A New Estate - Crimson Peak

Chapter Sixteen

Over the course of the next three days everyone stuck beside one another, supporting friends during a time of uncertainty.

The time dragged on slowly, the looming knowledge of what was upstairs a permanent thought scratching at the back of our minds.

Hille, a short but sparky man with wild brown hair, had taken it upon himself to be the chef.

Somehow he managed to work his magic with the few ingredients we had left.

David spent most of his time sitting around and grumbling about the fact that George and Nathaniel had taken so long to return, only arriving the previous afternoon and it was abundantly clear that he wanted to get on with work and didn't like being side tracked.

Robert had been using Alexander, a firecracker of a man with red hair to match, and short but stocky Ben to keep me distracted and entertained in the mean time.

They regaled me with various tales of their short time working together, a few of which my father would probably disapprove of me hearing.

"And there was the time old Robert here got accosted by a night worker!"

Robert's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed, he almost seemed to drop his drink into his lap as he jolted in protest.

"You said you wouldn't bring that up again," he glared at Alex, who shrugged with a large grin.

"It was funny."

Ben nodded with a chuckle, "It was great, I've never seen a man so unaware of where to put himself."

"I know the answer to that," Alex smirked.

"Not one we want to hear," Ben glanced at him with a knowing look.

"She was a pretty woman."

"She was," Robert nodded. "But I'd rather not pay for it."

"It's the only way a twig of a man like you would get some," Ben laughed.

"Well, we aren't all built like very low walls."

Alex snorted and ended up dribbling a bit of his drink down his chin whilst Robert smirked in triumph, Ben took the defeat and chuckled his approval at the insult.

I laughed softly, glancing between them all whilst taking a sip of my own drink and grimacing at the bitterness of the beer that they had brought along.

I was unaccustomed to hearing people being so open about such things, it was a taboo thing within the communities I was used to mingling with as I grew up.

Hearing everyone being so open was new and exciting, if this was what living alone was like then I fully believed that I would enjoy it.

As soon as the corpse had left my attic at least.

Robert placed his bottle onto the table in the middle of our attempt at a circle before slapping his hands atop his knees and standing up.

"I am going for a walk."

"To where?" Alex practically yelled, the alcohol no doubt limiting his volume control.

"There's an entire wilderness beyond these walls to take advantage of and I plan to do so fully."

"Yeah, right," he scoffed, "have fun in a dead land."

"I'll go," I stand up, dusting my skirts off, "it does look lovely out there."

Ben smirked and wiggled his eyebrows in an unusual manner, his lopsided grin aimed at Robert.

"Sure, you're going 'for a walk'."