From Pines to Castles

The next day, as soon as Neve took her nap, Maeva went to the study. Everything was as she left it. She sat down on the chair, picked up the stick and the tip that had unscrewed off the day before. She first looked inside the stick itself. There was threading om the circumference for the other piece to screw in. The rest was empty. She put the stick down. She then took the small piece and looked inside it. There was something there. She tried to grab it, but it would elude her as soon as she tried to pull it out. She needed plyers. She further extended open the middle pen drawer. She found a small kit with screwdrivers and plyers. Taking the plyers, she delicately grabbed the piece she could see inside the tube. She slowly pulled. It would not budge. This time, she smiled. ‘Use your head, Maeva!’, she thought. She tried to slightly turn the object inside the tube. Nothing. She tried to turn it on the other side. Again, it didn’t budge. She looked more carefully at the golden tip. She had noticed the strange shape before. She pressed on it, pulled it, turned it in both directions. 'There must be a reason for the strange shape of the head of this stick', she thought. It was made of a metal, looked like gold but more likely brass. It looked like a simple cap with a border of about five centimeters, and it was engraved with curlicues. The top was made of two pointy edges on either side of a rounded tube-like open groove in the middle. At the bottom of the tube structure was a rounded hole about two centimeters of circumference. She kept looking at it and, looking at the desk, trying to find a shape that would fit in there. It looked like it was meant to be pushed onto something. As it was rounded, she thought of the desk handles. She tried, but you could see it was not made for this. It just didn’t fit well. She blew a bubble and sat back discouraged. She spent some time looking outside.

The leaves were magnificent. Today the wind was strong and a lot of them were flying away creating a beautifully patched path. As the trees slowly transformed into skeletons, you could see more of the stables and the training ring, but each year brought a different view, because the trees grew. The spruces and the pines as well as the leafy trees were higher, and you could now see more of the gray cedar lattices of the stables. Less of the red roof. She thought that by next summer, you might be able to see the entry door of the stables. But it didn’t matter anymore, right? She would never see him walking down the path and enter the stables. She would not see him on his horse in the training ring, teaching his four-legged friend new tricks. An overwhelming sense of guilt seized her. She hadn’t ridden her horse in how long? She decided she would ride everyday from now on. How could she do that; the horses didn’t deserve to be abandoned. She knew the caretakers rode them, but it was not the same as being ridden by their owner, their human. Sky had made a point of this, and it was a regular activity of theirs, as a couple. She laid her head on the desk for awhile. She knew Yvonne was on duty for Neve. She needed some time to think about him.  Once in a while she needed time to do this; just close her eyes and concentrate on memories of him. Like daydreaming. She could make herself believe he was there. That he had never left. She usually went to sleep that way. They were no more tears. Just beautiful sad memories.  
 
She woke up, quite uncomfortable. Her neck was sore. She looked at the time. It would be supper time soon. Poor Neve! Maeva looked up at the monitor. She selected the kitchen camera. There, they were. Neve was snacking while Yvonne was prepping the evening meal. That’s where real life was.
 
Maeva left everything there and went to be with them. 


 
 
The next day, the first thing Maeva did was to make a call that she was not looking forward to. She had heard Joe’s version, Jenny’s version and now, she needed the story from the horse’s mouth. It was easy for her to find out who the young actress was. She was British. And she also lived somewhere in the Costwold region. The place was famous amongst celebrities. She obtained her number from one of Sky’s notebooks. She had seen it when she looked through the notebooks the first time, before the search and remembered quite well where the name and number were. Her name was Roxy Collins, a nepo baby. She married another nepo baby, Josh Flanerty. When Maeva first heard Sky refer to 'nepo' babies, she had looked at him wide-eyed. She remembered him explaining that it was a diminutive for nepotism. It simply meant that the child was a famous person who rode on his parents’ celebrity to become famous himself. Fame was a given for them. The acting or singing world opened its doors wide-open. They didn’t have to prove their own worth.  Like baby birds being fed mashed up food from their mama bird.
 
Maeva reached her agent first. So, Sky didn’t have her private number. That was a good thing. Maybe he had it on his cell? She hadn’t checked, but she might do that.
 
“Good day, my name is Maeva Hawthorne. I would like to have a meeting with Mrs. Collins.”, she said, using her ‘formal’ voice.
 
“What is it about? Are you a reporter? I am sorry, I cannot place your name.”, said the agent who was quite pleasant.
 
“Hawthorne. Mrs. Maeva Hawthorne. Sky Hawthorne’s wife. Does my name ring a bell, now?”, she said quite innocently.
 
“Oh, oh. Mrs. Hawthorne. Yes, ok. You’re a writer, right?”, asked the agent.
 
“Yes, yes, I am.”, Maeva had never used that to meet someone before, but it made total sense.
 
“Is it about a movie deal? Are you looking to cast her in a story of yours?”, she insisted. Maeva always forgot she was kind of famous in the movie world. Her last scenario had won an Oscar nomination after all.
 
“Well, I would like to run something by her. I would need to meet her soon, if possible.”, said Maeva. She wasn’t lying. She just took the hand offered to her.
 
“OK. Humm… Let me see. She is in town this week, but her schedule is quite full. Let me run it by her, and I’ll get back to you, OK?”, the agent was giving her the usual response.
 
“Yes, I do hope you will call back, before I go on to my next choice. Thank you.”, Maeva hung up quickly. She wondered if the fish would bite.
 
 

 
She spent the rest of the day with Neve and Yvonne. They needed to plan some fresh grocery shopping for tomorrow. Maeva reserved the driver for the morning, sent him the itinerary after both Yvonne and her made the list of what was needed. As for the regular groceries, she called for the store to deliver the usual. Then Maeva and Neve went to visit the stables and the barns and that completed their morning. Once Neve went down for her afternoon nap, Maeva went to the study. As per her usual routine, she made sure she could check on Neve and, sat in Sky’s office chair. She had decided to not take more than an hour. She wanted to go ride Sugar. She took the end of the stick she had left on the desk and sat, just looking at it. She looked at the large bookcase thinking, the ladder had been precious. Sky probably didn’t need the ladder because of his height. Her eyes were still on the ladder, when she realised that the handles were you gripped the ladder with your hands to climb up and be secure, were round tubes. She stood up and approached it. One side had a little piece sticking out in the bottom, perfectly centered. She still had the piece of stick in her hand and tried to fit it over the tubular handle. It fit perfectly. She made sure to align the hole with the little bulge. It went in perfectly. She heard a mechanical click. The metal piece, that was in the other side of the tube, had pushed out a little. With her fingers, she was able to nudge the metal completely out. It was some kind of concave tip. Quite tiny. She went to the safe drawer that remained opened and slipped her hand inside still holding the tool. She was able to tilt it in order to put the concave tip right over the little bump she had felt there. Nothing happened. She pushed in. Still nothing. She was ready to give up when she thought about turning it clockwise which she did. Another click. Nothing moved. She turned it back as it was. A click and the cover below popped open. Maeva smiled a proud smile. Proud, she got it opened, and proud, at all that Sky went through to protect what was there. She looked at the unlocked safe. She would soon find out Sky’s secrets. She heard a tiny voice singing. She looked up to the monitor. Neve was sitting in her bed, cuddling her teddy bear and humming.
 
She didn’t know that those were the last moments she would have peace of mind.
 
 
 
 
 
Mrs. Collins’s agent had called back while she was in the study. The vocal message said she had obtained a meeting time for four o'clock this afternoon. Maeva had time to be with Neve a little and would dress up and go. She reserved the driver and already knew what she would wear. She would dress up. Yvonne was aware that she would care for Neve until her return and that they might have the evening meal without her. She was sure Victor would eat with the girls. Her mind kept returning to the safe and what she would discover in there. But she knew that she had to be present in the moment for Neve, and to be well prepared for her meeting with Collins.
 
The maid was waiting out for her when Maeva arrived. Once the driver opened the door, the maid saw a flowing cloud of white sliding out of the car. Maeva moved effortlessly, smoothly. Dressed of mousseline and lace, she gave an ethereal vibe. Her white hair was loose, cascading over her shoulders like flowing silk. She wore a white lace blouse on mousseline palazzo pants of the same color. As it was autumn, she wore a white cashmere shawl over her shoulders and wrapped around her neck. Her feet were wrapped in country platform sandals laced around her ankles. She carried a Gucci tote bag in white suede with gold trimmings.
 
Maeva saw the maid eyeing her when she greeted her. She quickly understood that Mrs. Collins would not be pleased by her appearance. The maid walked her to a beautiful living room decorated in western-style farmhouse. A mix of chic and western artifacts. By the decoration, Maeva could sense immaturity mixed with a touch of narcissism. There were pictures, paintings and drawings of the young actress in her movies. On the country-style piano were framed photographs of the actress with her various co-stars. She also noticed a bar filled with a diversity of full-size alcohol bottles in different stages of emptiness. Sobriety hadn’t hit yet in this household. She always found it intriguing how much you could find out about someone just by observing their living spaces. The maid made her sit so she would have the best view of the room as well as out the window for the view of the beautiful Costwold hills. She wondered if this room was ever used, as there was absolutely no sign of a child here; no toys, blankets, or anything needed to care for a young child. The child should be about six to twelve months older than Neve. She didn't hear any children sounds. She did see dog beds, so she figured someone was hanging around in this room. She looked around the room for cameras. She saw one at the corner of the window wall, then looking around the room, saw things that might be hiding one. If you found one, you could be sure there were others.
 
Maeva waited twenty minutes before Mrs. Collins showed. Maeva had seen photographs of her. She was a pretty girl that lost all beauty when she opened her mouth to greet Maeva. Her voice was pitchy and she had a strong Irish gutter accent. She was not educated and was socially inept. Her greeting of Maeva was disrespectful.
 
“So you’re the bitch he married? He would have been better off with me. What a jerk.”, she said disbelieving what she was seeing. "You're so old."
 
“Nice to meet you too. This bitch has questions.”, answered Maeva, ignoring the insults.
 
“Stupid and cowardy, too. Wow, he won the jackpot, didn’t he?”, she said sarcastically.
 
“Were you in love with Sky?”, asked Maeva, still refusing to react to the insults.
 
“It is none of your business who I fancy or not.”
 
“Right, but maybe it is. He is my husband after all.”, Maeva continued.
 
“Was, you mean. Was. He is dead.”, the girl said.
 
“How would you know? Did you kill him?”, Maeva was too quick to answer.
 
“No, why would I do that? I loved him. He was the most caring and the most beautiful man in the world.", she answered truthfully, this time.
 
“Did you shag?”, Maeva asked, refusing to call it ‘making love’.
 
“Yes, we did. He didn’t want to at first, but he couldn’t resist my charm.”
 
“Once, or many times?”, Maeva needed to know.
 
“As much as we could. Until our fucking agents inserted themselves in our relationship.”, said the young actress.
 
“Did you get pregnant from him?”, asked Maeva. The girl looked at her defiantly. Her hair was tied back in a slick ponytail. It was bleached blonde with at least an inch of black root growth showing. Maeva knew it was a trendy look right now. It didn’t make it pretty to look at, though. She was wearing tight hip hugging jeans and a short sleeveless blue cashmere cardigan showing her pierced belly button. A four carats diamond shone in the black depth of the hole. Her red coloured nails were too long to have anyone believe she did any housework or even, took care of a child. She could blind a child or a dog with them.
 
“So? Did you?”, asked Maeva for a second d time.
 
“There are rumors out there, but I don’t care. I have my baby now.”, she said getting a picture frame from the piano top. She walked over to Maeva and presented it to her. Maeva took it and looked at the photograph. It showed a year in a half year old child, standing amongst blooming flowers outside. The child had a round face, big brown eyes with a pronounced  epithelial fold and a straight dark brown hair. It definitely looked like her, but there was not an ounce of Sky’s traits on him. Roxy  remained standing over her. Maeva handed her back the photograph.
 
“He doesn’t look too much like Sky, does he?”, she told Maeva.
 
“Is he? Sky’s son?”, Maeva asked again.
 
“No. But he is mine. I will never admit to that, but yes, I carried the baby to term.”. she said.
 
“Aren’t you afraid I will tell everyone?”, Maeva asked.
 
“I inquired about you. That is not your way. I am sure you will not talk. That baby is mine, and only mine. I will never say who the father is. It is not Sky. I wished it was, did I ever. I had a strong crush on that man. He didn't want to have a baby at that time. I wanted to be a married to him and possess him for the rest of our lives. Then came our agents, the voices of reason! It would be a terrible move for his career. And for mine, they said. I understood that with the age difference, it wouldn't be good for him, but how could it affect me? They said I needed to be a perfect role model, that I was too young to give my career away for a baby and all that reasonable stuff. Still, having a baby inside me was such am amazing experience. I couldn't not get rid of it as just a if it wasn't part of me. It was. And it the beginning, this baby being Sky's made me even more adamant about keeping him. Sky refused to see me anymore. He would not recognize the baby as his, he said. My boyfriend wanted me so bad, he accepted to marry me even with the baby in our lives. I had a paternity test, privately. I got the worst news of my life. It could not be Sky's. So, I 'adopted' a baby. The deal between my husband and I; I care for the child all on my own. It's ok. He's the one that looks like an idiot. Never caring for he, never holding him, never helping me out. It shows. Everyone sees his behavior. Sp, that it, my baby i
 
“OK. That’s all I wanted to know. Congratulations for your baby. He is beautiful. He looks like you. It will be hard for you to make the world believe he is not from you, but I wish you luck.”, Maeva said smiling.
 
“Thank you. And I am sorry for what happened to Sky. It is sad. I am sorry to say, that I do believe he passed. He was not the kind to just leave his family. He was honorable. Yes, I was young when he bedded me, but I did everything I could to seduce him. I was after him relentlessly. He almost had no choice. He was alone, was overworked and I encouraged him to overdrink.”, Roxy said.
 
“So there is no possibility your child is Sky’s.”, insisted Maeva.
 
“No. This file is closed. It should also be for you. You have Sky’s only heir.”, the girl said.
 
“Thank you for your honesty.”, Maeva was appreciative. “I have another question.”, she said. “Do you know of the Chivalry Club?”, Maeva looked at the girl intensely. She wanted to be see her reaction.
 
“I heard about it. Rumors, again. I think it is mostly old men, so…”, she said, uninterested. Maeva could feel the girl was uninvolved and didn’t know anything.
 
“OK. Thank you. I will leave you to your occupations. I’m sorry I took so much of your time.”, Maeva took her leave. The young actress just called the maid and went on her merry way. Maeva was escorted to the door. The driver was already opening the car door for her.
 
The drive back was a little longer than usual. There was some construction as part of the road leading to the domain had flooded and caused a landslide. There had been a lot of rain lately. Maeva thought it was just normal weather for the time of year, but the news said it was the worst year in terms of fallen rain. She thought she should ask the driver about the domain.
 
“Has any harm come to our land because of this rain?”, she asked.

"Actually, yes. I have been called to help out as some of the paths became unusable and some cliffs’ landing, unstable. There will be a lot of land loss due to erosion this year.”, he said.
 
“Victor, did not mention anything but, do you think we should get Joanie back, or at least try? But maybe you would rather remain security and driving, so we should hire another hand?”, she asked. She always liked to get advice from her staff.
 
“I prefer being a driver. I will always help if Victor needs me, but I much prefer security tasks and driving you Mrs. Hawthorne.”, he said.
 
“Yes. Understood. I will look for a new Farmhand. Thank you for your honestly.”, Maeva was glad people were comfortable enough to be frank with her.
 
Neve was in bed already when she got home. Still, she was happy to be at home and remembered she had to eat. She looked in the fridge and found a plate ready for her to heat up. She thought about the safe in the study, but it was late and she was too tired to look into the content tonight. There was always another day.