“Perhaps it is I who should say sorry to you,” Damien continued, shocking Caroline even further. “Did I scare you?”
Caroline pressed her lips together as she watched the moment unfold.
George silently nodded his head, and Damien nodded right along with him.
“Y-you w-were hitting a man,” George stuttered out.
“You were hitting a man? Here? In your house in front of the boy?” Jeremy asked in a hissed whisper.
“I was,” Damien admitted, ignoring Jeremy’s question. “And I should have explained why. You see, I was participating in a sport called boxing.”
“Oh,thank heavens,” Jeremy muttered, tipping his head back in relief.
“B-boxing?” George asked.
Caroline watched, letting the moment unfold as Damien nodded.
“It looks quite a bit like hitting, I know, but the truth is, it is a sort of game that men play,” Damien explained, holding up two fingers. “There are two people per match, and the goal is not only to evade and block your opponent, but also to hit him harder than he can hit you. To be good at it, you have to practice, and that is what you saw that day. That man I was hitting? He is a good friend of mine. His name is Adrian, and I would never hurt him.”
George seemed to take a minute to process all of this new information, but Caroline noticed that he had stopped trembling. Hope flickered in her chest, and she waited.
“You…hiteach other? On p-purpose?” George asked.
“We do,” Damien admitted. “It is a great exercise. It teaches a man stealth, strength, and is a great way to let out frustrations.”
“Frustrations?” George asked. “What does this mean?”
Damien nodded, then rubbed his hand on his own chest in a circle. “When things inside feel all tangled up. When you are angry or sad. Boxing helps that go away.”
George fell silent, pondering once again.
“It is true, little man,” Jeremy added, his tone gentle as he gave George a smile. “Even I box from time to time. The good thing about this sport is that there are rules, and not only does it help with everything that Damien just said, it also teaches a man to fight with honor.”
Damien nodded in agreement. “And it helps to know how to fight when you need to protect someone you love. Like your Cece.”
Caroline’s heart throbbed in her chest. It was quite possibly the most seductive thing Damien had ever said, and her body immediately responded with delightful tingles. Still, she kept silent, realizing that this was another bonding moment that she had been hoping for.
George looked from Jeremy to Damien.
“Can… mayIlearn to box?” George asked.
The grin on Damien’s face was instant and warm, making butterflies erupt in Caroline’s stomach.
“Of course you may,” Damien answered, then held up two fingers. “Two things must come first, though. First and most important, you must eat more. Food makes us strong. Two, you must wait until you are just a little older. Now, age will come on its own, but eating properly? That is something we can start right now. What do you think?”
George gave a solemn nod, as if he had just accepted a great responsibility.
“Splendid!” Jeremy exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “And since we are all here, why do we not all eat together?”
As if satisfied with how the conversation had gone, Damien rose once more back up to his full height.
“You three go ahead,” Damien said, his gaze lingering on George a moment longer before looking to Jeremy. “I have to get back to my study. I received many correspondences today, and I have something important to work on.”
Caroline’s disappointment was instant and heavy. Though they had not planned to dine together, the thought of them all being together gave her a warm, familial feeling.
“Oh, come on, brother. Do not be such a spoilsport,” Jeremy goaded, reaching up to clap his big brother on the back. “Surely your correspondence can wait an hour? We have so much to catch you up on! The three of us worked quite hard on my party plans today, did we not?”
Damien turned his gaze to Caroline, still looking unsure and uncomfortable with the idea. She immediately smiled and gave him an encouraging nod.
