Chapter 7 #2
‘Why are you here?’ I spun the small, blue plate in front of me around, watching my muffin spin with it.
God, it was like she knew what I was thinking before I even said anything.
Was this a common thing here, or was she just wiser than I imagined?
‘You don’t seem like a prisoner. And you said Damien brought you here, so you’re human. Or you were at some point.’
She nodded, taking the seat across the island from me.
‘No, I’m not a prisoner. I made some poor choices during my time on Earth.
Choices I’ve long since atoned for, and chose to let go of.
When Damien arrived in my room, I begged for a second chance.
To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure why he agreed.
Maybe I caught him when he was feeling extra lonely, or maybe he was already looking for an extra body around here.
Whatever his reason was, he gave me a choice.
An eternity in Hell, or a lifetime in his servitude. I chose the lesser of two evils.’
‘Must be nice. He didn’t give me a choice,’ I muttered.
‘Didn’t he?’ Agatha cocked her head to the side and looked over me. ‘I won’t pretend to understand everything, but I’m fairly certain you were given a choice, even if it wasn’t the one you hoped for.’
I sighed, looking out the large window. The tone of her voice said she understood far more than she was saying.
I wondered how much Damien had told her about me.
I could just make out the edges of an overgrown garden, tangled vines weaving themselves around wrought-iron fencing.
‘I guess in the technical sense, yes, I was given a choice. But I was led to believe it wasn’t a real choice. ’
Agatha hummed, taking a sip of her water. ‘Stella, I don’t understand why Damien does half the things he does, but I’ll tell you this. He always has a good reason for his actions.’
I cut my gaze back to her. ‘Why am I here?’
‘That is a question for Damien.’ She shook her head, her face giving nothing away. ‘That’s not something I can or will answer.’
‘But you know something,’ I protested. ‘You must know something. All he would tell me is that he wanted me, so he took me.’
‘Maybe that’s all there is to it. Haven’t you ever wanted something, and wished you could just have it?’ Agatha shrugged, getting to her feet. ‘Would you like to see the gardens?’
I did. But my exasperation bubbled up quicker than my curiosity, a flash of irritation that no one could tell me exactly what my purpose was here. ‘Could you take me to Damien? I have some questions I need answered.’
This wasn’t Hell. But he was the Devil. We were still on Earth. Grace was safe. Damien won’t hurt me. The longer I spent inside the walls of the estate, the more my mantra didn’t feel enough.
I needed answers, if I was to remain here, and I needed them now.
Agatha hesitated. ‘I could show you to his office. But he doesn’t enjoy being disturbed during the day.’
If he didn’t want to be disturbed, he shouldn’t have brought me back to his house and left me with no answers to go on. I didn’t bother saying this out loud but my face must have said it all, because Agatha sighed.
‘Come on then. But don’t say I didn’t warn you if he’s a grumpy bastard.’ She waved me through the kitchen doors.
‘Are you allowed to say that?’ The way Agatha spoke about Damien was almost comforting.
If she felt comfortable enough around him to say things like that, maybe he wasn’t as terrifying as he let on.
He definitely didn’t sound like the kind of person who snuck into unsuspecting women’s bedrooms in the middle of the night.
She shrugged, not bothering to turn around. ‘Does it matter? I’m the only one who’s put up with him for decades. He might not like what I have to say, but I think he hates being alone even more. But you didn’t hear that from me.’
‘Of course,’ I murmured, filing away my new information with the rest of the knowledge I’d collected about Damien.
Agatha stopped in front of a nondescript door at the bottom of the stairs, completely at odds with the carved wooden doors I’d seen so far.
‘This is his office. Come find me in the garden after, and I’ll show you around there.
It’s a bit of a mess, but it’s better than being cooped up inside here all day. ’
I froze with my hand halfway to the door. ‘You’re not coming with me?’
‘This is all you.’ She was already backing away from the door, a small smile gracing her face before she turned around.
‘I thought you weren’t scared of him!’ I called after her.
‘Speaking my mind around D and not being scared of him are two different things, I’m afraid. You’ll be fine, though. See you in the garden!’ With a tiny wave of her fingers, Agatha disappeared around the corner, leaving me alone in front of Damien’s office.
For a housekeeper trapped by the Devil, she seemed so content. Like she’d seen it all and nothing could surprise her. Maybe one day, I’d be the same. For now, I was here. I’d demanded to see him, but now doubts weighed heavily on my mind.
I needed answers. Damien had answers. And I was outside his office. Besides, maybe Agatha just interrupted him at all the wrong times, leaving him annoyed.
The image of him lingering too close to my face last night flickered through my brain, unbidden. I wanted you. I’ll try not to hurt you.
A shiver raced down my back, and I tried my best to convince myself it was the chill of the hallway.
Suck it up, Stella. You can do this.
I took a deep breath and raised my fist.
Before I could knock, a deep voice echoed out from behind the door. ‘Are you going to stand out there all day debating whether or not to come in, or are you going to open the damn door already?’