The English Descendants

10

Alan, Edith, Charlotte, and Eliot are happy to return to their own home and eager to return to life as normal. Especially Charlotte, who throws herself into her schoolwork and her friends, trying to forget that her father is not the ever patient, even keeled doctor who opens his doors to the friendless, but instead is a man who married three times for money and let his sister murder his wives. Even when Edith tries to assure her that Thomas loved her dearly, that he grew so much during their short marriage, it does nothing to deter Charlotte from thinking of him as solely a murderer.

Eliot notices the change in his sister and finally confronts her about it, cornering her in her bedroom one evening, "Lottie, you're acting funny ever since England."

"Oh, really? Why do you think that might be?"

"I understand you're upset about your father-"

"He's not my father. He's my...I don't know. Co-creator. But my father is the one I share with you."

"Fine. I understand you're upset about Thomas."

"Aren't you?"

"Why should I be? He's just a ghost. It's not like he's done anything to hurt us. He seemed to be trying to protect us in England."

She stares, her mouth agape, "But he killed three women!"

"Technically, that was Lucille."

"He let her do it?"

"Do you really think he had much choice?"

She stops, "What? Of course he did! Are you mad?"

"No. Not at all. But we know she killed their mother with a cleaver through the skull. Who's to say she wouldn't have done the same to him? She did end up stabbing him to death."

"Mother says she loved him too much."

He scratches his head, "Yeah...about that. I asked questions...to Mother, not to Thomas. And there's a bit more to that than you know."

She tosses herself back on her bed, "Oh lovely. Another family secret."

"Yeah."

"Go on, spill it."

"Apparently sometime in their childhood, she started...um...how do I say this? She started sleeping with him. And not in the sisterly way."

"If this is supposed to endear me to him in any way, you're failing."

"No, hear me out. I don't know what all happened between them, but she says she doesn't think it was something he wanted. And that's why Lucille killed their mother- she found out and threatened to send her away. There are a lot of the pieces of the puzzle missing. Like Thomas' story. But if our mother can look at him and think that there was something even innocent about him...why shouldn't we, too?"

"Because he killed three people, that's why!"

He turned from her and walked back to the door, "You aren't trying to understand this, are you? You don't want to think that maybe it wasn't his idea, that maybe his sister made him do it. But I will. And even if I don't know that I want to see him, I think I'm glad that he is still around, watching over us."

She watches her brother leave and calls after him, "So what, am I just supposed to forgive him?"

Eliot does not return, but hollers from the hall, "Maybe."

She sits up and looks around, "Thomas? Are you here?"

He fades into sight in her armchair, "Yes."

"Even though I said I never wanted to see you again?"

"I had no intention of being seen. Not until you asked."