The House of Beardsley

Chapter Forty-four

I looked up at Eugene, his familiar eyes sadder than I've seen.

"I'm sorry," I said, and at that moment, I meant it more than anything. "I'm so sorry I cannot be with you."

I pulled my hand out of his, and then he stared at his empty hand for a moment before he suddenly turned around.

"Silas!"

Everyone's eyes were on the figure standing there and basking in Eugene's anger. His smug look confirmed it. Eugene raced to him, cane swinging back and forth to keep up with him.

"What have you done?"

"Why, you made a promise with her too?" Silas asked, hands behind his back, taking small steps towards Eugene. "Well, all I did was merely make an offer. Miss Shuyan here was the one who agreed and made a promise with me too."

"Liar!" Eugene screamed. "She wouldn't leave me! We promised!" He looked back at me helplessly, telling me to say that it all just a lie. I couldn't.

"If you don't believe me, then ask Tobias." Silas turned his body sideways, towards the only person still sitting at the table. Tobias.

His face was pasty, and his eyes averted.

"Tobias? Please tell me the truth," Eugene begged. "What happened? What is this promise Silas is talking about?"

"Eugene, calm down—" Tobias tried, but was cut off.

"I can no longer stay calm! How can you expect me to?" Eugene seemed larger and for once, no longer just someone labeled as disabled and orphaned, in need of protection or even the dark horse.

He was suddenly different.

"I've always stayed calm and forgiving, and tried to hold on to hope, from the day I lost my parents to the day I came to this house! But the day I fell from Mars it was not Silas that made me lose trust in people; it was you, Tobias!" Eugene's eyes were narrowed, his teeth bared and shoulders raised. It didn't feel like him.

Tobias didn't speak.

"And I knew—I knew you loved Shuyan too! But I pretended I couldn't see it," Eugene continued, "because I wanted you to remember your betrayal, to remember your guilt, and I wanted her! So why? Why would you—"

"She promised herself!"

Tobias stood up, hands on the table, head down.

I closed my eyes.

Please. Stop it.

"She promised herself, Eugene," Tobias whispered, "And if you had anyone to blame, it would be you."

I opened my eyes, and chills ran over my body.

Tobias was crying.

His beautiful, statue-like face, contorted into a pained face, no malice anywhere, despite Eugene's provocation. It hurt him just as much as it hurt Eugene.

"It was you, Eugene. You taught me love." Tobias held a hand to his face, and whispered, once again, "I didn't think I was capable of love. I didn't know, either, until that day."

"Tobias—" Eugene couldn't find it in him to continue. "I'm so sorry."

I looked at the two brothers, suddenly both aware of the audience and of themselves.

"Wondrous!"

We looked at Silas, who stood there, between the two, chin towards the chandelier and smiling proudly.

"Seems like the curse of Beardsley is true, after all! Generations after generations, fighting for the same girls, blood-related or not. What a pity. Father and Uncle Daniel were wrong, only Grandfather was right: the men of Beardsley do not need love, after all." He gestured to me. "After all, all they do is cause strife between brothers."