Eva's Sins.

V

„Never look for revenge! The revenge will eventually look for you when the time to pay for old debts will come!"

  „Brian Beneath is a stupid idiot and he's also a stiff neck," it has been Alfred's first thought after Brian had left the house. And that wasn't a random thought, for he had, in his office and in his house, the worst of his enemies: looking to get revenge on him and to steal his fortune. But he, Alfred Stonebridge, wasn't that stupid to allow Brian to despoil him of what was his.

  More than that, it wasn't just a simple ill-feeling between them, but a real rivalry that lasted for years and that started with Baron Beneath, but which seemed to end with his son, with Brian, who seemed extremely convinced to end with Alfred's „reign," to kneel him down in front of that grieved lord's grave, who, on his 40, had dreamt about getting married with a young girl of 17 only.

  And that thought sketched a dumb smile on Alfred's face, who couldn't believe, even at that age, that 16 years ago he could win in front of Baron Beneath, such a wealthy and influent man: he, Alfred Stonebridge, an idler, the son of a not so wealthy flower farmer and who had less influence than any other in that area.

  But the same thought that made him smile before also forced him to shudder when he remembered his father, because 16 years ago, due to the shame felt for his son's deed, Halton Stonebridge fell prey to despair and, after months of long „torture," with Baron's men all the time chasing him, he also vanished somewhere.

  Nobody saw Halton leaving, just as nobody had the slightest idea of where he can be. Not even his wife and his daughter, who he left in the lap of the gods, didn't know which path he eventually took to escape from fate.

  And this seemed suspect to many and, so soon, the town and the village have been divided into two groups, which were whispering, in a great secret, about what happened and about what was coming. But the most interesting of all that was that inside of those two big groups, smaller ones appeared, each of them supporting its own theory about what happened.

  Thus, part of the locals was on Baron's side, blaming Stonebridge's shamelessness. For them, the father and the son were the same: shameless people that left home and town, leaving social life and family behind just to take hold of a life that wasn't theirs, occupying someone's place in a house of good and wealthy people. But none of them was taking even account that Helen Walker has never been Baron's wife. But even so, the simple fact that Baron had considered her worthy of sharing the same bed and dormitory with him made her untouchable to others.

  The second part of the locals was still undecided. They preferred not to take anybody's side and they found it even more interesting just to listen to the others'gossip, to dissect those gossip in smaller parts, forming, in great secret, their own theory of the story. Also, the sharp tongues started to say that Halton Stonebridge never left Image, but he has been killed, in great secret actually, by Baron Beneath's men, who has decided to wash his shame at least this way. And the most interesting of all this was that nobody even intended to attack that theory. More, each of those who ever heard the story, kept silent about everything, even if they were sure or even if they found out from someone that Halton was still alive and that he just ran away.

  Baron's death, however, finally ended that nonsense story. Then, the same tale-bearers started to blame Stonebridges again for being responsible for such a good man's death. So, months have passed and, in great secret, Halton's wife married her daughter to a priest, from a faraway town, trying to save at least her honor thus. Then, soon after that marriage, she moved into her daughter's house to take care of her grandson that was about to be born.

  Thus, the storm around Stonebridges and Beneathes calmed down eventually. But even so, there were still those who were remembering the tragic ending of the story.