The People of Dewbrook

Chapter Sixteen

Caroline, Fanny and Stephen were at the tavern in no time. The routine there was the same as usual, the place looking utterly miserable and the people looking utterly mirthful. Still, there was some charm to the building if one knew to observe it the right way, and the mirth of the people was, for the most part, one huge laborious charade. If one did not much know about or care for the lives of the types who were wont to go to taverns, as was the norm in a place such as Dewbrook for obvious reasons, they would gaze at the faces that expressed drunken glee in all its wretched glory with contempt, sparing no one they considered beneath them from their judgment. However, Caroline, having spent countless years in various social circles and thus having met many people even of such lowly backgrounds, knew much when it came to this. She knew just how eager people were to escape the dreariness of domestic life by any means necessary. She knew just how hard it could be to escape that which promises joy in a sea of sorrow, no matter how fleeting the joy was. But that was a story for another time.

Matthew walked over to them, more than happy to see them there. Caroline noticed that he looked charming as always, and as he was always rather charming, it was quite an accomplishment for him to constantly preserve the undying beauty of his appearance. Her mind and heart immediately returned her to the times when they saw and made love to each other often, reminding her why she had chosen him with the utmost effort. His deep brown eyes gleamed with life at every opportunity, effortlessly awakening life within her as well. His thin brown lips released gentle laughter reminiscent of birdsong and laid gentle kisses reminiscent of petals. His tall posture, deep voice and strong figure were all created and combined in such a way that even she, having gone through countless men, could not help but admire them with her senses that always sought intensely after something to admire, perfect signifiers of his prowess and passion in bed, tending to leave her weak and wanting for a little while after the deed was done, even if it was only for a couple of seconds. Her organ would always remember the lust she had engraved on his chest and the one his organ had engraved within her. When she was done with those thoughts, she observed that he was staring at her the same way, clearly remembering the olden times as well. The olden times did not matter, though. Stephen was there for her now, and as a symbol of their love, she tenderly wrapped her hand around his neck, motivating Matthew to end the awkward silence.

"I understand that you have been with him constantly lately, as it is within your nature," he said, stroking his chin. "On the other hand, you seem to have forgotten me entirely. Not a glance in discreet, not a hello in the streets. Where are your manners, Caroline? Where is your camaraderie? Do you not want to ask me how I am doing, or do you not care for it at all?"

Caroline forced a smile. "Hello, Matthew. How are you doing?"

Matthew laughed dryly. "I am doing fine. I had a rather grand time when I seduced Lady Ashley of Cambridge a night before her daughter was to be wed. That old soul, Lord Ashley, is obviously a real stint on one's ability to live life like a true romantic, throwing his lady's youth into a casket mere years after the consummation of their union. Thus, it was no wonder that, upon my seducing her with the glimpses of her youth I helped resurface, she was pleading, begging on her knees like a true Christian. I made her terribly desirous, and even though she is not the greatest beauty, her face, voice and love were still a dessert to my senses. Yet, without you, nothing is the same. Your not caring for my well-being is like a snowstorm in a desert. You are being horribly cold towards me, Caroline, and I cannot bear it."

"I am sorry, but I am trying not to remain in poverty," she defended herself before bursting into laughter when she remembered the previous thing he said. "Wait, Gwendolyn Ashley of Cambridge has succumbed to her vices because of you? I thought that stuffy Puritan woman could not have any vices within her soul! But you know how it is. It is always the greatest Puritans that turn out to be the greatest sinners. Sinners defer to Puritanism to shield themselves from being discovered, after all."