by West, Sinden
No matter how much I loved him…
But that last thought was tinged with sadness. I didn’t believe for a second what Daniel had said to me. I knew that I had some power over him, just as he had over me. But I would not beg him, I would not pursue him. My life needed to be about putting myself first, and I should be surrounded with people who knew how valuable I was and treated me as such. Let Daniel live a life of misery if he wanted, I couldn’t change him, only myself.
It didn’t take long to pack. I left most of my things behind. The most important items sat in my purse: my passport and my bank statement. The allowance that Daniel had given me had piled up because I never needed to spend any money while I was with him.
I slung my bag over my shoulder and started down the stairs. I didn’t come across anyone as I exited the house. The driver leaned against his car, smoking a cigarette in the darkness. The smoke curled up into the air, serving to give the house an appropriately eerie appearance. My eyes followed that smoke as it lingered around the west wing where that sad energy resided. I could only hope that Daniel would tear it down and release the spirit trapped within. My mouth twisted into a sad smile, maybe it would serve to release that sadness within him as well.
But that wasn’t my problem.
I passed my bag to the driver after he extinguished his cigarette. “Where are you going?” he asked.
“The closest international airport,” I told him as I got in the car. “I’m going to France.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The driver wished me luck as he pulled my bag from the trunk. This was as friendly as he had ever been, and I thanked him. “One last thing,” he said before I could walk away. I paused, and from inside his jacket he pulled a large envelope and handed it to me. He nodded his head at me. “Have a safe journey ma’am.”
I held the envelope in a firm grip as I headed inside. I made it just in time to book the next available flight to Paris, and as I sat down to wait, I inspected the envelope. I didn’t know if I wanted to open it or not, knowing Daniel there would probably be some cruelty or trick within the innocent looking envelope. I would wait until I was on the plane, that way I would be thousands of feet in the air and unreachable.
The flight was delayed, and in the end, I gave up and carefully unsealed the envelope. I pulled out a pile of documents and began to read them, my eyes widening as I did so. It was the deed to my aunt’s house, and it was in my name, gifted by Daniel. My mouth fell open. He had given it back.
The boarding call for my flight was made, and I carefully put the documents back in the envelope. At least now I had somewhere to go when I returned. I picked up my bag and put the strap over my shoulder as I got to my feet. I would go to France and drink coffee and wine, lots of wine. I would followed the trails of writers like Fitzgerald and Hemingway, and forget about Poe. There was a whole world waiting for me.
“Mattie.”
I didn’t jump and betray my surprise at Daniel standing behind me. Instead I just turned and raised the envelope. “Thanks for giving me back the house.”
He took a breath. “It was the least I could do. I had those drawn up a while ago, but never got around to giving them to you.” He gave a small laugh that sounded hollow and sad as he looked down at the floor. “I guess I didn’t want you having anywhere else to go.”
I took a step toward him, but resisted the urge to touch him. “You’re the Dark Man.”
His eyes flicked up to me. “What?”
“The Dark Man. He went from house to house screwing wives and daughters, never caring about who got hurt or the consequences of his actions. Until he fell in love, and the consequence was her death, trapped for a century in a wall, and his eternal misery, and the misery of all his descendants.”
He gave a slight nod like he understood, his forehead furrowing like he was in pain. “I feel guilt about Jeremy. I should have helped him escape from Dad’s wrath earlier. I changed my name, I tried to forget about the Riordans…that’s why I find it so hard to forgive and to be honest.”
“That’s your cross to bear, Daniel.” I took a step back as my flight was called over the loud speaker again. “Not mine. Anyway, I better get going.”
“Wait,” he reached out and gripped my wrist.
I shook my head at him. “I’m not staying here to play anymore games. I have a life to live. It’s about time I got started.”
“I know. I’m not going to try and stop you. Just… here.” He thrust a small velvet box at me. I took it and looked at it warily. “Open it on the plane, and…I’ll be here when you’re ready to come back.” He gave me one last look before turning and walking away. I watched him as he went, and the urge to go after him was strong. But I didn’t. Instead, I headed for the gate as the last call for boarding was made.
I waited until I was in the air to open the box, even though my fingers itched with anxiety and dread. When I finally worked up the courage, the box revealed two rings. The first was the garnet and silver one from the farmhouse with ‘Fate makes you mine’ engraved on it. The second ring was embedded with garnets and diamonds and had been created to match the older one. I carefully plucked it from its satin bed and looked closely at the inscription, and as I did so, a wide smile spread over my face.
“They’re beautiful,” cooed the woman sitting beside me. “May I?” I passed them to her so she could have a closer look. “What beautiful inscriptions. Fate makes you mine and, what does that say?” she squinted, holding it up to her eye.
“Rewrite history with me, Daniel,” I told her as I took the rings back and placed them safely in the box.
“Aren’t you going to wear them?” she asked.
“Later,” I said, resting my head against the headrest. “When I decide the time is right. I’ve got a lot to do first.”
The End
