Eva's Sins.

XLVI

„Remorse is a luxury we can't afford. Especially if we're living surrounded by darkness"

  After Albert's visit and all the way to London, Brian felt that everything is collapsing over him: the sky, the memories, the past while being so afraid of what may happen from now on. But mostly he was afraid to meet Eva, who had believed that he left the country, accompanied by another woman and that he had abandoned her.

  „Are we going to Ms. Alice Huntington's house?" he heard Bardain's voice when they entered the city and, watching through the window, he saw the usual bustle on the outskirts.

  „No. First, we'll go with Keen. I must find out if there's some news."

  „Why? Do you think that man lied to you and Miss Stonebridge isn't in London?"

  „Is not that. Simply..." he wanted to find out if Keen find out something about the things about which Eva had been lied to, things related to him. More than this: he wanted to find out more about Emily Davis, who he had suddenly started to hate, with all his being, and he wanted to get revenge on her. „There's been a long time without feeling this," Brian told himself. „I thought this desire of getting revenge died with Alfred Stonebridge, but it seems to me that I was wrong."

  On his way to Keen's office, he asked Bardain to stop the carriage in front of a tobacco store. Even if he usually wasn't smoking, Brian felt then the necessity to do this, but he hadn't any tobacco left.

  Bardain jumped off his place, intending to enter the store and to buy, but Brian denied it: „I'll buy it. Thus, I'll chase away some bad thoughts," he said and, on his way to the store's door, he met Anne Ross. He had been amazed to see her so well dressed and looking like a real lady from the upper-class, for even if he had found out about Chesterman's new mistress, he never saw her till then and he was remembering her only as of the ex-servant, from Christine Bircham's house.

   After returning the greeting, by slowly bending his head, Brian intended to pass by her, but Anne hurried up and stopped in front of him, forcing Brian to stop too. „A long time without seeing you, mister Beneath," she said, smiling.

  „It seems so," Brian mumbled and he once again intended to pass by, but the girl took a step aside, hedging up his way.

  „The gossip about my relationship with Luis seems to have reached your ears too, but from what I know neither you, nor Luis have good thoughts one for another."

  „This city has its good parts too," Brian said, ironically and smiled. „Gossip here circles faster than the air," and this made Anne laugh so hard that the passers-by looked amazed at them, wondering why a man like Brian Beneath, very respectable in the upper-class, stopped to talk to Luis Chesterman's new mistress, whom he's also considering an enemy, as he considers Chesterman.

  „You are also right and ... I think there'll be some new gossip about us, too," she said, looking around, at all those looky-loos that weren't losing any detail of their conversation.

  „Aren't you afraid of what..."

  „...will Luis say? About me and ... you? Not at all because he knows me very well and, more than this, he hasn't why to doubt: I chose an open place to meet you, right in the middle of the street, where everybody can see us, and not in a hidden place."

  „Did you say „I chose?"

  „Right! There's been a while since I try to meet you and ... to get revenge. Let's say that I had not the chance before, to meet you."