Adeline

Chapter 8 - The End

Later on that day, after morning brunch, Celeste took Adeline and Arthur out for a walk in the garden, something that she had said that she tried to do every morning, for her health. The day was crisp, with grey skies that held no threat of rain, only a clogged overcast day. The air, warmer than usual from the collection of clouds above them, but still an icy breeze swept over the congregation and caused them to shiver. Luckily, Celeste was clad in her black and gold cloak, with fur surrounding her neck and shoulders, and her soft white gloves, whilst Adeline was given one of Arthur's long black coats. They both wore brown and grey flat caps that matched their suits and they walked together over the numerous brown gravel pathways that twisted through the acres of gardens. They could have walked forever, but in the trees, water dripped from the swaying leaves and landed on their heads, so the dampness discouraged them plenty. Celeste wore a small velvet hat covered with flowers and white lace, making her look very elegant.

The house was out of view now and it felt like they were in the middle of nowhere, alone in the countryside. This was something that Adeline had never felt before in her entire life. She'd never even been in the countryside before, for she was always to preoccupied with the work in London town. Celeste was so worried about her health that she walked every day in her garden, which confused Adeline greatly. Had this woman really nothing to do so much so that she'd go for walks without a destination. She wasn't going anywhere so why must she walk? These were few things that Adeline had on her mind to distract her from something far more troubling. This was that Arthur had hardly spoken to her since she had told him her story earlier. He had, of course, been polite and spoken to her in a way that made it seem that nothing was wrong, and it worked, so Celeste lived knowing that nothing had changed. But when Adeline caught sight of him and he believed her not to be looking, he would be looking into the middle distance, a blank or distressed expression and swallowed deep into the chasms of thought. She felt so awful for having told him all of that. When she had completed her story and warned him to stay away from London, he was silent for a moment, stunned by her story and her strong emotions. He sat back, his arms spread out over the settee and a face of surprise and exhaustion.

"Stay away?" He had said, confirming the warning.

"Yes, please." Adeline reached forward for his hands but he kept them away. It was then that he realised that he had gone in deeper than he had wanted to, and he didn't want to know this information. He didn't want to be any part of her story. He realised the danger of his association with her and suddenly, like a flick of a switch, all affection in his eyes that he held for her disappeared. It was like his lights blinked out and he didn't love her anymore. He didn't want to be a part of her life and so he simply stopped talking to her.

"I..." Arthur rubbed his face, running his hands through his thin blond hair, "I... I think we should go and find Celeste. We'll be walking the grounds soon." And that was the most words he had said up until this point, as they walked through the gardens. Adeline couldn't concentrate. Of course, of course he wouldn't want to be a part of her story after this. Why had she told him? What was wrong with her? They had one day left and she had ruined it right after breakfast.

But Adeline thought about it, and realised that it didn't matter. She had her plans for her life and he had his, and they were so different, so opposite, that it was impossible to find away to merge them together. After she had executed her plan, England would fall, at her hands. And she would be able to create a new government, one that wouldn't let children die of illness in the hands of poverty or death run like a crazed psychopath through the streets, whilst those who ran it sat in their lavish dining rooms with chandeliers of gold and dining ware of silver, forgetting all of these problems. Out of sight out of mind, right? And all the while, half of the population had no say in whether or not they were in power. What kind of messed up world did she live in? Arthur was just a blip in her story, a minor bump that would have temporarily concerned her plans. It was only a second in the grand scheme of things, but whilst she was here, walking through the gardens and looking at Arthur whose face was rife with moral turmoil, thinking about what she had done to him in a matter of days, it was torture. She felt awful about it. But that was only right now. She just had to get over this, and tonight, in the cover of night, she would get the soonest train back to London where she would execute her plan. And then nothing would matter. It was in God's hands from there on.