Lineage

Lineage

The four men walked out of the room that had been sealed for one year to the day. It was difficult for all of them, and even after a year approaching the room made the sorrow return. They had agreed that one year was respectable, and then everything would be removed and it would be redecorated. But first they spent most of the day remembering stories, sharing smiles, and toasting the departed.

“Gentlemen,” Gabriel said as he stood lifting his glass. “To mother.” He said simply.

“To mother.” The others all repeated lifting their glasses as well before taking a drink. They fell silent for a moment privately reminiscing and feeling their own grief. David smiled as he stood up.

“Mother would have never approved of our sitting around with such long faces. She would have been furious that any of us were sad on this day.” He said putting down his glass.

The others smiled and put down their glasses as well agreeing, as the four men took one last look around the bedchamber and adjoining rooms. There were so many memories, happy memories from their childhood. Then, they all left the room to let the servants begin their work.

Caleb had always been the quiet one, and always seemed to be watching and listening to everyone else around him. But tonight, there was something else on his mind that had him distracted. Gabriel and David were walking ahead of them as he quickened his step to stay with Michael.

“She should be here too.” He said in a soft voice. Michael glanced at him not thinking it a wise idea to bring this up now.

“She can’t be, and we all know why.” He said under his breath hoping that would end the discussion before it began.

The four men entered into the study making themselves somewhat comfortable as David poured the drinks. Caleb watched as he passed them out to each of his brothers before sitting down as well.

“I’m bringing Henrietta home tomorrow.” Caleb said breaking the silence as all of his brothers looked at him. Michael sighed as he rubbed his eyes slightly.

“Haven’t we had this discussion?” David said.

“Mother never wanted her left there.” Caleb answered.

“Mother, could never admit that there was anything wrong with her. Even after that incident on her 11th birthday.” Gabriel said.

“And there were other times that weren’t as obvious where she was actually trying to kill mother. There was no reason for it. Truth be told, Henrietta was always her favorite.” Michael said.

“That’s not true, mother didn’t have any favorites.” Caleb countered. “She loved us all, far more than most mothers in her station would.”

“I didn’t mean it in a disparaging way, Caleb. Henrietta was the youngest and our only sister, Mother was mindful of that, and she went out of her way to make sure she had everything she could ever want or need. We all know that mother was an orphan, she didn’t want that same fate to fall on her daughter.” Michael explained. “And, she was pregnant with her when father died. I think that might have played some part in her over protectiveness. She even named her after father.”

“Even more reason that she should be brought home.” Caleb said. “It was her last wish, we can’t simply ignore it.”

“It’s better for everyone if Henrietta stay where she is, Caleb. You know she could have been hung for murder twice, regardless of the fact that she was young and a woman.” Gabriel said.

“She’ll be turning 20 on Friday. How can you want her to spend her birthday in an Asylum? Have any of you even been to visit her there? Do you know how deplorable the conditions?”

“I’ve been there,” David said putting down his glass, “And she has the best room, the best care, and even provided with comforts that the other inmates don’t have like clean clothing that actually fits. Mother made arrangements for everything to be paid for and provided so that she could live comfortably while she was there, and the payments necessary to maintain that standard of living continue each month.” He said, “It’s not as bad as your trying to make out, Caleb.”

“She is family, we are her brothers.” Caleb countered. “The doctors said that she’s made excellent progress and the outcome of rehabilitation looks very promising.”

“Caleb,” Gabriel said thinking that this had gone quite far enough. “The asylum was a compromise. One that mother bargained dearly for. Instead of Henrietta going to prison or even being executed for her crimes, she was sent there where she could receive care.” His voice was stern as he looked at his younger brother, “My wife is expecting our first child. David’s fiancé is coming to spend a month with us, and Michael’s daughter who has just turned 8 is still quite upset about her own mothers passing.” Gabriel paused looking to Michael wishing he hadn’t been so harsh. “My apologies.” He said, but Michael understood. “I’m sorry, but I don’t trust her enough to let her run free on the grounds.”

Caleb sighed in frustration as this had weighed heavy on his heart for some time. He knew that Katherine had been making arrangements for Henrietta to return home when she fell ill and then passed away. It wasn’t a lingering death, she was gone in just a few days and it was quiet peaceful, but she simply wasn’t that old. She’d only been 41 and he felt, as did the others, that she had many years of life left. It didn’t really seem natural or make much sense to any of them. Yet the doctors said it was her heart, and it simply gave out at the end.

“Why are you acting as though she’s evil incarnate? You know that she’s not, we grew up together. All of us.” Caleb felt as though he had to be the one to defend her, with Katherine gone, it didn’t seem as though anyone else would.

“Of course I don’t believe that, any more than any of us do Caleb. But she is a very sick girl. She needs to be in a place where she can be looked after properly, cared for and given the treatment she needs.” Gabriel expressed. “Mother was the only one who seemed to know how to calm her down and help control her demons. With her gone . . . what’s to stop Henrietta when she falls into one of her moods.”

He sighed and shook his head, “its not right Gabriel. You know it isn’t.”

This had been a source of pain for the entire family for a lifetime. Of course her brothers loved her, they had learned how to love well from their mother. But even though they loved Henrietta, they couldn’t ignore the fact that she was dangerous and somewhat unstable. Sometimes she was quite normal, gentle, and no one would ever know that anything was amiss. Yet when she fell into one of her moods, no one was safe. Katherine had a gift for recognizing these moods and could bring her out of them with little difficultly.

In the past few years, however, it was getting more difficult for Katherine to help her. Her moods would become more violent and dangerous. She wasn’t an imbecile, she was smart, crafty and very calculating. However, Caleb was right. She wasn’t evil, it was as though she couldn’t help herself. Couldn’t stop herself from doing such horrid things.

Caleb slammed his glass down onto the table and looked at his brothers ashamed of them for turning their back on their little sister. He turned and stormed out of the study. Michael sighed and stood starting to go after him, but Gabriel stopped him and went after Caleb instead.


Concessions

Gabriel caught up with Caleb a while later, deciding that it was better to let things cool off before approaching him. The door was open but he knocked before he went in. Caleb looked up at him from where he was sitting, before giving a nod to let him come in. Gabriel walked over and sat down across from him. “It would be different if it was just us, but we have families we have to look after.” He said. Caleb was still a bit upset about it so Gabriel decided to redirect the conversation a bit. “Speaking of which, how are things going with your Michelle? I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“We had a disagreement. One that we decided couldn’t be resolved.” He admitted.

“I’m sorry.” Gabriel knew that Caleb had been unsuccessful as far as relationships outside the family went. “She was a nice girl.”

Caleb looked at Gabriel, “I can’t just forget about her, Gabriel.”

“You think that’s what we’re doing? Forgetting about her?” Caleb visited Henrietta weekly without fail, but the others did visit her on occasion as well. “She was getting worse when she was sent away, Caleb. It was better for everyone, including Henrietta.”

“Mother would have disagreed.” Caleb answered.

“Mother was remarkable. She understood Henrietta better than anyone, and she could reach her when no one else could. She raised the five of us by herself while still being the head of the Order, and keeping the house and increasing the Blackwood fortune. No woman in this world could ever live up to the standard that our mother set, Caleb. But she’s gone now. With her gone, Henrietta is too unpredictable to be allowed to live here with us.”

Caleb knew what he was saying was right, but he couldn’t help but feel that Katherine would be upset by this. It was something that had been weighing on him for a long time, nearly crushing him the more time went by.

Gabriel sighed and leaned forward, “I’ll make a concession, Caleb.” He began, “She can come home for her birthday.” Caleb’s eyes opened wide as he looked at him, surprised but also excited. “However, she must continue on her medication without fail, and come Monday . . . she must go back. You said the doctors are confident in the progress she’s made. Taking her away from the treatment just as she’s showing improvement most likely will be incredibly detrimental to her getting well.”

“I think that’s fair.” Caleb agreed. “As long as she can come home for just a few days, I know it will be good for her to be with the family again and away from that place.” He said anxiously.

Gabriel reached into his pocket and took out a small folded velvet cloth handing it to his younger brother. “Give her this.”

Caleb took it and opened the cloth seeing a familiar bit of jewelry. “Mother’s necklace.” He said touching the silver dragon with the tiger’s eye stone in its mouth.

“She wanted Henrietta to have it.” Caleb closed the cloth back and gave a nod tucking it away in a safe place.


Welcome Home?

Caleb left Thursday evening to retrieve Henrietta from the Asylum. Gabriel and the others were a bit nervous about it, but they had all agreed that one weekend at home was possible. They did miss her quite a bit, but the danger she posed to herself and others far outweighed their desire to have her living on the grounds.

When one of the servants announced that the carriage was arriving outside, the three men gathered in the foyer waiting for them to enter. Caleb opened the door and stepped aside letting Henrietta walk in before closing the door behind them.

She looked absolutely lovely, just the way they remembered her. She had long flowing onyx black hair, a pale completion, and piercing eyes which Katherine had said more than once had been inherited from Lord Henry Blackwood. Her father.

Gabriel was the first to step forward and took her hand in both of his, “Hello Henrietta.” He said kissing her cheek, “You look lovely.”

“Hello darling,” Michael said kissing her cheek as well as David approached and did the same. “I can’t believe you’re going to be 20 already.”

“Here dear, let me take those for you.” Caleb said taking her cloak from her and her gloves as well passing them off to one of the servants before he removed his own coat, hat and gloves doing the same.

“We’ve waited dinner for you, it should be served in just a few moments.” David said.

Henrietta hadn’t said anything yet, and that was perfectly understandable as they hadn’t let her get a word in edge wise. She smiled a bit and gave a nod, actually happy to see her older brothers and to be back at home once more. However, she knew her reputation was a cause for concern, despite the fact they had all been very optimistic and pleased with the reports from her doctors.

“Caleb says that the conditions under which I was allowed to come included only that I stay on my medicine while I’m here, until Monday when I go back.” She said knowing that it was Gabriel who had had the final say, being the oldest. “I expected there to be much more.” She admitted.

“We don’t want to keep you from your treatments when you’re doing so well.” Michael said. “You’ll be able to come home to stay when you’ve fully recovered.” He promised.

“My Lords?” The maid said as she approached them. “Dinner is served.” She said with a smile. “Welcome home miss.” She added before turning and going back to the dining room.

The five Blackwood’s turned and started to walk towards the dining hall, and David offered Henrietta his arm. She smiled and took it walking with them.

When they entered, three other individuals were already there waiting for them to arrive. Gabriel walked over to his wife and took her hand, “Henrietta, you remember my wife, Roslyn?”

“Of course,” She said with a smile taking Roslyn’s hand, “Although when we last met she wasn’t a Blackwood yet. Not officially.” Gabriel had regretted her not coming to the wedding, but she had just been incarcerated and even with Katherine’s influence, she couldn’t get her out for the day. ”I’m told that I’m to be an Aunt again?”

“Yes,” Roslyn said with a smile, “Come the fall.”

“Congratulations.” She said looking at the two.

”And of course you remember Katie, don’t you?” Michael said introducing his daughter.

“My goodness, look at how much you’ve grown.” Henrietta said as the young girl stood next to her father a bit shy and unsure of this new person. “You probably don’t remember me, do you dear? I haven’t seen you in such a long time, I’d know idea what a beautiful young lady you’ve become.” The little girl smiled a little still holding onto her father’s hand. “And who’s this?” Henrietta asked seeing a new face that she hadn’t seen before.

“I’m Alice,” The woman said holding out her hand introducing herself. “It’s very nice to meet you Henrietta. I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Ah, David’s fiancé.” She said shaking the woman’s hand as David walked over and put his arm around her. “It’s my pleasure.” She said.

“Well, we should all sit down before everything gets cold.” Caleb said. Everyone else immediately agreed and were all seated around the dinner table.

Curiosity and Questions

“She’s charming,” Roslyn said as she walked over and took off her robe getting into bed next to Gabriel. “I don’t understand why you were all so worried, she seems perfectly fine.”

“She does.” Gabriel agreed, “But she often did. It’s her moods, Roslyn. As long as she doesn’t fall into one while she’s here, we’ve nothing to worry about. Just the same, I would prefer that you, Alice and Katie not spend time by yourselves with her. David, Caleb, Michael and I can tell when she’s going into one, but the three of you haven’t spent enough time with her to recognize the signs. Especially, Katie. She’s still grieving for her mother; it’s only been four months. I can’t imagine being exposed to her Aunt’s illness would be very good for her.”

“I think you’re over reacting, Gabriel. It’s been a long time since she’s been into any trouble and the doctors themselves told you that she’s doing wonderfully. I would like to know my sister-in-law better. Personally, and not just the stories that seem to circulate around her past. And she reminds me so much of your mother. Besides, maybe having her aunt home for a while is just what Katie needs.” Roslyn said. “A new face and a female relative.”

“I wish I could be so confident Roslyn. I truly do.” He sighed leaning over and blowing out the lamp on his side of the bed. “How are you feeling?” He asked turning towards her.

“I’m alright.” She said with a soft smile. “I’m starting to get fat.” She admitted lifting up the covers and looking at herself. “God, and there’s still a while before the baby comes. I’m going to get 10 times bigger.” She said with a frown.

“Nonsense.” He said sliding closer and wrapping his arm around her. “You’re stunning, and as beautiful as can be.” He said kissing her cheek. She smiled and curled up against him in his arms. “Did your mother say if she was going to be back in time?” He questioned.

“She’s certain she will.” She sighed softly looking up at him, “You know our fathers died the same day?”

“I know.” He said looking at her curiously; it was a well known fact between their families. The lesser known fact being that it was Lord Blackwood who had killed Lord Coward. “What brought this up?”

“There just seems to be so much tragedy surrounding our families. I just pray that we ourselves can avoid it.” She said softly hugging him a little tighter. Gabriel kissed her head rubbing her shoulder. He felt the same way.


Backgrounds

The house was quiet and still when everyone retired. So many people were currently occupying the manor that late at night was the only time it was completely quiet and settled. It wasn’t as though they didn’t have room, the grounds were large and the manor had more than enough extra space. When Katherine died, the estate then passed to the children, divided equally among them. Each one had a trust of their own that she worked hard to build up over the years, guaranteeing that none of her children would ever go without and end up being poor and orphaned like she had been. The Blackwood assets were extensive and everything left to her once Henry Blackwood passed away she used to insure the children’s futures.

Michael was the first of the boys to marry, and he and his wife were rather young when they began their family. It wasn’t long after they were wed that Katie came along, and having adored Katherine so much, Michael’s wife asked if they could name their daughter for her. Unfortunately, Michael’s wife fell prey to a wasting disease that took her away very painfully in just a few short months. There was nothing the doctors could do, and Katie and Michael were soon left with only each other. The emotional toll that it took on Katie, to watch her mother die so horribly, was making it hard for her to cope with things around her. She was only turning eight this year, and she had trouble understanding why her mother got sick and was now gone forever.

Katie was Michael’s whole world, and he wanted to do what was best for her and anything that would help her. Yet it was difficult, as she seemed to turn inward and avoid people in general. She hadn’t laughed, hadn’t smiled in such a long time. When her mother first became sick, it was the last time Michael had seen her happy. It was heart breaking, but all there seemed left to do was to let her mourn and let time pass to help ease the pain.

David’s life currently revolved around Alice. With David as the youngest brother, he’d taken a bit longer to choose his bride. When he did, it turned out to be a young woman that he knew since they were children. They’d always been best friends, and no one was more surprised than they were when they realized they were in love and wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Alice’s family background was somewhat humble. Although not as humble as Katherine’s had been when she first came to the Blackwood home, her family was certainly working class. She wasn’t spoiled and was grateful for everything she had, and couldn’t be more in love with David. They had been engaged for almost two years now, and the wedding was only a few months off.

Caleb seemed to be the odd man out. He had relationships here and there but they tended to fall apart after a while. Had they been born and raised in the Christian church, there was a very good chance he would have joined the clergy. It seemed to fit his temperament more than anything else. Yet, with all the troubles that his parents had had, including the church once abducting his brothers under the assumption it was what was best for them, becoming a priest was simply not an option.

He was always very close to Katherine and then Henrietta as well. He had spoken to Katherine on occasion about his feelings, as though something was missing in his life and he couldn’t seem to find the answer. At these moments, Katherine seemed become quiet and her eyes would seem to glaze over and she would be far away. As though she knew the answer to his question, but it was too painful to pass on.

Henrietta was the youngest of the five. Lord Henry Blackwood died while Katherine was pregnant, and the last of his direct line. She seemed perfectly normal and like any other child until around the age of 9. That’s when her life started to become difficult, and things started to go wrong.

She would complain of daydreams that she couldn’t pull herself from, seeing things that weren’t there, and being terrorized by visions that she didn’t understand and couldn’t make stop. Katherine immediately started spending nearly every moment of every day with her, trying to help her and guide her through her walking nightmares. For a while, it seemed as though she had gained control and things were going to be alright. When she was 11, strange things started to happen around the grounds.

Dead animals would turn up here and there on the grounds, horribly mutilated and indications that they were tortured before finally killed. A few of the servants got mysteriously ill, and one who was already somewhat sickly, actually died from the illness that others were just miserable from but would soon get over. While everyone else seemed to be at a loss, and there was even rumors starting to circulate again of evil beings and curses, Katherine knew what was going on and the perpetrator of the deeds.

All the children knew of their mother’s ability, it was a widely known fact in the Order and of course they never seemed to be able to hide anything from her even with the cleverest of lies. The boys had apparently forgone inheriting Katherine’s gift, but Henrietta was not so fortunate. It had been suggested by members of the order that the rigorous training that Katherine went through when her talent first surfaced might have been the best course of action. But Katherine couldn’t impose such harsh actions on her own child, and didn’t have the heart to torture Henrietta or let her be tortured as she had been by Lord Blackwood.

From there, things just continued to go from bad to worse. Some days she was perfectly normal, happy, no visions, no problems, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet there were times when she would fall into a brooding, dark mood. One where she didn’t seem to have any rational control over her actions and deeds, and everyone she had contact was in danger. This resulted in Henrietta’s nearly killing Katherine on her 12th birthday. It wasn’t an intentional or deliberate malice to try and murder her mother, but it was an unconscious action that could have ended tragically.

The family itself, despite Katherine’s efforts to restore their name with charity work, funding of public programs, and even helping in providing food to the many work houses and orphanages in London, was still plagued by rumors and disgrace from Lord Blackwood’s reputation and eventual demise. Many regarded Katherine as Blackwood’s servant even in death, because of the well known fact that she not only kept his ashes but paintings of him in the manor. Then of course her naming her only daughter after the madman, seemed to prove the theory that she was just as bad as or worse than her late husband.

Yet, even with all of the nonsense, horror stories and exaggerated tales that circulated about the Blackwood name, they were very close. The children adored their mother, and Katherine loved all of them more than anything in the world. The boys were all still very young when their father passed, young enough that they couldn’t even remember him or what he was like. There had never been any love lost between them for Henry Blackwood. He was just a picture and a sealed jar of ashes in the study. However the one child who never even met him, never even saw him, seemed to yearn the most for him. Henrietta had always held a fascination with her father, the mysterious figure that seemed to silently loom over their lives and the house in which they lived. Katherine wouldn’t speak of him very much, feeling that it was best the children didn’t learn to much about his life nor all the trouble that surrounded them when he was still alive.

Yet even though the children didn’t know their father personally, Michael and Gabriel only having vague memories of him from their childhoods, his influence still lingered in those who knew him, the house, and even in Katherine. He left a lasting impression that would no doubt take generations to finally fade.


Shadow Dancing

It was late, very dark, and the air was deathly still. The only sounds that were heard came from outside where a strong wind batted the trees around. A dark figure seemed to slide through the darkness without a sound, moving through the house and up a hallway to the study.

The door opened as the figure slipped in and then closed behind. Standing alone in the dark room, Henrietta approached the mantel where the large portrait of her father seemed to dominate the entire room. She stood there looking up at the painting and the piercing eyes that she had only seen in the mirror these past years.

“Hello father.” She said in a soft voice. “I’ve come home.” Reaching up, she wrapped her hands around the sealed metal container with the name ‘Henry Blackwood’ inscribed clearly on one side. She held it close to her as her eyes moved back up towards his portrait. “I’ll keep my promise.” She whispered.

Parties

“There’s nothing wrong with having a small family party, Caleb.” Michael said as he walked with his brother. “Henrietta was never very fond of the other children outside the family, and to be totally honest she had no reason to be. They didn’t treat her very well.”

“I just don’t want her to think we’re ashamed of her.” Caleb said having been genuinely concerned about it. “If it’s just us, she might think we’re hiding the fact that she’s home.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. As a family we aren’t exactly the center of social popularity. All inviting other people to Henrietta’s party would do is invite more gossip and that certainly wouldn’t be good for her, especially on her birthday.” Michael said. “You brought her home so we could all celebrate her turning 20 together, and that’s what we shall do. We don’t need outsiders coming in and upsetting the family. We’ve been through a lot together these past few years. Let’s not tempt more trouble where it’s not needed.”

“James is in town.” Caleb said just coming clean with what he’d been attempting to lead up to. This stopped Michael mid stride as he looked at Caleb wide eyed. He could hardly believe it. “Perhaps we should at least invite him?”

“Absolutely not,” Michael exclaimed a bit louder then he meant to. He looked from left to right hoping no one had hurt his outburst before stepping closer to Caleb and keeping his voice down. “The God’s smiled down on us when he went abroad, Caleb. Don’t even mention his presence to anyone, and certainly not Henrietta.”

“He was her bow.” Caleb said honestly. “She’d be happy to see him.”

“Caleb.” Michael said taking a breath before talking to his brother, “I know how much you care for our sister, and I know how much mother meant to you. Meant to all of us. But even though she’s shown remarkable progress and continues to improve . . .she’s not fully cured. You forget that I think, not because you mean to but because you care for her so much. But you have to realize that she is still a very ill young woman, and you can’t rush her into being recovered. Can’t we please just have a nice family celebration, and not complicate things?” He requested.

Caleb knew that he was right, and he had realized he’d been jumping the gun a little these past few weeks. It was difficult not to grow excited at the prospect of their sister being home, and wanting to go back to the way it was when they were all children together and everything was wonderful before all the trouble began. He sighed and looked down giving a nod realizing that he was going to have to keep himself in check. Michael put his hand on Caleb’s shoulder knowing it was difficult. “Let’s just enjoy having the family all together again, however brief of time it is.”