The Odd Life of Cornelius Tessington

A Move To Be Made

(My apologies for not posting! Hopefully I can get back to writing. Hope you enjoy!)

I sat in the kitchen, my heart pounding madly in my chest. Cornelius was looking for a bride, a bride. This was awful! But I couldn't just walk about the party, I would instantly be sent back by Hampton! And if I messed up or caused a disturbance Hampton might just kick me out, no matter what Cornelius said. I felt someone tap my shoulder and I looked behind me slowly, finding Agatha.

"What is it Edith? You look upset." I shook my head,

"Nothing, it's nothing." Agatha raised an eyebrow,

"I don't believe a single word you just said, now it is a Christmas party and no one is to be upset on Christmas. Got it? " I nodded quickly, hoping she'd leave me but instead she pushed me to my feet, handing me a tray. "Good, then put on a smile and go serve these sweets and don't let them fall!" She ordered. Before I could say a single word she had pushed me into the hall where men and women dressed in lovely clothes roamed about. I made a soft sound of surprise but knowing very well this was my chance I began to go about, offering the sweets on my tray. The lords and ladies were very rich; it seeped off their very being.

The men wore dark colored suits with crimson handkerchiefs in their breast pockets and their hair was combed. The women however spend probably double the time the men did on their appearance. They were dressed in reds and greens of all sorts along with a few blues who dared to be different. Hair twisted and knotted into designs that must have taken hours to complete their waists were thin while their dresses billowed out, probably making breathing nearly impossible. Makeup decorating their faces they all looked lovely. However when I came to the parlor I found one man surrounded by a group of giggling women. Three guesses who it was. Cornelius Tessington was dressed in a bright green suit with a black handkerchief in his pocket. Black gloves of silk covered his hands and his hat was tilted playfully to the left, revealing his golden locks that partly covered his mismatched eyes. A small smile lingered on his lips but it was easy for me to see it was fake, the real look that lingered there was a bored, uninterested look. However; those eyes of his lit up when they met mine. He smiled and I knew it was completely genuine. Standing up Cornelius beckoned me,

"Ah Edith! What a wonderful surprise! I believed you were going to stay in the kitchen; Agatha no doubt gave you a tray and shoved you out the door. Now, my dears, this is my newest servant, Edith Owen." I felt my body tremble in fear as the women turned to me with looks of disgust, disinterest or boredom. I dropped a small curtsy,

"Good evening to you all." I murmured my voice weak at this point. He moved away from the harem of future brides and came up to me, examining the items on the platter, smiling with delight.

"Perfect, these are strawberries dipped in combination of cinnamon, sugar, and the darkest of chocolate. My mother use to call it sinful delight. I see no reason not to have one right now." He pulled off a glove with his teeth and plucked one of the sweet confections from the platter, eating it in one bite. The women glanced at each other and a few came over, taking one of the sweets as well. I tried to keep my strained smile from falling as they soon cleared the plate. But as they ate them I noticed something odd, many of the women made a face or tried not to. Was something wrong with it? Then one woman with golden blond hair and bright blue eyes spoke,

"Cornelius darling, these are quite bitter. Is the strawberry gone?" She inquired distastefully. I fumed at how she said 'Cornelius darling'. The urge to slap her was strong but I didn't. He looked her over and smiled teasingly,

"Of course not Anna, it's the chocolate. You see, the chocolate most people eat is milky and sweetened. This however is straight dark chocolate, bitter but the cinnamon, sugar and strawberry even it out somewhat. A favorite of mine when I went to South America." Anna nodded slowly,