Holland Manor On the northern side of town the Holland Manor was a bustle of activity and delight, completely unawares of the dark mood that was forming over their quaint little town. Lord Holland, a squatish middle aged man with a thick curly moustache and beard upon his face, was giddy as a school boy to see his home filled with so many of his fond friends and family. For once in his life he felt as if things would be moving forward again. All the servants had arranged a long table of food and beverages in the main hall, and one by one the guest who received notice of the development and came to meet the new Knight in town. Burnwell, the butler, was enjoying his new found attention as nobles from all around the area were arriving to meet and congratulate him on his newly found knighthood. Lord Holland fixed his top hat upon his head and place a monocle to his left eye while scanning the crowd, seeing his butler he crossed the main hall and gave Burnwell a hearty pat on the back, "Good going Burnwell!" He congratulated the butler in his deep cheerful voice and took a sip from a tall wine glass, "It's not every day someone is knighted around these parts." He remarked with a smile and glimmer in his eyes. "It is a great honour indeed, my lord." Burnwell replied proudly as he straightened his white tie around his neck, "And thank you so much for the party, my lord." He said with a smile as his dark eyes skimmed over the crowd at all the noble faces there to greet him. "I should be thanking you for bringing such grand news to this house after so many dark days." The Lord said spiritedly, "It has been way to long since these halls were filled with laughter." In fact it had been over fifteen years since the halls heard any sound of cheer. There had been very little time for celebration or parties in the Holland Manor. The death of the Lord's dear wife hung heavy over the mansion. The fact that she passed away while giving birth to their two adorable twins did not make matters better. Even the presence of the twins could not brighten the atmosphere surrounding their home. "So true, my lord." Burnwell agreed heavy heartedly, "I miss those days so dearly." He wiped at his eye as a tear began to form, "Oh, My lord have you met Charles Langton?" He asked gesturing to a rather gangly androgynous man. The man held a martini glass between two fingers, his black hair was slicked back against his head and a stylish black tux hugged snugly to his body. "He is an actor from the Westmire Playhouse in the town square." There was almost a note of pride in the butler's tone. "Ahh yes!" The Lord extended a hand to shake the actors long thin fingers, "I saw your enactment of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Who did you play again?" He inquired more trying to create conversation then showing any real interest. "Please, don't call it that, my lordship. It is the Scottish play if you will." Charles corrected the man in a dramatic manner, "And I was lady Macbeth." He remarked with a sip of his drink. "Yes yes." The Lord noted with a nod and fixed his monocle upon his eye, "I think you did a marvellous portrayal of her madness." He complimented with a genuine laugh. "Why thank you, my lordship." The actor took a deep bow. Holland glanced around the room, his smile suddenly replaced by worry, "Burnwell, have you seen the Twins?" He asked frantically searched the crowd for his adoring little girls. "I asked them to join us, but have yet to see them." Burnwell stretched his long neck out to look over the crowd, "I'm sorry, my lord. I do not see hide nor tail of them about." He too was becoming worrisome. Whenever those girls vanished, horrible things would follow and this was one night that he did not want to be ruined by those girls' antics. "You mean those adorable twin little girls dressed all in black, my lordship?" Charles remarked with profound interest, "I thought I saw them going out the front door a bit earlier." He pointed towards the far doors in which more guests were still entering. "Where is that Nanny when we need her?" Lord Holland asked in a huff. He spotted his eldest daughter over by the wine table, "I'm sorry, if you excuse my rudeness. I need to attend to a few things." Holland stated, not letting his eyes off Lilian. "It was a pleasure and an honour to meet you, my lordship." Charles said with a flourish and another bow. "The same." The lord replied not really paying much attention to the actor, as his mind was too busy fretting about his children. He ventured cross the hall in search of Lilian and found she had moved not far from where he last saw, "Lilian? Lilian, have you seen Alison and Alexandria?" He asked with a note of concern that was increasing in distress with ever passing second. Lilian was about to put a tall glass of white wine to her lips when she stopped and lazily looked around, "I thought I saw Ansurez looking for them a moment ago. They are probably outside playing the maze or getting into trouble again, as always." Lilian commented indifferently. Lilian had just turned twenty, but it would seem her father was more concerned with the twins then to notice her. She tried to provoke the man by wearing sensual black strapless gowns, like the satin one she wore at that moment, dresses that showed the world how much of a beautiful woman she was growing up to be. Yet her father seemed to be oblivious to her actions and didn't even flinch no matter how many men she was on the arm of, "You spoil those two far too much Father. Why not let them be?" She sneered then drained the entire glass and waved it at one of the servant behind the wine table in indication that she needed another refill. The Lord ignored his daughter's remarks, "That Nanny is too much at times. I should really try to find another, but no one seemed to understand the children the way she does." He said still looking around the crowd for some sign of his children or the nanny. At that moment Gladys Ansurez was muttering curses under her breath as she found herself venturing down the main road from Holland Manor in search of the twins, last she had sight of the children they were heading out of the main entrance to the hall and down the road, towards those dreadful hedge mazes. Gladys was hired on as the nanny for the Holland twins even before their birth. Some speculate the true intentions of the woman and her connection in the death of Lady Holland on that dreadful day, however few were willing to speak up for fear of what the woman would do to them. While not inanely evil in any way that people would put their finger on. She simply had this way of glaring at people that made even the bravest of men back down and then she would switch back to that loving smile that made so many of the other servants at Holland Manor shutter. She plodded along the only one road in and out of the grounds in hopes that she would come across the children. The road led from the main gates to a fountain outside the hall entrance where it circled around to come back towards the gates. The walls of a huge hedge maze stretched the entire length of the road, to either side. Topiaries marking the many entrances into maze, each trimmed to the likeness of some mythical creature. Gladys looked up at one of the topiaries and her black heart to shutter. Gladys prayed that the children would not be playing somewhere within that dreaded maze, but she knew the way those two were drawn to the mysteries of the mazes. Her mind was forced from her prays by the sound of horses trotting down the road. She turned to see a rather impressive carriage coming here way, four beautiful white horses pranced along in front of a large white carriage with red curtains that cut out the view of anyone wanting a peek at who could be within. Gladys found she had to quickly move off the road and into the maze or she would have been run down and she had a feeling that the driver would have no animosity of doing so. The carriage rounded the fountain to come to a stop at the front steps to Holland Manor. A servant rushed over to the carriage to open the door for its patron. A thin man dressed in a white suit, top hat and gloves stepped out of the carriage, and then approached the front door. The servant rushed past the man to get the door for him. The man stepped through the foyer and came to an abrupt halt in the entrance to the hall. He turned to the servant and whispered something into the man's ear then handed him a letter before he sent the servant off with a wave of his hand while he stood patiently at the entrance. The servant rushed through the crowd until he found Lord Holland and swiftly moved to his side to whisper into the lord ear before handing him the letter. Lord Holland looked up at the man in white with a baffled expression upon his face, however upon opening the letter his expression paled ever so drastically. With haste the Lord searched the crowd, he anxiously bit on his knuckle as he looked for Burnwell. He found the butler standing near the drink table with his daughter and the actor. "Burnwell!!" He called out as he rushed over to the man, pushing his way through the crowd, "Bu-rn-we-ll!!!" This time he added emphasise on each and ever syllable of the man's name. There was displeasure in his eyes as he shoved a servant out of the way, knocking a tray of hors d'oeuvres and the man to the ground. The Lord paused for only a moment to make sure the servant was all right before bolting after Burnwell again. "My lord this is a marvellous party." The butler stated with rosy cheeks as his lord appeared out of the crowd, "The best in all of Holland Manor's years." He gestured slightly drunkenly. "We have a problem." Lord Holland stated in a hushed voice that only Burnwell could hear, "Or rather YOU have a problem. Look near the front entrance. The man in white." He nodded his head slightly as not to alert others of the man's appearance. Burnwell scanned the area and found the man in question, "He looks like a rather elegant gent, my lord." He waved at the man only to not receive one in return, "How ungentlemanly of him." Burnwell commented turning his nose up. "You fool." The lord spat, "Can you not tell one of the Queen's royal messengers when you see one?" He asked bluntly, now he seemed to have caught Charles's attention. "Is there a problem, my lordship?" The actor asked trying to see what the two men were squabbling over. "The Queen?" The butler slobbered up quickly and blinked at the lord in confusion, ignoring the actor's comments entirely, "Do you think I will be knighted by the Queen herself, my lord?" He straightened up to look about, "Is she here? How do I look?" He straightened his jacket and tie in an attempt to look his best. Charles helped straighten the butler's tie, "You look ravishing sir." He said with a loving smile that made Burnwell restless and knock the actor's hands away. He glanced over to see a rather displeased look upon his lord's face. The Lord grabbed Burnwell by the collar and hauled him away from the actor, "You idiot. He is not here to congratulate you. This is all a mistake." He shoved the letter into the man's hands, "Take a look for yourself. You are not being knighted at all. I should have seen this coming." Holland stated with a frustrated sigh. "This can't be!" Burnwell opened the letter to find only a few lines were written and they simply said this: "We would never knight a man of such a disgraceful character... See to it that this farce of a party ends or you will find yourself as a guest of the tower.. Queen Victoria." The butler pulled on his tie as his neck became hot with worry, "This is a joke right?" The butler asked dumbfounded by this turn of events, "I deserve it as much as any other man." "That he does." Charles interjected, trying desperately to defend the butler. "You stay out of this!" The Lord snapped, "And you..." He turned his angry eyes upon to the butler, "What have you done to deserve such a thing? I cannot believe I allowed myself to be apart of this mockery. How did you come across that summons for knighthood anyway?" The butler shrugged, "Here and there." He remarked with a sly grin as he snatched a glass of wine off a passing drink tray and took a sip only to have to taken out of his hands by the lord. "That is enough out of you." The Lord demanded in disgust, "You have some explaining to do." He then mounted the stairs so he could get a better vantage point, "Everyone could I get your attention?" He called out over the crowd. It took only a moment for the murmurs to die down so they could better hear what their Lord had to say. "Thank you..." Lord Holland felt distressed by the multitude of eyes upon him at that moment. "Ummm... I would like to thank you all for joining us on this wonderful autumn night. It has been exceedingly wonderful to see all your faces again after so long a time. It burdens me so to have to tell you all that tonight's party must be cancelled." The air filled with the sounds of moans of disappointment, "I am so very sorry. It would seem there has been a grave misunderstanding and Burnwell is not being knighted after all." The moans turned to the sounds of infuriate anger as one by the people started to understand the situation. The lord backed up the stairs as the crowd started to turn to an irate mob, "Burnwell, this is your problem." The lord stated before rushing up the stairs and out of the hall. "My lord!?!" Burnwell called out after his master. He turned to find hundreds of furious faces staring up at him, "I... I'm sorry..." Was all he could muster. "Well, this does not look good in the least bit." Charles muttered aloud. "You are not helping!" Burnwell snarled at the actor. **** To be continued...
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