Short story competition – The Ellis Inheritance
Lady Marissa Ellis is playing chess.
Her brother, Louis, is sitting opposite, his hands tapping an irregular rhythm as
he plots his next move. He moves his knight, and Marissa can already see that
he’s just putting off the inevitable. Checkmate in four moves.
“I saw you were avoiding the company of dear Georgia last night?” she
remarks nonchalantly, as she slides her queen forward.
Louis makes a disgusted noise. “Do not speak to me of Georgia, sister dear,” He
says, emphasising the word.
“Oh, but Georgie is rather fond of you. Shall I plan a June wedding, or would
you prefer a winter affair?” Marissa clasps her delicate hands on her lap,
though they yearn to grab Louis’ bishop and smack him with it. There is a move
right there, right there…Why can’t he see it? Louis used to be fair game.
Her brother glares daggers at her from across the heavy silver-and-gold chess
set. She plays silver. She always has.
“You know I have no interest in these matters, Marissa.” Louis weighs up his
queen against his knight. He still hasn’t seen the bishop.
“You should, brother. Wouldn’t it be nice to get out once in a while?” She’s
teasing him. Louis lacks tact and charm, but he cuts a striking figure. His dark
curls are swept back from his face to expose the prominent nose and
cheekbones, and his sharp green eyes turn a knife-like gaze upon the world.
Marissa is no gentler, with the same glass stare, emerald eyes, and
cheekbones. Her ebony locks are scraped back and pinned as ringlets at the
nape of her neck.
In a word, the Ellis twins are angular.
Louis moves his queen, and Marissa bites back a frustrated sigh as she
immediately takes it with her rook. Louis’ chess skills have certainly not
improved with his visit to the renamed Geramme Castle to meet the new
French Lord and Lady. He only stayed for a week, and their game is lost. She’s
disappointed. Chess keeps her busy when the Lady Ellis is cooped up in the
shadows of the Manor. She abhors being treated like a porcelain figure that
could break any second.
This particular game has lasted two years, six months, three hours, and fortyfive minutes.
Their power play, Louis has long since forfeited.
The little Georgia Geramme took a shine to Louis, and stuck to him like glue at
the Geramme’s ball the previous night. She doesn’t have to hear Louis’ cutting
remarks about the foolish girl to know that he detests her. His expression
when she clutched his arm was akin to the face he wore when Marissa put flies
in his soup when they were twelve. Louis was never interested in people,
preferring to bury his nose in his science tomes and muck about with his grimy
microscope.
Marissa, however, knows how to manipulate people, although she’s never
found them interesting. After a few meetings, all were in awe of the charming
Lady Ellis and most already owed her favours.
Marissa Ellis was owed a lot of favours, and that made her powerful.
She finishes the game with a smug smile, but behind it lurks a certain
disappointment. All her brother could ever offer her was a good game of chess.
There is no love lost between the Ellis twins.
...
Marissa does not weep when Louis dies.
There are several reasons for this.
The first is that they were never close. She had never been able to count on
Louis. They spent their childhood apart, as she tried to distance herself from
her brother. Marissa realised when she was very young that Louis, and his
woeful social incompetence, all added to a millstone around her neck. She
would never win herself a place among the powerful in Queen Victoria’s
Empire with her brother dragging her down.
She has new buoyancy.
The second is that Louis leaves her all of Ellis Manor. The late Lady Teresa Ellis,
the twin’s mother, used her influential legal contacts to write a clause into her
will. Marissa would inherit the Ellis estate in the event of Louis’ death. Teresa
Ellis saw that Marissa had infinitely more potential to succeed than her
embarrassingly tactless son.
Marissa expands, redecorates. Parties are thrown. Friends are made. More and
more favours are owed to Marissa Ellis.
And Marissa Ellis works her way up.
The third reason is the most significant.
She felt a great sense of triumph as the crisp notes left her hands and passed
into the assassin’s pocket. She let herself smile as she saw him load his pistol.
And she had to swallow a cheer as she heard the shot ring out from across the
manor grounds.
The millstone has cracked and fallen off.
The Ellis Inheritance is hers.
Checkmate, dear brother.
…
Marissa Ellis does not weep when Louis dies.
There is no love lost between the Ellis twins.
…