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A chance meeting

Started by DonaCatalina, May 12, 2008, 03:41:39 PM

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DonaCatalina

The breakfast terrace was shaded by an elaborate iron trellis that supported an ancient wisteria vine. The trailing blossoms perfumed the morning air with their delicate fragrance. Left to myself after the morning meal, I left the terrace and stepped out onto the manicured lawn. The green carpet rolled out before me and merged into the mist shrouded trees that bordered the lawn. A distant twitter announced the passage of some small birds. Not another building was visible from this vantage point. No other living soul followed me on my early morning walk. The few other guests who had risen for breakfast had already retreated into the fire-lit parlors and bedrooms of the main house.

  The dew from the grass dampened my boots as I walked along. As the ground sloped upwards, I realized that I was walking outside the older part of the house. Even though I had not been here since early childhood, I could remember being told that this portion of the house had not really been used in the last century. The newer wing had been built with plumbing and gas lighting, so the older sections had been relegated to storage. A dim memory of legions of ancient chairs lining a hallway rose in my mind. The lower windows were hidden by a vine covered wall that reached far over my head. But the blank upper windows looked down on me like so many unseeing eyes. I always thought it rather sad for rooms that had seen so much life to sit silent and unused.

  Then I noticed a gap in the wall occupied by an iron gate. It was frozen in place by a tangled clematis vine that appeared as if it had not been disturbed in decades. It would have taken enormous effort to shift the gate, but it was open slightly with a gap was just wide enough for me to slip through. Inside the garden, the roses had thrived in the absence of a gardener's care. The masses of red, white and yellow blooms climbed the inside garden walls and abandoned trellises. A veritable grandfather of an oak shaded the garden path as it winded away from the gate. I was startled at this point to see a small, young woman sitting on an old stone bench in the partial shade. She did not look like any of the other guests I had seen at dinner last night, or this morning at breakfast. Her head was bowed over a golden trinket in her lap, so that her nut brown hair fell around her face like a velvet veil.

  She looked up as my footfalls crunched through the loose gravel of the path. Her eyes were the most piercing blue that I had ever seen. Though almost as small as a child, her well-formed face was that of a mature woman. Then the silken folds that I had taken to be her cloak lifted and became gossamer wings. I watched in utter shock as she darted into the air and vanished into the dense foliage of the oak that towered over me.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

I blinked and realized that I had fallen to my knees. The insistent prodding of the rocks brought me back to awareness. A slight glint of gold caught my eye. There on the ground in front of me was an elaborately worked figure of a bird. Its tiny emerald eyes winked in the sunlight as I picked it up. Nestled in the palm of my hand, it was barely bigger than the signet ring on my right hand. My knees complained bitterly as I staggered to my feet.
Clutching the minute bit of gold in my fist I stood and strained to catch any sight or sound of her. On impulse, I set the trinket down on the stone bench where she had been sitting. After another moment I took a deep breath and started back to the old gate. It would have been nice to have something real to take away from this unreal encounter, but the practical side of me decided that it was best to put away all memory of this encounter.

  A riding party was scheduled for later in the morning. This would culminate with a luncheon out in the great park. The morbid thought that my nephew was trying to impress me kept coming unbidden to my mind. The year allowed to me for mourning had been past for several months now. The loss of my wife and son had left me with a desire to retire from the world. But it seems I was not to be allowed this luxury until I confirmed my nephew as my heir. At forty-two I was considered young enough to remarry and start a new family. But I did not relish the thought of finding someone to take my late wife's place.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

My younger brother had died some years before and left his young wife with two little boys. This house and estate had been his inheritance from our grandfather, along with a small trust fund. My brother had a passion for racing horses and following the hounds. It was the latter that had led to his death. Now his older son played host here. The younger boy was off in the Navy, in the Mediterranean as of last report. Barring any other changes in circumstances, it was my intent as of that moment to divide my estate equally between the two boys. Of course as the eldest, Rupert felt entitled to inherit everything, including my title, hence his efforts to impress me.

  After changing into clothes more suitable for riding, I made my way to the courtyard where most of the other guests were already assembled. Most of us had been introduced at dinner the previous evening. I had noted then that I seemed to be surrounded by married couples. Uncharitably, I assumed that my nephew wanted to lessen my chances of finding someone to marry at this late date. The ladies in their colorful riding costumes made a bright contrast against the somber landscape of a world just emerging into spring. Rupert preferred a more staid type of mount than his reckless father had kept, so the cavalcade moved at a stately pace onto the lane. My mount was not overly eager for this outing, so I let him fall to the rear. This allowed me to observe the others as they exchanged pleasantries. It seemed that more people had arrived since yesterday. This was a much larger group than I had met at dinner. There were at least eighteen riders that I could clearly count, most of who were men. I do not wish to seem as if I was a silent specter following behind. I exchanged pleasantries with most of my fellow riders, but it is difficult to have much conversation on horseback.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

The sun was well overhead when we reached the pavilions that had been set up for the noon meal. There were some people already there who had apparently forgone the pleasure of riding over on horseback. A pair of unhitched buggies stood a short distance away. That we were served champagne with our food surprised me a little. I would have thought it was too early in the day for the bubbly. Rupert kept an excellent staff and the quality of this outing testified to that. The food was excellent and the shade of the pavilion was welcome as the day warmed up. The conversations about politics and society washed over me and barely stirred my interest. One of the gentlemen present was a member of the Cabinet, though I could not recall his office. This meant that he was the center of attention much of the time.

  Some time had passed when I realized that the warm day and the champagne had left me daydreaming in my chair. Quite a few of the guests had already returned to the house. I pulled out my watch to see what time it was and realized that my nephew would be expecting his guests to attend the afternoon races at the clay track nearby. I collected my mount and returned to the house.

  An assortment of conveyances assembled in front of the house. Men and women chattering happily, gathered out front. A few started to step into the carriages. The thought of several hours more of idle chatter suddenly made me feel tired. My response was unplanned, as I shrank back into the hallway away from the door. Walking quickly, I made my way to the hallway that connected to the older part of the house. As I passed the empty parlor I picked up a candelabrum and some matches. The door hallway connected to the old wing was unlocked but years of disuse caused it to resist my efforts. After I finally managed to open the door, I entered and closed it again behind me.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

#4
I passed through a small dark antechamber into what was once a large reception hall. The massive stone fireplace loomed at the far end. The detailed friezes around the mantel were revealed by light streaming through gaps in the rotting drapery. Against the windows to my right was old sofa with faded upholstery that supported several chairs that were in various stages of repair. Through the windows on the left I caught a glimpse of the hidden garden that I had explored this morning. The garden wall must have been part of the original bastion. There were doors on either side of the fireplace, so I chose the one of the left as more likely to give access to the garden. I had forgotten, or perhaps never realized just how massive this fireplace was. My height was remarked upon frequently among my acquaintances, but I would have only had to stoop slightly to stand inside the cavern of the fireplace. Turning away from the fireplace, the door I went through this time was only slightly more difficult to open.

  The long room that I walked into was considerably darker. Here wooden shutters blocked out the light. The glow from the candles created a small pool of light in the gloom. This room appeared to be entirely bare of furnishing. I followed its L shape to another door which stood open.  This door led to the hallway of my memory. Old wooden chairs with faded velvet cushions lined a long dim hallway of closed doors. I could almost imagine a long dining table encircled by these ancient seats. The first door on the right revealed the first staircase that I had seen so far in this wing. The candles flickered in a phantom draft, so I closed this door.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

  The next door was on the right and was exactly what I was looking for. Once an office or parlor, it boasted a door to the garden with tall windows on either side. The door was of that style sometimes called a French door, a wooden frame set with glass. Unfortunately, the lack of maintenance had caused to wood to warp and stick in the door frame. A glance around the room revealed that an old iron candlestick had been left on a small table by the door. Using the base of this, I lifted the door enough to cause it to come unstuck from the frame. When I stepped outside, I saw that I had come further than the spot under the oak where I had been earlier. That tree was to my left from where I stood. After taking the precaution of propping open the door with the table, I snuffed out the candles and went back outside. I started through the garden towards the tree.

My heart pounded in my chest as I came up on the stone bench under the oak. I was shaken to the core when I saw that the little gold bird was gone. In its place was a sky blue stone shaped like a river pebble. Its smooth, polished surface was cool in my hand. My stomach quavered as I tried to think of a logical explanation for what I may or may not have really seen.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

Still clutching the little blue stone I walked back the way that I had come. Past the open door, I continued through the garden. At one time, a fountain had graced this area of the garden. A cherub held an empty vase that had once poured water into a stone basin. A thin layer of greenish water lay in the bottom of the basin. A rosemary bush had grown up behind the cherub and attempted to embrace him around the waist. Navigating around a laurel bush in my path, I saw that there was another exit from the garden ahead. An iron gate like the other, this one was open and half choked with wild roses. I hastened my steps and walked up the gate.

  As I stepped through the gate I caught a glimpse of velvety brown hair behind the tree that guarded this entrance. As I hurried forward a twig broke beneath my foot. My reward for my haste was to see a young woman leap up from a bench where she had been sitting, her book flying through the air. "I apologize for startling you" I told her as I retrieved her book from the ground. "Where on earth did you come from?" she gasped as she held out her hand for the book. "I was in the garden back there and just came out through the gate." I replied. She looked behind me towards the spot where the rose bushes were escaping from the garden. She looked back at me and said "My word. I didn't even realize there was a gate there, much less a garden." My heart did a little flip-flop as the implication of her words sunk in. Up until this point I had almost convinced myself that she had found the little gold bird and removed it. She retrieved her hat from the bench and stepped towards the gate. After a few hesitant steps she turned back towards me and asked "Is it alright if I see the garden?" I found myself drowning in the clear blue flash of her eyes.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
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DonaCatalina

   "I asked if it was alright if I went to see the garden?" she repeated herself. I shook myself and answered, "I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's not as if we would be intruding on anyone else in this part of the house." I held some of the bramble back as she went through the gate. She gasped and smiled up at me and I felt as if a warm ray of sunshine had crossed my face. "This is so lovely." She commented "A wild and secret garden hidden away just for us." She turned her face to the sunshine and closed her eyes. As I drank in the sight of her face she continued, "I almost turned down dear Rupert's invitation for this week. But my husband was very fond of him, so I felt obligated to come." Those words were like an icy knife through my heart, followed by shock at the depth of my reaction. "So you are married then?" I asked as calmly as I could. Her smile seemed to turn a little sad as she opened her eyes and turned towards me. "Was married" she answered "I am now a widow without even a child to remind me of my husband." The same war that had claimed my son had taken her husband. "My deepest condolences madam" I told her "I myself am a widower, but through different circumstances." I had half convinced myself that I was falling in love with this woman. Now the utter foolishness of that was revealed as I learned that she was probably young enough to be my daughter. "Oh please" she pleaded through a returning smile "call me Alex. I can't bear to be called madam."
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DonaCatalina

  "Alex," I asked "Is that short for something or a nickname?"
She continued walking as she answered "It's short for Alexandra." I caught up with her and replied "I shall call you Alexandra. It sounds so much more elegant and mysterious, and so suits you better." She laughed and responded "I do believe you are flirting with me." I swallowed the lump rising in my throat and said "If it seems that way, I assure you it was unintentional. Would you be offended if I did?" Her light laughter was free of any malice. She stopped walking before she answered "I don't think I would be. I have no idea who you are, but for some reason I feel perfectly safe with you." I steeled myself for the reaction which I felt must surely follow, then I told her "I am Rupert's Uncle William. I assume he has mentioned me at some point." Her surprise registered in her face and she said "Truly? I cannot credit that it's possible. You are hardly the old fossil that I imagined from his comments." Her hand flew to her mouth and she continued "I am so sorry. I should not have said that. It was very impolite of me." I smiled ruefully as I confessed "I have been aware of Rupert's opinion of me for some time, so you need not fret yourself on that account." At this point we came to the door that I had propped open. "Have you been exploring in the old wing?" she asked. I chuckled and replied "Not very much. I ducked out on the racing party and only came as far as I needed to find an exit." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she looked up at me again. Picking up the candelabrum, she said "Shall we go exploring?" By way of reply, I stepped inside and struck a match to light the candles.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
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DonaCatalina

  She followed me out into the hallway and we turned to the left. We opened every door on the hallway. Most of the doors revealed dim empty rooms with the randomly abandoned chair or table in some. We climbed the stairs at the end of the hall into a large open room that was the library. I was disappointed at the number of books that had been left to decay in the old shelves. Many appeared as if they would crumble to dust at the slightest touch. The heavy wooden library table and leather chairs had been left up here also. The rooms beyond the hallway held more surprises. The old master chamber was still filled with furniture. A dark oaken bed that could have seen Queen Elizabeth dominated the center of the room. Only the mattress and linens were missing.

  None of the bedrooms held any other real surprises. There were many pieces of abandoned furniture, all in various states of decay. We both were looking rather grimy by the time we had explored every room but one. At the end of the hall was an ornately carved door that I did not remember at all. My memories of this part of the house were clouded by the distance of thirty years, if I had been this far at all.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
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DonaCatalina

The door at the end of the hall opened to reveal an unexpected blaze of color. Alex stepped into the room and into the colored light. The setting sun poured through the stain glass window opposite the door. The colors that reflected off the dust motes in the air almost seemed like tiny luminescent butterflies. "This was the old chapel" I commented as I watched her walk towards the window. "Its beautiful" she said as she reached up to touch the glass. "Look here" she said "There is even a signature in the glass of the artist." I set the candelabrum on the wooden partition and stepped up beside her to see more clearly.

  Alex jumped away from the windowsill as something started emitting a grinding noise. To my surprise, a section of the wall slid partially open. She turned to me with her palms held up and said "Something I touched on the windowsill shifted just before that wall panel opened." I ran my hand over the sill and found a piece that moved when pressed. A quick examination of the dislodged panel revealed a catch and some very old iron hinges. A good shove caused the panel to open fully, accompanied by a hideous groaning as the metal resisted. If the hinges had not been thoroughly packed in grease, rust would have frozen them in place long ago.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

Alexandra and I exchanged a look before we stepped into the dark recess. A very narrow stairway made of wood and iron wound around to the left behind the wall. I thought about what we had seen on that side of the chapel. It had been an oddly shaped storeroom tucked behind an old fireplace. It made a perfect camouflage to hide this stairway. A few steps down brought us to a platform where the stairs split and continued down by two different routes. I turned and followed the stairs going down to the left. After some moments of walking through dusty cobwebs, we finally reached a wider area that appeared to be the ground floor. More stairs continued down ahead of us. The candle flames streamed sideways as I turned towards the wall. By holding the light near the wall, I was able to make out a catch that signaled another secret door. I undid the catch, but it took the strength of both Alexandra and I to pull the door open. When we stepped out into the light, we found ourselves next to the massive fireplace in the old reception hall.

  Alexandra looked at me and burst out laughing. When I got a good look at her blackened face, I realized what she was laughing about. "We look a proper set of black-a-moors" I commented while I laughed. Her laughter subsided as she looked towards the windows. "It's almost dark" she said softly "we should probably go back to our rooms and clean up before someone else sees us like this." I grinned at her ruefully and nodded my head. As she turned towards the doorway out, I called to her "Would you like to continue exploring in the morning? We can come in through the garden." She turned towards and the smile that brightened her face made me feel years younger. "I would like that very much" she replied just before she slipped out the door.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

Dinner that night was a trial of my patience. Even though I was pleasantly surprised to find that my appetite had returned, all I could think of was plans for the next day. Alexandra sat at the far end of the table from me. From her demeanor I could not discern any of the impatience that I felt. Rupert was frustrated in his attempts to engage me in conversation several times, but I just could not maintain an interest. I had to laugh inwardly as I compared myself to a schoolboy looking forward to an adventurous outing. As soon as politely possible, I excused myself to retire for the night.

  My nephew did not appear for the early breakfast. I was pleased and surprised to find that Alexandra had arrived downstairs before I did. She was dressed in sensible clothes for a walk in the countryside. "May I join you?" I asked as I indicated the empty seat next to her. She smiled up at me and answered "By all means".
The tables nearby were sparsely occupied. There was a couple seated nearer the door. I believe the gentleman was involved in shipping. That his wife was dressed in an exceedingly formal costume at breakfast was slightly surprising. The only other person present was a retired colonel that I had met before. He was engrossed in his paper and coffee so that he hardly noticed my arrival. Alexandra nudged the small satchel that I had set on the ground at my feet. "I came better prepared this morning" I told her in a low voice "I brought more candles and matches as well as a few rags." We continued to sit and chat of inconsequential things until the other couple finished their breakfast and left.
The colonel looked up briefly as we passed him but when back to his paper when we did not stop to speak.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

#13
I retraced my steps of the previous morning. Was it only so short a time? As Alexandra followed behind me, I pondered on the change in my outlook that made yesterday morning seem like a vague memory from ages ago. The half-open gate remained as I had seen it last. The roses and overgrown bushes showed no signs of being disturbed since my last steps on this path. I paused as I neared the spot where my strange encounter had taken place. My disappointment was mingled with relief when the bench proved to be empty of eldritch creatures. There was nothing unusual to be seen as we continued through the garden to the door which we had left ajar. Here we stopped while I let a candle. The morning light was peeking in some of the windows, but the hallway was dim enough that I felt much secure with the additional light.

  The hidden door from which we had exited yesterday still stood open. I lit another candle and handed it to Alexandra. "Up or down?" she asked. I peered around before I answered "Up, I think. I would like to see where that other branching of the stairs went.
I started up the stairs and she followed me closely. The branching of the stairs loomed up out of the gloom. This time we went down the ancient stairs that lead to the right and down again. It took some care to negotiate this narrow and steep stairway. Alexandra stopped her and started coughing. "I apologize" she said when she could breathe again "But the dust was making it difficult to breath." I brushed a cobweb remnant from her face before I replied "Maybe we should give this up if you can't breathe." She shook her head and told me "No, no, I wish to continue. I just needed a moment." I nodded and pressed on. The dust gave way to dampness as we traveled further down the stairs.
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess

DonaCatalina

Eventually the steps ended at an old wooden doorway. The damp had caused the door to warp and stick in the frame. After a great deal of effort, I managed to budge the door open enough for us to pass through. As we stepped through the doorway, I held my candle aloft for a better look. As the stairs and walls had grown damper, I had begun to suspect we would find something like this. A long stone lined tunnel stretched out before us. I looked at Alexandra questioningly. "I'm game if you are" she responded. I shrugged and continued walking. While the tunnel was cool and damp, there were no water puddles. The floor was dry and appeared to be paved with shaped stones. Our candles barely penetrated the gloom around us. Suddenly a wider spot appeared in our path. Turning in to look, I discovered a niche about three feet deep by three feet wide. Stacked against the wall were some very old wooden crates, half covered by rotten cloth. Alexandra brushed away the cloth to uncover the crates. "I can't imagine what could be hidden here" she whispered excitedly. I snorted and replied "probably just some old ledgers or forgotten tools." The lids had been nailed shut at one time, but the wood had rotted to the point that I had no trouble removing them. The first box revealed nothing more interesting that some old clothes. They could have been silk, but they were so old that they fell apart at my touch. The new box however, revealed a set of blackened goblets and plates. While Alexandra pulled these out and examined them, I took a rag from my bag. I had brought these with the intention of cleaning our faces after our explorations. Now I used one to gingerly rub at one of the goblets. I was rewarded with the tiniest gleam of silver. I held it up for Alexandra's inspection. "I cannot tell how long these have lain here. I would guess more than a hundred years." She took the piece and looked it over. "This appears to be a complete set." She commented "I counted sixteen goblets and plates." The box appeared to be less than half full. "I think the rest is all knives and spoons." I told her "Let's check some of the other boxes."
Aurum peccamenes multifariam texit
Marquesa de Trives
Portrait Goddess