Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)

This is the Doctrine’s contribution to the Six Sentence Story bloghop.

Hosted by Denise there is but one rule: the story (inspired by the week’s prompt word) must be six sentences in length.

(the subtitle reference is to a character in a serial Six ‘The Order of Lilith‘. Brother Abbott was in charge of the day-to-day operation of the London branch of the Order in Victorian London.)

Prompt word:

FAINT

“Forgive my confusion,” Brother Abbott smiled, despite an abundant beard and unabashedly assertive brows, a steely glint in his eyes gave lie to his words, “I am a man of the cloth and study the life of the spirit, I know nothing about furniture.”

The parlor of the Godwin’s London home was dark and sparsely furnished, testimony to the need to maintain social position; the inadequate number of gas lighting fixtures allowed a passerby to be impressed and the owners to feel secure.

“My former business partners assured me that you are as knowledgeable in matters of the spirit world as you are discrete,” Wallace Goodwin stood next to his wife Iris and did his best to sound confident which was her cue to become actively involved in the conversation;

“This chaise was delivered a fortnight ago,” nodding at the new green couch, oddly placed in the middle of the room, she relaxed slightly as her large guest in the brown sackcloth robe focused on the item in question, and continued, “I have not been able to sit, relax or otherwise use my very expensive couch since it arrived.”

Without waiting for the obvious question, the former Iris Montgomery, stepped to the green tufted seat, turned and sat… on the floor.

The mute alert of an eyebrow the only sign of concern on Brother Abbott’s face, “That’s curious, the couch moved itself out of the way before you could sit.”

Kneeling in front of carved wood scrolling running between the feet of the chaise he pulled a cloth tag free and standing, turned to his hosts, “Here is your problem… perhaps a misreading of your original purchase order, but this label clearly identifies this as a feinting couch, not a fainting….”

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