Cruel and Unusual - serialised novel EXCLUSIVE to Steemit

I’ve decided I need a little writing boost – this morning I had a few ideas niggling at the back of my mind and these sometimes turn into storylines if I’m lucky.

I haven’t had anything like that niggling hint of a story for months and months – since last year if I’m honest – and I miss the characters talking to me.

Perhaps, if I’m very fortunate, this may start the characters talking to me again and I’ll be able to get back to writing.

Here’s hoping.

In August 2010 I published my first novel – Deadlier Than The Male – which I serialised exclusively for Steemit.

In 2012 I finished the second novel in my Wolf series and the book was entered into a prestigious competition (I didn’t win, wasn’t even long-listed, let alone short-listed). The Orange Prize For Fiction entry is the pinnacle of my career so far.

Once again, exclusively for Steemit, the second novel in my Wolf series, Cruel and Unusual. I hope you enjoy reading it.

Cruel...and Unusual

She arrived back at the house, feeling a wave of reminiscence wash over her, almost as though she had been gone only a few weeks rather than the decade that marked her absence. She recalled the last time she had been there; a routine visit which went exactly to plan and resulted in the expected findings.

She locked the car door using the key rather than the key fob, not by force of habit but for her own comfort. Her hearing was far too sensitive to use the high pitched remote control and so she never used it.

She looked up at the house and saw that her arrival had been watched. She had no need to knock upon the door; it was opened for her before she reached the first step.

“Good evening madam, I assume you have no luggage?”

“Good evening Dixon, that’s right, I travelled light again. I’ll be staying for the night but I shall be leaving right after breakfast.

Will you inform his Lordship please?” She carried her own bag, a small, light briefcase and Dixon did not make any move to take it for her.

Dixon did not need to reply, she saw the nod of acceptance as she crossed the threshold and he closed the door behind her, almost without a sound. Dixon was one of the old-fashioned Butlers and though she had known him for a long time, longer than any of the other Butlers before him, he kept his protocol and not once did he call her by her name, nor would he refer to her as anything other than ‘Sentinel Exemplar’ when making the announcement of her arrival.

Red was back.

She went up the stairs to the room which was kept just for her use and she opened her briefcase. In it lay a small case with toiletries and a change of underwear. She would not be changing clothes for her journey back the next day but she would dress for dinner. The wardrobe contained an evening dress – a new one. Anton had been shopping again. She smiled as she lifted it from the rail and looked it over. A simple and exquisite gown, midnight blue silk, with no fancy, frilly bits to detract from the beauty of the cut or the fabric. The matching shoes were in a box on the floor of the wardrobe.

She showered and dressed for dinner, and as she expected, at the bottom of the stairs, Dixon waited for her to come down. He opened the doors to the dining room and announced her with the formality deserving of royalty.

Red walked in to the dining room and all eyes turned to watch her entrance. She was the last to arrive and she had spoken only to Dixon since she arrived.

The conversation had dropped as Dixon spoke and started again once he closed the door behind her. Everyone there knew her well and her entrance was not dramatic. She crossed the floor to kiss the host on his cheek, placing her hand on his shoulder as she did so. He glanced at her and smiled, but continued his conversation. He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it in greeting. Red smiled and wandered farther into the room to greet the other guests.

The evening, though formal dress, was light and cheerful, friends that had not seen each other for a long time greeted each other in fondness. There was no animosity, no ancient grudges or scores to be settled; a perfect mix of good friends and acquaintances and the night looked set to be perfect.

Then Anton tapped his Family Ring on the side of his glass. The crystal gave a perfect and clear tone cutting through the conversations to catch everyone’s attention.

“I have two more guests to introduce to you this evening. Please be upstanding for your Lycaeon and her Consort, Victoria and Oscar.”

Silence reigned as a woman and her partner entered the room by the same doors that Red had used a few minutes earlier.
Red smiled, she had not known Victoria would be there and she was pleased – both in the fact that she had not spoken to Victoria in a few weeks and in the fact that her presence was important to the upcoming event. Something was going to happen – a change from the usual procedure upon such occasions.

They sat down to dinner and Red waited.

After they had eaten and the table had been cleared and moved out of the room, Anton placed himself in the most prominent position in the room. He stood in the large bay of the window, his form framed by the dark velvet curtains and his white tuxedo was shown off to perfection.

He lifted his champagne glass and made a toast:

“My Lycaeon, to her best health and prosperity, long may she reign.”

Then he began his speech. “You have all been coming here on a regular basis since we were bonded in tragedy. Tonight, as I promised a long time ago, it is to be the end of my experiments. I have exhausted the subject and it has come time to draw a line under the events and move forward. I have discovered everything I can and, as I promised, you shall all be a witness to this.”

Anton took a sip from his glass and continued. “I have learned many things over the years and it has now come time to tell everything that I have found – not only scientific fact but confession and revelation. I know why the events happened and I choose to share them with you in the hope that you too shall understand why tonight is to be the ending, the culmination of my work and the final chapter to this sordid story. For the benefit of our Lycaeon and her Consort, I shall tell everything from beginning to end. Bear with me please; it will be a long night, so make yourself comfortable.”

Then Anton began his tale.

I'll add more pictures later. Our broadband service provider has a much different view on what 'service' actually means - and therein lies another tale and another post