Charlotte McCartney“Baby come and put on your coat, it's really cold outside”, I called after Kelcie. She was so excited about her horse riding lesson, she did not want to be late.“No, Mummy, I'll be late to see the horses, and if I go late, I won't play with them for a long time", she said with a little pout.“Oh, come here, baby. What do I always tell you?” I asked with a mild sort of seriousness.“Don't play in the cold”, she answered resignedly.“And what happens when you play in the cold?” I asked with the same tone as before.“You get sick”, she replied even more resigned than she was at first.As I walked her off to the door, we were both greeted by Lydia and two other strange-looking men. “Hello Mrs Xavier, hello Kelcie, how are you both doing today?” Lydia said, smiling at Kelcie warmly.“Are we going to see the horses right now?” Kelcie asked impatiently “Come on honey, be nice to return Mrs. Lydia's greeting,” I said, scolding her.“Good morning, Miss Lydia”, she said a
Charlotte McCartney At the stable“Now here is Aussie. She's a Fallabella, one of the rarest breeds in the world as well as the rarest breed of horses we have here. Isn't she a darling?And here is Rawrunner we call him that because of how fast he runs, he has won every single race we have signed him off he's more less my favorites”, George said moving from horse to horse. It was obvious that George was having more fun on this tour than most of us. Clearly the boy loved his job.“The ponies Mr stable man, the ponies”, Kelcie said,complaining as though this view was exactly what she wanted to do.“We are getting to it”, said George amiably. “Just a little patience is all it takes”, he added, flashing Kelcie a gentle smile.“But I want to see the ponies now”, Kelcie said, protesting.“Come on baby, let's be a little patient with Uncle George here okay?” I said mildly, scolding her.“Okay mummy”, she said, retired.We strolled through with George at the lead and Kelcie following closel
Charlotte McCartney Later that day, after lunch, I left Kelcie in Lydia's care and went to visit my sick grandfather at the hospital. Grandfather had been sick for a very long time and had been admitted in the hospital for months.As I sat here in Grandfather's hospital ward, I reminisced on distant, more sweeter times. When life was easier, friends were the obvious ones and foes hid far away from sight. Anytime I come here I can't help but remember times like those. Basically my grandfather was a reminder of such times, he was my friend, confidant, protector, and yet as I sat here watching him breathe raspily through the oxygen tank I felt a little gratitude that at least all the drama was happening far from here,far from him.It is not as though I doubted my grandfather's ability to protect me at this time. My grandfather was nicknamed The Lion of McCartney by those who knew him well. Up until when he took ill he kept up the reputation of that name so it wasn't exactly his ability
Charlotte McCartney “How dare you leave the mansion without my permission”, he growled. “How dare you defy me!” “What are you talking about Josh? I do not recall exactly when I became your prisoner”, I said, turning to face him surprised at what he was insinuating.“You're in my house, you will obey my rules woman or I'll make you wish you did”, he said angrily.“What do you intend on doing?” I challenged. “Tell me exactly what you intend on doing Mr Josh Xavier, in truth I understand the effect of what you've been through but I think you're pushing a little too hard Josh. I'm not your slave nor am I your prisoner period”, I said slightly annoyed.“Young lady do not act as though you're being with me is purposeless, you obviously have what you're trying to gain”, he said with scorn.“What exactly do you mean by that?” I asked, genuinely confused.“What I mean is that if you're trying to get something out of me you need to understand that won't happen until you learn to follow simpl
Charlotte McCartney “What are both of you doing here?” I asked, obviously irritated by their presence.“Mummy, who's there?” Kelcie came running.“Hey Kelcie!!” Whitney and Ron Chorused. “Come give Aunty a big hug”, Whitney added stooping to receive her.“No baby come here, come right back here”, I commanded sharply.Kelcie turned to me, “Mum what's going on?” she asked, confused.“Come back here!” I repeated and she turned and came back. I bent down and picked her up. Whitney and Ron stood obviously outraged by my action.“Come on Char don't be so low”, Whitney said “Come on not with the child” “Yes Charlotte, I understand that what has transpired between us is not exactly the best story but come on not with Kelcie . I've explained it to you, I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It's just happened and you can't keep blaming us for it. Turning Kelcie against us is not any better”, Ron chimed in.“Do not tell me what to tell my child? Both of you have borne no responsibil
Charlotte McCartney “How dare you walk into my house and attempt to assault my wife?” Josh said with so much rage you could see what prevented him from inflicting true injuries on Ron was his condition.“How dare you hit me, screamed Ron back at Josh. “Do you know I could sue you for assault?” Ron asked glaring at Josh“Wait till you see the video of whatever it is you were trying to do to her then you'll know who's suing who”Josh replied holding his phone up. Then he turned to Whitney “What in fucks sake are you doing in my house?” he asked frowning.“Josh don't be like that” Whitney said trying to feign affection. “You know I really loved you, it's just that you know I fell in love with someone else and I just had to let my heart choose. Please Josh bun”, she tried to reach him but he wheeled his chair backwards.“So you fell out of love with me when you discovered that I was invalid and jumped on your sister boyfriend the valid one”, Josh replied, unmoved.“Oh come on Josh, you kn
Whitney McCartney For a second everything they said seemed to make a lot of sense. “Why are we even here?”, I thought. “Why is he here? Is what they're saying true?” I asked myself, feeling quite stupid. “Are they telling the truth babe? Tell me! Did you come here because you still want Charlotte?” I asked, turning to face Ron, confused and angry at the same time.“What do you mean baby? Don't listen to them, they're just two crazy people you know that right?”Ron replied, looking totally shocked.But I couldn't calm the fear and uncertainty that had already started boiling within me. “Is Charlotte right? No, freckle face Charlotte cannot be right. She can't be”, these thoughts kept coming back to my mind even as I tried to fight it. Even in my thoughts, the name “Freckle face Charlotte” brings a smile to my face. I gave her that name when we were teenagers. I have always thought myself to be the fair princess who lived in a fair castle and Charlotte was my not so fair sister. I
Josh Xavier I recall the first time I met Charlotte. It was when she was born to my best friend, Lancelot McCartney. She was a tiny one. I watched her grow. Her grandfather and I were business partners at the time so that made me a frequent visitor in his big home. Lance and I were different in certain respects. For him, he loved family and his home was a full one with children as well as grandchildren. I, on the other hand, never really understood the essence or the need to have a family. All through my years as a young man and middle aged man, I was immersed with working and managing the various enterprises my father had left in my care so I had no time. I did have various romantic relationships with different women from different classes but none led to anything meaningful. I would have continued, but the issue was I had to have an heir. I told this to Lance one evening when we were sitting outside his mansion.“Lance I don't know, anyway it's going to happen but I need an heir
Charlotte McCartney“Oh that's a very splendid choice Madame, but would you mind if I asked you a question though”, Maskatev said, in an exquisite manner.“Oh no problem”, I said. “Go ahead and ask”, The man was evidently not the kind you denied such indulgence.“Why choose the cream colour?”, he asked a simple question, even though it was not one I had anticipated for at that moment my mind had completely gone somewhere else entirely.“I don't know”, I confessed. “I guess cream suits me a lot better. I like it, it's simple and looks comfortable”, I said trying to give an explanation.“But you haven't even tried it on yet”, he said with a little smile on his lips. “Come on, people get her into that dress for me”, he said and almost as soon as this was said, about five or six attendants hurriedly came to my side and escorted me to the end of the room where the dressing room was. The rest of them stayed back with Kelcie.The girls had me in the dress in no time and before I knew what w
Whitney McCartney “Hi mother”, I said, as I approached her. “Whitney”, Mother replied simply, without taking her eyes off the magazine she seemed to be engrossed in. For some reason though, I did not think she was really interested in the magazine. It felt like she was only acting to be interested in it just so she would avoid talking to me. I know this because I know Mother. If there was anything really intriguing about that magazine she would have been happy to talk about it.“Or maybe there is something intriguing in it and she is just too angry at me to want to tell me about it”, I thought. The thought of this cut me deeply. “This is all because of that stupid Charlotte that just refused to stay where she was supposed to be. I still don't know what was the need to do a wedding to solidify their stupid marriage in the first place. Talk more of making a big deal out of it so much as to come all the way here, to this mansion to inform Mother and try to rub his love for her in eve
Charlotte McCartneyMr Peter Masketov himself along with a chain of assistants were outside waiting by the time we got there. “Mommy is that for us?” Kelcie inquired as soon as we got to where the small crowd of people converged.“I don't know Kelcie, let's see”, I replied, “let's see”, I repeated in my heart. “Alright, let's do this”, I said out loud, as the car revved to a halt, talking to myself much more than I was even telling her. We got out of the car. And set to head on to meet with the small crowd that was already smiling at us, a gesture of goodwill and show of an anticipated presence.“Ma'am”, the driver called back as we were about to join the convergence. “What time will be convenient for me to come back? I already have a time set to return but the boss signified that I inquire if you may want to take out some more time to do some other things before I return to take you to your destination” he said, speaking politely.“The boss, Josh” I thought. Up till now, I had not s
Whitney McCartney For the first time in my life I feel so insignificant. This house, this mansion where I was born, where I have always called home feels like a strange land to me. “What is this?” I asked rhetorically, noticing a fading drawing on a small part of the mansion’s entrance. I walked closer to see what it was. “What is this? Why am I just seeing this?” I asked myself as I stared at the fading image of a lion. “Oh it's probably Grandfather's lion painting, the one mother was planning to have redrawn. So this is where it was?” I thought. I had not noticed it in all the years I had walked past that entrance.“Everything feels so unfamiliar. This unusual silence that is screaming so loudly only began after Charlotte’s uninvited and unwelcome visitation. Why did she have to come here anyway? Why could she not stay where she was? Why did she come here? She should have stayed there, where she belongs, with that broken piece of shit that calls himself Josh”, I thought, angrily.
Charlotte McCartney“Weeeeeeee! That's how the plane goes mommy, weeeee!” Kelcie said completely ecstatic. I wondered how it was possible to not have been infected by this cheerfulness. Evidently Josh had made it happen. Her dream of flying was finally coming through and yet I couldn't find it in me to be happy because I knew what happened and certainly what lay ahead may only have looked good but was not at all. “Before I forget, your friend Maddie will be joining you two at the resort”, Lydia informed me. “She will be coming with a couple visitors”, she added.“Which visitors?” I asked, a little worried. I did not mind Maddie joining us at all. She would even be good companion. “But who else would she bring?” I asked myself, not wanting strangers. “It would be easy to face my embarrassment with Maddie and Kelcie alone. Maddie could even defend me if the need arises” I thought.“Don't worry, it's not too many people. She will be coming along with her sister and her sister's daughter
Charlotte McCartney“Mommy! mommy! Get off the bed, we are already late”, Kelcie said, shaking me from my sleep.“I must have fallen asleep again”, I thought, recalling I wanted to shower earlier.“Late for what?” I asked, still very much asleep. Apparently, her shakes were courtesy of the fact that her baby strength had very little impact in doing what she had intended to do.“Come on now Charlotte, you can't still be this sleepy”, Lydia said. I hadn't even noticed she was also here too.“I'm really having a hard time knowing what I'll be late for”, I answered her.“Oh so you really have forgotten then?” she replied even in my daze I could hear the mild surprise in her voice.“Mommy, we're supposed to go and see the dressers today”, Kelcie replied this time.“Oh yes Charlotte”, Lydia joined in,”Your appointment was set for this date, today”.“Oh that”, I recalled loudly. “Is that even still happening?" I thought to myself. Today I was supposed to go to check out my wedding dress, fin
Charlotte McCartney By the time I came out of the bathroom my baby was no longer sleeping. She had turned on the bedroom light and was already out of the room as she usually did in the mornings. I looked up at the antique wall clock in our bedroom, “7:41am”, I said. “Kelcie must be having her milkshakes by now or just talking to Lydia”, I thought, then it hit me like a blow.“Lydia knows”, I said out loud. “She knows. There is no way she doesn't know. She was the one who called Josh to come and conduct the wine tasting. We were supposed to do it together but she excused herself. I'm sure she would have expected me to do the same as soon as Josh arrived but I stayed, foolishly”, I thought.“That's what mother always talked about. This is the same thing mother always said about me, the same reason she's always complaining. I'm so stupid. I never think before I act. I'm just so stupid. I could have left. There was nothing stopping me from leaving. But I stayed. Why? I could have left it
Charlotte McCartney “Baby”, I said as I stretched my hand to reach my baby. “Oh she's out already”, I concluded to myself as my outstretched hand met an empty bed. “She's probably watching the sunrise now”, I added, as I tried to sit up in bed. “There is something hard about this bed”, I thought, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. “Did someone replace the bed when I was out?” I asked myself.I yawned and laid back down to sleep but my eyes flew open almost immediately and I sat up at about the same instance. “Where am I?” I asked myself, looking round to check my surroundings. “Where am…” I was going to repeat the question again, when realization dawned me. “This is Josh's room. How did I get here?” I questioned, quite confused.“Oh my God! No! No! It did not happen again”, I said, wrapping my hand around my naked body, as I realized I was lying naked under Josh's sheets. My clothes were folded neatly at the foot of the bed.“Oh God please! This did not happen. How could I ha
Charlotte McCartneyThe sound of his name had butterflies swimming around my stomach all of a sudden. I had deliberately avoided talking about him all morning and had tried my best to not spend my whole day thinking as well as talking about him but he was everywhere nonetheless.“What Is that?” Lydia teased. “You think I'm going to be carrying you around afterwards?” She asked, pausing dramatically. “No young lady, not when you have a loving husband”.I bowed my head feeling slightly embarrassed and mildly amused. “Lydia and her mean little humour could somehow take one off guard like that. But it's alright the lady means no harm”, I said to myself.“Don't you worry though? I'll go call him for you. I bet he's still in his room but definitely awake by now. Come on I bet it'll be fun too”, she said assuringly.As she hurried off, thoughts of the last night we were together filled my mind. I yearned so much for his presence but yet was still shy and scared to admit it. It just felt too