In Lord Shadow's House, part nine

Read part one here

Read part two here

Read part three here

Read part four here

Read part five here

Read part six here

Read part seven here
Read part eight here

In Lord Shadow's house, part nine
 

There was an old oak on the property that Jarius spent his night under. It was a wretched time for a man who was used to sipping his brandy by his favorite fireplace before retiring to bed.

     The sun rose the next morning and dried the dew that dampened his coat and his disposition. Initially, he attempted to convince himself that he’d just imagined the previous twenty-four hours, but one look at his estate convinced him otherwise.

     Jarius Knigglesby is many things, but a quitter is not one of them. He stood up, stretched out the kinks in his back and his legs and proceeded to walk back towards (place), the same as he did every other day of his existence, only on that day, he skipped his coffee.

     His offices were still locked, and dark, but at least they were still standing. He determined he would call on a few of his friends until it was time for his foreman to arrive. Then he would fire him, only after he let him in.

     The first stop he made was the dwelling place of his dearest friend, Miss Eliza Fearby. He and Miss Eliza had known each other for years. At times Jarius thought of Miss Eliza in more tender ways than one would of a friend, but her hair was not tawny, nor her eyes bright.

     It was Miss Eilza herself who answered the door.

    “Good morrow to you,” Jarius said. Normally he would’ve walked right in, for Miss Eliza’s home was familiar to him, but normally Miss Eliza wouldn’t have been blocking the way.

    “And to you,” she answered, tightlipped.

     “Are you not going to invite me in?”

     Her face went white, which was soon replaced by the redness of rage. “I most certainly am not, sir.  I am to understand you already have a lady, who will be more than happy to ensure you are well cared for.” With that Miss Eliza Fearby closed the door right in Jarius’s face. 

    His reception at the second and third stops were much the same, although the closing doors didn’t wound quite so deeply.

     Jarius went to the park and found another tree to sit under. He was hungry; he was cold; he was missing his hat. He was missing everything that had once been his. He saw that now, that he really was blessed, or at least had been.

     He reached into his coat, hoping to find a crumb of cake or a two-pence to buy said cake. Instead his hand grazed a card, a name card.

     He pulled it out and gazed down at it. It looked older than he remembered it being, yellowed and cracked, like it had seen many days, instead of just one. He flipped it over.

Giving you the one thing you desire.

     As before mentioned, Jarius was not wise, nor observant, but even the biggest of fools can have his moment in the sun, and for Jarius, this was such a time. It may have been prompted by Miss Eliza Dawert, taking her customary morning stroll, only this time she was accompanied by a young man that Jarius did not know.

     Jarius watched as Miss Eliza smiled and realized that her face could be bright as well. And he realized that her hair, though not tawny, was a lovely shade of auburn that appeared almost red in the morning light.

     As she walked towards town, getting further and further away, Jarius realized what he had lost. He had lost everything, only to gain the one thing he had desired, and now having it, he no longer wanted anything but what he had lost.

     He stood and made his way back to Eveningswood Manor.

 

 

The final installment of In Lord Shadow's House will be posted next Monday.

 

Come back tomorrow when I participate in Mark Koopman's fifty states of pray. You can find more info here. Merry Christmas to you!

Also, for those who won a copy of The Newstead Project kindle book, I apologize that you did not received a copy over the weekend. Turns out ice storm=no power=no computer. So I will forward those on to you after Christmas, unless we get pelted with another couple of inches of freezing rain. :)