“Reality, something that scares us, but we always dream about it”

Brian found Sophie in her father’s study. She was sitting in Endward’s chair, next to the open window, and looking outside.

Despite the storm inside her, Sophie looked however calm. She was trying to keep up appearances, as she always did, and it wasn’t something difficult. At least this was what others thought about her, but she had a soul too and she was suffering.

“Why are you here?” she said, without looking at her husband.

“To ask you. About what happened, just what. You know that you didn’t bring any tribute to your father acting like this and neither did you act like a wife who is respecting her husband.”

“Well, if you don’t like it, you can ask for the divorce whenever you want” and her eyes stared at him as if she would have looked at a rival.

It was the first time she was talking about divorce, even if she objected to it, when Edward told her about this, a few weeks ago, when she complained about the fact that Brian will have a baby with another woman.

“You knew that this would happen, sooner or later, Sophie, and you can’t complain about this. You are the one who proposed it to your husband when you two have married.”

“I know, father, but it doesn’t mean I’ll accept to share him with another woman.”

“Then be you who gives him what he needs and this way you will have what you want: your husband next to you.”

“You know that I can’t, papa. And to be honest, I don’t want this anymore. I won’t risk my life for such a useless thing as giving birth.”

“Useless? What if we had thought the same when we found out about your coming? You wouldn't have been here, Sophie. But you are right too: a child must be a blessing for his parents and not a burden.”

“I knew that you would understand me, papa. So, could you please demand Brian to leave her? I hate the thought that he could be with her. I hate her and I hate to lose. I must always win and I need you by my side.”

She had been egoist at that moment. She was asking her father to support her, but she wasn’t able to sacrifice anything and for the first time Edward had regretted that he allowed her so much when she was just a child and that he arranged her marriage with Brian.

“I won’t,” Edward finally answered to his daughter. “It’s your family, Sophie. You and your husband are the only ones who should decide it. Not me.”

“Then, are you turning your back to me?

“No. I’m your father and I’ll be always, but I won’t enter the game of your caprice, Sophie. If you aren’t capable of accepting your role as a wife, then don’t ask others to respect you like one.”

And Edward didn’t say it, because he didn’t care. He had been raised in a traditional family, where the woman should listen to her husband in everything and those beliefs, he wasn’t ready to trample on. And he also was doing this, because he wanted to accomplish a dream before death: to have a legitimate grandchild, to whom to leave his fortune, and if it means to be against Sophie, he was ready to do it.

Sophie left his office that day in such a hurry and furious, as Edward had never seen her before. The door slammed behind her and even after a few moments, the sound produced by the slam was still heard in the distance. But Edward didn't do anything to stop it. He was sitting at his desk, smoking a cigar and listening to the birds’ chirp who had awakened after the harsh winter. He liked this: to stay alone and to listen to the voice of nature. And he also was trying this way to calm the anxiety inside him, the anxiety produced by a new woman, whom he met only a few days ago, but he was dreaming to have with her more than a simple affair.

“So, what should we do?” Brian asked Sophie, while they were sitting one in front of the other, at the desk.

“I don’t know,” she answered and she put in front of him a piece of paper, on which was written two words: “Lorenne Fabeu.” “Find her and if she results to be the guilty one for my father’s death, then I’ll set you free.”

Brian took the paper and put it in his pocket without even glancing at it. “Ok then. If it is your wish,” and he left the office, without looking back.

Behind him a cigarette had been lit and inhaling deeply the smoke into her lungs, Sophie whispered: “of course, that is my wish, dear husband. It’s the beginning of my revenge.”

The same chirping of birds is heard outside and now, while Sophie is smoking and listening to them. And her thoughts are standing in place and she can’t make a plan, no matter how hard she is trying to think about it and this is caused by a single name: Eva. She saw it in her father’s notepad and it means that he found out what she asked him to find out - the name of her rival and she had it in her hands.

***

“Who died?” Eva asked Emily, approaching her from behind and noticing that Miss Davis was watching the obituary in the newspaper.

“Nobody important” and the newspaper had been hidden behind Emily. “How do you feel today?”

“Better. I’m not dizzy anymore and I wanted some fruit this morning. I think it will be fine soon.”

“I think so too. You are already 3 months pregnant. Soon you shouldn’t feel nausea anymore, but you still should be careful with what you are eating or drinking. A pregnant woman should be careful with such things.”

“I know, Miss Davis, but I still have some crazy cravings from time to time.”

“It’s normal. Should we go for a walk?”

“I’ll love too. It has been 2 weeks already since we didn’t exit the house. The weather is lovely and the bright spring sun is so beautiful. Let’s go to Central Park.”

“Good idea, Eva. The walk will be healthy in your condition. Let me announce Lorenne and we may go in an hour.”

Emily stood up and, taking the newspaper with her, she took a few steps. “Miss Davis, did you manage to contact Brian?” was heard behind her and Emily stopped. She disliked the question because it was closely related to what just had happened and she didn’t want to remember it, but she also knew that Eva won’t give up so easily, especially after finding out that she is expecting a baby.

“I couldn’t contact him,” Emily lied to the girl, without watching her. “They told me that he went to Germany and will be back in a few months and he will contact us when he is back.”

“To Germany?” Eva mumbled upset and a sigh was heard coming out from her chest. “And … he went alone?”

Eva’s last question wasn’t just a random one. She was asking that because she was afraid that another woman went with him on the journey and that she was no any more important to him.

“No. He went alone. I know that for sure. Don’t think about stupidities and prepare for the walk, Eva. It’s time to exit the house” and Emily left in a hurry, trying this way to interrupt the series of questions she saw that Eva was preparing in her mind.

“He left. Without at least announcing me,” and, a tear showed up in the corner of her eye. She’s missing him, but it seems that he doesn’t feel the same. If he had felt it, he would have come to see her, but he didn’t show up and 2 months had passed already since they saw each other for the last time. And … and the other woman was still there. She still remembers that face … a pretty, smiling face, walking on Brian’s arm, something that Eva never could do openly. Only when they were out of England, she could act like his woman, but in London, he always had been careful and Eva didn’t understand why.

Once, she tried to grab his arm when they were at the theater, but Brian right away retreated it, saying that it was too hot and he prefers to walk separately, but when they were alone in his lodge, Brian took her palm into his and he also kissed her forehead, telling her that she’s the most important person in his life.

But something that caught her eyes was the fact that others were gossiping about them while they were together, but nobody dared to say anything. “What happened, Brian?” she asked once when somebody, who passed next to her, mumbled unpleasantly “what one can expect from an orphan? Of course, she became a mistress”.

“Don’t pay attention to such useless words, Eva. They aren’t important to us. What really matters is the fact that we love each other,” but his words couldn’t calm her down anymore and from that moment Eva tried to avoid their meeting in public.

When Brian asked her why she doesn’t want to go to the theater anymore, if she likes it so much, Eva simply answered that she prefers to spend more time together, alone, listening to how he’s playing piano and she definitely started to love it, because it gave her certain stability and peace.

But in time this started to bother Brian, who was anxious to show her to the world, but her deny was something unbearable to him and suspecting that she found out about his marriage or that she could have listened about his rivalry with Alfred, he decided that it’s time to change something and he asked her to give him some time to solve a problem and the “problem” he wanted to solve, was his divorce from Sophie.

Sophie denied the idea of separating from Brian, right after he talked to her about it. She just mumbled “you may do whatever you want, but you won’t get rid of me” and she went to her parents' house that day, but there she understood that Edward knew about it already and that he was supporting Brian or at least that he was trying to control her and to force her to accept Brian in her dormitory and to give birth to a child, even if it meant her to die while trying.

And she asked Brian about it once. She asked him to enter her bed one night, later, after she found out about his affair with Eva, but to her surprise, Brian denied it and he went somewhere that night.

Sophie thought that Brian went to spend the night in the arms of his mistress, but it wasn’t true, because he spent that night in his office, trying to plan everything carefully so that everybody to be happy: he, Eva and Sophie too, because he knew that she was fighting desperately now to solve things … things that weren’t working between them anymore … but Brian wasn’t able to give up his love and to start something with Sophie.

Despite all the efforts he did, he couldn’t find anyone able to support his idea about the divorce and somebody told him that if he wants to be free then he must pretend that he isn’t doing this because of someone else and Brian took it as an opportunity and he decided to move away from Eva, for a short period of time, but he didn’t comment her his plans, even if he knew that she will suffer because of it and in the end, he couldn’t find her anymore.

“Eva?” Lorenne talked to the girl from the other edge of the living room.

“Huh? Aaa, Miss Fabeu. You are here. Something happened?”

“Yes. I decided to go for a walk with you, but we are waiting for you and you didn’t come. So, I came after you, but from what I see you aren’t ready.”

“I’ll be in a moment,” the girl said and she left the living room in a hurry.

***

“Tell me, Albert, why are you still by Miss Davis’ side, even after so many years?”

Eva and the teamster were walking in front of Emily and Lorenne, who were about 5 meters from them, whispering in great secrecy.

“I call this loyalty, Miss Stonebridge. I prefer this way. It’s safer for me and is safer for her too.”

“But … you could have worked for someone more influential than Miss Davis and you could have had more money.

“Money isn’t something that bothers me. I’m more after feelings” and it was like that because Albert was in love with Emily, but he couldn't reveal to her his feelings, not because he would have been afraid, she would send him for a walk, because he dared to declare his feelings, but because he knew that he hasn’t nothing to offer her.

“Feelings don’t bring anything good to people,” Eva said and she stared in the distance, with a blurred glance.

“Why do you think so?”

“Because nothing good can happen to those who love, for example. It can’t be two people that love each other the same. In a relationship, there is always someone who loves more than the other one. At least, it is something that always happened to me: with my father, with the few friends I have and with … Brian”, but she didn’t tell his name loudly.

Albert understood this, that the girl wanted to be silent and left her in her world. And he entered into his, because a simple teamster may also have secrets, and it can be even more dangerous than one can think.

The trees walk with them, but they have an opposite direction, like Albert’s thoughts. They are running back and forth, till the point Albert is still a young boy, about 15 and his own hand, in which he had a knife, hit his master’s heart when the one tried to kill the boy in a fight.

Albert didn’t know that the one he always called “Master” was his real father, who denied his own son’s birth, having him out of wedlock, but he kept the boy in his house and forced him to work since he was very little. However, it hadn't been ever enough for him. No matter what the boy did, it wasn’t enough … or it was too bad … or he should do this, instead of that, and after such complaints, he always took the whip and hit the boy, leaving deep wounds on his back.

Once, the boy even lost consciousness and was about to die, but even this didn’t stop his father and his hatred was growing up, as much as the boy was growing up and the beatings intensified also. Till one day, when he hit Albert, because he took something to eat from the kitchen and didn’t wait for him to approve it, but with the piece of dried bread, Albert took then and a knife and a half an hour later that knife was stabbed into his father's chest and Albert ran.

He had been grabbed by the police one week later, but because they couldn’t prove that Albert was the one who killed his father, they set him free.

Albert didn’t know where to go. He hadn’t any other relatives, since his mother had died a few months ago, so the boy decided to move to London.

His first job in the town was to carry heavy stuff with his empty hands, but this made him grow stronger, and soon after he had been noticed by Luis Chesterman, who was still a teenager then, and took Alfred in his service.

But Albert didn’t enter a normal job as he thought in stables or as a teamster. He was brought to a hidden place in the forest … a kind of camp with a lot of young men training for something.

“This will be your house from now on,” Luis told him. “Do whatever you need to do to survive here and if after five years you will still be alive, then come to my house and I’ll give you a well-paid job.”

“Well, I think that …” Albert said, but Luis didn’t listen to his words: he get into his carriage and moved away, convinced that he won’t see again this stupid boy who accepted his offer for only a few pennies, but Albert didn’t give up and after many sufferances and many killed guys in that camp because of him, he turned back to London, 4 years later and entered in the service of Audrey Bircham, who hired him as her teamster, but he also was in charge to train special men for her jobs and if was necessary to kill someone Albert had to take care of this too.

He never liked this. He even hated his job, but when Audrey died and Christine became the head of “Red Ants” Albert met Luis again.

“Good afternoon, mister Chesterman,” Albert addressed the man, when they first met in front of Luis' countryside house, after leaving Christine there.

Luis slowly turned to Albert and looked into his eyes, but he couldn’t figure out where he saw this man before.

“From what I see you don’t remember me, but I remember you well.”

“Do you know him, Luis?” Christine asked her lover, staring at him.

“I don’t know him, sweety. Can you leave us alone, please? I don’t think that your little ears should listen to such stupidities.”

“Well, if you insist” and staring at both men, Christine entered the house.

“And where did you say we met before?” Luis asked the teamster, taking a few steps towards him and when he was right in front of his nose, he raised his head and stared into the eyes of the stupid grey mouse that dared to face such an important man how he considered himself to be.

Albert was taller than Luis with about a head and a half, but this didn’t bother Luis who was ready to kill, but not to let someone trample his pride on foot. But Albert wasn't a fool and he knew that if he wanted to defeat the one who made him the criminal he’s today, he must stay firm on positions.

“The Royal Forest. 10 years ago. You made from me a hunting dog when you left me among those savage beasts, thirsty for blood.”

“Aaa,” Luis just mumbled. “Now I see. You are that stupid bagger that accepted to be killed for a few pennies.”

But the words that were meant to defeat a rival, made the other one smile and take a step in front … Luis took two back and not for nothing. He heard from Christine who her teamster used to be and what he did in the past. He was afraid and understanding that it won’t be easy to kneel the mouse down, he decided to make peace with him.

“Let’s forget about old times, Mister…” but Albert didn’t hold his hand and left Luis with a hand stretched in front of him.

“You can forget if you want, but I won’t do this, mister Chesterman. Just be careful when you cross the street. There might be someone watching for your death and to be honest, I’ll stay calm and I’ll wait till Miss Christine will ask me to get rid of you, and then I’ll kill you with my empty hands.”

Luis is shaking, but he forces not to reveal it to the rival that is walking away. He felt at that moment the scent of his own blood, but he also knew that he can’t do anything to this man, for the simple fact that Christine needs him and what Christine needs or wants is a law for Luis.

***

“Why is Albert so thoughtful today?” Lorenne asked Emily, still being behind him and Eva.

“I don’t know, to be honest, but since he found out about Eva’s pregnancy, he became even more careful than before.”

“Careful? About what?”

“About everything, but in general it has something to do with Christine and Luis Chesterman. They did something to him in the past, but he never talked to me about this.”

“Well, to be honest, he won’t ever talk to you about this. If it is something that is bad enough, he won’t tell you, because he still loves you, Emily.”

“He loves me? Don’t be silly, Lorenne. How can someone like Albert love a stupid mistress like me? He hates Chesterman. He won’t ever accept in his arms a woman that once passed through Luis’bed.”

“If you want to pretend to be blind, keep going down this road, but I know what I’m talking about. But, I’m not sure anymore about your feelings.”

“My feelings? About what?

“About Luis Chesterman. You said that he must be our first victim, but instead, the killed one had been Edward Anderson Bell.”

Emily looked afraid around, but nobody was that close to hearing them. “Have you lost your mind? How the hell to shout that loud about it?”

“Don’t worry, sweety! Nobody will know about what we did. Even if someone will suspect “Red Ants” it hasn’t anything to do with us. Every single person in England knows that Christine Bircham is the head of this secret organization. I don’t think that there is still someone who doubts it.”

“I know, but … there are still many who believe in her. She supported many candidacies for the Government. She had once been Anderson Bell’s mistress too. They can think that she had no reason to kill him.”

“You are wrong here, my dear friend. Where there were feelings, even if they were only because of interest, it can’t be leftover without a trace of “rancor” and this “rancor” had been spoken with such a French tone, that those who passed next to them were envious of her perfect French accent. “The same happens to Albert. He started to love you when you were a little girl only, brought in Christine’s house, but he hadn’t anything to offer to you and he also knew that he couldn’t ever “buy” you from Christine. It’s because of this he’s still next to you. Or what, did you think that it was only because of loyalty? Come on, don’t be silly! No man, nowadays, will be by the side of a woman, only for interest. In your place, I’ll think about entering his bed. It will “force” him to be even more loyal than before.”

“Lorenne! How can you talk about such things?”

“I’m not saying anything out of the ordinary. He’s a free man and you are now a free woman. Well, you had always been a free woman, but you preferred to stay in Luis Chasterman’s shadow, being faithful to that cobra, with the name of Christine Bircham.

“She raised me, Lorenne!”

“She used you! That’s different. You paid her back more than she spent on you. So, don’t be stupid and start to live for once your own life.”

“This is what I’m doing … now … I think.”

“No, sweety. You aren’t living. You … just breathe. Don’t think that I didn’t figure out that you are so protective of Eva because she reminds you about what happened 20 years ago. She’s not pregnant with your baby, Emily. Stop dreaming about something impossible.”

Emily clenched her fists, listening to Lorenne’s words, but her friend was right. Emily was still obsessive with her past and besides protecting Eva from Christine, she also wanted to live the feeling of a mother when that baby will be born. She was dreaming to raise him and sending Eva to France, but she didn’t know how to talk to Eva about this.

First, she thought to tell Eva that Brian had an accident and he lost his life, but she gave up on the idea right away, because she understood that it can provoke a loss to Eva and she didn’t want something to happen to the baby. Then, she decided to keep the girl away from Brian, to separate her from him, and when the girl will see that her lover isn’t coming after her, to convince her to give up on the baby and this way Emily will have the chance to be a mother.

It was cruel for Eva, but this was right for Emily. She started to be egoistic and she didn’t feel remorse anymore. “Eva will have more children in the future. She is young and if she takes care of herself, she can even marry and a baby out of wedlock can be a problem for her” Emily told herself one morning when she was trying to convince herself that what she was doing was right, and this devilish fight inside her was gaining more power than ever.

Emily even started to be angry with Eva, from time to time, when she was seeing that the girl isn’t enough careful and that she’s eating too much and this can create problems for the baby … that she is walking too fast … breathing too loud … jumping when she should have walked, but this ended one day when Eva stopped in front of her, crying and she yelled at Emily: “I’m the mother, Miss Davis. I know better what my child needs” and when she saw the girl running up the stairs and she heard the slam of Eva’s room door, Emily understood that she had exaggerated and that Eva could easily understand her plan. So, she decided to calm down and she asked Lorenne to take care of the girl, but Lorenne had her own plans and those weren’t the same as Emily’s.

What Lorenne wanted was to bring Brian Beneath to their side and the best move was to take care of his child, till she will find out how to convince Emily to tell him about this.

“I think we should think about the next move,” Lorenne said and she managed this way to wake Emily from her daydream.

“I don’t know if we should do something right now. It’s too soon. If we leave things to calm down a little more…”

“No, Emily. If something or somebody cools down, it means he’s dead and we want to succeed and not to hide. Let me handle this and I think that we should approach John Evans more.”

“John Evans? Why him?

“Because he hates Chesterman and he will do everything to kneel him. Trust me. It will work and as you got revenge on my name, for Edward Anderson Bell, I’ll do the same for you and the next killed guy will be Luis.”

Lorenne hurried her steps and approached Eva and Albert, talking about something cheerful with them, but not the same Emily was feeling, because she knows that she stepped over a threshold that she shouldn't have stepped on, but it was already a walk on a path with one single way and no return.

***

Outside there is heavy rain like it hadn’t been in a long while. The window is still open, but it isn’t so cold, as Emily is sitting next to the lit chimney and stares at the dancing flames.

There is a letter in her hands, but it isn’t open or it has been closed only and it should be sent somewhere right away.

“I still think that’s wrong what we want to do,” is heard from behind Emily, but she didn’t turn to look at Lorenne who was talking to her.

“Right or not, we must do it. And I also know that you had been waiting for this for so long already. He must die and it must be done immediately.”

“Why Edward? You said that it must be Luis Chesterman, the first who should die.”

“I changed my mind.”

“Is it because of the letter you received? From whom is it? Or, I see that you didn’t open it.”

“Christine. It’s from Christine. She knows we are here.”

“What? But how did she find it out? Don’t tell me she has a spy on my house?”

“I don’t think so. She just … kept an eye on me all this time. This is why she knows so much about our relationship and that it is the last place where I could ask for a shelter.”

“Then she also knows about “Dark Minds” and that we…”

“No. She has no idea about this because she’s too supercilious to believe that someone could do something behind her back, but it’s time to show her that she’s not in charge anymore.”

“And how Edward’s death will make her understand this and leave us alone?”

“Simple. Sophie Anderson Bell. She hates Christine because she found out that Brian met Eva in her house.”

“But this isn’t true. Eva and Mister Beneath met long before she came into Christine’s house.”

“You are right, but I have no intention to correct her.”

Lorenne stared at the back of her friend. “Don’t tell me that you are the one who told Sophie this lie.”

Emily turned her face to Lorenne and to Lorenne’s surprise, she saw the devilish smile Emily had on her face. “You did this. Why?”

“Because I must keep her busy and away from Eva. Both of them and what could be more proper than a crime to keep a person busy?”

Lorenne stood up and approached Emily. “Have you completely lost your mind? I know that many died because of us when they bothered us, but this is already beyond any limits. You can’t protect Eva and kill another person.”

Emily looked deeply into her friend’s eyes. “Why not? This way we kill two rabbits using a bullet only: Eva will be safe and you will get revenge for what happened ten years ago.”

“Emily. This is not right. Yes, Edward destroyed my family, but he must suffer while he’s alive.”

Emily passed next to Lorenne and sat down on the sofa, there where the other had sitting not too long ago. “A man like Edward Anderson Bell won’t suffer. He doesn’t know the meaning of this word. But, if we kill him, his daughter will suffer, and this way you will have what you wanted: revenge on him.”

Lorenne couldn’t answer Emily, because a knock was heard on the door. “Come in, Albert. It’s open!” Emily said and a few seconds later, Albert entered the room.

“Did you call me, Miss Davis?”

“Yes. Come closer, Albert!”

Albert approached and took the envelope Emily stretched to him. “In that envelope are two names. And they must disappear from the Earth's surface, not later than in a week. You can use “Dark Minds” if you want, but it will be easier and not that risky for us if you will do it by yourself.”

“I’ll do it, Miss Davis. Don’t worry about this!” and bending a little, Albert left the room.

“Who’s the second person, Emily?” Lorenne asked while sitting next to Emily.

“You will find it out soon, Lorenne. Don’t hurry up! Soon everything will be as clean as the virgin waters,” but Lorenne couldn’t be calm, because she understood that Emily forgets about good manners or common sense and that soon something bad will happen to them too.