Tea party with the Count (12)
A man stood opposite Violet, her face lit up with happiness. Who could it be? I bowed my head when I heard two voices.
-Where have you been? You weren't in the room.
“I haven’t been here for a long time, so I wanted to check out the mansion.”
“You came with us, but then you disappeared somewhere.”
– There are many places to look at.
The conversation was lively. I looked at the stranger's brown hair, wondering who he was, but since he did not turn his head in my direction, I could not see his face. At that moment he was talking to Vincent.
I put the teapot and treats on the table and looked at the man who was talking to the gentleman.
-Who is this gentleman?
– He is Ethan's younger brother.
– Does Sir Christopher have a brother? – I said in bewilderment, when suddenly a hand reached out from behind my back. I turned around and saw Ethan munching on a cookie.
– I have a wonderful younger brother. He's handsome, good-natured and very popular, but don't fall in love with him - he's hard to handle.
“I’m not going to fall in love with him.”
- At first everyone says that.
- Sounds too arrogant.
“I’m just proud of my brother.”
Ethan grinned. I shrugged. I wanted to see the man Ethan was so proud of, so I looked at the back of his head again, exactly at the moment when he turned in my direction.
I recognized him immediately.
- Hello, maid. This is my brother. Brother, meet me, this is the maid who takes care of Vincent.
- Nice to meet you.
Brown hair fluttered in the wind. The even voice pleasantly caressed the ear. He still looked stylish and elegant. When our gazes met, his eyes lit up and he politely extended his hand to me.
- I'm Lucas Christopher.
- Christopher...
It was hard to believe that the man I met in the forest was Ethan's brother. I continued to look at him, wondering what other coincidences could happen. Lucas tilted his head, and I realized that I was looking at him longer than expected, so I bowed my head in response and shook the hand that was extended earlier.
- Yes, very nice to meet you.
After a brief greeting, I unclenched my hand, but he immediately grabbed it and squeezed it even tighter. At the same time, I felt warmth spreading from his hand.
- Please call me Lucas.
His manner was so graceful and polite that he reminded me of someone. He really was Ethan's brother.
“My brother is causing you problems, isn’t he?” And Violet too. They're all so dramatic.
- No, no, Violet is friendly with me.
- Is it true?
I was too lost in my thoughts to answer the question. I looked at the man standing in front of me. He had already let go of my hand and was now talking with Ethan. Violet stood between them.
- This is already too much, you know. Keep your thoughts to yourself.
- Sorry, my brother didn't mean to hurt you.
– Now I will be more careful with your feelings. – Lucas answered.
- Pfft...
Violet snorted in displeasure, but said nothing more. Ethan and Lucas smiled apologetically. From their conversation, it became clear to me that Lucas already knew about Vincent's condition.
I immediately remembered the words Vincent had recently spoken. I looked at the gentleman. He sipped his tea and didn't look tense, surprised or scared.
The appearance of another person livened things up. It made me smile.
A friendly atmosphere reigned in their relationship, but still something was wrong. I don't know if I could judge it, but I felt strange.
I ran away again, making the excuse that I needed to fill the kettle, the contents of which had been drunk by the newly arrived guest. I went to the kitchen to get more tea, but deliberately took the long way. While I was walking, trying to get rid of obsessive thoughts, I noticed someone ahead.
It was Lucas.
“Everyone seems to be having a good time.”
Lucas said this in a low voice. His eyes darted in my direction. He knew I would be here. The wind had already ruffled his hair.
I nodded quickly.
- Why are you here?
– I decided to get some air. Come to think of it, I never knew your name.
– Oh, my name is Paula.
– Paula, Paula, Paula...
He said my name several times in such a sweet voice, as if he was saying something special. I involuntarily scratched the back of my head.
– Paula, my brother has told me a lot about you, and according to him, you are quite interesting.
“It’s an honor for me to hear something like this.”
I don't think Ethan had anything good to say about me. I frowned slightly, but quickly regained my composure.
- It was you I met in the forest, wasn’t it?
- Yes.
“Someone told me that you were looking after my brother.” Did you deliver that letter?
Suddenly I remembered something I had forgotten. I spoke quickly.
- Oh, may I know how you got it?
“I was leaving the mansion and found him lying on the ground near the door. I thought it would be worth handing over the find, but there was no one around, so I decided that this letter might be important and should be kept. Continuing to explore the mansion, I came across you in the forest, and thought that it would be more correct to give it to you. Was it important?
- Now it’s clear. Yes, it was important. Thank you for returning it to me.
I was so grateful for his quick thinking, considering that otherwise I could have lost the precious letter. I bowed again. Lucas chuckled.
-What about Vincent? How is he?
- He's fine.
- Clear. I'm surprised he's recovering faster than expected. I honestly thought he would lock himself in his room.
- What? – I asked, blinking, and he smiled. He looked even more like Ethan when he smiled.
“Didn’t my brother tell you anything?”
- What exactly?
“It’s my fault that Vincent went blind.”
- !..
How is that? …What?
What the hell is this guy talking about?
“Judging by your expression, you already knew about it.” You were careful around me. I never thought Ethan would actually talk about this, but he seems to trust you.
- Oh, I, I...
- Don't be surprised.
He took a step closer. I quickly stepped back. My heart was pounding. After such a shocking revelation, I was overcome with fear. Suddenly I was afraid of the man standing in front of me, and his smile became creepy.
“It was my family that made me this way.”
His calm voice sounded in my head again and again. I took another hesitant step back, clutching my rapidly beating heart. Lucas continued to smile as he watched my reaction.
- I'm glad that everything is as I expected.
I was about to ask what it meant, but I was distracted by a rustling noise. We simultaneously turned towards the source of the sound and saw Vincent. He also seemed surprised to sense someone's presence.
I quickly turned my head and looked at Lucas, then back at Vincent. I don't know how he ended up here, but he had to act quickly. I walked past Lucas and grabbed Vincent's hand. Instinctively, he tried to pull his hand back, but I held it tightly.
- You...
“First of all, you need to leave.” Just leave. Leave, please, just leave.
Vincent was about to say something, but at my request he fell silent. I looked back, leading Vincent in the opposite direction. Lucas followed us with his gaze, continuing to stand in place. And it was this man who confessed that he was responsible for Vincent’s blindness.
My heart started pounding again. The hand with which I held Vincent began to sweat, but I only clutched it tighter, afraid that I might let him go. The eyes watching our backs scared me.
Vincent must have felt something similar.
- Why are you so scared? What's happened?
“Let’s get out of here first, and then I’ll tell you everything.”
Vincent suddenly stopped. I quickly pulled him along with me, but he did not budge. I kept trying, but they were in vain, so I stopped. Eventually, I stopped too. When I turned around, he was the first to speak.
- Tell me what happened.
“Sir, I’ll tell you as soon as we leave here.”
- Tell me now.
He decided that he would not take a step until he heard an explanation. But now is not the time! I looked around: there was no one. But I was afraid that they would follow us at any moment. I swallowed hard.
– Did he really do this?
- What?
- Your eyes.
- What does it mean? – he asked, to which I responded with annoyance.
“I was told that it was Ethan’s brother, Lucas Christopher, who injured your eyes.”
- Lucas?
- Yes.
Vincent instantly fell silent. This scared me even more because I took it as confirmation. But the response that followed was not what I expected.
- This is wrong.
“Sir, please, there is no need to hide this.” You need to avoid him.
“But there’s no need for that.”
“Then who could do such a thing?” – I asked the question, ignoring the fact that it was prohibited. I was just as confused as Vincent. My head was spinning.
– James Christopher. – Vincent said with a sigh.
- Who is this?
- Ethan's half-brother.
A strong wind rose and ruffled my hair. My already overcrowded brain was ready to explode. Vincent remained calm and it felt like I was in a dream.
- He made me like this.
Vincent did not shy away from answering and revealed the truth. He told a simple maid about this, told the truth that he had tried to keep secret for so long.
Afterwards I realized that I had crossed a line that should not have been crossed. And that Lucas was kind in trying to protect me from this.