An hour had passed. Jack was exhausted. He could hardly lift the crate that he was carrying to the loading truck, but the room was mostly empty now with only a few of the bigger crates left to move. Jack thought wearily to himself 'Who knew archeologists did so much heavy lifting and hard work.' Darby walked over to Jack. She could see the sweat running down his face and neck. She chuckled softly to herself and then said with a concerned voice.
"Tsk. tsk. It looks like you are quite exhausted, Mr. Clemins! You really should have let me help you. I am worried about your health at this point! Someone would think that I am mistreating my assistant if they saw you."
Jack chuckled as he puffed out air while he lifted up the last heavy crate and said
"Well, I'm almost done now." Darby sighed and said
"Either way, it looks like we are ahead of schedule, Mr Clemins, how about I help you lift this one to the truck and then you take a little break?"
Darby reached out and grabbed the other end of the crate Jack was carrying. He was surprised at how easily they carried the heavy crate together, he exclaimed.
"Wow, you are quite strong, Miss Herrington!" Darby giggled softly.
"Haha! Maybe you wouldn't be so tired if you had let me help you and hadn't stopped me from lifting anything heavy, after all this is part of my job." Mr. Clemins continued
"I didn't expect a woman that looks like you to have this kind of strength." Darby laughed again and puffed out.
"Pfft! You have a common opinion, but in the future I am sure you will be shocked at what I can manage." She batted her eyelashes at him sweetly and he felt a blush rising up his neck as he looked away quickly. 'Ugh, she is too pretty' he thought to himself shyly. They loaded the crate into the truck and walked back into the storage room. Just then Director Mortimer returned and with him he brought several strong-looking men. Director Mortimer looked around in confusion and alarm, asking
"What? You loaded everything?! These men are part of the crew and here to load the trucks!" Darby widened her eyes and exclaimed
"Oh! A whole crew to help with loading all the crates? It must have slipped my mind! Mr. Clemins was so strong and did almost all of this by himself!" The director narrowed his eyes as he glared at Darby suspiciously,
" ...Slipped your mind?....Ugh! This poor man must be exhausted!" Darby chimed in happily.
"He is! But he did not get injured again" she smiled sweetly, full of self-pride, "And I just told him to take a break!" Director Mortimer sighed and raised his fingers to his temples, as if he had had enough of this day but it was still only morning.
"Well, at least he didn't get injured again.." Darby, finished with the conversation, turned and started to walk out of the room and back to the main area of the museum.
"I will take Mr. Clemins for a break and then we will finish up the rest of our work!" Director Mortimer scoffed and said
"Good! He deserves a break!" Darby said nothing back to the Director, tilted her head and closed her eyes and smiled widely. She called out over her shoulder as she walked out of the room.
" Come along, Mr. Clemens!"
"Oh, yes, coming!" Jack said as he hurried along after her, nodding to the Director as he left. After the maze of hallways and doors that Darby led him back through, Jack soon found himself in a quaint little breakroom, with a kitchen and a table for dinning. Perhaps it was the place where employees could have their lunch or relax with a cup of tea. Darby gestured towards the table and chairs and said
"Please have a seat, Mr. Clemens, I am sure you are very tired." Jack panted.
"Well, I am a bit" and sat down quickly in the nearest chair before his legs could give out. He was absolutely exhausted, his whole body was sore and he was so thirsty he felt like he might faint, he was completely drenched in sweat and felt weak and clammy. Darby set a tall glass of water in front of him and he quickly took it and gulped it down. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he hastily gluggled down his water and she quietly chuckled to herself. She brought over a glass pitcher water, refilled his glass and left the pitcher near him so that he could help himself to as much as he needed. She began to heat a kettle on the stove as she said
"I'll make us some tea and I believe there are some extra sandwiches around here." She began rummaging around in cupboards and in the icebox grabbing dishes and this and that for what they needed. While she was busy, Jack took a moment to rest, he leaned his head back against his chair and let his body slump in fatigue. Being able to sit and refresh himself with water was starting to recharge his weary body. If only Miss Herrington hadn't forgotten about the loading crew, he wouldn't have had to do that on his own and he wouldn't feel so weak and exhausted now. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead. Darby set a pot of tea, two teacups and a plate of sandwiches down on the table between them and took a seat across from Jack.
"Please help yourself to the sandwiches", she said as she picked one off the plate herself and took a bite. Jack, having worked up an appetite, grabbed a sandwich right away and began to hungrily eat. Darby sat across the table watching him as he ate hastily. He seemed to be starving. And as far as Darby knew, maybe he was. Although she had found out a little about him, she didn't fully know his situation. She had been playing around with him and, for the most part, he had no idea. Sometimes she could feel herself almost feeling bad, but she had been dealing with people sent by her father for so long she had steeled herself to those emotions and didn't dwell on it long enough to feel guilty. She knew he was an innocent person caught in the crossfire between her and her father. If he would just leave on his own, it would be fine. She was hoping that she could scare, exhaust or drive him away in some way. But seeing how pale he had become from all that strenuous work. Work that was supposed to be done by a team of several men. She thought that maybe she would cut him some slack, just the smallest amount. But she did like messing with people and seeing how long she could do it before they managed to catch on. It had become a habit for her, almost a hobby. She wondered how long it would take for him to realize she had known since the very beginning and had been messing with him ever since. Watching him gobble the sandwiches and gulping down water as if he had been starved for days was starting to make her mouth twitch and she was worried she might break and start laughing. She decided perhaps asking him questions about himself would prove useful. He would either tell her some information she could use against him some way later or he would slip up and give himself away or he would just be incredibly nervous which would also be fun to watch. She was starting to really enjoy watching him squirm and sweat as he tried to work his way out of the difficult situations she put him in. Whatever the outcome, attempting a heart to heart seemed beneficial to her. Darby continued to study him a moment more before she spoke.
"So Mr. Clemins, what made you decide to take this job?" She stared at him seriously with a straight face. Jack's mind snapped to attention. He had been so caught up in eating and drinking after feeling like he might pass out that now that he was starting to feel better he jolted back to what he was supposed to be doing. He gulped down the huge bite of sandwich he had just taken, which promptly got stuck in his throat and made him cough and sputter, and reach for his glass of water to help wash it away and try and brace himself for this conversation. Darby saw him become so startled that he choked and as she watched him coughing and sputtering, the corners of her mouth began to twitch. She took a deep breath to keep from laughing and pretending to itch her nose so that she could cover her mouth to stop herself from smiling 'Damn it!' She thought as she tried to compose herself 'He is too funny!' Jack had finally stopped coughing and was wondering if she knew or had caught on in some way 'No' he thought 'I have been so careful, there's no way' Darby continued asking him questions
"Why not find another bookkeeping job?" Jack finally found his voice and said
"Oh, well, I have had as many bookkeeping jobs as I can find, I really do enjoy it but usually, since I am always the new hire, I am also the easiest to let go…" Jack's voice trailed off as he began to feel uncomfortable, it reminded him of all the times he had been fired. While it was true about the newer people being the ones who were let go, he also knew that him being common class had a lot to do with it. It just made him feel frustrated all over again. Darby saw the look of discomfort and also frustration and decided to delve further.
"It surprises me that they would let you go so easily. You are very hard working, and also rather smart. I am sure you were good at your job." She said with a small encouraging smile. Jack felt touched by her kind words and decided to share a bit more.
"Well, if I am being completely honest, I was also told it would be too difficult to keep me because I am a commoner and that those of the elite class would only want others of the same class working with them or handling their accounts." The realness of what Jack had just said prickled her. She shifted in her seat, starting to feel uncomfortable for the first time. Here was a real person with real problems and difficulties in his life. And while she liked having her fun and pretending like she was never bothered no matter what. She could not deny that he had his own struggles in life and her conscience began to prick for the first time in a long time. Jack was so absorbed in his own mind recalling the past that he did not see the flashing emotions that traveled across Darby's face. He went on,
"Maybe someday I could try again…but for now, I am trying this as something new. Any job is a good job, as long as it helps me keep myself and maintain my independence." Darby noted that his voice became softer as he spoke. Jack, saying he wanted to keep and maintain his independence, struck a cord with Darby. While their situations were obviously very different, she understood the desire for independence. She studied Jack thoughtfully, he was the first common class person her father had hired to follow her. Everyone else had been people of title wanting to gain connections through her family or to try and prove their ability and tame the wild beast Darby Herrington as she was known in high society. Here was a genuine person. Obviously the situation her father had put him in was extremely questionable, but he took the job because he needed to, he wanted to work hard and earn a living. Darby noted with this that he must definitely be motivated by money, the gears in her mind turning as her mind and perspective of him shifted and she thought to herself '...I can work with that...'