LOGINShare
Chapter 2
Last Updated:
2021-03-03 10:07:56Some people believe in fate. Some call it destiny. Some like to believe that we have no control over it while others seem to believe we all create our destiny. These were the questions Lark would ask himself many years later as he regretted the events set in motion that night. The events of one night created a path into the future, centuries ahead.
Lark thought he had made it. He thought he had not been seen when he left his place behind the tree and headed for the exit. The night was a success in every way he thought. And he had ended it on a high note with a kiss he could never have imagined getting from a girl he swore he would marry. He wanted to see her again before he left but he doubted it would be possible. How and when he would see her again he did not know but he knew he would make every effort to do so.
Lark really believed though that he was free and clear and so when he was suddenly stopped at the main door by a guard, he was surprised. He wondered immediately if someone had seen him pickpocket Eugene. It was all he could think of. He had been spotted by someone and now he would be arrested.
“Come with me,” the guard said. The guard took him by the arm and led him from the exit back into the courtyard. “Do not make a scene boy or things will be worse for you.”
The guard’s grip was firm and painful and Lark had no choice but to accompany the guard who showed no sign of letting up on the grip he had on Lark’s arm. The guard led him around the side of the immense castle and called to another guard who joined them and grasped Lark’s other arm. They led Lark through an archway and down some steps. When they reached the bottom, Lark realized by the dim light from the guards' torches that they were in a dungeon.
“What is this? Why am I here?” Lark asked as they pushed him into a cell. The door clanged shut and they locked it.
“Our master wants to have a word with you,” one of the guards said. Then they were gone.
Eugene nodded as the guard whispered in his ear. He nodded and then continued speaking with his guest as a small smile tweaked the corners of his mouth. Eugene continued to mingle with the guests until they had all left before he headed to the dungeons.
The guards unlocked the cell and let him in. On his instruction, they locked the cell again and left torches in the hallway so there was sufficient light.
Lark stood and watched as Eugene approached. Eugene could see the boy was afraid.
“My Lord, please tell me why I am here. If I have done something bad, I will do my best to right my wrong.”
Eugene stopped before Lark and studied him.
“What is your name?”
“Lark my Lord.”
“Where are you from?”
“Cage, my Lord.”
Eugene smiled at the imagery the boy’s name and the town he hailed from created in his mind. How apt, he thought.
“You were with the Lady Erin this evening am I right?”
Lark did not know what to say. He nodded after a brief hesitation, “I met her briefly my lord.”
“Why?” Eugene asked.
“She is a most remarkable young lady, my Lord. I would be lying if I were to deny being attracted to her.”
Eugene smiled. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. Rather it was a sad smile, a smile that portrayed disappointment, disapproval, dislike, contempt and so much more.
“And do you believe that she shares the same opinion as you?”
Lark knew he might be treading on dangerous ground. “I haven’t asked her, my Lord,” he replied.
Eugene nodded. “Then I shall give you the disappointing news young man. Lady Erin is intended for someone else. Someone who can provide for her and give her a home and keep her in the comforts she is accustomed to. That I am sure, is not something you can do. Am I right?”
Lark licked his lips nervously, “Please my Lord. I will do anything for the lady. If I could just have an opportunity to present myself to her, perhaps she can tell me herself if she would like to give me an opportunity… With your blessing my Lord, I could help you in your business. I am a fast learner and I promise I will work hard.”
Eugene held up his hand as he shook his head. “So, you would be a leech. A parasite sucking off my teat to support my daughter?”
“Please my Lord. I would honestly do my best. I will learn and I add more value to your business than you could ever imagine. I will be worthy. I am worthy.”
Eugene’s face hardened. “Worthy? You do not even know the meaning of the word, I think. You will never be worthy. You are not welcome in my house and I never want to see you here again. If I ever catch you on my property, I will have you thrown in this dungeon for the rest of your life, or worse. No-one will know you are here and no-one will ever find you. Do you understand me?”
“But my Lord, please…”
Eugene swung his hand and struck Lark with a backhand blow that sent him reeling and stars spinning.
“Do you understand me?” he asked again.
Lark struggled to his feet and looked at Eugene. He wasn’t going to leave here until Eugene heard what he wanted to hear.
He wiped his mouth and felt his cheek swelling. He nodded as he looked at Eugene. “Yes my Lord. I understand.”
“Good. Then you are free to go, I do not wish to ever see you here again.”
“Yes, my Lord,” Lark said.
Eugene called for the guards without taking his eyes off Lark. The guards unlocked the door and Eugene left.
“Show this boy to the gate. He is never to be allowed to return.” Eugene disappeared up the stairs and was gone before the guards led Lark to the gate.
Eugene entered Erin’s chambers.
“Father, you should knock,” Erin admonished him.
“I’m sorry,” Eugene said insincerely. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“What about father?”
Eugene moved around the room to the window where he saw the guards leading Lark across the courtyard.
“Do you know what a Scarlet Letter is Erin?” Eugene asked evenly.
Yes father,” Erin replied. “Why are you bringing that up now?”
“Would you like to have a Scarlet Letter?”
“No father,” Erin replied, fear creeping into her voice.
“You were fraternizing with a boy tonight.”
“Who? With Harold?” Erin asked feigning misunderstanding. “You introduced us.”
“The boy behind the tree,” Eugene said not turning around but watching Erin’s reflection in the glass of the window.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about father,” Erin lied. She realized her father was looking at her reflection in the glass. She knew he could not see her reflection blush though.
“You do Erin. Do not lie to me. I have had the boy removed from the castle. I have told him never to return unless he wishes to suffer dire consequences. If I should find you with him, you will have a Scarlet Letter, understood?”
Erin was silent as she absorbed her father’s remark.
“Do you understand?” Eugene repeated.
“Yes father,” Erin said sadly. “But I will not see Harold again. He is a bore.”
“You,” Eugene turned and came to stand before Erin tilting her head up to meet his gaze, “will do as I say when it comes to choosing a husband. Is that clear? You have demonstrated your poor judgment time and again when it comes to boys. You will do as I say.”
“I won’t father,” Erin said as tears filled her eyes. “I’m not some object that you can simply trade like your businesses.”
“You will do as I say for you will never have my blessing otherwise. Am I clear?”
Erin said nothing as tears ran down her cheeks.
“I’ll take your silence and your tears as a yes,” Eugene said before turning and leaving the room.
Related chapters
Everlasting Love Chapter 3
If it is true and destiny does indeed exist, we seldom see destiny at play until we look over the past. And often at that point, it is much too late.Lark could not know he had started his destiny that night. Was it mapped for him or did he create it? That was the question he would ask himself through the centuries that followed as he lived one long, cursed life. He would wonder about the question and its answer as Erin paraded through his one life with her many lives, one after another. In each of those lives, he would try to let her say the three words he needed to hear, “I love you.”And he would try to have her kiss him. Truly kiss him, because she truly loved him. That was the only way he would be free. The only way Erin and a few others would ever be free. And over the years he would come to wonder if he still loved her or if she had simply become a means to an end.Lark escaped from the castle unscathed. He thanked the gods for h
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 4
Lark was appointed to work at the castle. He had not doubted he would be successful. He returned home to give his mother the good news. He would start the next day and he asked her to cut his long hair so that he would look different.His short hair made him look even younger and without a doubt more handsome. He looked different too, which was primarily what he had intended. He had been employed as a butler and would first be trained before being considered a member of the household but he was a fast learner.The next morning, he packed his few belongings in a backpack which he slung over his shoulder. He left early and hugged his tearful mother. He might see her once a week on his day off now. The rest of the time he would be at the castle where he would live as an employee.He set out on the road and arrived at the castle an hour and a half later. He presented himself to the guard at the gate who let him in after confirming he was due to start work.La
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 5
Lark found Lance a short while later.“How did it go?” Lance asked.“Great. I think I have a good understanding of the layout of the castle. I walked it a few times so I can remember where what is.”“Good,” Lance replied. “It’s late so I guess you can go back to your quarters and rest. Don’t get too comfortable. I’m just too busy today to supervise you for your next training. You’ll be much busier in the days ahead.”“Well, what is my next training?” Lark asked.“Table setting, serving, pouring wine, where to stand during meals.”“Well, if you want, we can do it tonight in our quarters. It will help me learn quicker and get my training done sooner. Then you won’t have to worry about having time to supervise me during the day when you’re learning yourself.”“That’s a good idea,” Lance agreed. “
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 6
Eugene crossed to the window and looked down at the garden. He had a suspicion about Erin. He was sure she had been in the garden with someone but she had told him she was talking to herself when he had asked her.Had she been telling the truth? Was she secretly seeing someone? If she was, it had to be one of the household staff. A servant. He would not let her drag the family’s name through the mud for her childish, immature impulses and crushes.He decided to have her watched even as he thought he saw some movement down in the gardens in the shadows. As his eyes followed the shadow, he saw it separate from the other shadows in the garden and disappear behind the far corner of the castle. She had been with someone. He sighed as he changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed.An idea hatched in his mind. He had heard of it a few years before and had discounted it then as just a legend but now it seemed that it would be a most appropriate course
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 7
They entered the woods a little over an hour after leaving the castle. Eugene directed the soldiers to follow a specific path until they finally reached a rundown cabin in a clearing. Smoke puffed from the cabin’s chimney and Eugene ordered the riders to halt. He dismounted his horse and called out.“Keller!”Silence reigned in the clearing around them. Then the cabin door opened and a small man stood silhouetted against the light from within. The man’s hair appeared silver in the light from the cabin and hung down the sides of his face. He had a hat that sat askew on his head. It looked ridiculous but he seemed not to notice or care. He left the cabin and stepped out onto the porch.“Eugene? Is it you?” he called in disbelief.“Keller,” Eugene said as he walked forward and climbed the steps up to the porch where he stopped. He offered his hand and Keller took it. They shook hands briefly before Eugene pulle
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 8
“So what did the witch say?” Eugene said when Keller at last arrived back at his cabin.“She will see you,” Keller said.“Great. So which way do I go?”“Follow the path,” Keller said. “You can’t miss it. The path leads straight to the cabin.”“You mean that this path only leads to the witch’s place? What are you? The witch’s guardian?”“We have worked together often enough but I am not her guardian. What witch needs a guardian?”Eugene studied Keller looking for signs of deceit but he couldn’t see any.“Very well then,” he said tossing a few coins on the dinner table. “Thank you. If I have success, I shall pay you more.”“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Keller scoffed.“Don’t be so pessimistic Keller. Surely there will be success. She is your friend after all,
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 9
Eugene thought of Lark and Erin as he rode into the woods again. He had warned Erin to stay away from the boy and he had warned the boy too. But they believed they were smarter than him. They believed they could sneak behind his back in the gardens late at night and that he was none the wiser.Well, they were about to learn otherwise. She would learn that when he told her to do something she would listen and do as she was told. Erin would understand that he would do the same to anyone else she chose to be with if he did not grant his permission. She would understand her options clearly.He had come with fewer guards this time. There was no danger here he believed. Who was going to try to challenge a witch he wondered to himself?They reached Keller’s cabin and brought their horses to a halt. Eugene dismounted and knocked on the cabin door. He didn’t wait for an answer but opened the door and entered.Keller looked over his shoulder from the fi
Last Updated : 2021-03-03Everlasting Love Chapter 10
Erin and Lark had chosen a room in a secret passage for their date for the evening. Everyone thought they were asleep. Torches burned in sconces in the walls and they sat on blankets Lark had managed to sneak from the laundry room.They snacked on bread, cheese, and wine as they enjoyed themselves.“What would your father do if I asked him for your hand in marriage?” Lark asked.Erin laughed, “You know what he told you before. First, he will inquire how you managed to get into the castle, and then he will have you thrown out or worse, into the dungeons.”“I am being serious,” Lark said.“And so am I,” Erin replied. “What makes you think he will change his mind?”“I don’t know. But if we see him together, perhaps he will understand,” Lark persisted.Erin shook her head. “You do not know my father. We are commoners just like you. But father has worked ha
Last Updated : 2021-03-03
Latest chapter
Everlasting Love Chapter 34
Lark kept Sasha away from his house for a few days longer as he converted one of the bedrooms to an office for her and satisfied himself that Lynn was really gone. Everywhere he went he checked to see if he was being followed. He even hired a private investigator to follow him when he went out. The private investigator reported that no-one had followed him at any time and, finally satisfied that Lynn had decided to leave him alone, he had let Sasha come to his house.She was amazed when she saw what he had done for her.“Thank you so much, Lark. You didn’t have to,” she said. “We could have managed in one office.”“We could have,” Lark smiled, “but I need space as much as I enjoyed having you less than a shout away.”“Thank you,” Sasha said again. Then she asked, “Is Lynn here? I should say hello to her. It would be rather rude of me not to.”“She’s gone,&rdqu
Everlasting Love Chapter 33
Lark opened the door as quietly as possible, stepped inside, and closed it just as quietly. He placed the thermoses on the table in the entrance hall and then, after quickly peering into the living area and not seeing Lynn, proceeded down the passageway.The first room was his office. He had suspected he would find Lynn in his office. Her back was to him and she was muttering to herself angrily.“Damn you… where is it? Where have you hidden it?”Lark stepped into the study behind Lynn and watched her silently. She was going through book after book quickly, angrily, trying to cover as much ground as she could.Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed something out of place in the room.She noticed Lark. She turned to look at him and dropped the book, surprised. She gave out a small shriek of surprise.“Lark! What the hell? You almost gave me a heart attack!” she exclaimed.“Looking for somethin
Everlasting Love Chapter 32
“So what if I want to read up on how to do spells and teach myself more when you’re busy writing your books?” Lynn asked.“Well, I’m sure I could always give you a book to read. What do you have in mind?”“Well, let me carry on with the book that you’ve been teaching me with. How do I read it so it doesn’t look like a fiction novel?”Lark smiled. “It’s okay. I’ll unlock the book for you.” He reached up to the shelf and removed the book he had been using to teach Lynn. He turned away after removing it from the shelf and muttered something before he turned and held it out to Lynn.She took the book from him and opened it. It was no longer a fiction book. She paged through it reading about spell after spell.“There you go,” Lark said.“Thank you,” Lynn said. She left the library and returned to the living room lost in reading the book and
Everlasting Love Chapter 31
Lark felt as if a weight had been lifted off him. He could not believe that the curse was finally broken. It was a dream come true when he had given up hundreds of years ago.A few things that seemed out of place crossed his mind but he pushed them aside.Lynn’s father had not made an appearance since he had met her. It was strange considering what he knew about the curse and his previous experience.Lynn had seemed to be much more relaxed about what he had told her. He guessed though that everyone was different and that it was more difficult for people in today’s day and age to believe in magic.Lynn didn’t look anything like Erin. Sasha looked more like Erin than Lynn did.But who knew how the universe worked? Justin had not looked the same as Eugene despite Emma looking exactly like Erin. Emma’s mother had also not looked like Loren, Erin’s mother.If he expected everything to be the same, he would most likel
Everlasting Love Chapter 30
Lynn made her way to Lark’s study and began to go through his books one by one. The books on the shelves in his study were all genuine as far as she could tell. There was a large variety of fiction and non-fiction books on the shelves. There was not a single one about magic that she could see. She began to take books off the shelves and to check the backs of the shelves for hidden buttons and levers that would reveal a secret opening in the wall that would grant her access to a secret library filled with magical books and knowledge.She could just imagine what she could do with the knowledge Lark must have stored somewhere. She had an alternative plan if she failed to find the books or Lark’s secret storage place. She didn’t want to set that plan in motion but it was beginning to look like she had less and less choice in the matter. It was beginning to look like she would have to activate her plan ‘b’ as people called it.Lynn was so engro
Everlasting Love Chapter 29
Lynn collected the sleeping pills for which she had obtained a prescription. She headed back to Lark’s place and placed them in her cupboard. Then she went to see Lark in his office where he was busy working on his latest novel.He looked up from his computer when she entered his study.“Hi there. Where have you been?” he asked smiling.“Oh, I needed to go and get some things,” Lynn smiled. “I wanted to invite you to dinner tonight.”“That sounds like a plan,” Lark smiled. “Where are we going?”“No, no, I mean just dinner here at home. I’m cooking. My treat.”“I certainly won’t say no,” Lark smiled.“Okay. Well, you just carry on doing what you’re doing and I will make dinner. I insist on doing it alone tonight okay?”“Okay but just shout if you want some help,” Lark smiled.“That will
Everlasting Love Chapter 28
Lynn was over the moon with the departure of Sasha. She felt as if she had newfound freedom in Lark’s house now that Sasha was gone. She had always been restricted from searching Lark’s house for where he kept all the magical knowledge she believed he must have gained. Now at least she had some more freedom to search with less chance of discovery. There had been a few occasions when Sasha had almost caught Lynn going through Lark’s things. Now she only had to concern herself with Lark while she searched his house.As if Sasha’s moving out wasn’t enough of a gift, the universe seemed to play even further into her hands. Sasha arrived in the morning two days after moving out. She was in tears when she entered and Lark ushered her into his office. He closed the door and they spoke quietly. Lynn did not eavesdrop. She was sure that Lark would tell her what had happened later.And he did. Sasha finally left looking a bit better. Lark saw her ou
Everlasting Love Chapter 27
Lynn moved in two days later. Lark was happy about the decision to let Lynn move in. He thought it would give them both more time to get to know each other better and for him to build up her trust to an extent that she might not be as surprised when he finally told her the truth about his reluctance to kiss her. She might be willing to trust him to the extent that she wouldn’t hesitate to kiss him at all when he told her.Lark helped Lynn get as settled as possible. She told him she had stored the majority of her belongings with a friend since she was only staying in a room at Lark’s house and her possessions would never fit in the room that Lark had given her.In truth, Lynn had kept her place. She wasn’t in the financial difficulty she pretended to be in. This was all temporary until Lark trusted her enough to tell her what she needed to know. When he did that, she would be in control. Until then, as long as she lived in Lark’s house, she had
Everlasting Love Chapter 26
Just before Christmas, Lark had started advertising for a personal assistant. He had halted the interviews just before Christmas because it was Christmas after all and people were going away for the holidays. He checked his e-mail daily though and on Boxing Day he received an e-mail from one of the applicants. Her name was Sasha.Dear Sir/Madam.I am writing about my application for the position of your assistant. I would like to inquire if you have considered interviewing me. I believe I am very well suited for the position and I would be most grateful if you would interview me. I do apologize for pressing you for an interview at this time but I have limited resources and time in New York City before I have to leave if I do not find a suitable position to support myself. In truth, my application for this position is my last chance. I have always dreamed of being in New York and I hope that you would consider making my
