Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Simon Dalrymple, the Duke of Davinshire, walked up the staircase of his home, deep in thought.
He was calculating the timing of shipments that were to arrive in London in the next months.
He had a generous sum of money invested in different avenues pertaining to the materials that were arriving and was expecting great profits.
Sometimes he himself couldn’t believe how deftly he had expanded his business. He’d had such success that he was now considered one of the richest dukes in all of England. His dukedom was already one of the oldest, and now his growing wealth had made him an extremely prominent figure.
He knew it was of utmost importance that he calculate all his business moves with great precision in order to keep his position intact. He wanted to leave his children a legacy, a fortune that they could rely upon. It was his duty towards them as a father.
He was finally at the top of the staircase, still lost in plotting ideas to bring his business ventures to life, when a loud barking noise brought him out of his reverie.
He looked down and noticed that the noise was soon followed by the arrival of a slightly overweight, brownish-gold pug in the passageway.
The pug immediately ran towards Simon and stopped by his feet.
Simon watched with widened eyes as the creature started rubbing his head over his trousers, as if wanting to snuggle to him.
“Away dog, away,” Simon growled, trying his best to move his leg out of the pug’s path without hurting him.
Why did I ever allow Benjamin to have this dog as a pet?
Thought Simon, extremely irritated. He had never been fond of animals, and having one as a pet was beyond his realm of understanding.
The dog refused to move away and instead turned his head up to stare at Simon with his huge black eyes, as if begging for affection.
“Caesar, where are you boy?” Benjamin’s loud voice reached Simon’s ears.
He knew that just like countless times earlier, his eight-year-old son must have lost control of the dog or had allowed him to run away.
Simon disliked it when the pug roamed throughout the mansion and especially when he came in the middle of his path.
“He is in here, Benjamin,” Simon called out loudly, his tone stern. He was angry that his son had defied him yet again and planned to scold him. He had told Benjamin clearly that the dog was not allowed inside the house, but the boy never listened.
Benjamin came running and his eyes fell to the pug snuggling by Simon’s feet.
He stared at Simon with widened eyes and bent down before making a clicking sound from the back of his throat.
Caesar most probably recognized the sound, as Simon noticed how he immediately turned around and ran towards Benjamin with a happy bark.
“Forgive me, Father, I had no idea he was here,” Benjamin started apologizing immediately, probably judging the thunderous look that was clearly evident in Simon’s pale blue eyes.
“Benjamin, how many times do I have to tell you to keep this pet pug of yours outside? The only reason I allowed you to have it was this agreement between us. Have you forgotten it?” Simon questioned, his tone turning loud and angry.
“No Father, I am sorry. Caesar simply refuses to stay outside and I feel sad for him. I really love him and do not want to leave him all alone,” Benjamin said, his tone pleading.
Simon couldn’t help but stare at his son as he continued apologizing. His lower lip was quivering, as if he would break down in tears any second. Simon noticed once again the resemblance to Patrina, his late wife.
Benjamin was the spitting image of his late mother, and Simon couldn’t help but think about her as he stared at him.
He had the same brown hair, the exact same hazel eyes––an unusual shade of green, and the milky white skin.
His son was still young and his features hadn’t hardened, which made him look all the more like his mother.
Simon’s heart grew heavy as thoughts of Patrina invaded his mind.
“I have told you many times to not run inside the house with the dog. If you wish to run, you must step outside and play in the gardens.” Simon said before moving his stare from his son to his daughter, Ruby, who had just walked in the passageway sporting a stern expression on her face.
Simon noticed how she seemed much older than just twelve. It felt as if the turns of time had ticked a little too fast for her and that she had grown up way before she was meant to.
“Good morning, Father. I hope you are well this morning.” Ruby’s soft voice forced Simon to look up as he noticed his daughter bobbing a polite curtsy in front of him.
Where Benjamin looked like his late mother, Ruby looked a lot like Simon.
She had Simon’s dark brown hair and slightly pale complexion, but her mother’s eyes.
Simon nodded at her. He didn’t know what to say.
He was at a loss for words whenever he was in the presence of his two children and thus wished to reduce his interaction with them to a minimal amount.
“Good morning,” Simon mumbled lightly before walking back towards his study and heading inside the room.
The room was dark to suit his tastes and characterized mainly by brown and black tones.
He usually kept the windows and doors closed and that had made the place quite stuffy, but he didn’t mind at all.
He had no desire to see or be seen by the outside world.
He knew that both his children were still standing just outside his door because he could hear their voices.
“Benjamin, why do you insist on bringing Caesar inside when Father has asked you to keep him outside?” Ruby scolded Benjamin. Simon stood just by the door and listened to every word.
“He gets lonely all alone outside. I can’t leave him looking devastated,” Benjamin answered, his words filled with sadness.
In that moment Simon wanted to step outside and give his son a hug.
He wanted to tell him that he could keep Caesar inside for as long as he wished, but he didn’t have the courage to do so.
There was no doubt in his mind that he loved his children with all his heart, but he didn’t know how to express it anymore.
The last three years had been hard on all of them. Following the unfortunate death of his wife Patrina, Simon had closed off. He didn’t wish to be the person he had turned into. He wanted to be a good father to his children, but had no idea how he could become that person again.
“Benjamin, I understand that. But Father doesn’t, and I do not want you to bother him anymore.
Just make sure that you do not upset him unreasonably again,” Simon heard Ruby scold Benjamin.
His heart suddenly felt way too heavy in his chest. It was as if all the world’s weight had been put on his shoulders and he had no choice but to endure it with a straight face.
He heard footsteps leaving and knew that Benjamin and Ruby were probably walking away from the study and back towards their bedchambers.
He waited for them to disappear before quietly opening the door and stepping out.
The portrait room was just a little further away, towards the left side of the passageway, and Simon entered it carefully.
The room stood in stark contrast to his study, as it was painted all white and had large windows at all sides that allowed natural light to filter in.
Simon suddenly felt as if he was in a different world altogether.
He quietly walked towards the biggest portrait in the room.
It was a family picture of him, Patrina, Ruby, and Benjamin.
It had been painted several months before Patrina had passed away in the unfortunate incident.
Simon stood silently, staring at the painting of his late wife.
He tried to remember the day they had sat for the portrait, but his memory failed him.
That was the case with almost everything related to Patrina, except the night of the accident.
He had forgotten her sharp features, her scent, her habits, her voice and everything that made her a person.
His mind had accepted that she was gone, but his heart was still unable to process everything that had transpired.
He blamed himself for the accident. He knew that if only he had been a little quicker, he could have saved Patrina from the fire that had taken over their London residence that night. She would have still been here beside him.
The family in the portrait seemed like strangers. They were happy and knew how to smile. These days, it was as though Simon had forgotten what happiness felt like. He was the reason that his children didn’t have a mother. A man like him had no right to happiness.
He picked up his right hand and traced the left side of his face.
The scars were still there, reminding him of that fateful night when everything had gone wrong.
The fire, the smoke, the smell of burning flesh, cloth and furniture.
He remembered Patrina’s lifeless body lying in his arms, the physician informing him that she was gone, and not wanting to believe the truth despite knowing it in his heart.
He still couldn’t believe that it had been three years.