The following days, Ferry made every effort to stay away from the mansion. He didn't even go for tea during the break which used to be one of his favorite times at work because he could see his mother and received the tea and snack right out of her hands. He refused his chores from inside the manor under various pretexts, even if that meant Ol' Joseph drawling out at him for a whole day. His last meeting with the mistress of the mansion had filled him with disgust and confusion at the same time. And he was not interested at all in the private life of the owners of the house. For the first time, he was giving Thyme a flair—people's lives were troubled and often, people were solely responsible for their own troubles.

Andrew also seemed to have gotten himself in some sort of trouble. The boy was missing school, and he's often been seen visiting Lily Jones at the tavern or even at home. The locals had already started talking around the corner. One day, on his way to work, Ferry encountered him wandering aimlessly around the mansion. He looks weaker and paler than usual, with dark circles around his eyes. He was puffing from a cigarette and, after each smoke, a strong cough shook his whole body.

"Andrew, are you all right?" asked Ferry, stepping closer.

Andrew gave him a tired look. "Mind your own business, Ferry," he said in a low voice. "Leave me alone."

"You don't look too good," said Ferry. Although Andrew was the reason for all the changes in his life, Ferry couldn't bear to see anyone in pain. And Andrew seemed to suffer. "Maybe you shouldn't smoke," he said softly.

"Why do you care?" Andrew asked. "No one cares about me, anyway ..."

"I don't," said Ferry."I just don't like to see when someone is destroying themselves."

Andrew smiled bitterly, "You don't know me. No one really knows me," he added, then pulled up the collar of his jacket and started back to town.

Soon, there came the day when preparations for the mysterious visitor began again. And once more, the last room on the third floor drew Ferry like a magnet. But this time, he would be prepared.

The mysterious stranger arrived the night before. It was Saturday morning when Ferry should have been free, but he had asked Ol' Joseph to let him work a few extra hours because he needed money. Her mother had also come because extra help was needed now that the stranger was at the manor.

It was easy for him to sneak on the third floor because usually, at the end of the week, the staff working at the mansion was reduced. Unless one of the family's sumptuous parties took place; which never happened when the visitor was at the mansion.

Ferry reached the third floor and listened carefully behind the door. There was no sound. The door was open, and he peeped inside. No movement. He slowly slipped inside and hid behind a huge wooden totem, in a corner of the room. Just in time. Albert Pride, together with a younger man, entered the room, laughing.

"We have to celebrate, Bert," the man said, heading for the drinks cabinet. "I must admit I did not expect you to convince her so easily."

Mr. Pride didn't seem excited by the remark, "You always underestimated me," he said as if to himself.

At the shelter of his hideout, Ferry could now take a better look at the stranger. He was a young man, about twenty-five years old, dressed in an impeccable suit, made of the finest fabrics; yet his suit seemed a little old-fashioned unlike Mr. Pride's suit, manufactured according to the latest fashion in the Big City. Even the hair seemed slightly outdated. The man had an aristocratic air, and his gestures, while smoking from a cigar and sipping from the drink, seemed noble, but slightly forced. The man walked around the room, leaving behind a trace of fine musky perfume. His eyes were pure blue, but his gaze was cold and penetrating. He looked a lot like Albert Pride, but Ferry didn't know that the manor's owner having a younger brother. Maybe he was some distant relative. Moreover, Ferry had a strong feeling he had met him recently.

"So... I hope you settled on the same number," he grinned.

"Of course,"Mr. Pride replied, playing nervously with the drink in his glass. "I threatened her."

"Good," said the man, taking another sip from his glass. "Finally, you did the right thing. You know how much we have to lose if the Quest doesn't take place this year. Now let's leave business," he said, "and talk about ... your family, let's say."

"What about my family?" asked Mr. Pride slightly irritated.

"Oh, come on, Bert, I wouldn't want it to happen as before. Your wife seems a little ... distracted."

"She's fine," he said, stressing on his words.

"If you say so," the man grinned, then took another sip. "As for Billy ..."

"What about Billy?" asked Mr. Pride and his jaw clenched.

"You should have sent him to a boarding school, just like you were sent."

"I didn't want him to grow up the way I did," he said, emphasizing the words. "I wanted him to be with his family."

The man laughed, "Oh, please. What family? You're always gone. And his mother—She has other... concerns. I think Billy needs a new passion. I think he should find himself a girl."

"He already has a girl. After he finishes college, he will marry Celia Haughty. It's all settled."

"Rubbish," the man laughed, "Billy doesn't give a damn about Celia. Neither does she about him. You have to be mad to think these children will ever be together. Let him choose. He can have any girl he wants. He just needs a little ... push. By the way, when are you going to tell him? I think he's big enough to understand."

"He's not ready yet," replied Albert Pride dryly.

"Why don't you let him decide that? You made a choice of yourself. Although you can always change your mind if you want to."

"I will never change my mind," said Billy's father through clenched teeth.

The man stepped closer. They were now facing each other. The stranger's gaze turned menacing. After a few moments, Albert Pride lowered his gaze.

"I knew you were a coward. You've always been," the man spat the words.

He then turned his back at him, disgusted. "Make sure nothing goes wrong this time. Did you understand?" he barked without even turning to Mr. Pride.

"Yes, Dad," he said, keeping his gaze down, then stepping out.

Ferry didn't have the time to think about what he had just heard. He was still watching the stranger. The man finished his drink, then held the glass in his hand so hard, it broke. Fortunately, he didn't cut himself because Ferry couldn't see any drop of blood in his palm. Then, the man headed for one of the many shelves that covered the walls of the room and pushed a thick book with black covers. The shelf moved, and a door appeared behind it. It was a secret door. The man entered the secret room, and the shelf closed behind him.

Ferry wanted to follow the stranger, but it was too dangerous. It was time to leave. The corridors were empty; now was the time to leave the forbidden floor. But as he descended the stairs, he ran into Billy.

At first, he seemed just as scared that Ferry found him there. And Ferry realized Billy had also come to spy on the stranger. But Billy's fright passed quickly and his usual grin took its place.

"Look who we have here," he said.

Ferry tried to run past him and continued to descend the stairs in a hurry. He wanted to get out of that place as soon as possible. But Billy followed him.

"What do you think my dad will say when he finds out you were on the forbidden floor?"

"Were you on the forbidden floor, Ferry?" he heard a woman's voice behind him.

Ferry recognized the voice. He turned slowly and discovered his mother looking at him with concern. She was cleaning one of the tall windows of the hall on the second floor.This time, Ferry lacked the words, "Mom, I—I didn't want to ... I mean—"

"That's right," Billy continued, louder, this time, "I caught him coming back from there when everyone knows it's forbidden to go to the third floor."

Ferry felt a lump in his throat. What else was to be said? He watched his mother wring her hands.

"Please, Master Billy, don't tell your father," she asked Billy, looking him in the eye. "We need these jobs," she almost whispered. "Ferry is just a very curious boy, that's all."

Billy wanted to say something, but he stopped. He looked into Ferry's mother's eyes for a few moments, then looked down as if he had been caught doing a blunder.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Donovan," he said in a low voice, "I won't tell him anything. But don't let it happen again."

"Thank you," Ferry's mother said simply, and smiled.

Billy nodded, then slid past her and went down the stairs.

Ferry was speechless for a few moments. He had never seen Billy being generous. His mother, on the other hand, was not surprised by Billy's behavior. Instead, she scolded her son, "Ferry, what were you thinking? What were you doing there?" she said, trying to keep her voice down.

"I'm sorry, Mum, it won't happen again," he said, then kissed her on the forehead and hurried to reach Billy.

He found him on the terrace of the first floor, looking blank.

"What do you want, Donovan?" he asked without even turning to Ferry.

"I just wanted to thank you ..."

"You don't have to," Billy cut him short. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for your mother. She is the kindest person I've ever met. She didn't deserve that ..."

"I know ..." Ferry said, trying hard to swallow. "I'm sorry," he said. But he didn't leave.

Billy turned nervous, "What is it now?" he asked, turning to Ferry and looking at him, frowning.

"I wanted to talk to you. It's about Andrew ..."

Billy's eyes turned sad. "What about him?" he said in a low voice.

"I wanted to know what was happening to him. I've seen him the other day. He didn't look too good. You know him better, and I thought ..."

Billy sighed, "Not good enough ..."

"Have you noticed anything changed about him lately?"

"I don't know and I don't care. We are no longer friends. He's a strange, troubled boy. Only weirds in the Donovan family. Except for your mother. She's the only normal, decent person in this bloody town," he said he and his jaw clenched.

For the first time, Ferry agreed.

"What do you mean by weird?" he asked Billy.

"Well ... there are several things. It was fun at first, but then it all changed. He was talking about a treasure he must find. And he had those moods as if--"

"As if?"

"As if he's not him anymore, you know? Really scary, actually. His gaze darkens as if he's a completely different person. I wanted to help him, but he didn't let me. He always told me it was complicated, that he doesn't want to get me in trouble ... Otherwise, he acts normally. He talks about sports, how good the food is here, and how much he likes this town, go figure."

"But does he have any friends? Besides you, I mean."

"No ... I don't know ... In fact, he goes pretty often to see Anne Jones. He said something like he knew how she must feel, alone and with no friends. And that's how he felt at the orphanage. Although I think—"

"What?" asked Ferry.

"I think he's going there to see her mother, Mrs. Jones."

Ferry barely kept himself from agreeing with Billy on that particular part.

"Have you noticed anything else about him?" he asked instead.

Billy hesitated, "Well ... there are those seizures...""What seizures?" "He's got those weird seizures. As if all his strength is swept awayall of a sudden. He said he was left with some illness from the orphanage, but he didn't let me take him to Dr. Goody."

Ferry was lost in thought.

"But why are you suddenly interested in Andrew?" asked Billy.

"Nothing ... I was just thinking ..."

"... that's not who he says he is," Billy continued his thought. "That's how I'd think about the one who stole my life if I were you," Billy agreed.

Ferry nodded. It was time to get back to work. He saw Ol' Joseph looking for him in the garden in front of the mansion.

"He's not a bad person, you know," Billy said just as Ferry turned to leave.

"He's not good, either," Ferry said.

"Who is?" said Billy, his gaze wandering far away.

Ferry left the terrace, lost in thought. The Pride Mansion had suddenly become too depressing.

Thank you for reading yet another chapter of this story! Secrets are revealed in this one. What do you think?