of problems.
The first was that, no matter how hard she tried, her hair simply refused to be tamed. Every loose curl she pinned into place seemed determined to escape again moments later, as though mocking her efforts.
The second problem was one she refused to confront.
Ever since sitting beside the fire with Rio two evenings before, an awful heaviness had settled in her chest. She had smiled and wished Rio every happiness as she spoke so fondly of the woman who had stolen her heart, but the feeling had lingered long after she'd returned to the manor. Agatha had done her best to ignore it.
It refused to be ignored.
The third problem, however, demanded her immediate attention.
Nicholas was missing.
She had only turned her back for a moment to finish setting his breakfast on the table. When she looked around again, the chair where he had been sitting was empty.
Her stomach dropped.
Nicholas wasn't the sort of child who wandered off on his own. He preferred familiar places and familiar people, rarely venturing anywhere without first taking her hand.
Which was precisely why panic began to creep into Agatha's chest as she hurried from the dining room, calling his name.
Her mother was out attending a meeting of the Ladies' Aid Society, one of the many charitable organisations that respectable women of her standing were expected to support, while Ralph had left the manor early that morning on business.
With neither of them at home, Agatha enlisted the help of her maid, Molly.
The two women searched every room in the manor, checking the nursery, library, drawing room and every corner Nicholas was known to hide in, but there was no sign of him.
The knot of unease in Agatha's stomach tightened with every passing minute.
"Perhaps we should search the grounds, Miss?" Molly suggested gently. "He may have wandered outside."
Agatha's face paled.
"Nicholas has never gone outside without me," she replied, already hurrying towards the front door. "Not even into the gardens."
Even so, they searched.
They combed through the eastern gardens, called his name around the stables, and checked every path leading away from the manor. By now, Agatha's carefully pinned hair had begun slipping free, loose curls blowing across her face as she ran, her skirts catching against the long grass.
When she reached the rise overlooking the western grounds, her eyes immediately caught sight of a newly arrived travelling wagon standing beside the Vidal cottage.
It must have belonged to Rio's… companion.
The thought sent a familiar ache through her chest, but she pushed it aside just as quickly.
Finding Nicholas was all that mattered.
She hurried towards the cottage, where Rio was standing outside with another woman. They had been laughing together moments before, but the instant Rio spotted Agatha's expression, the smile disappeared from her face.
"Agatha?" she called, immediately stepping towards her. "What's happened?"
"I cant find him," Agatha gasped, struggling to steady her breathing. "I cant find Nicholas."
Concern spread across Rio's features.
"We'll find him," she said without hesitation.
The woman beside her tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Is Nicholas a little boy about yea high," she said, holding a hand a few feet from the ground. "with long brown hair and the most adorable cheeks?"
Rio and Agatha answered at exactly the same time.
"Yes."
The woman smiled.
"He's round the back. I saw him sneaking over there a few minutes ago. He was completely fascinated by—"
Agatha didn't wait to hear the rest. Gathering up her skirts, she hurried around the side of the cottage towards the clearing.
She came to an abrupt halt.
Nicholas was perched on the top rail of. the newly built paddock fence, his little legs dangling as he leaned forward, completely absorbed by whatever stood on the other side.
The overwhelming relief that washed through Agatha was so powerful she almost laughed.
Rio caught up beside her, slowing to a walk as she followed Nicholas's line of sight.
"I think someone has captured his attention," she said with a smile.
Agatha looked beyond the fence, and her jaw slowly fell open.
Standing peacefully in the paddock was an animal unlike anything she had ever seen.
It stood with the graceful build of a horse, yet its coat was covered from nose to tail in striking black and white stripes, each one perfectly unique. Its dark eyes blinked lazily as it cropped at the grass, its ears flicking now and then towards Nicholas, who watched in complete wonder. Every so often its long tail swished gently behind it, and the morning sunlight seemed to make its unusual markings even more extraordinary.
Agatha had read about such creatures in books, illustrations from distant parts of Africa that had always seemed more fantasy than fact.
Yet here one stood, quietly grazing on the Vidal land as though it belonged there.
Rio folded her arms, clearly enjoying Agatha's astonishment.
"Meet Zola."
Agatha slowly turned to look at her.
"…Zola?"
Rio smiled.
"My zebra."
The words settled over Agatha for a moment before understanding finally dawned.
Her eyes widened.
"You… you meant…"
Rio's grin grew impossibly wide.
"The lady who stole my heart?" she laughed., gesturing towards the zebra. "There she is."
Agatha looked back at the striped animal, relief flooding through her so suddenly that she almost laughed aloud herself.
She firmly refused to dwell on what that relief might mean.
Instead, she smiled.
"She's beautiful."
Agatha wandered over to Nicholas, who was still perched on the fence, completely captivated by Zola as the zebra lazily grazed a few feet away. She gently rested a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately leaned into her touch.
"You gave me such a fright," she said softly. "You mustn't wander off like that again, sweetheart. I thought something terrible had happened."
Nicholas lowered his eyes, his small shoulders drooping with understanding before he quietly wrapped both arms around her shoulders in apology.
Agatha's expression softened at once. She stroked a hand though his hair before kissing the top of his head.
"Thank you," She whispered, returning the embrace for a moment before releasing him.
Rio approached them quietly, not wanting to disturb their moment.
"She's too old for performing now," Rio said softly. "I wanted to give her somewhere she could grow old gracefully."
Agatha watched Zola lower her head to graze, the morning breeze ruffling her mane.
"I think she's going to love it here." The woman who had been standing beside Rio earlier said as she approached them, smiling fondly as she watched the zebra.
"Oh, Agatha, this is Alice."
"How do you do?" Agatha said politely, extending her hand.
Alice shook it warmly, though there was a distinctly curious expression on her face, as though she were trying to reconcile the woman standing before her with someone she'd heard countless stories about.
"Its a pleasure to finally meet you," Alice said with a grin. "I've heard an awful lot about you."
Agatha's eyes immediately flicked towards Rio.
Rio, meanwhile, seemed suddenly fascinated by absolutely anything that wasn't Agatha.
A faint blush had crept into her cheeks.
"Alice…" she muttered in warning.
Alice only smiled wider.
"I left the care package from Mom and Lilia on the front step," she said slinging her satchel over her shoulder. "I'd better get a start on the road if I'm going to make good time."
Rio nodded before pulling the smaller woman into a warm embrace that lingered for a few moments.
Feeling as though she was intruding, Agatha quietly turned her attention back towards the paddock, watching Zola graze peacefully while the two women exchanged their goodbyes.
"I'll send you a letter as soon as I locate Dotty," Alice promised as they stepped apart.
"Thanks, Al. Safe travels."
"Always."
Alice turned to Agatha with a warm smile.
"It was lovely meeting you, Agatha."
Agatha smiled in return.
"And you."
With one final wave, Alice climbed into the waiting wagon and disappeared slowly down the winding track, the sound of the wheels gradually fading into the distance.
Once she was gone, Agatha looked back towards Rio, who had wandered over to lean against the paddock fence, her eyes fixed on Zola.
Agatha joined her.
"Who is Dotty?" she asked quietly.
Rio rested her folded arms on the top rail.
"Zola had a daughter,"she said, her voice softening. "She was sold to another circus a couple of years ago."
Her eyes never left the zebra grazing in the field.
"She was never the same afterwards."
Rio let out a quiet sigh.
"I asked Alice to try track her down. If anyone can find Dotty, it'll be Alice."
Agatha followed Rio's gaze to the lone zebra standing in the middle of the field.
She couldn't begin to imagine the pain of having someone take Nicholas away from her.
Her heart ached for Zola.
"I hope you find her," she said softly.
Rio smiled, though there was sadness behind it.
"So do I."
A comfortable silence settled between them before Agatha spoke again.
"So…Alice." She tried to keep her voice casual. "You two seem really close."
Now that she knew the woman who had stolen Rio's heart was, in fact, a zebra, she couldn't help but wonder about the other woman who had delivered her. There had been an easy familiarity between Alice and Rio, and Agatha found herself wanting to know everything she had missed over the time they had spent apart.
Rio smiled.
"She's practically family. Her moms took me in when I joined the circus. Alice and I grew up together looking after the animals while her moms performed."
Agatha frowned slightly.
"Moms?"
Rio chuckled.
"Yeah. Lorna and Lilia."
She smiled to herself, the fondness unmistakable.
"Ive never met two people more in love. They've been together for years, and they still look at each other like they're the only two people in the world."
Rio rested her chin atop her arms on the fence, watching Zola wander across the field.
"I hope I find something like that one day."
Agatha's thoughts began to whirl once again.
Two women in love… not whispered about behind closed doors. Not spoken of as scandal or sin.
Openly in love.
Rio spoke about Lorna and Lilia with such warmth, such complete certainty, that there wasn't the slightest hint of shame in her voice.
All this time, Agatha had believed there was something deeply wrong with her. Every fantasy, every flutter in her chest, every dream she had buried had become another reason to feel guilty.
"Hey, Nicholas," Rio said quietly, leaning over Agatha slightly to get closer to him. "Would you like to say hello?"
Agatha held her breath.
She expected Nicholas to ignore her completely or , as he so often did with strangers, turn to Agatha so she could quietly explain that he didn't want to.
Instead, Nicholas immediately began scrambling down the fence, nodding enthusiastically at Rio.
Rio's face lit up.
With an easy movement, she vaulted over the fence into the paddock before turning back towards him. When she held out her hand, Agatha expected Nicholas to hesitate.
He didn't, he slipped his small hand into hers without a moments uncertainty.
Agatha stared in awe, in all of Nicholas's almost five years, she had never seen him warm to anyone other than herself.
Yet here he was, happily allowing Rio Vidal to lead him towards a zebra as though they had known one another forever.
Something about the sight made Agatha's chest tighten.
It was as though Nicholas sensed the same thing she did whenever Rio was near.
Safety.
A quiet kind of peace that asked for nothing and expected nothing in return.
She watched as Rio gently encouraged Nicholas to reach up and stroke Zola's velvety snout, her hand never leaving his in case he lost his nerve. Nicholas's face lit up t he moment the zebra leaned into his touch, a soft giggle escaped him.
The sound caught Agatha completely off guard.
Tears pricked unexpectedly at the corners of her eyes.
For a brief, impossible moment, she allowed herself to imagine a different life.
A life in the little warm cottage instead of the cold walls of the manor.
A life where Nicholas laughed like this every day, where mornings were spent beneath open skies instead of beneath Evanora's watchful gaze, and where love was measured not by duty or obligation, but by quiet moments shared around a fire or beside a paddock fence.
She imagined Rio there beside them, smiling just as she was now, and herself standing close enough to reach for her hand without fear.
It was a foolish dream
An impossible one.
But when she watched Nicholas beam up at Rio and Zola nuzzle gently at his shoulder, Agatha realised there was nothing in the world she wanted more.