The day I remember, as clear as ever. It was a Friday, my exhausting work week coming to a halt and finally earning some relaxation time in the comfort of my office at home. I humbly lived alone; my Siamese was the only thing to keep me moderate company. I would come home each evening, drop my bag on the floor beside the entrance, and watch her walk up, her tail flowing with her body, and nuzzling her head softly against my ankle, meowing quietly at me. That company was usually enough for me as I cooked a mediocre dinner, pecking off a piece of chicken—or whatever meat I had—and feeding a piece to her. My cat's name was Florence, after my own mother, but never did I address her as such. When the only other presence in your house is an animal, you talk without saying any names at all.
Though all I had wanted for that evening was to open a bottle of whiskey in my office, have a drink, and fall asleep to rough radio static, soon after I had gotten home and ensured we were fed, my desk's rotary phone rang. I rushed to it, as any phone calls I was to receive usually were business inquiries calling me after my work hours, and watched as it vibrated a bit. Once I picked it up and greeted the caller with a short "Hello?", I heard a voice I had not heard in many years' time. It was a raspy, masculine voice, accented just as much as mine had been. My memory of who it belonged to was faint, but I knew I had heard it before.
"Arthur? Arthur Morgan?" He asked.
"Yes, this is he. I fear I recognize your voice, but I cannot quite put my finger on it," I replied quickly.
"This is Felix, your cousin. We rekindled years ago whilst studying abroad in that American university."
"Really? I haven't heard a word from you in years. What could be the occasion?"
"I invite you to my dinner party. Many are coming, and I have important news to share with all my loved ones. My family, my friends. You may even find yourself a suitor, because I know you haven't had a lady's touch in who knows how long."
"Oh, I don't have anything going on, so I don't see why not. When should I arrive, and how many people are coming?"
"Sixteen others besides you and me. The party starts at seven o'clock in my manor."
"Sixteen? I had no clue you had these many acquaintances."
"Try your best to be timely, if you would. Dinner is served at seven-thirty."
"Of course. How should I dress?"
"A waistcoat, perhaps? It is a formal event, and I asked all other attendees to dress accordingly."
"Will do. Anything else I should know?"
"I did really miss you, Arthur. 'Tis a shame."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind that. See you later this evening, cousin."
"Goodbye. See you," I said as I put the phone back down. I only had about an hour to get ready if I wanted to make the long drive to my cousin's manor, so I quickly went to my wardrobe to pick something out.
I did as Felix had asked of me, picking out a white button up shirt with ruffles for sleeve cuffs, a waistcoat with a dark floral pattern, and a black pair of trousers. I quickly pet my cat companion a goodbye and began my drive to where the party was being held. It was far from my house and on a very tall hill. I turned on my radio while I drove, my engine's hum soft against the vague static that remained audible. The slight darkness that began was eerie, yet calming, in a charming sort of way.
Once I arrived at the manor, I pulled into the roundabout, seeing about ten other cars parked there. I had to park rather far from the door, but to my surprise I had also pulled in at the same time as a gorgeous lady. Her hair was curled in tight, blonde coils near her face, and more down her back. She had a hat with ruffles and a red bow, the colors matching her floor-length, red dress. The skirt was ruffled, and the corset wrapped perfectly around her torso, making her chest more predominant as it was partially visible through the neckline. She had ruby-red lipstick on, and pink blush up her cheeks. This had been the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. I was stopped in my tracks as I saw her car pull up beside mine as it was parked, the driver getting up to open her door for her, and I watched with an ounce of jealousy as he pulled her up and was thanked with a slight kiss to the back of his hand. As she stepped out from the passenger side door, her driver got back inside and pulled away, leaving me standing right next to this woman. I lightly brushed off my trousers, trying to freshen myself up, and with a bit of hesitation, began to walk to the lady of red. Her hazel eyes looked over at me, and her lips curled to send me a soft smile. I nervously walked closer to her—nervous since I had barely heard of a woman of her amassed beauty in quite some time—and shakily lend out a hand to hers.
"Evening, malady. May I?" I asked as I reached my hand a bit closer to hers. "You look lovely tonight."
"Well, thank you," she replied, a surprising southern rough in her voice, accepting my hand and placing hers in mine. "You may."
"So, how do you know Felix?" We continued down the roundabout and toward the manor as we spoke.
"Oh, we had been engaged at one point. I just needed a man to care for me, and at the time Felix had been jumping around jobs, and cities, and homes. Living with servants my whole life, and my father being a lord, it would hardly be a clever idea to marry such a man."
"He's just my cousin. We reunited at an overseas university many years ago."
"He's not half as charming as you. I find brunettes attractive, anyway."
"What would your name be?"
"Charlotte Elizabeth. And you?"
"Arthur Morgan."
At this point, we were approaching the door, so I let go of her hand briefly to open it for her. I let her in first, closing it behind me, and checked my wristwatch. I was ten minutes early, but most of the others had already arrived. They had all been gathered in the dining room it seemed, so Charlotte and I headed there.
It was a large room, a chandelier hanging off the ceiling, bringing light and elegance. The dining table was long and already set with dinner plates and silverware, around eighteen chairs, which was assumingly the number of people attending. I walked around the perimeter of the table, the lady I had been standing with going to socialize with some other women she had seen. Each table setting had a person's name on it, mine conveniently across from Charlotte's at the head of the table, with Felix at the end. I noticed some other names there, but only a few of which I recognized. Vincent, Alexander, Benjamin, Dorothy, Lydia, Henry, Thomas, Eleanor, Alice, Clara, Michael, Beatrice, Josephine, Lilith, and Quinn were all other names pictured, most being my far-off cousins. One was my own sister, Beatrice, and one was my great uncle, Alexander. I had no idea of just how much of my own family was attending, but as I looked around the party, nobody in the small crowd looked familiar at all, beside the lady I had just met. They were all holding wine glasses, some with a dark red liquid sloshing around. It looked like one of the younger attendees had opened the wine cabinet and pulled out a bottle without asking the host. I hardly minded because my evening was going to end with a drink regardless. It wasn't my wine to scold him about, either.
I grabbed the wine glass from near my plate and walked over to the bottle of wine that had already been opened. I poured my glass about halfway, being mindful of the other guests and their needs. I took a sip, savoring the taste of the expensive wine, and walked to find Charlotte again. She was standing next to a woman, her height much shorter than mine but not much shorter than Charlotte's. She had brown hair down to her shoulders that she lightly curled for the occasion, I'm assuming, paired with a dark green, sweetheart neckline dress. She gazed at me like she had known me, which to my surprise, she did.
"Arthur? What might you be doing here?" She asked, confused look spread across her face as I approached the two women.
"I apologize but I can't remember your name. Who might you be?" I replied to her.
"Really?" She gave me a moment to think, paired with a now angered look. "Beatrice. How you forget your own sister is beyond me, but it is good to see you, nonetheless."
"I recognized your name at the setting on the table, I just haven't seen you in so long that I couldn't quite put a face to name. How have you been?"
"My husband was quite the buffoon, taking me for granted and then going and killing himself in the war."
"So, a widow, you are?"
"Indeed, and with no children to show for it either. What a shame."
"You were invited by Felix as well?"
"As it looks. I didn't want to show up as much as I wanted to get out of the house. A large estate all to myself feels rather lonely, does it not?"
"I see. Any clue what that news he promised might be?"
"Not one."
"The rumors are spreading like wildfire," Charlotte chimed in. "Some say he's on the brink of death and making us duel for all he's worth."
"That's rather morbid," I chuckled awkwardly. "I'm sure he has a reason for bringing us here."
"What is the time now?" She asked me as reply.
"Seven-forty. Oh, the dinner should have already started."
"That's odd," Beatrice said, anxiously twirling one hand in another. "Should we ask where Felix is? I haven't seen him all evening."
"The butler is just there on the corner. Why don't I go ask him?" I spoke.
"Alright. If you find him, send our condolences," Charlotte added as I began to walk away, not giving me enough time to reply.
I walked over to where the butler was standing, just near the open doorway of the dining room, and watched as he hardly even acknowledged my presence until I began to speak.
"Pardon me," I began. "Where is Felix? It's long beyond time he should have shown up."
"I hadn't noticed. I'll go fetch him, now," the man replied after checking the grandfather clock which stood against the wall.
"May I come with you? I'd like to speak with him for a moment."
"Of course, this way."
I followed the man up the large staircase and into the left corridor. Past a few more doors, at the very end was my cousin's bedroom, where he had spent his time preparing, I assumed. The butler opened the door for me, only a mutter of horror coming from his lips. His legs shook, and I stood confused.
"Excuse me? What is it?" I asked, pushing him out of the doorframe to see what he had been staring at. And there he was, my cousin Felix.
I can only imagine the preparation he put into the evening. Inviting his closest family and friends, getting all dressed in a nice, ruffled cravat, an expensive looking waistcoat, and trousers that looked brand new. His black hair was even slicked back how he liked when he was to show off. It was clear that he had put a lot of love and effort into this evening. Not clear enough, apparently, because there he was, lying on the floor, a rope around his neck, his face turned an ugly indigo, and a look of pure horror in his eyes. I stumbled back, only managing to keep myself from falling completely over on my behind. I was at a loss for words, so the only thing that crept out of my voice was a deep, though horrid, scream. The butler scrambled away and left me there, standing in horror. My head darted right as I saw others coming up the staircase, the clicking of their heels and shoes causing my brain to flood with noise.