During old times, people have always gathered for different type of events. It is common knowledge, and sense, for a crowd to form when something happens at a large scale, especially when criminals are hung or the local waitress –who’s also known for more in depth socialization with men- is shamed or even given as a bad example of a woman who forgets her place.
That cannot be said, however, about this certain spot where a house was built centuries ago. It is said that the land on which this house was built, in the time of the Celts, was a sacred land dedicated to the deities that protected the children. However, following the wars, the site remained empty and a family of Irish immigrants settled there. The stories say that this couple could not have children so they stole one from the fairies, bringing a terrible curse on the family. Years passed but the stories remained and by the end of the 19th century, no one in Enfield would dare to approach this house.
But it is inhabited nonetheless. Often a feminine figure can be seen sitting on the window gazing out, as if she’s waiting for a guest and he does not come. The house itself is large and imposing, but the years that have passed are visible on the façade; the gray color can be barely visible because of all the clay and mold.
No one in Enfield approaches the house, moreover enter it, yet this is not the case with Blaise Eastorwine. The oldest child of the Eastorwine family has no problem fighting all the stories, although he recognizes that some have a gram of truth in them. Climbing carefully the stairs that crack under his feet, he gets to the porch and discovers that the door is cracked open. He grunts and goes into the house, hitting his foot against the table on the hall. He grumbles the rest of the way to the kitchen where he finds an old lady bent over the table, looking very carefully at some grains.
“What’s so interesting? Is it about my future?” asked the boy jokingly.
The old lady hummed before she spun towards the young man with a frown.
“Your mother is reckless, but that is not worrisome. There is a stranger at your door, my boy.”
Blaise rolled his eyes and searched through the counters for tea. He also needed certain cleaning utensils in order to clean the first floor.
“Indeed. A man whose upper lip is as stiff as it can get.” answered Blaise, rolling his eyes at the image of Mr. Greyheart. “Mother had discussed with him and it seems he came for Helena.”
The old lady’s eyes widened and quickly returned to the grains. She hummed once more, for a few minutes, drawing Blaise into her spell.
“What does it say, grandma?” asked the boy, frowning because he couldn’t yet see anything.
“Death is all around this man. It’s following him like a shadow and Helena…oh Blaise, Helena’s future is dark.” The woman replied, making Blaise sigh in frustration. “We have to be careful with this man,” she advised before she mixed the grains and put them into a small cauldron.
The gardens behind the Eastorwine mansion are as wide as the eye can see, with a beautiful labyrinth in the middle. Many have agreed that the family and their employees have a close relationship and thus they are still working together. Now that Mr. Greyheart could see everything in person, he acknowledged the beauty of the Eastorwine estate and he realized why they went bankrupt. It was such a large place, having so many servants and workers that also live there, that it was only normal at some point to spend it all.
“Such a pity, isn’t it?”
Mr. Greyheart turned to his right and met the blond hair of Matthew Eastorwine.
“What is?” asked the elder.
“Helena will have to leave. I’m curious what beauty her eyes will fall upon from the window of her new room.” Continued the boy, both his expression and tone signing exactly what type of emotions he felt.
“Trust me, it’s just as beautiful.”
“What is? The willow of your late mother?”
Mr. Eastorwine raised an eyebrow, feeling a mix of offence and curiosity filling his heart. It wasn’t shown on his face but on the inside, he was swearing at Matthew.
“You, mister Eastorwine, should not speak of what you don’t know.” Spoke the elder man, a tinge of his real emotions in his tone.
“Then does that mean the rumors aren't true? Does that mean your land is not as filthy as they say?"
The younger man smirked, knowing exactly what his words did. It wasn't every day that such a rich inheritor would stumble upon the Eastorwines and ask Helena's hand in marriage. Actually, no, that didn't even happen and this rushed wedding was just a scheme in order to give something and receive something just as valuable.
"I can't wait to see just what will happen to your Lair after Helena steps inside," the boy added bemusedly before turning to look at his sister's window.
"Not much, I assure you," was the cold response of Mr. Greyheart before he decided a quick walk by himself will prove far better than a bonding chat with one of the brothers.
The blond man chuckled to himself as he turned towards Helena's window. She wasn't there, as expected, which meant she was most definitely by the pond which seemed to be the same path that Mr. Greyheart begun on.
As expected, by most Eastorwines and their employees, on Saturday afternoons Helena could be found at the pond, situated rather far from the house yet still on their land.
Mr. Greyheart sighed for what felt like the tenth time, having a certain reticence towards Helena and her family.
"Why did I even agree with this foolishness?" he wondered out loud.
Truth to be told, it wasn't Mr. Greyheart's idea. He would have preferred to erase his father's influence over the Lair and the way society was looking at it in a way that wouldn't provoke collateral damage. Helena was going to be exactly that and at the end of the day, it will be his responsibility.
With these thoughts in mind, Mr. Greyheart walked what was half a mile until his eyes fell upon an interesting sight. He approached warily, hiding behind the trees' trunks and bushes surrounding it.
Helena was standing in the pond, water up to her waist. She was naked, from what Mr. Greyheart noticed, and she seemed to be unsure if she should dive in or not. He felt like he should interfere since he heard before that Helena couldn't swim but before he could move, she put her head under the water.
"Miss Eastorwine!" shouted the man as he ran towards her.
Mr. Greyheart didn't waste any time. He threw his coat aside, unbuttoned his vest and loosened his tie -both ending up in the same pile as the coat- and of course the shoes; he would never risk dirtying his precious shoes. As he dived in, he realized the pond was not deep thus Helena could raise her head anytime and breathe. She didn't.
"Miss Eastorwine!" shouted the dark haired man once again before he literally wrapped his hands around her and pulled her back, forcing her to raise her head.
"Let me go! Let me go, I said!"
She was incredibly vocal, which surprised him since she might have as well drowned herself if it wasn't for his presence there.
Helena squirmed for a few minutes, screaming swears and words that didn't make much sense. And then she suddenly stopped and gasped, as if she just now realized where she was.
"You can let me go now. I'm fine." whispered the young woman, seeing how his hands were almost touching her bare breasts.
Mr. Greyheart let her go quickly and coughed, turning his back on her and walking to the shore.
"What happened there?" he asked once she reached the shore as well, fully naked and surprisingly comfortable so.
Mr. Greyheart only looked at her legs before his eyes widened and his head turned by reflex towards the nearest tree.
"Nothing happened. I wasn't going to commit suicide just because I have to marry you. Don't think too highly of yourself, Mr. Greyheart." She spoke in the same manner as yesterday but there was a tinge of amusement, which made her sound lighter.
"I'm not," he mumbled, taking a quick peek to see if he was dressed or not. In return, Helena raised one eyebrow, her quirky attitude making the man blush.
"Interesting," she started as she started to dress herself, "I expected the owner of the Lair to be more... well, not to flinch at the sight of a woman's body. Or maybe you really hate women, which would make more sense," she started to ramble, the coldness in her voice melting into pure amusement and curiosity.
"I don't hate women. I only dislike their approach at times." he defended himself, his eyes still set on the tree.
"For example...?" she urged for more details as she finished, patting her simple dress and tying her hair in a bun. "Well?" she asked again, walking right behind him.
The man glanced over his shoulder and sighed in relief seeing how her body was now covered by a long white dress. It was not complicated, it looked like a night gown if he were to give his sincere opinion, but it must have been easy to move in it.
"For example, the root from where this rumor has gained momentum. A certain lady has made assumptions that I rejected. She got angry and when faced with several refusals, she started to use her mouth instead of her brain."
Helena watched him speak with indignation, his face finally expressing emotions. It was different from her first impression of him -the proud inheritor whose heart was stone cold and attitude of a spoiled brat.
"She made assumptions about what? A personal rendez-vous, maybe?" asked the brunette, containing the playful tone.
Mr. Greyheart didn't find anything funny in what happened to him, especially now that he was remembering how lecherous it felt. His face didn't remain stoic but shifted into a disgraceful frown. Helena's big blue eyes seemed to look into his mind, so deep that she could literally see his memory. She couldn't but she could imagine what he went through.
"So then it's not your mother that traumatized you," she started, "I have to meet this lady one day. This demon that dared try and steal the purity of a man."
Helena chuckled when she saw yet another blush take over his pale cheeks. It seemed playing with him was not as difficult as she thought.
By the time Blaise returned to the house, he found someone staring at the darkening sky on the porch of his family's residence. With every step taken closer to the imposing butler, Blaise noticed how much his appearance was changing. From afar, he could be mistaken for the son of a Lord; he had the elegance of a noble and his attire was roughly the one of a servant. But the difference between a nobleman and Papillon was the eyes; the butler had a piercing gaze. Besides, his whole face was odd: his eyes were darker than most, he had a slightly long and pointed nose and his lips were very thin.
As Blaise reached the entry gate, Papillon's sight fell over the eldest brother.
"Two days and your dear Mr. Greyheart will be wedded. You'll have another mouth to feed, moreover a woman filled with opinions that need to be held in check. Yet, aren't you a bit too comfortable?" Asked the boy, approaching the butler warily.
"I'm not concerned, if that's what you mean."
"Just who is in charge of the Greyheart estate?" added Blaise, bluntly asking what he's been curious of.
"Mr. Greyheart, of course." Answered the butler in the most polite voice Blaise had ever heard.
"Of course," Blaise repeated those words, taking a long look at the stiff butterfly.
Blaise walked past Papillon and before reaching the front door, he took care to glance back at the butler. It was so strange how a human being could make even a man feel defenseless.
"That butler is odd. I had never met such a person, even in my line of work." Blaise started as soon as he entered the library.
All the Eastorwine siblings met in there at midnight sharp in order to discuss what was to come. Helena seemed to have lost all her frustration and just came to a closure with her future.
"I was walking around when I found Mr. Greyheart admiring our gardens," added Matthew, "He's supposed to be this dark figure that society loves to hate but I can't see substance."
"That's because there isn't any. I sneaked inside his room while everyone was out and couldn't find anything of interest. He brought one suitcase," admitted the youngest, Alfred, "What did the witch say?"
"Grandma," Blaise corrected before continuing, "She advised us to be careful. It seems death is following Mr. Greyheart like a shadow."
"It doesn't matter," interfered Helena, "If it brings mother and father the help they need, then I'll go to the Greyheart Lair. Besides, it's not like we haven't seen death before."
The three brothers glanced at each other knowingly and bent their heads.
"Tomorrow night is the dreadful event and if possible, I'd like to finish quickly and just move on. There's no need for witchcraft in this case," she warned the boys, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What's done is done. This house's prestige will return once I'm gone and we both know that's the reason for this charade."
"You are our sister! We don't want to force you to do anything just out of obligation! We risked our souls for you!" exclaimed Matthew, losing his composure.
"I didn't ask to be brought back from the dead. I-"
"We took that decision together, mother and father included. You didn't force us so you don't have to sacrifice yourself just because we did." added Matthew, a little calmer. "Blaise," the blond turned towards the older brother, hoping he'd know what to say.
"We cannot undone any of our actions and decisions. None is a mistake and by any means, Helena is not forced to leave. I'm sure mother had only good intentions when she approached Mr. Greyheart and let's be honest, with everything that's happened and all the rumors surroundings us, he seems to be the best option."
"But we can still stop this wedding. It's not for love anyway,"
"Matt, we won't marry for love either. Love is nothing but a feeling that fades away in time. Marriage is based on respect and camaraderie and hopefully, Helena will have both."
With that said, Blaise retreated for the night and let his siblings ponder on his words.
"If he'd believe in that rubbish, he wouldn't have gotten involved with grandma. Wasn't his fiance murdered while traveling to Scotland? Wasn't that the real reason he gave half his soul away for Helena? He obviously wants to die and meet his precious Charlotte in the afterlife." Matthew commented grumpily, but one look from Helena and the blond turned his head to the side with a scoff.
"We all have reasons to feel responsible for what happened but I hope you're not regretting sacrificing half of your soul in order to bring me back, Matt." said Helena, her big eyes staring at her brother's figure.
"We'll see," mumbled the brother before he, too, left.
Helena turned to the youngest sibling and sighed heavily. Alfred was reading, he's been doing it ever since the meeting begun and not once did he voice his opinion. Now that he was left all alone with his sister, he raised his head and looked at her with the same pair of big blue eyes.
"Should we ask Lady Rowe for a black wedding dress? At least you can wear it whenever you want."
Helena gave in and her strong mask fell as she started to laugh.
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