Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

The next day, Jessamina was awoken by a knock at her door.

“Miss Jessamina?” Marian’s muffled voice came from beyond the room. “There’s a visitor coming here to see you.”

Jessamina grumble and rolled over in her bed, too exhausted from the previous night’s activities to care about making an appearance.

“Miss Jessamina? It’s young Mr. Blackhorne here to see you.”

At the mention of his name, she began to wake fully. “Come again?” Jessamina asked.

“A note was just delivered, reading that Mr. Blackhorne was coming here to call on you. He’ll be here any moment!”
“Well, for heaven’s sake, don’t just stand there! Come in and help get me dressed!”

Jessamina had never rushed this fast to get ready in her entire life. She picked what she thought was her most modest outfit, a pink satin, so as to not appear to thrilled about his appearance. The last thing she wanted was for James to think that she had been waiting for him ever since that night at the ball.

Marian had finished buttoning up the back of Jessamina’s dress just in time: the was a smart knock on the door. Marian squealed in delight and rushed downstairs to answer it before Mr. Shelby did.

“May I help you, sir?”
“Yes, thank you. I’m here to see Miss Jessamina Delaney. Is she here this afternoon?”
“Why, I believe she is. Please, let Mr. Shelby escort you to the parlor, while I go fetch her.”
“Thank you very much.”

Marian rushed upstairs. “Miss Jessamina, I just realized your mother has gone out to run some errands. Shouldn’t she be present during this visit?”
“Well, can’t you just chaperone me, Marian? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, considering how eager she’s been for him to call on me.”
“I suppose so.”
“All you have to do is stand there and be silent. I’ll do the talking.” And with that, Jessamina walked as calmly as she could to the parlor.

“Miss Jessamina! So good to see you again,” James remarked as he rose from the couch.
“The pleasure is mine. Please, have a seat.”
“Is your mother not in?”
“Unfortunately not. You could come back another time if you’d prefer.”
“I was keen on making a proper introduction to your mother today, but I suppose it can wait another day. After all, the real reason I’m here is to apologize to you.”
“Oh? What for?”
“What for? For not calling on you sooner! I would have, only I was out of London taking care of some of my father’s business. I’ve only just returned.”
“Today?” Jessamina asked. She hoped she wouldn’t catch him in a lie.
“No, yesterday morning, actually. You see, my father has been rather frivolous with his spending the past few years, wasting it on his unnecessary collections. He also tends to lend money to the most bizarre men, men who any sane person could tell would never be able to pay him back. Honestly, I don’t know why he associates himself with these people.”

Jessamina wanted to tell him that it was because he was a member of a horrific crime organization, but she kept her mouth shut.

“At any rate, my father has been quite ill recently, and I’ve temporarily become the keeper of his affairs. I took it upon myself to straighten out his financial issues, so that when he returns to his good health, he can see his fortunes restored. I’ve travelled all across England, tracking down these rascals, and, I’m ashamed to say, threatening them with my fists!”
“I can’t imagine you threatening anyone!”
“Yes, well, neither could they, considering none of them seemed very distressed at my warning. Nevertheless, I did manage to obtain some of my father’s money back, with promises of future payments.”
“Well, that’s a very good thing for you to do for your father, James.”
“Yes, well, it was incredibly difficult for me, knowing that I would have to postpone my seeing you again. Believe me, there was nothing I wanted more than to see your beautiful face again. But, it had to be done. Now, will you say that you forgive me for how incredibly cold I’ve been these past few weeks? I couldn’t bear it if you were cross with me.” To prove his point he put a comical pout on his face.

Jessamina laughed. “I forgive you.”
“Wonderful! Now, I’m afraid I’m going to have to leave you again. But never fear! I will be back tomorrow, if you will allow it.”
“I look forward to your visit.”

He kissed her hand. “Farewell, sweet Jessamina.” And with a wink to Marian, he was gone.

“What a charming young man he is!” Marian exclaimed.
“Indeed he is.”
“And you danced with him four times at the ball? My, how happy your mother will be when she hears about this.” And with that, Marian was off to spread gossip with all of her friends.

James returned the next day, and the days following that. For three weeks straight, he did nothing but call on Jessamina in her parlor. And despite how little they had known each other, they never ran out of conversation topics. From current events to the state of monarchy, Jessamina was able to express herself articulately.

“You don’t mind that I have opinions on these subjects? All my life, I’ve been told that women should only be seen and not heard.”
“That’s what I admire about you Jessamina. You’re not like any girl I’ve ever met before. You’re not afraid to break the rules. All my life I’ve been surround by women who don’t have the wits to speak for themselves. They simply nod their heads and agree with whichever gentleman speaks first. You have a good head on your shoulders, and I’m glad that you don’t keep all your thoughts to yourself. It would be a shame to keep such a brilliant mind from seeing the light of day.”
“You must have had a very strong mother to have instilled such thoughts in you.”
“I did. My mother was an incredible woman. Strong. Independent. Loud. Full of life. Actually, she was completely unlike what my father’s opinion of a perfect wife should be.”
“Really?”
“My father had married my mother simply based on her wealth. There was no love of any kind involved. In fact, I doubt they even met at all before their wedding day. It was simply a financial contract uniting two wealthy families to create an even wealthier one. And seeing as though they both hated each other, my mother felt no need to keep up any sort of appearances for my father. If she disagreed with my father, she made sure to tell him so. In fact, I’d say she made more of the decisions for the household than he did.”
“Well, that’s very common nowadays, for the woman to make the majority of household decisions.”
“Yes, but even decisions regarding the financials. She was very frugal with her money, unlike my father. I think I take more after her in every respect. Her sense of humor, her vivacity. Her tenaciousness. Her attitudes towards politics, religion, and finances. I’m quite opposite of my father in every way.”
“I take it you don’t like your father very much. But he seems so well loved by the community.”
“He is not as he seems to be. Everyone assumes that he’s this eccentric, wealthy man. But I know him better than that. There’s a method to his madness, I can tell. Unfortunately, he so shuts me out of his life that I find it nearly impossible to connect with him. He’s not a bad man, you know, he’s just... if only he would tell me what his problems are, I could maybe help him.”
“Some men just refuse to seek help from others. They are simply to stubborn to realize that there are people out there who care for them and look out for them.”
“Well, I’m not one of those men. I know just how important friends are to one’s happiness.” He locked eyes with Jessamina. “How important love is.”

Jessamina struggled to find something to say that would diffuse the silence. “More tea?” she stammered ungracefully.

“No thank you. Tell me, Jessamina, what of your parents?”
“How do you mean?”
“I mean, your parents were they very similar to one another? Did they get along?”
“Oh well, I suppose so. I mean, yes, they were very much in love when they first married, I think.”
“So their marriage was not an arranged one?”

*************************************************

“Happy anniversary, my love!” Mr. Delaney called from the next room. “Can you believe we’ve been married for ten years?”

A five year old Jessamina and her mother are sitting in the drawing room by the fire, relaxing after a thoroughly delicious dinner.

“Hardly, my dear.” Mrs. Delaney replied. “Why it seems that only yesterday I was a cute little chickadee, like this one here.” She patted Jessamina’s head with pride.

“You still are, Eleanora. You still are. Now, close your eyes.”
“Charles, enough with these silly games!”
“They are not silly! They are very important! Now, close your eyes.”

Mrs. Delaney did as she was told (just this once) and covered her eyes with her dainty little hands. Mr. Delaney entered the room with one hand behind his back, and one hand pressed against his mouth warning Jessamina to stay quiet. Jessamina giggled and curled up tighter against her mother.

“What’s going on, Charles? Why is Jessamina laughing?”
“Just keep your eyes closed.”
“For how much longer? This is absolutely ridiculous behavior, Charles. I demand to know what you’re doing this instant.”
“Alright you may open your eyes now, if you insist.”

When Mrs. Delaney opened her eyes, he pulled out a small black velvet box from behind his back. Mrs. Delaney gasped in surprise.
“Well, go on then, don’t just stare at it!” he teased. “Open it.”

She did. Inside was a beautiful pair of amethyst and pearl drop earrings hanging from a gold setting.

“Charles! Why they’re-- they’re--”
“The exact same earrings from that night, yes. You can’t imagine how long it’s taken for me to track them down.”

“Mummy! Let me see! Can I see them, please?” Jessamina eagerly asked.
“Of course, darling! Here they are.” she lay them out on her skirt. “You see, Jessamina, there’s a story behind these earrings. When your father and I first met, we were both attending a ball of a mutual acquaintance. We danced once--”

“But your mother was a highly sought after dance partner. All the young men there were lining up to sign her dance card.”
“And your father was a rakish fellow, with all the ladies swooning after him. So, I thought that nothing else would come of it. But, after a few hours of dancing I began to feel incredibly weary. So, I made my way onto the balcony, alone, to get some fresh air. Well, for some bizarre reason, my earrings came undone, and they fell into the trees and bushes below. I was horrified, because they were my favorite earrings, and very expensive ones at that. I suppose I was so distressed that I let out a little cry of desperation, and who should come bounding towards me but your father!”
“I thought that perhaps she had fallen, you see.”
“Well, I told your father what had happened to my beautiful earrings, and how ruined everything was because I had lost them, and your father said--”
“You don’t need them. You’re beautiful with or without those earrings.”
“I, of course, was immediately smitten with him, but I tried to be as coy as possible--”
“Your mother was quite a flirt--”
“I told him that I would forever love the man who could make me feel as beautiful as those earrings did.”
“And I said that I would certainly try my best.”

“And from that day on, we were inseparable, Jessamina! We were so very much in love!”
“We still are, my dear. And I hope that you never forget how lovely you are, with or without these earrings.” He kissed his wife on the forehead. Her eyes glimmered with tears.

“You remind me every day, Charles. How did you even find these?”
“Years and years of searching every fine jewelry store in London. Your parents never could remember where they had gotten them from, so I just asked around, until I finally managed to find an old man who had made the very same pair! He had only made that one, but he said that he still remembered the pattern, and he would be delighted to make them again.” Charles winked. “I told you I’m the best at giving gifts, aren’t I?”
“I still can’t believe that you even remembered after all these years!”
“I’d never forget something as important to you as this, darling. Never. I love you, Eleanora.”
“I love you, too, Charles.”

*****************************************
“They loved each other until the end,” Jessamina said. “They fought and argued as all couples do, but I don’t think they ever lost their love. The bond that connected them at first sight.”
“That’s truly something remarkable, Jessamina. Not many people can say that their parents were so lucky.”
Jessamina wondered if James knew how much those words stung. To have someone she cared about ripped from her so thoroughly; and by James’ father, no less. Jessamina could hardly consider any of her fortunes good at the moment. “Yes. I suppose we were lucky.”

James realized the error in his speech.
“Oh, Jessamina, that’s not to say-- I didn’t mean to say that you were fortunate in your situation. You’ve dealt with tremendous hardship.”
“Please, James, I’m fine. I’d rather not talk about my father right now. It’s too... strange. Please, let’s move on to other subjects.”
“Actually, I should be on my way. My father is expecting me.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow then.”
“I’m sorry for what I’ve said. Truly, it was careless and in incredibly bad taste.”
“James, you’re forgiven. I promise.”

As much as Jessamina wanted to hate James for his words, she found she couldn’t. He was too earnest, too kind to be cross with for too long. In fact, the more he came to visit her, the less she could resist seeing him again. Each visit made her long to speak with him and to hear his voice. For the first time in a long time, Jessamina found someone who she thought she could truly communicate with. She used to be able to have those talks with her father, but those days of intimacy were long gone. In those short visits with James, she forgot that she was a woman with a vendetta against his father, she was simply a young lady again, like she was before he father’s death.

But her father had died. That was a fact that could never be changed. And so as long as she managed to gain a piece of information about Vincent Blackhorne with each visit, she felt that she wasn’t betraying her promise to her father yet. This mission would just take longer than her other ones had. She would get to look him in the eye sooner or later, she was sure of it.

The next day, James entered the house and smiled at her and all was forgiven. They discussed literature and poetry for the rest of the afternoon, avoiding the delicate subject of her father. They found that they had very similar interests in their leisure activities. For instance, both James and Jessamina enjoyed reading the novels written by Mr. Charles Dickens and Mr. Oscar Wilde, and despised those written by Mr. Thomas Hardy and Mr. George Gissing. They also both shared a fondness for the poetry written by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Browning.

“Even reading just one of their poems, you can tell how much love and respect they had for each other. Their works are just brimming with romance and passion.” Jessamina said.
“Agreed. And to think she originally thought he couldn’t possibly love her, simply because she was older.”
“As if any age difference can make any impact on true love!”
“Exactly. Love blossoms without any care as to which two people foster it.”
“Precisely! Honestly, James it’s as if you can read my mind.”
“I can’t believe it’s taken all this time for me to know you, Jessamina. To think how different our lives would be if they had intersected earlier.”

Different, indeed. Perhaps if James and Jessamina had known each other a few years earlier, Vincent Blackhorne would have taken pity on his son’s young friend. Perhaps he would have spared her father’s life. If they had met a few years earlier, perhaps she never would have given her heart away to Edmund at all.

Edmund. Jessamina honestly hadn’t thought about Edmund in ages. During the first few visits from James, all she could think about was how she never got to have these courting experiences with Edmund; they were always hiding their love from the world. She found herself wondering at what point she no longer cared about her previous love of her life.

“While I am I, and you are you,
So long as the world contains us both,
Me the loving and you the loth,
While the one eludes, must the other pursue.”

Jessamina was startled out of her reverie. “Pardon?”

“One of Mr. Robert Browning’s poems. I believe it’s called ‘Life in a Love’.”
“Ah yes, I remember that one.”
“It’s my favorite of all of his works. I just love his idea that so long as he and his love are living, nothing can prevent them from being together. Isn’t that remarkable?”
“Quite.”

“Well, I’m afraid I must go. We’ve been talking for nearly an hour you know.”
“Have we? Well, James, I can never seem to keep track of time when you’re around.”
“Nor I around you. You distract me terribly, you know.” Jessamina blushed. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to visit for a while. It seems I must make another round of visits to my father’s acquaintances.”
“So soon?”
“Believe me, I would much rather spend my time here admiring you. But yes, the time has come for me to embark on another journey.”
“For how long?”
“I wish I could say. But any time frame I gave you would be a mere guess, and I would hate to lie to you were my guess not accurate.”
“I see.”
“But, mark my words, Jessamina, when I’m back, you’re the first person I intend to visit.” He kissed her hand. “Goodbye, Jessamina. I’ll think of you.”

And so began another period of waiting, this one more agonizing than the first.