Desperate Measures

Part 3

Tayend had an awed look on his face. "Wow Mayrie… you should write a book! Your astounding understanding of the mind is wasted on your life as a housewife!"

Mayrie let out a careless burst of laughter. "Why thank you, dear brother! If your enthusiasm for my advice is anything to go by, I may just do that some day. I could use your relationship with Dannyl to prove that my theories work!"

"Exactly!" Tayend cried gleefully. "Everyone will be envious of my and Dannyl's extraordinary relationship, and will do anything to have our success! You're book will be a best seller all over the Allied Lands! And you can meet with your fans, who will overwhelm you with their gratitude and devotion. But sadly, Orrend will have an accident one day, and you'll be left a young widow. However, you'll meet an incredibly handsome and intelligent man who you will marry and…"

"Slow down Tayend!" Mayrie interjected. "I haven't even written the book yet!"

The young man smirked wickedly. "Did I mention that Orrend's tragic accident will be caused by a mad scholar who wants revenge for him marrying his sister, and ruining her life?"

"Actually, I think you failed to tell me that. If that does turn out to be the case, then you should write a novel about our bizarre lives."

The scholar's face glowed with delight. "Not a novel – a whole saga!"

"Well, before you do that, maybe you should work on your relationship with Dannyl, so that the first book has a happy ending."

"I'll do exactly that - as soon as I get back to Capia, where he hopefully is desperately longing for me to return."

Mayrie snorted, and couldn't help but cut in, "The poor man must be distraught without his extraordinary little scholar to look after him. He won't be able to eat, sleep, or concentrate on his work! Even drinking will be painful, as it gives him fond memories of you; intoxicated with wine and desire, making a fumbled attempt to seduce him-"

"Ah Mayrie, stop!" Tayend cried out hastily, but then smiled. "Firstly, Dannyl is perfectly able to cope for a few days without me. I very much doubt he's dying of a broken heart!" He paused thoughtfully, taking a small sip of wine. "Although he may die of sheer exhaustion from all that tedious Ambassadorial work he's given, especially if I'm not around to distract him from it. Anyway, I'm off the point now.

"Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, my attempts to seduce Lord Dannyl are very admirable. If he wasn't so damn well-disciplined, his visits to the Library would become a lot more exciting!"

Mayrie's lips twitched wryly. "There's no doubt in my mind that you've got lots of magnificent plans for when Dannyl overcomes his fears. But I have one final but vital point to mention, which I touched on earlier. Dannyl may be afraid of his own desire for you – I think he feels responsible for you, so he wants to do everything he can to protect and care for you. Remember he's unused to feeling so strongly for anyone. He's spent most of his life ignoring certain emotions, which put him in control.

"But now that he's stopped restricting his feelings, He might feel overwhelmed by the intensity of his desire for you. He doesn't know where to start, so he's decided it's safer to hold himself back. He's probably embarrassed about how he can express his new feelings for you; whereas you in comparison are a lot more knowledgeable. He keeps hoping that everything will fall into place in time, but what he really needs is for you to help him along. He'll depend on you at first to guide him, and show him what to do." Mayrie hid her slight awkwardness as best she could, and took a delicate sip of wine.

Two bright patches of crimson glowed on Tayend's face as he replied, "Oh, of course I will. But…it's just…I've never ah…lead an older man before. I suppose I'm not half as experienced as Dannyl thinks I am."

Mayrie gave her brother a gentle smile. "Well then, why don't you let Dannyl know the truth? That should reassure him – to know that you're nervous as well."

Tayend nodded slowly, and said quietly, "Yes, I suppose I usually act so confident when we're together, he probably doesn't realise I'm anxious too."

"Exactly," Mayrie agreed. "Once you open up with him about your own worries, then he'll feel more at ease with expressing his own. Only then can you help him to cope with his problems."

Tayend's face lit up with gratitude. "Thank you, dear sister. I can always depend on you to give me the perfect advice." He stood up and strolled over to her, pulling her into an affectionate embrace.

Mayrie rubbed his shoulders fondly as she replied, "You are my little brother, Tayend. My only purpose in life is to solve your numerous complex concerns."

They both laughed in unison. "Honestly though Mayrie, you're the only person I can talk to about such sensitive matters. I'll be forever indebted for your willingness to help your helpless fool of a brother sort out his love life." Tayend said earnestly.

"Well," Mayrie retorted, "Since my romantic life is practically non-existent, I need to be content with ensuring yours is a success."

"Things can still improve for you, Mayrie! Once you write your outstanding book and become famous, you'll be recognised for the genius you are! And then Orrend will have that accident I mentioned, where a crate of your books falls on top of him-"

"Enough!" Mayrie exclaimed. "Stop contemplating my husband's murder!"

They both sighed dramatically. "Fine!" The scholar replied, giving her a sly wink, "But when I write my novel, he's going to be the first character I kill off."

"That's fine with me," Mayrie chuckled. "But why don't we discuss the tall, handsome and intelligent man I meet after Orrend's death?"

Tayend gasped passionately. "He turns out to be Lord Dannyl's long lost brother!"

Mayrie knew that whatever little sense the conversation had previously clung onto was now lost. However, she found she didn't mind in the slightest.

(There's one more fic in this series, called Trust Me and that'll be up soon :D)