The Girl with the Fire Heart

Mr. Brown pulls out a chair for her to sit, snapping with his fingers at a young boy to pour Valentina some coffee, watching closely to make sure he doesn’t spill a single drop. When the boy sets down the coffee pot, he stands tall pushing his shoulders back and his chin up, waiting for Mr. Brown’s appraisal.

Valentina watches as Mr. Brown notes how quickly and perfectly the young boy pours the cup of coffee. The butler keeps his eyes on the young boy as he waits for the coveted nod of approval Mr. Brown hears the staff whisper about.

Valentina watches the silent exchange with open curiosity, wanting to know what practice Mr. Brown is putting the boy through. Footsteps sound down the hallway, signaling Damon's arrival. He enters the sunroom and sits as the young boy springs into action, pouring another cup of coffee for Damon before resuming his position a step away from the small table with his shoulders pushed back and his chin up with his hands resting at his sides.

Damon realizes what’s going on and he reaches over and claps the young boy on his shoulder, smiling at him and gesturing for him to resume his stance by one of the veteran footmen near the edge of the room.

“You shouldn’t be so harsh on the boys, Mr. Brown,” Damon halfheartedly chastises.

“If I’m not harsh, then the cup of coffee you’re getting ready to drink would only be half full, the other half being on the table,” Mr. Brown quips back.

“Fair enough,” Damon laughs.

Valentina sits silently, sipping on her own cup of coffee, feeling the pressure in her head slowly dissipating until she no longer feels the pain.

“What are the plans for the day?” she asks as Mr. Brown heads in the direction of the young boy to whisper in his ear.

“Everyone is heading to the tracks for a day at the races. If you’re feeling up to it, we can join them. If not, I’m sure we can find something else to do,” Damon says.

“A day at the races? You mean horses?” she asks.

Damon laughs lightly, “Yes, I mean horses.”

Valentina feels the curious feeling in her chest grow stronger, having never been to a race before. She wants to voice this to Damon but she hesitates, sensing the other people in the room eavesdropping on their quiet conversation.

Damon sits straighter, already deciding he will spend the day at the races for her and calls out to Mr. Brown.

“If you could, would you mind preparing our things for a day at the races? It seems the miss has never been and nothing would delight me more than to be the first person to take her,” Damon says.

“Of course, sir," Mr. Brown says.

Mr. Brown leaves the sunroom and Valentina and Damon turn back to the table to eat quickly before leaving to get ready for the races. Valentina changes quickly, opting for tan pants with white sneakers and a loose fitting white button down instead of, according to the maids, frilly dresses the other women wear.

Twenty minutes later, the two chaperones from the night before, and Damon, dressed eerily similar to her are waiting in the main foyer.

Together, the four adults make their way to a carriage and make the trek to the races. Damon is tense. He shouldn’t be. He knows he shouldn’t be. But he can’t help it. He looks over at Valentina wanting to take a detour, or maybe completely derail their plans for the day so he doesn’t have to spend more time than what’s necessary with any of the guests in attendance for the blessing ceremony.

He watches as she looks out the small window, taking in the sights of the city as they drive past. He feels a nudge next to him, looking over to his chaperone, a boy with an aluminum heart. The boy signals for him to lean over and then whispers in his ear.

“Are you okay?” the boy with the aluminum heart asks.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Damon replies.

“You seem off. This morning you cheered. Like actually cheered when we left the house,” the boy answers.

Damon closes his eyes and releases a breath through his nose. He pretended he was more excited about going to the races than he actually was and Valentina had looked at him funny when he did, in fact, cheer. He wants so desperately to pretend he hadn’t, but his nerves had gotten the better of him and he went with it.

Now though, he regrets ever having done something so silly. He looks at his chaperone and just shakes his head, opting to say nothing instead of everything he is feeling.

The rest of the ride to the tracks goes by in silence. Damon watches closely as Valentina looks out the small window to her right, his left, as the buildings get bigger and grander. He watches her excitement grow with every minute that passes.

They finally pull up to a stop in front of a large rounded building made of white stone. There are multiple entrances and ticket booths tucked into the shadows of the awnings that jut out to block the bright sun from beaming down on the patrons. The group steps out of the carriage and onto the pavement, the two chaperons making themselves sparse while Valentina looks around in awe.

Damon scans the outside of the building looking for any sign of the group they are meant to be with. Finally, he sees a standing sign that has the trademark blue tanzanite gem pictured on it. There are no words on the sign, making Damon roll his eyes and let out a small sigh at the audacious sign.

Gently, Damon nudges Valentina out of her trance to point her in the direction of their group. Together, the two of them make their way over to the sign and stop short when they see the butler from the night before standing in front of the private entrance with yet another clipboard, crossing off names and pointing them to what Damon is sure is a private lounge.

The line quickly shortens and eventually, Damon and Valentina are the last of the revelers to stand before the butler. Similar to the night before, the butler doesn’t look up when he asks Damon for his title. He tells the man. Unlike the previous night, however, the butler immediately looks up after hearing Damon's voice and ushers them inside personally.