THE TRUTH OF US : Truth Known. (5)

The Truth.

Nate stood in front of each picture.....He was speechless. He would look back at me, George would nod towards the painting.

"Look, Ignatius...."

Nate turned back.....Something was happening.

The room took on a sudden chill.....Which turned to cold, Nate couldn't stop it. He wrapped his arms around himself. He didn't feel cold....It was more that ache, he used to get, when thinking of his father, wondering what Audrey was up too.....The thought he might never ever see me again.

Nate's eyes turned dark.....The warm rich brown went away, there was just a sharp haunted hollow black.

The first picture, he coped with to a point....But, he could only look at it for short periods.

The next.....Almost squeezed the life out of him. Lucy motioned for me to go to him.     George nodded too.

George watched the two of us....Ignatius was definitely a direct heir to Erin (Stronger than his father, but Edward's skills had been in other things..)

It was hard to watch what those paintings were doing.

I gently touched Nate's arm....He cringed a little (Like when he was sixteen. Tall, scary looking....Vulnerable)

"Nate, it's okay. I felt this way too. I'm here, it can't touch you..."

Nate looked at me, leaned into me. He was in pain.....It wasn't physical, it was something deeper.

George had been hoping to leave this part out, the visit to the grave yard was going to be hard enough. Liz had royally botched the news of Edward's death up, Audrey had tried to get in contact. Nate should never been left alone with that news.

George walked up beside us.

"Ignatius....Focus, please.."

If you were truly of the French Family....The paintings revealed themselves. Each person was different, but....The message was always the same. Connection from the first. Utter dread from the second.

The French's had used the paintings in the early days to show up imposters to the family line.

As we all watched......Nate not only felt it, the paintings were practically taking him alive. History was revealing it's self, no filters. No warnings. Just the truth, the whole truth....Nothing but, the truth.

"George, Nate's had enough....Ask him what you want to know, and finish this...."

Gus stood beside Nate too.

"I'm taking him over to the chair, he's gone cold.."

I pulled him away from the paintings.

George nodded....He would give us a minute then ask. Gus was giving him a stern stare. George remembered that look (When his nephews had been boys, Gus had stood beside his older brother.....It had been their turn to view the paintings. Gus had got angry, and then cried. He had then refused to look at his uncle, and had refused to eat till he could go home)

".....it's hard....hard to look at....it's painful..."

I sat down beside him.

"I know, I couldn't take it either, they were so sad. At the time nothing could be done.."

Nate looked at me.

"He did do something...."

I looked into his eyes (I saw the strain, redness) Nate knew what had happened.