The People of Dewbrook

Chapter Eight

Blissfully unaware that Caroline was following him, Stephen continued walking in silence for what seemed to be ten minutes. Caroline knew exactly where the path led, for it was the most obvious path to the local tavern, which meant that her assumption was correct. She had concluded that when half of the walk had passed, and right after concluding that, she kept walking as she would have otherwise.

What she did not know was that she was also being followed. Sure, she heard some steps behind her and occasionally turned to see if anyone was there, but upon seeing nothing for the umpteenth time, she threw her hands in the air and decided not to think about it anymore, declaring herself paranoid and the strange noises the fault of the cold night wind. She thought of regular things all the way to the tavern, immensely revealed when the two of them had reached their destination at last.

Just as she was about to enter, she was startled by someone placing their arm on her shoulder. Her eyes wide, she turned to see who it was, and she recognised the golden hair and emerald eyes instantly. The strange events now made complete sense, and it could have been far worse, so she sighed in relief and then laughed awkwardly at the smiling Fanny.

"Hey, Fanny! What are you doing here this late at night? You got me worried for a minute there," she said enthusiastically when her friend hugged her.

Fanny giggled. "Oh, Caroline, you are such an amusing woman, especially with how you think too much all the time. I wanted to see how you were doing, and I suppose that this method did not do much harm because you had no problem doing the same to Stephen without him knowing, or could it be... Oh, wait. You are in love with him, right?"

Caroline blushed. "I love him deeply, and he loves me too. A few nights ago, we had an affair in his mansion, if you were wondering about the supposed burglar Mildred complained about. For so long, no one could make me feel such beautiful emotions, and mere months after my husband died as well! It is agony, which is worth it compared to the much grander reward. I am glad to have him in my life, and nothing could ever change that."

Fanny frowned. "Wait, I remembered something. You are still trying to seduce Harold for his fortune, are you not?"

Caroline nodded. "I must, for that is an absolute necessity. However, that shall not prevent me from realising my profound passions. Anyone who knows me knows that I always get what I want, no matter the cost, and the higher the cost is, the more admiringly I look upon the object of my desire. If you were me, would you not do the same as well?"

After they stopped hugging each other, Fanny shrugged. "I never quite thought the same way as you do, but because we are not that different, I understand your impulses. Good luck, my friend, for you will need a lot of it. Now, let us enter the tavern at last."

Without a word, they set their feet upon the rocky trail that led to the entrance. It was rather uneven and curved in all sorts of places, which made the walk mildly uncomfortable, but it was nothing that they had not expected. The tavern was called 'The Busted Rock', as was indicated by a shaky wooden sign right below the roof that seemed as if it could fall off at any time. Consumed by vigilance, they walked slowly, gently opening and closing the door, after which they focused on studying the place.

The late-night air was engulfed with cigarette smoke and heavy alcohol, both smells that Caroline had gotten quite used to. In the distance, two older, balding men were playing the harmonicas, and the predominantly young drunkards were all dancing in a round. The tables were mostly empty, barring only a handful, where every single person was engaged in gambling.

For the most part, they came in groups, but at one table, two men were sitting. Believing she knew them, she went over to them, and it turned out that she was right. One of them was Stephen, who, while smiling, had a barely visible gleam of hesitation and regret in his eyes. The other was someone she would have expected to see but was still a bit surprised at seeing. It was Matthew Sparks, and he appeared to have a jolly good time, as he always did. He thrived in environments such as these, after all.