The Inheritance by R. S. Ramdial

Author:R. S. Ramdial
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Published: 2012-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

That dismal early morning found him staring at the gun on the table with miserable eyes. Twenty years of obedience had brought him to this day, where, in the name of duty, he had to contemplate the sick prospect of murdering a child. That the child was evil made no difference to Theo’s conscience, despite how much he needed it to. He knew now that Audrey was tinged with evil or was evil herself. Of course, Theo’s mind offered hopefully, she might have simply awakened at that moment and seen an unfamiliar light from her window. But, he reluctantly acknowledged that if that was the case, Audrey was a truly brave and independent-minded child because she had not watched from the safety of a window, but had opened the door and stared into the night without calling either parents or servants to witness it.

The weapon had found its unwelcome way into his hand last night, but he had not used it. Theo pushed his unwilling mind to contemplate tonight. He would have to go back, draw Audrey out, and have it done with. No one knew he carried a revolver, and he could sneak out and return unseen. The murder would be attributed to robbers or some other cause. He could escape the legal consequences.

Theo dropped his head into his hands and moaned. For days, he had known that this choice would come, but had not wished to think about it. Now he had to face it. The journey and practices of two decades were urging him to fulfil his obligation, warning him against neglect and weakness, and his natural inclination out of long habit was to obey, as he always had. But, despite what he believed about evil, Theo found he did not have the strength to do it. Being trapped between negligence and murder was like suffering in a pit in hell.

“I cannot.” His voice was broken. “I just cannot.” The refusal to be obedient to his responsibility with the necklace ran against the grain of his character, a character shaped by overcoming fear to face danger. Such a nature did not easily accept that he was going to purposefully fail, that he was not even going to try.

Finally, Theo picked up the gun and staggered to his feet. He picked up the revolver and dropped it into his valise. He had made his choice, and it made his insides twist. He would willingly fail and if he was damned, then so be it. She was not innocent—he simply knew better. But he could not harm her. It was not within him. He could not live with doing so. He knew the child was a witch and would do nothing about it.

Theo looked out the window at the gray light. Maybe he was right not to intervene. She was a child and might yet change, despite being attracted to the light. A countering thought objected: what if she had already done wrong? What if she was accountable for Mrs.

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