Chapter 79: Chapter 79 – News from home

It was funny how, in the short span of three weeks, some people's lives could change so much. And it is that, as they had planned, Albert and Oscar did not wait for Madeleine to start work to leave the house: As the aforementioned would continue living indefinitely in the Northrop property, they could find out about her adventures either when they returned one day to visit that home or simply by contacting Letitia by letter.

In any case, it wasn't like that was necessary either. It was just good to have the protagonist located, in case of emergency.

But since Oscar had already moved into his new apartment, he really didn't even feel the need to let the townspeople know that Madeleine had been found safe and sound. After all, why should he do it himself? It wasn't his problem! And it's not like they had behaved decently with him in Snodland, so that no one came to demand anything. Therefore, on his last day visiting the Northrop mansion in London, Oscar did not even remind Madeleine to communicate with her family.

Still, he figured too, he was sure Theresa would take care of it.

Now, having settled in the new apartment, already well away from characters that were not of interest, he was finally able to concentrate one hundred percent on his own ambitions.

As soon as the move was over, the first thing Oscar did the next day was go to the publishing house. Place where Mr. Meadows was waiting for him, not only to hear his response regarding the publishing contract, but to tell him that for his part there would be no objection to him being employed as an editor.

Of course, he would have to start with the basics, being taught by the most experienced people in the place. He would not be assigned an author until after a few weeks or months, when his mentors considered him ready to correct a text that would later be published. Being that, the remaining time, apart from using it to learn, he would also use it to perform small tasks in the office, something more typical of an errand boy than a true editor.

But that was fine with Oscar.

No one could start from the top and, although he considered that he already had some experience in fixing what others destroyed, he was also well aware that he still had a lot to learn. And, if on top of hiring they were willing to teach him, even better! In just over a week, his new routine had kicked in, and he wasn't the only one struggling to get used to this new lifestyle.

Every morning he and Albert got up early and, after a short breakfast, each went to their respective posts.

The villain went to the store, while he came to the publisher. Now, since the Northrop store was open from morning until dark, it was only natural that the villain would stay there most of the day as well. Oscar, on the other hand, did not need to stay at King & Meadows for so long. Usually by early afternoon he was free. He only stayed until nightfall when the editor assigned to him for his own novel, if he wanted to discuss or propose a change to some scene in the manuscript. Anyway, the usual thing. Oscar had no problem staying, although he realized that, despite being a new employee there, everyone treated him with the same respect as one of their authors. Therefore, they tried to avoid entertaining him outside of his working hours.

Being absorbed in his new job, Oscar spent the entire week never thinking about Madeleine, the relatives waiting for her in Snodland, or even Peter Northrop and his paranoia at finding out whom his son was dating.

Oh, and speaking of the aforementioned, had he already arrived at his London mansion? Albert hadn't said anything about it and they hadn't been to that house since the day they left. But since Albert now worked in this place, there was no doubt that he would stay in touch with his father.

“Oscar!” Someone yelled at him from the other end of the sidewalk, during one of those afternoons when he had been able to leave the publishing house early.

Recognizing the voice instantly, and as the question of how this person got to the city was brushed aside, he turned around and began to walk faster, as if he hadn't heard a thing. Maybe there was a chance that that repellent human would call him once or twice before giving up, because no one in their right mind would want to attract the attention of passersby while she was bawling down the street as if trying to herd cattle. But no, that possibility did not occur.

The author, like her character, was only embarrassed when it suited her. And this time it was not one of them.

"Why are you running away?" Dianne had asked, annoyed, after racing through the crowd to catch up with an Oscar who had no choice but to stop, fearing that people would start gossiping about him for ignoring a young lady. “You didn't even bother to reply to the letter I sent you! What manners are those? If it wasn't for Theresa writing to her parents, I wouldn't have known that Madeleine is at Northrop home safe and sound!”

“Is it that I should have warned you?” Oscar scoffed. “With how rude you were in your last missive... Well, not only there, but since the wedding day of your precious protagonist. You didn't even apologize for getting mad at me for no reason, after I agreed to give Madeleine some advice for her own well-being!”

“That's just because you didn't do what I asked you to do! Why the hell would I want your help for if not? So that you act on your own and trash the plot even more?”

“Do you see how I was right not to answer you? It would be a waste of ink to do so.” This being the last sentence he intended to address to her, Oscar started to walk away again, but Dianne stopped him, grabbing his arm.

“Wait, aren't you even going to ask me what I'm doing here?”

“I can imagine, I don't need a confirmation.”

“You could at least escort me to the Northrop estate.”

"No thanks, escort yourself." Oscar smiled, hiding his growing anger, just because he knew that the writer was upset.

“Look, even though I know it was totally your fault, I'm willing to apologize to you. Agree?”

“I´m listening”.

"As I was saying," Dianne continued reluctantly, as if she had been practicing for days to blurt out that apology, "I'm sorry. As twisted as your idea of ​​love is, I realize you did what you thought was right by advising Madeleine not to marry. I still consider that, at least, you should have told her to think about it or give her some time, instead of an outright denial about the wedding, but… what can I do? Now that doesn't matter. I also apologize for the letter, for having insulted you in the past. So I didn't know what would become of my protagonists and I got nervous, it wasn't good” Seeing that there was no reaction from the other, she urged him. “Is that enough?”

“No, you're not done.”

"But I've already…" Dianne cut off her own words as she remembered something. “Do you want me to honor the entire deal we made at Snodland, too?”

“It would be nice, yes.”

"Well, when I get back to town I'll make sure to tell everyone that you're a most excellent person, and not the pervert that everyone thinks you are." Sensing, from his expression, that Oscar wouldn't accept such a small thing after all the slander she spread. she had to correct herself. “I can tell them or act as you tell me, to completely clear up that part of the misunderstanding. I even let you ask me for anything else, apart from that, so that we can finally be at peace!”

“That's very thoughtful of you, no doubt. I guess I'll find out if you keep your word or not.”

“Stop the nonsense, I have agreed to your conditions, now take me to the place!”

"When did I say I'd take you?"

And it was true, he had not agreed at any time. He only stopped to listen to her apologize because, well, seeing Dianne apologizing wasn't something you saw every day. It was entertaining and, in a way, even comforting to watch the author humiliate herself.

"I've worked very hard to get where I am, too," she began, trying to remain calm, after her face had gone through a considerable variety of colors, "don't think you're the only one who's been doing your best. Now, also, to get my protagonists to forgive each other, I have taken the license to convince Patrick to come visit London. And don't think that it was easy to snatch him from the clutches of that selfish Hendricks you brought in quite unconsciously!”

“Did you come with Patrick?”

“Obviously, I wasn't going to instigate Madeleine to come back alone! That would have had no effect! We just got back from the station, planning to rent a car to visit the Northrop mansion. But I saw you and thought, even if we are received kindly at your lover's house, wouldn't we be treated even better if we went with you?”

Despite the fact that it was tempting they saw those two appear in his company and that, with the dislike that Mr. Northrop now had him for continuing to deal with his son, they would throw them all off the property, Oscar preferred to inquire:

“And where is that human waste, if it may be known?”

He didn't see Patrick anywhere and, going back to what Dianne mentioned, he didn't want to pick a fight with who might be his father-in-law.

"I left him over there…" Dianne paused as she turned and pointed, realizing that there was no one by the road where she was pointing. “Wait for me a moment!” She ended up exclaiming after letting her gaze wander for a few moments, until both she and Oscar spotted the protagonist about to enter a gentlemen's club and Dianne decided to run away to try to stop him.

Of course, having been momentarily rid of Dianne, how was Oscar going to wait? What he wanted was to run away!

When the writer approached him, her very first intention was to walk in the opposite direction to his new apartment, so that lunatic would never know where he lived. This, of course, after making it clear that he wasn't going to bring her anywhere near the Northrops. But now that she was distracted trying to snatch Patrick away from temptation, there was no longer any need for that.

Picking up his pace, Oscar headed toward his house, long before the author thought to look in his direction again. And, as absurd as it seemed, he succeeded in leaving her behind even with such a cheap trick.

He had no idea if Patrick's intentions were true, or if the fact that he had allowed himself to be talked into getting Madeleine back was because he was pursuing a greater goal that had nothing to do with romance. But whatever it was, it didn't interest him. Despite the fact that he was as unhappy as Albert that these people ended up knocking on the door of the Northrop mansion, drawing those who lived inside into their entanglements, he was still glad they did not have the power to continue bothering him. And it is that, having abandoned the writer, what could she do but forget about him and continue on her path?

Free of unnecessary burdens, by the time Oscar reached his apartment he barely remembered the unpleasant encounter. And it wasn't because he'd had a good time, or because he'd been distracted the entire walk back trying to concentrate on other things. No, if he almost forgot he went by force. Because when he walked into the hall, one of the housekeeper's bloody cats was waiting for him.

Ordinarily, he would have no problem with these devilish vermin. Well, although Mrs. Burrows obviously didn't like him, she had kept her word to keep them on the ground floor of the building. So he would rarely have to find them prowling the corridor.

That day, however, opening the front door he must have alerted Mrs. Burrows. Who came out of her own apartment at that moment, followed by one of her cats. Cat who, as soon as she saw him, hissed in warning and ran up the stairs.

Mrs. Burrows didn't care, perhaps already used to the hostility with which her animals treated certain guests. And Oscar, who still couldn't help but startle when those four-legged beings tried to intimidate him, silently wondered if it would go down alone or if someone would have to pick it up... Because well, the door of the apartment he shared with Albert was closed, but the cat still had a landing to perch on. And, to be honest, he didn't want to deal with this.

"The mail," the landlady had said without preamble, handing him a letter.

Oscar was going to thank her for picking it up in his absence, but Mrs. Burrows quickly added before disappearing back into her own space:

“When you're done reading, please send Cora downstairs. What if she gets into your apartment? I'm not going to be the good Samaritan looking for her all over the floor.”

“And how am I supposed to…?”

But the question died there, because the old woman had already left, leaving her own door open for when the cat had the chance to enter.

Oscar sighed, seeing himself alone and without a plan. The problem was no longer the cats often threatened him, urging him not to invade what they had already claimed as their area. No, what bothered him was that they were happy to scratch if you got too close. He knew it because, in some carelessness, they had already tried to cut him. And usually he could put up with it, because apart from the fact that they used to stay where their owner told them, when they got too close to his flat Albert could catch them and return them to Mrs. Burrows. But things were different when he was alone, since cats did not allow themselves to be touched.

So, not wanting to stay and read in the corridor until Her Majesty the cat decided to go downstairs, he decided to go upstairs himself.

Cora was lying on the ledge of a window, barely two meters away from Oscar's door. Even though she had been looking at him ever since he came into his field of vision, she didn't seem to have any intention of moving. In fact, she was resting peacefully, without losing sight of the intruder who had been occupying her home for weeks but, at the same time, without wanting to throw him out.

Perhaps this was the moment for Oscar to be a hero, take advantage of the fact that the animal was peaceful, take her in his arms and run down to his landlady's apartment. Well, in these few weeks he already had a reputation of being a coward who did not like cats. What better way, then, than to show he was indeed brave and had nothing against these pets? He had never had problems with any cat before, the few he had met in his life had been friendly.

If he could get along with those, he would definitely get along with these too!

With this firm resolution made, Oscar took a step towards where Cora was. Then, out of the blue, he jammed his key into the lock of the apartment and entered like a bullet, not giving the cat time to react.

Come to think of it, there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity. And heaven must be full of fools!

Already inside his living room, he could hear the cat meowing from outside and eventually sharpening her claws on the wood. Perhaps Oscar should have stopped or scolded her, so she wouldn't smash the door. But then again, it was better for him not to. So he let it be.

Making himself comfortable on the only sofa there was, he decided to ignore the noises and examine the envelope that he still had in his hands; after the move, he had taken the time to write to a few people he trusted, mostly to let them know where he was. He never specified whether or not he lived with the villain except in one, to be precise, which he sent his aunt and uncle. But people like Sayer or Mallory could sense that sort of thing without his mentioning it.

As he hadn't said much in his own letters, and having sent them recently, he didn't expect to get a reply so soon. Much less that said answer was sent by Kenneth, just the guy who liked to read the least and that barely knew how to write. Who was going to tell him that he would end up sending a letter? It was strange but, at the same time, Oscar was excited: Sometimes, the most anticipated letters could be those whose sender did not usually pick up the pen or write a couple of words together.

So, without further ado, he removed the pages from inside the envelope and began to read:

“Hey Oscar, how's it going?

“Surely you were surprised that I wrote, right? But naturally, when you still lived in Snodland we saw each other often, there was no need to correspond. That is why I am very glad that you have decided to give me your address, I promise you that you will not regret it and we will be able to maintain this beautiful friendship for a long time!

“Ah, but what was I going to tell you… I didn't write to you just to thank you, I had already done that before. No. What I wanted to ask you was if you were already aware of the latest news around town. It's been so lively lately...! It seems that as soon as you left the party started, which is a shame because, really, it is worth being here in the front line observing everything. Oh, and I'm not saying that because I've been spying all the time. You know that it is not so! It's just that I have somewhat sensitive ears and I can pick things up quicker than most.

“But as I was saying, I'm already dispersed and I can't afford to buy more paper than what I have; Remember that rumor that Miss Hendricks was pregnant by Patrick Seymour? Well, turns out that started because of Ms. Hendricks herself. She was the one who went with the story to the masters and hey, after the little number in the church, nobody believed her. Patrick denied everything, of course, emphasizing over and over again that he hadn't visited that lady for a long time...

“And then she took the opportunity to misrepresent, saying that it was a lie what she told in church so that the neighbors would not have a worse opinion of him! Let's see, I don't know if what she said was true or false, that she got pregnant by the master, but it is true that Patrick has passed through London several times in recent months. And, without the company of his parents, who knows what he would be doing.

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“Mr. Seymour Sr. thought so too, and so he gave Miss Hendricks the benefit of the doubt. Well, for that and because he knows very well that his son is not a saint, that he has had a few troubles that until now have not ended in scandal because he knew how to cover them by putting money out of his pocket to silence certain people. Oh, have I told you about those scandals? I wish we could see each other, because in writing I wouldn't finish telling you all of them!

“But, as I was saying, the thing is, after giving this lady the benefit of the doubt, the Messrs. Seymours began threatening Patrick that it was no longer enough for him to offer a public apology to both the Cornells and the wedding guests. No, they insisted that if it was true that she was pregnant, Patrick had an obligation to marry her. And guess what! The Seymours sent her to a doctor to get her checked out and yes, it turns out the pregnancy thing is at least true!

“Then a tremendous row arose at Lilac Hall, where Patrick even dared to disrespect the young lady by saying that the baby he was expecting could be someone else's. She got so angry…! We could hear her from the garden!

“He even he started describing all the perversions they both did, while they were dating, right there. Right in front of Mrs. Seymour (which, by the way, the poor thing fainted and everything, it's terrible). Mr. Seymour, for his part, chose to side with Ms. Hendricks and, drawing something out of Mr. Northrop about I don't know what pays, argued that Patrick should get married and settle down for once.

“Patrick refused again, saying that he preferred Madeleine. Well, what do you want me to tell you? I think that if you have to choose between a hysterical madwoman with a child and a hysterical madwoman without a child, it is better to choose the latter. Anyway! That much to Patrick's chagrin, everything is already being prepared for a wedding to take place before Ms. Hendricks becomes more pregnant.

“Ah, but the other twist is missing! As Patrick could not convince his father to stop all this, he decided to go to the city in search of Madeleine (it was a secret, but I know because the coachman that used to take him to London in the stage told me, only I had to bribe him a bit…). It turns out that Patrick is planning on sneakily marrying her to get rid of the Hendricks! Isn't that amazing?

“But wait, wait, that's not all the trouble around here. We have more.

“Do you remember that Mrs. Cornell was helping with the parish? You know, about the collection, keeping the association well organized, assisting the devotees who needed it... and the priest. Especially the priest! It's all super scandalous, Oscar. They didn't have time at the Cornell house to assimilate that Madeleine had left when, not even three days later, Mrs. Cornell also left! And with her Father Gilmore, of course.

“The lady left letters for her husband and daughters, though I don't think Theresa or Madeleine received theirs because, Mallory told me, their employer is still hoping his wife will come back and didn't send them. Hope I can already tell you that it is completely useless because, go with the letter that she left for him! Edmund Cornell threw it away as soon as he read it and her face turned red and puffy right away, as if he was going to explode with anger. Mallory managed to read the note when he dismissed it and it was basically the wife insulting her husband in a thousand ways, accusing him of being unfaithful with I don't know which governess (but do they still have that lying around...?) and rubbing his face that has been in a relationship with the priest since last summer.

“From what I understand, she knew all along that her husband was being unfaithful, but she let it go because it was convenient for her. Well, as long as the guy was lying to her thinking that he was the smartest for having a mistress without his wife noticing, she would have freedom of movement to date Father Gilmore. Isn't it brilliant? I find it very funny!

“The letter concluded by asking Mr. Cornell to let her daughters do what they wanted, such as Theresa continuing to study if she wanted, since “even the stupidest of them has more brains than her father”. She then added that she was not going to see him again, because she was going to live with the vicar in another unspecified village, well away from Snodland.

“Mr. Cornell has been so angry for a few days…! Imagine, every day that passes he is more ruined, his eldest daughter did not want to marry someone who could solve their existence, his wife abandoned him and, on top of that, since he does not have any sons, he will not have anyone to pass on to them the few possessions that still remain . It's just that you can't even say good morning to a man without throwing a tantrum!

“But hey, that's not so bad for you, is it? I mean, your thing with Mr. Northrop is kind of fading now, because with Mr. Cornell whimpering around corners and Ms. Hendricks sitting in Lilac Hall waiting for Patrick to do his job, the neighbors are much more interested in how everything unfolds between these families.

“How's everything going with Albert, by the way? I imagine that you are already living together. And luck that you have, that you´ve been able to leave this town full of gossipy and prejudiced people. I don't know what it's like out there in your situation, given that I've never been attracted to men, but I'm sure you won't even have to try so hard to be discreet when... I'd better skip this topic, because someone here is giving me a murderous gaze already!

“I almost forgot, I am sending you some copies of the photos that were taken during the failed marriage between Patrick and Madeleine. Ordinarily I wouldn't do this, but the situation deserves it; I am a friend of the photographer and we have a small business. No, we did not sell the negatives to the newspaper... Instead, we are offering this type of photos to individuals, who happen to pay better and, since everything is exclusive, well...

“Well, I say goodbye now. If you see Patrick or someone else around… Get as far away as you can! And, for now, good luck with both your new job and the book! And the same goes for Mr. Northrop, who hopefully one day will earn enough to have service and hire me because, seriously, I want to get out of poverty too! And I bet you guys would pay better than the Seymours.

“PS: Don't think that I wrote so much, with what it costs me! I have been dictating the note to Sayer, who I know very well that the very gossip was going to read it anyway, so I said: "well, why not?" If you see faults or censorship, it is his fault. He does not want me to ask more about your life as a couple because he says that it is disrespectful. And let's see, it may be, but aren't we friends? And, anyway, I already have the negative. Nothing to lose by asking!

“PD2: (Sayer here). Oscar, please pay attention to this fop the Seymours have for a gardener and take him to the capital. He already has me dizzy with so much talk.

“For my part, I have received your letter and will be responding in a few days. Wait for it. First I had to write Kenneth´s, and luckily he paid me something for it, because as you can see, the guy had too many accumulated gossips not to let them go”.

The letter ended here, leaving Oscar with the feeling that, without a doubt, he had left the soap opera at its peak. Although of course, that did not mean he was going to miss the outcome of all this accumulation of well-deserved misfortunes. Not just because Kenneth intended to continue reporting, but because the characters in that farce were already gathering in the capital itself, ready to carry out the last and most terrible act of their function.

Inside the envelope, there was still something else: Five photos, each one better than the last.

Despite the fact that the photography at the time did not go very far in terms of color and sharpness, adding to this that the photographer was located somewhat away from the altar, that was still not an impediment for that to result in a good shot.

The first photo began with Lizzie Hendricks walking down the aisle, angry. Surprise reflected in the faces of those who turned to see her, including, of course, the parish priest and her boyfriend.

The second featured the leading trio arguing and gesticulating.

In the third the chaos began: You could see perfectly how Hendricks took a vase, holding it up, about to throw its contents towards Madeleine.

By the fourth, the fight was at its climax, with the two women kicking and punching each other, and Patrick Seymour reluctantly trying to push the protagonist away.

The fifth was the one that managed to make Oscar not take it anymore and burst out laughing: It had captured the exact moment in which Madeleine gave Hendricks a right hand and, not only that, the moment in which that, inadvertently, Patrick had taken a kick from the protagonist. And he could be seen turning away from her, half hunched over, holding his sore leg while others came to separate the women.

It was true that those images were worth gold!

Even with the passing of the hours, the memory of those photos remained in such a way that, by the time Albert got home, Oscar was still laughing. And it was no longer just the images, it was what a masterstroke Sarah Cornell had made!

Let's see, it's not that he thought it was good to play the law of retaliation, deceiving those who deceived before. What he really admired was that this woman had hidden her affair so well that even he himself had not suspected. Nothing to do with her inept husband, who even confessed to his face who he was sleeping with without even verifying if he knew about it! Oscar already knew this woman was cunning, because of the advice she gave her daughters, but until that moment he had not known to what extent.

Seeing him in such a good mood, Albert wanted to know if something good had happened during the day and Oscar, wanting to share that little jewel he had just acquired, obviously proceeded to pass him the letter, saving the photos for last.

"Clearly Theresa and Madeleine Cornell don't know about their mother," the villain had murmured, finishing reading. “Neither of them mentioned anything about it the last time I saw them. And as for Patrick coming here to try to take Madeleine… I hope he doesn't. Although there´s nothing I would like more than to get the aforementioned out of our house, we don't need any more disturbances.”

“But your father is already home, isn't he? I suppose he´ll be able to occupy them… Ah, right! Today I saw Dianne on the street and she came with Patrick.”

“What?”

“I should have said it before, but I ran away so fast that I didn't even have time to process it. Because Kenneth wrote this I remembered it! Lately I've been getting into the habit of forgetting certain unpleasant encounters I have, it's quite unfortunate...”

“I´ll see to that tomorrow, after work, I'm going to have to go over there to check if the building is still standing," the villain sighed and then, making sure of something, he hastened to inquire. “Ms. Warren will not be…?”

"She didn't follow me," Oscar replied before the other finished his question. “She was in too much of a hurry wanting to reunite the two toxic ones, so I imagine that as soon as I left, she rushed to fulfill what she has yet to regard as her divine mission. Speaking of which, when the woman saw me she wanted to drag me to see your father, I almost died of fright!”

But, even though he said it with those words, he didn't sound cowed at all. On the contrary, he looked like he was enjoying himself. And, once the letter was put aside, it was the photos that he showed Albert.

“Look on the positive side, in case Patrick or Madeleine make a fuss and refuse to leave your house, you can extort them by sending those images to the London press,” he had said with a smile, it was not known whether it was a joke or not. “Everything is very well thought out!”

The villain couldn't help but laugh too, much to his chagrin, since he wasn't one to enjoy the misfortune of others. But what could be done? Those photos were perfect. One would lack a sense of humor if did not find them somewhat amusing.

So, in the end, he just asked:

“These haven't been published in the Snodland newspaper?”

"Not that I know of," Oscar answered, remembering Kenneth's words, not just from the letter but from before they parted ways in the village. “Although, who knows? Maybe someone did take the opportunity to resell some photos and spread them throughout the community. Be that as it may, it is probable that here in the city they are not aware of anything that has happened. Perhaps they'd be thrilled to have something new to fill the society pages with…and sink a few reputations in the process.” Wearing a smirk, he soon corrected himself. “But wait, I'm not encouraging you to go extort money from that couple right now either. I just thought: Why don't we keep it, in case we need it one day?".

Albert didn't say anything, but looked at him with a mixture of suspicion and inquisition. As if wondering if Oscar was trying to lead him down the path of evil... Which was ironic, given that despite his character, he never ceased to receive the title of villain in that disastrous work.

After much pondering, Albert sentenced:

“I guess there wouldn't be much point in breaking them up, anyway, it's not like you have the negatives.”

“I like that way of thinking. See? When you want to do something ugly, it relaxes you much more knowing that there is another person who is also vandalizing in the same way, without remorse.”

"Speaking of vandalism, do you have any idea why our door is covered in scratches?"

The truth is that Oscar had also forgotten about the door, until Albert mentioned it. And it is that, at some point while he was reading Kenneth's words, the sound from outside had faded. So, by the time he put the envelope away with everything and started to prepare dinner, he hadn't been thinking about the cat that had been looking at him an hour ago as if she wanted to commit murder.

"You know exactly what caused it, didn't you see the cat when going up?"

"No, but Mrs. Burrows greeted me with a smile as I entered, inquiring about my day and asking if I would like to come down to her flat for a moment for tea."

"Damn, she just gave me her sour face and practically threw the letter in my face!" Oscar complained, although he was beginning to get used to that strange old woman and the bias she had towards the villain no longer annoyed him like the first days.

At least she had kept her word not to disturb them. And therefore, except for the times he ran into her on the foyer, for Oscar it was as if she didn't exist.

“She also complained about you, because you didn't do what she asked”.

“It was expected.”

"So, I told her I wouldn't have either if my housekeeper had a cat that tries to scratch me every time I get close. I declined the tea and she apologized. She told me, regarding this, that tomorrow when you came down she would also apologize to you”.

"What magic is this?" Oscar asked, not as shocked as he should have been. “Such favored treatment... I want it too! With that about her apologizing, it even makes me want to scrap my idea of ​​adopting a guard dog to keep those cats out of our apartment.”

"Did you want a dog?"

Albert's surprise was genuine, as Oscar had never mentioned that he wanted one.

“I was thinking of Kenneth. Didn't he say that he would like to work here? Well, it occurred to me that as intimidating as it can be with some animals, it could be a better guardian than a trained dog.”

"Don't joke about that," asked Albert, although he couldn't help but smile, perhaps remembering how the aforementioned handled the dogs during the hunt organized half a year ago, "knowing him, he would be very capable of accepting that job willingly."

“That's true, and barring the plan to give him such a tiresome job, who needs service? It is much better just the two of us, without having to answer to anyone, and without having to worry about someone at home seeing or hearing something inappropriate.”

That was something that Oscar had already said on previous occasions and that, at first, he thought that Albert would disagree. Because well, how could someone agree to do without service when all his life had had servants under his command? Even if he accepted the condition of living without them, he thought he would at least complain a little.

But no, Albert did not utter a single complaint.

Not only that, he was also willing to share the household chores with him. And although on days like that, in which Oscar returned early from his work, it was the latter who cooked, there were also many other days in which it was Albert who prepared dinner or cleaned the house.

Now, the curious thing for Oscar wasn't that Albert had offered to do his part of the chores. That is, given his peaceful personality and the desire he always had to lend a hand to his people, such behavior was to be expected. What really surprised Oscar was the fact that all those household chores were done so nicely. The guy even cooked better than him and a gentleman from a noble family was not supposed to have ever set foot in a kitchen! It was unheard of, to say the least.

Although it wasn't as if the villain was an ordinary person either, with the same pride that most of his class carried. And, when Oscar asked about it, he had explained that things like cooking were a hobby of his. That he was not bothered by the lack of service in that sense because, when he was still living in Thornfield, he was not allowed to help with the preparation of lunches. So it was a relief to finally be able to handle himself as he pleased, without restraint.

This didn't quite explain how Albert could seem to have had so much practice cooking. Worse yet knowing that, as Mr. Northrop's employees, the servants at Thornfield must have been under orders not to let him cook. But Oscar didn't want to ask him any more about it either, since it was clear that Albert didn't want to delve further into the matter.

Having settled in the apartment, and beginning to adjust to his new life, a period of calm came for both of them.

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