The Girl with the Fire Heart

Valentina takes a deep breath. She knows this level of crying is a good thing, though the stuffy nose and the burning eyes from the tears is the worst part of the whole experience. She lifts her head, feeling her head and heart clear. In the distance, the sound of wheels and horses trotting reaches them, but neither of them moves from their position. After a few more moments of silence, the only real sound coming from the road leading to the house, Damon tugs on her hand.

“Are you ready?” he asks her.

She nods her head wordlessly, standing on her tiptoes and pressing a small kiss to his cheek. She would never be so bold but after the day they had, she doesn't have the heart to maintain proper behavior. Nothing about them is proper. She thinks back to her outburst at the tracks. She feels the same tug of regret at having yelled at Damon. She was feeling nostalgic and a little overwhelmed but that didn’t mean yelling was going to solve anything.

Together, Damon and Valentina walk around the embankment and back through the dense woods, following the light from the now rising moon to make their way through. When they step out of the woods, the pair see the carriage and the horses they heard riding up to the house while they recovered from their impromptu training in the woods.

Hand in hand, the two make the turn and walk the rest of the way up to the front door of the house. They see some men milling about and they turn to look over at Valentina and Damon when their footsteps crunch in the dirt and gravel. The men nod at the two of them but don’t say a word. They walk into the house where Mr. Brown is standing stoically in front of the same burly man they saw at the races, the Chairman of the Company.

At the sound of their entrance, the Chairman turns to look at the young couple. His loud and boisterous voice bounces off the walls of the still dark foyer.

“Sir, Miss, I was just explaining to your butler here that there are papers for you to sign in order to have legal ownership over the thoroughbred,” he says.

Valentina casts a quick glance at Damon at the lack of formalities displayed by the Chairman but says nothing. Instead, Mr. Brown is the one to speak.

“My apologies, sir. As I understand, you’ve come into possession of a racing thoroughbred, according to this man here, and I explained to him that you were not on the immediate premises and he would need to wait in your father’s office. He insisted I send someone to retrieve you, but I thought it best to wait for your inevitable arrival back here before discussing anything further,” Mr. Brown says, his voice calm but stern.

“Thank you, Mr. Brown. I can take it from here,” Damon replies, his tone deceptively welcoming.

Mr. Brown nods and excuses himself, moving briskly down the small hallway off to the left of the staircase.

The Chairman, hopelessly oblivious to the shift of power in the room, moves towards Damon, speaking as loudly as he did at the races, telling them about the importance of the documents and explaining what some of the information means.

Valentina feels a sudden wave of exhaustion hit her. She sees a tall clock to her left, a solitary object against the far wall and sees the time is close to midnight. She taps her fingers against Damon's fingers that are still interlocked with hers. He looks down at her and with a slight nod towards the clock, she gestures to the stairs, letting him know soundlessly that she wants to go to bed. He nods once, but doesn’t let her hand go and instead turns his attention back to the Chairman, clearing his throat loud enough for the man to stop talking.

“Leave whatever papers and documents we must sign with one of my men and I will have them signed and returned to you whenever I see fit. The outcome of Grey will not change any point in the near future. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” Damon says with finality. He steps to the side, forcing Valentina behind him. Damon outstretches his free arm and makes a sweeping gesture to the door. He bows in a mocking stance and then straightens up and drops his free arm to his side again.

The Chairman, stuttering to himself, nods his head and hurries out of the front door and to his men. From inside, they can hear instructions and directions being shouted out and the sound of feet moving and locks clicking open. Damon, not wanting to stick around for this part, tugs Valentina towards the stairs, walking silently up the staircase and stopping to face her when they reach the landing.

“I’m sorry. I know this day has been hard. In fact, every moment that we’ve been here has been hard. But I promise that no matter what, I will make those hard moments bearable for you to the best of my ability,” he says. Unsure how else to appease her, he lets the moment linger, waiting for her to fill the silence between them.

“I shouldn’t have yelled. Yes, being here has been hard but you make it bearable just by being here. Yelling at you, burdening you with realities you have lived your whole life burdened with does nothing to help either one of us. So I’m sorry and I hope you can forgive me,” she tells him.

Damon smiles, then lets out an airy laugh. He tugs her small frame into his broad one, and hugs her to his chest. He buries his face into her hair, inhaling her flowery and woodsy scent before kissing the top of her head and releasing her, stepping back towards the direction of the south wing.

The next morning, Damon rolls out of bed, eager for a day away from the masses. An idea pops into his head. The familiar sound of two quick raps against the door tells him Mr. Brown is on the other side and with a quick shout for the man to come in, Damon hurries about his room rushing to get things ready for his day with Valentina.

“Good Morning, Mr. Brown. I know this is short notice but would it be possible to prepare the thoroughbred that came last night and another of my horses for a ride out today. We’ll need everything you can spare for the horses. I’ve already sent a runner to the Company with the signed papers for the horse. Also, would it be possible to prepare a basket of assorted desserts? She has quite the sweet tooth and I have no intentions of ignoring her cravings when they come. Oh I also need-” Damon's rambling ends sharply when Mr. Brown lifts his palm up in a stopping sign and lets out a spirited laugh.

“I think I can manage, sir. You should slow down before you hurt yourself getting ready. Now, I’m going to wake the miss and escort her to the foyer. Sounds reasonable?” Mr. Brown asks him, holding in another loud laugh.

Damon releases a breath and nods, turning to the list he left on the side table and hands it over to Mr. Brown, looking grateful. His shoulders drop from the tension that leaves his body and when he moves around the room again, he’s more attentive to the task at hand and in no hurry. It isn’t long before Damon makes his way down to the sunroom for breakfast. He is on his second cup of coffee when he hears the unmistakable sounds of Valentina's footsteps making their way to the sunroom.