Algernon Black || The Rise of a God ||

(Chapter 143) The Black Manor

Lucy packed the very few things she owned into her borrowed suitcase from Aloysius and no sooner had she before Algernon was at her dorm's door. He guided her to a forsaken section of one of Attwood's streets to where his family's carriage waited. Lucy thought it must have been what prince's road during their reigns in Emora with its lavish dark red velvet interior and embellished wrought iron decor over a flawless glossy black veneer. But its extravagant luxury padding only made Lucy more uncomfortable as she sat for hours in silence across Algernon, distressing over how long it would be before they arrived at his family's home. She hoped it would be a good few more hours, but still didn't think it would be enough time to unclot the ball of nerves worming in her chest.

The scenery helped. Banal and endless, until a pair of young children playing in the field of a quaint country home caught Lucy's eyes. It made Lucy smile for the first time since getting into the carriage and mindlessly ask Algernon. "Are you excited to be going home?"

"Not particularly," Algernon answered with his attention still on the itinerary of things he had to be sure to do when back in his province.

"Why?" Lucy pressed, gazing out at the children skipping home. "Do you not get along with your parents?"

"I get along fine with my mother. My father, even better," Algernon said before glancing over top his checklist to make sudden eye contact with Lucy. "Since he isn't much one for idle conversation."

Lucy grasped the subtle jab but figured if he didn't like idle conversation, it would be the perfect thing to annoy him with. "So, you take after him then?"

"I suppose," Algernon replied, happy to see she rose up to the banter thinking it might help ease her very evident nerves.

"I can't imagine how," Lucy drawled, sarcasm sweetly seeping into every syllable. "When you yourself are such a stimulating conversationalist."

Algernon crocked his head at the guile of the girl and directed his full attention to Lucy. "If you were hoping for stimulating conversation you might have found better accommodations elsewhere."

"It's a good thing I had my hopes set elsewhere."

"Oh?" Algernon asked, his eyelids half-closing as they trained on her and he closed his notes. "So you had some hopes for this trip?"

Lucy blushed at the very dangerous edge of flirting his teasing teetered on as ill-timed flutters bombarded her already restless chest.

"I hoped," said, stumbling to think of something witty to say, though she knew her face showed red and whatever she tried to taunt back would come out failing.

Algernon, knowing the same, smiled and coaxed her on with a drawn-out, "Go on."

"I hoped we could have peace," Lucy conceded, settling on honesty if she couldn't be witty.

Algernon looked Lucy over in the tapered light trickling through the curtains. Her grown-out hair was tied in a ponytail with frills falling unpurposelessly down either side to frame her face like a painting. When light landed upon her, she shone like she was the beacon producing it. He averted his eyes, to overcome by it to behold.

"I don't think the possibility of peace is a fathomable notion when it comes to me and you." He dropped back into his seat and feeling that somehow, he had been the one defeated in their verbal forte. 

"That's why it was only a hope," Lucy said as the carriage came to a halt.

After a few panicked heartbeats, the doors were opened by the family's driver. "Mr. Black," he said. "Your mother is here."

Lucy's back snapped straight as her silent panic rang clear to Algernon.

"Alright," Algernon replied but looked worriedly over Lucy before climbing out first.

Lucy anxiously attempted to collect herself for the second she had left alone in the carriage before following after.

Algernon helped her down the drop and face to face with his mother.

"Hello, Lucy," Mrs. Black said with a wide smile, entirely ignoring her son to greet their guest. "I'm so utterly happy you'll be staying with us."

"Thank you for having me, Mrs. Black," Lucy replied, a little too fast and rackety from the nerves, which made her blush all the more.

Mrs. Black smiled wider at the red apples highlighting her cheeks. She was a middle-aged woman befitting her name, adorned in a laced black gown with long oiled jet-black hair fixed into a thick braid. Though hair color was the sole similarity she seemed to share with her son as her features didn't bear any resemblance to Algernon. Though something in their auras matched. Maybe it was in the way his mother had ruthlessly ignored her son that reminded Lucy of Algernon's nasty habit of it as well.

"And how has my son been treating you?" Mrs. Black questioned Lucy, weaving a hand through her arm to guide her down the pebble driveway and perfectly trimmed shrubbery keeping the Black manor hidden.

"Oh," Lucy stammered, grasping for an answer that wasn't lies or unpleasant truths.

Algernon rubbed at the his neck with his mother deducing everything by Lucy's one simple reaction.

Mrs. Black spun around to glare at her son. Algernon avoided her eyes.

"Forgive him," Mrs. Black said with a long sigh. "I know he is difficult. Please don't take it personally. He has always had problems with basic human decency."

"Mother," Algernon groaned as if that had ever quieted her.

"He's not a bad person," Mrs. Black continued, briskly disregarding her son. "Only socially he is quite lacking."

"Mother!"

Lucy laughed and both Algernon and his mother turned to her. Her smile was a sight to see, especially in contrast to the empty stale bleakness that usually hovered about the black manor.

Mrs. Black glanced to her son, just before he looked away from Lucy. Exactly as I thought, she noted.

"Well Lucy, despite my son I hope you can feel at home here," Mrs. Black said as they arrived before the manor. Lucy looked up at the sight of the house. And kept looking up. She had been too caught up in their conversation to notice it before, but now that she witnessed it, she wondered how she could have missed it. It was enormous, looming so high that she had to crank her neck up to see the gargoyles perched on the soaring gable roof. The many large gray stones that comprised the house's exterior were graced with dark green ivy that framed the bow windows and french doors leading out to a terrace across the entirety of the building's second floor. Mixed amongst the ivy lived black flowers that Lucy had never seen before but appeared similar to cherry blossoms. The color palette was grim and dark but expertly correlated so that even though it first came off very intimidating, it somehow felt welcoming as Mrs. Black held open the doors.

Lucy looked around as she stepped inside, getting the strangest feeling of Deja Vu, though she never recalled coming to such a grand house.

"Algernon and Hanagan will take your things upstairs," Mrs. Black stated, hooking her arm around Lucy's once again. "I'll show you around while dinner is finishing on the stove." And before Lucy could question too much why this place felt so familiar Mrs. Black ushered her into the foyer.

Algernon watched Lucy get pulled in before examining his home's entrance that hadn't changed at all since that night years ago when a blood-soaked little girl was carried through these doors by his father. She didn't seem to recognize it, and he released a relieved breath for it.

But, peace was always short lived in this house. Hanagan came barreling inside, carrying all of their luggage at once, tripping, and spilling the suitcases everywhere.

"Hanagan!" Algernon blurted out as he managed to catch one of the falling bags. "We've told you so many times, you don't need to bring them in all at once."

The butler just looked at him with eyes wide in shame, and Algernon sighed. He was a great butler that they had employed for decades but so odd.