Fallen angel

Chapter 3

I took a hackney drawn carriage home that day, I watched as the streets rush by, houses , windows, arc lamps, carriages, shop canopies all in a row. I tried to focus on my surroundings instead of dwelling of what had happened with Torlid only just a minute ago. I looked evidently disturbed, I sat on the silken seat , my hands , together , in a formal position on my lap, and I continued to peer through the pony and traps window , to distract myself from the uncertain future and the recent past's affray. Putting it all behind me and focusing on the trap ride.

And then the cart stopped.

And someone climbed aboard...

I continued to look down at my hands and I fiddled my thumbs round each other out of pure boredom and to distract myself from my own thoughts, and anything else that could make me think too hard. "Salutations Mathew" as Edwards voice echoed through my ears it was one I instantly recognised , i perked up and looked at him , seeing a face i recognised oh so much , me and that man were opposites in our physical qualities and too our mental attitudes , he was more short and stocky and decided to have a mainly positive eccentric look out at life , ah , i do miss small Edward Payne. "greetings-" i spoke very bluntly and very stern , like i usually would do when tired , it became a bad habit of mine as i got older and more worn , more experience weathered me down. I just wish i could go back to singing those songs of innocence , oh , it aches my heart just thinking about it. "old tired Mathew" he chuckled a bit as he looked into my eyes , he could evidently see that i was distressed, i felt like that man could just see right through me , like he knew me better then i did. "what is it now ?" he turned a bit more serious , not as much as i hoped he would , but it would have to do. I have a collection of photos , they are worn but the best i have , and no matter how i hard I've been trying , i cant find one where they look how i remember , the time since this and now has taken its toll. And i just watched the memories drift away, standing alone.

Edward was the type of man to make you push forward even if the weight of the world was pushing against you, for being a man who has experienced countless deaths of men infront of his eyes in warfare , he seemed to have the mindset of some type of child. You'd wonder why we even associated with eachother never mind having a quite strong relation ship. We seemed like the definition of yin yang , we juxtaposed each other strongly and evidently. As he talked to me i just wished the cart ride wou0ld end soon , i let the precious time go by , but at the time , i just wanted to go home and rest my eyes , ignore the feud with torlid and move on with my life. It wasn't that simple , id just had to pretend it was to trick my mind into juts not dwelling on it like some type of child who had just injured itself at the park , sitting there hopeless weak and defenceless. Sobbing its eyes out. Pathetic in any mans eyes.

I constantly wished the cart ride would end , not to get out of the company of Edward , but too have something new to distract myself with , the scenery of outside , the same repetiere crowded streets of houses had started to bore me and I wanted to fall into sleep so I wouldn't be able to think about the past events of the day and the rest of the yesteryear. The cart came to a halt after the long wait and I stepped off and continued my journey home on foot.
which was only a few yards , leaving Edward too continue his journey alone , it was still light outside , the starting of dusk and the blackness of the night still hours away . however with the closing of the law firm , something that was so sudden and with no explanation I'm still dumbfounded in the explanation of why it closed for that extended period of time , I would have no work too do nor would I have activities or events too pass my times inside of the house nor anything too work on , I was conventional for being up top of my work , inside and outside the institute and during company job hours , it's well spread in the workplace that I'm well assembled , always worked out and organised, so it would be unlikely I'd have any extra work too do at my place of residence , apart from some client letter and court files , which was meant for my humble time too be filled up with it anyways,

I arrived at the entrance of my home , built with dark bricks and detached from any other house either side , with a small yard in-front if it , a brick wall surrounding it protecting the already dead grass and a small stone path leading too the door , I walked across it , looking at the city surrounding me , and let myself into the house.

I entered the house , placed down my attaché on the wooden table and looked up and the oak pendulum clock , "2:03 pm" I said too myself under my breath. The air in the house felt unusually stiff , and the home was strangely quiet, a whirring sound of the wind echoing through out, "how incongruous" I said too myself , hoping someone was there too hear me , but nothing was echoed back , mystifying and perplexing, I stood there in silence stuck in my mind for a few seconds in a slight panic , I then snapped to my senses and
and decided too finally to do the logical thing and look for what was going on.

I went up the stairs, the banister built with wood and fixed with different carvings , and the stairs covered with velvet carpet that got just more and more dirtier as I walked up , my shoes still on my feet. I got too the landing , I saw a dim warm light coming from the far room at the end of the hallway, presumably, a candle and or a deposit oil lantern. I sauntered my way too the rooms doorway , now not worried and having my mind out at ease knowing that there was at least someone inside the residence. I took a gander at the inside of the room , which belonged too pasty , and catching eye of the two personages in the room. Lucceta and of course , pasty. I walked in and stood besides her indoors , placing a hand on my other half's shoulder , who was on the chair and watched my daughter , who was on the other side of the room enjoying herself. The room was in a solidating but calm silence, I only stood there for a few blissful minutes before departing too my small office across from the hall too continue with law work , leaving the door open so I could easily glance up into the room if I ever so felt too do.

I had been doing law ever since I studied it for 5 years plus another 3 , starting at the age of 17. Studying at Westminster university, where I met Edward Payne and had a small partnership with before he left for war for the last 3 years before coming back too his home. After graduating , I became a lawyer at ashurt law firm as a lawyer , and is where I worked most my life , doing many court cases for many people bad and good. The job had me doing mountains of paperwork at home , giving me less time with what people would consider priorities, like family, and other predominant things that would usually be overriding things like work , nether the less , it is still made into a priority for me. Which even with a small family and living wife , made life feel , dull and black and white. As if the missing piece was there but didn't fit 100% right. As I continued with work the temptation of going too visit torlid again , maybe the next day, burned and bubbled in my stomach , but I ignored it until the next day.