The Façade of Quad in Nimrod ✓ | Satire, family drama, dark society

IX

Back at the Quad mansion, Georgina sat alone in the living room. Upstairs was her husband in their daughter's room listening to whatever she had to say about the new tutor. Such love he seemed to shower his daughter with and not his wife. Georgina had not felt love from her husband in a long time.

Yet, from today, that would not matter to her anymore. She put her hand to her chest where a pendant hid beneath her lingerie gown. It was a gift from a man she met this afternoon who gave her everything that Mordecai didn't—affection, gifts, devotion, attention, and overall, she felt precious. She had not felt that way in a long time.

She could not wait for tomorrow when she would meet her lover again. He was tall and handsome. It didn't matter to her that he was so much younger. He made her feel young again. 

The sound of the door opening brought out Valerie and Mordecai, coming down to eat at last. They had been talking since six and now it was nearly nine. Georgina could not imagine what they had so much to talk about for when she was down here alone.

"And he said to me," Valerie was saying to her father, "that I've a talent in Calligraphy. He taught me to write in a different way and I picked it up quick."

Mordecai smiled down at his daughter, patting her shoulder. "Well, I suppose he is a keeper," he said. "And seems like quite the educated man as well."

A knock on the door made all heads turn. The butler Warren answered the door and there stood a postman with a letter in his hand. "For Mr. Quad," he said, and Warren bowed, taking the letter.

"A bank letter for Henry," Warren announced, and Mordecai snatched it away. The bank letters for Henry were also shoved into a drawer in his desk along with other letters he didn't want to deal with, including those from Henry's school after he was expelled for 'unruly behavior'. Mordecai had to pay a large sum of money to make sure word of Henry's behavior did not get out to the public.

Just as Warren was about to close the door, he stopped. "Sir, is that...?"

They all stared at something coming up the hill to the mansion. For a moment, one could only describe it as a moving splotch of shadow. When the yellow lantern lights hit the thing, did Valerie recognize her brother.

She rushed toward him without thinking twice. "Henry!"

"Bastard!" Mordecai shouted at the same time.

Henry stopped in the middle of the street and fell to his knees. He sat on the ground and hugged himself, rocking back and forth. Familiar hands touched him, and he looked up. His sister stood over him, worry on her face.

Her eyes widened at all bruises and trailed down to the wine stains on his shirt, and the folded masquerade mask in his pocket. "Were you at a party?" she said but Henry couldn't speak from cold and his eyes fluttered.

"Ida, Silla, somebody!" Valerie said in a frenzy at the sight of him, half not knowing what words left her lips. "Help him, somebody, please!" she cried out.

Mordecai was halfway to Henry when he realized the neighbors were coming out. He did not want anyone to catch the Quads in such a sorry state. He picked Henry up off the ground roughly and ran inside the house before anyone could see anything. Valerie came in close behind. Mordecai carried Henry up to his room and put him on the bed.

Valerie spotted her maid. "Silla! The doc—"

"No," Mordecai stopped her. "No one can know about this."

"But Father!" She rushed over to her brother and felt his cheeks as he shivered. "He's as cold as stone! Please, Father!"

Valerie's urging did him in and Mordecai finally called on the family doctor making him promise, before coming over, that he not speak a word of this.