Against All Odds

Prologue

September 1835

The Times

Headline: Albert Christian Anderson: The Missing Heir

Days after his joyous christening, Young Master Albert Christian Anderson went missing in the very place of his birth-The Montrose Manor.

In the dead night of September, residents of the manor awoke from the screams of Her Grace, Madeline Anderson, Duchess of montrose, looking for her poor son who happened to be missing from his bassinet. Regardless of the hour and the chilly air, His Grace, Alexander Anderson, Duke Of Montrose, rode off a stallion and organized a search party whom he ordered to search every corner of his vast lands. 

A few hours had passed and the moring sun touched the sky, the party came back devastated with nothing but a  blood stained towel in His Grace's hands. 

The Scotland Yard were immedieately notified of his disappearance and they took over for the investigation and continous search for the baby.

As the investigation progressed, the Scotland Yard found no forced entry . No broken latches, no picked knobs and no shattered windows. It is as if whoever took young Albert either knew the house quite well or he or she lived in the manor. 

This led to a frightful conclusion that the child was taken away by one of the servants of the manor. The officers inspected the whole household to look if someone  from one of the servants is missing. Each were then asked and investigated and found out that one of them was indeed gone.

Eric Colston, one of the footmen recently hired in the manor was no where to be senn eversince the night of Albert's disappearance , making him the only suspect for the crime. It was also discovered that the young man has no references and was hired out of pity.

"Eric Colston is not in our records of outlaws we are  running after, said Inspector James Sullivan, the head of the investigation team assigned for the case, "Nor does he appear in any birth records of all the churches in England. We believe he is an outlaw using the name Eric Colston to sneak off under our very noses. Though clearly this is a kidnapping case, we are not  disregarding the fact that this maybe related or ,God forbid, connected to the growing numbers of disappearances and murders of children throughout England. We do not wish to frighten anyone but simple give everyone warning that crime lurks everywhere we go, even in our own homes. We should be careful of whom we trust. If possible, please feel inclined to approach us and let us investigate very single servant or  worker  you are thinking of employing."

The cases of disappearances and mutilation of children were first recorded in Cheapside london but only a few months after, similar cases has made its way to other parts of England.

Albert Christian Anderson is a strong, healthy baby boy with features mirrored of his own father. He is already Two months old and has oval, silver eyes. His small head was now covered with thick, ink-black hair and a peculiar  birthmark on his left forearm. The birthmark consists of ten small moles, subtly forming the constellation Orion.

With these informations, the Scotland Yard hopes to gather further information regarding the child's location. 

We all hope for the young heir's safety and to be soon wrapped in the arms of his beloved parents. He is only a little child, unknowing from all the evil this wonderful world has to offer.

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The next day, even before the sun shone in the sky and the streets began to fill with people, agonizing screams and heart breaking cries of a mother echoed beside the waters of the Thames River. 

A body of a small child, looking at about two months old, was being carried to her feet. The baby looked peaceful, his eyes were closed and his thick black mane drenched with water. He looked awfully pale, as if his skin was on with his white clothes. But contrasting the whiteness his aura gave was the dark stain of blood covering his chest and a good part of his left forearm. 

Gone was the usually composed Duke and Duchess of Montrose. There stood a grieving couple, crying at each other's arms as their eyes consumed the sight of the child infront of them.

Madeline had never felt so torn, so broken in her life. It was only two months ago when she had given birth to her sweet gift from heaven, Albert. all the pain she endured were all worth it when she first heard his cries. She and Alexander promised that day that they will love, cherish and protect him with all their lives. She promised nothing will happen to him as long as his mama is beside him.

Yet she failed him. She failed to protect him. She failed to give him the life he deserves. For he lay there at their feet, lifeless, unmoving and cold as stone.

She slowly dropped to her knees, Alexander following suit while his comforting arms surrounded her. "Albie..." Madeline whispered softly, her tears continued to fall from her eyes, "Albie, mama's here..." She reached for the small babylying infront of her but a pair of strong hands stopped her.

Alexander gripped her hands tightly. He knew what Madeline will do. but he deos not want to see it. He doesn't want to believe it was their child lying in the cold ground. Seeing it with his own eyes will kill him, haunt him forever.

"Don't.."Alexander pleaded, his voice thick with emotion, " Good God, Madeline, please don't.."

"I-I need to see, Alex..."

They looked at each other's eyesdeeply for a moment and hesitantly, Alexander nodded and brought his fingers to the child's body. His breath caught up in his throat as his warm fingers touched the child's cold cheek. Then, ever so slowly, he pried the child's eyes open and a pair of lifeless silver eyes mirrored his smoldering grey ones. At the moment, Alexander let the grief and anger consumed his heart. It was his eyes...The distinguished eyes of the Andersons...

It was Albert. His son.