Chapter 3
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“Well, my my,” She muttered, his automobile roaring and vibrating beneath them as they more-or-less sat side-by-side, her hips as close to the door as she could manage to keep as much distance as possible. “You are quite the bastard.”
“How’s that, love?”
“Ooooo... don’t call me love. And, really, ‘would three in the morning suffice’?” She mocked him, her feminine voice growing quite deep in the process, her head tilting side to side as she said it. He let out a loud laugh that overpowered the engine as they went along the dirt road from her estate.
“Hahaha, what of it? Don’t you enjoy my company?” He glanced away from the road a couple times to look at her with a wide grin.
“Please. If I manage not to rip your head off within the next hour I’d consider it a success.”
“That eager to give my Johnson a tug, are ya?” She gasped as she looked over to him in outrage, a broad grin still on his face.
“How dare y- AH!” She’d whipped her hand back to swat at him when he gave a sharp swerve on the lonely rode causing the hand to flail down to the closed door to steady herself.
“Sorry, what was that? I didn’t hear you; almost hit an ant.”
“Are you trying to kill us, you mad-man-AH!”
“Woops! There’s another!” Emma had both hands on the vehicle then, not knowing when he’d make such a jerky swerve again.
“You... you... God why did I have to go on this bloody... thing?“
“Date?” He corrected her, and she scowled over at him. “Well, your mother hasn’t the means to birth more children, you’re her only one, economically you two are suffering, she’s desperately trying to keep a roof over your heads, and you’re a stuck-up spinster prude.”
Her eyes became saucers as her jaw dropped, mouth opening. Satan had just lifted a Hellish burner up to a quiet, pleasant lake... and it was rapidly preparing to boil over.
“That about right?” He asked with all casualness.
“YOU MONST- OH!” Her face was red as she begun the attack which hadn’t so much as met the first swing when yet another ant was saved, and she fell against him. He had prepared it perfectly, perhaps she suspected his rising arm was to defend himself, but no, it wrapped around her. A nearby herdsman, tending to his cattle, found it rather cute that a woman would be so in love with a man as to nearly tackle him with a ‘hug’.
“See? Knew you’d come ‘round, love.” He gave her a peck on the forehead before she could whap him in the chest and scoot back away from him.
“Stop the car, you animal! Stop!”
“Oh, fancy a snog?”
“STOP!” He looked over to her confidently, the vehicle slowing without even looking to the road until it came to a park on the side of the road, his gaze still on her. She was blushing.
As soon as the vehicle stopped, the man still smiling at her, though in a strange way with a hint of adoration and/or desire, he watched her scrambling with the door’s mechanism. All manner of crude and cruel utterance was being muttered in those few seconds of scrambling, her hands in such a tizzy that she finally brought them up and banged on the open window of the car door in frustrated surrender, breathing heavily. Her harsh gaze turned from the field by the road, flashing sideways and downwards where she spotted something moving. His arm hovered forth, past her, grasped the mechanism, and pushed the door open with ease.
She stepped out immediately, merely annoyed even further. With a turn to the direction they had come from, already the house was out of sight and she knew they were a very long walk from her home. Turning the other direction, some forested areas and rolling hills with patches of farmland. A very long walk from the city. She looked back to the car.
“What are you looking at me like that for, you savage?” An arm rest on the back of the front seat in the square-topped vehicle, the other resting on the wheel of the idling automobile, and she looked to his face. There was a strange softness in them, and though she’d never admit it she sensed some sort of warmth in spite of how horrid he’d been acting. It was as though he enjoyed seeing her so flustered and emotional, but not in a sadistic sort of way. He admired her passion.
“You’re just... so beautiful.” He stated simply. Her head turned at that slightly, eyebrows lowering in confusion however her eyes softened ever so slightly, like a great iceberg receiving a thin layer of snow atop it.
“Take me home.” She stepped through the open door, plopping down with her arms crossed, looking straight ahead coldly. The gaze turned towards him as she heard a clunk, only to see him stepping out of the vehicle. He casually walked around the front of the horseless carriage, her narrowed eyes following him as he minded his own business.
“Watch your dress.” The Duke gave gently.
“Hmph.” She yanked at it harshly to get it out of the way. Declan closed the door and once more headed ‘round the car to get behind the wheel. Making a big turn at a nearby intersection, they were soon indeed heading back the way they’d come.
Her features changed, not softened, but changed, as she clenched her jaw. Her mother would be beyond cross; they’d only been gone less than an hour. Dainty fingers tapped against her upper arm as they lie crossed under her chest. Should she perhaps go around the back of the house and try to find somewhere in the backyard to sit and wait for a few hours; mum scarcely ever left the house anymore. Her foot began tapping on the vibrating floor. Perhaps she could order him to take her to the city where she’ll be able to find a ride back her way in time, but then he’d just tell her that he had dropped her off back at home after merely a few minutes. The tapping hand reached up to some of her curles, touching them nervously.
“Are you sure you want to go home?”
“Yes.” She gave resolutely, and knew that it would only be a couple minutes before they were within sight at the rate they were going. Wait, hide in the backyard? She’d hear the vehicle come to the park! Stop on the main road?
“Positive?”
“Y-...” he raised and eyebrow. “Ye-...”
“Hmm?” He requested his question be answered. Her eyes began to well, her lips starting a quiver, lips pursing as she fought off the sensation but ultimately she dove into her hands, bending down, elbows on her hidden knees. The vehicle slowed to a stop, the engine shut off, and in the quietness the sound of her muffled weeps emanated from her hands. She was clearly trying not to outright bawl.
“Hey...” she kept her face hidden and didn’t respond. “Hey, listen, I’m sorry for being so forward. I have a... a somewhat peculiar personality.” She turned her face away as the back of her wrist rose, obviously wiping at tears. He slid closer to her, gently and carefully bringing an arm to rest on her shoulders. They tensed, he figured she wanted to tell him to bugger off but it did not come.
“That’s putting it bloody mildly... get off.” She sobbed out, hiding her face, and gave her shoulders a harsh shrug which he responded by giving her due room.
“Look, how about we go for a nice meal. A couple glasses of wine to take the edge off-”
“I’m not letting you get me drunk.”
“Just a glass or two won’t hurt. Alright? Besides, I dare say you don’t want to go home already; your mum would be cross.”
“She’d only spend the day pouring her eyes out.” She sniffled and sighed as the sarcasm was delivered, wiping her eyes some more. “That’s all.”
“Like mother like daughter, hmm?” A cold, red-eyed look was shot at him, her face a grimace, make-up smeared about. Soon he starkly contrasted her as his sympathetic look turn to a scarcely-suppressed grin as he looked to her, the edges of his mouth curling up until the lips themselves parted as he began to laugh. Confusion went over her face before realization. Inevitably outrage quickly followed suit as she swatted him.
“You bastard!” He just laughed in reply as he was assaulted by an exquisitely dressed woman with ridiculously displaced makeup.
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She sat across from him, arms folded, looking off to a window. Her face was the only feminine one of the establishment untouched by make-up but she didn’t give a damn, and took no pleasure when he said that he didn’t either. What annoyed her most was that without the make-up, her blush was on full display as he had told her he found her beautiful none the less while they were still in the vehicle.
“Would you like a cream pie for dessert?” A reference to when he’d said she looked like a clown, and she scowled at him, her lips turned down cruelly and her eyes narrow. He swirled the wine about in his glass, leaning back in his chair. She had declined on the alcohol and instead decided on water, just to spite him.
“I’m going to look for the biggest bloody number I can on the menu and order ten of them.” She leaned forth as she said it, attention turned from the window to the man.
“Come now, be sensible.” He ignored the white-haired woman sitting nearby with a couple of her equally light-haired friends, looking over with a funny look at her vulgarity. “Perhaps we could arrange for a second one to be delivered to your mother or somehow bring one home. I suppose I could simply pay them for one of their plates, though. You’d have to carry it on the way back.”
“Oh, um...” she’d been taken aback as he gave careful and clear consideration to how they could bring a luxury dish back with her for her mother.
“Think she’d like that?”
“A bit unorthodox, but... well, she does love crab, at least she did.”
“Why not anymore?”
“It can give her terrible gout sometimes.”
“Ah, well, don’t want that. Em... does she like steak? A classic roast and veggies with gravy, perhaps?”
“Mmm, that does sound good.”
“Yeah, too bad you’re only getting a slice of partially-done toast.” She breathed half a chuckle before correcting herself, looking to him and quickly bringing back a cross look. Bastard had gotten her guard down. “What? I’m not all bad.” He continued, seeing the look of disdain she’d painted herself with. “I’ll order a few crumbs for appetizer of course.” Her mouth began to twist, trying to keep on a frown. “Look at that.” He reached out to the bowl of sugar that awaited someone to order coffee or tea, a transparent glass lid resting on it. “A few grains for dessert, can’t say I’m not generous. Don’t get greedy though.” He slid the bowl a couple inches towards her.
“You-...” the elderly woman looked to her with displeasure, awaiting more profane talk from the young’ins. Emma looked aside, unable to keep her grin away. After a moment she made a side-long glance to him, her smile vanished and her eyebrows lowered in confusion. The Duke simply looked to her with an earnest smile, looking directly at her. A couple seconds ticked by before she finally asked “what?” in a rather annoyed whisper.
“Your smile is like that of an angel...” he whispered back, and his smile grew as so did the shade of red on her cheeks. “Ah.”
“Pardon the wait.” The waiter had given her a slight start, but he handed a menu to her before giving one to the gentleman.
“Thank you.” Declan gave, accepting the folded piece of paper.
“You’re welcome. Would you like another, sir?” He gestured to the glass.
“Please.”
“Water, miss?”
She stared at the items on the menu, eyebrows high, eyes wide. It was the most expensive she’d ever seen; the economic nature that her family has been left in upon her father’s death, indeed the questionable nature it had been prior, not to mention her almost complete lack of dates in her young adult life... she could hardly fathom that things could be so expensive.
“Em... Emma?”
“Mmm?” She looked up to him, then the waiter, having been brought from her trance. The standing fellow’s eyes went from her to her glass, bringing her attention down to it.
“Oh, I’m fine, thank you.”
“Would you like to try their merlot? It’s quite lovely.” Her date asked, and after a second or two of thought, gave in. Swearing brevity, their server left them with their menus, on the way asking a table if they were enjoying the meal.
He sipped at his wine, rolling it about in the glass before bringing his nose to it, taking in a lungful as he enjoyed the complexities of the aroma. The Viscountess returned her gaze to the menu, and finding the drinks list found herself astounded that he’d been so generous as to offer her a drink. No, not generous, the slimy thing is merely trying to make his way into her knickers. Don’t let you guard down, Emma girl, that snake will slither about until the opportunity arises to strike.
Numbers, numbers... find the highest-price item she thought her mother would enjoy and she’ll take the most expensive meal they had to offer. The back of her mind toyed with how she might manage to empty his pocketbook some more, there would be a point where he’d start to sweat and stutter and grow nervous. Surely. Yes... her lips parted in shock at the prices had slowly turned to a wicked grin, one side curled up as the other continue to rest, giving off a supremely confident show. That’s how she’ll be rid of him; too expensive for him to possibly afford.
“Yup, I’m ready to order.” Folding the paper up she put it down on the table, looking to him with that smirk.
“Em...” he folded his slowly, thinkingly, before looking to her. “Do you have a dog, by chance? Could get him a nice little steak if you like, the sirloin marsala is beyond delectable.”
That’s the pricey item she had planned to order.