“Even if the stars line up to help you, fate will be against it, in the rhythm of your heart”.

It was still raining in Immaje when Alfred was returning home. He spent the night in Bingham this time and after a long white night at the gambling table, where he had again lost a lot of money, Stonebridge decided that it was time to return home.

He was feeling something weird in his chest. He had never felt this before and Alfred didn’t also know how to explain it. He tried to drown it in alcohol, but it didn’t work, so Alfred decided that it was time for a poker game. Only at the gambling table, he was feeling alive, but this time had been different. He hadn’t felt the pleasure of playing and this was already irritating him.

Why? Why is he feeling this and why did it show up right after Eva’s departure? It wasn’t like he was missing her or that he was sorrowful for what he did to her, but it had sprouted in his heart and now it was pressing his chest, suffocating him.

Alfred took a deep breath. Then another one and another one, but it didn’t help him. He had hoped that the cold morning breeze, loaded with sweet-bitter raindrops, would cool the fire in his chest, but that had intensified the scorch even more.

After deeply breathing, he felt his throat dry as he hadn’t drunk anything for a long time. He wished he had some alcohol with him, but he doesn’t even have a drop, because he had finished it the night before. He would have at least wanted water, but he never carried a bottle of such a thing with him and he was ashamed to ask the teamster if he had something. So, he decided to wait till he gets home.

To kill time, he looked around. The morning breeze had in it an autumn smell. It had been autumn already for two months, but Alfred didn’t notice it until now. And he was surprised to finally see it and he smiled while looking at the red-yellow leaves that were covering the ground with a sweet, warm cloth preparing it for the hard cold times that will come.

It was something romantic in the air, even if sadness was felt around. Sky, of a black-gray color, was full of heavy clouds. Even though it rained a lot last night, the clouds were still thirsty and somehow anxious to reverse their madness over nature which, like a good child, was waiting for the punishment of those with much power over them.

The trees are marvelous. Their splendor is somewhat reminding the viewers about William Hogarth's Seduction Series of Paintings, with two lovers sharing their feelings in the very heart of nature.

Their yellow vestment is full of mystery and seduction. If not to take into account the cold breeze of autumn mornings you could just stop the carriage and, getting out of it to walk around, besides that madness of colors and splendor, and to fill the deep bag of your soul with natural power that could last forever. Only spending a few minutes in the net of their countless colors could be enough for many of us, but it wasn’t enough for Alfred. Neither the miracle of autumn trees nor the weight of the gray rain clouds could not have awakened him from his numbness. He felt not only his body asleep but also his mind as if a thick fog had fallen over him and enveloped him more and more in his nets.

Alfred also did not know if this was due to time, loss of money, or simply aging. Even if he was still in his yearly 46, he always felt young. And this was confessed by all those ladies who were madly falling in the spell of his blue eyes.

He was considered a tall man at the 1.75 meters he had. His athletic body, his dark-brown hair, and his fleshy lips often got him out of a lot of trouble. Alfred had never been bothered to mess with any sweet deer that had fallen easily into his net. Having no scrupulousness, he could easily pass from one woman to another, being her married or just engaged, and this had always given him a certain pleasure and security.

As he was loved by many women, Alfred was also hated by a large number of men who weren't precisely happy to find out that through their lover's bed passed another man and this had made Alfred automatically their rival.

Not a few times Alfred had been forced to turn to the ladies’ seamanship to avoid a duel. His manner of telling sweet stories, of promising even the Moon in the sky and his touches charged with immense pleasure-bringing energy have always been the key to his success and salvation.

Just once Alfred’s tricks were not working. It happened a long time ago, right after he left Helen in their small and inhospitable room in London when he had been entangled with a certain Madame Anne Loren Booton, the wife of a certain marquis Booton, who was being enough coquette, but also smart enough to get out of their affair without being her the one punished.

When her husband had found out about her rendezvous with Stonebridge, marquis Booton had felt hurt enough to ask for a duel. And this happened because Anne told her husband that she had been duped by Alfred, who whispered to her innocent little ears so many things and had made her fall into madness and when she woke up, she was already in his arms, making love. But this can’t be considered a betrayal on her part. She was just an innocent lady duped by a mendacious man who was only after her money. And of course, the cuckold husband, stupid and enough in love, in the end, had only good thoughts about his pure deer who couldn't have hurt him deliberately and because of this, he asked Alfred to pay for his dishonor.

Alfred was unpleasantly surprised to find out about it. Because he didn’t know what to do and of course, because he had nobody by his side to help him, he just ran away. Not alone, of course. He took with him another innocent deer, Madame Anne’s best friend, Marie Laggard, a widow, with enough money he could spend at will.

But his new romance didn’t last long. Marie, sick of Alfred's depravity, found another lover, much younger than Alfred and he returned to London, there where she had a lot of friends to spend her precious time with.

Alfred had been left in the lurch this time. For the first time, he was the one deceived and left behind. This bitter taste he was feeling on the tip of his tongue wasn’t something Alfred loved. Even if he was paid on merit, Alfred wasn’t ready to accept his defeat and he decided that it was time to come back to London.

To his great surprise, he found out that marquis Booton had forgotten about him when his innocent wife had once again strayed, and this time with surprises: she got pregnant with her new lover and because the beau didn't recognize the child as his, madame Anne had been forced to ask her husband to accept the child, but Booton wasn’t stupid to share his fortune with someone else’s child, so he asked the church for his divorce and soon after he married again with a new lady who had sworn to all the saints to be only his for eternity.

And Alfred also found out about Helen’s death and about his baby. He felt himself somewhat forced to take the baby, but because he hadn’t any choice, he named himself a father and for better or worse he took care of her.

Eva had inherited from him only his blue eyes. Or at least this was what Alfred wanted to think. He had already forgotten that Helen also had had blue eyes and he never noticed the vivid resemblance between the two. What others noticed so easily, Alfred never noticed. Or at least he was forcing himself to not know it.

There were moments when he hated Helen because she didn’t give birth to Alfred’s copy. He wished he had a boy, but God gave him a daughter. He wished to have a son who could have helped him in bad times, but he had forgotten that he betrayed his own father forcing him to leave his life work and to run away, he never thought that a son could do the same he did, but Alfred never cared about it. He had wanted a son, but he had a daughter.

In time, he got used to the idea. The girl never caused him trouble, so he could live his life as he wished. Of course, from time to time he remembered to send her some money to survive only, but Alfred considered that he always did more than enough for her, so he was waiting for her a reward and this reward was always related to money.

Alfred woke up from his daydream when his sight caught a fleeing rabbit. Amused with the rabbit’s clumsiness, Alfred felt refreshed. Through the heavy clouds, a little sunshine was seen and this was like a promise of good times that were approaching and in the sweet rocking of those pleasant thoughts, Alfred fell asleep again.