Garden of May

Chapter 5

Theodore’s question startled River Ross back to attention. His superior officer didn’t appreciate spaciness. “I’m planning to… travel south, sir. To Gloucester Castle.”

“Gloucester Castle? Is that your home?”

“Ah, no, sir. My uncle has been a gardener at the Somerset estate for many years. He said they need extra hands this summer, so I was going to help out.”

Theodore stared at his overly earnest subordinate, momentarily speechless. Sensing the need to elaborate under that gaze, River Ross stammered on. “I thought it would be better to do something useful during my leave than just laze around. Gloucester has fresh air, a river nearby for swimming, and I can use an empty shed for lodging. The Count of Somerset readily agreed.”

Of course he’d welcome free labor with open arms. Theodore curled his lip, a cynical thought he couldn’t voice to the petty officer echoing in his mind. That slowpoke wouldn’t know how to seize an opportunity if it bit him.

And who am I to judge? In a few hours, I’ll be surrounded by the wolves of society, attending endless tedious events. The thought alone brought on a wave of fatigue and a budding headache.

“The train to Bath should be arriving soon. If you’ll excuse me, Captain…”

“Ah, yes.” Theodore nodded dismissively, about to turn away, when something stopped him. The sun-baked train from the south pulled to a slow stop before them, radiating waves of shimmering heat.

“You seem to lack any zest for life.”

The unexpected echo of a past conversation made Theodore slowly exhale. The whisper of a dead man, like a siren’s song, warmed his mind. In his mind’s eye, a skeletal hand tapped his chest.

“You perform your duties precisely, but you take no joy in them. And you probably never will. I wish, just once, you would follow your heart instead of your head.”

“My heart?”

“Your impulses, your desires.”

It struck him with an almost disconcerting force. The sunlight was exceptionally bright today, the breeze cool, the sky impossibly clear. And so…

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“Sir?”

Theodore offered River Ross a picture-perfect smile, startling the younger man. Those fortunate enough to receive such a smile from their captain usually responded with awed admiration. River, however, was one of the few who sensed a lurking danger in it.

“You said your relatives are in the south?”

“Yes, sir, but…”

“I’ll be joining you on your wholesome summer holiday.”

“Sir?”

As River Ross gaped in bewilderment, the doors of the newly arrived train hissed open, releasing a plume of hazy steam, as opaque as the petty officer’s future.

* * *

The Winchester twins arrived in the late afternoon. Unlike Baron Howard’s car, which had broken down, delaying his arrival by several days, the twins’ vehicle arrived at Gloucester Castle’s gates on schedule.

Vanessa eagerly rushed out to greet her old friends. Though they had parted only weeks before, the joy of seeing each other outside of school made the reunion feel fresh and exciting. While the Winchester family servants unloaded the massive trunks, the three friends settled into a large drawing-room overlooking the gardens.

“Ruin your makeup.”

Rosaline offered the advice with a serious expression. Blair, crunching on a sugar cube, chimed in, “Or pretend to be mentally unstable.”

“How about bursting into tears the moment you meet him?”

“Or just act incredibly gauche. I could lend you one of Grandmother’s dresses if you like.”

“…Why on earth did you bring those?” Blair asked, incredulous. Rosaline shrugged nonchalantly. “For photos in front of the Temple of Santra. I want to recreate Grandmother’s Grand Tour picture, same pose and everything.”

“Wouldn’t you rather have Howard himself? He’s nearly seventy, you know.”

“Ew.” Rosaline’s exclamation sounded more like a gag. It was a nauseating age gap. A woman barely twenty and a man pushing seventy.

“I’m just so envious of you both,” Vanessa confessed, stretching her long limbs out in front of her before collapsing back onto the plush sofa. It was a breach of etiquette, but the only person who ever entered this room was the maid who brought ice when the bell was rung.