The Love of Illness

It was March 30th when father got the letter from our great cousin (William Connerway) stating that his illness is worsening into death and that he would like to see us at least one more time before his downfall. It was April 4th when we set off to William's house in Richmond, Va; it had been raining for a week or so and we had been riding for six hours on a normal twelve hour ride. My youngest sister (Lily) had come down with a fever and we had decided to stop for the night, but we hadn't seen any houses in miles. We had come across an old, rundown, and overgrown manner. It didn't look like anyone had lived there in twenty years, but seeing as it was the first house we've seen father decided to go see if anyone was home.

We rode up to the gate and it was open so we rode further, when we got up to the house mother, me, and my sisters waited in the carriage while father went to knock on the massive rotting door. He knocked twice and there was no answer father started walking back towards us, and he had taken three steps when the door slowly swung open and a tall, old man stood in it. "Good day, Sir. My name is Nathan Anderson. My youngest daughter is feeling ill; I was just wondering if your master would mind us stay for the night so she could recover?" ,father said. The man slowly moved out of the doorway and gestured us to come in; father then looked back at the carriage and nodded his head meaning it was fine for us to stay.

We got out of the carriage and mother softly told us to just bring what we needed for the night and nothing more; we gathered our things and walked into the house where the man once in the doorway walked behind us closing the door.

    The man said, "My master is in his studies; this way." we followed the man to a rather large room filled with books scattered all over the place. There was a desk and a medium sized chair turned where we could only see the back of it, The chair was facing a bright lit fireplace. The man gestured for us to stay and then walked forward saying, "Sir, A Mr. Anderson and his family are here." from the chair we heard a light but deep voice say, "Fine, let them in, James." "Yes Sir" ,said James. The man who we now know as James walked out passed us and pointed his hand towards the room for us to enter. Father was the first through the door; mother following and us following her. We walked all the way till we were standing in front of the desk. At that point the voice we had heard gained a face. The master of the house to say was a relatively young man saying he was in his early twenties.

   "So you are the visitors I've heard.... I had.", the master of the manner said as he looked at us when he had paused his stare on my first sister(Ebony) and then control finish us off. Father answered,  " Yes sir, My youngest daughter has come down with a fever from all the rain and cold weather; I was hoping you might let my family and I stay a night for her fever to go down and then we'd be off. I wouldn't want to be a burden on you." The man just stared at Ebony as if he knew her. He finally looked back at father saying, "Of course you may stay as long as necessary; it is no burden at all my kind sir. I will have my butler show you and your beautiful family to the guest rooms. My name is Dante Adams so you know."

Father replied, "We are most grateful for your generosity, Mr. Adams." Mr.  Adams called James back into the study and requested him to escort us to the three guest rooms in the upper right part of the house.

To Be Continued...........