Trails of Intertwined Stars: Chapter 74 {Part 1}

~Chapter 47: Fond memories of beloved~

That evening, a carriage rolled by on the gravel; flattening it with a crunch. A man; with his two young daughters stepped out, smiling rather magnificently. He was a warm looking man, with chestnut coloured hair, and rich cocoa eyes; wearing the typical Victorian outfit consisting of a shirt, waistcoat, trousers and jacket. His two daughters were practically a spitting image of their father, and it was practically impossible to imagine what their mother would look like. The eldest daughter was much sleeker than the other, and could easily be later imagined as some sort of governess with that womanly look to her young, pale face. She wore a neat purple dress, and stood so modestly; her freckled nose felt somewhat out of place to her spotless style. On the other hand, her freckle-less younger sister was much more frilly in style, and looked like a twelve year old girl's birthday cake. She wore a vibrant sort of pink, with her chestnut hair tied back into a plait and had a youthful sort of grin to her. Despite this, she was a similar age to Leora, and arguably not too far off her older sister's age either. The family held much more in common with Leora, so it was fair to say they were from Henry and Leora's mother's side.

During the later meal Jiu shared with them, now permitted to join since guests had arrived; he found that they were in fact related to Leora and Henry's mother. The man was her younger brother, Lewis; the two girls being his daughter's: the eldest called Emily, and the youngest, Katherine. It was clear that, much like Jiu, Mistress Mohan did not appreciate their company, and Lewis seemed quite used to this treatment.
"So, uncle Lewis, I hear you dabble with photography now?" Henry cleared his throat, eating.
"Yes," Lewis beamed, a charmingly handsome gleam in his eye developed as he spoke of his passions," It's quite extraordinary how society is progressing with technology."
"Though, father can't help but return to his parlour tricks," Emily smiled; both Leora and Katherine giggled together at this.
It was nice to see Leora actually enjoy her family, yet it was a shame it was the family she scarcely saw.
"Magic tricks?" Jiu tilted his head.
Lewis smiled, grandly," I've always been fond of it, how I wish it was a much more profitable profession. Alas, life is not as magical as it seems."
Mistress Mohan scoffed, dabbing at the corners of her mouth," You should hope it isn't. Who in their right mind would pay for such foolish, childish antics?"
"Your son did, Mistress Mohan," Lewis shrugged.

Her face fell at the thought of this, and she silently seethed; her husband patting her arm, nervously.
"Uncle Lewis is extraordinary with his tricks, you know!" Leora grinned, looking at Jiu," He's a connoisseur at the unexpected."
"You flatter me, dear," Lewis laughed, warmly," I did have much practice though. Your dear mother and I had a lot of time on our hands as children, and we learnt together."
Henry tilted his head," Oh? Mother never mentioned that."
"I'm sure she didn't," Lewis's eyes crinkled in the corners out of fondness," She loved her secrets, your mother was an extremely mysteriously, wonderful person."
"Yes, yes," Mistress Mohan stated, sarcastically," It was truly a shame about the shooter."
The room fell silent, and Lewis' expression had darkened ever so slightly at the thought of his beloved sister in a casket; no matter how many years had passed. Perhaps it felt even worse to the poor man, considering the murder had occurred in that very house.
"Then again, what can you expect? She was a mongrel, wasn't she?"
Lewis raised an eyebrow," What is that supposed to mean?"
"You and her both, half bloods," Mistress Mohan spat out," Ruining the pure bloodline."

Neither Henry, nor Leora, nor Emily or Katherine could say anything; they all had the Greek blood that Mistress Mohan loathed for 'tainting' her chaste, English bloodline. Jiu couldn't exactly step in either, he was out of place as it was and already felt hunted by Mistress Mohan, like a mouse being stalked by a hawk. The only person who could was Master Mohan; yet the man was too timid to ever consider scolding his wife for such behaviour. So, yet another awkward silence filled the room as they continued to dine. The old woman definitely had a way about bringing the mood down in a matter of seconds, there was no doubt about it.
Katherine, boldly, cleared her throat," Cousin, are you looking forward to your wedding?"
Henry glanced up, seeming relieved by the clearance of tensions.
"Ah, yes," Henry smiled," More guests will be appearing tomorrow; I'm quite looking forward to it."
"And your bride?"
"She'll be appearing two days later, you see," Henry hummed, sipping his wine," She's gotten caught up with the dress and bouquet with her family."
"It'll be nice, to have all of us cousins here together," Emily smiled, softly.
"Not all," Mistress Mohan stated, sharply.
The room grew silent once again, as Duncan's memory seemed to haunt the merry occasion. Duncan had been the only fully English cousin after all, and blood-related as a Mohan, so Jiu wasn't half surprised she brought him up to spoil the rebuilt atmosphere.

Leora cleared her throat, glaring at her grandmother," Duncan will never be forgotten, but I highly doubt he would want his memory to burden Henry's day. They were best friends, after all."
Henry nodded with a sad frown," Leora is right, Duncan would be disgusted if he felt his memory had tainted such an occasion. He was a loving boy. Please, grandmother, let us not make him unhappy by speaking of him like this."
Mistress Mohan pursed her lips, tightly, till they were practically paper thin and so sharp, Jiu felt if his hand brushed against them, he'd get a paper cut.
"Fine," She muttered, resentfully.
"Then, let us toast," Lewis smiled, raising his glass to the chandelier," To new beginnings and fond memories of beloved."
Everyone raised their glass to this, aside from the miserable Mistress, who sipped on her glass and stared aside. The light from the chandelier shone onto the glasses, creating a kaleidoscope of sorts around the dining room, like a spider's web. Jiu's gaze fell on Leora, who smiled brightly and softly. The words from Lewis; 'Fond memories of beloved' spun in his mind like a ballerina in a music box; trying to think of his own. He'd lost his own family, his own friends and comrades during battle; that much he knew. Yet, oddly, that was not who came to mind. No, what came to mind first was that little girl with hazel hair and a foreign face.