The Adeliede Affairs [ON HOLD]

Chapter Four

20th May, 1964

Edward was in his studio, painting by the light pouring in from the solitary skylight of his attic studio. He stood there for an eternity, studying the arrangement of poppies and roses in front of him, and thinking of the best way to sketch them. After a futile effort, he decided to let his mind wander away to his favourite topic; Selena Archibald.

Selena Archibald, the proud and the enigmatic Selena. In truth, was was in love with her, he just didn't think that his love would, in any way, work out for them. He knew what he was worth. He knew that he was loved by all the women in the community, he was also aware of the fact that girls would swoon at the sight of him. And he hated that. He wanted normality.

He had never been the kind of boy who was vain, or proud. He was a content child, a happy child and sane child. But after his mother's  passing away, he had become someone else entirely. He held a secret he didn't want to tell anyone, but the night when his mother was taking her last breaths on the bed, the sheets soaked with her sweat and perfume, she held his hand and with all the strength she could muster she told him.

"Be your father's stave; he will need you, no matter how far he pushes you. Be there for him, he needs you. He always will, in his heart."

"Don't ever part with Eliza's love, Eddie. She loves like no one else. Don't let anyone exploit that, for she is like a rose, beautiful yet fragile..."

"Take care, my son for this house will need your head and heart in it. Never give your heart into the hands of another woman; the evil that will shroud this house will be too much to bear then.."

Young Eddie never understood what she meant by those words for him. He stood like an oak tree for his father, a greenhouse for his sister and pillar for the family name. But what could she mean by 'giving his heart to another woman'? He was perplexed and confused. Maybe he his mother was delusional, or maybe it was the opium running it's course through her sanity.

Young Eddie never understood, neither did Edward Adeliede, aged 24.

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He sat down on a three-legged stool, lost in thought about the last time he had fallen in love. It was 6 years ago, in the summer of his youth, during his transformation to a man. That girl was none other than the chambermaid's own daughter.

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6 years ago

Lolita's giggles echoed through the garden, as Edward kissed her neck softly in the dark. He loved the feeling of her warmth against him, her heart beating against his like a tattoo. He was just 18, still a young boy with no cares in the world.

It was the summer of 1940, when he came back from his all-boys' school in Los Orville. Lolita was just 16 and naive, opening her eyes into the world of maturity and sensuality. He saw her last year, when she had just started working for the Adeliede family, as Elizabeth's chambermaid.

Edward put a finger to her grinning lips, smiling. "Ssh, or else everyone will be up and awake.." he warned her softly, then proceeding to kiss her butter-soft lips. She responded immediately, her hands curling up to his nape and brushing a small point of hair that happened to lap over his shirt-collar.

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He ended it with her after the next summer. It was not working out for him and they knew it. Heavens know what happened to the girl after that summer. She never came to work, and their chambermaid quit after a year. His father was perplexed, when when Edward saw her glare, he understood at once what had procured between them.

He looked up from his thoughts and to his canvas. His pencil sketch was an utter mess. He took a rubber stick, proceeding to rub off the imperfections and started to sketch again, mustering every detail about Selena's face; her arched nose, her thin lips, those ocher eyes and her blushing cheeks. He was completely devoid of time, he missed lunch and croquet with his sister and he was probably going to miss the meeting with his father. But he didn't care until he was done sketching every shadow to perfection.

After three hours of staving over her sketch, he started mixing the paints. He was half-way done through his palette wen he heard a knock. He kept the palette aside, putting a cover cloth over the sketch and opened the door just a peek. It was his sister.

"Eliza, what are you doing here?" he asked her.

"I just want to see your paintings!" she said, rather innocently.

He looked at her suspiciously, squinting, "You're never allowed here."

She pouted, using her childish antics. She shook his head adamantly, pouting a little too.

"You look funny with that pout, Eddy." She giggled.

"Ha ha, you're still not coming in!" he shrugged back in response.

"Please? I promise I won't tell Father about that time when you drank the water from the lake in front of Selena." She pinched her throat slightly, a gesture of promise.

He thought of that summer incident. Elizabeth had given Edward a silly dare: take a bite out of a chilly to prove that he was actually a man, not a boy. In front of Selena.

So he did that, in front of her. And he was forced to drink the water from the pond because the chilly was so hot. That was the most embarrassing moment in his life so far. He hated Eliza for that.

"I do not care if you tell Father anyways. It is not like I'm dying of cholera." He shrugged again in indifference.

"Fine, but I will get in there, someday." She said in a cold voice, walking off from the landing.

He sighed; he needed a better lock.

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In the Hall household, during dinner.

Stanley was the table, having his dinner as usual. From up the stairs, he could hear his sister typing away furiously at her typewriter. Sheila thought she was the next big writer like H.G Wells or Charles Darwin. He shook his head at her stupidity. Like she would ever do that. Females were meant to cook and keep the house clean. They were to make their spouses happy and calm. Not remain unmarried at 25. He snorted at his soup, it was too darn watery. He frowned and turned his thoughts to Elizabeth Adeliede.

He always wondered what she was like; was she of calm tempermant, or was she a hot head. Was she feisty or was she pliable. He wanted to know everything about her, what she ate, where she slept, what she liked, didn't like. How much money was coming with her as dowry.

Yes, for Stanley, it was all about her money. He might as well marry an elephant from the Royal Zoo if that was loaded with a lot of money on it. He was just that money-minded.

Stanley knew a lot about money; to earn it, where to invest it and where to spend it. He knew how it worked, how it changed it's amount and how it could change people.

And he would use that knowledge to his prowess..