Night of Eden 77

 Chapter 77

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**This chapter is sponsored by Luna. Thank you ❤️

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A polo match consisted of seven chukkers. After each chukker, which lasted about six minutes, the players switched horses and took a break.

It was a very strenuous game, and the horses were often exhausted, so the score was very close towards the end.

But now it was still 1-1.

After four chukkers, the game was sluggish and the referee was busy awarding penalties.

No one could refute the fact that it was the captains of both teams who were responsible. The mood on the field and in the stands was dead.

"It's weird, is everyone sick?"

Rosa waved her fan and frowned.

"Why is it so damp again? Is it about to rain?"

Angie Miller nodded and looked up at the sky.

The other ladies’ faces showed little hope. As they waved their fans, their eyes focused on the field.

"Well, that happened last night."

"Yes, I heard that Master Macmilan rode around all night looking for his horse. No wonder he's so tired."

"And what about Master Hastings? He must be very worried."

Liana wanted to cover her ears when her friends talked like that. They'd say it, but they'd probably think she was foolish, too.

"By the way, isn't that maid stupid? She should have just come back if she couldn’t find the horse. Why did she wander around in the woods all night and make a mess?"

"I'll be honest, I didn't like it when you guys praised her. What's so great about her?"

Strangely enough, the words made Liana's stomach grow harder to bear. She looked back at Rosi, her face pale.

"I... I think I'll go inside and... rest."

Rosi’s eyes widened. So did the others.

"But, young lady, it's almost Trade-In time."

Trading In was when spectators were allowed to enter the field and stomp on the grass.

Liana was supposed to hand out pep talks to the players on both teams.

For that special ceremony, reserved only for the hostess, Liana wore the most extravagant of Theodore's gifts. She even wore that special diamond-encrusted hairpin.

But Liana didn't even pretend to listen.

"Help me up. I'm going to crack my head."

"Miss...."

Rosi flinched, but couldn't help but move to support her.

The stands and even some of the players on the field stared in amazement as she left the field without looking back.

The game continued.

When it was time for the trade-in, the crowd forgot their boredom and chatted and happily trod the turf, and the honor of presenting the handkerchief went to Angie Miller's mother, the oldest and most senior among them.

And when the final whistle blew.

The scoreboard on the field read only 2-1.

The referee had awarded a penalty for Rob's mistake, and Andrea had converted the free hit to make it a close score.

The victorious Theodore's team erupted in applause. But the mood had cooled completely.

***

"How could the lady do that?"

In the mill's outbuilding, Dorothy was fuming.

"How could she do that to you? Not to anyone else... How could she...!"

Her eyes were wide and her uncontained anger was bubbling up like lava.

"They all act like you're so prestigious, but in the end, they’re all the same... Such disgusting hypocrites.”

Dorothy lifted the glass in her hand to her mouth and gulped it down.

A few hours ago, when Dana had cried uncontrollably over her overwhelming emotions, Dorothy had found herself faced with the difficult task of comforting someone else.

In the midst of her white-knuckled brainstorming, she remembered the fruit drink.

Dorothy often stole fruit juice from the kitchen and drank it, learning early on that it was a great way to forget the pain, if only for a little while. She was afraid of being caught, so she would only steal one or two glasses, but when she realized that Dana had been slapped, she couldn't resist and stole two bottles.

"Here."

Dorothy took the bottle to Dana's empty glass.

It had taken exactly one bottle to get her to confess what had brought her here and why she was on the run.

And the rest of the bottle would be spent trying to figure out where the hell Dana was trying to run away to.

***

"No, I... I think I should stop drinking now."

Dana shook her head vigorously. Dorothy stared at her flushed cheeks for a long moment.

"I know... You shouldn't get too drunk. You'll be... You have to leave."

Dana didn't know what to say, so she swished the last few drops of alcohol in her glass into her mouth.

"But Dana, I don't see why you would sneak away like this... I don't see why you should... You've been falsely accused. Why would you run away...?"

Dana became even more speechless.

"How could she...how could she think that... her brother and you? Is she that blind to people? If she's anything like Leah, I don't know...."

Dana's face, already flushed with alcohol, turned as red as a tomato.

Why did she have such loose lips?

Overcome with emotion, she blurted out that the reason she had been slapped by Lady Liana was because she had questioned her relationship with Master Edwin.

"But are you sure you won't tell me where you're going?"

She had already told Dorothy too much. Of course, Dana trusted her not to run her mouth. But there was no such thing as a 'never' in life.

"Sorry."

Dana smiled sheepishly.

"...I don't know but you have a really heavy mouth. I don't have any friends anyway, so I don't have anyone to talk to...."

Dorothy pouted and let out a long sigh.

"But then... if you leave ... I'll never see you again...?"

"I'll write letters."

"Someone else will have to read it."

"I....."

The two pairs of eyes stared at each other, and then, without warning, they burst into laughter. It was a laugh with a hint of sadness.

"And now the salt tea... I shall never taste it again, shall I?"

Dorothy clamped her lips shut at the end of the sentence, a hiccup audible.

"No, it's just as well. You're too good a person to rot in the countryside like this. You've thought well of it. You'll be... You'll be welcome anywhere. You're good, hardworking, smart... and... and... You can read and write."

Muttering, Dorothy looked like she was going to bang her nose on the table at any moment.

"And without you... What am I going to do?"

Dorothy buried her head in her hands, sobbing. The strands of hair sticking out from under her mob cap swayed precariously.

"I'm sick of this place as it is... Without you......."

Dana felt a pang of sympathy for Dorothy, but her hands were still diligently arranging her glasses.

The worst that could happen was that Dorothy would tell someone, so it was better to leave as soon as possible.

"I... What am I supposed to do...."

Dorothy's tongue curled completely out of her mouth, and with a thud, she slammed her forehead on the table. Dana's mouth dropped open in surprise, then she leaned over to her.

"Are you okay?"

Dorothy closed her eyes and raised her hand. Her fingers were drawing an OK.

Dana couldn't help but smile.

How did she ever get by with a kid who drank so much?

Dana pulled a pillow and blanket out of her dresser drawer. She could lay Dorothy down, wait for her to fall asleep, and slip out quietly. But as if she could see right through that, Dorothy's head snapped up.

"Dana."

Dana's eyes shot up at her, suddenly sharp as if she'd never been drunk.

"I'm coming with you."

"What?"

Dana turned to face Dorothy in surprise.

"Let me... come with you. Please."

Dorothy suddenly stood up and knelt down in front of Dana.

"Dorothy!"

"I swear on my life, I'm not going to let anything get in your way, I really, really mean it, Dana."

Dorothy squeezed Dana's hand with desperation in her eyes.

"Let me come with you. Please, please."

***

No one would believe it was a victory celebration.

No one was popping champagne, no one was shouting victory. There was no hugging and jumping around the room, which was what winning teams usually did.

Andrea and Emil were quiet and somber, sipping their drinks in silence. Marcus had long since stormed out, saying it was like a funeral.

"What’s wrong with Teddy? He's being so out of it."

"...And what about Edwin? He's been locking himself in his room, not eating his dinner, not coming out."

"Have they been fighting?"

"It's not the first time they've bumped into each other, I think this time...."

Muttering, Andrea suddenly lowered his voice.

"I think there's a problem with Master Hastings and Young lady. Honestly, what kind of party is this? She didn't even stay for the whole game."

"True."

Emil nodded.

"And it happened again yesterday."

Their eyes drifted back to Theodore. Sitting in a one-man wingchair, he'd taken up an entire table and was pouring himself a drink.

Emil and Andrea exchanged glances. They muttered "you do it," "you do it," and "you do it," like ventriloquists, until Andrea spoke up.

"Uh... Hey, Teddy."

Theodore looked his way.

"I was going to pretend I didn't care, but I can't do it. What the hell is going on?"

"Yeah."

Emil jumped in.

"What happened with you and Liana, is that why you're acting like this?"

The turquoise eyes that had met theirs settled back into place without the slightest wavering.

Andrea didn't give up.

"If it’s because of Rothesandra, just say so."

Silence again.

Any other time, he wouldn't have pried. But the fact that the next game would be against the Crown Prince's team forced him to speak up.

It was a close game, but a win was a win, and Theodore was the captain. They needed to recover quickly and prepare for the next game.

"Say something. Please, for once, act like a normal person."

"Yeah, talk to your fiancée, do relationship counseling."

Theodore didn't answer, just continued to drink.

"Actually, I was a little surprised when Lady Hastings asked you to lend her Rothesandra, I don't think she's usually that type."

"I thought the same thing. She's been different lately. More so lately. And it's...."

Andrea had to take a breath to say his next words.

"I think you have a lot to do with it. The way you've treated her the last few days, what kind of woman would put up with a man like you?"

"Besides that... Honestly, I think you're being a little salty to do this over a horse."

"I'm with Liana."

"Me too."

"Be nice to Liana. She's the youngest child of the Hastings family, and she doesn't deserve to be treated like that."

Theodore was silent the whole time, so they assumed he wasn't listening, but suddenly he set his glass down with a loud clatter and turned to them.

"Is that so?"

Something about the way he asked that question was unnerving. Emil and Andrea flinched at the same time.

"If you're so worried, you can have her."

There was silence for a few seconds. Their brows narrowed, then stiffened.

"You, now... What did you say?"

Theodore glared back, undeterred.

"You can have her."

"Ha, you..."

Emil's glass clattered against the table, spilling whiskey.

"Uh-huh, wait, wait, wait."

Andrea grabbed Emil's arm, stopping him from lunging at Theodore. Then,

BANG!

The door flew open with a loud crash. It was Marcus.

"Hey, you guys, do you know what I just heard?"

He walked in with the exaggerated gestures of a performer who had just taken the stage.

"You're all going to freak out. When you hear my story!"

He chuckled and pulled up a chair next to Emil. Andrea was glad he'd interrupted the mood.

"Oh, I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's all giddy inside...."

Marcus muttered, snatching Emil's glass from him and taking a sip.

"Edwin's got one good little sister, man."

Andrea frowned at his excited rambling.

"What's the matter with you, are you some kind of asshole?"

"You're being so bossy, chastising that filthy thing. Oh, I love it."

"Marcus!"

Andrea exclaimed in frustration.

"That's the thing."

Marcus smirked and lit a cigarette. Then he put his arm around Emil's still stiff shoulders.

"The Lady slapped that bitch across the face this morning. Not once, but twice, and that's why Edwin is completely out of his mind."

Bitch.

Slap face.

The two words pierced Theodore's ears like arrows. His long body jerked upright.

"I told you before, Edwin's completely smitten with that bitch. You guys didn't believe me, but Liana's got a keen eye like mine, so she figured it all out and did what a little sister would do. Edwin was devastated when he found out, and it ruined the whole game."

It was a pretty shocking story for Emil and Andrea, too. Given the circumstances, it didn't seem like Marcus was lying.

"As always, Liana Hastings is a worthy ducal mistress. She deserves it."

Marcus chuckled and raised his glass in a toast.

Emil and Andrea looked at each other with serious expressions, forgetting that they'd nearly gotten into a fight with Theodore. Then they felt a shadow moving toward them and glanced away again.

"But that bitch."

Marcus smirked and flicked out his cigarette.

"I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a prostitute than a maid, and that bitch was especially bad. Edwin fucked her first, so I don't see why anyone so attracted to her... Huh?"

A grim shadow finally fell over Marcus's head.

"What."

Marcus's eyebrows arched and curled, and his lips curled up into a tight line.

"Why? Do you have something to say...."

Marcus didn't finish his sentence.

There was a punch, a harsh cut of air, followed by the sound of something crushing.

Puck!

With a strangled groan, Marcus dropped to the floor.

"Teddy!"

A shrill, unrecognizable scream rang out.

Theodore didn't stop with one shot.

He drove his knee into Marcus's upper torso as he tried to get back to his feet, then began punching him in earnest.

"Theodore!"

"Somebody... Somebody stop him!"

Puck, puck, puck, crunch, crunch, crunch.

Blood splashed and screams followed.

***

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