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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 2:08:32 GMT -5
Adrienne had settled into a sort of contentment. Evie had taken a while to warm up to London, and still wasn't quite comfortable, especially given her accent, but was doing better. Adrienne had confidence she'd grow up into a fine young lady here. Despite the fact that her heart felt bruised and battered, she drew a confidence from the move. She kept reminding herself that this was better for her, for them all. It felt like poking the bruises.
It was a rare day that saw her shopping alone, on a crowded street full of carriages and people dressed much like she was--smartly, finely, but not ostentatiously. She'd found that rules of dress were stricter in London, and it didn't do to show off anywhere but balls. Nonetheless, with her maid behind her she walked near the shop windows, not truly intending on buying anything today.
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 2:30:54 GMT -5
It had been months since the train station and Chuck had been searching since.
He understood why she left and couldn't blame her. She hadn't been entirely wrong with the way he had acted. There was just so much he didn't know how to do as both a partner and a father. But Chuck knew he couldn't let her go without telling both Adrienne and Evelyn how much he couldn't live without them and what an absolute idiot he had been not to address the problems in their lives earlier.
He had to find her. He loved her. He loved them.
But his search had, even until now, been fruitless and the clues were sparse. London was one giant city and she could have been anywhere.
Exhausted and discouraged Chuck had decided, after a morning of following leads, to take a long walk across the shopping district, in hopes that the noisy crowd and the general buzz of the city would distract him for at least a few hours.
That's when he saw her.
Though a ways away and almost invisible, she was unmistakable. He wanted like hell to shout her name but he knew he couldn't. Silently, he quickly made his way through the crowd.
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 2:43:57 GMT -5
As if she had radar, she turned. Everything slowed down for just a second as she met his eyes.
She broke the spell and turned, almost-running to her waiting carriage at the end of the street.
She couldn't see him. It hurt too much.
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 3:27:31 GMT -5
His first impulse was to shout.
"Adrienne! No, wait!"
But he was still too far away to ever catch up with her and useless, impassioned shouting in a crowd of Victorian Englishmen wouldn't ever get him anywhere. Chuck, yet again, watched her drive away with no way of finding her.
The choices now were to either go back to his flat and ruminate on very unhappy thoughts... or get to a pub and get himself drunk.
***THAT EVENING AFTER DARK***
Five hours in a pub would do number of anyone, even Chuck Bass. He finally hobbled out of the place after dark smelling like ale and smoke.
The experience had been strange. He had felt horribly out of place but a few drinks later, the rowdiness, smell and the rest of the people in the pub bothered him a great deal less. He had soon forgotten most of his worries and just focused on getting smashed.
And smashed he was.
Chuck walked along the street, disoriented and having to stay close to the walls of buildings to walk properly. He didn't even know where he was going.
"Oi, mate! Easy there!" said one of two men in a heavy cockney accent, emerging from the shadows of an alley.
Chuck tipped his imaginary hat at them and continued to hobble on. But they began to approach him.
"'ad a few too many, 'ave ya?" said the other, coming over and catching Chuck by the arm.
"Let go of me," Chuck slurred, snatching his arm back.
"Oh, we've got us a Yank!" said the first one with a laugh, grabbing his shoulder on the other side. "You lot can't 'old yo liquor, you know 'at?"
"But you do know 'ow to dress."
Chuck had always been a slave to fashion. Tonight was no different. He was wearing an obviously pricey coat and suit.
The second one reached into his coat pocket and took out his check book as the first one held him back.
"If you want the coat, take it," Chuck said, coming to his senses a bit more. "But not my pocketbook."
He greedily looked through it. "Ah think this'll do, thanks."
"No, you don't understand--"
"Ah think we do," he said, taking out a sizable knife and making it visible in the light of the gas lamp nearby.
He then shoved Chuck against a brick wall and began walking away.
Whether it was the alcohol or just his desperation, Chuck went against his better judgment and lunged at the two muggers. He fought one off and managed to get what he needed but, as quickly as it had happened, it was over.
The one with the knife seized Chuck by the shoulder and stabbed him twice before running off.
When Chuck looked down, he saw the knife still in his abdomen. The pain was blinding. He opened his mouth to cry out but no sound came out. Before he knew it, he collapsed on the cold, cement ground, gasping in pain in a pool of his own blood.
A policeman found him a few minutes later, unconscious with a crumpled, ink and water stained piece of paper in his hand.
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 3:36:03 GMT -5
Somehow, Chuck's driver knew who he was trying to find. And in the absence of his employer, had found her.
Suddenly the charming Dowager Duchess of Abillon was never available. She was never At Home, and she never went out. The Ton assumed she was ill, and moved on as it was wont to do.
As it turned out, she was preoccupied. One Chuck Bass still hadn't awoken, and Adrienne stayed dutifully by his side as he healed, terrified that if she left, she'd come back and he'd be truly gone. Dead-gone. She went home to sleep and see her daughter, and that was it. Nobody knew why the lady in the unmarked carriage kept by the victim of a knife attack, but nobody paid her much mind. She had her reasons.
One day, though, perhaps a week later, he began to show signs of awakening. It was the last day the lady came to see him.
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 3:42:32 GMT -5
Weeks had passed and Chuck Bass had finally come to and was looking a bit more like his old self every day. He was still hooked up to a few things with needles in his arm and bandages had to be changed periodically... and he couldn't exactly sit up right just yet.
When he woke up one day, he found a nurse he hadn't seen before switching out his IV even if those don't get invented for another 60 or so years..
"What happened to that other nurse?" he asked groggily, completely forgetting his manners.
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 3:45:15 GMT -5
The nurse, a short and slightly pudgy girl of about twenty with mousy brown hair, looked at him as if he had spoken gibberish.
"I've been your nurse the whole time you've been 'ere, sir."
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 3:49:16 GMT -5
Chuck furrowed his brow and looked at her.
"Really? Because I could've sworn you were a little shorter," he said, continuing to look at her curiously. "And with darker, wavy hair."
He was still weak but in good humour.
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 3:51:04 GMT -5
She laughed a bit.
"Oh, no sir. Just me, and that lady who visited. Had a time getting her to leave after visiting hours were through, so the doctor said we should just let her stay--"
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 3:53:15 GMT -5
"--Wait, what?" he said, growing a bit more serious.
"Who was she? What was her name?"
But Chuck already knew.
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 3:56:51 GMT -5
The girl blushed, but sort of smiled.
"She never said, sir. But she talked to you. Read--Shakespeare, I think. Dark hair, wavy like you said, and lovely. She always came in an unmarked carriage."
The whole nursing staff had found the situation terribly romantic.
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 4:03:28 GMT -5
"Hamlet..." he muttered to himself as memories from the past resurfaced for a moment.
Chuck quickly focused his attention back on the nurse.
"Did she ever leave anything? A note or letter?"
There was a new-found energy about him, a sort of restless, frantic energy. He wanted to leap out of the bed and go after her despite the fact that he still didn't know where she was.
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 4:05:07 GMT -5
"Well, your driver said to give you this..." She held out an envelope. Inside was an address.
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Post by Chuck Bass on Jul 15, 2010 4:09:15 GMT -5
He propped himself up on one elbow with a bit of effort, quickly took the envelope and read what was inside.
"Nurse," he said, grabbing her happily by the sleeve. "I need to leave."
Chuck was in tunnel vision mode again and began trying to rip the IV needles out of his arm.
"I need to go."
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Post by Adrienne on Jul 15, 2010 4:11:02 GMT -5
Being dreadfully susceptible to such things, she just sighed.
"Very well--stop that!" She smacked his hands away from the needles and properly removed them and bandaged where they had been.
She looked at him, then grinned.
"Oh, go on then. Go get her."
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