Chapter 4 #2
He said nothing at first. He continued to watch her, letting the silence build, no doubt enjoying the way it made her squirm. It felt to Octavia that he did it on purpose, that he took pleasure in the power he held over her.
It made her angry… but she held that in, deep breaths… do not say anything stupid, Octavia. It’s done. You have the job. Now, just don’t ruin –
“Oh!” Her eyes widened as a realization came to her. “I have a rule of my own, seeing as we are speaking of such things.”
For the first time, an emotion passed across his face. It was a clear surprise; no doubt shocked that she would say something like that.
“You do?” he asked.
“My brother,” she said quickly, wanting to get it out. “He is eight, he lives with me, and if I am to move in here, I will require you to give him board also.”
“Your brother…”
“He is no trouble,” she explained. “He is smart, he keeps to himself, and I swear you will not even notice him.”
“Does he not have anywhere else to stay?”
“No, he does not.” She forced herself to meet his eyes, refusing to look weak. This was something that she could not bend on. “As I said already, both our parents have passed away, and I am all he has. I need this,” she pressed. “You do not get him without me.”
“And if I do not want you?”
Octavia allowed a smirk. “Considering the turnover rate of your governesses, as you just told me yourself, I am thinking that you do not have much of a choice.”
Another emotion crossed the Duke’s face. It was subtle. It passed in a flash. But Octavia could have sworn it looked like amusement. The faintest hint of a smirk before he covered it.
“Very well,” he said, back to his emotionless self. “Your brother may stay.”
She exhaled with relief. “Wonderful.”
“We shall see.”
“So…” She clicked her tongue as the Duke continued to look right at her. “What now? Do I… is there something I need to sign? Any more questions?”
“There will be,” he said. “I will have Miss Spencer draw up the papers for you to sign when you start. Tomorrow,” he was sure to add. “If you have previous engagements, I suggest you cancel them. Your life is now here, and for the next six months, that will not change.”
Octavia resisted the urge to smirk. She could tell now that the Duke was doing everything he could to remind her of his power over her. She had won a small battle just now, concerning her brother, and no doubt he hated the fact.
Oh, he is petty… and stubborn too. Lucky for him, so am I.
She pushed back her chair and stood. “Thank you, Your Grace, for taking a chance on me. I promise you will not be disappointed.”
“Let us hope that is a promise you can keep.” He stayed seated. He continued to look at her. And he gave no indication that he meant to dismiss her.
Their eyes held. His stare was unblinking.
Octavia, feeling just a little vindicated, tried to hold his stare as if she might somehow overpower him.
But his eyes were bottomless pits; they bore through her, they wrapped her, battered her, overwhelmed her with their indomitable strength.
She felt powerless in front of them, exposed, utterly fragile like a pane of glass that might just shatter at any moment…
She gasped and looked away, her breathing suddenly heavy.
“Good day, Miss Finch,” he said with a slight smirk of victory. “I will see you tomorrow.”
“You still owe me money for the last month!” Mrs. Starke complained as she hurried after Octavia and Henry. “Do not think I’ll be forgetting!”
“As I told you, as soon as I have the money, I will ensure that you are paid,” Octavia snapped. “I am not a thief, Mrs. Starke.”
“I never said you were.”
“You implied it!” Octavia reached the front door of her townhouse and turned on Mrs. Starke. “As I have explained, I am now employed by His Grace, the Duke of Ironvale. Your money will be forthcoming.”
Mrs. Starke narrowed her eyes. “It better be.”
“One week,” she told the landlady. “One week and I will return with your money, I promise you.” From behind Mrs. Starke, Henry appeared. He had his knapsack with him, and it was packed to bursting point. “Henry, come along…” She reached out and took her brother’s hand.
“Are we really staying with a duke?” he asked in disbelief. “Truly?”
“We are,” she said with a warm smile. “And guess what? You’ll even have your own room.”
“No way!”
It was happening. Octavia had been hired. As of today, she would be living at the Dukes’ own home. And assuming nothing went wrong, her life might finally be set down a path that would provide both herself and her brother with a chance at a real future.
The last four years have been next to impossible, and more than once, I wanted to give up. But this… this is what we have been waiting for. And I will not mess it up.
The only caveat to this role, and it was a rather big one, was the Duke himself. Octavia could still not believe that he had hired her, especially after she snapped at him and had been a little too forthcoming about her situation.
She hoped that her honesty was what inspired him, that he saw in her someone who deserved a second chance. Likely, what he saw was a person without options, not to mention a person who he could use to his whims for that same reason.
Even now, just thinking about the Duke… it made her bones turn cold and a shiver ran through her body.
She was not scared of him, but wary. He was an intimidating individual, he seemed to enjoy that fact about himself, and she doubted that the rancor which had found their last conversation would be an isolated incident.
You just need to control your anger, Octavia. Surely, that will not be so hard.
“Oh, one more thing!” Mrs. Starke called as Octavia and Henry walked outside.
Octavia groaned and turned around. “What is it?”
“I told you brother this already, but a man came here looking for you two days ago.”
Octavia curled her lip. “Let me worry about Marcus and his thugs.”
“This was not Marcus, and nor was he allied with Butch,” she said. “He was something else. Well-dressed, well-spoken, looked like a lord of some sort.”
“He did…” Octavia blinked. “Did he give you his name?”
“I didn’t ask,” Mrs. Starke said. “And when I said you were out, he simply left. It was odd, is what it was.” She rubbed her arms as if suddenly cold. “Strange.”
Octavia considered what this might mean… and came to no conclusions. Was it possible that Butch had hired someone else to collect his debts? That sounded unlikely, as he was not the type to do such a thing. Even if he had, why would he hire a lord to do so?
But if not related to her father’s debts, what was a random lord doing looking for Octavia?
“If he comes again, you can tell him where I am,” Octavia said with confidence. She felt proud to announce that she now worked for the Duke of Ironvale, and she chuckled internally to imagine Marcus turning up to the manor and demanding entry.
Let’s see how tough he is when faced with the ire of the Duke!
“Can we go?” Henry whined. “I’m hungry.”
Octavia laughed and ruffled her brother’s hair. “Yes, let us get out of here. A new life awaits us, Henry. Oh, the adventures we are sure to have.”
She put her arm around her brother, and they walked from the townhouse together. That townhouse represented her old life, one that Octavia had fought through now for nearly four years. It had been hard. It had nearly broken her. But she had survived it like few others could.
Her new life stood before her, one that she was excited to live. What might come from it? Where might it lead to? She had no idea, just as she knew one thing to be true: it couldn’t be worse than what she was leaving behind.