Sweet Escape

Eleven

"Elliot, darling." Veronica called, catching Elliot walking by in the hallway. He stopped and greeted her with a bow. "Darlene will be joining us for dinner tonight so I need you to be on your best behavior."
"I'm sorry to disappoint mother but I will be joining Dimitri for dinner tonight." Elliot said.
"Why?" She asked with her head slightly tilted in confusion.
"He invited me...?" Elliot returned the confused expression.
"I thought that was a joke?" She said.
"It was not." Elliot lied.

"Well I'm sorry but you can't go." Veronica said. "This dinner is important to your future."
"It is quite late to just not show up." Elliot said.
"No worries." Veronica perked up. "I'll have Lucille send word."

"Mother-."
"See you at dinner." She kissed him on the cheek and walked off. Elliot closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wished he could, but there was no arguing with her. Veronica would get her way in the end. Elliot also knew the true reason she was acting the way she was. She was becoming nervous about Charlize. Her supposed time limit was winding down and there was no sign that Charlize would return. Veronica was losing control and she had to enforce something in order to take that feeling away.

Elliot strolled through the halls in thought until he reached his original destination. He found Archibald speaking with the kitchen staff. He waited nearby until he was finished to get his attention.
"Oh, Elliot. How are you?" Archibald greeted.
"I am well." Elliot said. "I wanted to ask you about...something." He lowered his voice so he wouldn't be overheard. Archibald understood and a signaled for them to leave the kitchen. Once they reached a reasonable distance, Archibald spoke.

"What is going on?" He asked.
"I just wanted to know if you heard from Charlize recently." Elliot asked.
"Not yet." Archibald said.

"Has mother said anything to you?" He asked.

"Not a word. I am beginning to thing she is purposely ignoring me." Said Archibald.
"She probably is." Elliot said. "Well if you hear from Charlize, please tell her I said "hello"."

"I will." He replied. "Are you prepared for dinner tonight?"
"I was only just informed that I would be attending." Elliot said rolling his eyes. Archibald waited for him to say more. "Dimitri invited me to dinner yesterday and I agreed to go. I did not know I would be in charge of entertaining Darlene and her family tonight." Archibald let out a little chuckle and patted his shoulder.
"It won't be as painful as you think." Archibald assured.

"Let's just hope so." Elliot sighed.

He parted ways wit Archibald and decided to take a walk in the garden. He hadn't realized how quiet it was without Charlize until just then. With both she and Arielle gone, it felt strange to be on his own. It had been so long since he was alone. He looked up at the cloudy sky and recalled what it was like before moving in with Charlize family. Their home was not nearly as large, but it felt just as empty. He hated being an only child but there wasn't anything he could do about it. He spent as much time as he could with his friends. Especially Dimitri. They lived far from one another but whenever he had the chance, he would visit. It was lucky that Charlize lived so close to him.

It was an adjustment at first when he and his father moved, but Charlize made it easier. She was a lot like he was. Free-spirited and looking for the best out of life. If it was just Arielle instead, Elliot knew for sure that he would be miserable. He did not care much for her and it seemed as if the feeling was mutual. It was a relief when she married and moved out, but now that Charlize was gone also, it felt as if he was back to the start again.

Raindrops falling on his head brought him back to the present, signaling him to head back inside. As he passed by the arches that lead to the foyer, he heard unfamiliar, jolly voices which meant that the guests had arrived. He approached and took a peak. Archibald was welcoming the family. Once the tall broad shouldered man stepped out of the way with who seemed to be his wife, a young woman who had just removed the hood of her cloak caused his breath to be caught in his throat.