Chapter 78: Chapter 78 – Alone at night

This was supposed to be the last dinner Albert and Oscar would enjoy on the Northrop estate. For although once settled in another house there would still be opportunities to return (at least for one of them) they did not think that at the present moment Peter Northrop would be very happy to receive Oscar even for another lunch.

Hence, for tonight they would have thought of having a quiet meal in the company of the girls. But with Madeleine hogging all the attention, it wasn't possible to have a real conversation with anyone.

With Madeleine being the one who blurted out eighty percent of what was said at the table, the only one who gave her some credit, perhaps more out of politeness than anything else, was Letitia. Both Theresa and Oscar spoke little and only when one of the previous two spoke to them. Albert, for his part, was silent as a dead man all throughout the evening.

And Oscar knew well what the villain was putting up with. During that dinner no alcohol had been brought, but not that it was necessary. Quite loose had the tongue the protagonist, as if to continue instigating her.

After dinner, there would usually be a brief period of calm before everyone retired to their respective bedrooms until the following day. Or well, the Northrops and their visitors would; people who were not welcome to stay beyond curfew would have to settle for accepting the carriage that would be lent to them, retracing their way to their hotel without much sign of protest.

Now, with Madeleine still commanding the attention of every inhabitant in that house, it wasn't even possible for anyone to relax after the meal. Thus, the time that should have been used to read a good book or have the last conversations of the day, was also wasted by a protagonist who should not have even realized the multiple silent hints that were thrown at her to keep her quiet.

Letitia and the others had to stay in the drawing room, accompanying Madeleine until her energy ran out and she decided to go to her room. It was still early when, not having remained even half an hour in the hall, the villain decided to retire; It wasn't just that he seemed bored with all that, it was that, what was the point of being there? It would be better to go to his room and, if there was a chance, talk to his sister in the morning, before the moving took place.

Oscar stayed in the room for a while longer, not listening to the girls talk, but lost in his own thoughts. Without being able to avoid considering that Albert, without a doubt, was a strange person. Reserved as he was, he didn't much like to talk about himself. But, if someone stole the spotlight from him on an important day, it was clear that he was quite capable of sulking as if he were a child.

It was hilarious, to say the least. He even wanted to let him suffer in solitude a while longer.

But well, although for some it wasn't so overwhelming having to act as hosts for people like Madeleine, it wasn't a plan for Oscar to continue resisting such torture for a long time. After all, if he held out a little longer it had been only out of politeness towards Theresa and Letitia, not wanting them to get the obvious impression that with the protagonist there he wasn't having fun like on previous evenings.

Therefore, he also chose to retire not long after the villain.

It was assumed that his intention was to say goodbye to the girls, ask that the coachman be notified, and leave before it was dark. However, somewhere in the middle of that process, he changed his mind. And despite the fact that he did manage to say goodbye to them and talk briefly with the employees who used to take care of his transportation in those days, he never got to occupy the car.

He had told the butler that he preferred to walk back. Something not very usual, considering how remote the hotel was, compared to the street where the Northrop mansion stood. But this was also something no employee would ask questions about: What did it matter which way Oscar chose to leave, as long as he did? It wasn't even worth worrying about.

That was why, aside from showing a brief tinge of surprise on his faces, there was no further reaction when they were told that he would dispense with the use of a carriage.

Which was to his benefit, since Oscar would not need to invent any excuse for his sudden change of heart. And so, instead of walking through the streets towards the center of the city, he could focus his efforts on the real reason he had decided not to take that vehicle.

No, not that Madeleine had harassed him to such an extent that he now needed to spend at least an hour in the fresh air to detox—although that wasn't a bad idea, either, given the circumstances. It's that he had come up with a little plan that, he believed, would please at least one other well-known person.

It was risky, yes, but what did it matter? Still, he had no plans to present himself before those walls again. And for one night nothing happened, right?

After saying goodbye to the last person of the service at the front door, Oscar left. Or he pretended that he was retreating rather. Because although he did reach the main street, just in case someone was still watching him from the windows, he didn't take five minutes to return. And this time, instead of appearing again at the front door of the building, what he did was go around it, looking for an open window through which he could sneak in without anyone noticing.

It was even ironic, but this task of sneaking onto someone else's property was even easier than in town.

The reason? There were several factors that made this criminal enterprise a successful mission. The first of them, the location of the house and the fact that it did not have staff constantly guarding an entrance whose gate was always open during daylight hours; Before ten o'clock at night, anyone could knock on the Northrops' door without any problem.

Then there were the walls that separated these lands from the neighboring ones. Some walls that, although they were not very high, did their job well of not letting the light from the street lamps located on the sidewalks reach the interior of the gardens. Therefore, once it got dark and one was already inside the property, it would be difficult for the neighbors to see from the comfort of their own homes how someone sneaked into the next building.

As if all this were not enough, Oscar did not have to worry too much about being discovered. He knew which wing of the mansion the girls were in, so he could easily avoid it. Also, at that time the service was having dinner; it was practically impossible for him to run into anyone doing their chores so late.

If we add to this that they still must not have closed the doors and windows of the place —as they used to do just when the service had finished their food and having made sure that their masters did not need anything else for that day—, the result it was that it only took Oscar about ten minutes to find a window to climb out of. And then, once inside, wander through a cluster of empty rooms until he finally go up to the first floor and find the room that interested him.

“What are you doing here?” Albert asked, surprised.

Oscar hadn't even called before passing by. Not only that, as if the room were his, he closed the door behind him while the other asked that question. And, still not deigning to answer, he went over to the bed and pushed back the covers a little, making room to sit next to the villain.

“I was going to walk to my hotel, but after taking ten steps, I felt tremendously tired to the point of not wanting to prolong that strenuous walk any longer,” he explained with increasing drama, as he began to take off his shoes. “Of course I could have come back and said that I had changed my mind, that I would need the carriage. But I am a good person who watches over the interest of others, so I didn´t want to make the employees of the stables more dizzy.”

"I'm sure that´s it." Albert smiled as he said this; he shouldn't believe a word he was hearing, but he wasn't planning on throwing anything at his face either.

“But you should review the security issue,” Oscar continued. “It's not to be nosy, but if I've been able to sneak in (I'm not, by far, any organized crime professional) anyone can.”

“Perhaps it has helped in your case that you already know our routine and room layout, at least on the ground floor.” Realizing something, he inquired. “How did you know I was here, by the way?”

Although Oscar had been able to roam the Northrop House quite freely in recent days, he had never gone upstairs. The reason was that, in theory, nothing had been lost there. And he didn't want to go through the pain of having the servants lecture him on why, considering his position, it was wrong for him to go up to a floor where the masters' rooms were supposed to be.

In short, there was no way for him to know in advance which room Albert would be occupying.

“It wasn't that complicated, I could see the light from the corridor.”

It was actually lucky that the villain hadn't fallen asleep yet. Because, if he had turned off his lamp, then yes, Oscar would spend his life's work guessing which room to go into without triggering a war by going where he shouldn't.

"Ah, maybe you don't want me to stay," he mused aloud, as if that really had just crossed his mind now that he was already half undressed and on someone else's cot.

“Stay.”

That request was made in a forceful and anxious way. If Albert had any other questions or complaints about the way Oscar had gotten back into his house, he dismissed it, as if neither that nor how they would manage to get the unforeseen guest out of the place the next morning. without being seen by the staff was relevant.

And, being so, Oscar had even less remorse when he finished undressing, leaving his clothes on a nearby chair and, already in his underwear, lying down next to a villain who had not been paying attention to the book he was still holding in his hands.

"I hope no one saw you during your little foray."

“Don't worry, there wasn't a soul in this entire wing. It seems that they must be busy containing the drag… Excuse me,” Oscar laughed, correcting himself, “I meant your illustrious visitor.”

"I shouldn't have let her come."

“No, you did have to. As you said, otherwise she would have followed us to our new home. And besides, wouldn't it be cruel to deny her own sister a visit? Imagine what she would say about us to her acquaintances if we forbade her to see her. Just for this last one I think it was worth it.”

Albert nodded, without much conviction. He knew it had been the right decision, but that didn't mean he was going to like it.

“How was the store for you?" Oscar proceeded, bringing up the subject that could not be brought up during the meal.

"In three days I'll start working there," Albert said with a smile he didn't show very often. “Until then, the paperwork will be prepared and we´ll have time to move.”

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"But don't stop at that," Oscar prodded him, seeing like this had also restored much of his lost good humor from having to put up with Madeleine all day, "I want the details!"

And he gave them. Apparently the place he had chosen to operate was one owned by a Mr. Holloway, who had been in the employ of Peter Northrop for less than two years. Choosing that establishment was not something done at random; Albert did not want to get into a store under the command of one of his father's most veteran employees, since they might know him and treat him with a certain bias, as the boss's son.

To avoid such a thing, Albert had arranged everything—long before coming to London—so that he could be given the opportunity to work in this specific place.

It was not as his father would have expected, because although the aforementioned had no buts in his son trying to learn the trade from below, he did not intend for him to be treated as just another employee. That is, Peter Northrop expected that after notifying Mr. Holloway, Albert would go to work for him immediately. No negotiations.

But Albert didn't want to be treated any differently from any other new hire, so when he came before Holloway he asked him to give him a test, to see if he could be of use to the business. If he saw that he wasn't doing well, it didn't matter if he was the boss's son, Mr. Holloway would be free to deny him the job. There would be no consequences for him if this were the case.

“Then the test must have gone well, if they expect you on Monday to start work.”

“I-I wouldn't say it went that well... But both Mr. Holloway and his two assistants were very kind and patient with me. For now I will be helping with the preparation of orders, in the warehouse. Later on, if things go well, I will probably be able to attend to the public.”

"Oh?" So in that store custom pieces are manufactured?

“That's how it is. All our businesses are like this, we only buy the fabric from our suppliers and it is in the stores where our tailors are in charge of converting said materials into suits that the clients will later use.”

“Interesting.”

And Oscar didn't find it interesting because that's how Northrop companies worked. No, he had known that for some time. What he found curious was that since each store made custom pieces for their customers, helping with orders could only have one meaning.

“I didn't know you could sew, when did you learn?”

In truth, it was strange because it was not a task that a gentleman of the late nineteenth century knew how to perform.

“Oh, I can sew a little, but not much. That's why I said that I hope they have patience with me. I can get along with the clientele, more or less well. And, also, take the measures as indicated. B-but taking care of putting the pieces together…" he said quickly, a little embarrassed. “When I learned, it was a long time ago. I was curious to know how it was sewn, so I tried to learn on my own. But I'm not very good at it, and I've certainly never tried to put together a costume from simple pieces of cloth before.”

“Were you looking for a new hobby or how was it going?” Oscar continued, visibly amused.

Come to think of it, when had he seen Albert sew? The answer was simple; never in life. But it was also true that he hadn't been living with him twenty-four hours a day, so...

“It's not a hobby. It's just that…” After a pause, he sentenced. “I thought it might be useful. Imagine that a button on my shirt comes off, am I going to be bothering Letitia every time I need her to fix it?”

"Has anyone ever told you that you're unconventional?" Oscar laughed, thinking that teasing his relatives of the opposite sex with such smallness was just what most men did at that time and, without waiting for an answer, he added. “In any case, if a button comes off, you can also leave it to me.”

“Do you know how to sew too?”

“A little, and I'm equal to or probably worse than you. I was only telling you in case you wanted to spend time in company, trying to tie the damn button back.”

Albert laughed at that and promised that he would consider the offer. Meanwhile, Oscar was still wondering how much more the villain was hiding about his abilities. That is, he didn't think he had lied. But he also felt that he had not told the whole truth.

"In all of this," Albert began, after a few moments, "you still haven't told me what that job you got for Miss Cornell is all about."

"Didn't I say it? Ah, but why should I? She already expressed herself about it all afternoon, or did you not listen to her most illustrious words?”

Albert didn't say anything, but he could tell perfectly that he didn't believe a word the protagonist said. And, here's why, he wanted to hear it from Oscar.

“It's true that she's going to work in a Lyceum, the guy from the agency said it was a golden opportunity.”

“In those institutions they wouldn't even let a woman enter the conferences. Even if she had the money and position for it they would put up a stumbling block to let her through. So that hostess of honor thing…”

There was no one to swallow it. Oscar knew it as well as he did.

“It's just that Madeleine is going to host in the shadows, because she's that humble.”

“Don´t tell me that…”

“That's why she'll be in charge of getting the place ready, so that those wealthy gentlemen feel comfortable when they come.”

“Come on, you've got her to clean a building without her knowing about it.”

It was obvious that it was going to be without her knowing; Madeleine would have turned down the position on the spot, had she known that her primary task would be to clean up after others. Oscar only embellished the title of the position a little, he did not specify her duties and asked the one from the agency to humor him. As a result, the leading lady already had her own movie in her head.

"Said like that, it doesn't sound elegant at all!"

“You see when she finds out she has been cheated, she will leave the job immediately!”

"No, she won't, I have faith in her. Or in other words, her desire to be seen is much. I do not deny that she would have abandoned if she had been in charge of cleaning any other place, but a place where so many high-status people hang out? And miss the opportunity to mingle with them? Cannot be! She´ll be there reluctantly, but she will stay.”

Albert seemed thoughtful upon hearing this, then pointed out:

"I hope she can hold out where she is, though I can't quite see it."

"Shall we bet?"

"Bet what?" 

“Anything except money, please, I'm half out of my misery already. I don't want to go back to it!”

And, indeed, they made a small friendly bet, not exactly with cash. While Oscar was confident that Madeleine would last at least a week in the fake job she had been assigned, Albert found it hard to believe that she could even last a full day scrubbing. But well, in the end it was irrelevant which of the two came out losing; With what they had bet, and regardless of how the protagonist fared, they would both win something.

For now, they only had to wait for the waters to return to their course. And so, avoiding thinking about future concerns, they spent that night together. With one in the other's arms, there was no doubt that this nightly routine would be repeated countless times from now on.

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