FAN BANNER BY MIDNIGHT DREAM!! ❤️
~Chapter Thirteen~
Scarlett descended the stairs and stopped mid step only to realize that she could spare the time to step out for a moment. The absence of being outdoors had begun to unsettle her as she thought of it and without thinking twice, she made her way out the front door. The front sod to the mansion also held a garden of dark red roses, some of the thorn vines descending past the top floor. To her good fortune Mr. Finckle, the gardener, toiled about the large bushes of red thorn roses, taking whatever dead stem or pedal that had weakened and died. Optimistically she approached him with a warm greeting and quietly stood at his side observing him work.
His white covered set of hair reminded her of Dathan's father, along with the saddened grey eyes. Of course, none of that fooled her, for he was a rather cheerful man. She knew very well that he was the only man that knew about where she stole off to at night, but both preferred never to approach the subject. Scarlett found it healthier this way, the last thing she sought was for word to get to her husband.
"How are the roses coming about?" Scarlett asked, sitting her hands behind her back.
"Just lovely, they bloom prettier every day." he replied, as he bent forward to pull a couple of weeds from the thorny bushes. "How is our young Master recovering?"
"He recovers his strength day by day, his progress moves quickly."
Scarlett felt the wind gush and savored the fresh hair invading everything in its path. So lifting her gaze to the sky, she observed the clouds growing dark. It had not rained in a couple of days and she always loved sitting near her windowsill listening to the rain as she painted yet another portrait.
"The rain will help in watering the plants this evening," she then said.
"Takes all the work off my hands my lady, and so too will your garden be watered." He said.
The only response she gave him was a smile as she proceeded to avoid the subject and ask many questions about various flowers she was fond of. She came to find that Mr. Finckle was an easy man to talk to and spent almost the hour outside soaking in whatever sun light was shining through the dark gray clouds. To close, she excused herself from his side and sauntered inside to ensure that her husband was well.
Scarlett felt there was no longer the need to knock on his study door and turned the knob to walk in unexpected. To her revelation, Camille sat on top of his desk while she ran her slender fingers through his dark lock of hair. His eyes shifted to fasten with hers and Camille followed turning over her shoulder to glower in her direction. The atmosphere abruptly grew immensely profuse as Scarlett tried to breathe as sturdy as she could. Her mouth twitched as she fought to surface words to break the tension in the air.
Her mind scrambled about and for only a moment did she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There would be unquestionably no shying around this woman, Scarlett had to grow accustom to seeing them like this.
"Was there something that you needed?" Dathan asked. His hand lifted only to gently pull Camille's hand away from his hair. Scarlett watched the way he carefully placed it over her lap and pulled away from her grasp.
"I was going to ask the same question." She whispered.
"He is preoccupied at the moment?" Camille replied, before Dathan could respond.
A small growl rumbled at her throat as she pressed her lips into a thin line and bit down on the smart remark she wanted to blurt out. Instead, she waited on his reply still and ignored hers.
"I could eat." He said.
With a single nod, Scarlett made her way toward him as he pushed away from his desk.
"Darling, allow me to assist you, after all I am to be your wife soon." Camille intruded.
She stood in Scarlett's way and gave her back to her as she reached over to grasp him in her arms. At her approach, Dathan stopped her and rejected her aid as he looked over Camille's shoulder to where Scarlett stood.
"Camille, step aside and let Scarlett do her job." He replied.
Camille immobilized as she looked down at him with a flabbergasted expression and crossing her arms over her chest she refused to move. Dathan took her hand and rubbed the back of it easing her to a side, trying to be a gentleman about it as he reached over for Scarlett's hand as well. Something in him suddenly knotted while he looked at both women. It felt rather comforting and right to be holding that of his wife's but as he turned to his mistress there was nothing there to make his breath hitch. Gently he let go of Camille's hand and enveloped himself in Scarlett's embrace as she wrapped an arm around his waist aiding him out the door.
"Will you not join me?" Dathan asked his mistress.
"I've lost my appetite." She hissed, thought gritted teeth.
Dathan did not reply simply turned his head and tried as best as he could to use his legs. At the top floor, they stood starring down the grand stairway to the bottom floor. Dathan knew well that there would be no difficulty taking each step down. Scarlett could never know of his lies. He feared just what she would do if she ever did find out. The dread to hear her ask to be released and send on her way gripped his throat. He did not know if Scarlett ever valued him or if she had felt the slightest pull toward him. As he saw it, she had put up with so much from him that he knew that all she endured was pure and utter hatred.
Then again, he confused himself by thinking about the way she looked at him and how she blushed whenever he was too close. He knew he was profoundly fascinated with her, but was that all he coveted from her? He questioned for a minuet if he ever got the opportunity to bed her, what then? Would he feel closer to her or would he regret it?
"Are you ready?" Scarlett asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Ready." he muttered, taking a deep breath.
One by one, they took each step and Dathan felt his feet gain strength as he reached the bottom. A smile could not help but reach his lips as he turned to his wife whom looked down at each step they took.
"Thank you, for all of your aid." He whispered.
Scarlett lifted her gaze to stare into his eyes and Dathan felt himself sucked in by the beauty of those large almond colored eyes. The sincerity was written in them as she smiled and uttered a reply.
"You are very welcome, now how do you feel, is your back aching?" she asked. Scarlett took several steps away from him letting only her fingertips touch his. Panic gripped Dathan as he looked at Scarlett and felt his knees buckle. It had nothing to do with her pulling away but the fact that she would find out just how strong his back had grown.
"I fail to see this as a good idea." He said.
"You have made it to your drawer and washroom by yourself, the dining room is but a few feet away, give it a try." She replied, taking a few more steps, until her fingers brushed away from his.
"Maybe if I had a cane." He mumbled, stretching his arms out to her like a child.
"I think that by the weeks end you might be able to fully stand on your own." She said.
Scarlett took him into her arms once again and odd enough Dathan felt a comfort envelope him as she sited her arm around his waist. He chuckled at her reply and reassured her that it might be possible. Together they reached the dining room as Sonia, Bridget and Hanna finished serving the table. At an awful far distance did she sit as he looked up to see Scarlett at the very end of the dining table. His lips grew into a thin line as he realized just how far away she had been for such a long time. Now that his eyes saw a side of Scarlett he had refused to see before, he hated himself for having her so far away.
He observed as Scarlett chatted away with a house cleaner and smiled as if they had held a friendship for years. This action unpleased him as he knew that after being lonely for such a long time she had sought friends amongst the help.
"Thank you Sonia." Scarlett said, squeezing her hand.
Dathan could have gone all of his life without knowing what this young girls name was but Scarlett had known. The maid smiled politely and vanished through the kitchen door, as the room grew quiet so suddenly.
He felt how the atmosphere changed once the maid was gone. Scarlett quietly bowed her head and intertwined her fingers to whisper a prayer for her meal. Dathan looked down to his plate of food as well and could not help but feel thankful as well. Slowly his eyes closed and for the first time in such a long time did he say grace.
"Amen." He whispered.
Just as he reached for his silverware did he catch her looking at him a bit surprised and she ripped her gaze from his reaching for her spoon as a distraction. A smile formed at the corner of her lips denting her cheek into the charming dimple that Dathan was fond of. He returned the faint gesture and felt the meal tasted better for some reason. He realized then that he had not been here since Scarlett and he had, had their unpleasant discussion over their divorce. Her pained expression surfaced in his memory as he stole small glances at Scarlett while she ate.
Clenching his jaw as he chewed on his food he felt completely imprudent forever having shouted at her, all she had sought was her husband, she had said. He felt his stomach turn as he repeated her last words before she had stormed out on him, "I wanted my husband," she had said wanted not want, Scarlett had needed him and it was his fault that he had never paid attention.
At dinner or family reunions he had never favored to glance in her direction and at times humiliating enough, he had completely forgotten that she was there. Regret filled him as he wished now he had given her at least diminutive attention.
The creak of the door made Dathan pull from his deep thoughts as the scent of lavender invaded his nostrils. A month ago, he had gone out of his whim to buy Camille that lavender perfume and now she wore it every time she came to visit.
"I had hoped that we could have shared an evening together," she sighed.
Dathan turned over his shoulder to look at Camille, she was lovely, but now that he thought about it, he was not certain if what he had felt for her was the same thing he now felt for Scarlett.
"I am certain you have things to attend to." Dathan replied.
Camille glared but not in his direction as she looked at Scarlett, whishing somehow to harm her. A devious smirk took place in her expression as she leant forward and took hold of Dathan's face. Her lips inched closer and his heart knotted painfully to think Scarlett just might witness it. Dathan pulled from Camille's hold and turned his cheek as her lips landed unto it. Maddened and shamed she thundered from the dining room slamming the door with such intensity that Dathan could have sworn that the silverware rattled in response. His dark blue eyes caught the faint frown in his wife's lips. He fought for words to say to break the tension and recalled to have seen trickles of paint in her hands not a few days ago.
"Do you paint?" he asked.
Scarlett lifted her head surprised to have been asked a question during their meal, and fumbled with what to reply as she wiped her mouth. "A little."
"I seemed to recall seeing trickles of paint on your hands not a few days ago." He continued. "How long have you been an artist?"
"I began to take interest when I was younger." She replied.
"Is there any painting around the house you've created?"
"No, they reside in my room." She whispered. Scarlett began to wonder just why Dathan was bothering to interrogate her now, and figured he must have been bored to ask as much.
"I would like to see them, if you do not mind?" he asked.
"I do not hang them up, they are safely put away, and most are gifts I plan to give to my family." She replied.
This felt odd and a bit uncomfortable as she saw it and giving him a thin lip smile she stood and gathered her plate trotting off into the kitchen. She paced the kitchen floor fiddling with her fingers as she stole small glanced at the door.
"Is something a matter?" Sonia asked.
"He talked to me." Scarlett replied, still a bit dumbfounded by it all.
"Doesn't he always do that?" she chuckled.
"I...he asked if I was an artist and asked to see my work," Scarlett uttered confessed.
"You do know what this means...he is showing interest." Sonia squealed.
"Of course not, I am more than certain he is beyond bored, he has not been able to step out of the house for a while now." Scarlett chuckled with no amusement to fill her voice.
"Rubbish, you do not know that, now get out there and make the best of it." she encouraged.
Scarlett walked out of the dining room not considering Sonia's words; she did not want to give herself hope. Dathan had finished his meal as she entered the dining room and wiping his mouth he pushed away from the table ready for her to aid him. Scarlett could not bring herself to look at him as she neared him and gently helped him rise.
"Is there anywhere else we can go, I do not wish to go up for the moment," he confessed.
"Well you could use fresh air, how about we go to the backyard?" she suggested.
"Fresh air sounds more than welcoming." He chuckled.
Anything but being upstairs, he thought. He had not come down nor gone outside since the incident and Dathan now desired to be anywhere but inside his chambers. Scarlett was careful as they descended the small set of cement stairs to the back then led him to where a bench lay but a few feet from them.
"Master Heart, I hope this evening finds you well." The gardener greeted.
Dathan nodded without a reply but his wife quickly left his side to greet the gardener in a cheerful smile. He observed Scarlett's beauty as she strolled by the gardener's side and laughed as they talked. Their conversation was muted as she gently patted his shoulder and neared a large rose bush to inspect the flowers. She bent forward gently touching each pedal and taking a whiff out if it as a smile played on her lips.
This was the first time he had stepped foot out into his large backyard and as he inspected it he noticed just what a fine job his gardener was doing. Dathan owned a mass part of property. Many varieties of roses sprouted large and beautiful as an outsized labyrinth stretched far meeting at the edge of the woods that lay beyond. Above him, thunderclouds rumbled as Scarlett's laughter seemed to make his heart skip all the faster. For a moment he envied the gardener for succeeding in making her smile so beautifully, and suddenly wished that he could be as privileged.
How had he ever ignored what a wonderful person she was?