Ruby Shimmer (re-write)

CHAPTER NINE

I was surprised that Lord Davenport would go so far as to defend me against his own nephew like that. And it was this particular act combined with his own attitude towards me until now that completely changed my initial opinion of the older man.

But even though I was seeing him in an all new light, I still couldn't bring myself to fully trust him, not yet anyway.

Be that as it may, I have to admit that I was also extremely grateful to him at this point for all he had done for me since we had first met. And now that I had noticed that I felt like this, I soon realized that I hadn't thanked him properly, nor had I offered a genuine apology.

"Um...sir? Before we start whatever this is, there's something important I need to say first. Something I should have said a long time ago."

My suddenly speaking up seemed to have surprised both of them because they were each now staring at me with twin looks containing both confusion, as well as a bit of curiosity and even slight concern.

"Is that so? Then, please go ahead, my dear." the elder male answered my words with that same oddly familiar smile and kind tone that made me feel surprisingly safe and protected.

"It's just that...I just wanted to say thank you for helping me in my time of need the way you have. But, I also wish to apologize for doing something so despicable by attempting to break into your home like I did as well. I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, but if there is anything I can do to make things right, then please do not hesitate to let me know."

As I said all this, I kept my head down as a way of hopefully showing Lord Davenport that I was truly regretting my actions.

However, that was only part of the reason for my doing such a thing. Another big part of it was also to try and stay on the older man's good side as best I could. That way, I might be able to keep him from calling the cops like Julian himself had mentioned before.

Because of my fear and worry, I continued to keep my head lowered for a few more minutes of complete quiet as I waited for my words to sink in.

Eventually, I was left stunned and more than a little offended when I heard Lord Davenport suddenly let out a series of amused chuckles.

"Please raise your head, Miss Melanie. I can reassure you that, while I was definitely surprised by your unexpected appearance in the catacombs. I am in no way angry or even upset about it. Though, I would greatly appreciate some kind of explanation about why you did such a thing in the first place.

For some odd reason, though I suspected it had something to do with his strangely familiar smile and aura, I already felt fully relaxed and comfortable around this man.

But, due to that same rationality, I felt like I didn't want him to be disappointed in me. So, before I knew it, I was already spilling my guts to him.

As a result, I ended up telling him the whole story from the very beginning, even the deeply personal parts like getting my heart completely shattered. And when I had finished, I could feel hot tears forming in my eyes, so I once more hung my head, this time in both sadness and remorse.

"I...I really am sorry, my lord. I really truly am."

We then sat there in yet another long and incredibly awkward pause that wound up lasting a full and agonizingly slow five minutes before Lord Davenport finally spoke up.

"I appreciate your honesty, my dear. But, as I have said, I am not upset about your actions. On the contrary, I felt sorry that you had to experience something so awful."

I was so shocked about what he had said that I was at a loss for words. Even after what I had done, he wasn't angry at all, but instead, showed such sympathy and compassion towards my situation.

Because of this, all his kindness turned out to be completely overwhelming, causing my eyes to well up with so many tears that they almost immediately started to flow down my cheeks.

"Miss Melanie?" Lord Davenport asked in a panic the minute he saw my tears. "Is there still something wrong? Are you hurt somewhere? Or maybe I said something I shouldn't have?"

In spite of my emotional state, I once more found myself feeling extremely grateful about his kind and gentle nature, which only seemed to make my tears flow even faster and even rapidly increase in volume.

But, before I could answer my elder, I jumped in surprise when out of nowhere, Julian had slammed his palms on the coffee table with a loud bang.

"Surely you're not buying this, are you, Uncle?" the younger of the two men raged in a rather demanding tone. "Such a typical sob story is obviously a lie! She is clearly trying to scam you to keep us from calling the police on her! It's all just self-preservation to save her own skin!"

"I am highly disappointed that I have to say this again, but enough is enough, Julian!" Lord Davenport snapped back at his nephew in a harsh tone of his own, his voice and face being so different from how he had looked and spoken so far that I actually felt myself shrink back a bit in slight terror. And while I did that, Julian, who was visibly shaking, immediately shut his mouth and sat back down with his own head hung low without another word.

After this short altercation, Lord Davenport quickly regained his composure by clearing his throat awkwardly before turning back to me and started to speak in his original gentle and fatherly tone of voice.

"I apologize for my sudden outburst just now, Miss Melanie. I forgot myself for a moment there. But, as I was about to say before I was interrupted, if you are truly feeling as guilty as you say you are, you could make up for it by helping me with something I have been having trouble with lately."

As he said this, I had begun to feel incredibly frightened about what this strange man could possibly want me to do in order to actually help him with some unknown task, especially for me to make up for doing something serious and borderline illegal.

However, I was even more afraid that, if I refused, he might very well change my mind and actually decide to call the police. So, I gulped slightly as I continued to stare at him in a cold sweat, feeling like I could barely breathe.

And my fear must have been completely obvious because the man in question had once more let out a loud burst of light hearted laughter.

"No need to look so nervous, my dear. What I want to ask of you shouldn't be too much trouble for someone like you. So, if you're still willing to listen, why not just hear me out first before you decide?"

I was unfortunately unable to find my actual voice at that moment, however, I remained incredibly thankful for his consideration for my feelings, even in a situation where he held all the power. And because of this, I silently nodded my head as a sign for him to go ahead and continue.

And the very moment that I agreed to his terms, things suddenly changed entirely.

Everything about Lord Davenport, from his face to even the aura around him turned much more hard and serious. And it was then that I knew that, whatever he was about to say, my life would never be the same again.

If only I knew just how much that feeling would prove to be true at the time. Then maybe I could have been better prepared for the events that would follow further down the road