"You must eat something, Anya. Starving yourself will do no good. You're traversing the border tomorrow; you need your strength." I didn't reply, staring blanky, endlessly at the untouched plate of food on the table in front of me. I'd been staying in Mr. Henderson's private accommodations since I arrived late that night. Raul went back to the Desmond estate, and that's the last I heard of the situation. My guardian and Becky did their best to reassure me that Damian would be fine; that Donovan wouldn't hurt his son- not really. But I couldn't shake this gnawing in my gut. All my thoughts revered back to him and I spent every breath wishing, praying for his safety. The guilt was also overwhelming…
My lips parted a sliver unconsciously as my eyes wavered. "This is all my fault….." "Of course it's not! Really, Anya; how could you say such a thing?" "Because it is! Damian wouldn't have broken off his engagement if he never met me. I dismantled his life before leaving for my own….. It's my fault…. It's all my fault! I did this to him! I caused him so much pain!" "You are not responsible for his decisions. I thought I taught you better, child. You know he is his own moral, rational agent and you must respect his ability to make his own choices," Mr. Henderson said with finality. I blinked up to him in desperation at this. "But he wouldn't have made that choice if I was never in the picture. The responsibility is mine; I'm the one who engaged with him and developed an….. an intimate repour. I should have listened to you and never spoken to him; I should have never said a single word to him! Damian would have been better off… if he'd never met me."
Mr. Henderson, who had been listening attentively, set down his teacup to give me a sincerely stare. His head tilted downward a tiny bit- yet very intensely. "Do you truly believe that?" He inquired, causing me to blink at him again perplexed. The tone of his voice just now…. He's rarely spoken like that before; so genuine and complex…. My hand rose up to my pounding chest a bit while I took a moment to digest his question.
Our severe conversation was interrupted by an unexpected knocking at the door. My shoulders flinched and Mr. Henderson glanced over his right shoulder. "Come in." The door opened to reveal one of the butler's, popping his head in cautiously. He had a somewhat concerned and confused expression on his face, locking eyes with his master quickly.
"Uh, a Master Desmond requests an audience, sir?" "Master Desmond?!" Both Mr. Henderson and I leapt up from our chairs. My guardian looked at me sympathetically, as if to say "see? I told you everything would work out". I busied myself fixing my hair and straightening out the front of my desk. Then I gazed at Mr. Henderson again as he nodded to me. "I'll be next door should you need me," he said before exiting through the side door to his adjoining bedroom. Waiting until he was gone, I flattened out any wrinkles before standing up straight and clearing my throat. "Thank you, Jennings. You may let him in." The butler, Jennings, bowed respectfully before leaving the door's threshold. That's when the biggest, most relieved smile burst across my lips. The door began to open more and I felt so happy, I thought I might die.
A shoe stepped in, followed by another, and then another. My face beamed utterly thrilled. "Dam-Demetrius! M-Master Desmond!" Talk about sudden deflation. I stood there stupidly dumbstruck as not Damian but Demetrius entered into the room. My eyes instantly enlarged in profound terror. He didn't appear confrontational but just seeing him here…. That's something I never would have dreamed of in a million years, and it was likely the same for him. Demetrius removed his hat, and that's when I got a good look at his face. There were scratches, bruises, and blood marks. I'm no expert on boxing, but I'd say he'd been punched in the cheek- multiple times. I watched him come in, carefully shutting the door behind him. His eyes were expressive and the lines in his cheeks and around his eyes composed. He glanced my way, finally grinning ever so mildly. It was the first time he's ever expressed so much as a smile to me…
"Miss Forger, I take it?" "Uh…. Y-Yes; yes, sir. I am Anya Forger; former employee of your father." "Heh, "former"," he repeated in a faint chuckle, stepping further indoors. I noticed he walked with a bit of a limp; something he's never done before. Needless to say, my anxiety began to grow….. My vision shifted up from his leg back to his face suspiciously.
"To what do I owe the honour, sir?" "You have no idea how hard you were to find. Nobody would tell me about you," he huffed, still stepping forward. I didn't respond to this, instead watching him now afraid. Why is he here? Where's Damian? Did…. Donovan send him to fetch me? Am I going to be arrested?
As if reading my mind, Demetrius flashed me a small, slightly assuring grin. His eyes lowered a tad. "Don't worry; Father doesn't know that I'm here. No one does; not even Damian. I came here alone, of my own volition….. No, I haven't told Father. Our relation has changed….. since I witnessed him throw my brother up against the wall." The moment he said this, my gaze softened onto him. I was inclined to believe him; I mean, if I was being arrested, the police would have done so by now… Now that Demetrius knew where I was hiding out. After observing him for another second, I motioned to the chair Mr. Henderson had previously been sitting in. "Come sit down," my tone was low and gentle. Demetrius hobbled over to the seat while I went to fetch a cloth and basin of warm water. He was resting when I returned, letting his weary arms fall down at his sides. Poor thing looked absolutely exhausted. His head didn't even turn up my way once I came back, placing the basin on the table with the plates of food still on it.
Demetrius's eyes did lightly open at the dabbing of warm water against the wounds on his face. "Thank you….." He grinned again, low and gentle. "Do you need a doctor?" "No; it's just some mere scrapes. Nothing I can't handle…." He said this, but his voice was pained. Not wanting to press the issue, I continued cleaning his open injuries. "May I inquire as to why you're here, sir? Why did you want to find me, if not to arrest me?" He chuckled, slowly shutting his eyes once more.
"You left your resignation letter…" "Did the younger Master Desmond find it?" "No…. I did," I paused rubbing his face here to glance at him, and his eyes fluttered open ever so slightly to see me. "Fear not; I haven't showed it to anyone else. I gave your "goodbye" letter to Damian." "Why not also the resignation letter?" I countered, dipping the cloth into the water to wet it again. Demetrius chuckled softly to himself, closing his eyes yet again. "In time… All in good time." That's when I looked at him with pure desperation.
"Master Desmond, please…. Please tell me what happened to your brother. Is he ok? Where is he? Is he still at the manor? What happened?" "Oh, I think you know what happened, or have a good idea of it anyway. Why would you have spirited away in the middle of the night if you hadn't?" "But the other Master Desmond…. Is he….?" Demetrius let a pause sneak in here before saying anything else. His mouth opened a little, but any words took their time coming out.
"He's fine…. now. As I'm sure you heard, it was quite a row. I'd never…. seen Father act that way before," there was a hint of genuine dismay in his voice just then. I remained quiet on the matter, finishing up with his face. I set the bloodily cloth into the basin and stood up straight. That's when Master Desmond gazed up at me, letting a pregnant lull fill the room. My head slowly turned back in his direction.
"He…. didn't propose to Miss Grey…." This wasn't so much a question but a statement. Demetrius watched me a moment before slowly nodding. My head lowered in despair and that gentle grin returned to his lips. "Do you blame yourself?" "Obviously. I'm not sure how much you know about your brother and I…" "I know enough. Heh, such a foolish boy; my brother's always been a bit of an idiot. You'd think he'd know better than dancing, caressing with another woman at the same ball that his intended is at," he chuckled, making me blink wildly at him. "You saw us?!" "Even if I hadn't, it's been obvious. It's been apparent to me since that night you were brought back by the SSS." My fingers twitched a tad at this while remembering… "You said Master Desmond wasn't of consequence…" "And he isn't; he'll never be in this country. And now that he's humiliated the Greys by rejecting an offer of marriage, he'll never have a future in the National Unity Party," Demetrius said this…. but I wasn't sure it was a bad thing. We looked at each other, letting our eyes linger on the other. Eventually my bottom lip dropped open a tad.
"Why are you here? Why did you come….. without telling your father or brother? Does Raul know that you're here?" "Who?" Demetrius's eyebrow raised and I rolled my eyes. "Never mind…." He may be doing the right thing now, but this man still has a long way to go.
Demetrius stood up from the chair, wiping the rest of the remaining drops of water off with his hand. His eyes ventured over to lock with mine again; more tenderly this time. We didn't make a sound for a moment, merely beholding one another. "Truthfully, Miss Forger, I wanted to ensure that my brother was making the right decision….. Which I now know he has. Damian hasn't said a word to me about you….. and has been in a state of hysterics since you departed. That's why I didn't show him your resignation letter; he's already suffered enough. I can't imagine how unbearable it would be to him to lose his precious, well-beloved maid… on top of everything else." "Master Desmond…" I breathed, clutching the fabric overtop my chest now.
The eldest Desmond brother flashed me a smile- a kind, sensitive grin; something I'd never seen from him before. "Never fear; I will give him your letter, when the time is right. I just wanted to see you beforehand…. To get to know you better. To be frank, I don't know what my brother sees in you. That's not an insult; I've just never experienced….. the kind of intense emotions he's had. The unwavering devotion… My brother took one look at you, and he's never so much as glanced anywhere else." "Master Desmond," I gasped again. His head lowered a tad, his eyes softening here. "I don't know what romantic love is like, but I do have some familiarity with brotherly love. Despite what you might think, I do care for Damian. I haven't…. always expressed it well; I was too busy trying to please our father, to be a good, obedient son…" Demetrius's sentence trailed off here as his gaze drifted down to the floor. His fingers curled into awkward, uncomfortable fists for a minute; his feet shuffling around a bit. He couldn't look my way when he spoke next….. "I didn't know about the entailment….."
This surprised me as I was so sure that he had. Damian was positive that he had! But then, neither of us had any proof on the matter; we just assumed….. But Demetrius revealed this to me so sincerely just now that I was inclined to believe him. I did believe him; without trying I already knew….. I remained stoically quiet, waiting patiently for him to continue when he was ready. Soon enough his head turned upward so to meet my considerate gaze. "That is why I am here, Miss Forger. I don't understand Damian's feelings towards you, but I do love Damian. If you're important to him, then I'm going to help you. It's the least I can do…. after all this time."
"Sir….." I began to speak but he silenced me by stepping forward. Reaching into the interior pocket of his coat, he pulled out a black and white photograph. Carefully placing it into my hands, I looked down to see a picture of Damian. I then gazed up to Demetrius's face confused before he smiled kindly down at me, letting his eyes organically relax. "Don't forget him, Miss Forger. He loves you so much…. Keep this, and always carry it with you. Remember him, like he'll remember you…" "Thank you, Master Desmond. This'll be one of my most precious possessions…. Just like your brother's memory is for me."
Demetrius smiled again before diving his hand back into his coat pocket. He pulled out a train ticket this time, still in its travel envelop. My expression morphed to one of perplexity as he placed it in my hands, alongside Damian's photo.
"What's this?" "Your train's set to depart at noon precisely tomorrow," he explained as I pulled the ticket out. The instant I saw it, my eyes grew gigantic. "Sir! I can't accept this! It's a whole boxcar in first class!" But he pushed it in such a way that it stayed in my grip. "Please take it." "I can't! This is much too much!" "It's already been arranged. The carriage will be ready and waiting for you; all you need to do is get onboard." "But sir….!" "Please, Miss Forger. It's to say "thank you"…. for waking Damian and me up," he softly shut his eyes, smiling so keenly…. so truly. My lips parted a sliver in awe. "M-Master Desmond…" Only then did his eyes reopen, beaming down onto me like I was the sun.
"Go, and live the life he'd want you to have. I'll be fine….. I now see the error of my ways, or am beginning to at least. Though I can't say I'm fully redeemed….." He couldn't finish his sentence here, causing me to smile. My hand lifted up to press against his wounded cheek. "Time- time is on your side, Master Desmond. As least you've woken up, and you'll find where you belong someday…." He chuckled a tad, leaning into the palm of my hand. "You think there'll be some sort of dream waiting for me there? That I might experience the kind of happiness Damian has these past few months someday?" "Yes; oh yes. There's no doubt in my mind whatsoever. Just be patient and kind with yourself; the road to recovery is a long and arduous one. But it's worth the journey… Believe me, it's worth it," I should know; I'll be seeing my father again soon.
Demetrius and I smiled at one another for another long minute. Then my hand gradually lowered and he began to head toward the door. He gave me one last glance from over his shoulder, digging his hands into his outer pockets contentedly. "I don't think we shall see each other again, Miss Forger." "I think you are right, sir," my hands clasped peacefully in front of my dress. His eyes lowered in a tender fashion. He put one hand on the doorknob, almost reluctant to twist it. "There's another dream…. waiting out there for you too I'm sure," he said, and I smiled. "I'll be dreaming of your brother, wishing for nothing else. I'm going to miss him so much…. And I'm so incredibly happy I got to meet him." Demetrius also smiled at this. He was about to turn the knob before flashing me once last glance over his shoulder.
"Remember, noon tomorrow."