A Game of Cards - Otherwise Known As - Life and Death

III. The Five of Hearts

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

III. The Five of Hearts

Evelyn woke to see the Five of Hearts in her hand and her younger brother watching her from her dressing table. She shook her hair out, and noticed she was still wearing the red gown, which matched the wilting, dark red roses throughout her room.

Looking at her brother, she sighed. “So, Landon, how old are you now? Thirteen?”

He nodded, before walking over to her closet. “I heard from one of the halls an important acquaintance of Mr. Conway, which I’ll assume is Mother’s murderer and your kidnapper, is coming. He’s brought along his son, also. So, since I was up all night all I could do was look through your dresses, and I think you should wear this one.” He held up a long, well-tied, a bit ruffled, but elegant, sapphire blue gown up. “It matches your eyes,” he said, pointing to her pale blue, with a tint of violet, eyes.

Evelyn nodded, taking the dress from him. She looked in her jewelry and accessory boxes and found the perfect barrette to put in her hair. She looked at him. “Do you know how to do hair?”

He shot her a look of distaste. “Whatever for? I’m a guy that used to live with a land owner, farmer guy. Not a maid.”

Evelyn sighed, but brushed her hair by herself and put it quickly into a simple but still elegant bun, pinning the barrette upon her head. She stood up and spun around, giving Landon a quick smile.

“How do I look?” she asked him.

“Fine, I guess,” he said, not bothering to look at her. His cheeks were puffed out.

Evelyn chucked with amusement. “I’ll take that as a compliment, you know.” Then she really laughed out loud. “My own brother not looking at me because I’ve dressed up?”

He stuck his tongue out at her rather childishly, but she walked toward her door.

“I’ll bring you some food, later,” she told him over her shoulder. “With the time being though, amuse yourself.”

He nodded at her retreating figure and waved.

♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

Evelyn strode down a single of the many large, ornate staircases in the house, her hand trailing across the banister, her posture upright but relaxed.

When she reached the dining room for breakfast, more heads than usual turned her way.

A man, looking both ageless yet old, like Mr. Conway, sat in between Mr. Conway and his son, while a young man, probably a little younger than Garrett but older than Evelyn, sat in between Evelyn and Garrett’s chairs.

Mr. Conway nodded at Evelyn and smiled. “Good morning, Evelyn,” he said. “I’d like you to meet my acquaintance, Lord, or you may call him, Mr. Allen.”

Evelyn lowered herself into her chair and sent Mr. Allen a slight smile. She reached for the bread then, and after spreading butter and jam upon it, avoided eye contact with anyone else.

Mr. Conway then introduced her to the boy that sat to her side. “Evelyn, this is Lord Allen’s son, Micah.”

Evelyn nodded in Micah’s general direction, but avoided eye contact. Finally, she couldn’t resist all of them looking at her with their incredulous stares, obviously in their heads thinking how rude she was being, and looked at him. Her eyes slowly widened when she took in the startlingly handsome young man’s appearance. His features were all quite sharp, his nose and cheekbones perfectly shaped to match the way his dark brown, messy hair, fell around his face. Evelyn found herself drawn to his piercing, dark green eyes. His eyes were so dark, when he turned his face to look at her, a small smirk upon his face, they changed to an almost black shade of green, then, when he turned to glance up at the chandelier, they turned light enough to be described as emeralds.