by Cat T. Mad
“Can I do something else for you, Mrs. Reddington?” he asked politely.
The gray-haired woman looked at him despondently, and she shook her head. Subsequently, she placed her hand on his upper arm in a friendly gesticulation. “I thank you, Bennett, but I don’t need anything at all for today.”
Aethel Reddington turned around and went in the direction of the staircase. His eyes were resting on her back, and he turned away not before she had reached the upper story. With a quiet sigh, Bennett trudged into the kitchen, and he was glad that Kate had already called it a day.
He really wasn’t up to curious questions, and he didn’t want to continue any discussions about Jethro even less.
The housekeeper had already tried to draw information out of him during dinner, but Bennett was grateful that he merely could shrug his shoulders, because he didn’t have a clue what had happened.
He prepared himself a small tray with tea and sandwiches. After that, he redirected the house telephone to his own device in his sleeping room as always in the evenings, and he left the kitchen. In the hallway, he heard Charles’ voice from the living room. He didn’t understand what the man was talking about. However, he heard that his tone of voice was furious. The butler hesitated for a moment. Should he approach the door more closely? But then he shook his head and vanished into his rooms straightway.
Bennett got rid of his shoes, he stripped off his jacket and he finally loosened his tie. Just, after he had put down the tray and sat down on the sofa, he heard someone banging the door on the first floor. He gave a jerk, and he assumed that one of the fighting cocks had left the arena. Bennett was tempted to put on his clothes again in order to look if everything was in right order, but then he shook his head. He perceived someone quickly and furiously running upwards, and finally a door clicked shut, although not so loud this time. Since Charles couldn’t move so swiftly anymore, he knew for sure that Jethro had left the living room and had just stepped into his own room.
With a sigh, Bennett reached for his cup, and he hoped that maybe now the point was reached, when the grandchild of the Reddingtons finally would depart.
He glanced at his sandwich, and he realized that he wasn’t hungry anymore. Bennett opened the two upper buttons of his shirt, and he leaned back. He interlaced his fingers behind his neck and closed his eyes. He didn’t have the time in order to reflect about the happenings, because only seconds later, a ringing sound came out of his sleeping room. Bennett quickly jumped to his feet, and he walked into the adjoining room. The phone on his nightstand let him know that it was Jethro’s room the call originated from. He growled impatiently and he whispered, “I hope I shall pack your things!”
“Mr. Reddington?” he asked politely into the receiver three seconds later.
“Bring me a scotch.”
Before the butler could reply something, Jethro disconnected the call.
Bennett raised his eyebrows with surprise, but then his facial expression reflected his fury. The voice clearly hadn’t sounded as if the troublemaker intended to leave the house, but rather as if he planned to get drunk again.
“Oh crap.” Bennett returned to the living room, and he darted a glance at his clothes he already had gotten rid of. Would it have been Charles or Aethel who had asked for him he would get dressed once again. But he refrained from doing it, because he wanted to make clear to Jethro that his work day was over.
He slipped into his shoes and went on his way downstairs. He briefly reflected if he should use the liquor cabinet in the living room, but then he decided on the one in the dining room. It was likely that Charles was still awake.
After a few minutes, he trudged up the steps again and knocked on the door of the man. Bennett complied with the request to enter. Jethro had made himself comfortable in the armchair next to the marble table. His legs were outstretched, and his hands were crossed behind his neck. Bennett concentrated on the table and he didn’t deign to look at him, but from the corners of his eyes, he noticed that the other man scrutinized the way he was dressed.
“Prepare something for me to eat. I am hungry,” Jethro demanded.
Bennett firmly clenched his teeth, and he merely gave a brief nod. Then the butler turned around and vanished. While he was going downstairs, he was ranting silently. He was rather in the mood to tell Jethro Reddington to his face that he should disappear instead of demanding sandwiches. But he exactly did what the man wanted a few moments later. He carelessly squeezed the spread between the slices of toast, and finally he went on his way back upstairs.
Bennett took a deep breath, before he entered the room, and subsequently he placed the plate in front of Jethro.
“One more scotch,” he demanded, and he shoved the empty glass in Bennett’s direction.
The butler reached for it, and he was eager to leave the room again. He even couldn’t curse anymore, and he wondered, if Jethro actually planned to chase him through the house for the rest of the evening. When he reached the liquor cabinet, he refilled the glass, and then he put the whole bottle on the tray.
He didn’t want to be laughed at as a footboy.
As already before, he didn’t knock on the door, but he simply entered the room. His gaze was immediately fixed on the table, and he parked the glass and the bottle on it. But instead of being able to withdraw as he had hoped, Jethro announced, “One more sandwich.”
Without letting on anything, Bennett took the plate. When he turned around so that his face couldn’t reveal his thoughts anymore, he narrowed his eyes and his expression reflected pure fury. With pretended self-composure, he left the room in order to volunteer a pile of silent curses that normally would have made him blush.
Fifteen minutes later, so many sandwiches were piled up on the plate that Jethro could impossibly demand for more food. Bennett switched off the light in the kitchen, and he decided to refuse to run for him one more time, even if the man wanted something else.
Briefly afterwards, when he went into the room again, he was surprised that the armchair was empty. He heard the water of the faucet in the bathroom, and he exhaled with relief. Bennett put the plate down, and then his eyes caught the bottle he had placed on the table a few minutes ago. He was stunned, when he realized that the content had diminished profoundly.
He asked himself, if Jethro drank the alcohol in one go, and he avoided shaking his head despite of his reflexive urge to do it. Just when he turned on his heel in order to leave the room, the door of the bathroom was opened and Jethro appeared.
Because of this surprising noise, Bennett automatically looked in the direction of the man and stopped walking. The eyes of the other one were already glazed over, and they were proof that the alcohol had clearly found its way into his bloodstream. Bennett tried not to show the contempt in his facial expression he felt at that very moment.
He demanded his legs to set in motion again, but Jethro interrupted his intention. He bridged the three steps between them and remained standing painfully close in front of him.
“Blinkered and arrogant, “Jethro uttered into the silence, and he tapped Bennett’s chest with his finger, while he scrutinized the butler’s face with shifty eyes. The smell of scotch reached his nostrils, and the offensive touch of Jethro’s finger made him automatically take one step back. The voice of the man sounded as equally drunk as his eyes revealed it. Then his facial expression changed again, and Jethro took one step closer.
“I should fuck out of you your damned evenness.”
Bennett’s chin dropped immediately. He was speechless. Before he had the opportunity in order to find any words, he felt Jethro’s firm grip on the open button facing of his shirt. His hand shot up to the other one, and Bennett tried to tear it away.
“Mr. Reddington!” he shouted at the man with horror.
As an answer, he merely received a laugh. Bennett stared at the fingers that had dug into the cloth, and only then, when he lost his balance, he became aware that he had been shoved.
He tried to break his fall, but it was in vain. Subsequently he felt the mattress of the bed on his back. He realized too late that Jethro was in the act of lying on him, and he couldn’t avoid it.
“What are you…” Bennett couldn’t finish his sentence, because the other man pressed his lips painfully on his ones, and his wet tongue was shoved greedily into his mouth.
Bennett uttered a horrified sound, and he attempted to shove the man off his body. Because of his resistance, Jethro embraced him even firmer, and he began to move his body rhythmically on top of him. Bennett did the most natural thing, and he bit into his tongue, so that the foreign object between his lips would disappear. An anguished cry followed, and as soon as his teeth had loosened the pressure, Jethro pulled his tongue back. But instead of letting up on him, the man laughed throatily and licked over Bennett’s swollen mouth. The butler jerked his head sideward in order to ward off this touch, but the other one didn’t let up on him, and he began to suck at his throat.
Bennett pooled all of his strength, and he actually succeeded in freeing himself from this grip. He quickly rolled over and jumped out of the bed. Automatically, the back of his hand run over his lips in order to wipe away the kiss, then he immediately turned on his heel and rushed out of the room. He dashed through the hallway in order to reach his own room as quickly as possible. Immediately after he had closed the door behind him, he slumped against it and his back slid down to the floor.
“Oh God,” he uttered in a scratchy voice, and he felt that his eyes were welling up with tears.
The taste of the scotch Jethro had filled himself up with was still lingering on Bennett’s tongue. He was shocked at the happenings, and he shook his head in bewilderment, while he covered his face with his hands. Could it really be true that the grandson of the Reddingtons had overpowered and sexually molested him? He didn’t dare to think what might have happened if he hadn’t defended himself so vigorously.
A desperate sound escaped from his throat, because he couldn’t approach the grandparents of this man in order to explain to them what he had just tried to do. Bennett slowly struggled to his feet and went into the bathroom. He bent over the vanity basin and he rinsed out his mouth for a long time, until he was quite certain that he had flushed away the taste o the other man. Finally he washed his neck and the visible area of his skin Jethro had touched with his tongue.
Bennett turned off the faucet, and he stared at his slightly red-rimmed eyes in the mirror. With each passing second he was looking at his reflection, his decision became clearer that he didn’t want to face Jethro ever again, and the only possibility to make this wish come true was to leave. The Reddingtons meant a lot to him, but the incident he just had experienced wouldn’t vanish into thin air, and the world would be all right on the following day.
The mere thought of leaving made him struggle to retain his composure once again.
He braced himself against the edge of the vanity basin and looked at the plug hole. Should he simply explain to the Reddingtons that Jethro had been drunk and had gotten rough as a result of it?
Without telling them any details? He shook his head, because he visualized that Charles would probably throw his grandchild out of the house, and this thought didn’t please him at all. It was one matter, when Jethro tried to get hold of money, or when he behaved towards his grandparents nastily, but he was only the butler of the mansion. He didn’t want to be the reason for more trouble than they already had.
Bennett trudged into his sleeping room and stared at his suitcase that he had placed on top of the wardrobe.
When the thought hit his mind again that leaving would be the best solution, the house telephone interrupted his decision. Bennett was startled at the sound, and he looked at the device. With clenched teeth, he headed towards the phone, while he shook his head. If Jethro really was so impertinent and called him, he would pack his suitcase faster than the man could drink.
He was surprised when he looked at the display and spotted the indicated number. The call came unmistakably from the sleeping room of the Reddingtons. Bennett cleared his throat, and he lifted the receiver.
“Bennett, I need you!” he heard Aethel’s agitated voice.
“I am on my way,” he replied briefly and disconnected the call.
Bennett hurried along the hallway, even faster that he had dashed into his room a while ago. He knocked only once, and he immediately opened the door of the sleeping room of the Reddingtons. He saw that the lady of the house was kneeling on the floor while she was bending over Charles who was lying there. The face of the gray-haired man was contorted with pain, and her husband pressed his hand against his chest.
Bennett didn’t hesitate. He went straightway to the phone and called an emergency doctor.
Subsequently, he quickly opened the window of the room wide in order to let in fresh air.
“Please help me to lift him up,” Bennett requested her, and he also knelt down on the floor.
Aethel looked at him, but she didn’t seem to understand what he wanted from her.
“His upper body must be lifted,” the butler explained.
The woman nodded, and the butler was grateful that she helped him to bring her husband into a sitting position.
“The emergency doctor will arrive soon,” he tried to reassure Charles who was breathing frantically.
“It hurts so much,” he gasped laboriously.
“Can you manage to hold him like that for a moment?” Bennett directed this question at Aethel.
The woman nodded, and she positioned herself in a way so that Charles Reddington could lean against her upper body. Bennett got up, and with silent gasps he pushed the heavy armchair towards them. Then he arranged the piece of furniture which enabled them to prop the back of the man against it.
“How much longer does it take until they will be here?” Aethel asked desperately.
“The nearest hospital is in Kedington. I hope they will arrive any moment, madam,” he replied despondently.
Bennett noticed that the old gentleman was breathing more and more fitfully, then he uttered a choking sound, and his head dropped lifelessly to one side.
“Oh damn,” Bennett cursed, and he felt for the pulse of the man.
“What’s the matter with him?” Aethel asked desperately.
He didn’t give her an answer, but he lowered Charles Reddington cautiously to the floor. He realized that the other man didn’t breathe anymore, and his heart had stopped beating. Adrenaline was rushing through Bennett’s veins, and he tried to revive him. Only secondarily he perceived that Aethel was weeping.
It seemed to take an eternity, until finally sirens could be heard through the open windows.
“Please open the door, Aethel,” Bennett requested her breathlessly.
He was glad that the woman complied with his request, and only a few moments later, Bennett could let go of Charles and leave his place to the doctor. In contrary to him, Aethel had regained her composure to a certain degree in the meantime, because she had repeatedly glanced at the clock while they had impatiently been waiting for the ambulance, and she provided the doctor with information.
Bennett leaned against the wall, and he was shocked when he observed that the doctor applied a defibrillator in order to revive Charles Reddington. Because of the turmoil that radiated through the house, Kate appeared in the room, and she uttered a silent shout, when she realized what was going on.
“He is back, put him on the stretcher,” one of the men on the floor announced.
Bennett exhaled with relief, and he ran his hands over his face.
“What has happened?” the housekeeper asked in a horror-stricken voice.
“It’s his heart,” he answered, and he gently pushed the woman out of the room so that Charles could be carried out and sped away.
“Kedington?” he asked one of the assistances who carried the man past him. His question was confirmed with a nod, and the paramedics vanished in the direction of the stairs.
Bennett noticed that Jethro had also arrived.
“Me and grandmother will follow them in my car,” the grandson explained.
Bennett panted, and he turned his attention to Kate. “Would you help Mrs. Reddington to get dressed, please?”
The housekeeper nodded. Bennett went out of the sleeping room and closed the door behind him. His gaze was glued to Jethro, and his eyes were filled with hatred.
“My car key,” the blond man explained, subsequently he turned around and with weaving steps he headed toward his sleeping room.
“You damned asshole will drive your grandmother nowhere! Do you want to kill her, too, or what else do you intend? You are much too drunk in order to take a seat behind the wheel!” Bennett barked at the man furiously.
Jethro turned around and looked at him in horror. But before he could reply something, Bennett hissed at him angrily, “Get sober first of all, and then you should give your grandmother moral support instead of being greedy for her money, and if you aren’t up to doing it, you’d better fuck off! Your grandfather had a heart attack, and he almost died. And it certainly wasn’t due to the fact that his day had been so peaceful, Jethro Reddington!”
The face of his counterpart had changed, and it was as equally furious as his own one. Jethro approached him, and for a split second Bennett had a feeling that this man wanted to hit him. It was an advantage for Bennett that the grandchild was even groggier now than on their first encounter in his room.
He did exactly what he had already wished to do briefly after they had met. Bennett True raised his hand, and his fist hit the chin of the other one. Jethro almost lost his balance, and he staggered backwards against the wall.
“And don’t you dare touch me again, Jethro Reddington!” Bennett spit out, he turned around and dashed downstairs.
As soon as he arrived on the first floor, he shook his hand, because his knuckles hurt considerably. He went into the kitchen and fetched the car key from a keyboard. Subsequently, he felt the breeze of chilly air when he left the house. He looked behind the ambulance which drove off with blue lights switched on, and he fought against the quiver in his body.
