The Heartwood Box: A Fairy Tale (48 page)

This matter with Derek
must
be resolved
.

More gently
he added, “I wish to make it clear before everyone that I do not expect blanket obedience on other topics
.
You are
not
accountable to me for how you choose to spend your time
.
Arguments, debates, even defiance are all to be expected, and no one should punish you for that
.
Discipline that occurs during bedroom play is also not my concern—I have made clear the limits I expect you and Derek to observe, and Derek has promised that he will abide by them
.
I speak only of examples such as what happened with the riding
.
If one of us tells you to stop an activity because it is dangerous, I need to know that you will obey, darling.”

She frowned and said, “What about climbing a tree
?
Donal didn’t think it dangerous
.
I don’t want to be treated like some fragile flower.”

Damian chuckled
.
“I understand, darling, truly
.
Can we leave it like this
—
you promise to abide by the spirit of this rule, and I promise I will ask Donal to referee when we honestly disagree about how risky an activity is?”

“Yes, I think that’s fair,” she answered
.

“Excellent
.
Does anyone wish to say anything at the moment?”  When no one spoke, he took Genevieve’s hand
.
“Darling, I
am positive
I speak for all three of us when I say that our first priority at all times is your happiness and comfort.”  He shot Derek an unmistakable look
.
“I hate that you worry about us, and I would command you not to if I thought it could possibly work
.
I can only hope that when you understand how much joy you have brought to this house, to all of us, you will realize ho
w ridiculous these fears are.”

He forced himself to abide by his own rule and kissed the top of he
r head.

Now came the test.

He said lightly, “Tragically, I must depart this evening to visit my abominable troop
s
, so we will begin our new schedule today
.
Derek, you will take the first two wee
knights, and Donal the second.”

“What?” Genevieve cried,
looking terrified.

Damian swallowed down his instinctive response and pressed forward with his plan
.
“I am afraid so, darling
.
I will return Friday, and I promise I w
ill be counting every minute.”

Derek was obviously close to rage
.
Damian gave his brother a look that contained the full weight of his authority in this house
.
“Derek, I presume you will wish to use the main bedroom.” 

For once, Derek’s temperament worked to Damian’s advantage
.
Derek forced himself to acknowledge the silent command with a grim nod
.
It was the best he would get.

So
Damian loosed his final bolt
.

He smiled dangerously at Genevieve, and then said to Derek, “I will not ask it of Donal, but Derek, I would be grateful if you would see to it that Genevieve sleeps chained to the bed
.
I think it would be good for her, and I will find the thought comforting on those nights I must spend alone, away from all of you.” 

It was up to the two of them now
.

Damian’s announcement did away with any remaining anxiousness about the new pianoforte and Donal’s unexpected explosion
.
Genevieve hardly noticed as both Donal and Damian kissed her cheek and vanished, leaving her alone with Derek
.

Suddenly her enormous sitting room felt far too stuffy and confining
.
“Can we walk in the garden?” she said breathlessly
.
Derek scowled but followed her outside
.
They walked for a few minutes in silence, Genevieve hating that she felt so awkward with him
.
Finally, she asked lamely, “How have you been?” 

“Well enough,” he said curtly
.

Genevieve was divided between the impulse to burst into tears and smack his face
.
How on earth was she to share a bed with him
?

Derek, as if reading her thoughts, said, “If you ask to skip your nights with me, I won’t make trouble.” 

“And what happens if I don’t ask?” she snapped out, the desire to smack him triumphing for the moment
.
He gave her one of his glares
.
How could she get through to him
?
“I need to be able to live with you,” she tried
.
“I can’t be constantly afraid.” 

He actually looked horrified at this
.

She gave him an exasperated sigh
.
“Afraid of hurting you, afraid that you’re unhappy.” 

At first Derek looked as if she were speaking some incomprehensible gobbledygook; then his expression hardened into outright anger
.
“Why on earth would you think something so lunatic
?
Weren’t you just listening to Damian
?
I should spank you just for saying that.”  He was not joking
.

“You’ll do nothing of the kind until we’ve resolved this!” she astonished herself by crying out
.
She forced down her temper and said quietly, “Derek, do you
want
this… this… with me?”

“Yes.”  One short word, but with Derek it contained so much.

There was nothing for it
.
Declan had told her she must set limits, and the time had come to set one with Derek
.
“Then I want something from you—I have not asked this of your brothers, but I ask it of you.”

“What?”

“I want four hours in which you do not tyrannize over me, in which I choose what we do, and you cooperate with me
.
If you wish something from me, you can phrase it as a request or a suggestion instead of as a command.”

Again his expression suggested she’d spoken in some ancient lost tongue instead of perfectly clear English
.

“I’ve had no time with you, Derek
.
I am not asking you to go to the dressmaker’s or bake pies or visit Sally, only that you spend some time with me.” 

Derek made a noncommittal shrug
.
She forced herself not to be hurt and said with excessive cheer, “Do you like lavender
?
It’s one of my favorite flowers—did you know that
?
I’d like to have a bouquet for our bedroom
.
You are planning to stay there, are you not?”  She almost added, “Now that Damian specifically asked you to keep me chained to the bed.”  She strongly suspected Derek would be far stricter about enforcing that “rule” than Damian—as Damian well knew
.
She started walking towards the back wall, calling over her shoulder, “Why don’t you help me?” 

“Help you?” 

“Yes Derek, help me
.
I’d like to pick some flowers, and I’d like you to help me.” 

Honestly, the man acted as if she’d asked him to eat garden slugs! 

She couldn’t help taking a small bit of revenge by handing him the stems to hold as she gathered them
.
She blathered at him as they walked, telling him about Roderick’s offer to teach her to cook, Sally and Peter Crane’s visit, sleeping out in the conservatory
.
She got only grunts until she mentioned Mist.

“A Fae horse
?
Donal!” Derek growled angrily.

“It was
Declan’s
gift!”

“And he had no business giving it to you!”

“What’s your problem with it
?
I’m told the horse is extremely safe,” she shot back.

“They should have waited for Damian to return
.
It should have been his decision whether you’re to have a horse, just like giving you that key should be Damian’s decision.”

“You say that because you know he’d prefer I never leave the house.”

“Yes, he would prefer it
.
And as his wife, you should abide by his wishes
.
I suppose you mean to ride her?”

“Yes, Derek, I mean to learn how.”

“You don’t already know?” His face was darkening with each second.

“Whatever you are going to say, don’t!  No tyrannizing, Derek, you promised.” 

“I didn’t promise.”

“Is this really so much to ask, Derek?” she exploded, catching him
by
surprise
.
“One bloody afternoon?” 

She tried to walk off, but he grabbed her arm and refused to let her go
.
More despotism from him!  Genevieve had reached her breaking point.

“I’ll tell you something e
lse I never told your brothers!”
she screamed
.
“You all thought I looked so ill at the picnic
?
Four years ago, I went mad
.
I thought a demon had possessed me
.
I tore apart a pianoforte with a hammer until my fingernails were shredded
.
An instrument my parents had saved for years to buy for me!  I spent the last four years of my life shut up in my room—too afraid and miserable to leave the house
.
I did that to myself, do you understand
?
I won’t let you and Damian put
me back there to satisfy your…
lust, obsession, fear—whatever it is those Reavers did to you!” 

She tried again to wrench her arm away, and when he didn’t let go, she barked, “Parole!” 

Derek instantly released her, and Genevieve stormed over to the fountain and splashed her face repeatedly, trying to keep from sobbing over him like some pitiful, lovelorn female
.

She was startled when Derek said from about three inches behind her, “Four hours?”

She turned and faced him
.
“Four hours, Derek.”

He had a calculating look in his eye
.
“When this is over, I want four hours too.” 

“What?”

“I want four hours where you obey me without any defiance.” 

“Derek, I have never been with you…
.
”

“I won’t ask anything my brothers wouldn’t,” he said intently
.

Genevieve considered that highly unlikely
.
“One hour,” she countered.

He nodded grudgingly
.

“No gags
.
Never again unless I consent
.
Declan said I must set limits and this is one.”  He hesitated
.
“Derek, you took away my ability to speak the moment I tried to resist you.”

“We were under attack—you were struggling.” 

“Yes, and if you’d said, ‘Reavers are after you, Genevieve,’ I would have stopped
.
At the very least, you could have tried that before binding and gagging me and tying me to the horse
.
We both know neither of your brothers would have had to!”

Another grudging nod
.

“Then I agree,” she said, praying she didn’t regret this
.

There was a pause while she pondered what on earth she should do next, when Derek said thoughtfully, “I’ll teach you to ride the horse, but you need to be stronger.” 

It took Genevieve a moment to make sense of what he’d just said
.
“Stronger?”

“If you wish to ride, you must be stronger,” he repeated
.
“You can barely lift a glass of water, and you plan to manage a sixteen-hundred pound Fae thoroughbred.” 

“Aren’t you afraid if I’m stronger I’ll be able to fight the three of you off when you try to domineer?” she said tartly
.

Derek gave her an insultingly blank look
.
“There is no risk of that,” he said flatly
.

“Perhaps you should teach me to use weapons then,” she muttered
.
To her amazement, Derek turned on her
.
“That was a joke,” she started to say
.