Chapter 31 - Discourse
Evelyne looked out the window as the carriage traveled through the open iron gates and along the graveled road that led towards the large mansion. The mansion that had belonged to the Hartford family for generations. She leaned her chin against the palm of her hand as she watched the passing hedges and the facade of the approaching building. This was where she grew up. And despite her current circumstances, it was still more her home than the small manor on the border of the northern district that she was currently living in. Yet the only times she could visit were when she had something she needed to discuss with Scarlett, as she did now. It was always a bittersweet mix of sentimentality and frustration.
Soon the carriage stopped not far from the mansion's courtyard and Evelyne stepped outside, taking the entirety of the structure in. Though what it was like internally changed, it still looked the same from the outside.
She shook her head and started walking towards the entrance. Unsurprisingly, one of the servants had noticed her arrival because when she'd passed the fountain at the center of the courtyard she saw the mansion's main doors open and a girl a little younger than Evelyne with blonde hair in servants' clothing standing there.
"Madame Evelyne," the girl said as Evelyne climbed the stairs and entered, curtsying as she entered the foyer. Evelyne ignored the drop of frustration she felt at the manner of address. It was just another of Scarlett's attempts at disparaging her. She wouldn't let it get to her.
"Her Ladyship only recently returned from her trip. I'm not sure if she's ready to take any visitors right now," the servant continued.
Evelyne's eyes scanned around the lobby, stopping momentarily on the door leading to the reception hall, before returning to the girl. "Didn't she get back yesterday? Then there shouldn't be any issue with meeting me now. It's regarding important family matters." As usual.
The servant girl opened her mouth, but she didn't seem sure what to say in response. Evelyne was still technically the heir, after all. She watched the girl's hesitant expression, fighting back letting out a sigh. Why did it always have to be this hard? "Just go get Garside, will you? He won't scold you for it. And he won't tell my sister about it either."
The girl paused for a short time, before giving another short curtsy. "Then please wait here, Madame Evelyne. I'll go and inform Master Garside immediately." With that, the servant left up one of the stairs in the foyer and disappeared down a hallway at the end of it, leaving Evelyne alone in the entrance hall.
A stranger in her own home.
She walked up to the doors that led to the reception hall and peeked inside. The large room was largely empty — no signs of any tables, chairs, or hastily gathered beds and blankets. It seemed Scarlett really had moved the kids. Evelyne had already guessed it from the promissory note she'd seen, but it was still surprising. Much of what her sister did lately was.
Not only had Scarlett left for a sudden trip further up north a week ago, but she'd also apparently been ambushed by a group of supposed bandits immediately following. A matter that ended up on Evelyne's desk when the city guard sent a message asking about some corpses. And of course, she couldn't do much more than explain to them what she heard from the servants. She couldn't even ask Garside about it because he'd followed Scarlett on her trip.
A trip that had left Evelyne even more confused. She'd assumed Scarlett was traveling northwest to visit their lands for some reason or other, but Scarlett had instead visited some minor village in the neighboring domain. As far as Evelyne knew there was nothing of note in the area, so she couldn't for the life of her figure out what Scarlett had gone there to do. She just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass later on. Although she had long since gotten used to cleaning up Scarlett's messes.