Chapter 23: Chapter 23

The guests finished their meals shortly after and it was time for them to retreat.

Callum passed by the tray where the staff kept the decanters and filled his glass with brandy.

He went out into the hallway just as Liam was coming out from one of the rooms. His brother eyed the glass.

"Are you all right?"

Callum nodded "Perfectly fine."

"Last time Edward said that he disappeared for days."

"Well, I'm still here." He headed for the stairs and Liam caught up with him.

"I spoke to Henriette."

Callum looked around but didn't hear anything or see anyone. That of course didn't always mean no one was around, but he still went on.

"And? What did she say?"

He sat down on the stairs.

Liam looked stunned.

"You want to talk here? We can't just sit on the stairs."

"Why not?"

"What if someone passes by and sees us?"

"Then tell them I fell."

Liam shook his head and sat down next to his brother. Callum propped his head on the wall and turned to Liam.

"Are you uncomfortable?"

"Very."

His brother tried to sit more conveniently, which seemed impossible. He was much taller than Callum and had to keep a really awkward position if he wanted to fit on either of the stairs.

He wriggled a bit to his brother's amusement. Soon it seemed he'd finally found a less crooked position and said.

"This is absolutely ridiculous . And that earlier was uncalled for."

"I'm not following, what was it?"

"All of this at the table. You don't have to try so hard to annoy him and scandalize people around you all the time."

"I'm not even trying that hard. Imagine if I did." He took a swig from his glass.

"Callum..."

"You know I was right about everything I said. And they probaby agree too, but no one dares to argue with him."

"It's not about daring or not. And arguing still doesn't change anything. It only upsets your surroundings. Most likely it gets to you too."

"What upsets me is if they continue convicting people and raising taxes, there will be a riot."

"I know." Liam rubbed his forehead. "What do they want?"

"Tennyson gone. The man the Police caught three days ago is already in prison. They're now charging him with murder. As far as I know, they suspect him of treason."

"Is he part of the radicals?"

"I don't know. But if they hang him, it will be the cause of a real riot, even if the man had nothing to do with it in reality."

"And it'll be even worse if it later turns out he was innocent."

"Yes. It's like an open declaration of the government.  'we'll remove everyone who seems to be against us and we have the power to do anything."

"Are we running out of time?"

"I think so. In a way, depends on how you look at it."

Liam nodded "Henriette agreed to help us. I told her about the man in prison."

"What did she say? "

"She promised to try and do her best to make it clear the government is arresting and convicting people without evidence. She said they can't arrest everyone and kill suspects only based on suspicion."

"Well, they do it. The trial is only in a few days. Do you think she'll make it on time?"

"We can only hope. The Queen is in the North, Henriette said she leaves first thing in the morning."

"Good, we're halfway there, then."

"I wouldn't be so reassured. We have to be prepared for the worst. "

"We always are. "

"The queen can't intervene in investigations such as this one..."

"No, but we could turn the attention towards what's really happening in courts. " Callum said. "By the way, she's quite decisive, isn't she? Henriette."

"Very. I can't believe you persuaded her to help us."

"I think she had doubts about Tennyson even before coming here; As far as agreeing to help us with that particular case- it wasn't me."

"No? "

"I'm not very good with women, Liam."

"Uhh...well..." Liam outstretched his leg "Regardless, I'm not great either. But how come, I thought you talked to her earlier."

"Yes, I explained the situation. But was Oliver who won her over, though, I'm sure. "

"Go on?"

"You know, he was absolutely charming without knowing it. Saying things like violence is not the answer and all that. " Callum explained. "In a different context, but I see it's done the job."

"It's what we believe too. That's the point of everything we're fighting for."

"Well, he's better at expressing all that, then."

Liam laughed "Apparently. You've been spending more time with him recently."

Callum propped himself higher and leaned back again on the wall.

"You were right. About the army. Henriette asked him and he said he served in Germany."

"Mhm. I found the same. He was in Germany, then came back here and Charles left for China."

"And Oliver came here. " They exchanged a look and Callum said, "It all makes more sense now."

"I still can't find much about what happened before he met Charles." Liam's leg had begun getting stiff and he tried to sit differently.  "There are just a few years before he met Charles and the army I can't find anything about. "

"But you will. He can’t have…I don’t know, disappeared. "

“Finding anything about him has been difficult enough. “

“But so far it hasn’t been something we didn’t know. I mean, you. I’m very easily distracted when he’s around. “

Liam laughed, but didn’t comment further on what Callum had just said.

"I just hope Charles agrees. "

"We want the same thing, basically."

"Yes. Yes, we do. " Liam fingered the cuff links on his dark shirt and looked around the manor's hallway. "I remember Edward and you always sitting here on the stairs when something had happened and you didn't want to talk to anyone else. "

"And you never wanted to talk to either of us whenever something had happened."

Callum teased and Liam frowned

"Do you think he would've known better what to do in that situation?"

"Edward? Never, no. He despised all of this more than me. He wouldn't have even bothered. " Callum tried to sound more casual, even though they both knew Edward's dislike for the whole Fernsby's family was one of the reasons he was gone. "And you're better at handling people way better than I do."

"I'm much more confident now. Thank you."

Callum nudged his brother and got up to leave "Always."

Liam remained sitting and said "Callum?"

"Yes?"

"Please thank Oliver too."

"I will."

"I've been meaning to say it for a while now, because I know I'm a bit distant, and sometimes I may look..."

"Weird? "

"Well, I meant to say ..."

"Awkward? Stiff?"

"You're remarkably good at describing me. " He laughed. "I wanted to say that I notice things. And he...he isn't him. On the contrary. The situation is entirely different now, so maybe you could try and..."

Callum headed up the stairs and only said "I know. Good night, Liam."