The Death of a Bachelor

Chapter Twenty Seven

An unsuspecting Enoch was enroute from the Eastern Wing to Central Wing of the Hammedatha Manor, waltzing through the cloister when he was suddenly pulled and shoved back against the wall. A hand slammed into the wall at the right side of his head.

The servant, whose ribs were almost dented due to the hard way his heart thundered, looked at the hand; large and masculine, and his eyes traced the thickness of his forearm, not failing to notice the protruding veins that followed all the way to the unclothed bicep. His brown eyes finally met the signature glower of Joshua, whose bangs did little to hide the eerie glow of his leafy green eyes, and made him look all the more menacing.

A smirk replaced the thin line of his lips and he rumbled a, "Hello, Enoch."

The servant gulped.

"Tsup, Enoch," Ray, to Joshua's left, was more light hearted.

Enoch forced a smile. "Huh-hello, Captain Joshua, Sir Raymond."

"Listen Curls," Joshua said. "We are going to need you to do a little something for us. And you must do it without your master's knowledge."

Horror blanketed Enoch's face. "You want me to keep a secret from Prince Luke?" he asked. "I'm not good at keeping things from him. He always sniffs them out."

"Don't worry about that, because you don't have to keep it from him for long," said Ray.

Enoch relaxed a bit. "What is it you want me to do?"

Ray and Joshua exchanged glances. Joshua smirked, and so did Ray. They both looked at Enoch sinisterly.

After a while, Enoch asked, "Well are you going to tell me or not?"

"I thought you were going to tell him," Joshua said to Ray.

"What? Why would I tell him when it is you who knows the plan?"

Joshua glared at his brother. "I thought you knew the plan!"

Ray rolled eyes. "How would I know it when you didn't tell me?"

"You looked like you knew!" Joshua argued. "I thought we had an understanding and thought the same!"

"Oh my goodness. We might be brothers, but we are not twins to read each other's minds."

"Twins don't-!" Joshua paused his sentence and growled. "Then why did you smirk?"

"Because you smirked."

Joshua groaned. "Ugh. Just forget it." He turned to Enoch, who was now wearing a very baffled expression. "Now you. I want you to deliver a message."

*****      *****      *****      *****

"So we'll meet again tomorrow afternoon, then?" Kieran inquired as he walked beside Elena in the upper lawns.

"Yes. My cousin Alistair is around, so you may come to Rivera Manor," she replied and suddenly stopped walking. "I hope I will not forget what I learned from Pat."

Kieran froze. "Even when he's not here, you still think of him."

"He just crossed my mind all of a sudden," said Elena. "Speaking of afternoons reminds me of my time with Pat."

Kieran scoffed. "If every afternoon reminds you of him, it means you'll be thinking of him even when you're with me."

Elena knitted her eyebrows, studying the back of his head. "You are having an attitude again."

"I am not," Kieran denied. "I just didn't think I'd have to hear his name again, especially from you."

Elena was baffled. Coming to a conclusion, she asked, "General, do you dislike Pat?"