The Façade of Quad in Nimrod ✓ | Satire, family drama, dark society

XI

Although Valerie was distressed, she let her tutor in when he came at eight. She hoped that lessons would take her mind off of last night. But since last night, her heart was in shambles. 

Valerie had always been sensitive and delicate although she might say otherwise. Little things could upset her and there could be times when she would hardly eat or refuse to come out of her room. The last time was the first few months after Fernando left for his year trip in Parajan.

Perhaps then she had her father to talk to about her distress, but this time, she couldn't. No one to talk to made her all the more desperate to get someone to talk to. No other day as today made her wish she had friends. 

Thomas Benedict's smooth voice soothed her as he talked Literature and Music, playing delightful tunes on the piano. Valerie felt herself feeling attached to him even in such a short span of time. Distress and loneliness made her enjoy his company too much.

During Calligraphy when he leaned in close to inspect her writing, her heart fluttered. Valerie herself did not understand why her heart fluttered, but it was clear she was feeling physical attraction. She was yearning for a friend, for someone to talk to and tell them all the worries she had, or just someone she could talk to.

"Can you show me your hand?" she asked, glancing up at Thomas. He nodded and took out a new piece of paper from his bag. Using his own pen, he wrote down his name in slick, beautiful calligraphy. She watched in awe as he quickly wrote his name in her hand. The letters looked just like her style.

"How did you do that? You were only observing me!" She wrote his name in her style and compared his edition and hers. They were identical and she wondered if he were some kind of magician.

"You can learn as well. But a stranger's hand is too complicated for you now. Why don't you try your mother's signature? That is your next part of this lesson and it will help you get more used to Calligraphy."

Valerie did not doubt for a second that he might be lying. He took out a piece of paper with her mother's signature on it. It looked like a contract of sorts, but Thomas tore off just the name part and handed it to her to trace.

"Tracing helps your hand get used to how to move, Miss."

Then he had her write the alphabet copying her mother's style. Valerie did have a knack for Calligraphy, and she could soon write out an entire text in her mother's hand and one would not be able to tell the difference. 

Thomas then had her practicing all sorts of things such as marriage deals, bank contracts, diaries, passages from romance books, and even a will. Valerie worked very hard and was able to keep her mind from being too distressed about Henry concentrating on writing up a fake will in her mother's hand as Thomas dictated to her.

"...and I, Georgina Quad, upon my death, shall leave all assets to my daughter, Valerie Quad. And then the signature, Miss."

"Why must it be a will? It's quite depressing." Valerie frowned as she nimbly signed the will in her mother's hand.

"Why, you will one day have to write one as well. It is good to know how one works when you have a family of your own. In the future, you only have to change the names and cross out 'daughter' if you have a son." Thomas explained. "What better way to learn that than through Calligraphy? You get to practice your hand as well."

"Ah! How wonderful!" Valerie exclaimed feeling as if she were now very knowledgeable in how wills worked. She found Thomas to be very intelligent and resourceful thinking about all those things. "There, I signed it."

She handed the fake will to Thomas with her mother's signature. Thomas folded it up and put it in an envelope. "I shall look at this at home and tell you my verdict tomorrow, but you have improved quite a lot, Miss Valerie. Lessons are done for now. Let us go see—"