Four: Baron Lucian

I followed Kelly while Dad was just behind me. I don't know what to expect, no one spoke as we trudged along the hallways. Even here the electrical wires have been carefully placed that you could barely see how the cables were attached. There were still candlesticks on the walls but they appeared to be totally neglected. If Kelly was faking the house, he's doing a good job at it.

He stopped at a door and extracted a key from his breast pocket. Even the key looked old and intricate.

"Why wasn't I given the keys?" I heard dad asked.

Kelly turned his head and smiled, "I thought you'd want to see the Baron's residence only when you're ready. I plan to hand over the keys once I show you around. But please," he opened the door and flipped the switch, "after you."

That meant me. So I stepped thru and looked around. Great, another ancient looking room.

"This was the Baron's study." Kelly explained.

I thought it was a library, but then it only had two book shelves facing the fireplace. So yeah, it was a private study. There was a desk made of oak with a beautiful chair. It was handcrafted and probably weighed a ton. A fur coat lay on its back. It was a man's chair from the looks of it. Or better yet, a Baron.

"Interesting.." I heard my dad said.

"How do we know its his?" I don't know why I didn't want to blurt out his name, but they know who I meant.

Kelly gave me another cold stare but appeared unaffected. "Well, I see you are not convinced."

"Indeed." I crossed arms on my chest. "How do we know you aren't tricking my dad into buying this house?"

"Krista!"

"Its alright Patrick. She's not the first one to doubt."

"Oh yeah? Others have ogled you too?" I was feeling really pissed.

"Krista, no need to yell." Dad was getting on my nerves too. But his voice had calmed me bit.

"I just.. the house is too good to be true. My father has been looking for any clues that could lead us to the Baron. Then suddenly you come up and sell this house."

"He didn't just 'come up' Krista. I found Tristane while following a clue."

I stared at my father, "Pray tell how you met him."

"Why, the internet of course!" He appeared really amused, as if it was most common thing to do. Well, the internet is common but my dad didn't use computers before. So I get it if he's amused. But still..

"Really dad? The internet?" I stared at Kelly, "What were you like? Chatmates?"

"We exchanged emails Krista."

"Perhaps I should explain," Kelly inserted. He moved forward so he would face me and dad at the same time. "I posted the house up for sale online, it was a legit site. All about house leasing, selling and buying. That kind of stuff. The title had been drafted by a lawyer. All of this is legal."

"But is the house really his?" I insisted.

"It is. Let me tell you how I came in property with the house," he offered me a chair while dad took up the couch. Kelly remained standing, as if he was a professor ready for his lecture. "My family are descendants of Letecia Mayers, who is she?" He took out an old photo and gave it to me, it was actually an enhanced photo of a portrait. The only way to save her face was to take a photo of the painting, smart. But the artist looked inexperienced, you can clearly see how common the woman looked. It failed to capture her real beauty. If I were to meet her in person, I wiuld probably not recognize her. I let Kelly continue, "Letecia was the governess of Galbraith Norwood. Who was known as —"

"—Baron Lucian" Patrick interrupted.

"Correct. He was 5 years old when Letecia was employed by the late Baron. She had educated and watched over Galbraith until such time, her services were no longer needed."

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting interested with the story. I haven't heard this one before.

"It means, Lord Norwood was growing and needs to be sent to a proper gentleman's school." Patrick explained this one.

I nodded, Kelly approved of Dad's contribution. It made his story easier to comprehend. "But the late Baron did not dismiss Letecia, she became the head of the household. Her duty was to manage the servants and see over the supplies needed, may it be food, clothing or whatever. The Baron entrusted her with money and responsibility."

"Then she was entrusted with the house as well?" I thought it sounded lame but it seemed it eventually led to that.

"For a time, yes. She was an employee still. Only the head of the family can really manage the house. She was a help, not more than that." Kelly removed his glasses and wiped the lens, "Then you probably know that the story led to the old Baron's death and Galbraith inherited the title."

"Yes. It was in a journal by a servant who lived in the manor..." Patrick immidiately added, "here."

"That servant was Claus. He was Galbraith's playmate."

"He was? I thought the journal was written by a woman? A serving girl?" I asked. Because that was what I've heard.

"No. Unfortunately not. The entries can be translated from a woman's point of view. But at that time, no servants or serving girls could read and write. Exept Letecia, the former governess." Kelly explained.

"How sure are you, of all this?"

"The story has been handed down from my family. It came from Letecia's lips herself." He closed his eyes and tried to picture his father, "My own father retold the story on his deathbed. On how Letecia served as a counselor to the young Baron Lucian and Claus was there too. The two young men had been inseperable. Best of friends, confidante's and partners in everything. Nothing could break them apart."

"Until he met her." I added.

"Yes. Until Galbraith met a commoner that he fell in love with." Kelly put on his glasses back. "I've read the version on the internet. It depicted how the journal's owner described his feelings about the relationship. No wonder you thought it was written by a woman."

Patrick was silent. It was true, no one released and confirmed that the journal belonged to a woman, they assumed it was because of the relationship. Now, this is making a little bit of sense. Or is it? I glanced at Kelly, waiting for him to continue.

"Yes, Claus was jealous over the commoner." He confirmed my unvoiced question. "He had always adored Galbraith, they were raised like brothers. In a way the late Baron had adopted him. He was not a relative but the Norwoods took him in. No one knew what was really going on his head."

"According to the journal, Baron Lucian tried to elope with this commoner. He was prepared to abdicate his title." I remembered that part, I had a photocopy of the journal's entries. But not from the journal itself, a translation made by the founding archeologists after seeing that the journal was too fragile to be handled with.

"Yes he did. Letecia knew about it, she advised the Baron to think it over. He had been raised to meet the responsibilites that lie on his title, if he abdicates now, his father died for nothing. That's what she said to Galbraith."

"Yet he still chose the girl. She must be really pretty."

Kelly raised his brows, "I must say you are very interested in this story Miss Neville."

I waved my hand off, "Just want to clarify things, is all. After all, if it weren't for that journal this story wouldn't be circulating at all."

"I see," but Kelly still gave me the cold stare, "well, according to my ancestor the girl was indeed a beauty. Poor thing, she was a farmer's daugther promised to a woodcutter's son so they could maybe live a little better." That time woodcutters earn a lot than farmers. "But she met Galbraith and everything went downhill."

"What does your ancestor say about the realtionship? Other than that they were ill suited?" Patrick found his voice again. "There is an entry on the journal that said 'The girl was a disaster. She brought troubles for Lucian and me. I will not let her separate us. She is the evil one, not I.' I can remember those words."

I wasn't suprised my father knew the words by heart, he told me the story over and over again for many years. Hell, I probably know it by heart as well. I just don't care to.

"Letecia didn't see her as a disaster. She understood why Galbraith would love her, she was the prettiest girl in the village and had a kind heart, but in Claus's eyes she was danger. She would take away Lucian and leave him alone. He can't accept that." Kelly fumbled at his pockets. He did it out of habit. "Letecia did not suspect of Claus, when he objected of the Baron and the commoner's relationship, she thought that Claus was thinking about the stature, that there will a scandal and the ton will talk about it. He proposed to separate the Baron and the girl."

"How?" I asked.

"You know that part Krista," Patrick turned to me, "I read it to you everynight."

"Not since I was staying with mom. You weren't there dad. She didn't like the Baron." I tried to smile, but I couldn't. "But please do refresh my memory of that part."

Patrick became serious, he was gathering his thoughts and said , "The journal said that 'In three days time, I will separate that evil woman from my Lucian. I have prepared the perfect way to get rid of her. I penned a missive under Lucian's name, she is to meet me at the clearing near the Green River. She will be bribed with more gold than she had ever seen and forever forgotten." The writer was obviusly filled with hate while planning that."

"So he pretended to be Lucian, lured her into the river and killed her." I added.

"That's what we can deduct, yes.." my dad replied.

I turned to Kelly, "You know what happened next?"

"My version is from my ancestor. Letecia was given the idea that Claus will bribe the girl and send her away, far far away from Lucian. So Lucian would think she ran away with someone else. But what happened with the girl?" Kelly looked at my dad as if asking him to continue.

Patrick did, "It was said the girl's body was found in the Green River."

"So Claus did do it." I summarized.

"It wasn't described in the journal. Someone else could've done it. What did Letecia say, Tristane?"

"Letecia heard the story from a servant, she thought the girl was robbed then killed after Claus bribed her with money. She delievered the news to Galbraith." He looked up, as if suddenly tired , "He was devastated."

"Did Letecia mentioned Claus's plan?"

Kelly thought for a second, "No. I don't think so."

"So, as far as I understand Lucian falls inlove with the farmer's daughter, causing jealousy over Claus who was Lucian's closest friend. Claus devised a plan to trick the girl and give false information to Letecia. Claus meets the girl, kills her and dumps her body..." I paused to catch my breath, "so why isn't he a suspect?"

"At that time anyone was a suspect, but Claus wasn't. Galbraith thought of him as a friend still, he showed support when Galbraith first met the girl." Kelly finally sat down against the heavy chair, "But that was a lie, a facade."

"But your ancestor, she heard Claus's plan."

"She was convinced Claus would never hurt a mosquito, least kill a girl. She watched him grow beside Lucian." Patrick deduced.

"Going back to the journal, the story goes that after the girl dies the Baron wasn't himself." I tried to back track.

"Yes. He turned to drinking and whoring," Kelly looked up apologetically to my Dad, but I know what the word meant. I told him to get going, "No one could stop him. He became hysterical, he called the girl's name over and over. He even went to the river himself," he stopped because I gasped. I can't help it. It was so tragic!

"It was on the journal, 'My heart breaks for my Lucian. He is crying over the evil woman. He did not deserve to be like this, he does not listen to anything I say. He has thrown me aside.' I bet Claus tried to win his affections but failed." This time, my dad was feeling sad too. It was the part both of us cried when he shared it to me.

All this time I thought a woman had written it down, knowing it was another man, I just don't know what to feel.

"Is that how he...disappeared?" I managed to ask.

"Yes and no." Kelly said.

"What do you mean?"

"The Baron.." he paused, "he was suddenly fine one day. He stopped drinking and cut off all his vices..he began to smile again. Everyone thought he was finally grieving over the girl."

"But?"

"But, it was the last day they'll ever see him...like that." Kelly's face turned serious now, "The Baron Lucian never disappeared on purpose. He was just...gone."

Now this part is coming, I hated it before I hated it more than ever now. I looked at my dad, he was waiting for Kelly to finish as well. I could feel the air tighten within the room. What comes next was doom.