XXX. The Secret Player-1

Nearly a month in Wickhurst and it was Harold who suggested that they returned to Kenward for some peace and quiet. There were a few reasons, but mainly because he saw how Alice was affected by the gossips surrounding her no matter how she tried not to show it. A day prior to his decision to go back to Kenward, he learned from Eva that Alice had to suffer an afternoon in a café with some women deliberately talking about her. "They did not say her name, but it was apparent that she was the subject," Eva had told him. "And did you leave?" "No, of course, not," said Eva. "Of course. Did she give the women what they deserved?" "Well, no." Harold was surprised. "You mean to say that my wife kept quiet?" "Yes." "And why is that?" "She was praying they would mention her name, you see. She had to be certain she was the subject." "Ah, I can imagine her agony." "This is no laughing matter, Harold. Alice was clearly distressed." Eva was correct, of course. He had wondered what happened that very afternoon she arrived home from her afternoon stroll with Eva. "I worry that she will be left alone most of the time now that I am showing. Martin and I are planning to deliver the babe in Lettice." His decision was made that very same night. With barely no friends in Wickhurst and very little to trust, he decided that the best way to deal with the gossips was to let them die. His wife was only glad to leave Wickhurst and explore Kenward more. She tended to her horses in the morning and he would later join her to go for a ride along the plantation. They would sometimes spend hours breaking their fast there, basking underneath a large hole that scattered sunlight and warmth over the corn plantation. "I could spare a lot for you if you wish to grow a variety of flowers," he offered one afternoon. "What would I do with flowers?" she asked. "They are beautiful." Alice merely nodded. "I see." "You do not like them?" he asked in disbelief. "I do not know. I am not just particularly fond of them." "Whever not?" "Do I need to have a reason? I simply do not especially like them." She turned to him and added, "But I would love if you can spare a lot for an orchard. I wish to grow grapes." "Grapes?" She nodded. "Wines are getting too expensive, darling. We might as well make our own." The usual conversation he had with his wife were ones he could not typically have with others. He enjoyed the small surprises that would come out of her lips when he thought he already knew how she would react to certain subjects. It seemed to Harold that the more he spent time with Alice, the more he grew to cherish her. And that wonderful feeling slowly brewed the fear inside him again. Would he be able to survive if he would lose her? His live would be chaos, he was aware, but would he ever come to a point akin to all right? Would things be all right if the curse was true? Alice, being perceptive as always, suspected that he was fighting an internal conflict. She decided to bring up the subject one night when he was designing a pendant he intended to give her. "Whatever is on your mind, darling, please be certain it does not reflect on that piece of jewelry." "Hmm?" Harold asked as he inspected a piece of stone. "Because you are thinking ugly thoughts." Harold placed the stone and the magnifying glass on the table and asked, "Whatever do you mean?" "You are thinking about the thing you do not wish that we discuss because you believe it should remain a dead subject." "Do you mean the curse?" When she did not reply, Harold sighed. "You could have simply asked." "I did ask." "I did not hear a question," he retorted, smiling as he stood to his feet. Approaching her to the settee where she had been quietly reading a new book earlier, Harold fell beside her and gathered her in his arms. "Fret not, I intend to have many children with you, darling. But it does not mean that I do not fear from time to time." Alice scoffed. "You fear the silliest things." Harold shook his head. "I do not fear a future without you for I know it is a possibility, but I do fear that it will be soon. I will not be ready if that were to happen too soon." Alice sighed and sank deeper into the crook of his arm. "I have been wondering..." "What?" "Have you ever imagined how you will fair if you were to lose me first?" "As I have said to Martin before, women are advanced in thinking and imagination, Harry. We think too far ahead into the future." "You do? Pray tell, then." Alice took a deep breath. "Let us see," she said with a sigh. "I imagine myself raising our children alone, of course." "Without a whip." "Very well, without a whip." She shifted to her side. "And I imagine spending your money." Harold laughed. "I ought to make certain that you have enough."