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Chapter Eleven
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Oliver hadn't seen Callum in the past few days as he and Liam had had to leave for Winchester to settle family matters.
Oliver wasn't provided any further details and Callum had told him to use the time as he pleased. He wrote a letter to his sister and put it in an envelope. He was planning on giving it to his friend when they met the following week.It was past eight and the dinner was over, so Oliver was sitting in his usual company in the kitchen, the white Irish hound playing with something he'd found on the ground."This wretched ball coming has us all working our butts off." Jenny said and poured tea for each of them."And it takes ages to prepare everything, My God. ""I won't tolerate such language, even in the kitchens."Adelia scolded her.From the time Oliver had spent here, he'd gathered Adelia seemed harsh at first glance, but the woman was much softer on the inside once a man got to know her. Thomas was a different matter, though."Sorry, madam. BuRelated chapters
Gentleman Code Chapter Twelve
"There's only one room left, upper floor.""Thank you," Callum said. "I think we will manage. Besides, we don't have much of a choice, as there isn't anything much nearby.""What do you mean only one room?" Oliver interrupted. The innkeeper looked at him as if he was mentally challenged."If there's really no other way..." Callum smiled and looked at Oliver. "I hope it's no trouble for you, too?""No." Oliver said shortly."I will need a name and the pay for the room.""Gregory." Oliver said "I will wait outside. ""Excuse my cousin," he heard Callum explaining to the man while he was fixing the paper works and Oliver almost pushed people out of his way.Oliver was smoking outside when Callum came to pick him up. He sat down next to him, and Oliver resisted the urge to get up."I know it's inconvenient, but I couldn't come up with anything else.""You don't need to apologize to your servant. ""I stil
Gentleman Code Chapter Thirteen
Oliver was taking a walk outside, enjoying the sunny day before the soft cotton clouds had turned into something else.He tried to guess how many hours it would take before rain poured when he saw Cian running fast towards him.The dog jumped as soon as it was close to him.It was so tall its paws almost reached Oliver’s shoulders when it was standing up.Hadn’t Oliver been that big, the animal would’ve pushed him down to the ground.“Cian, what’s gotten to you?’The dog slipped its paws and ran away. It crossed a short distance and turned to see if Oliver was coming after him.“You want me to come?”The dog turned and began running again.Oliver thought it had found something, or a small animal had been caught in one of the traps that were set by the hunters in the nearby woods, which were also part of the estate.He was already leaving the garden
Gentleman Code Chapter Fourteen
"I didn't expect to get a message from you so soon." John put his glass down on the table."And I thought you'd be happier to see me.""I don't know, Ollie. Meeting you usually means trouble.""Oh, come on. ""Well, that's why people stay away from you. "Oliver made a face even though he knew his friend had been joking."Sorry, that was a bad one. But you just bring bad luck, mate.""Since when?" Oliver asked and crossed his hands."Since that time they almost killed us in, where was it?...""Manchester?""No, Manchester was not that bad. ""Yes, true." Oliver said thoughtfully and John f
Gentleman Code Chapter Fifteen
The light coming from the fireplace was throwing a shadow over his pale face and it made his hair look darker.It looked the same as when it was wet- like deep red velvet.The lord was sitting directly on the floor, still in his full suit.He was running his hands through Cian's thick fur and the white hound was resting peacefully next to its master.Callum looked up surprised upon hearing the door open."Oliver?""Uhh, I heard something, so I came to check if everything's all right.""Yes?""Are you all right?""Mhm, I... I stumbled.I wasn’t…drowning this time too."Oliver noticed the slur. Now that he looked closer, he could tell there was something slightly off w
Gentleman Code Chapter Sixteen
"The man's need to be outstanding is fundamental, Mr. Abram."Lord Tennyson was saying, pouring himself a cognac."Please, have a seat."He pointed and Oliver took the chair opposite the desk."A drink?""No, thank you, Sir."It was a little after eleven.The lord came forward and leaned against the side of the desk, crossing his feet at the ankles. He took a sip and placed the expensive crystal at an arm's reach, before continuing."Everything we do is a result of that need, sometimes that's a desperate wish to be important. It's essential to create something that stays. I believe you agree?""I do, yes.""Unlike women, men don't create human beings. That's why we create something else. Stability."Tennyson pushed away from the t
Gentleman Code Chapter Seventeen
The maids were hastily running around, the housemaids scolding them for being too slow, or moving too fast, Thomas... Decorations, people bringing foreign objects around, cleaning, excitement... It was the night of the ball. "Lady Charlotte's not here, so at least you don't have to do any preparations for her. " Jenny was telling Della while trying to fold a big silk scarf. Even though Della was helping Jenny often, Oliver had found out the girl was, in fact, Lady Charlotte's first maid. "How come isn't she here?" Oliver asked. "She left for the countryside two days ago. " "But I suspected she's supposed to be here as well?" Oliver inquired again. " She normally is, " her first maid said, "but she hasn't been feeling very well recently and the lord advised she'd better rest in the family's house in the countryside. "Why didn't she take you with her?" "I don't k
Gentleman Code Chapter Eighteen
The guests were expected to be arriving soon.Thomas had checked if everyone else had changed into their new clothes as well, even though a very small number of the numerous staff members were going to be seen during the ball.The manor was unrecognizable- waltz was expected to be the main dance of the night and everything in the ball hall was prepared.Oliver was with the rest of the servants, and there was still no trace of Callum."You look fancy, " Jenny teased him. "Almost like a lord, too.""He's always handsome," Adelia said ."He still isn't here, is he?"Oliver shook his head."Come here, young man. Let me fix your tie. "She propped herself on her tiptoes so that she could reach him "I always forget how tall you are. There. "Adelia fixed the small, black bow tie and took a step back"Perfect, now."Oliver was wearing the required black coat with a black low-cut
Gentleman Code Chapter Nineteen
"There is a sense of sad beauty about the approach of autumn. The fleeting glory of summer is slipping away.""Lady Henriette, you look marvelous in any possible attire. " Lord Tennyson approached with his servant following closely behind, leading the lord's big white horse."And you look perfectly at a place as out master of Foxhounds for today." She outstretched her hand, which Tennyson took in his and kissed."I can't say I'm very experienced in hunting, but everything seems to be greatly organized. " She smiled politely at him and glanced at yet another servant standing nearby.The boy rushed to her and tipped his head "At your services, Ma'am."He offered to assist Henriette to get on the horse, but she stopped him with a light gesture."Thank you, perhaps I could manage myself."She was one of the few women joining the hunt today. The other one was the lady Anna, who was more eager to see the men dressed i
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Gentleman Code Author's Note
A divine move is one that is non-obvious and it balances strategy and tactics to turn a losing game into a winning play.It comes from the神の一手Kami no Itte, meaning "move of God" or "Godly move".It is used in teaching as a motivation to look again at positions in games and consider not just the obvious moves but the less apparent and more innovative ones as well.A divine move is singular-they are of such a rarity that a full-time Go player might play a single such move in a lifetime.When I began Callum and Oliver's journey, I had already decided on the title. It was supposed to be The Lord’s Divine Move.However, the more I wrote, the more I realized it wasn't only Callum's, but Oliver's chance to change the turn of events and break the chains, binding him to his past.It’s a story of two people, constantl
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty- Seven
This takes place after Xiao and Henriette’s first meeting in chapter 37 The smoke is lazily curling in a spiral around his long, gentle fingers. Then it’s wrapping them in its blue cloud only to dissolve into the air a few seconds later when he exhales and his breath destroys the dancing shapes. It vanishes. The way he always does, always coming and going. He looks troubled and fails to conceal it this time. I can’t tell why. And normally I’m very good at telling what’s going on in someone’s head. He looks at me and it’s like he wants to ask me something, but doesn’t know how to turn his thoughts into words and voice them. One of Ella’s girls sits next to Xiao and runs her hand over his back. He ignores her and looks back at the table. Albert and him have been playing for the past half an hour in silence and it’s one of the rare cases they seem to be completely lost to just everyth
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty Six
Oliver came back to the manor late. After Nathaniel and him had split, Oliver took a carriage back to Central London, and then walked blindly around the city. This was happening. They had had an agreement and Oliver wasn't going to just go on another mission after that. He'd been waiting for this for years. For the chance to get out of this, to repay his debt to Nathaniel and just be done with it. Forever. To be free. And maybe even speak to Callum and explain everything. Oliver wasn't just going to let go. He was going to find whatever he needed to finish his job here, even if it was the last thing he was going to do. Once he was back in his room in Fernsby's, he took his coat off and changed. The cloth was soaked with the heavy smell of cigarettes and cheap food from the places he'd stopped at, so he hung his clothes by to the opened window. Tennyson was supposed to be leaving early tomor
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty Five
Oliver’s hand shot immediately to the knife lying next to the letters. He grabbed it and jammed it into the wooden table."What next time?"Nathaniel didn't even flinch and Oliver hissed, tightening his hold around the handle.“You know perfectly well what I mean.” The man said, hit tone borderline sympathetic. That made Oliver’s blood boil even more and he said, all emotion gone from his voice."You said this will be my last mission,""What did you exactly think- that you'd leave everything and start a normal life?"Oliver’s mind went blank.“No…”“Oliver, look...”"No…You were never actually planning on letting me go, did you?" He said, surrendering whatever plans he’d been holding on to. Nathaniel placed his palms on the table and began speaking.Oliver knew what was following, his boss always did that when he was about
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty Four
"Did you have to explain anything before you came here?" "I just told them it's my day off." "Do valets have days off?" "They do now." "Well, I guess you know better. You're supposed to be one, after all." "Yeah, one who doesn't know how to fold shirts properly. " Nathaniel moved to the window and closed the curtains. "I don't want to know how that goes. But I see you’ve been walking around freely, so maybe you didn’t really have to explain and they trust you." The cloth was torn at places, but it was probably better than nothing. “I didn’t.” The room was facing another old, crumbling building. Everything here in the so-called Darkest- London was in the poorest possible state. They were in one of the Whitechapel's workhouses and the place was brimming with sounds coming from the other rooms and the people inhabiting them. It was still the sa
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty Three
Oliver was standing in front of the shelves in the family library. He sometimes thought it was enough to just spend time there, surrounded by some of the rarest editions of books. He was trying not to think about what had happened last night, so he'd come here. He hadn’t seen Callum in a day. Again. He turned his attention back to the rows in front of him. Oliver had begun understanding why Callum preferred it here. It was different from the one Tennyson had in his study not only by size. The collections here were much more different and wondered how many years it had taken to gather them, how many generations of noblemen had held them in their hands. A great number of them were on political topics, but Oliver found with a surprise the collection contained various other types of stories in other genres. The books were prevailingly in English, but some were in German and French.
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty Two
The sound of the music traveled in the quiet of the night. Callum put on a robe over his nightshirt and headed for the drawing-room. It was was past midnight and the entire manor was asleep. Besides his brother, obviously. He could never mistake the sound of his melody. Callum stood at the entrance and watched Liam play. Every time his brother was behind the piano, it was like he stopped being human for as long as the piece he was playing was going on. Liam was also in a nightshirt, although Callum was sure he hadn't even tried to sleep before coming here. Liam looked up from the keys and stopped immediately, startled. "I'm sorry, I didn't know I'd wake someone up. " "You didn't. I wasn't sleeping either. " Callum moved closer and took one of the nearest chairs and put it next to his brothers'. "I don't want to interrupt you." "You aren't. I should stop anyway. What time is it?"
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty One
Callum was in the sofa in the smaller library. It was the one Oliver occasionally found him in the evening, and not in his study. The Lord had said studies made him feel anxious for no reason and "Something that Liam prefers." Oliver had laughed then, but seeing him now, he thought the room indeed was more fitting to him. Callum was lying down on the small sofa, drowsing. He'd rested his head on his outstretched hand and it was dangling over the armrest.Oliver wanted to kiss the inside of his wrist, but he knew he can’t. Callum looked almost peaceful. Somehow warmer. Oliver walked in with a candle, but put it off when he saw the fire was still burning, its light drawing dancing shadows over Cal's face. Cian had curled in a ball close to the fire and the animal was most likely asleep too. At Oliver's approach, the dog only opened one eye and closed it back again. Oliver knelt in front of the ch
Gentleman Code Chapter Forty
"It's such false piety, " the priest said, exaggerating his pittance and the sad tone of his voice and Liam exchanged a look with his brother.Callum was trying to suppress a smile and was failing miserably."Women, " the priest waved a hand around "are using their charms to make people buy their...whatever they've made.... ""But it is for a good cause, Father Clarke." Liam said and the old man shook his head."You really think so, my dear boy?"“It is for charity, Father. Why wouldn’t it be a good thing?”The man produced a grumpy humph, which that time brought Callum to the laughter he could no longer suppress.Liam had to admit the women helping his mother organize the bazzar had done a great job in such a short time.They had started the tradition of organizing events of the sort every year.And even though it was still something new among the society, people reacted very w
