“Yes, Master Dominic.” He was off in a flash. Dominic set Darby on a settee and grabbed an afghan to wrap around her. He saw Bernard racing down the stairs, grabbing the keys, and heading for the garage. Dominic picked up Darby again and headed for the front door, stopping to see if Devon was coming, but after a moment, he proceeded for the door and to the waiting, running black Mercedes at the bottom of the steps. He rushed down the stairs and Bernard opened the backseat door for him. “Is Devon coming?” he asked Bernard.
Bernard dropped his eyes and shook his head.
“Damn it! What is wrong with that boy?” Dominic said as he got into the backseat with Darby on his lap, holding her like a father would his injured daughter.
Bernard hurried around to the driver’s seat and they were off to the local hospital.
Dr. Rowe was waiting for them with a stretcher at the emergency entrance. Dominic deposited Darby on the gurney and explained the details to Dr. Rowe. Darby was starting to regain consciousness as they entered an examination room.
“What’s going on? Where am I?” Darby said.
Dominic was at her side immediately. “You passed out, dear, you are at the hospital. This is Dr. Rowe. He is a very good friend of mine. He’s going to check you out and fix you up. Okay? Everything is fine.”
“Where’s Devon? I want to see Devon.”
His eyes glanced to Bernard and then to Dr. Rowe. “Well, dear, he’s not here, I’m sorry. I’m sure he will be right along.”
“Don’t play coy, you know as well as I do he’s not coming,” she said as the tears poured out of her.
She spent the next two days in the hospital having a large array of tests. She was sure she hadn’t an ounce of blood left. How many tests could one doctor require? And what the heck was he looking for? It was just a couple of scratches!
Dominic was sweet and never left her side. Bernard drove from the house to the hospital about twenty times a day fulfilling his duties to the boys and Master Dominic like a pro. He provided books and meals for the master and even had a nice portable bed brought in for him.
Darby appreciated his company and nurturing, but she kept telling him to go home and be comfortable. She felt stupid being in the hospital for scratches.
The final day of their stay at the hospital, Dr. Rowe came in with a salve that he first put on her face and then on the open scratches on her ribs. It stung at first, tingled, and then got very hot.
“I think this is going to do the trick. It’s already taking the swelling down; take a look, Dominic.”
“Then it’s what I thought?”
“Yes. A slight variation, but definitely in the same category,” Dr. Rowe answered.
“What was what you thought?” Darby asked.
“Nothing for you to worry about, dear,” Dominic answered.
“But I want to know what you are talking about,” Darby said.
“I know, dear, and you will, but not right now. Let’s get you home and healed, then we’ll talk.” Dominic turned to Dr. Rowe again. “So we can go home, then?”
“Yes, I have all the paperwork here,” he said and handed a file folder to Dominic.
“Thank you, Dr. Rowe. You’ll be checking in on her and Anton soon?”
“Yes, in a day or two.”
“Great, we’ll see you then.”
Bernard helped Darby out of bed and into the bathroom where a new set of clothes for her lay on a small table. After Bernard left the room, she looked in the mirror. It is pretty miraculous, this salve. The swelling that had persisted for days had gone down in just a few minutes. Now there were only four faintly red lines on her face. She felt like a vampire with their instant healing, the way this stuff was working. She finished dressing and entered the room where Bernard and Dominic were gathering up the last of their items.
“Ready to head back to the house?” Dominic said.
“Yes, I guess.” She wondered why she was going back to the Larsens’ house at all, when Devon hadn’t even bothered to visit her or check on her.
Bernard and Dominic knew what she was thinking even without telepathy. Dominic put his arm around her shoulders and they all walked down to the car. The ride was practically silent except for some chitchat between Dominic and Bernard about the dinner menu.
When they pulled up to the house, they were greeted by Sammy and his ball, but no one else. Dominic seemed angry at this, and tried to hide it, unsuccessfully, from Darby. They entered the silent, beautiful house.
Bernard asked, “Shall I set you up in the library with a book in the big leather chair, Miss Darby?”
“No, Bernard, but thank you. I think I will just go to my room.”
“Are you sure, dear?” Dominic asked. “We could go to town and have lunch if you like, maybe do a little shopping. I still have some Christmas shopping to do, if you’d like to join me.”
“Oh, God! Christmas! I almost forgot. I love Christmas! I’ll bet downtown Westport looks beautiful all decorated for Christmas. But, no, Mr. Larsen, I have some things to think about and I’m a bit tired. Maybe tomorrow?”
“Sure. Maybe you could help me pick out a huge tree for the foyer. Usually it’s just me and Bernard that do all that. I’m sure it will be fun to have a woman’s opinion on the matter again.”
“You flatter me, both of you. Thank you. We’ll see. It sounds fun.”
The two men took off their coats and watched her ascend the stairs. She didn’t see them, but she could feel their gaze upon her. She knew they felt sorry for her and she hated that. When she got to the top of the stairs, she looked at the beautiful portrait of Sophia, and then turned to see Bernard and Dominic pretending not to have been paying attention to her. She went to her room, closed the door, fell on the bed, and cried until she fell asleep.
Chapter 7
Several hours passed and Darby woke to a now familiar tapping on her door.
“The door is open, Bernard,” Darby said.
“Sorry to disturb you, Miss, just wanted to let you know that dinner will be served in fifteen minutes.”
“I’m sorry, Bernard. Please relay my apologies to Mr. Larsen, Anton…” She paused, then continued, “…and Devon, but I won’t be joining them for dinner this evening.”
“But Miss, you have to keep up your strength. You’ve just been discharged from the hospital.”
“Thank you for your concern, Bernard, but they were just a couple of scratches; it wasn’t like I had major surgery or anything.”
“Still, you need to keep healthy.”
“I’m sorry, Bernard, but I can’t face him just yet.”
“Who, Miss Darby, Master Devon?”
She didn’t answer.
“Master Devon is not himself, Miss. I’ve been quite surprised by his behavior the last week, myself. I do hope you change your mind, but I will relay your message to the Masters.” Bernard backed out of the room, and shut the door quietly. The only light in the room was that of the moon shining through the window.
She lay there on the bed in the dark so tired of crying and yet unable to stop. A few minutes later there was another knock at her door. It was not the quiet tapping, of Bernard this time. It was Devon and he sounded mad.
“Darby, open the door.”
“Door’s open.”
He walked into the pitch darkness. “What is wrong with you? We’re all waiting on you for dinner.” She rolled over to see Devon looking handsome as usual, silhouetted by the light from the hallway.
“I won’t be joining you for dinner, that’s it. I’m sure you won’t even notice I’m not there.”
She turned her back to him. He turned on the light next to the bed. “Grow up, Darby; quit acting like a child, and come down to dinner.”
She rolled over and stood up in front of him, more than angry, she was furious, more so than Devon had ever seen her.
“You haven’t said two words to me in days. You didn’t even visit me in the hospital and now you’re telling me that I need t
o grow up? How dare you! I’ve been nothing but supportive, giving you room to deal with whatever it is you need to deal with. You have the gall to tell me I…every time you don’t like a situation, you pull away from everyone you love and who love you. You can’t even be honest with me and tell me what’s going on. How can I possibly go downstairs and put on a happy face like nothing is wrong? I’m not you, Devon. There’s something very wrong with all this. How can we possibly have a future if you shut me out whenever you feel like it?”
“I’m not sure, Darby. The way you are acting, I’m not sure we have a future.”
It felt like her chin would hit the floor. “Get out, Devon.” He looked as if he was going to say something but he thought better of it, turned, and left the room and she slammed the door behind him.
She grabbed her phone and she asked for information. “Yes, can you send a yellow cab to my residence in Westport? I need a ride to Bradley International. I know it’s a long way. Just make sure I can use a credit card. I don’t care how much it is. Okay, fifteen minutes? Fine. I’ll be waiting.”
She packed up all her stuff and zipped up her suitcase. She washed her face with some cold water and put on her coat. She took her phone out of purse and texted Blake and Rowan.
I’m coming home. NOW. See you tomorrow. And then she turned off her phone and grabbed her suitcase. She continued down the hall to the stairs where she met Dominic coming up.
“Oh dear, please don’t tell me you are leaving.”
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Larsen. Blake should have never made that deal with you and Devon. It was a mistake to come here. I’m so sorry for imposing. I hope your son will get better soon.” She hugged him tightly and without letting him say another word she went out the front door.
“Wait. Please, Darby, come back.” By the time Dominic was at the door, the cab was pulling away. He bellowed, “Devon Michael Bloomington, come here, NOW!”
As Devon approached Dominic, his shirt pocket started chiming. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone to see a text from Blake:
What the Hell Bro? What did you say to Darby?
Dominic looked at him sternly.
“Yes, Dominic, what is it?” Devon said.
“What exactly did you say to Darby to make her leave?”
“She left?”
“Just caught the tail lights of the cab.”
“Perfect,” he said with sarcasm.
“Perfect? Hardly. What is wrong with you? It’s one thing to be rude to me, I probably deserve it, but you have been horrible to her ever since we left California.”
“Well, this isn’t the easiest situation to deal with.”
“This situation to which you are referring…was something that happened years ago, Devon. You’re willing to screw up your future, for something that’s been over for years?”
“Over for you and Anton, but not for me.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then it’s a good thing she left. You don’t deserve her love.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, you’d be a very, very stupid man to let Darby go.”
“What do you know of it?”
“How happy were you before I showed up in California? I’m guessing pretty happy. All those happy faces of friends and loved ones at the table, having a good time, until I walked in and you changed immediately. I may be going out on a limb here, but you’ve been taking out all your aggression towards me, Anton, and this situation, on Darby. It’s what you do, Devon. I’ve watched it happen over and over again for years, like a broken record. Whenever you get into a situation you don’t like or can’t handle, you go into your turtle shell. Then the anger comes lashing out at anyone and anything that tries to help or befriend you.
“Darby oozes love for you and you won’t even look at her when she speaks to you. I heard you in the library the first night. She tried to help you, talk to you. She gave you an opportunity in the car, too. She sat with you for hours in the cottage. There have probably been numerous other times since you’ve arrived.”
“This doesn’t concern you, Dominic. I’m a grown man. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my own problems.”
“Are you, Devon? From where I’m standing, you haven’t even had a serious relationship since...”
“That has nothing to do with this.”
“I think it does. I think all of this has to do with that, right down to Darby herself.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Really. Have you even tried to talk to Anton since you’ve been here? That is why you came, isn’t it?”
“No, I haven’t talked to him. I’ve been busy.”
“Busy doing what? Avoiding Darby, Anton, and me? Why was it so inappropriate for Darby to take Anton his breakfast?”
“Because she wasn’t dressed. She had never even been introduced to him. You don’t meet someone in your pajamas.”
“You do if you are the milkman, maybe a paperboy. Or maybe it has nothing to do with introductions at all; maybe you’re afraid that history will repeat itself? You bring someone home to meet the family and whoosh, you’re right back in the loop again. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You didn’t want Darby to meet Anton. You were terrified it would happen again. So terrified, in fact, that you are willing to drive away the woman you love to avoid it, perhaps losing her in doing so.
“My boy, it’s not the same situation, not even close. You and Anton need to put your egos aside and come clean with what really happened, Devon. Maybe Darby should go home temporarily, maybe not, but you shouldn’t let her leave thinking you don’t love her. The fact that you are pushing her away so very hard tells me you love this girl very much. Take some advice from a man who only has his memories to comfort him now in his loneliness; don’t make the biggest mistake of your life. You think the last situation threw you for a loop, son, I don’t think you’ll survive losing Darby.”
Devon’s shirt began to chime again. Dude, what’s happening? How badly have you screwed things, up? Darby won’t even speak to me now.
“Wow, no pressure!” Devon whispered to himself.
“What’s more important to you? Saving your relationship with Darby, or dealing with something that happened ages ago?”
“Well, when you put it like that, it seems obvious.”
“It always was, Devon.”
“Can you pull some strings with the airlines? Don’t let her get on that plane.”
“I’ll do my best.”
What a nightmare this has been, Darby thought through the tears. A terrible nightmare that’s ended her beautiful dream with Devon. I should have slapped him, she thought, the anger in her rising again. Oh, what would that have helped? Okay, so it wouldn’t have hurt him, but he sure would have known how mad he made me. Now I’m fighting with myself. I’m going insane. Maybe I was being childish. Certainly steaming out of the house was a bit over the top. Geez, I don’t even know when the next plane leaves. This is so unlike me. I’m Darby the planner, not Darby the neurotic flake. But he said such awful things…
“UGHHHHHH!” she said out loud.
“Are you all right, Miss?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Have you ever been so mad or confused that you start arguing with yourself in your head?”
“No, Miss.”
“Oh. I guess I am neurotic then.”
“Yes, Miss, I’m thinking you might be!” the driver said so matter-of-factly in his Indian accent.
“Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.”
“Always try to help, Miss.”
“Yeah, great.”
“Here we are, Miss. That will be a gazillion dollars.”
“Ha! A comedian too. Great. Here’s my credit card.”
“I’m sorry, we do not take credit cards, Miss.”
“But I specifically asked for a cab that I could use a credit card with.”
“Gotcha again, Miss. Sign here.”
“You are a funny, funny
guy.”
“Thank you, Miss, I am always trying to please the customers, Miss.”
She waved at the nutty cab driver and then realized she was waving at a nutty cab driver. Nobody waves at their cabbie. You don’t see people waving to their cabbies in movies. I am going insane. Dear Lord, I need some sleep.
She walked into the United terminal and headed for the woman behind the counter.
“May I help you?” the woman asked.
“Are there any seats on your last flight to San Francisco?”
“California? The last flight leaves in fifteen minutes, ma’am. I don’t think you can get through security and get to the gate in time.”
“Are there any seats on the flight?”
“Yes.”
“Then can we try at least?”
“No.”
“But if you call the gate and tell them I’m on my way and will be, what, maybe four or five minutes late?”
“We don’t hold planes for passengers, ma’am.”
“You do in the movies for the rich people.”
“Are you rich?”
“No, but there could be a twenty in it for you.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that would do it.”
“Fifty?” She shook her head.
“Fine. What’s the closest hotel and the first flight out of this Godforsaken place?”
“That would be the Hyatt across the street and 10:20 with lots and lots of layovers. You should get there in about a week.”
“Ha! Are you related to the cabbie I just had? You both ought to have your own comedy hour.”
“We have a 10:20 flight getting you in at 3:04 with one stop,” the woman smiled.
“Is it a change of planes?”
“No.”
“Fine, book it, Dano.” The girl looked at her with an eyebrow raised. “Oh I see,” Darby said, “you can be funny, but I can’t?” The woman smiled and booked the flight for Darby, printing out her tickets and boarding passes. “Thanks,” Darby said as she turned away from the desk and headed for the door.
She set her bag down, put her ticket in her purse, and was trying to get her bearings when a red blur came screeching its tires to a halt in front of her. Devon got out and slid across the hood of the car, planting himself in front of her, looking very much like an action hero.
Blood Lust Page 6
