"What do you mean the police detained you?!" "It was just a misunderstanding, sir. They were looking for someone else and I got caught in the crossfires," Raul leaned against the wall with his arms crossed in front of him as he listened to my phone call with Mr. Henderson. I called him the moment we were inside and in a room with a phone. You can imagine how he reacted.
My guardian was having none of it; I pictured him standing up in a fit of rage in his office. "Who was this officer?! What's his name?! What unit does he work for?!" "I don't know, sir. I didn't think to ask," that seemed like a dangerous proposition all things considered. "Did you tell them that you are MY daughter?!" "Uh, n-no, sir; I didn't think to do that either. It all happened so fast….." Yeeeeeeeeeah, in retrospect that might have been a good idea. Oops.
I could almost hear Mr. Henderson pinching the bridge of his nose through the phone cord. He was NOT happy, not that I blame him; I was still pretty raw myself. "This is outrageous. Utterly and completely outrageous. They should all be stripped of their badges!" "I didn't mean to upset you, sir," my fingers curled around the cord nervously. I know he wasn't mad at me, but I still couldn't help but feel like this was my fault. "Upset? I'm beyond upset, Anya; I'm livid! How dare they treat you in such an ill, inelegant manner?! And to think that they might get away with this disgrace too…. I won't have it!" "Mr. Henderson, please! I don't want any ill-repercussions to befall you either should you get involved!" "That's enough, Anya; my mind's quite made up. No child of mine will have to put with such abuse. Leave it to me. I'll see that they're all sacked- every one of them!" "But, sir…..!"
It was at this point that Damian turned the corner, coming in through the threshold. He was silent, and wore a tired, wary look on his face; I wouldn't be surprised if he had been crying a little. I didn't see him come in, but Raul looked over, not altering his expression or his posture. The two men acknowledged each other before gazing back my way; all my attention was still on the conversation at hand.
Mr. Henderson huffed again exasperated. "I don't see what possessed you to take the train so late in the day anyway. What were you thinking?" "It was the quickest way to get back." "Why didn't you stay with Jeeves and come back to the academy with him? You could have stayed here overnight; I would have written an excusatory note to Mr. Desmond," as if Mr. Desmond would ever bother reading anything to do with one of his employees. But my head lowered a tad in sincerity. My lips parted a sliver. "I didn't want to worry Master Desmond," was my honest reply. Despite my not seeing it, Damian's cheeks coloured at this; something Raul noticed. Damian's moist eyes widened, and his head spun rapidly to the side in delighted embarrassment. Yet he and Raul remained silent until finished with my call, leading to me to believe that Raul was the only one in the room with me.
My hand clutched the phone cord again. "Please… Please don't worry about me, sir. I'm safe now. Master Desmond- er the elder brother- vouched for me. I doubt the officers will be back." "They won't be going anywhere as SSS members by the time I'm doing talking to their superior. But you're right, my dear; I shan't worry because nothing like this will ever happen again." "Sir….." I began but he cut me off with a softer tone now. "No more, Anya; don't give it another thought tonight. It is no concern of yours anymore; you just leave it to me. Thank you for phoning to let me know that you're safe." A small smile drew across my mouth as my eyes lowered a tad. "Of course, sir. I'll phone you again tomorrow… to let you know how I'm doing." "Please do. This all has been very troubling to me, and it puts me at ease to hear you're doing well." Mr. Henderson….. My smile deepened. "Have a good sleep. Thanks again for everything, Mr. Henderson." "You're most welcome, my dear. Sleep well; we'll speak again tomorrow."
With that, I hung up the phone. Taking in a deep breath, I stared out at the wall for a moment, contemplating the night's events. None of it felt real…. It was so much to take in. Exhaling with gravatas, only then did I turn around to find not just Raul but Damian there; they were both near the wall opposite me and the phone stand. Our eyes locked, and neither of us seemed startled or even energic; all of us acted like we'd had the wind knocked out of us, including Raul. He was the first to break the silence now permeating the room.
"Your headmaster say anything?" He meant about the unfortunate situation. My head tilted downward a little, breaking eye contact with Damian. "He's going to look into it…" Though I really wish he wouldn't; the last thing I want is for anything bad to happen to him. The men must have realized my displeasure at this by the sullen expression my face was currently wearing. I glanced down at the floor despondently, Damian looked at me, and Raul blinked from me to him in a thoughtful sort of way.
No one said anything right away, leaving it to Raul to interrupt the pregnant pause once more. He straightened up his back and gazed at the both of us again. "I think you kids need some sleep. Come on, I'll walk you to your rooms," it was the first time he spoke to Damian in a casual manner, making Damian's eyes widen yet again- and not in a bad way. He was likely starved for paternal affection, so he would take it anywhere he could get it. That, and it showed that Raul was also starting to view him as a real person….
I nodded quietly and began to follow Raul as he exited the room first. Damian didn't move an inch, not even turning as I walked by him. For a moment I thought he wouldn't do or say anything, but soon enough his hand reached up to grab the sleeve of my shirt. I froze, though not in a bad sort of way, to glance over at his face. He wasn't looking back at me, but instead his eyes were squinted shut. His fingers clung onto my sleeve's fabric as if for dear life, and when he finally spoke, his voice was so hushed so to almost be in a whisper. He was trembling, and holding onto me so tight…...
"D-Don't….. Don't ever scare me like that again," he sounded like he was about to burst out in a flood of tears. I beheld him with low, understanding eyes. Poor guy, this must have been so incredibly stressful and humiliating for him. I think Mr. Henderson may be right; he does want to cling onto me, to keep me close with all his might… because everything else precious has already been ripped away from him. And he doesn't realize that he'll get nothing in return for his loyalty to his father…. Mr. Desmond will use him for his own personal gains, and then toss him aside. He and I were so alike in that regard, him with his family and me with this country. We're both so undervalued by those who are supposed to protect us….. And we're losing more by the day.
Almost crying myself, my eyes locked onto Damian. While his hand trembled uncontrollably, mine was steady and gentle. My left hand reached up to rest overtop of his right one. Damian's eyes shot wide open, and he looked at me shocked and confused. But I merely responded by staring him back in the eye, keeping my hand covering his, holding it steady.
Lean on me, Damian. You can lean on me. I am your maid, after all, and you're my wonderful master. I don't know how I got so lucky…. being employed by someone like you. I…. I don't want you to fall in love with me, knowing that any future we might have together is impossible. But I'm not going to punish you for it either. No, never….. I'm going to do my best to make you happy. You're so good to me; I want to make you smile in return….. I love it when you grin; I love your laugher. And I want you to grin and laugh as much as you while I'm here. You may be possessive and overprotective, but tonight has shown me just what a rare find you are. You are one in a million, Damian- I see that now, and I won't forget it. You're not like them…. You're not like the other party members.
My hand guided his, letting go of my sleeve and reaching down to take the draw ribbon of my dress. His fingers curled around it with the help of mine, grabbing onto the ribbon- just to keep him close while we're walking down the hall. It was so dark, no one would see him holding it as we went to our bedrooms, should his brother or the madame still be up. Damian's large eyes blinked from it up to my face, and I immediately reacted with a warm, loving smile. "Come on…..
Come with me."