Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Author's Note: Thank you all for reviews, I appreciate them! I ask that you do review if you are reading, but this is not a must.
Thanks-Anna Lauren
Alex O'Connell sat at the breakfast table watching his uncle, Jonathan, attempt to make breakfast. "Uncle Jon? Do you need some help?"
"No, my boy, I think I've got it" he said as he clumsily let go of three eggs. They crashed to the floor and made an inevitable sticky mess. "Could you get that Alex?"
Alex got up from his seat and grabbed a sponge off the counter and began to pick up his uncle's mess. He did really mind since Jonathan was trying to make an effort in the absence of his parents. His mother and father were getting last minute adjustments done at the tailor. They had been invited to a party that night and his father was in desperate need of a new suit to wear.
Alex finished with the mess, and sat back down just in time for his uncle to present his finished product. What appeared before was scarier than anything he had seen before (and he had seen a lot), it was a wet yellow substance (must be eggs, he thought) and black strips that seemed to fall apart at touch (bacon). Alex looked across at his uncle.
"Well Alex eat up," he said as he shoveled some of the food into his mouth. Within seconds, the smile on his uncle's face was replaced by a look of disgust. Jonathan picked up the napkin next to his plate and spit the food into it. He got up and walked to the counter behind him, reached into the fruit bowl, pulling out two apples. He took one himself and handed the other to Alex. "Sorry."
Alex accepted the apple with a sigh of relief, and took a bite.
Meanwhile across town, Rick O'Connell was trying on his new suit for what he hoped would be the last time. He looked at himself in the mirror, he approved of it, not to mentions it seemed to fit him well in all the right places. He took one last glance at himself and stepped outside the small dressing room for his wife to see.
Evelyn gasped at the sight of his. She could not believe how amazingly handsome her husband looked.
"What do you think?" he asked in his truly charismatic way, with the smile that made her melt.
"It's alright" she said standing up to circle him to get a full view of the suit.
"Alright?" He asked, grabbing her as she walked by. He pulled her into a soft embrace, "just alright?" He leaned down and kissed her tenderly.
When she pulled from his embrace she stepped back and look him over again from head to toe. "Yeah, it's alright, but I'll take it."
He smiled at her and retreated to change.
Evelyn walked over to Mr. Hornsby, the tailor. "How was it Mrs. O'Connell?"
She smiled, "very nice. How much will this be?"
"One hundred and seven pounds"
She handed Mr. Hornsby the money, just as Rick appeared behind her. "Thank you, Mr. Hornsby"
"You are welcome, dearie."
Evelyn turned to Rick behind her and they exited the tailor's hand in hand.
Evelyn and Rick returned to an eerily peaceful house. Evelyn, immediately suspicious, put down her bags and went to search the house. She stormed through the living room, seeing everything in order.
Rick took the opposite direction and headed towards the library.
Evelyn entered the kitchen and gasped. Before her was a mess of pot and pans. Remnants of food were all over. It was disgusting. She knew neither Jonathan nor Alex would lift a hand to clean the mess, so she began to work on it herself.
Across the house Rick entered the library to find Alex on top of the desk holding his hand above his head in victory. Jonathan however was lying on the ground in front of the desk, playing dead.
Jonathan noticed Rick and looked up at Alex and said "well, good show old boy. Just like you father." He then slowly got up and looked Rick in the eye.
Rick looked back suspiciously, "having fun?"
Jonathan nodded with all his dignity
"Well then I will leave you two alone. Don't make a mess"
Rick exited the room and walked to the kitchen. When he entered he had a similar reaction to Evelyn.
"I know" she replied from the sink where she was cleaning the dishes the boys had used. "Did you find them?"
"Yes they were in the Library, playing a game. I think Alex was winning in fact."
"Well good for him. Did they mess that place up to?"
"No it was still relatively in order." He said coming up behind her. He wrapped his arms around her, "But bad luck in Libraries does run on your side of the family, so who knows."
Evelyn elbowed her husband in the side, "that's enough, thank you. Could you help me and pick up the table?"
Rick smiled at her and went to pick up the mess his son and brother-in-law left.
Charlotte was relieved when she stepped off the ship. She never realized how much she actually liked the land. She stopped, and looked around for Anna Davenport-Tyler. Charlotte and Anna had been friends when they were younger. Anna was only 2 years older than Charlotte. Since both of their fathers were Egyptologists at Harvard, they played together often. Anne went to England to join her father while he was helping the British Museum with cataloging their ancient artifacts. There she met Evelyn O'Connell and became quite good friends with her. She also met Herbert Tyler, whom she eventually married.
"Charly?" a voice called out.
Charlotte turned to the voice and, about 50 feet away from her stood Anna, just as she remembered her. Tall and very shapely, with bright red hair and a few freckles scattered across her nose. Her hair hung loosely around her shoulders and she wore a white button up shirt and black pants. Charlotte could have recognized she anywhere. "Anna!"
Anna began to walk briskly towards her. A young man followed her. "I never thought I would see you here!" she said when she finally reached Charlotte. She motioned for the young man to pick up Charlotte's bags.
"I am so glad I finally made it!" she said with a smile, and with that the two friends rode back to the Tyler Manor, reminiscing about times long past.
When they arrived Anna showed Charlotte to her room. "This is beautiful!" Charlotte explained.
Anna smiled with gratitude, "Charly, I have to tell you something."
Charly, who had began to look through her opened suitcase on the bed, looked up to Anne, who was standing on the opposite side of the bed from her. "What?" she asked.
"Well," Anna began slowly, "we have to go to Scotland to visit Herb's parents, his father has taken ill. So we are leaving tomorrow," she let that settle then added quickly, "however, dear, you can stay here in our absence. I left the keys to the manor beside the bed there." She pointed up to the nightstand next to her.
"Oh," Charly replied, thoroughly shocked, "well, I am sorry to hear that. I will miss you while you are gone, but are you sure you want me to stay here with out you?"
"Well it is the least we can do. If you are uncomfortable though, we could get you a room at the Ritz?"
"No, this will be fine, thank you Anna" Charly smiled weakly at the girl before her. "Well I should probably be getting ready for this evening"
"Yes, I should too. Charly? Your not mad at me are you?"
"How could I be? Your are my best friend"
Anna smiled and exited the room to leave Charly to prepare for the nights events, with a small sinking feeling within her.