The new silence in the house was deafening. Ever since that night things have changed exponentially. I had become lonely in my own home once again. Even though she had decided to stay in the end, my houseguest rarely left her room. Johnson took her meals three times a day and brought her anything she needed. All attempts on my part to speak with her were met only with silence or simple, typically one word, answers.
I had just finished my third solitary breakfast when I found irritation at the bottom of my coffee mug. The heavy ceramic thudded against the thick oak table. I signed heavily and ran a hand over my face. The familiar steps of my butler entering the dining room didn't deter me. I simply shook my head in response to his inquiries on if I needed more coffee and my hand rose, stopping him before he could ask any more about my needs. My wrist bent as I waved him away. "I am fine, Johnson. You may clean up."
I pushed my chair back, the legs scraping against the hard flooring as I stood. The elderly man wasted no time in gathering up the items on the table. I had just reached the door when he spoke, "She's finished breakfast, Sire." My only response consisted of a nod before I headed for the stairs.
Once I reached the top, I made my way straight to the open door of my office, closed it behind me and sank into the heavy leather chair behind my desk. I rifled through the files on my desk, searching for and finding the particular one I was searching for and picked up the phone.
–
One good thing about running a fishing empire, it is easy to get lost in the work. Several phone calls and four hours later, a knock at the door brought me out of the fog of work. The door opened and Johnson entered carrying a tray. Lunch. My gaze flicked to the illuminated computer screen. The time displayed in the lower right corner surprised me. The more aware of the time I became, the more aware of my hunger I was.
I gave the man a brief smile of appreciation and let him set the tray down on my desk before letting himself back out. I moved the file I was working on to the side, then on second thought, put it away and turned off the screen to my computer. I moved the plate from the tray to sit on the desk before me and began to eat. Between bites, I took sips from the glass of water provided. My mind wandered to my guest and her recent seclusion. The more I pondered on it, the more I realized I missed the presence. Despite the habits that brought irritation, the company was nice.
Once I had finished with my meal, I set everything back onto the tray, wiping a napkin across my mouth, then dropping it to the tray as well before standing up. I know exactly how to get the infuriating woman from her room. As I left the office, I left the door open, signaling for Johnson permission to take the tray whenever he saw fit.
My hand rose and paused, hovering over the heavy wood that separates the hall from the bedroom that had been claimed by my guest. I waited there for a moment, my mind going through a cycle of talking myself out and back into the decision before I allowed my wrist to flex and knuckles to rap against the door. I allowed the sound a bit of breathing room before I began to speak, "If you want to know my secrets, you are going to have to come out of your room."
As I figured that would be plenty to draw the female within out, I moved to linger beside the door and wait. I was not left to wait very long, the door opened and she stepped out. It was clear she had quickly changed clothing, it was still disheveled and I caught the barest glimpse of a bare hip before tiny hands drew the hem of her shirt down. Her hair was hastily tossed into a bun atop her head.
"In the future, when making trips to this room, I will have something set out for you to wear. I suppose that will have to do for now." My gaze ran over her frame hastily before I began to lead the way down the hall, "come."
We walked in silence all the way to the staircase leading down to the singular door, I stopped just outside and moved a hand to my pocket to withdraw the key. "Now, I am going to share with you, so naturally, afterward, I am going to require that you share something with me. I want your father's name, contact information and the details of his debts. Do you agree to this?" I moved my hand, inserting it into the lock and waited there, my gaze settled on her bright ones, reading the confusion and hesitation. I caught the flicker of her eyes to the door, then back to mine before I was given the briefest of nods. I accepted this and turned the lock, pushing open the door.
My arm extended, I waited for her to walk in before me. The room was dark, by design, I reached to grasp the lighter always kept on a table by the door and lit the candle there. It was black and the flame dim. I moved from her side, lighting the rest around the room. Each set in an ornate fixture on the wall. With every new flame, more of the room was revealed. I waited as she silently took in what she likely expected to see, the chains fastened to the wall, the bench and table with restraints built into them, cabinets filled with all manner of objects. What I suspected she did not expect was their true use.
"The rumors are true…to a point, there is one factor they get very wrong…" I spoke as I moved back toward her, catching the gleam in her eye, I wondered if she was truly ready for what she had gotten herself into. My arm rose, reaching over her shoulder to grasp the heavy door and closed it behind her, shutting out the rest of the house, the rest of myself, as I prepared to reveal my true nature.