A Rake, A Spinster, And An Arrangement

Chapter 32: Questions; No Answers (Ep 7)

Draco was quiet as he watched Hermione sleep, despite the sunlight shining in through the carriage windows. They had been riding for hours, traveling through the night, and at some point in the early hours, she had finally fallen asleep.

Throughout the ride, he had wanted, on more than one occasion, to offer for her to sit beside him so that his shoulder could be her pillow, and he could keep her warm. Every time he thought to offer her that, his comfort and support, every time he thought to pull her close, to whisper her the truth...

After all, it had been a twelve-hour journey from Wiltshire to London, with them having to stop twice to change horses and to give the footmen a rest. This would have been the perfect opportunity. He even had all of the paperwork with him, including his correspondence, and even a few journals he had kept while in school... He could have shown her everything, and yet...

All throughout the night, with only the glow of the moon to light the carriage, Hermione had clutched the letter. She had stared at it, reread it over and over again. She had run her fingers through her hair to the point that it had doubled in size, had run her hands over her dress over and over again, had wrung her fingers together...

It wasn't about him. This wasn't about him. And, it wasn't about their relationship either. Harry and Ginny were suffering a great loss, and her heart was breaking for them. She was falling apart, wanting nothing more than to be with them.

What she wanted and needed was to be by her brother's side.

It didn't matter that they were overdue for their talk. It didn't matter that Draco was living in anguish. It didn't matter that his wife hated him for things that were not even true. It wasn't about him, and it wasn't about his lies.

All that mattered was getting Hermione to London as fast as possible.

But now, as Draco looked out the window and watched the approach of Potter House, he realized just how much time had been wasted. He had feared their return to London and had known all along that once they returned, things would only get worse. He knew, once everyone else was involved, that it would be impossible for him to speak privately with Hermione, to explain the full truth.

Now, she would talk to their friends, talk to her family, and inevitably, they would get the wrong picture of things.

Now that they had returned... the Duke of Norfolk would want to speak to her.

He feared it. Feared the coming days.

He had half a mind to tell the footmen to keep going, to take them to his own house within the city. They would be staying there, or so he hoped. Perhaps, in the coming evening... certainly, she wouldn't expect to stay at Potter House, would she?

The carriage came to a halt and Hermione blinked as she slowly woke up. He wanted to reach out and touch her cheek, to soothe her, but almost as soon as she realized where they were, she was up and pushing on the carriage door, ready to venture inside. He did not even have a chance to climb out first, to help her down.

She did it entirely by herself.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked as he started to step down. "This is a family matter. You are not needed."

Almost like a slap to the face, Draco recoiled at her words. A family matter. Because... she didn't see him as family.

Very well then. He knew where he was not wanted.

He cleared his throat and tried to gather his thoughts, but he was left grasping at straws. Her words had harmed him, more than she would likely ever realize, but he wanted to maintain cool and calm composure. "Tell your brother that, should he need anything, I will be at Nottingham House."