7 The son killed his father

  The sound of hooves reached Robert’s ears early in the morning. He opened his eyes, and a blinding light welcomed him, piercing through the curtains. Another horse’s arrival awakened him entirely, and he sat as his eyes widened. Someone was there. He looked around and saw no one. The room was too bright. It must have been noon, and his wife hadn’t awakened him.

  He left the bed and started wearing his clothes fast. Someone could have found Joseph’s dead body. Maybe the horses arriving were relatives or the priest. But Robert had had to unlock the door of the bedchamber first. He suddenly remembered that he had locked it the night before.

  “Damn me!” he mumbled as he forcefully fit his feet into the shoes. He exited the room and scampered upstairs to the second floor. No one was near Joseph’s room. His dead body must have been rotting under layers of sheets and blankets, and no one had even visited him. Robert felt faint. He was forced to announce his death since he was the first person to check on him. He pulled the key out of his pocket and put it through the keyhole while inspecting the hallways to ensure no one was coming. With one twist the door opened. Suspicion and fear grew within him. He was sure he had turned the lock at least three times last night. Someone must have opened the door or at least tried to do so, he thought to himself.

  He budged the door to enter, seeking Joseph’s dead body. It was the only wish Robert had.

  “Mr. Capell!” a voice came from the hallway, startling Robert.

  Robert stepped outside and closed the door immediately. It was too late. Mr. Lancaster was standing behind him and had already seen him.

  “Visiting the earl?” asked the consultant with a straight face.

  “Mr. Lancaster,” Robert said with a deep sleepy voice. “You startled me. Yes, I do. It seems I’m the only one who cares for him.”

  “You mean the death day of the countess?” Mr. Lancaster said with his hands on his back.

  “No one was here yesterday.” Robert was glad that he had diverted the subject of their conversation. “My poor cousin… It's a good thing he wasn’t conscious to witness the day. No one respects this man. He’s the earl, for God’s sake.”

  Mr. Lancaster only stared at him. He managed to unnerve Robert by doing nothing.

  “I must admit, Mr. Lancaster,” Robert said. “I shall not tolerate such disrespect. When I inherit the title, I shall have everyone know the consequences of their behaviors.”

  Mr. Lancaster stood for a few seconds without showing any expression. He knew that Joseph was dying, and no one else but Robert was to inherit the title. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to accept that man as the lord of Mainwood. Robert was too ignorant to preside over and have such a tiresome obligation. The thing more insufferable than his ignorance was his ego and obsession with power without showing any worthiness.

  Mr. Lancaster raised his chin a little. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Capell,” he said, aggravating Robert even more. “I must get going," Lancaster added.

  “What chores have you always running, Mr. Lancaster?” Robert asked, not pleased with how Lancaster dismissed himself to avoid the conversation.

  “I must return to the village.”

  “The village?”

  “Yes. You were asleep when I rode there first thing in the morning.” Lancaster said, gently mocking Robert’s incompetency. “Many houses were ruined last night. I hadn’t seen such rain in a decade. We are in grave detriment. Restoring can take up to two months. If we do not help our tenants on such cold nights, they shall perish. Two herds of sheep are lost. Farmers are losing their minds. I shall return to them as soon as possible.”

  Robert nodded. He had intended to embarrass Mr. Lancaster for not getting any jobs done but failed. Robert didn’t know being an earl came with such complicated responsibilities. Must he take care of the villagers whenever it rained? It rained consistently in London! Robert started thinking about how many other duties awaited him, and it was not as appealing to be the earl as it used to be anymore.

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  “Would you care to join me, Mister Capell?” Lancaster asked.

  Robert shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to get in your way.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “I’m quite shaken by the rain. I’d rather stay here.”

  Lancaster nodded. “Not quite as shaken as the villagers, I assume.”

  “One could argue.”

  “Perhaps a good nap in your warm bed restores your concentration and strength.” He curtsied lowly and started walking to his room with a straight height.

  Robert clutched his fists by his side. The first thing he would do as a lord would be to fire that man from his house, or maybe from London. Thomas Lancaster seemed to care a lot about the earldom, but Robert didn’t like him at all because of the way he mocked Robert.

  Now that Lancaster was gone, Robert was once again left with the confounding anticipation of seeing Joseph’s death. But it wouldn’t be wise to find him after the encounter with Lancaster. He didn’t want anyone to suspect him. So, he walked to the garden and nervously ignited his pipe. His hands were shaking. Was his conscience suddenly awake? He had left his cousin to die and easily slept through the night without having any regrets. What had become of him at the Mainwood?

  He took a long drag and started to cough loudly. The situation had his lungs malfunction. He had to stay calm, or someone would notice how miserable he looked.

  While planning his next moves, he saw Lily, the young maid, working in the garden a hundred meters away. She had a basket and was plucking flowers for the house. Robert felt better already by seeing her. Last day’s occurance, no matter how devastating for Lily, had fueled his will and strength. He started walking toward her. She saw him too late when he was close, and her face fell. As she remembered what Robert had done to her in Joseph’s room, her body started shaking. He waited for a word from her, but she only stared at him.

  “Gathering flowers?” Robert asked to initiate the conversation.

  Lily gulped. “Tulips,” she answered shortly to avoid further conversation, but that was enough to make Robert smile. He took a long step toward her to have her in his arms. “Please, sir. People are watching,” she reminded, and he pulled back.

  “Where?”

  She looked upward, and he did the same. The house had complete sight of them. If anyone was standing by the window, they could see them.

  “Find me in… in the… bedchamber of the countess. It must be available,” Robert said as he breathed deeply.

  “I can’t.”

  His brows furrowed. He thought she shared the same interest he had in mind, even though she palpably showed her disapproval.

  “Why not?” Robert asked.

  “I need to leave.”

  She started walking away. Robert grew impatient. He grabbed her hand and forced her to stay. “It seems that you haven’t learned your place yet.”

  His dominance overwhelmed her. She pulled her hand away from his grip and started walking in another direction, which led to the back of the garden. He watched her steps, and something snapped inside him. The animal inside him wanted her, so he started following her. Lily noticed Robert behind her and sped up. How could he not understand she didn’t want him? Suddenly something became clear to her.

  Robert liked it.

  He liked having someone by force.

  The realization made her heart pound in her chest. His speed increased. With long strides, he finally grabbed Lily and stopped her. She struggled in his hold and hit him to free herself.

  “I must go!” she shouted while shrugging off Robert's hold, but he was too hefty and persistent.

  He nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  She pushed him on his chest and got a second to run away, but Robert grabbed her dress, and she fell on the ground, making him fall too. She started crawling while she was on her stomach. Robert was fast to lie on top of Lily and cage her body. He turned her around so she could face him. Her face and clothes had become muddy.

  “Let go of me!” she screamed when his mouth found her cleavage. He didn’t let go. He was nibbling on her body like a vulture. “I beg of you! I don’t want this! Please! Please!”

  There was no stopping. He was angry and disappointed for many reasons, and Lily’s rejection wasn’t something he wanted to add to the list. Her taste would make him feel powerful and wanted again.

  With one aggressive tug on her dress, he bared Lily’s breast and bit her skin. She cried and begged, but it was useless. Robert didn’t hear, nor did he care. His other hand slid under her pleated skirt and gave himself access to her. He pinned her down once again with his weight, ridding himself of the layers that covered his cock. His pelvis forced her thighs to open further. He had to arrange the entrance with his hand. Lily sobbed, accepting her fate that she was once again going to be molested by that savage man.

  Something heavy crashed into Robert’s head, and his mind stopped working. Before he could react, another impact hit him so hard that his eyes rolled back. Lily’s eyes widened, her body shaking in fear and shock. Robert fell off Lily to her side on the ground. He looked up for a few seconds to see what had happened, but the strike had already taken away his consciousness. His eyes closed, and his head fell into the mud.

  Lily couldn’t believe it. She was finally saved. Robert was not on her body anymore. She gulped hard and kicked Robert’s legs off herself with shaky legs. A man was standing above her with what looked to be a stick in his hands. She couldn’t see clearly. Her eyes filled with tears. The man was holding the stick tightly even though Robert was unconscious.

  Lily lifted herself to her elbows as she was still on the ground. Her eyes sought Robert. He was lying on his side with his trousers down on his knees. She wondered if the man with the stick had killed him.

  Suddenly she became self-aware that her body was exposed. She replaced her breasts inside her dress and pulled down her skirt to her feet. After wiping her face, she rubbed her eyes to see the man clearer.

  It was Stewart, the eldest son of the Capells.

  Did Stewart do the right thing?