Chapter 15: Chapter 15 – Did I just schedule a date with the villain?

Oscar spent a week working, as normal, at the home of his new employers. With nothing special to emphasize about his stay, without tasks that would defy the limits of humanity and, what's more, without speaking to Patrick again.

 He seemed to be, from what Kenneth had told him —the one who gossiped about every person in that mansion with astonishing ease; you wouldn't even have thought that you needed to hear the rumors when he was already exposing them— that the master had received a letter from Rose Cottage. A letter that, although the envelope did not specify who it came from nor any servant had access to the content, it was known by all that it managed to put Patrick in a good mood.

Oscar, making note of this, imagined that Theresa would have listened to him, starting that plan of hers. And he was right, because the next day Patrick announced the service that a fair would be prepared in his gardens, on the grounds that it´d be a good opportunity to meet the neighbors and raise money for the congregation. The latter, no doubt, would be a laudable cause if it weren't for Oscar knew it was just an excuse to get more praises.

Either way, that was not the point.

What Oscar was not afraid of was that, to cut costs and make it a purely charity event, Patrick had decided not to hire any artists. No, the idea was that their own servants would cook, serve the guests, set up the stalls and start singing, dancing or whatever in order to entertain those who arrived, making use of their respective talents.

Of course, since not all people were the same, Patrick gave them the freedom to choose what role they wanted to perform during the fair. With the exception of those who had to stay taking care of the stables and maintaining the basic service inside the house, the rest had to participate in the pantomime in a compulsory way. With almost a month to go until the fair took place, Patrick even gave his employees a week to think about what they could contribute to the cause.

Oscar saw heaven open here. He could finally choose something in that damned novel, without having to be subjected to the designs of a plot that did nothing but ignore him! He would pick some of his skills and use his 21st century knowledge to give them a boost. Of course, afterwards, Patrick commented that all suggestions made would have to be approved by both his butler and other veteran servants who knew well the tastes of his employer.

And then yes, Oscar sank back into his misery.

Most of the servants with the power to advise Patrick what to do or not were old men that Mr. Seymour had put there because they were trusted by him, ergo, they could keep an eye on his wayward son. In other words; they were old-fashioned people who didn't appreciate innovation.

Seen that way, it seemed that bad luck pursued Oscar wherever he wanted him to go. Even on his afternoon off, having gone to visit Thornfield, he hadn't even been spared from running into the villain once more.

"So what will you do?" Letitia had asked, hearing about all those demands that were placed on Seymour employees.

She was the only one who showed curiosity after Oscar expanded a bit, at her request as well, about his new situation. For Albert seemed absorbed in his own readings and, since Oscar arrived, he had barely looked up from his novel to acknowledge his presence.

"I haven't decided yet," he confessed.

In his time he had been interested in the field of office automation and digital marketing, tools completely useless in this era in which he was. He could, of course, apply his market knowledge by choosing to put a position dedicated to selling a product, but he was still not entirely convinced. That is, trying to sell something would be the safest option for him. Something that nobody would oppose and in which he could even come out well. However, Oscar didn´t want to settle for that. He hadn't gotten out of Rose Cottage just to narrowly rid himself of any continence!

So he had put that idea on hold, while he came up with something better or decided what he could offer potential buyers.

“I've seen there are many people who sign up for some kind of dance or theater show for these things, but that for me is ruled out. I´m no good at those things,” he mused aloud. “Then there are others who´ll cook something and sell it… But my culinary skills are not that great and, anyway, do you think the Seymours would let me use their kitchens?”

Oscar laughed just imagining it. Lilac Hall's kitchen was like a sacred temple where only those who were in charge of preparing the meals or supervising that they were served on time could enter. The others, even if they were hungry, had to wait like dogs at the door of his master during those hours when the lords' lunch was being prepared. And woe to anyone who breaks these rules!

"So since I'm not good for the shows, nor do I have anything edible to offer, I'll have to direct my efforts elsewhere."

"Won't they let you help someone who already has their job planned? It has just been announced, but there are already many people in town who want to attend and even participate in this event. Ah, didn't you know? It seems that Mr. Seymour is also accepting that the neighbors put up their own booths. So even if you don't get to choose anything, you will always have occupation.”

"Damn the exploiter one!" Oscar came to think. Not only was he not going to pay the overtime for this stupid thing, but he was indulging in the luxury of instigating outsiders to do the work for him. Doubtless the fellow planned to devote himself entirely to his admirers when the day came, handing all responsibility for the act to both his servants and the poor abnormals to whom occurred to lend themselves.

"I was not aware of that, although my fear will not cease until I find an occupation that my superiors approve. Well, they have warned us if we do not decide on something, they´ll choose for us. And that's much worse! But, going back to where we were, how is it that neighbors can participate?”

"Oh, the priest announced it last Sunday in church. They even left in writing what was required of people who were willing to lend a hand. It seems that not only talent is sought, but also any material or monetary donation that contributes to supporting the fair is welcome.”

At this point, Oscar wondered who would be in charge of managing that money, but he didn´t ask the question aloud. He could imagine it even if no one told him.

"Did you know that an orchestra won't even be hired? I would have liked to participate, playing my violin," Letitia continued and, looking at her brother, she added reproachfully, “but Albert won't let me.”

"You'll get tired if you participate," he commented, still staring at his book; He didn't seem like it given his degree of concentration, but he had been following the conversation the entire time. “Those fairs are hell that lasts for hours, with hardly any breaks between pieces. You're not up for those jogs.”

"Well, just like the concerts we organize at the club!"

That protest told Oscar that the girl did have permission to play concerts of the same length. And Albert's response or, rather, the absence of it, made him think that it was not a health problem for which she was forbidden to act, but instead. In the original work, as expected, the protagonist and the villain did not get along. Somewhat understandable, on the other hand. If Oscar had a baby sister, he wouldn't want to take her to work for free for a jerk like Patrick Seymour either.

"If I were you, I´d listen to your brother," he said, with a conciliatory spirit. “A fair is not the same as a performance before a theater audience. You´ll have to spend a lot of time outdoors, no matter how the weather is, and you won´t have the privacy that one would enjoy in a dressing room. Not to mention that, with so many people passing by, it wouldn't be surprising if you were asked to play more pieces than in a normal concert.”

Letitia still wanted to protest, claiming that all this was not an impediment for her, because she had good stamina. Discounting that she couldn't walk, she had always been a very healthy person. Instead, she said nothing more about it. She had realized that in a two against one there was little she could do to reverse the situation.

"Well, I'll go to the fair anyway, even if I don't participate. Also, now I'm curious what you´ll do there.”

Albert had no objection when he heard that, letting Oscar understand that just as it would have been terrible for the teenager to go to work for Patrick for free, everything was fine if what she wanted was nothing more than to walk through the Seymour garden, donating pennies to the church and taking advantage of the food and entertainment prepared at the expense of other less fortunate individuals. So Oscar also approved Letitia's decision and there was no more talk about it.

Leaving the other two to focus on their respective readings, and having already returned the novel he borrowed the other week, Oscar resumed his task of investigating the corridors of the immense library. This time it was not like the first time being there, that he was just prying and had no goal in mind. On this occasion, Oscar made his way to the shelves containing volumes in foreign languages, stopping when he found the ones with novels in German.

When he was before them, he took a piece of paper from his pocket and began to read. Then, being careful not to make mistakes in any letter of what was to him a completely unknown language, he compared book by book, trying to find some similarity in the titles of the spines and of his own paper.

That afternoon he hadn't intended to search for those particular novels, but once he reached Thornfield he said to himself, why not? As in a video game where the missions are unlocked one by one, along with the prizes that are obtained after passing each one of them, that literary universe in which he was trapped could not function in a very different way. That is to say, he himself had already experienced several coincidences that did not seem like coincidences and that, on top of that, triggered the series of actions that came later. Although these did not have to do with the original plot.

So, if he had been able to enter the villain's library, there would have to be a use for it in the future, beyond his own enjoyment as a reader. That's what Oscar wanted to think, and luckily he was right.

He had to walk past fourteen shelves, carefully going over each spine — and multiple times, each cover — but he managed to find a novel that was on his list. There was no doubt it was one of them, because apart from the fact that the title coincided, the publisher stamp was the same.

Oscar disliked the idea of ​​having to be asking favors to try to make up for what they had already done for him before, but had no choice but to do so. Maybe if he asked casually, it wouldn't sound like a big deal. That´s why he took the book and went to where the siblings were.

Standing a few meters from them, he tried his luck by inquiring about the place where the novel had been acquired. It seemed he was afraid of his reaction, since he did not deliver said novel as soon as he was before both of them, so that they could see the title, but waited for Letitia to give him permission to do so, thus looking very cautious for someone who really wasn´t  in danger yet.

"I think this is one of the novels in Father's collection," the young lady commented and, handing the book to Albert, she added, "although I don't know much about it. My level of German doesn't allow me to read such advanced things, but my brother can. In fact, he often accompanies father to buy these kinds of stories, right?”

Letitia wanted to find some corroboration for her words, but Albert chose to ask again suspiciously looking at Oscar:

"Now you also read in German?"

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"No, no, I have enough with French. This is for one of the Cornells, who asked me as a last favor before leaving the mansion.”

"One of them, you say…”

"The minor, if I have to be specific," Oscar agreed, managing to dispel Albert's suspicions; It must also be well known to the neighbors that Theresa was the only one with a head for studies in that house. “She gave me this list, "he continued, also putting it on the table, "and told me if I had the chance to find out where to buy all those volumes. Of course, this was not an order for me. I have no power to acquire them myself, much less permission to do so on her behalf. Ms. Cornell thought that since she was going to change my employment and thus maybe even deal with other types of people, I might try my luck investigating it.”

"Lilac Hall is bad place to look for this, don't you think? The captain still makes good use of his library in Brighton, but his son has it as an ornament to show off to visitors. I doubt, even, that there is any volume of value there. Well, I know Mr. Seymour and I´m pretty sure he would never leave his son in charge of any important document.”

"The truth is, I haven't even had a chance to go into that library, as I've been too busy tending to my new duties this week, and I suspect that's not a place for a gardener to come in anyway. At least not in that house.”

"Yeah, Lilac Hall is very strict about that," Letitia said. “While here we do not care too much if someone from the service wishes to enter to browse, as long as he asks for prior permission and does not touch certain shelves, we have no problem in letting him. But in places like the Seymour Mansion, with so many people milling from wing to wing, it´s more difficult to control who enters and leaves each room. So those kinds of measures are understandable.

"They probably even lock the doors," Albert added. “Even without having something of value inside.”

“I really do not know.”

And it was true, Oscar didn´t know. He didn't lift a finger to help find Theresa´s books that week, but now he was enjoying a conversation that he had purposely prompted toward the Seymours and their reading habits. It was fun to find people who weren't entirely happy with Patrick's activities and didn't mince words to comment on them out loud.

"As for the book," Albert continued, holding the novel in one hand and the piece of paper in the other, "there's a store in Chattenden where you can order them. They are somewhat expensive, as they must be brought from abroad, but they can be obtained.”

"In Chattenden?"

So close?, he would have liked to ask, since that village was less than an hour's walk from Snodland and, Theresa being such a methodical person, it was unusual she had not found out before.

"It´s a small store of common books, although it´s highly in demand on this side of the Thames. What happens is that the owner has his private collection of foreign novels, which he also sells or helps to get to his regular customers, so not everyone who goes to his store knows about this. He doesn't sell those kinds of volumes to just anyone.”

"Oh, I remember the place," Letitia said. “It was the store next to the cafe, on the corner of the square, right? You took me there once, months ago.”

"That same one."

“I remember well, it looked like a common store from the outside. We went in and yes, the shelves were full of current volumes and classic novels that are sold anywhere. But when the owner saw my father and he told him that he wanted to get one of those books from the east, the man sent us to another hidden room between several piles of books and shelves. Like a secret room! Inside were many more volumes, but the hard to find ones.”

What the hell is this and why am I remembering some seedy fantasy and mystery movie? Oscar had thought, but he never let it read on his face. This novel had, in short, too many secrets and script twists the author didn´t explore.

"I can tell you the name and address if you wish, although I cannot guarantee that the owner wants to sell anything to you or Theresa Cornell."

"It doesn't matter, that's enough. With being able to have the name and address, I´d be grateful.”

"Good, then I'll write it for you."

“Please.”

Oscar didn't want to get more involved than he should have. He planned to seek what Theresa had asked of him and, once found, completely disengage. So Albert's arrangement seemed more than satisfactory, since he had not even asked for anything in exchange for the information.

Unfortunately for Oscar, someone in that room did not agree with it.

"Albert, are those the ways to treat a guest?" Letitia asked, but her brother did not answer, perhaps somewhat lost in the face of that sudden question. “Oscar has dealt with us on several occasions, we could almost consider him a friend already, and you intend to endorse him an address and send him to beg the grocer for help. Are those the ways?”

"But didn't you hear him? He says he doesn't mind.”

"And it's true that I don't mind!" Oscar insisted eagerly.

He wasn't going to be the one to negotiate with the aforementioned, anyway.

"No, if we're going to do things, we'll have to do them well," turning to Oscar, she asked. “You'll also be free next Sunday, right? So if you don't have anything better to do, you can come back this way. We´ll be waiting for you with a carriage to escort you to Chattenden and see that kind gentleman from the bookstore.”

Oscar didn´t want to go, but Albert must have had even less intention than he, because he protested before the other could:

"I don't think it's appropriate, Letitia, next Sunday we had agreed we´d go visit the Allards. Their daughters will be quite disappointed if we do not attend and, especially, if you don´t go. Weren't they looking forward to rehearsing with you?”

"Ah, but I did plan to go. Don't get me wrong, brother,"she laughed," I've already said that I don't enjoy such complex novels. And it is true that I also crave the company of my friends. So when I meant that we´d be waiting for Oscar, I meant that you would. I don't think the Allards will miss your silent company, anyway.”

“Why should I? I´ve got better things to do, I can't be going for a walk on a Sunday afternoon when nothing is lost in Chattenden.”

"Um... And the stores weren't closed on Sunday?" Oscar put in that, really, being alone with the villain seemed like the worst of ideas.

Until then he had only endured because Letitia was always present.

"Stores can be opened," she pointed out, "since I've already mentioned the owner is a good friend of my father and my brother here. Apart from that, the aforementioned lives in the same building where his business is located. If you call, he will come. I don´t have doubts about it.”

Similarly, Oscar didn´t want to go.

"On the other hand, Albert, what other important thing were you going to do next week? I mean, apart from hearing Mr. Allard's war stories. Because, as far as I know, there was nothing special.”

Albert must not have been enthusiastic about having a conversation with that individual either, because after hearing this, he immediately gave up. He turned to Oscar to say:

"You should be here next Sunday at four in the afternoon. If you're late, even if it's only five minutes, I'll leave without you.”

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