„And yet today is a day of death”

„Who you killed, Miss Davis?” cried Eva with all the contempt she was capable of, even though deep in her soul she knew she should have behaved differently.

Miss Davis, who at that moment was heading for the stairs, with the thought of going up to the second floor, stopped in place and without any specific expression on her face, she turned to Eva and glanced at her, but said nothing.

Eva took two steps away from the door, where she had stopped when she just entered, as if struck by thunder right in the middle of her head. She was not understanding what was happening to her at that moment and why the words came out of her mouth alone, when in fact she should have been silent, but in the end, she decided to approach Emily, but still keeping a reasonable distance between them, for something in the depths of her soul told her that she should be more restrained, now that she is carrying a baby in her womb.

„Why do you ask??” was Emily's answer, who was sitting in the same place where she had stopped, glaring at the girl, even though her face betrayed no emotion, and this restrained silence of Miss Davis made Eva be confused.

„And yet, I was right!” Eva whispered, after staring at each other for a few minutes, without any of them knowing the next step the "rival" will take. „And yet someone died because of us,” she continued and her hands began to tremble, a sign that the girl was about to have a nervous breakdown, like the ones she used to have more and more often lately and they were largely related to the anxiety caused by betrayal and by Brian’s abandonment.

Emily stepped forward, but this movement of hers forced Eva to step back until she touched the door with her back. But Emily didn't stop until she reached the young woman and with a sudden movement of her hand, she grabbed Eva’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes.

„There are things that one should not know, if he can't handle it, Eva, and this time the one who shouldn't get involved and to stay as far away as possible from this, without being interested in past events, present or future, is you.”

Horror was in Eva's eyes at that moment, when looking at Emily's hardened face, she realized that even though the two of them had been living in the same house and eating at the same table for almost two years, she hadn't known her at all, and that thought rushed out and suddenly tears welled up in her eyes, which didn't care at all to dripping down her cheeks.

But Eva's crying left Emily cold, who continued to target her rival with her black and deep eyes, but in the end, disgusted by the girl's continuous crying, she pushed her chin to one side and looked out the window, where the sun played with the petals of red geranium flowers, which had bloomed so beautifully this time, but when Eva spoke again, she looked at her for a long time, as if the young woman hadn't talked to her, but with a person totally foreign to her.

„And yet, Miss Davis, we're talking about someone's life. How can you say such words without even blinking with remorse?”

Emily laughed and her hysterical laughter brought Lorenne into the room, who at first stared at the two in astonishment, not understanding what was going on. “Remorse?!” Emily hissed through her teeth. „In front of whom or for what should I feel remorse?!”

Eva swallowed her tears, thus trying to untie the knot of heavy emotions that had settled in her throat. „To someone's life. For someone's future, who has been crushed by your indifference and reckless zeal,” and these words were rewarded with a slap in the face, which stung the skin of her cheeks to the depths.

„Emily,” Lorenne shouted and, approaching the two, she stood in front of Miss Davis, defending Eva with her body. „How can you be so reckless? She is expecting, Emily. How to slap her in the face, when a baby is in her womb?” but instead of repentance from Miss Davis, Lorenne was even more astonished to see a glimmer of hatred in Emily's eyes. „Sometimes your cold blood makes me shudder. Did you know that?”

„And what makes me tremble it's the fact that I have to explain myself to a child, who without knowing how things are going in this world, dared to ask me about the death of someone who had done us so much harm and who deserve to die even more cruelly than we planned for them.”

Eva staggered to her feet, but Lorenne caught her hand in time, thus preventing a tragedy, for if Eva had fallen to the ground, she might have lost her child, the one Emily was looking forward to, but whose fate does not seem to interest her now, when she saw herself attacked and forced to explain herself.

Lorenne helped Eva sit down on the sofa and she gave her to smell salt, for the young woman complained of dizziness and nausea, and the last thing Lorenne wanted was to call the doctor again, who had been called to this house extremely often, and that might be suspicious.

Emily turned her back on them and she approached the fireplace, which was blind at this time of year, but still Miss Davis squatted in front of it and stared through its glass window, at the dried wood that was left to lie in the stove, to somehow complete the solitude of the fireplace, but also to evoke memories and emotions about past winters and about stories worth remembering, while watching the wood.

„You're talking about remorse, Eva, but have you ever wondered if those who have harmed us have ever felt the venomous bite of the serpent called remorse? I mean your father, Miss Bircham, even Brian Beneath, who didn't bother at all to put you in his bed, to enjoy your youth and beauty, but to finally abandon you without even caring what he left behind.”

Eva burst into tears in Lorenne's arms again. „Emily, stop it! It's not funny at all anymore and there can be no question of justice. This is an attack already. We are not your enemies,” Mrs. Fabeu reproached Emily, who did not care at all to hear these words, but she got to her feet, approached the window, and looked at the garden.

„And yet Lorenne, this is called justice. If others didn't do us justice when we were trampled underfoot, it's time to do justice to ourselves. Don't you think so??”

„Justice is done when everyone feels it, but if you attack another innocent person, it is no longer called justice,” Lorenne hissed through her teeth.

„Another innocent person,” Emily muttered the words. ”And who is that innocent person of the three of us?? Me… you… Eva? No, my dear, we all have sins on our souls, because we are all Eve and just as criminals ultimately atone for their guilt, we will do the same, but this time we will pay for Eve's sins, even for those of the beginnings of the world.”

„The girl is not guilty of that…” Lorenne tried to resist her, but she was silent, when Emily turned to her, smiling, but that smile was devilish. “She gets crazy,” Lorenne thought to herself, shaking for the first time.

„You're probably wondering if I'm going crazy or not,” Emily answered, as if reading her friend's thoughts. „Do not be scared. I'm more lucid than one might think.”

„And yet you speak aberrations, Emily. You accuse Eva of all committed sins and that we will pay for it in…”

„I was talking about Adam's Eve and not about our Eva. Her only sin is that she fell in love with the wrong person, while we … the other Eves of the Earth … we have cruel and hidden truths within us, which others should not know if they do not want to lose heart.”

Listening to Emily's words, Eva looked up, still sobbing after the bitter cry, and she looked Miss Davis straight in the eye. ”And yet, Miss Davis, the death of a man is too much, even if this is for revenge. Don’t you think so?”

„Eva, your innocence sometimes confuses me. How can you be so naive after all you've been through??”

„And yet, Miss Davis, I don't want anyone to die.”

„Neither do I, but in order to achieve your goal, sometimes you have to stain your hands with blood.”

“Goal? Which goal?” Eva wondered, confused.

„You will only find it out if you dare to join the "Red Ants" in body and soul. Until then you will not hear a word from me and not because I do not trust you, but for the simple fact that I do not want your light-hearted heart to sink into darkness as mine or Lorenne's heart live.”

***

Two hours later after the quarrel between Emily, Lorenne and Eva, Miss Davis decided to take a short walk, so she asked Albert to prepare the carriage.

„Where are we going?” Albert asked her, when they were ready to leave, but Emily continued to sit by the window and stare outside in silence.

Namely this peace was the one which awakened the uneasiness in the man's soul, because most of the time, when Emily was silent, it was because she was up to something and this was not good nor him, neither it wasn't for Emily, for the ruin or death of one was upon their souls, like a black stain of shame, and that made Albert's heart bleed so hard, for he would have liked to see her happy, but Miss Davis was stubborn enough not to accept happiness in her life and she was looking for death and contempt everywhere.

„Tell me, Albert, is there any pure-souled Eva in this world?” Emily finally asked him, and this unexpected question of hers made the man confused, for he could by no means understand what she meant.

“What? … what do you…” the carter stammered, looking at her with wide eyes, as his heart pounded in his chest, who was afraid not to hear a death command from Emily again.

„I mean innocence, Albert. I am referring to whether a woman has or had ever been given the right to live in love, peace and good understanding, without hating or wishing someone's death for even a second of her life.”

„I could not answer that question.”

„Why?” Emily insisted, looking him in the eyes this time.

„Because I didn't experience it, Miss Davis. I mean, I've never experienced innocence, and I don't know what that looks like.”

„And still, Albert, we were born with it within us.”

„But it died with the first thrill of the world's hatred for us,” he replied and stepped in front of Emily, taking her by surprise, for since they have known each other, Albert had never dared to look Emily in the eyes, let alone stand in front of her, and now he took that step.

But Emily decided not to blame him for this, for deep down she began to be grateful to this man in time, who was so loyal to her, who loved her dearly, but she could not open her heart to him.

"I’m sorry, Albert. I’m so sorry.”

„What for, Miss Emily?” Albert stared at her in bewilderment, because it was for the first time when Miss Davis spoke these words in front of him.

„Because I can't fit your heart. I know about everything that feels your heart for me, but still, I can't give her what she wants.”

Albert swallowed in sec. Although he had dreamed of these words for a long time, today they took him by surprise and he would have wanted to run, but a strange force held him in place, as if longing to hear their continuation.

„I mean, I can never be your wife, lover, or mistress, because I can't force you to accept me, the one who was once in someone else's arms, doing everything that he had asked me to do, but receiving nothing in return.”

But… what if I still want that?” and the astonished one was Emily now, who was looking deep into the man's eyes, whose glance trembled with impatience and emotion. ”I don't care in whose arms you once were, because I don't live with the past.”

„But I do, Albert and although you can't believe this, I'm the wife of one man only.”

"Miss Davis…”

„I'm not saying I love Luis Chesterman or that I have good feelings for him, but still … I was his woman, and that keeps me from being someone else's, although it's not natural for a "Red Ants," who can usually have anyone in their bed, if that means benefit to our secret organization. "

„And yet, what makes you think you can't love?”

“The world… and its mess. It hurts me to admit that, but I loved someone once … only once, but it wasn't meant to be.”

Albert took a deep breath and straightened his back, thus trying to hide the anxiety from his soul, for he was afraid of hearing the name of the one he hates as being the name of the one Emily had loved. But she smiled when she caught his eye. „Don't be afraid, Luis Chesterman is not the one I loved.”

“Then? … who are you lo…?”

„You'll never know, Albert, because I'm taking this secret with me to the grave,” Emily said these words in her mind, while on the outside she seemed so calm and thoughtful. ”Let’s go! We have a lot to do today!” she said in a low voice, and stepped out.

But Albert hesitated to follow her. He was stunned for a moment in the same place where Emily left him when she had left the house, to finally dare it and, clenching his fists, he got out of the house.

Approaching the carriage, he saw Emily already in and nicely sitting on the back seat, while she was waiting for him in silence, but she didn't look at him even when Albert carefully closed the door, not even when he got on the front seat and pulled lightly on the reins, urging the horses. She just kept looking ahead, at the red and black lined wall of the carriage, while in her mind the words “And yet today is a day of death" were spinning up.

***

Finally, Eva stopped crying and she was now quiet, laying on the bed, covered only with a thin duvet, which she loved to have beside her even when she did not feel the coolness.

Lorenne instead was by the window, with her back to Eva, and looking thoughtfully at the carriage leaving the yard and taking Emily somewhere. But that didn't bother her at all, for knowing that Emily can take care of her own and, if Albert is near her, then no danger is after Emily, but still Lorenne worried for her friend, who was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud of her soul, as if she had slowly lost her mind.

„Tell me, Eva, who told you about the death of our victims?” Lorenne asked the young woman without looking at her.

Eva took a deep breath before speaking and she did it not to calm down, but to gather her thoughts, for although she was still afraid of this house and of those who lived in it, Emily's words about „who protects us in case of harm,” made her realize that Miss Davis was also right in what she was saying. But still, it was more than her heart could accept.

„Eva?!”

Lorenne’s voice made Eva wince and to look to the window, where Mrs Fabeau was still standing, but this time watching her.

“I never saw that man before, as I never heard his name, but still he said his name is Victor Keen, a private detective and it seems to me that he knows a lot about me and about whom my mother was.”

„Why do you think so?”

„Because he mentioned that Helen Walker had to marry a certain Baron Beneath, but because of events I don't know about, the two never reached the altar, my mother married my father, and this gentleman seems to be dead, and the detective accuses my mother of it.”

"A certain Mr. Keen accuses a certain Helen Walker of the death of a certain Baron Beneath," Lorenne said softly, as she was slowly walking along the room, as if measuring the room space. "And yet it seems strange to me that he confused you with this Helen Walker."

„Helen Walker was my mother’s name,” Eva said this, barely heard, and that made Lorenne stare at her with her eyes practically out of its orbit, even though Eva had previously mentioned that Helen Walker was her mother.

„So then?! And … Baron Beneath, you said, was the name of that gentleman who should have married your mother, right?”

“Yes. Why? Does this name seem familiar to you?”

„No, my dear. I've never heard of this gentleman before, but if we are to pay attention to his family, it looks like he is related to Brian Beneath. He may be a relative of his or…,” but Lorenne suddenly kept silent.

“Or?” Eva insisted.

But Lorenne immediately straightened up and smiled. ”I don’t know. It was just thoughts. Do not mind me. And still, going back to Mr. Keen: he insists you're Eva Stonebridge and he's so sure of it.”

“Yes. I think he did some research before he came here.”

"It's impossible that he came here for you or for Emily. Nobody knew that you two were here. No one but Christine Bircham and I doubt she told him about this place.”

„Why do you say that??”

„Because Christine Bircham doesn't take a step-in front if it doesn't work for her, and she doesn't know about your pregnancy yet. So, she doesn't have a profitable reason to talk to Mr. Brian about where you are.”

„But still, it didn't seem to me that the detective is here because of Brian.”

„It is possible that he is investigating the death of Mr. Edward Anderson Bell.”

„Of the former Prime Minister of England? Why? Do you think anyone suspects that the "Red Ants" are involved in this?" the girl asked Lorenne in a low voice, but when Lorenne sat down next to her on the bed and took her hands in hers, Eva calmed down, for unlike Emily, who was so cold and calculated, Lorenne was more human and could show love to Eva, a maternal love that the young woman needed so much in those moments.

“Listen, Eva, I didn't want to tell you about it, but it seems necessary now” and Lorenne was silent for a few moments, while Eva stared at her, anxiously awaiting the continuation. “Mister Anderson Bell … I knew this man before.”

„From where, Mrs. Fabeu?”

„Because of him my life has fallen into ruin,” Lorenne spoke bitterly, while looking at the pillow on which Eva was leaning, as if on that pillow she had seen Edward's face or past events. „I met him more than ten years ago. Nothing special. Just a walk in the evening with one of my friends with whom we later decided to enter a coffee shop and to continue our discussion, mostly gossip, with which we used to fill our sad existence.”

Eva moved in place and pulled the pillow under her, which made Lorenne look away. ”He was there too, sitting at one of the tables and playing dominoes with two of the people well known in the area. I saw him as I entered, for the three of them immediately pierced us with their eyes, and the fact that I've always been charming seemed that it did not go unnoticed by this gentleman, which later approached us and after he forced my friend to go for a walk with one of the two gentlemen, he sat down in front of me and told me clearly that he would like to spend the night with me.”

Lorenne's words amazed Eva. ”Did he speak so openly to you?”

„Edward was not a man to hide behind a finger. If he wanted something, he had it right away, be it an object or a person. I’m not talking about women, whom, in most of the cases, he had without much effort, but he collided with me like of an iceberg, and it didn't seem to like him.”

„Why?”

„Because after his sentence - you must spend this night with me - he received a slap from me,” Lorenne said, and she smiled sadly. ”But it seems that this was the beginning of my sad life.”

„It was your right to show him that he was wrong. He… he … he hadn’t any right to talk to you like he did. You were a married woman, for God Sake.”

„Eva, marriage is not an obstacle for anyone. Especially for men. If they want someone in their bed, they'll do whatever they want to have him there. And you know this well. Do not get me wrong. I don't condemn you. Not you.”

„And yet, Mrs. Fabeu, Brian didn’t force me.”

“I know, but still it doesn’t make him innocent not to be next to you today when you need him, but let's get back to our story: after that slap I got up abruptly and left the cafe. After that day, I saw him twice in the city, but he never approached me again. We were just looking at each other from a distance: - he glanced at me with desire, me - with hatred.

But one day the inevitable happened - I found out, from a letter my husband left on the desk, in case anything had happened to him, that he had gone into a duel, and his rival was none other than Edward Anderson Bell.

You know, Eva, that letter was to be discovered much later, but it appeared in my hands when it could not be earlier. Only by reading it, my soul froze in my veins, for my husband had gone to his death to defend my honor. But when I got to that place, it was too late: my husband was lying breathless on the ground, while his rival was holding the gun tightly in his hand."

„Edward Anderson Bell killed your husband? Because you refused to spend the night with him?” Eva said indignantly, and that made her move nervously in bed.

„I thought so at first: that his death has to do with me, but I was wrong. Anderson Bell killed my husband for businesses, and after my husband's death he took over much of the trade he was engaged in. "

„And … you did nothing to stop him? Maybe if you went to the police…,” but the girl's remark made Lorenne burst out laughing.

“Police? Do you think that the police would have done something against a politician as important as Anderson Bell? No, my dear, dogs never bite the hand of their feeder, and Anderson Bell always made sure to get along with the law" and with that, Lorenne made a sign that Edward had paid a lot of money to stay out of trouble with the law. „And … after my husband's death, I was devastated. That's why I decided to leave the country, but life always returns us our debts.

I met Emily in Paris, we became friends and later I found out about the "Red Ants". That's when I decided to take revenge."

„And yet it took you ten years to complete your plan.”

„The Spaniards have a well-known saying - la venganza es un plato que se come frío - or, in other words, revenge is a dish that must be enjoyed when it is still cold and they are so right when they say that.”

„Why?”

Lorenne turned to Eva again, looking at her insistently. ”It’s because people are naturally forgetful, and Anderson Bell doesn't seem to remember all the women he's been with or he's been interested in. When we met again, he acted as if he had seen me for the first time.”

„Maybe he was just pretending.”

„No, my dear. He didn't remember me and that worked for me, for in time I became even more attractive than I was before and I'm not saying that to brag, but it was this detail of seduction that brought that arrogant gentleman into my arms."

Eva looked at Lorenne with wide eyes. "You and that gentleman… spent…"

"Have you lost your mind?" Do you think I would have agreed to go to my enemy's bed?”

“Then?”

„A warm hug, a passionate kiss and a few hints about what might happen between us were enough to have at my feet the England's most coveted and feared man, because of the methods he used to rob others of their possessions, and he became a teenager again thinking about me, and that led him so easily on the road to death.”

“Then… what was next?”

„Do you really want to know the details, Eva? Believe me, sometimes it's better not to know. Therefore, listen to my advice and keep your innocence. You're going to need it so much, and … if and if you ever decide to join the "Red Ants" and serve their cause, never enter a man's bed to get something… it's not worth it … believe me, a smart woman can get a lot out of a man by using his female cunning only, without having to use her body. It takes years of experience, I agree, but we still have this secret in our blood, right from birth - it's just a matter of time before we learn to use it for ourselves."