The London Affair

Chapter Eight: White Dress

Chapter Eight: White Dress

"What! Robert are you mad? I thought you were going to leave the military and stay safe. Robert please do not go charging into danger on my account?"

"I'm perfectly sane. Maria there's nothing left for me here! The military is my wife, I can protect the honor of the island."

"When do you leave?"

"A week from next!"

"So soon?"

"Yes, it's urgent that I go."

"I understand but please write if you feel so inclined to do so and please do stay safe and take no unnecessary risks."

"Of course I'll write everyday if I'm able to but you'll never be far from my thoughts you know how I feel and I'll try my best but with war there's always uncertainty!"

"All right then well I suppose this is goodbye."

"Yes it is, please remember my constant love for you and I wish for nothing more than your enteral happiness."

"I wish the same for you!"

"Thank you...well goodbye...," Robert stammered as he turned to leave.

"Robert...wait...," cried Maria. "You not telling me about Anna hurt more than Peter. Peter, I can see he was ashamed of having fathered a child out of wedlock. But you, what reason did you have not to tell me of her? Did you love her more than me?"

Robert paused, "Anna was very special to me and I did love her greatly and if I hadn't gone off to war I would have married her. But I love you more. You and I are the same soul, I feel as if I have known you my whole life what you and I had was both passionate and loving, we would have been equal partners. The reason I didn't tell you about Anna is that I was ashamed. Anna begged me not to go to war and I did and I chose war over love. I felt ashamed."

"Was she a Venus, a siren? What was so enticing about her that the two men I love, love her so?"

Robert let out a little laugh, " she was just a girl but very special just like you." He took a seat next to Maria much to her shock. "I met Anna when I was a young soldier, we were performing military exercises near the Thomas estate in Cheltenham...,"

April 5: Easter Sunday: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 1863: Near Wellington: Manor of The Thomas Family:

Dusk was falling upon the land as a fresh faced soldier, slightly intoxicated on ale made his way back to the military training grounds just outside of Cheltenham. He looked up and saw a large manor house looming above him. Such a sight made him almost spit in disgust. Soon he was going to be sent off to war to protect the very system that oppressed him. Robert Taylor was the son of a prostitute and a married village drunk. He was born in the town of Winchester and days after he was born, he had been taken to the Sisters of Sorrow orphanage, where he was raised. By the time Robert was twenty-five, he was a former horse thief, that had never been caught, and a drunk, working as a blacksmith's apprentice. An obscure uncle had returned from America and began to support him financially. However that uncle soon died and Robert lost his support. Robert knew the only way to make it in this world was the military. Maria, of course had known of Robert's past until this point. Just as he was going to pass the grand estate glistening in the near dark, Robert espied an apple tree only akin to the infamous apple tree in the garden of Eden. Big bright red orbs hung from its magnificent branches. A pain of hunger rang through Robert's stomach, a thought ran through his mind the rich bastard that was lord of the manor wouldn't miss one apple. On pure impulse, he climbed the large black gate intending to steal an apple. Like Eve, he was drawn to the tree.