“Well?” Caspian barked when Ironvale continued to watch him in silence.
Ironvale shook his head to clear it and took a seat across from him. “I did as you asked,” he explained as he relaxed into his seat. “For days now, I’ve had men scouring through legal documents, business contracts, even going so far as to visit tenants that we presumed to be involved in some way. It has been…” He exhaled as if a great weight still sat upon his shoulders. “… a rather arduous task.”
“And?” Caspian asked, not wasting time with the obvious desire for compliments and thanks that Ironvale was searching for.
Ironvale looked at him flatly. “A thank you might be nice.”
“I prefer to save such things for after the task is done.”
“Fair enough,” Ironvale snorted. “It will surely bring you untold amounts of pleasure then, to learn that your instincts were correct. Donmere’s hate for you extends beyond the embarrassment you caused him. He is, for all intents and purposes, a broken man in the throes of dragging you down before his last breath is taken.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“He is destitute,” Ironvale said. “And this little vendetta he has against you is his way of saving face.” He snorted. “Or perhaps he is just being petty? The man hates you, and as his world isabout to end, I suppose he can’t stomach the man he deems responsible for it all escaping without some sense of vengeance being brought.”
Caspian nodded his understanding. The news, while not unexpected, was vindication of what Caspian had known but been unable to prove. And now that he had said proof…I am not sure what I will do, only that Donmere will live to regret it.
“The question now remains, what you are going to do about it,” Ironvale asked as if he could read Caspian’s mind. “His efforts to marry his daughter to you were his final play, and seeing as you snuffed that venture out, he has every reason to hate you.”
“It is himself that he should hate,” Caspian said darkly. “For putting himself in such a position in the first place.”
“The point remains, until you do something to stop him, Donmere will continue to come after you. And seeing as he has nothing left to lose…” Ironvale raised an eyebrow. “Might I suggest ending him before he ends you?”
“And how do you suggest I do that, exactly?” Caspian asked.
Ironvale shrugged. “That is what I am here for, is it not? Give me an order, and I shall see it through. Assuming revenge is what you want?”
“Should I not?”
“Perhaps,” Ironvale said carefully. “Or perhaps you might wish to leave him be? The final swing from a dying man and all you need do is dodge it and let nature take its course. There is no need to hit back, is my point.”
“He insulted me,” Caspian said. “He insulted my wife. I will not let that stand.”
“So, vengeance it is.”
“I prefer to think of it as justice.”
Even before the unfortunate incident between himself and Thalia occurred, Caspian had been furious with Lord Donmere. The man had insulted him, brought disrespect onto his name and title, and deserved nothing less than total and complete annihilation.
What frustrated Caspian, however, that such feelings that were well deserved, brought him little joy.
I know Donmere deserves to pay. What I don’t know, is if I care whether or not he does…
Something had changed in Caspian these last few days. He understood well enough the reason, while refusing to acknowledge them at the same time.
This last week had been the worst of Caspian’s life. Left alone as he was, free to ponder and think about what had happenedbetween himself and Thalia, he felt his resolve for vengeance diminish as his own self-loathing and disgust increased beyond comprehension.
His home was empty. Worse than that, itfeltempty like it never had before. He wandered the halls of his home in a state of disrepair, trying his best not to take note of how alone he felt, how isolated from the world he was, and how saddened he had become. He forced his thoughts from Thalia, refusing to admit why he was so upset with her leaving.
I do not care. This was never a real marriage. It was never meant to be more than a contractual obligation. I was not meant to fall for her, I was not meant to care for her, and I was certainly never meant to love her…
He did not love her -- he refused to admit that such a thing was possible. And as for why he felt so rotten? That was because of Lord Donmere only, because the man had insulted him, and needed to be dealt with accordingly.
Frustratingly, whenever he considered how he would take vengeance upon the repugnant lord, he grew bored and uninterested. He would remember Thalia’s words, how certain she was that Lord Donmere’s accusations means nothing if there was no truth in them, and he would retch at their truth because deep down, in the pit of his soul, Caspian missed his wife more than he believed was possible.
This vendetta against Lord Donmere was a distraction and nothing more. For now, it would do, because it was all he hadto hold onto. But what would happen when Lord Donmere was dealt with? Where would Caspian go from there?
If only he knew…
