6. Night Time Adventures
That night, when Mary was fast asleep in Dylan's arms, and Dylan was still trying sleep, there came a knock on her door.
Though worried that Mary might wake, she hissed into the dark, "who is it?"
"Dominic," came the reply, "can I come in?"
"Mary's here," she replied, "your room?"
There was a moment's paused. "All right."
Easing herself out of Mary's grip, Dylan pulled her night gown on over her pyjamas and slipped out her door, finding herself immediately beside Dominic Crehador.
"Naughty boy," she teased, "sneaking to a woman's room at this late hour."
Smirking, Crehador caught her wrist and pinned her against the wall, their noses almost touching. "Naughty girl taking the invitation," he responded.
Dylan stifled a laugh, and put her arms around his neck, hugging him briefly again. Almost surprised, Dominic responded with an embrace of his own.
"I meant it, Dom, I did miss you," she said softly.
"And I meant what I said… strangely so did I," he replied as they released each other, smiling. He took hold of her hand, "come on, you have more explaining to do, and I have things to tell you. We can't talk here."
"Obviously," muttered Dylan, allowing herself to be pulled down the hall to his room, slightly unnerved to see it close to the Earl's room.
As they past his door, Dylan almost felt a pang. She did miss him, though she could never tell him that. She had her own pride and stubbornness to satisfy, not his. Though she did wander if Cain would be able to hear anything of herself and Dominic if he were awake. That worried her.
On entering the room, Dylan promptly took the bed, grabbing a pillow and holding it to her as she lay down on her belly, feet towards the head of the bed while she face the foot there of. Dominic hid a grin to see her looking so childish as he sat in the chair opposite.
"Dom…" she said slowly, "I know this is probably something you don-"
"You want to know the details of Sheila's death?" he asked easily.
Dylan blushed and looked away. "I don't mean to-"
"That's what I need to tell you. You know what I'm like, I'd never work with a noble like Cain, so there has to be a reason as to why I am."
"He's not that bad," mumbled Dylan, almost defensively.
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
"Okok… tell me all… we'll get onto me later."
Dominic launched into a long story of how Sheila had gone to meet mayor Gloria, dropped a present of his to her when with the mayor, went back to go get it and saw something horrific. Intending to go speak to her, Dominic and Cain instead found her drowned in a bath, a tarot card dropped.
Dylan's face became tight when she heard this, but said nothing. Dominic could clearly see this effecting her, and though he was not sure if he should go on or not, he knew all too well Dylan would stop him if she decided it was too painful for him or for her.
Explaining about how Oscar left Cain's side for a while, and Riff's betrayal of Cain, something clicked within Dylan.
"Riff killed Sheila?!" she interrupted by accident.
Crehador hesitated. "Riffael killed Sheila," he explained, "not Riff…" Dylan frowned. "He had two personalities, Riff was the one we knew and Cain so adored and Riffael was the one that had been locked away… Riffael is violent, cruel and a general bastard. He killed Sheila."
Dylan's eyes had become glossy with her tears, her eyes a dull blue colour. It was a classic sign she was hurting, but she had yet to stop him. So he continued.
He told her of their plot to avenge Sheila, by killing the Mayor and Garu, though it was the mayor they needed dead, Garu had done nothing to prevent the murder and therefore was guilty too. Yet the plan also consisted of a third party's death.
For a moment he was worried Dylan might raise objections. The murder of one innocent for the sake of the death of two evils would have been wrong in her eyes. But he had forgotten how much Sheila had meant to Dylan as well.
"Was this Cain's idea?" she asked.
Dominic nodded. "For a lord he's not that bad… even if he can act pretty stuck up at times."
Dylan snorted. "No kidding…"
Dominic watched her curiously. "You've slept with him haven't you?"
She looked up startled, then rolled her eyes. "How'd'ya guess?"
"The way he was acting. You haven't been giving him enough attention since then so he feels used and you… I don't know about you… but you two have argued since."
Again she rolled her eyes. "You know… I hate it when you know everything."
"Get used to it."
"Never." She sighed. "Yes… last time I was here… that… may have happened. But it's me and him… two black sheep of the upper class… he should know better than me that a one night thing is all it can be."
"Like you and me."
"Exactly." Then she paused. "No wait… nothing like you and me… we were pissed."
Dominic laughed. "I thought you had forgotten that bit."
"Mate… I was talking about chicken soup that night… how could I not have?!"
It set them both off laughing.
"I think it's this I missed," Dominic announced, glad that Dylan had become far more animated, "you and me talking…"
"Mmm…" agreed Dylan, now half falling asleep.
Dominic sighed and got up. "I've told you everything and guessed everything else, now you go to bed," he scolded her, helping her up.
Rubbing her eyes, she shook him off, walking towards the door. "I'll be fine. If a someone sees you helping me to bed, things could get ugly, if I make my own way back 'oh- I needed the bathroom and got the directions mixed up'."
As Dylan left, she could hear Dominic muttering, "too good for her own good…"
Suppressing the wish to retort to that, Dylan closed the door softly behind her.
Inside his room, Dominic, changed for bed finally. He had known that he would visit Dylan later that night, to tell her exactly what was going on, but he knew all too well she would not have expected it. It was all well and good when they were with his domain or even her's, the fact that they were friends was known to the Sedgewells, they were hardly ever surprised, especially when they were little, to find them up talking late into the night. Now older, such activities were thought to be far more sexual, and had to be done in secret. In one's own house, it was far easier than in a house one does not know so well.
He was glad to see her again. But upset to see her looking almost forlorn. It was hardly the earl's fault, he knew that much, though he would have loved to blame it on him. Ever since her seventeenth birthday and her coming of age party she had become more and more withdrawn to the world of the upper class, almost cutting herself off from them.
Yet at the same time, her visits to her people had become less and less frequent. Though she often would send money and supplies to them through trusted friends (often servants of the family), her presence was not as easily felt amongst them.
It was as though she knew the time was coming for her to part from her role as begger Queen, as though her dream for freedom was diminishing as she got older. She would never easily accept a marriage, but she knew all too well that soon she might even be forced into it. That is… if she did not accept Delilah's offer first.
Dominic sighed, falling into bed. Life was hard for women as it was, weather they were ordinary ladies or common market girls. Somehow for a woman like Dylan Sedgewell… Dylan O'Toole… life was even harder.
Glancing around the hall, just outside Dominic's room, Dylan felt at her element. It was hardly the streets of London, sneaking away from a policeman, but it was dark and all her hyper active senses were at their peak.
As such, Cain hiding in the shadows of his door was something she picked up on immediately. Rolling her eyes, she walked purposefully towards him.
She slammed her fist into the door beside his head as his golden green eyes were in the opposite direction. The sound echoed in the hall way, making him jump about a foot in the air.
Before he could make a sound, Dylan had her hand pressed against his mouth, pinning him against the door. As he struggled against her strength, he knew and she knew it was entirely futile.
Though the two were entirely cloaked in darkness, Dylan pressed them in closer to the door, not wanting to be seen by anyone. Even if it was Oscar stumbling out of bed for a midnight snack. Or, worse, Mary wandering out going to the bathroom.
"What the hell is your problem!" she hissed, her lips right beside his ear, "you checkin' up on me?!"
It was the first time the two had been in such close proximity since his sinful kiss, Cain could feel his heart beating fast, from the shock of being shoved against his own door when he had been so sure he could not have been seen. He could feel her breath of his neck, swirling through his hair sending shivers up and down his spine. The calluses on her finger tips were easily felt on his cheeks, her heart beat in her chest thudded against his arm and right side of his chest. Her eyes were brighter than ever, almost reflective in the dim light.
She dropped her hand from his mouth, watching him closely.
"I was just going to the bathroom-"
"Liar," she hissed.
He narrowed his eyes at her, but she was still in charge, it was her pinning him, it was her who could knock him out in a moment without a second's thought and humiliate him. He was hardly about to tease the dragon. Not again.
"All right fine, I saw you going into Crehador's room, I was just curious as to how long it would take you to be done with him."
Dylan raised an eye brow at him. "I'm sorry… what was that supposed to mean?"
It took Cain a moment to realise what he had said. "Oh shit- I didn't mean- not in tha-"
"Save it, Earl, goes to show what you really think of me," she snarled.
Shaking with anger, Cain snapped. "That is not what I think of you, you stupid woman! I was simply curious as to the relationship between the two of you-"
"Well don't worry, it's entirely platonic."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Doesn't explain why the two of you are so familiar with each other."
"You utter moron! Weren't you listening? We're friends from childhood, and you know what I'm like! When I'm comfortable with a person I don't abide by the norm that everyone seems to be obsessed with following. No wait… I forgot… you don't know what I'm like at all."
Stepping away from him she walked down the hall way towards her room. Cain was left speechless for a moment. Only a moment. The next he was by her side as she put her hand out to open her door.
"Why do you always do that? Try to have the last word?" he hissed
She snorted. "Because you're too slow to come up with a come back," she replied, her voice keeping to whispers to, smirking victoriously.
"Not this time- this time you listen to me. I do not know what image you have of me now, but to be honest I think it's only you covering up for something."
"What?!"
"Yes. You're covering up something, Dylan, I don't know what it is yet, but I'll find it."
"Covering… you listen here you pompous git, how can I cover up anything from you? I've got nothing to hide from you! I've told you about my status, I told you about my… my curse. Damnit- I've got nothing to hide from you physically either-!"
"So you finally acknowledge that night?"
The harsh whispers stopped entirely. She stared at him.
"Is that what it's about?" she asked, she was looking incredibly pleased with herself, "the earl was hurt because I would not-"
"It is not that," he snapped, feeling his cheeks heating up.
"Don't tell me you became emotionally attached?"
Cain suddenly looked away from her, his face was on fire, he was all too aware that of what the colour of his complexion must have been.
"The notorious womanising Cain Hargreaves… tamed by little misfit Dylan Sedgewell-"
"Thief and torturer of male hearts," he retorted, coldly, finally looking back at her, "you have that power and you know it."
"Your point is…? It's the only power a woman has in this day and age," she shrugged.
"Is that what you did with me? Used your 'power'?"
Dylan sighed and shook her head. "Our lives are far more complicated than that black and white. Had you been any other man, then yes, I would have to admit that. But it's you…" her eyes for a moment softened as she looked at him.
Something jumped in Cain's chest. Hope? Wishfulness? Something else?
Then her face hardened again. "And anyway, we're two black sheep, I've said this before, in our society any sort of courting would be a scandal. I don't need that right now, I have to put up with enough 'oh he's good' from people as it is. We had that night, that's it. It was in the past- leave it there."
Cain glared at her. "I will not leave it there," he snarled at her, cornering her against the door, his face suddenly barely an inch away from hers, "you're cold… you know that? Cold. Ice. Begger Queen, yes, Ice Queen too."
"Just realised that?"
Suddenly Cain stopped, shook his head and stepped away from her. This was hardly like him! To succumb to emotion like this. He was angry yes- but there were other ways to display such things.
"I apologise, miss Dylan, I was feeling rather strange tonight. I'll speak to you about this another time… when my head is clearer," he looked at her, her beautiful features were set to 'utter confusion'. Cain could not help but feel a little smug.
"Good night, my lord," she said softly, quickly retreating into her room, closing the door behind her.
Almost running to her bed, she climbed in and pulled Mary towards her holding her close. Cain had scared her. She had began to feel so alive arguing with him like that, she thought she had finally been able to draw out the emotional side to Cain that he liked to hide behind rationality and brains. And then he snapped. He changed. Becoming cold again.
He may have called her and 'Ice Queen', but at least she knew she could tell people where they stood with her. Why did he struggle to do so? It made no sense.
Dylan shook her head, hiding her face in the mane of gold that was Mary's hair. Of all the bastards she felt closest to… Cain Hargreaves had to be the one where she felt there might be a real understanding. So why was he so confusing? She was hardly that bad.
Was she?
Cain chuckled to himself as he walked back to his room. He was glad he had pulled out of the argument when he had. This way he had time to think, and there would be more time for him to speak to her later. He could gather his thoughts, speak to her rationally, without her springing any ideas on him that could throw him as she had shown that she clearly could.
Next time he could be ready for her.
