The woman strode along the corridor, her leather coat swishing as she walked. Her measured steps echoed firmly; the school was empty, except for a few members of staff who were working late.

Therein lay the problem.

Hera already knew who it was, from the footsteps, even before the staffroom door flew open. She was really in trouble now...

Completely ignoring the other people in the room, the woman strode straight over to Hera. Hera shot to her feet.

"I can explain...!"

"I let you keep this job as it was important to you", the woman, Elle, said. "I can see now this was a mistake, it's too much of a distraction. Home. Now."

To everyone else's amazement, Hera almost ran over to the coat stand, grabbed her coat and shot out of the room, as if jet propelled.

"Who the heck are you to talk to her like that, and instil such fear?"

"Pray you never have to find out", the woman replied. "Also, the fear is of losing me, which she just might have done..."

Back home, Elle walked in, still quietly angry.

Hera was in the living room; on her knees, head bowed, with hands on her lap.

"Mistress, I’m sorry!", she started, as soon as Elle walked in. "I had to work late...!"

"You don’t need to work at all", Elle interrupted, sternly. "I provide everything for you. All i ask in return, is loyalty and obedience."

"But I love my job...!", Hera whined.

That did it for Elle.

"More than me, it seems", she said. "Very well. Pack your bags, I want you out tonight."

"Mistress, please!", Hera wailed, grief-stricken. "I've nowhere else to go..."

"You should have thought of that sooner", said Elle, utterly unconcerned. "What I asked for, you can’t give me. This is the path you have chosen for yourself."

Elle then left the room, grumbling about having to prepare her own supper.

Hera just knelt there and howled her head off...

She was still there, on her knees and crying, when Elle got back with her supper and sat down.

Elle just looked down her nose at her.

"Will you stop making that ridiculous noise!", she said. "How am i supposed to hear myself think?"

"Mistress! Please...!"

"Please, what!?:

"Don’t throw me out on the street...!"

Elle didn’t let on at all that she had been reading up about Hera’s School online. She could see exactly the sort of work Hera was doing and was secretly proud of her. She had also seen the school was in financial difficulties, and looking for a new Chairman for the Board of Governors…

Elle made it look like she was thinking about Hera (which she was) and still angry (which she also was).

“Are your bags packed?”, she asked. Hera just started howling again…

“Stop that noise and get over here, now!”, she said, sternly.

Whimpering quietly, which was the closest she could get to stopping completely, Hera came over to Elle. To her amazement, Elle patted her leather covered legs.

“Come, sit.”

“On your lap, mistress?”

“Yes”, Elle said. “Don’t make me ask you again…”

Hera sprang onto Elle’s lap and snuggled down, looking up at her mistress with her tear-filled eyes.

Elle just wiped Hera’s eyes, then tidied her up.

“You still seem to have some obedience issues”, she said. “I don’t expect to explain or repeat myself in future.”

“In… future?”, said Hera, looking up hopefully.

“Yes. This is what is going to happen next, understand? You are now going to work part time, instead of full time, but stay at the school. You will not work late under any circumstances, is that clear?”

Hera nodded eagerly. The school had already suggested that she cut her hours back, because of the budget problems. Ironically, it was a discussion about that which had made her late home in the first place…!

“Next, I am going to buy the school. I am also going to be Chairman of the Board of Governors. Your other part time job is going to be Staff Liaison to the board. This means you keep your job, and I get to spend more time with you.”

“I’m proud of the work you do, you silly idiot. I wanted to see how serious you were about it. I can have an air-headed girl to do my bidding any time I want it. You’re so much more than that…”

Stroking Hera’s hair, gently, Elle then whispered something in her ear, that she would never have expected in a million years…

“Marry me…”