Who: Abby and Domenic What: A discovery! Where: The stables of Sir Samson Olivier When: This morning Rating: Pretty G Status: Logged, Complete
It had been a while since Domenic had had the time to take one of his horses out purely for pleasure. Sure, he could have slept in a while longer, but he was feeling restless, so he got up shortly before sunrise, saddling Sky-Iron, his favourite steel-grey mare, and leaving a note for Gabrielle in case she woke before he got back and worried at his absence.
There was almost nobody about, this early in the day. A few townsfolk were going about their pre-dawn business -- bakers, for the most part, or other merchants who sold things in the market -- but he had the roads to himself, and kept Sky-Iron at a walk, enjoying the crisp air and the solitude. And he had an errand to run this morning, to old friends.
Samson and Catriona Olivier lived on the edge of town, in a modest-sized home with detached stables and a sizeable garden. They'd told Domenic long ago that any time he visited, he was to leave his horse in their stables and the hostler would take care of things; in keeping with his promise to treat their home like his, he dismounted and led Sky-Iron to the stables when he arrived, before even going to the door. It was early yet for the hostler to be awake, but he could see the mare comfortably settled in the box stall.
Of course, he hadn't bargained on the box stall containing a young woman. Immediately concerned, he looped Sky-Iron's reins around a railing and knelt down, gently shaking the woman's shoulder.
And then, as he turned her, he saw her face, and knew her.
"Abigail?"
At some point, Abigail must have fallen asleep. She hadn't moved much in the night, and still had her knees curled up to her chest, hugging herself close. She jerked awake when Domenic shook her shoulder and she gasped softly in surprise.
"Domenic!" Her cheeks heated up in a blush as she remembered where she was- well, she didn't know exactly where she was, but it certainly wasn't the brothel- and she sat up, brushing straw from her dress before pushing herself up to her feet. "I- hello."
"What happened?" he asked softly, staying beside her. Obviously something had happened for her to be here and in this state, and it worried him. "Did somebody hurt you?"
"I- no, not- not anymore than usual. I just-" Abby broke off, taking a careful breath. "I can't do it anymore. I just- I'm tired of it, and it's- it's eating me up inside and I can't- I just can't stay there anymore." She looked back to Domenic, tears in her eyes. "Please don't make me go back there."
"Sweetheart, I won't make you go anywhere," he assured her, keeping his voice gentle. He'd always thought Abby was the wrong sort of girl to be working in the brothel. "Come back with me, all right? To my house. You'll be safe there, and you can rest properly, and then once you've had some tea and food we can work out where to go from there, all right? I'll make sure nothing happens to you, I promise."
Abigail hesitated for a moment, but then- what choice did she have? She didn't have anywhere else to go, and Domenic had- he'd always treated her well. She trusted him more than, well, anybody right now. Abby found herself nodding, her arms wrapping around herself. "I- okay," she said softly. "Thank you, I just- I can't-I needed- I needed to get out of there."
Domenic wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a gentle hug, but also plenty of room to duck out of the way if she wasn't comfortable with the contact.
"I understand, Abby. And what I said, about you being able to come to me if you needed anything, no matter what? It still stands, and it always will." He gave her a smile, brushing back a bit of her hair. "You're my family, sweetheart, or as good as. Just like Gabby, as far as I'm concerned. I'll always look out for you."
Abby tensed for a moment as his arm went around her, but she quickly relaxed, stepping to him and slipping her arms about him for a close hug. She nodded, tears coming to her eyes. "I- thank you. I don't- I don't deserve it, but- I-thank you."
"You deserve it," Domenic argued. "Do you think you can ride behind me, if I get us up on Sky-Iron? I want you in a properly warm bed with some good strong tea as soon as we can manage it."
Abby looked to the horse a little warily, but nodded as she stepped back. She brushed off her skirts, then pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "I- yes, I think so." It had been some time since she'd ridden, but it couldn't be too terribly difficult, could it? "If- so long as you're sure."
"Hmm." Domenic considered for a moment. "I'll get you up on her back, and then you just hold onto me, all right? I'll take it nice and slow."
"Okay," she said, stepping over to greet Sky-Iron, greeting her softly and petting her muzzle. Sky-Iron seemed to take it well enough, and Abby smiled, relaxing a bit. "Everything will be okay somehow, won't it?"
"It will," Domenic assured her. "Even if I have to fight the world to make it all right."
He leaned down and carefully lifted her onto Sky-Iron's back, unhooking the reins from the railing and mounting up in front of Abby. He'd ridden like this many times before, and it was one of the easier ways for the other person to stay balanced.
"Put your arms around my waist and hold on," he told her. "I'll keep her to a gentle trot."
Unless they ran into trouble, but he wasn't going to say that. There was unlikely to be anything this close to town proper, anyway.
Abby turned toward him as he reached for her, and she gasped softly once she was on Sky-Iron. She watched as he climbed up, and she slipped her arms about his middle. "Thank you." Abby bit her lower lip as they started, and she kept her eyes open, still worried that they might run into trouble. "I hope you don't have to fight the world. Not on my account."
Domenic guided Sky-Iron almost by memory, keeping an eye out for anything that might constitute a threat. Luckily, it was early enough that there were few people out, and those who were about were used to seeing Domenic riding through town with Gabrielle; Abigail's hair was dark enough and they were of a slightly similar enough build that she could pass as Gabrielle on a brief sighting.
"I hope so, too, sweetheart. But whatever it takes, everything will be all right."
Abby nodded, silently- belatedly realizing that he couldn't hear her head rattle. "Yes. I hope so." She fell quiet again, closing her eyes. Abby bit her lower lip, willing herself to relax- things were going to be okay, even if only for a little while. She had to make herself believe it.
Domenic gently urged Sky-Iron into a halt when they reached his home, dismounting and handing Abby down before turning the mare over to the hostler. Normally he'd rub her down and clean her tack himself, but this was rather more important, and the stablehands were perfectly capable of performing their tasks.
"Come on inside," he said to Abby. "I don't know that Gabrielle will be up yet, but I'll make you some tea, and you can get some proper rest. You look like you haven't slept well in weeks."
Abby smoothed down her skirts and checked her small bag- thankfully she hadn't seemed to lose anything, and she nodded as she looked back to Domenic. "Tea- that sounds lovely, thank you." She followed him inside, eyes widening as she took in his home. "Oh, this- this is lovely, Domenic." She opened her mouth to ask if he was sure, but closed it a moment later, not wanting to upset him by asking again.
"Abby." He looked down at her, absently taking a piece of straw out of her hair. "I know you might have trouble believing this, but I do love you. You've been like a sister to me for years, you know more about me than just about anyone else, except for Gabrielle and Samson. Please, try to believe that? I'd do anything for you, and it's no inconvenience, and I am very sure that I want to do it."
She blinked, almost surprised that he'd answered her unspoken thoughts. Then again, she never had been very good at hiding her thoughts or feelings. Abby stared for a moment, trying to believe him. She nodded, fingers grasping the straps of her bag tightly, tears in her eyes. "I'm trying. I'm sorry, I'm just-" She just wasn't used to others wishing to help her. "I can't thank you enough..."
Impulsively, at the sight of the tears, he hugged her.
"I know you're trying, sweetheart. I just want you to know that. Now, let's get you some tea, and you'll feel a bit better. Gabby's got some fantastic blends."
He moved as he talked, fetching down the tea-kettle and filling it with water, setting it on the stove to boil as he found one of the brews that he knew Abby liked.
Abby returned the hug, smiling faintly as she pulled back. "I've enjoyed everything you've brought me. I can't imagine her mixing a bad blend." She watched Domenic for a moment as he moved to start the tea, and she stepped over to a small table nearby to take a seat. Her hands came up to her cloak, carefully unfastening it and hanging it over the back of her chair for the moment and setting her bag on the table.
Domenic poured them both a cup of tea once it had steeped, setting Abby's in front of her and sitting down opposite.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked quietly.
Abby accepted the teacup with a whispered thanks, bringing it up for a sip. "You've done more than enough already, Domenic," she said, setting the cup back down. "I'm not- I don't know what I need. I just- I need to figure out what to do with myself. All I knew is that I couldn't stay there any longer."
"All right." He took a sip of tea himself, closing his eyes and inhaling the scent and trying to get the urge to do harm to the Madame out of his head. He'd known Abigail was unhappy for a long time; he should have done something earlier. "You can stay here as long as you need to. The servants are discreet, and nobody will bother you."
Abby took another sip of her tea and nodded as she listened to his words. "Thank you. I think- I hope I'll be able to figure something out soon, and I'll- I'll help out around here, too, as I can." She tilted her head slightly. "And- please don't- you don't have to go back there to speak with her about me, or- or anything else you might be thinking. I- I don't want to be the cause of any unnecessary trouble."
"I won't," he promised. "If only to make sure she doesn't know you're here. And we'll work out what to do, love. I'll see you happy yet."