CARTER – The Invitation
The Chronicles of Samuel Carter – Chapter Five
Foreword
This is the fifth of seven chapters of Part One of The Chronicles of Samuel Carter, in which our main protagonist, Samuel, learns the shocking truth about what happened on his expedition.
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Part One
1 The Call | 2 The Expedition | 3 The Chamber | 4 The Nightmare | 5 The Invitation | 6 The Staff | 7 The Cage
The Invitation
When Jackie called to invite him for tea and told him to be ready in five minutes, he eagerly accepted. It started to rain as they disappeared into the heavy morning traffic, and by the time they escaped the unrelenting jungle that was London, it was hammering down, the sky a dark sea of monotonous grey. He asked the driver how much further but got no reply. Watching the blur of cars as they sped along the motorway, he sank back and soon dozed off to the drumming of the raindrops and the lulling of the Bentley.
The sound of tires on gravel ended his peaceful nap, and he woke disoriented, his mouth dry. The rain had stopped. Up ahead, glistening in rays of light breaking through the clouds, towered a solitary manor. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gazed at the imposing structure, gargoyles half shrouded in mist, watching him with lifeless eyes; the butler opened the door and ushered him through the front entrance, across a grand hall, down a dimly lit corridor, and into a study. There he asked him to wait and disappeared through a side door.
The room was crammed with books, and a spicy scent of old leather, cedar and cinnamon hung in the air. He spotted a chessboard on the coffee table, and a dark grey wool cardigan was left behind on the chair. Black was locked in a Bishop check.
“Good luck getting out of that one,” he said.
A family portrait behind the desk caught his attention. Samuel kept staring at the young daughter. Slowly it dawned on him. He knew her. The names below read: Jaqueline, Adrian and George Beaumont III. George Beaumont, owner of one of the largest collections of art and artefacts, philanthropist, and father. Jacqueline… Jackie Rogers, his quirky treasure hunter and fount of knowledge on ancient artefacts. At the sound of heavy footsteps, he felt panic mounting and quickly grabbed the nearest book, pretending to read. George Beaumont entered, commanding authority by sheer presence. He wore a tailored suit and tie, grey hair combed back in perfect symmetry, his hawkish nose aimed at the intruder, and intense eyes probing Samuel from under massive eyebrows.
“What do you think you are doing?” George thundered.
“I was…I mean, I came to see—”
“Yes, yes. Jackie will be here in a minute,” he took the book out of Samuel’s hands. “Don’t touch anything. Samuel, is it?”
“Yes sir, Samuel Carter,” he held out his hand, which George ignored, looking him up and down.
“Any relation to the Carter?”
“No sir, none whatsoever.”
“Have you read it?” George inquired.
“Beg your pardon?”
“This book, Transference, have you read it?”
“Oh, no, I haven’t. Sorry.”
George eyed him, waved dismissively, shook his head, grabbed his cigar box and left. Samuel’s mind was racing. Was he being played? Was her father behind it all?
“Sam!” Jackie entered, and the room became three degrees brighter.
“Hello, Jackie.”
“You met my dad.” She grinned. “—Bertrand!”
The butler appeared at the door, “Yes, Ma’am?”
“Tea, please, in the Arboretum.”
“Certainly, Ma’am. Right away.”
“Arboretum?” Samuel was still processing Jackie’s transformation from Rogers to Beaumont.
“Come.” She led him down yet another corridor.
“You are a Beaumont,” stated Samuel.
“Yes, Captain Obvious.”
“Rogers… you’re married. I feel like you told me already.”
“Indeed. You remember that?” Jackie raised her eyebrow.
“Not really.”
“No matter. Did my dad give you a tough time?”
“Your dad? He, uh, doesn’t like me very much, I think.”
“He doesn’t like anyone. Sometimes it’s easier to be Jackie Rogers instead of Jacqueline Beaumont. My apologies.”
They arrived at the Arboretum. Sunlight fell through the glass ceiling, basking the room in a warm golden glow. The sprinklers kept the plants and trees humid and gave the air a heavy yet fresh scent.
“No need to apologise, but I could use an explanation.” Looking around, he added, “This place… it’s enormous!”
Jackie looked at him, weighing how much she should tell him. “You’re right. We need to talk. But first, let’s have some tea.”
The table was set with the finest bone china. As they sat down, the butler hovered in to serve their afternoon tea. “Will there be anything else, Ma’am?”
“That will be all, Bertrand. Thank you.”
Bertrand bowed and glided back into the corridor, the glass door closing silently behind him. Samuel stared after him in amazement.
“Impressive, isn’t he?” she said.
“Very. How does he do it? It’s uncanny.”
Jackie laughed, “Years of practice. He’s been with the family forever, even before I was born. He probably knows what we will say or want before we do.” She winked at him and took a sip. “I hope you like Oolong. It’s Tie Luo Han, created by a mighty warrior monk with golden-bronze skin, so the legend goes.” She was watching Samuel over the rim of her cup.
“Warrior monk? It has a nice floral note and something else I can’t place.” Samuel drank again and put his cup down.
“The magic ingredient,” Jackie looked down into her cup while talking. “Remember when you got poisoned on our expedition?”
“How could I forget? I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Although, I still don’t understand how you got the antidote.”
Jackie locked eyes with him, “That’s just it. I didn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t save you, Sam— You died.”
“I… what?” a cold shiver crept across his skin.
“You didn’t have a pulse. We were trapped for hours… I thought I would die in that chamber with you.”
“Nonsense. I… we… this isn’t funny.”
“No, it’s not. It’s dead serious. Far beyond what we ever hoped for.”
Samuel shook his head, “No, that can’t be true. What happened?”
“You know what happened. Focus. What did you see after you died?”
“I didn’t die—” fragments of memories flashed before his eyes. His head felt airy, his tongue numb. “What did you do to me?”
“Nothing permanent, Sam. You need to remember.”
“You… the tea—”
“Remember.”
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Tune in next week when Doctor Carter faces another hard truth about Jackie and the staff. Can he stop the madness?
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Great stuff Alexander. I’m really enjoying how each new chapter gives our man Carter a new challenge to overcome. Just the small matter of his own death this week! Intrigued to see how he gets out of this one 🤔
Ah Samuel, once again it seems you find yourself in a pickle...
He died?! The plot thickens. What witchcraft is at play here? What does he need to remember? And what is Jackie's motive? More questions, more questions, but it's all pulling me along and some good cliffhangers in place, so bravo Alexander!