Echoes of passion

Chapter 4

‘Anyway, back to the present’, Iris thought as she looked down on all the make-up laid on her table. Some looked easy while the others looked like they would spring up and attack her. She really didn’t know anything about make-up, only recognising eyeliner and lip balm so she decided to put that on as it complimented her demure uniform. The outfit alone was really nice and simple, it had a black pleated skirt, a white shirt with the school badge on it and a white and black stripped tie. She then wore her shoes, put a headband on her braids before grabbing her blazer and bag, running downstairs and out of the house to join her aunt in the car.

‘That breakfast was lovely aunty’

‘Well, good morning to you too’, Agnes replied chuckling, ‘and you are welcome my dear. Now, I’ll give you a lift and pick you up from school today. But make sure you ask people the way to and from school because I have to resume my shift tomorrow’.

‘It’s okay aunty, I’ll be fine’

And that was the end of the conversation. Each of them drifted into their own worlds with Iris feeling excited and nervous to start her first day.

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The sound of the phone ringing incessantly woke Sebastian from his slumber. He contemplated smashing the thing against the wall but refrained from doing that when he saw his mother’s number on the screen.

‘Hello’, he answered groggily.

‘Sebastian Edward Henderson! What on earth is the matter with you?? Do you know what you’ve done?!’

‘Well, nice to hear from you too mother. Pray, how are you doing this fine morning?’, Seb shot back sarcastically.

‘Do not use that tone with me young man! How could you leave your fiancée stark naked on the streets of Chelsea? Do you know the scandal you’ve caused? Everyone is talking about how rude and heartless the next Duke of Winchester is? Have you forgotten that our family has to uphold our good reputation?’

‘Okay a, I did not leave her on the streets on the streets naked, she was wearing a sheet...’

‘Hmmph! And you call that clothes?’

‘...and b’, he went on ignoring his mother’s interruption; ‘I do not give a hoot’s ass what the whole of London says or thinks. I’m tired of all these efforts over a marriage that wouldn’t last. Did Lauren tell you that I caught her cheating? Huh mother?!’

‘Is that all? Well if you didn’t like London, all you had to do was move to one of our country estates with Lauren after the wedding. I’m sure we could sort this out. Besides people cheat all the time, it’s nothing new’. ‘Oh, like the way you’ve been cheating on dad?’, Seb retorted sharply.

There was a sharp intake of breadth on the other side, followed by an angry ‘How dare you? You know I love your father. I’ve been the one looking after him with his stroke and now you’re accusing....’

‘Oh please mother! Cut the dramatic behaviour. You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing all these years while dad has been sitting in that wheelchair?! Just save it’