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Manderley was a ruin. Her faithful Danny had taken good care of her home from the beginning, had ensured that everything would stay within its place, even during her absence. And now, now that it would all come to an end, now that it all was over? Now that it was over she only did what was right, only did what was expected of her, what in her dreams she had ordered her to do. She would merely do her duty.
How beautiful it was to watch her as she carried out the deed, to watch Danny ignite the fire, laughing as so gladly she would protect the property from that chit of a girl her foolish husband had come to fall in love with, to keep everything from falling apart through their hand… How beautiful it was to watch, to watch and to know that even now she was her faithful servant, willing to do anything for her and always by her side whenever she were to call, even from afar.
She knew… Of course she knew, of course her Danny knew that she had never left, that she had not surrendered to Death as Rebecca de Winter surrendered to nothing, nothing at all. As she was invincible. Of course she knew… Danny had always been a good servant, so much unlike the fools that had found employment within her childhood home and also at Manderley, had always been intelligent, so much unlike the man her mistress had come to marry. Of course she knew… Of course she sensed…
And wasn’t it so easy to take hold of her even now as she adored her, adored her so beyond words, as she would still believe to have been so much more than her servant, to have been her only confidante? She had always been intelligent but at the same time no less foolish than the men as she, too, had been in the absurd belief that she was needed, needed by her mistress, perhaps even loved… Danny had known better than to speak of love and yet… Yet, her eyes…
No less foolish than the men… But the moments they had shared were different. It had been different; everything had been different in the times Rebecca had been with Danny, so different… She would never admit to herself that…
Nonsense. There was nothing to admit, as it meant nothing, as she was no one, no one but a servant, her most faithful servant… Perhaps she had grown fond of her in a certain way, and yet… Yet it meant nothing. Nothing…
Manderley was a ruin, but hadn’t it been destroyed long before? Hadn’t her husband long before brought about its downfall, hadn’t he done this to himself? Manderley was a ruin, Danny had as always done outstanding work… Perhaps she should have joined her earlier, perhaps she should have called for her earlier, but who would have carried out the deed in her stead? Who would have been capable of hearing her voice, who would, who could have listened to her whispers and fulfilled her order to her satisfaction? She had waited for a reason, had waited until it was time to make her final move, time to destroy them at last, to…
She had never been interested the girl but despised her husband, had vowed to herself that she would triumph over him, that she would push him into ruin, that even in Death she… She would triumph. Of course she would triumph as hadn’t she always gotten her way? Hadn’t she always gotten her way and not cared about the how, hadn’t she always…? She would triumph. She would triumph, even now, now that they believed it to be over, now that they believed her to be incapable of harming them and not realising that she had never left, that she lived, lived on through Danny, seeing through her eyes, that with her assistance…
Perhaps she had been reckless at times, perhaps she had waited too long as over time they had gained too much knowledge, as they had come too close to discovering the truth… But why should it matter? Why should it matter at all as long Danny still trusted her, as long they were incapable of convincing her that…? Danny’s mind was strong, almost as strong as her will, her faith, and she would not believe them… Certainly she would not believe them as hadn’t it been so easy for Rebecca to persuade her that she would always confide in her, that she would tell her about everything, anything at all? Hadn’t it been so easy to gain her trust, to... Even she had at times believed that she grown fond of her, come to care for her, had at times believed that her servant had a meaning… Hadn’t everything been so easy?
She cared not whether she were to touch a man or a woman, would laugh at the men and call the women their own, had at times even found pleasure in the nights they had locked themselves into her bedroom and perhaps she had come to need her Danny after all, in a strange, unexpected way… And so she called, called for her to join her at last, called for her to put an end to this farce as she had watched for too long, her disgust growing with every day, every hour. She called…
Manderley was a ruin. She had triumphed as Manderley was a ruin, to perish within the flames and Danny would so gladly give her life with it, in truth willing to do anything for her, in truth willing even to sacrifice her own…
As though she had led a life worth sacrificing, as though her life was worthy of being called a life at all, as though she had had a purpose without her, without her mistress… Of course she would be willing to follow her, of course she would merely wait for her to call as what else would keep her on this earth? What else would…? Never again would they be apart, never again would Rebecca be without her servant... Never again would anything, anyone come into her way. She had triumphed.
