Chapter 30: Chapter 30 – Honor guests

The Ramseys' estate, called Fairview, sat on the side of a great valley, about twenty miles west of Snodland. So the trip began early on Friday morning and wasn´t finished until late in the afternoon, when it began to get dark.
Oscar was in a bad mood. Although it would be incorrect to say he had been mad since he got on one of the carriages that would transport them to Redhill because, in truth, he carried that aura of ‘speak to me and this will be the last thing you do in life’ since two days ago, when Madeleine had approached him to consult on another of her many problems. Despite the fact that she was unlikely to comply, she did deliver on what she promised, for a change.
Just before the small procession made up of two carriages -one for Patrick and Madeleine, and another to carry the scarce five employees of the service that came with them- left, the protagonist presented Oscar with the same necklace hat she had shown before. This time not accepting that he gave it back, even though there might be people watching. She also gave him a piece of paper that, from the stamp and signature that came at the end of the document, resembled an authentic report on the value of the jewel. Jewel that, by the way, she could more than bear that debt for Theresa's books.
Now where was the trick? Because it was obvious there must be one!
Madeleine didn´t know, but Oscar learned more in another of his eternal talks with Kenneth about the male protagonist. And is that Patrick, being like he was a compulsive gambler, also had his debts. Debts that he didn´t usually pay with cash, since he ran the risk his father found out he was withdrawing money from the bank to pay for his blunders when it came to his vices. Therefore, when he incurred some debt, he used to pay with objects. For specifics, he paid with paintings or jewelry he used to have at home and that he had bought with the sometimes certain excuse that he intended to give them to some young woman.
In short, there was a very high probability the necklace had been pawned. And even if it wasn't, it was dangerous for Oscar to walk around with it. He couldn´t sell it without incurring some illegality, and if someone who knew the object caught him with it, he might conclude that he had stolen it or worse.
Oscar thought about it and had planned to have Madeleine write a document specifying that it was she who, of her own free will and without coercion of any kind, had decided to hand it over to him. But now that he knew its monetary value was nil, all he wanted was to return the necklace and forget about the whole thing.
Which he would have done, had it not been for the fact that she chose to deliver it to him at the last moment before hopping on the carriage that would take them to Fairview. Ergo, he had no chance to do so, much less to give her an explanation for the rejection. Not even hours later, the times they stopped to rest, was he able to get closer to bring it up. Well, the protagonist had stuck to Patrick like a limpet and of course, how the hell was he going to return that jewel? Even calling her apart from Patrick could trigger misunderstandings!
Hence, Oscar spent all the way in silence, with an expression difficult to decipher.
In the same carriage he was riding in, apart from a coachman who also belonged to the Seymour household, there were three other people. Kenneth, of course, was one of them. The guy had chosen a spot by the window and motioned for his roommate to sit next to him. But Oscar, not wanting to have to spend more than two hours next to, or in front of, this charlatan, pretended he hadn´t seen him and proceeded to sit by the door. Kenneth must have been annoyed when he realized that Oscar's chosen spot was the farthest from him, and he was going to protest. Fortunately, at that moment the two remaining people came up.
One of them was a middle-aged man named Lamb, which was one of Kilduff's trusted employees and, ultimately, was to replace the aforementioned on that trip. He sat down next to Kenneth, not saying a word. Then the last maid to come was a well-known person who served at the Cornell house and who, as she took the only remaining seat, noted:
"You´re looking so poorly, Oscar. With each passing day you seem more dead than alive”
Oscar must have answered something along the lines of: ‘You don't have to remind me, I see myself in the mirror every morning,’ to which Mallory laughed, thinking it was a joke.
The journey was torture, from start to finish. Not only because of the long distance to travel, but because of the atmosphere that had developed inside the vehicle. Lamb and Oscar barely spoke the entire way, and the conversation fell to Kenneth and Mallory. Since the latter, at some point, was also bored by his excessive talk, she ended up simply responding reluctantly to Kenneth's questions and comments.
During the breaks in which they got out of the car to eat and stretch their legs, it didn't improve too much either; With Madeleine always attached to Patrick, Oscar ended up giving up completely on approaching her. He thought it best to wait until they got to Fairview and, when they were settled, speak to her. Because, of course, he wasn't going to spend the whole trip with the necklace on him! It was too compromising an object for someone like him to carry, no matter how hidden it was in one of the inside pockets of his jacket.
The remainder of the journey to the town of Redhill passed with even greater existential weariness than when they left. While the two from before continued to refuse to speak, responding in monosyllables if they were required to interact, Mallory opted to pretend she was asleep so she wouldn't have to keep talking to Kenneth. And Kenneth, finding himself devoid of anyone to go along with him, had no choice but to shut up.
Hours passed and, shortly before six in the afternoon, they reached the Ramseys' property. Property that looked even more majestic than Lilac Hall, not only because of the grandiose appearance of the building, but because of the vast fields that surrounded it. They had been told that the land belonging to the Ramsey family stretched for about four miles around that big house on the hill. From the top of the mountains you could barely see the nearest village in the distance and, since there were a few farms on that slope almost completely devoid of trees, it made these the perfect places to organize a hunting game.
The Ramseys' butler was the one who greeted them, saying a thousand kind words to the masters and leaving grimaces of disgust and complaints, because they had barely arrived in time for dinner and it must have been a terrible effort to have a couple of seats extra to the table at the last minute, for the employees who brought them there.
"How rude," Mallory had muttered, expressing exactly what Oscar thought, as she watched the guy change his face completely depending on who he spoke to, "he hasn't even asked for our reasons. And if it weren't for the fact that we had to make more stops than planned, we would have arrived much earlier.”
But saying that would mean explaining why they had to stop more times than necessary. Which wouldn´t be appropriate, considering that it had all been on Madeleine's whim; she was the one who insisted on stopping, with the excuse of fulfilling some basic need... Which in her language came to mean stopping to contemplate the landscape with Patrick, taking advantage of the fact that along the way they would be free from their respective families and couldn´t be interrupted.
"Don't say anything, it's not going to work if the first thing we do is make a bad impression," Oscar recommended, also under his breath. “Now when you have to walk Madeleine into her room, could you do me a favor?” Seeing Mallory nod, he made sure no one was looking in their direction and then began pulling out the necklace he had been keeping. “I need you to return this to her”
"But why do you have that? It was a present from Mr. Seymour! Ah, no, wait, put it back quickly,” she urged, for having already been greeted by the butler, some employees were arriving from inside the mansion to collect luggage and lead the guests to their respective rooms. “I don't know how you got Madeleine to give it to you, and I certainly don't care! But… hey, did you carry that with you the whole trip?”
"And what did you want me to do? When Madeleine gave it to me, she ran after Patrick before I could reject it. And I couldn't store it elsewhere, since the suitcases had already been put on the roof of the carriage.”
"If anyone finds out you got that...”
"That's why I'm asking you to get rid of it!"
"I can't, I'm sorry," Mallory excused herself and, noticing that the other was going to protest, she explained. “If I return it to Madeleine she´ll ask me for explanations that I will not know how to give. And, as stubborn as she is, she sure will give me the necklace back and ask me to give it back to you. No. I'm not going to join in those silly little games you guys have; If you want to give it back, do it yourself. The most I can do for you is let her know that you want to speak to her privately, and from there, fix it however you can”
"You wouldn't even have to do that, why don't you take the necklace and put it among her things? Don't say anything to her and let her be the one to find it.”
"I see, you don't want to face her either? Look, I have nothing against that solution, but what do you think Madeleine will do when she realizes the jewel that she gave you is in her possession again?”
"Mallory, don't give me riddles; you are the one who will take care of unpacking her luggage and putting things in the room. Just hide the necklace in her suitcase or whatever, so that she doesn't find out until she's back at Rose Cottage.” Noting a suspicious look looming over him, he added. “And yes, you´re right, I don´t want to face Madeleine right now because I´ll probably lose. Although I will end up having to talk to her anyway, for another matter. Either way, could you...?”
"Okay, but if the necklace is lost or something happens to it, it will be your fault," Mallory finally agreed, letting Oscar pass her the jewel and tucking it into her own pockets.
The necklace was likely to be lost, considering how careless Madeleine was. But it was almost impossible that anyone could blame Oscar for this, because even with the evidence - which he would get rid of as soon as he had a chance - the protagonist would never admit to anyone she had given a gift made with all the love in the world by her lover to a simple gardener. That would give too much to talk about and, in the same way, the suspicions about Oscar would be dispelled immediately when they saw he was broke, that he hadn´t even approached any jeweler to try to figure out the price of the jewel or sold it.

After forgetting about the necklace, Oscar helped the coachman unload his luggage. And, already having his travel bag with him, he proceeded to follow one of the employees into the mansion, since both him and Kenneth wouldn´t be required of his employer until the next day.

“It isn´t exciting? I hadn't been here for at least two years!” Kenneth commented as they walked through the corridors of the service wing. “Everything is as I remembered… Oh well, not everything! Are those rugs new? Don´t know, but I do remember we stayed in a room on this floor.”

"It's pretty obvious it had to be on this floor," Sean, the waiter leading the march, took care to answer, guiding them through corridors that were unfamiliar to Oscar, "we're not allowed to go to the upper floors unless our masters require it. So the entire service rooms are down here”

"Couldn't there be any exceptions? I know there are eccentric people who don´t like to have their servants away, even if by ringing a bell they´re sure that someone will come to attend to them anyway!”

“Of course, we´ve had visitors who brought their companions with them or who did not want their valet to occupy a room too far away, due to health problems and not eccentricity (since the servants are usually the ones who take care of them), and arrangements have been made in that regard. Although it´s not usual.”

"Yeah, that hasn't changed from my last time! Ah, but how I wish I was one of the employer's trusted employees, can you imagine, Oscar? I could stay in the visitors' wing, have a huge room all to myself... And with a fireplace! Because those rooms have fireplaces, right? You can't tell me no, I've seen them in the distance as we were coming here... Or were they tree branches? Now I'm not sure”

"I wouldn't have any illusions if I were you," Oscar said. "If the boss needed help for health reasons, it is likely that he would turn to Lamb sooner than to any of us. Now, " he added, noticing how the other was already beginning to show disappointment, as if such an outcome had not been expected, "if the disease is incurable and painful, perhaps Mr. Seymour will call you”

"Do you really believe it?"

"Sure, as for me, when I've been listening to you for a long time, it also makes me want to end my suffering by committing suicide."

“What a bad person you are! How can you tell me such a horrible thing while keeping that serious and unwavering expression!?” Kenneth asked exaggeratedly, though he wasn't shocked or upset; he immediately stepped forward to stand next to Sean, to whom he confidently told. “This friend of mine is really annoying, I don't know how I've put up with him for so long! They should give me a prize or raise my salary just for that, because the poor man is so withered that... Anyway! It's not like it's his fault either, he must have been born that way.”

"There´re always such individuals, I imagine."

"Too many, I'd say! They should let at least someone try to put some color in their lives, but not even that they allow to do.”

"My life is fine in black and white, thank you," Oscar said from behind.

Although Kenneth wasn't listening to him.

"But it's okay, I've gotten used to that grumpy and uncompromising character of him, nothing's wrong with it! I just hope we can sleep in separate rooms this time because, I'm not kidding when I say it, it's so tiring to have to put up with him! Oh, but Oscar, don't sigh in that heavy way. If deep down you know that I appreciate you like the most! At least you don't beat me up when you're mad, like Moore does”

"I'm afraid we won't be able to fulfill that request," Sean pointed out. “Although there are quite a few rooms, we are not few who serve in this house. And, considering that guests also bring their own service, we´ll be even tighter.

And when Sean said they would be tight, he meant it literally. Oscar soon discovered it.

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The room he took them to was a little bigger and better furnished than the one he had in Lilac Hall. There were two single beds that would have to be shared by four —that is, with Sean and another colleague who was not there when they arrived—, a dresser big enough for the two owners of the room to put their clothes inside and a small table that would serve as a desk with its corresponding stool. It was a simple room that, no doubt, Oscar would have enjoyed had it not been for the fact that he knew he was going to have to share a cot. And Oscar hated to see his personal space invaded like that!

As expected, there was not even the possibility of unpacking the little luggage they were carrying. Being no room, Sean told them to leave their bags on some of the furniture and take out only the essentials, when they needed it. In any case, not that they were going to stay there too long, on Monday morning they would be leaving with their masters back to Snodland.

"Looks like it wants to rain," Sean commented as Oscar walked to the only window in the room.

It seemed that, in this room at least, they had put in a decent window from which you could see much of the farms and gardens that surrounded Fairview. Oscar, approaching, was not trying to do a weather check, but making sure there were no more people outside. Assuming that Patrick Seymour's group had been the last to reach the property.

"If it rained tomorrow, would the hunt be called off?"

"Only if it rains too hard, hails, or even starts to snow," Sean said with the conviction that comes with experience. “Mr. Ramsey is used to playing his sports in pretty deplorable weather conditions, so I don't think a drizzle is going to stop him. It would take a real storm to make him give up, especially when it comes to an event like this, with guests coming from other parts of England, which he had been planning for weeks.”

"I hope they don't cancel it!" Kenneth asked, to Sean's horror, jumping carelessly onto one of the beds, and taking a seat on the edge of it. “Mr. Ramsey is right, what harm can a little water do? The hunt can't stop for that! I'm not afraid of rain, hail or the planet freezing! We came for what we came for, so please, let's get a little serious.”

Seriously or not, Oscar couldn't be less interested in the two hunting days that awaited them. And, completely refraining from commenting on the black clouds that threatened to cover the entire sky, he preferred to make other kinds of checks:

"Do you know who the guests are for this event? It´s not to be indiscreet, but I would like to make sure who is who so that I do not disrespect anyone when I meet them.”

That was an excuse as typical as it was effective. If he had asked the butler or housekeeper they would have told him to keep his formal style when speaking, head down and not come to them unless they called him. But with another waiter in Ramsey's service, he would be more willing to loosen his tongue.

"Let's see… Staying at the house are the Ramseys, of course," Sean began to list. “They are a married couple and their two children. Then on the guest side we have Mr. Seymour and Ms. Cornell, with whom you have come. Messrs. Lewis, who are another friendly couple of the hosts, Mr. Patterson, the two Foley brothers, Ms. Bauer, and Mr. Northrop.” Finally, he added. “Maybe there are too many names to remember, although I wouldn´t worry. It´s not as if someone other than your master is going to require your presence.”

“Thirteen!” Kenneth exclaimed suddenly. “Are there thirteen in all? Or did I count wrong?”

After a brief pause in which Sean must have been counting as well, he said:

"There are thirteen, yes. At least to stay here, have dinner and whatnot. Mr. Ramsey has a few friends in town who are also fond of hunting. So don´t believe that it will only be these men who´ll attend the days in the field from tomorrow. In the house there may not be that many, but once in the farms...”

"No, I'm saying there will be thirteen for dinner today!" Kenneth insisted, without at least one of the people who listened understanding what all the excitement was about. “Don't you know that superstition? If thirteen are put to dinner at one table, the first one to get up will die!”

Sean's face remained impassive, as if his quota of daily nonsense had been reached and he no longer had the ability to react to one more comment. Oscar, for his part, didn't even bother to hide his laughter. Was this an Agatha Christie novel? Oh, yes there would be a crime, but its resolution would be so simple that it would be even a grievance to compare it with any of the works of said author.

Or, at least, so it would be if the plot followed its natural course.

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