Lost in the Past

Benjamin Alfred Wallace was an esteemed, well respected politician in the city of Brighton, England. He was only in his early twenties, but already had the support of many and was on the road to becoming a member of parliament. He was an ambitious man, and often put his career above all else.

Orae Mae Engler was the daughter of a rich textile manufacturer. She came from a long line of businessmen, and her father would one day marry her off to a man worthy of his inheritance. He had only one son, a handicapped boy of ten who rarely saw the light of day. He was kept out of sight, and few even knew he existed. He would never be able to fill his father's shoes.

Brighton was well known for it's parties and love for pretty things. New Year's Eve, the most important people in Brighton enjoyed a night of celebratory vices and dancing at the home of a Lord.

Orae and her sister, Winifred, were aloud to accompany their parents to these festivities. Orae was renown for her beauty and more than one married man at the party was caught gazing as she walked past. Noticing this, her father decided to use it to his advantage and began talking her up to the eligible bachelors. Before she knew it, she was being bombarded by men seeking dances and even some seeking more. Fat men, old men, young men, skinny men, shy men, proud men, and every other type of man crowded her until her was backed into a corner.

That's when the balcony door opened from behind her, and she fell into the arms of Benjamin. Quickly, they fled for the hedges and escaped the brigade. Benjamin knew how silly it was to avoid the party, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to leave her side. She was a whirlwind of surprises he knew would endanger his plans, but in his heart he knew that she was more important than any career ever could be.

Orae was enamored with the way he spoke about his passions. They spent the remainder of the night strolling the gardens and talking about their lives. She told him about her brother; he, about his ambitions. Their conversations seemed to require no effort; and when their hands found each other, it seemed like the world had fallen into place.

After the party, they conversed mainly through letters. They occasionally met in secret, but acted as if there was nothing between them in public. Orae's father would never have given her to a politician, and Benjamin couldn't endanger his reputation by associating himself with factory man, as rich as he may be. However, the wrongness of their secret relationship only made their hunger for each other stronger.

In 1978, Angus James Wallace was born, in secret. He was barely a week old, when he was stolen from his mother's arms and whisked away to distant relatives in Southwick. He took their last name, and Benjamin Wallace's name was never mentioned again. His childhood was a happy one, and he was very close with his adoptive parents and siblings. Orae often visited Angus, until she was married off to another rich business man who would inherit her father's company and moved hundreds of miles away.

Angus never knew who his father was, but Benjamin knew who he was. He kept tabs on the boy, and always felt a need to know that he was safe and happy, even into his adulthood. When Benjamin died, an unmarried man, he left his fortune to Angus.