Chapter Nine
A month had passed, and much to Jessamina’s chagrin, James still hadn’t called on her. He hadn’t even left his card, or left a message explaining his absence. He just disappeared from her life as quickly as he entered.
This, in Jessamina’s mind, wasn’t a surprise. After all, he was a wealthy, eligible bachelor who probably promised calls to dozens of girls a day. She should have expected no less from him; why, if he did make calls to all the girls he danced with, he’d be exhausted! And yet, she couldn’t shake her frustration at being jilted by him. How dare he flirt with her so mercilessly, and then refuse her even the courtesy of a simple visit!
Of course, the reason she was so angered by this whole predicament was because she had no other way of gaining access to the house. James was her only chance at gathering information about her target, and therefore it was only natural that she should be upset that her plan fell through. Yes, this lack of progress was the only reason she felt so anxious that James should call on her; there was no other reason.
In order to clear her head, she decided to visit her father’s office. She lets herself into the back room, and is about to sit herself down when Edmund rushes into the room in a panic.
“Jessamina! Oh, thank heavens you’re here!”
“Is something wrong, Edmund?”
“It’s the shop! It’s the busiest it’s been all year. I can’t do everything at once, and the customers keep piling in. Do you think you could help me in the front? Like old times? All you’d have to do is collect the money.”
“Oh, I really don’t think--”
“Jessa, please.” Edmund’s panicked eyes search for a sign of sympathy. “I need you.”
As much as she wants to see Edmund suffer after all he’s put her through, she knew that the work would keep her from worrying too much about James. After all, what better distraction from your problems than arithmetic?
She gives a deep sigh, nods her head slowly, and before she can think any more about it, she finds herself behind the counter, tallying orders and totaling up bills.
The work is mindless for Jessamina. She had always been rather good at math, attributing her strength in the subject to a need for order in her life. The numbers never lied to her or betrayed her trust. No matter what chaos was happening in the world around her, the numbers always added up.
She worked alongside Edmund for quite some time, never exchanging more than names of patients or prices of medications. Soon the work day is almost over, and the hustle and bustle of the customers wears off.
“Thank you, Jessamina.”
“No gratitude necessary, Edmund. I’m simply helping at my father’s store. Nothing more than that.”
“Yes, well, I don’t know what I would have done without you.” He puts a warm and solid hand on her shoulder. “We certainly make a great pair, don’t we?”
She brushes him off quickly, as if his very touch stung her being. “Yes, we certainly did.”
A bell rang. Jessamina busied herself with the account books while Edmund went to greet the customer.
“Hello, sir. What may I help you with today?”
“I have something important I need to pick up,” growled a very deep and soft voice.
Jessamina nearly dropped her pen in shock. She turned around slowly, afraid to confirm that her suspicions were true.
Indeed, the voice belonged to a six and a quarter foot tall man, with a giant tattoo of an eagle on his right forearm. He was completely bald and incredibly scabby, with a massive pink scar above his right eyebrow. Jessamina recognized him instantly as Clarence Westing, a manager of a few shipyards on the Thames.
He was also a man Jessamina had been trying to catch for years.
She had seen him exiting the same pub as Mr. William Faunley that night when she had killed him. She had wanted to take out both, but knew that Mr. Westing wasn’t nearly as drunk or foolish to be lured into a dark alley. Now, however, her skills had increased, and if she played her cards right, she might be able to keep James off her mind for a little longer.
“Certainly, sir. I’m certain I’ll find it in the back room. Miss Delaney here will add it to your tab if you like.”
“No, I’d rather just pay or it now.”
“Right then. Well, it’s five pence.” Edmund disappeared into the back room, leaving Jessamina and Mr. Westing all alone.
Mr. Westing slapped the coins into Jessamina’s outstretched palm so roughly that she winced in pain.
“In the future, sir, we could have your orders delivered to you. Do we have your address on file?”
“No, and I’m certainly not going to give it to you,” he sneered.
“Very well, sir.” Jessamina bit her lip. This meant having to go to the pub and wait in the hopes that one night he’d be incredibly drunk.
Edmund reappeared with a small parcel and handed it to the impatient gentleman.
“Here you are, sir. And I hope your headaches get better,” Edmund chirped.
Mr. Westing growled, gave one last dirty look to Jessamina, and headed out the door.
“Poor man. Must have a splitting headache to act so rudely to us.”
Jessamina rolled her eyes. If there was thing she hated about Edmund, it was his inability to assume the worst about someone. In the entire eight years that she knew him, he had never said an unkind word about anyone. When she was younger and naive, she found this trait endearing, but now she just wanted to shake him and tell him how wrong he was to trust this cruel, cruel world.
But shaking him would involving touching him, and Jessamina hadn’t been able to do that for a very long time.
“I should be on my way home. Mother will be expecting me for supper.”
“Wait, Jessamina! I forgot to ask you how your evening went? At Mr. Blackhorne’s?”
“Oh, yes. Well, it was... disappointing.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I was hoping that... well, you deserve to find happiness, you know. Don’t give up looking for it yet.”
“Thank you for you for your advice, Edmund, but I really should be going home now.”
“Would you allow me to escort you home? It’s rather late, and it wouldn’t do for a young lady to be out alone this late at night.”
Jessamina almost laughed out loud at his assumption that she couldn’t take care of herself. She’d been wandering the streets of London for years now, and she had never once encountered any danger (at least, not any danger that she hadn’t brought upon herself). Of course, there were the times when drunk men would shout lewd comments to her, but she always kept a blade strapped to her thigh next to her steam-inoculator. One flash of the knife and men scurried away like mice, fearful of who she might really be. She couldn’t reveal any of that to Edmund, however, so she she allowed herself to be walked home that night.
Walking home with Edmund reminded her too much of the midnight strolls they used to take down by the moonlit river. Once she had grown up, she found it much easier to slip downstairs without making a sound. Edmund was always waiting for her at the front door, with an extra coat in case Jessamina got cold. They would walk hand in hand, enjoying each other’s silent company. They had all of London to themselves at that hour, and they felt as if they were the only one’s left on the planet. And when they managed to find themselves back home, Edmund would leave with promise of returning at the exact same time tomorrow.
And then, eventually, he just stopped coming. Jessamina would sit alert in her bed, straining her ears, hoping for some sign of movement outside-- but there never was any. The quiet worked both ways.
He left her at the door, thanking her agin for all her help at the office. She reminded him that there was no thanks necessary, and then retreated back inside, tired of all the pleasantries she had been forced to pass between the two of them.
She went upstairs to her bedchamber and started to plan the rest of her day. If she waited until her mother had gone to bed, she could sneak out in her black cloak and walk to the pub that she knew Mr. Westing drank at. Then, she would just have to wait and hope that she could get him alone. It had been a while since she tried to pull her seduction into an alleyway technique, but if he was drunk enough, it wouldn’t matter how convincing she sounded.
She was abnormally quiet the rest of the day, not even bothering to answer her mother’s prying questions. Mrs. Delaney was just as upset that James hadn’t called yet, even if it was for different reasons.
As soon as Mrs. Delaney had fallen asleep, she dressed herself in her usual attire; a black dress and a black cloak, with her knife and steam-inoculator strapped to her leg. The knife she actually kept strapped to her leg at all times, even when she was sleeping , but the steam-inoculator was something she always had to steal from her father’s office. She made her way down to the pub, and positioned herself behind a trash-heap near the door.
She waited and waited. She knew he had to be in there, because men like Mr. Westing liked to drink away their evil deeds every night. But she had been sitting among the garbage for two hours now, and there was absolutely no sign of him. Jessamina began to panic. What if he had left the pub before Jessamina even arrived? Or what if he was planning on spending the night there? She knew it was possible that she would have to return for several more nights in order to accomplish her task, but the majority of her was just eager to have him dead and over with. He had lived far too long, and he needed to join the rest of his friends in hell.
She always found it surprising that none of the society members seemed to realize that someone was after them. After all, five of their members had died, and yet none of them seemed to be suspicious of their mysterious deaths. She chalked it up to the vast size of their underground operation; it would be impossible to keep track of all their members, and probably even more unlikely that they cared about their deaths, after all, what were a few deaths compared to the overall good of the society?
She was about to ponder this more, when the door creaked open and an outpouring of loud drinking songs and putrid smells came gushing out. She searched each dirty, grimy face for evidence of her man, but was faced with disappointment instead. She was about to head home when she heard Mr. Westing’s distinctive voice yell out something about paying his tab later. She saw him exit the pub alone. This was her chance. She cleared her throat, and in her best facsimile of a cockney accent, she simpered from the alley, “Oi! Ya big bloke! Care ta ‘ave a bit o’ fun tonight? I can show you a right treat, I can.”
He gave a deep laugh from his belly. “Oh, really? Show your face then.”
Jessamina reached under her skirt, and turned on her steam--inoculator. It hummed against her leg, but at least the sound would be muffled by her layers of petticoats. “What, an’ risk another man snatchin’ me up? No, sir. Why don’ you jus’ come wit’ me? It’s betta in the dark.” Jessamina winced. All she knew about the way in which whores and prostitutes talked were from moral novels in her library; she hardly thought this was actually the way they communicated. Nevertheless it seemed to work on Mr. Westing, as he rubbed his greasy hands onto his work shirt and drifted down the alleyway.
Jessamina quietly pulled out the steam-inoculator and waited for her subject to get closer. She knew she had only one chance to aim for his neck; the moment he had a chance to react, she’d be knocked unconscious for sure.
Mr. Westing was only meters away now; just a few more steps and his life would be over as quickly as it began. She was about to jump from the shadows, when--
“Mr. Westing?” called out a familiar young voice.
James. She immediately knew it was him. She hid behind the heap again, heart pounding solidly in her chest.
**************************************
Jessamina had only ever been close to being caught once before. She was eighteen years old, and her target was Mr. Jayne Williams, a wealthy Scottish financier.
She used the same technique as she would later use on Mr. Wiloughby; pouring ipecac into his medication when Edmund wasn’t looking. Then, she asked Mr. Williams if he wanted future orders to be delivered to his residence. When he gave her his address, she wrote it down in her notebook and waited a couple of days until she knew he would be sick enough to scare away his servants. She snuck into the house quite easily, and being as he was an incredibly weak man, she was able to retrieve a lot of valuable information from him.
“And you’re certain of this, Mr. Williams? You’re positive that Mr. Wiloughby had played a part in orchestrating all of that?”
“Most certain.” Mr. Williams coughed. “Mr. Wiloughby is the one who got your father involved in the whole ordeal. Mr. Wiloughby knew that we were looking for a poison to be created, and thought of no one better for the task than your father. Of course, when your father refused to give it to us, things turned sour.”
“And Mr. Wiloughby... he did nothing to warn my father?”
“No, of course not!”
“But they were very close friends! Since childhood, even!”
“Look, Mr. Wiloughby is a very weak man. He was far more afraid of what would happen if he interfered with our plans than if he lost a friendship.”
“And how do I know that you’re telling the truth? How do I know that this isn’t some silly ploy that you’re trying in order for me to destroy some of your enemies.”
“I know of no way I can prove that I’m telling the truth, Ms. Delaney. But what other choice do you have other than to believe me?”
Once Jessamina was satisfied that he knew nothing else, she turned on the steam-inoculator.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked warily.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Williams. Your pain will be over soon enough, just as I promised.” she comforted him as he began to shake with fear. “No need to cry. Death isn’t all bad, you know. Especially when it’s a quick one. Of course, you and your society couldn’t give my father that luxury, could you? No, you had to make it incredibly painful and horrid for him. Luckily, I’m not one who enjoys watching people suffer. Blood isn’t really something I fancy. I much prefer the quieter deaths. As simple as a heartbeat stopping. Nothing more.”
She injected poison into him, and watched as the life slowly drained from his eyes. Suddenly, there were footsteps coming up the stairs. In a panic, she hid behind the door, wondering how on earth she was going to be able to escape undetected. There was only one exit out of there, and it was the very same one that the footsteps w ere coming from. The windows were too high up for her to jump, and she didn’t have time to see wether there was any trellis she could scale. The footsteps got closer and closer.
“Mr. Williams? Sir?” said a meek little voice. Jessamina was certain it must be one of the maids whose love for her master outweighed her love of her own health.
“Sir, I’ve made some tea for you. Would you like me to bring it in? Or should I leave it outside your door?”
Jessamina hoped that the girl would be too scared to catch whatever disease Mr. Williams had.She heard the metal clanging of a tray hitting the floor. She breathed a sigh of relief, but apparently it was loud enough for the girl to hear.
“Mr. Williams?” she opened the door. “Mr. Williams, are you alright?” The maid took one look at Mr. Williams lifeless figure on the bed and screamed bloody murder. She rushed towards the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
Jessamina, in a panic, rushed out from behind the door, held her breath, and pressed down on the lever of her cameo brooch incessantly, hoping that some of it would reach the maid’s nose. Within seconds the poor girl was unconscious on the floor.
Jessamina clumsily made her way to the window and unlatched it, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. She would leave the window open, so that the powder would be swept out of the room and into the air. She sidestepped the girl, and hurried down the stairs, lest any more maids reveal themselves from the shadows.
For the next few days, she perused the daily paper, hoping that there would be no mention of a suspicious death or house burglary. She supposed that no news was good news, but she was also incredibly anxious that the maid might have known that she wasn’t alone in that room.
Luckily, a week later she finally got the story she was looking for. “Wealthy Financier Jayne Williams Found Dead at Age Forty-Two” the headline read. She checked behind her shoulders to make sure no one was behind her. Once she was certain that she wasn’t being watched, she continued reading.
“Mr. Jayne Williams was found dead in his bed on last Friday afternoon. After contracting an illness though to be Tuberculosis, he seems to have suffered a quick heart attack. One maid, Ms. Ramona Hardy, discovered the body, and promptly fainted at the sight of her beloved master gone from this world. The other servants discovered her lying by the foot of his bed, and knew what a horrible fright she must have been given. Funeral services will be held this Sunday. He is survived by no relatives.”
Luckily the maid just assumed that she had fainted out of her own accord, rather than with the help of an assassin. It seemed as thought Jessamina had just narrowly escaped detection.
***************************************
“Mr. Westing?” James repeated, peering into the darkness. “What on earth are you doing in that alley?”
“Some woman--”
“What’s this? So mere minutes after you tell me you don’t have the money to pay back my father, you were about to spend it on some loose woman? Shame on you, Mr. Westing!”
Mr. Westing grumbled and reluctantly made his way back to where James was standing.
“Mr. Westing, my father is quite ill at the moment. He sent me here on direct orders to ask you for the money you borrowed from him three years ago. I don’t know what you needed it for, or why it’s taken you so long, but that really isn’t of much importance to me. Now, I would quite understand if you really don’t have the money, and I would tell my father that you needed more time. The Blackhorne estate will survive without whatever money you borrowed returned to it. However, I know now for a fact that you have been dishonest to me and my father! And despite how much I despise my father, I refuse to lie to him; I will tell him the truth about your spending habits. And then he can have the police handle your breech of contract as they see fit.”
“Mr. Blackhorne, please--”
“I don’t want to have to tell him, Mr. Westing! Surely you know that! I get no happiness from seeing your misfortune. But my father does not appreciate deceit, and I can’t find fault in that quality of his. Listen, can’t you just pay him back in installments? I’m sure he’d appreciate that.”
“Sure, sure. Here.” He handed James a wad of notes from his back pocket.
“Thank you, Mr. Westing. I’ll make sure to tell my father about your intent to pay him back in full within the coming months. In the meantime, please try to cut back on useless spending. I hate to give moral advice, but I think that your money can be better spent elsewhere.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well then. Goodnight, Mr. Westing.”
“Goodnight, Mr. Blackhorne.”
They departed quietly and without another word. As soon as Jessamina felt that she was alone, she raced back to her home, without stopping to think of how miserably her plan had failed.
She didn’t stop panicking until she was back in her bed, staring at the wall and the way her lantern cast interesting shadows on the wall.
She couldn’t believe her horrible misfortune. After all that work and planning, James had shown up. She was terrified to try and kill Mr. Westing again. “After all,” she thought, “what if James had seen me in the alley?” She rolled over onto her back and closed her eyes in frustration. “What if he knew it was me that was waiting in the shadows? He would be incredibly disappointed in my lack of propriety, considering how I wouldn’t be able to explain why I was pretending to be a whore at night.”
Her eyes opened wide, shocked at her own thoughts. Normally, her only concern would be that there would be witnesses to the crime she was about to commit-- witnesses that she would have to deal with later. Was she actually worried about what James thought of her as a lady?
She was frightened to answer her own question, because she already knew the answer.
Despite her better judgment, a small part of her actually had feelings for the young man. She couldn’t understand why, considering he was the opposite of everything she usually stood for. And yet, she actually felt a strange sense of connection to James.
She told herself that it was nothing more that a sense of pity for the man whose father she had to kill. But even that was a small consolation. Why should she have pity on him when she had never had pity on any other victim’s family members?
She looked at her father’s picture sitting on her dressing table. “Don’t worry, Father,” she silently promised him. “I promise nothing will get in the way of my plan.”
And with that, she extinguished the flame and tried to fall asleep.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
They danced twice more together in the course of the evening; James told her secretly that he wanted to dance with her all night, but social conventions wouldn’t allow it. Jessamina, on the other had, was flattered that anyone would want to dance with her at all, let alone the one of the richest bachelors in London. Anytime she wasn’t dancing, she simply stood at the refreshment table, listening to all the whispers about how much James seemed to fancy her. She was used to being talked about, but never in a good way. Normally, their whispers were filled with “poor dears” and “bless her hearts” and other phrases that made Jessamina’s hair stand on end. She wasn’t anyone’s little pet, and she wasn’t someone that needed to be pitied. She was not a hopeless creature waiting for some prince to rescue her; she was strong woman who had managed to kill some of London’s worst criminals. And what’s more, she killed them all without being caught.
But this time, the whispers didn’t make her cringe. Instead the things she heard sounded strangely like compliments.
“Isn’t that Jessamina Delaney dancing with James! Look how beautiful she looks.”
“I love her gown! Look how it brings out her eyes.”
“Don’t they make a handsome couple? He’s danced with her several times this evening.”
“I’m so jealous I could cry! How lucky is she?”
For once, Jessamina’s situation was envied, and she could hardly believe it herself. Jessamina was never one for petty childish games, but she felt a kind of thrill at everyone’s jealousy.
Especially Alexis Dubose’s.
The moment James started speaking to Jessamina, Alexis left in a huff to gossip with her girlfriends. But the moment she realized that she was the only one who was truly angry at Jessamina’s good fortune, she slipped away to a corner and stared haughtily at the chandeliers.
Jessamina smiled and sipped her champagne when all of a sudden, there was a loud shriek behind her. She turned around in fright, only to see that it was her mother, bobbing up and down in delight!
“Oh, Jessamina! My darling, darling girl! My little precious!” “Mother?” “You’ve done it! You’ve gone and made a splash! Why, you’re the only topic of interest at anyone’s conversation. Granted, I’ve been starting all those conversations, but still! I’m very impressed, Jessamina1 You’ve not only caught the eye of any gentleman (and I would have been happy if even one the stable boys had taken a liking to you), you’ve caught the eye of the most important one.”
“He’s merely being polite, Mother.” Jessamina said in as calm a voice as she could muster. Jessamina didn’t want her mother’s new mission to be arranging wedding plans.
“Nonsense, dear! He likes you! I happen to know from a very close source that her never dances with any girl more than once. He says he loves all the ladies equally, and therefore doesn’t think it fair to favor any particular one of them.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions yet, Mother. You know that I’m only here to please you. None of this amuses me in the slightest.”
“Yes, well, you say that now, dear.”
“I do. And that’s the end of this discussion for now.”
“Yes, yes” her mother patted her on the arm and gave her a big wink. “I’ll let you get back to your mission.”
Mission. Jessamina had, for an hour or so, been distracted from her main objective. She cursed herself for letting some petty dance get in the way of her finding out as much information as possible on Mr. Blackhorne. She decided to approach one of the kindlier-looking women and ask where Mr. Blackhorne was.
“Oh, you mean James,” they giggled in recognition.”
“No, ma’am, I mean his father, Mr. Vincent Blackhorne. I just wanted to personally thank him for the invitation here tonight. My mother and I are truly honored to be here, and I just wanted to make sure I had a word with him.”
“What a polite young thing you are! Unfortunately, I have no idea where he might be. He likes to move around a lot during his balls, to make sure everyone’s enjoying themselves. You could try asking some of the servants, though.”
“I think I will. That you very much for your help.”
“You’re very welcome, my dear.”
Jessamina wandered around the large ballroom for hours, looking for glimpse of him. Unfortunately there were so many people everywhere, that anytime she saw what could be confused for a silver handle of a cane, she panicked. Even the servants were of no help; they kept pointing in different directions, as if Mr. Blackhorne had given them specific instructions to confuse her. On top of all that, when Jessamina tried to pull them aside to ask them if Mr. Blackhorne was a bad employer, they were all quick to defend him. Not a single one of them had anything but kind words to say, which disrupted her plans to bribe one of them into letting her into the house alone. It was starting to look hopeless; Mr. Blackhorne was simply too good of a hired assassin to be found. She knew that this would be difficult, but she expected she would have made some progress by now. Instead, she seemed even more confused about why she even agreed to this plan in the first place.
During a break in between songs, she did manage to find James a few times, and she avoided him as much as she could. She couldn’t afford to be distracted anymore, she had already let her foolishness prevail, and she would not let that happen again. Unfortunately, James found her.
“Jessamina!”
“James! I was actually just looking for you.”
“Strange, as I feel as if I’ve been looking for you a great deal longer than you have for me. And what do you need from me, Miss Jessamina?”
“Could you tell me where your father is?”
“My father?” he frowned. “What do you want with him?”
“I just wanted to personally thank him for inviting my mother and me. I’m having such a lovely time, and I just wanted to make sure he knew.”
“How very kind of you, Jessamina. You are certainly one of the politest young ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of dancing with. Unfortunately, my father has a terrible habit of retiring to bed early during these events. He spends so much effort organizing these things, and then he doesn’t even bother enjoying them.” he shook his head. “One of the many things about my father that aggravates me.”
“Oh really? Everyone here has been nothing but complementary about your father. But I suppose that a man acts very differently towards his guests than he does in private.” “Indeed. But, that’s a serious conversation, Jessamina! And tonight is for lighthearted, gleeful celebration! I’m afraid you’ll have to meet him some other time.”
“Yes, I suppose I will.”
“Say, I have a quick announcement to make to the party, but promise me you’ll stay right here?”
“I promise.”
“Wonderful. Don’t move a muscle.” He grinned at her before dashing off into the crowd again. Within moments he had managed to make his way onto the stage where the orchestra was playing. He whispered something into the conductor’s ear. The conductor nodded in response, and gracefully made the music come to a standstill. Once the music had died, James gave a loud shout and stood on top of the first violinist’s chair. There were cheers and applause from the guests, which he managed to control by a simple wave of hands.
“May I have your attention please! Can everyone hear me?”
“We can certainly see you,” a young lady behind Jessamina giggled.
“I just wanted to thank every one of you for coming here tonight, to celebrate this ocasion with me. My father, as you very well know, is not much of a night owl”, this ellicited some knowing laughs from the audience, “but he wanted me to tell you that he was very grateful as well. This morning, I turned a ripe twenty-one years of age. I have lived a healthy and incredibly fortunate life, and I thank god every day for what I’ve been given. I owe my upbrining to my beautiful and charming mother, may she rest in peace, who taught me the importance of eloquence and grace. I also owe tremendous thank to my father, who gave me practical knowledge that will help guide me in all my future endeavors.
“But I also want to thank all of you, for teaching me the value of friendship. I truly think of each and every one of you is a friend of mine. It humbles me to know that I have such wonderful people in my life. To all the gentlemen out there, thank you for being lovely old chaps, and to all the ladies, I thank you for adding some much needed beauty to this event.
“The purpose of life, I think, is to celebrate each and every moment as if it were the only memory you would have for the rest of your life. And if this evening is the only one I’ll remember for the rest of my life” he locked eyes with Jessamina at this point. “Then I will die a very happy man.
“So, with that being said, I have a very special surprise for you tonight. My father has recently purchased some fireworks from China, and I’ve been anxious to see them in action. So, if you would all make your way to the balconies, we can begin the show!”
With that, every balcony door was opened by a servant, and the guests began to leave in droves. Jessamina, however, stayed in her spot, not wanting to betray a promise.
“You’re still here,” he said breathlessly.
“Of course. Are you surprised?”
“A little. You don’t seem to be the kind of woman who likes to follow orders.”
Jessamina started to protest, but realized he was absolutely right.
“You know, I normally don’t.”
“Well, I’m glad. Please, follow me.”
“He led her to a separate balcony on the top floor of the hall, allowing them to have a much better view.
Normally, this action would have Jessamina’s hand poised and ready on the cameo brooch. But she felt strangely safe with him; and besides, if she needed help, everyone would be right below them to hear her scream.
“Are you ready for some splendid theatrics, Jessamina?” James asked.
“I’ve never seen fireworks before, “ Jessamina admitted.
“Then prepare to be amazed.”
A loud boom, loud enough to shake the tress caused Jessamina to shriek in fright.
“Jessamina! Don’t worry.” he laughed. “This is just the beginning.”
He was right. The fireworks were incredibly loud. Jessamina thought she would go deaf just from the sheer shock to her eardrums. And strangely enough, her body just couldn’t get used to it; even though she new it was coming every time, she would jump a little at every explosion. And every time she jumped, James would chuckle, until finally Jessamina shot him a dirty look, and he stayed silent.
But she was incredibly impressed. The fireworks were a kaleidoscope of different colors; red, yellow, white, blue, and all coming together to illuminate the moonless night sky. They sparkled like a million little diamonds.
After it was over, Jessamina and James stood and enjoyed the silence.
“Well?” James asked anxiously. “Did you like them?”
“Like them? James, they were beautiful! They were magnificent.”
“Not as beautiful as you, Jessamina. And certainly not as magnificent.”
Jessamina blushed and moved away from him, letting her hands rest on the rail of the balcony. He moved to stand behind her.
“Jessamina, I hope you don’t find this too forward of me, but I feel a rather strange connection to you. I’ve only known you for these past few hours, and yet I feel as if I’ve known you my entire life. Has that ever happened to you before?”
**************************
Jessamina is eleven years old, and her father unexpectedly brings home a young boy from work. Mrs. Delaney wants to know whether he is the new manservant she wanted for her birthday, but Mr. Delaney says he’s no such thing.
The young boy’s name is Edmund, and he’s only fifteen at the time. Jessamina peers down at him from the top of the staircase and isn’t impressed with his appearance. He a scrawny looking ginger, with a smattering of freckles and horrible posture. In fact, she notices that Edmund stares at his feet the entire time, without once looking up, even when talked to. Jessamina finds him to be incredibly rude, and immediately takes a disliking to him.
Nevertheless, Jessamina is forced to have dinner with him. She tries to make polite conversation like she has been taught to do all her life, but she finds it difficult to speak to a boy who refuses to look up from his plate. By the end of the first course, Jessamina is so frustrated, that she asks to be excused.
“But Jessamina, we have guests!”
“Mother, he hasn’t said a single word since he’s arrived in this house! Am I the only one who finds that a bit strange?”
“Jessamina! Behave yourself!” Mr. Delaney scolded.
“Who is he anyway? Some orphan you’re taking in for the holidays?”
“Jessamina, how dare you speak in that tone! Edmund is my new apprentice. An incredibly brilliant young mind. You should be ashamed of your behavior tonight. Apologize to him at once!”
“No, no, it’s alright. Please don’t be upset.” Edmund mumbled into his lap. “She’s right. I’m sorry. I’ve just... I’m quite nervous. I’ve never been in a house this nice before.”
Jessamina’s parents look at her with shame in their eyes for making this boy feel so inferior. She sat back down at the table, promising not to speak for the rest of the evening.
“So, Edmund, where are you from again?” Mrs. Delaney asked, trying to bring the conversation back to life.
“Glasren, Ma’am.” He cleared his throat, this time managing to raise his voice to above a whisper. “In the county of West Sussex.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Yes, well, it’s a very small town you see. Only a few thousand people.”
“And do you like it there?”
“Oh, ma’am it’s the most beautiful town in the entire world. I can’t imagine really settling down anywhere else. When I do settle down, I mean. The water is so clear-- well, you see, it’s called Glasren because the water there is so clear and still, you can see your complete unbroken reflection in it. It’s beautiful, really, there’s no place else like it. And there’s no factories for miles and miles, so the air is fresh and lovely. No one is unkind to each other, because every family in Glasren has lived there for centuries -- everyone knows each other.”
“Then why did you leave?”
At this, he fell silent again: it was clear he felt uncomfortable talking about this part of his past. Mr. Delaney was about to change the subject, when Edmund held up his hand, as if to indicate his desire to finish.
“No, it’s alright. I should talk about it.” Edmund took a deep breath, and began his story.
“You see, my dad left my mum when I was only three years old. He just took off, claiming he could do better somewhere else. In Glasren, there really isn’t much work that a woman can do by herself. But instead of my mum giving me up for adoption, or marrying some other man for financial security, she raised me all by herself. She became a washerwoman for a few neighboring towns, and took in all the work she could find. She was, my mum, the most inspiring woman I’ve ever met. She did everything she could to make sure that I could have a comfortable life, even if meant that she couldn’t. She raised enough money to send me off to a boarding school nearby, because to her, nothing was more important than a good education. But a few months ago... a few months ago she became very ill with something no one could treat. You see, there aren’t any apothecaries or physicians within a two days journey; only some midwifes from the nearby towns. And they all tried their best, but their knowledge of the medicinal world is limited to what modest education has been passed down to them from their predecessors. It was hopeless, and my mother knew it. She died a few days ago without any help at all. And even though she did so much to help the people in my town, no one even bothered to try and discover what she died from. She’s the only one who’s ever cared for me, and society let her down. I let her down. So I decided that enough was enough. I wanted to make sure that my town, nor any other town nearby, ever has to go through that again. So I hitchhiked rides all the way here. And as soon as I arrived, I asked who the best doctor in the city was, and Mr. Delaney was the first one recommended to me. So here I am. I know I have no prior experience in the medicinal arts, and I don’t have a university education. But I am truly motivated. I want to learn everything I can, and go back to my town, and saves lives. Because if I don’t, no one else will.”
The room was silent. No one said a word. Jessamina felt horrible that she had been so cruel to a boy that cared so much for his town.
“I think what you’re doing is incredibly noble, Edmund.” she said kindly to him. “Truly, I can’t imagine having gone through what you’ve gone through. And like to sincerely apologize for my behavior previously. It was stupid and selfish of me, and I--”
He looked up for the first time. Their eyes locked. Time stopped.
He had the most kind and loving eyes that she had ever seen. They were a beautiful hazel with gold flecks in them, and Jessamina, despite her familiar surrounding, felt completely and utterly lost. She couldn’t possibly understand the pain and suffering he had gone through all his life, and yet at that moment they were completely connected. Between their eyes was strange and magical bond that kept them from noticing that the world was in fact continuing around them. This was different than anything either of them had ever experience before, and though neither of them knew it, this one moment would change the course of their futures forever.
Edmund looked away shyly, breaking the electricity between. She blushed and finally managed to look away from him. The conversation moved to other topics throughout the evening, but Jessamina could only think about how what she felt with Edmund, at that moment, was love.
**********************************************************
“Yes.” she whispered, her eyes glassy from the cold. “I have.”
“I’m glad. I’d like to call on you, if that’s alright with you, Jessamina.”
She thought about it. Since she didn’t get any of the information she wanted about Vincent, it made sense for her to establish a connection with James. This way, she could perhaps procure another invitation to the house.
“Yes. That would be lovely.” Jessamina replied.
“May I have your card?”
“My card?”
“Certainly you have a calling card, Jessamina?” he looked amused.
“Oh! Yes, of course. It’s just that my mother has them. Could you wait one moment, please?”
“I’ll wait for as long as you want me to, Jessamina. I’ll be right here where you return.”
She ran down the grand staircase, hoping that she wouldn’t have to wade through the crowds of people in order to find her mother. Luckily, her mother had been watching her like a hawk, and was hiding behind a greek statue, waiting for her daughter.
“Jessamina!” she shouted, as she popped out from behind a David replica.
“Mother! Goodness, you scared me!”
“Well, how did everything go? What did he say? What did you say? How close did he stand next to you. Did you wave your fan at all? How often would you say he--”
“Mother, he needs my calling card. Can you please just give me one so we can leave? I’m exhausted.”
Mrs. Delaney was huffy that her daughter was pointedly refusing to answer her questions, but she took out an ivory case from her purse, opened it, and produced a calling card.
“Thank you, Mother. I’ll be right back. In fact, why don’t you call the carriage? I’m sure I’ll be down shortly.”
“But Jessamina--”
“Please, Mother. No more questions. Perhaps we can discuss this tomorrow.” And with that, she hurried back up the stairs and onto the upper balcony, where James was patiently waiting for her. “Here you are.”
“Excellent.” he placed the card into his suit jacket pocket. “Well, Jessamina. It was certainly a pleasure to meet you.”
“And I you. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” And with another kiss to her gloved hand, he left the balcony, allowing her to enjoy the coolness of the night breeze without any distractions.
When she finally cleared her head, she headed downstairs, entered her carriage, and maintained her silence all the way home.
They danced twice more together in the course of the evening; James told her secretly that he wanted to dance with her all night, but social conventions wouldn’t allow it. Jessamina, on the other had, was flattered that anyone would want to dance with her at all, let alone the one of the richest bachelors in London. Anytime she wasn’t dancing, she simply stood at the refreshment table, listening to all the whispers about how much James seemed to fancy her. She was used to being talked about, but never in a good way. Normally, their whispers were filled with “poor dears” and “bless her hearts” and other phrases that made Jessamina’s hair stand on end. She wasn’t anyone’s little pet, and she wasn’t someone that needed to be pitied. She was not a hopeless creature waiting for some prince to rescue her; she was strong woman who had managed to kill some of London’s worst criminals. And what’s more, she killed them all without being caught.
But this time, the whispers didn’t make her cringe. Instead the things she heard sounded strangely like compliments.
“Isn’t that Jessamina Delaney dancing with James! Look how beautiful she looks.”
“I love her gown! Look how it brings out her eyes.”
“Don’t they make a handsome couple? He’s danced with her several times this evening.”
“I’m so jealous I could cry! How lucky is she?”
For once, Jessamina’s situation was envied, and she could hardly believe it herself. Jessamina was never one for petty childish games, but she felt a kind of thrill at everyone’s jealousy.
Especially Alexis Dubose’s.
The moment James started speaking to Jessamina, Alexis left in a huff to gossip with her girlfriends. But the moment she realized that she was the only one who was truly angry at Jessamina’s good fortune, she slipped away to a corner and stared haughtily at the chandeliers.
Jessamina smiled and sipped her champagne when all of a sudden, there was a loud shriek behind her. She turned around in fright, only to see that it was her mother, bobbing up and down in delight!
“Oh, Jessamina! My darling, darling girl! My little precious!” “Mother?” “You’ve done it! You’ve gone and made a splash! Why, you’re the only topic of interest at anyone’s conversation. Granted, I’ve been starting all those conversations, but still! I’m very impressed, Jessamina1 You’ve not only caught the eye of any gentleman (and I would have been happy if even one the stable boys had taken a liking to you), you’ve caught the eye of the most important one.”
“He’s merely being polite, Mother.” Jessamina said in as calm a voice as she could muster. Jessamina didn’t want her mother’s new mission to be arranging wedding plans.
“Nonsense, dear! He likes you! I happen to know from a very close source that her never dances with any girl more than once. He says he loves all the ladies equally, and therefore doesn’t think it fair to favor any particular one of them.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions yet, Mother. You know that I’m only here to please you. None of this amuses me in the slightest.”
“Yes, well, you say that now, dear.”
“I do. And that’s the end of this discussion for now.”
“Yes, yes” her mother patted her on the arm and gave her a big wink. “I’ll let you get back to your mission.”
Mission. Jessamina had, for an hour or so, been distracted from her main objective. She cursed herself for letting some petty dance get in the way of her finding out as much information as possible on Mr. Blackhorne. She decided to approach one of the kindlier-looking women and ask where Mr. Blackhorne was.
“Oh, you mean James,” they giggled in recognition.”
“No, ma’am, I mean his father, Mr. Vincent Blackhorne. I just wanted to personally thank him for the invitation here tonight. My mother and I are truly honored to be here, and I just wanted to make sure I had a word with him.”
“What a polite young thing you are! Unfortunately, I have no idea where he might be. He likes to move around a lot during his balls, to make sure everyone’s enjoying themselves. You could try asking some of the servants, though.”
“I think I will. That you very much for your help.”
“You’re very welcome, my dear.”
Jessamina wandered around the large ballroom for hours, looking for glimpse of him. Unfortunately there were so many people everywhere, that anytime she saw what could be confused for a silver handle of a cane, she panicked. Even the servants were of no help; they kept pointing in different directions, as if Mr. Blackhorne had given them specific instructions to confuse her. On top of all that, when Jessamina tried to pull them aside to ask them if Mr. Blackhorne was a bad employer, they were all quick to defend him. Not a single one of them had anything but kind words to say, which disrupted her plans to bribe one of them into letting her into the house alone. It was starting to look hopeless; Mr. Blackhorne was simply too good of a hired assassin to be found. She knew that this would be difficult, but she expected she would have made some progress by now. Instead, she seemed even more confused about why she even agreed to this plan in the first place.
During a break in between songs, she did manage to find James a few times, and she avoided him as much as she could. She couldn’t afford to be distracted anymore, she had already let her foolishness prevail, and she would not let that happen again. Unfortunately, James found her.
“Jessamina!”
“James! I was actually just looking for you.”
“Strange, as I feel as if I’ve been looking for you a great deal longer than you have for me. And what do you need from me, Miss Jessamina?”
“Could you tell me where your father is?”
“My father?” he frowned. “What do you want with him?”
“I just wanted to personally thank him for inviting my mother and me. I’m having such a lovely time, and I just wanted to make sure he knew.”
“How very kind of you, Jessamina. You are certainly one of the politest young ladies I’ve ever had the pleasure of dancing with. Unfortunately, my father has a terrible habit of retiring to bed early during these events. He spends so much effort organizing these things, and then he doesn’t even bother enjoying them.” he shook his head. “One of the many things about my father that aggravates me.”
“Oh really? Everyone here has been nothing but complementary about your father. But I suppose that a man acts very differently towards his guests than he does in private.” “Indeed. But, that’s a serious conversation, Jessamina! And tonight is for lighthearted, gleeful celebration! I’m afraid you’ll have to meet him some other time.”
“Yes, I suppose I will.”
“Say, I have a quick announcement to make to the party, but promise me you’ll stay right here?”
“I promise.”
“Wonderful. Don’t move a muscle.” He grinned at her before dashing off into the crowd again. Within moments he had managed to make his way onto the stage where the orchestra was playing. He whispered something into the conductor’s ear. The conductor nodded in response, and gracefully made the music come to a standstill. Once the music had died, James gave a loud shout and stood on top of the first violinist’s chair. There were cheers and applause from the guests, which he managed to control by a simple wave of hands.
“May I have your attention please! Can everyone hear me?”
“We can certainly see you,” a young lady behind Jessamina giggled.
“I just wanted to thank every one of you for coming here tonight, to celebrate this ocasion with me. My father, as you very well know, is not much of a night owl”, this ellicited some knowing laughs from the audience, “but he wanted me to tell you that he was very grateful as well. This morning, I turned a ripe twenty-one years of age. I have lived a healthy and incredibly fortunate life, and I thank god every day for what I’ve been given. I owe my upbrining to my beautiful and charming mother, may she rest in peace, who taught me the importance of eloquence and grace. I also owe tremendous thank to my father, who gave me practical knowledge that will help guide me in all my future endeavors.
“But I also want to thank all of you, for teaching me the value of friendship. I truly think of each and every one of you is a friend of mine. It humbles me to know that I have such wonderful people in my life. To all the gentlemen out there, thank you for being lovely old chaps, and to all the ladies, I thank you for adding some much needed beauty to this event.
“The purpose of life, I think, is to celebrate each and every moment as if it were the only memory you would have for the rest of your life. And if this evening is the only one I’ll remember for the rest of my life” he locked eyes with Jessamina at this point. “Then I will die a very happy man.
“So, with that being said, I have a very special surprise for you tonight. My father has recently purchased some fireworks from China, and I’ve been anxious to see them in action. So, if you would all make your way to the balconies, we can begin the show!”
With that, every balcony door was opened by a servant, and the guests began to leave in droves. Jessamina, however, stayed in her spot, not wanting to betray a promise.
“You’re still here,” he said breathlessly.
“Of course. Are you surprised?”
“A little. You don’t seem to be the kind of woman who likes to follow orders.”
Jessamina started to protest, but realized he was absolutely right.
“You know, I normally don’t.”
“Well, I’m glad. Please, follow me.”
“He led her to a separate balcony on the top floor of the hall, allowing them to have a much better view.
Normally, this action would have Jessamina’s hand poised and ready on the cameo brooch. But she felt strangely safe with him; and besides, if she needed help, everyone would be right below them to hear her scream.
“Are you ready for some splendid theatrics, Jessamina?” James asked.
“I’ve never seen fireworks before, “ Jessamina admitted.
“Then prepare to be amazed.”
A loud boom, loud enough to shake the tress caused Jessamina to shriek in fright.
“Jessamina! Don’t worry.” he laughed. “This is just the beginning.”
He was right. The fireworks were incredibly loud. Jessamina thought she would go deaf just from the sheer shock to her eardrums. And strangely enough, her body just couldn’t get used to it; even though she new it was coming every time, she would jump a little at every explosion. And every time she jumped, James would chuckle, until finally Jessamina shot him a dirty look, and he stayed silent.
But she was incredibly impressed. The fireworks were a kaleidoscope of different colors; red, yellow, white, blue, and all coming together to illuminate the moonless night sky. They sparkled like a million little diamonds.
After it was over, Jessamina and James stood and enjoyed the silence.
“Well?” James asked anxiously. “Did you like them?”
“Like them? James, they were beautiful! They were magnificent.”
“Not as beautiful as you, Jessamina. And certainly not as magnificent.”
Jessamina blushed and moved away from him, letting her hands rest on the rail of the balcony. He moved to stand behind her.
“Jessamina, I hope you don’t find this too forward of me, but I feel a rather strange connection to you. I’ve only known you for these past few hours, and yet I feel as if I’ve known you my entire life. Has that ever happened to you before?”
**************************
Jessamina is eleven years old, and her father unexpectedly brings home a young boy from work. Mrs. Delaney wants to know whether he is the new manservant she wanted for her birthday, but Mr. Delaney says he’s no such thing.
The young boy’s name is Edmund, and he’s only fifteen at the time. Jessamina peers down at him from the top of the staircase and isn’t impressed with his appearance. He a scrawny looking ginger, with a smattering of freckles and horrible posture. In fact, she notices that Edmund stares at his feet the entire time, without once looking up, even when talked to. Jessamina finds him to be incredibly rude, and immediately takes a disliking to him.
Nevertheless, Jessamina is forced to have dinner with him. She tries to make polite conversation like she has been taught to do all her life, but she finds it difficult to speak to a boy who refuses to look up from his plate. By the end of the first course, Jessamina is so frustrated, that she asks to be excused.
“But Jessamina, we have guests!”
“Mother, he hasn’t said a single word since he’s arrived in this house! Am I the only one who finds that a bit strange?”
“Jessamina! Behave yourself!” Mr. Delaney scolded.
“Who is he anyway? Some orphan you’re taking in for the holidays?”
“Jessamina, how dare you speak in that tone! Edmund is my new apprentice. An incredibly brilliant young mind. You should be ashamed of your behavior tonight. Apologize to him at once!”
“No, no, it’s alright. Please don’t be upset.” Edmund mumbled into his lap. “She’s right. I’m sorry. I’ve just... I’m quite nervous. I’ve never been in a house this nice before.”
Jessamina’s parents look at her with shame in their eyes for making this boy feel so inferior. She sat back down at the table, promising not to speak for the rest of the evening.
“So, Edmund, where are you from again?” Mrs. Delaney asked, trying to bring the conversation back to life.
“Glasren, Ma’am.” He cleared his throat, this time managing to raise his voice to above a whisper. “In the county of West Sussex.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Yes, well, it’s a very small town you see. Only a few thousand people.”
“And do you like it there?”
“Oh, ma’am it’s the most beautiful town in the entire world. I can’t imagine really settling down anywhere else. When I do settle down, I mean. The water is so clear-- well, you see, it’s called Glasren because the water there is so clear and still, you can see your complete unbroken reflection in it. It’s beautiful, really, there’s no place else like it. And there’s no factories for miles and miles, so the air is fresh and lovely. No one is unkind to each other, because every family in Glasren has lived there for centuries -- everyone knows each other.”
“Then why did you leave?”
At this, he fell silent again: it was clear he felt uncomfortable talking about this part of his past. Mr. Delaney was about to change the subject, when Edmund held up his hand, as if to indicate his desire to finish.
“No, it’s alright. I should talk about it.” Edmund took a deep breath, and began his story.
“You see, my dad left my mum when I was only three years old. He just took off, claiming he could do better somewhere else. In Glasren, there really isn’t much work that a woman can do by herself. But instead of my mum giving me up for adoption, or marrying some other man for financial security, she raised me all by herself. She became a washerwoman for a few neighboring towns, and took in all the work she could find. She was, my mum, the most inspiring woman I’ve ever met. She did everything she could to make sure that I could have a comfortable life, even if meant that she couldn’t. She raised enough money to send me off to a boarding school nearby, because to her, nothing was more important than a good education. But a few months ago... a few months ago she became very ill with something no one could treat. You see, there aren’t any apothecaries or physicians within a two days journey; only some midwifes from the nearby towns. And they all tried their best, but their knowledge of the medicinal world is limited to what modest education has been passed down to them from their predecessors. It was hopeless, and my mother knew it. She died a few days ago without any help at all. And even though she did so much to help the people in my town, no one even bothered to try and discover what she died from. She’s the only one who’s ever cared for me, and society let her down. I let her down. So I decided that enough was enough. I wanted to make sure that my town, nor any other town nearby, ever has to go through that again. So I hitchhiked rides all the way here. And as soon as I arrived, I asked who the best doctor in the city was, and Mr. Delaney was the first one recommended to me. So here I am. I know I have no prior experience in the medicinal arts, and I don’t have a university education. But I am truly motivated. I want to learn everything I can, and go back to my town, and saves lives. Because if I don’t, no one else will.”
The room was silent. No one said a word. Jessamina felt horrible that she had been so cruel to a boy that cared so much for his town.
“I think what you’re doing is incredibly noble, Edmund.” she said kindly to him. “Truly, I can’t imagine having gone through what you’ve gone through. And like to sincerely apologize for my behavior previously. It was stupid and selfish of me, and I--”
He looked up for the first time. Their eyes locked. Time stopped.
He had the most kind and loving eyes that she had ever seen. They were a beautiful hazel with gold flecks in them, and Jessamina, despite her familiar surrounding, felt completely and utterly lost. She couldn’t possibly understand the pain and suffering he had gone through all his life, and yet at that moment they were completely connected. Between their eyes was strange and magical bond that kept them from noticing that the world was in fact continuing around them. This was different than anything either of them had ever experience before, and though neither of them knew it, this one moment would change the course of their futures forever.
Edmund looked away shyly, breaking the electricity between. She blushed and finally managed to look away from him. The conversation moved to other topics throughout the evening, but Jessamina could only think about how what she felt with Edmund, at that moment, was love.
**********************************************************
“Yes.” she whispered, her eyes glassy from the cold. “I have.”
“I’m glad. I’d like to call on you, if that’s alright with you, Jessamina.”
She thought about it. Since she didn’t get any of the information she wanted about Vincent, it made sense for her to establish a connection with James. This way, she could perhaps procure another invitation to the house.
“Yes. That would be lovely.” Jessamina replied.
“May I have your card?”
“My card?”
“Certainly you have a calling card, Jessamina?” he looked amused.
“Oh! Yes, of course. It’s just that my mother has them. Could you wait one moment, please?”
“I’ll wait for as long as you want me to, Jessamina. I’ll be right here where you return.”
She ran down the grand staircase, hoping that she wouldn’t have to wade through the crowds of people in order to find her mother. Luckily, her mother had been watching her like a hawk, and was hiding behind a greek statue, waiting for her daughter.
“Jessamina!” she shouted, as she popped out from behind a David replica.
“Mother! Goodness, you scared me!”
“Well, how did everything go? What did he say? What did you say? How close did he stand next to you. Did you wave your fan at all? How often would you say he--”
“Mother, he needs my calling card. Can you please just give me one so we can leave? I’m exhausted.”
Mrs. Delaney was huffy that her daughter was pointedly refusing to answer her questions, but she took out an ivory case from her purse, opened it, and produced a calling card.
“Thank you, Mother. I’ll be right back. In fact, why don’t you call the carriage? I’m sure I’ll be down shortly.”
“But Jessamina--”
“Please, Mother. No more questions. Perhaps we can discuss this tomorrow.” And with that, she hurried back up the stairs and onto the upper balcony, where James was patiently waiting for her. “Here you are.”
“Excellent.” he placed the card into his suit jacket pocket. “Well, Jessamina. It was certainly a pleasure to meet you.”
“And I you. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” And with another kiss to her gloved hand, he left the balcony, allowing her to enjoy the coolness of the night breeze without any distractions.
When she finally cleared her head, she headed downstairs, entered her carriage, and maintained her silence all the way home.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
“Do you enjoy dancing, Miss Delaney?” James asked. Jessamina wasn’t sure how to respond, because she had no experience with ballroom small talk. She decided it would be better to respond as noncommittally as possible.
“I have nothing against the tradition. It seems to me that dancing is an excellent way of expressing ones emotions, without any unnecessarily frills or adornments. Simply music and movement is enough to convey--”
“You’re avoiding the question, Miss Delaney,” he chuckled. “I wasn’t trying to trick you. You can answer me honestly.”
“Oh. Well, in that case... yes, I rather do enjoy it. But I rarely get the occasion. It’s not often I choose to attend one of these balls.”
“Yet you chose to attend mine? Why is that, Miss Delaney?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Well, I hope I’m one of them.”
“You are.” she lied.
“Then I’m a very lucky man indeed.”
But Jessamina realized that she wasn’t truly lying. In fact, she was almost rather starting to enjoy herself in his company. He had a way of making her feel at ease, which was very difficult to do considering how alert her senses were. It was strange how connected she felt to him considering how little she knew about him.
The orchestra started to play a waltz, and they began to dance easily around the room. It had been a long time since she had danced with anyone (at least since before her father died), and she was dreadfully nervous about making a fool out of herself. To combat her nerves, she affected an air of nonchalance.
*******************************
Jessamina is seven years old, and there is nothing she likes better than dancing with her father in the drawing room. After her mother has gone to bed and the house is quiet, Mr. Delaney will come home late from work, and knock quietly on his daughter’s door. And even though Jessamina has been closing her eyes like a good little girl in order to try and get some sleep, her eyes spring wide open the moment her father arrives. She springs out of bed (quietly though, so she doesn’t wake the nanny sleeping in the adjoining room) and tiptoes quietly to the door. She opens it softly and grins when she sees his responding smile and his finger to his lips. She nods vigorously (as if the fervor in which she shakes her head corresponds with how willing she is to keep quiet. He picks her up in his strong arms and carries her down the stairs.
He’s surprisingly light on his feet, considering how much bigger he is than tiny Jessamina who wakes the whole house on Christmas morning with her footsteps. He sits her down on the sofa and closes the double doors behind him, making a big show of looking out for intruders. Once he’s sure that they haven’t been followed by any spies (a game that Jessamina and her father love to play together), he gives her a wink and places a record on the gramophone he just purchased. The music crackles to life, and great luxurious waltz begins to pour out around her. Mr. Delaney makes a big show of pretending to be conductor, while Jessamina mimes playing an instrument (in this particular memory it is a violin, although she often pretends to be a loud cymbal player). Then, after running around the room in their silliness, the part of the evening Jessamina likes best arrives; the dance.
Mr. Delaney bows to Jessamina as he twirls a long imaginary mustache. Jessamina manages a deep lopsided curtsy, almost falling out of it due to her excitement. And then he picks her and twirls her around the room, humming the beats to himself carelessly.
Jessamina will remember this feeling as long as she lives. The feeling of flying in her father’s arms, colors and sounds swirling around her head in a dizzying blur. She feels his heart beating against her, and its exactly in time with the loud “pum pum!” of the drums. He smells like pipe smoke and a variety of medicinal herbs, all of which Jessamina could probably identify if she wasn’t enjoying herself that much. She closes her eyes and imagines that she is a princess at her wedding, and every eye is on her in her shimmering golden gown. Her prince charming (who, at this age, looks just like her father, except much younger) asks for her hand and they dance the night away. And every townsperson, every court member, every royal in the entire world is watching in awe of her dancing skills. They whirl and whirl around the room, faster and faster, until the floor falls aways and they are traveling through all the time and space. The stars are twinkling brightly around them, and shooting stars circle them as they fly higher and higher, reaching the moon this time. The man in the moon laughs heartily and starts to dance with them, only then the heavens begin to shake and the moon is saddened that he can’t join in on the fun. But Jessamina and her Prince are nice people, and so they dance around him, laughing merrily with their newfound friend. The moon starts to sink into the horizon, wishing them luck in case they don’t meet again, as Jessamina and her Prince slowly settle back on Earth.
The music stops. Mr. Delaney slips Jessamina over his shoulder and removes the record from the Gramophone. Jessamina would normally protest and ask or one more dance, but she is rather sleepy, and her father’s soft humming in her ear is enough to lull her to sleep. Instead she clings to him and nuzzles her face in his neck, taking in the scent of his cologne. He tiptoes up the stairs again, careful not to make any noise, and places Jessamina back in bed. He tucks her in neatly her covers, and hands Jessamina her favorite stuffed animal, a little cloth monkey from her father’s overseas travels. Her eyelids begin to get heavy, but she fights to keep them open as he wanders around the room preparing things. He closes the blinds so that she can get some more sleep the next day. He puts the rocking chair back in its original place (the nanny always moves it closer to the bed in order to see if Jessamina is really sleeping). He extinguishes the lantern placed on her bedside table. And then, when all is dark ad quiet, so quiet that you can hear the crickets chirping outside her window, he sits on the edge of her bed, and kisses her on the forehead.
“I love you, Jessamina.” he whispers to her.
“I love you, too, Papa.” she says sweetly back.
He smiles at his little girl.
“You know, one day, you’ll be able to really dance with me. Only a meter more and you’ll be able to touch the ground. You’re growing up so fast.”
Jessamina snuggles into her covers, blushing at his words. “I’m still your little girl, Papa.”
“Yes, you are. And I’m glad of it. But one day, you’ll get to go to all the parties your mother talks about. You’ll be able to say up late, and dance with young men from all across London. And you’ll have such a wonderful time. And, you’ll be a great dancer, just like your mother.” He kisses her on the forehead again “But promise me you won’t grow up too fast, alright?”
“I promise, Papa. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, my princess.” He holds her hand until she falls asleep, and then when her breathing is slow and heavy, he leaves as silently as he came, closing the door gently behind him.
She has vivid dreams. Always. She can never remember them in the morning, but when she sleeps she dreams in technicolor.
Sometimes she dreams of fairy kingdoms. She’s the queen of all of them, and she rules them with a fair and even hand. Her helper is a faun (who, not surprisingly, resembles her father) who can do magic, and heals all the sick woodland creatures in the kingdom. There are rivers and lakes that all the fairy children play in, and fields of green for them to frolic in. She sits on her throne, a giant rose petal, sipping honeysuckle from a golden goblet, and watches over her kingdom, thrilled at the fact that all of this world belongs to her. Even at such a young age, she is in charge of her own destiny.
Or she dreams about being a mermaid princess. She swims and swims fro hours, and when she is tired she sits on a rock on the shore, and talks to all the little children who are so surprised at her appearance. S\They admire her long flowing hair, and her golden fins swishing in the clear water below them. And when she finishes saying her goodbyes, she is off again, exploring the unknown beautiful depths of the ocean floor. She swims all the way to Australia and sees all the beautiful coral and dolphins around her. She makes friends with them, talking and dancing with them in the warm waters of the barrier reef. She is the bravest mermaid in all of the mermaid kingdom, as well as the wisest and the prettiest. She’s so incredibly brave that she’s not even afraid of the prisoners and convicts who live on Australia. She swims ashore and they are all so in awe of her that they don’t dare to step within a hundred meters of her. Instead, they just bow to her in admiration. They hand her pearls that they have collected themselves in anticipation of her visit. She is too polite to take all of them, but too polite to refuse them, so she leaves with enough pearls as it takes to make a crown of them and with a wave to her convict friends, she is off again, back into the deep blue ocean.
There is the rare occasion that she dreams she is an angel. She is friends with all the angles, although they all envy her for her beautiful singing voice. She plays a golden harp at night when she plays for all the sick children in the orphanages, and heals them with her music. She flies around the heavens, resting on clouds and dances in the sunbeams. Heaven is so beautiful that sometimes she cries out of joy, and when she does, all the other angels cry, and god cries, and the clouds cry, and her tears from the rain on earth. But mostly god tells her not to cry, so she doesn't. Instead she enjoys her time making friends with all of the good and kid-hearted people who she meets up there. The devil has tried to tempt her to join him in his paradise, saying that he wants her to be his queen, but she refuses, because she is the kindest, most godly creature in all of God's kingdom.
But mostly, her dreams aren’t about fairies or mermaids, or even angels. They usually aren’t about being a queen, or a princess, or any member of the royal family. She doesn’t dream about being a ballerina, or an opera singer, an explorer of exotic unknown lands. In her dreams, she isn’t even a sophisticated young woman yet, attending parties and balls.
In almost each and every one of her dreams, she is usually dancing with her father in the drawing room. In her dreams she is still seven years old, and felling as if she is flying because she is so far off the ground. In her dreams he only thing she needs is her father holding her and spinning her as fast as he can. That, to her, is the most perfect place in the world to be, there with her father, in her dreams.
Sadly, Jessamina hasn’t had those dreams since her father died.
*******************************
After a few minutes of dancing in silence (the custom at the time, for chatting while dancing was considered an incredibly rude habit), he cleared his throat, which brought Jessamina out of her thoughts and back into reality.
“Might I just say how absolutely lovely and breathtaking you are? Or would that be considered to forward of me?”
She was startled by his frankness. “A little too forward I would think, considering that we’ve only just met. However, I thank you for your kind words.”
“It is I who should be thanking you for allowing me to be so near to such great beauty. I should have been happy just to touch your hand when we were introduced, and now I’m waltzing with the most charming young lady in all of London.”
“Are you really?”
“Oh, yes. And the most intelligent and graceful, I might add.” “And how, Mr. Blackhorne--”
“James. I insist. There’s is no need for formality between us.”
“James, how would you know how intelligent, or graceful, or well-spoken I am if we’ve only just met? I’m afraid your compliments, although incredibly flattering, are simply rehearsed platitudes. You can’t possibly know what kind of person I am.”
“Oh, but I do, Miss Delaney. And do you want to know how?”
“Do tell.”
“He leaned very close to her and whispered in her ear, “the way you dance.”
The way in which he said those words sent a shiver down her spine. “What do you mean.”
“I can discover anyone’s personality merely by watching the way they dance. You said yourself that dancing is the expression of one’s emotions, and I couldn’t agree more. See that man over there, with the red hair and thick, curly mustache?”
Jessamina surreptitiously glanced over at the man in question.
“Notice the way he is slowly muttering the counts to himself, over and over again. How calculated and precise his steps are. He’s completely ignoring his dance partner.”
He was right. The young lady looked incredibly bored and almost frustrated, while the man was so intent on getting the steps right that he was starting to break into a sweat.
“Without ever having met that man, I can tell you that he is probably an accountant, or financier of some sort. He spends all day focusing on mathematics and figures, and a single misstep could have his whole world come crumbling down. He probably doesn’t spend much time outside of his office, and when he does, he probably approaches his hobbies with the same fervent concentration as his work. I can also tell you that he is probably not very popular among the ladies.”
“Intriguing. Go on.”
“Alright. That old woman dancing.”
“Where?”
“Does it really matter?”
Jessamina laughed. He was right; the room was filled with old matrons in giant velvet gowns.
“Notice the way she holds herself; incredibly poised and elegant. Her facial expression is blank but serene; indicating the fact that that she’s had years are years of training. She was clearly a beauty in her youth, and the toast of society. But now, notice her arm. See how her wrist is bent, and her joints are swollen. She in a lot of pain, but she’s not showing it. She’s a stoic woman, and unwilling to submit to the fact that she is growing older. She will keep dancing and reliving her youth until she can’t possibly stand.”
“While I agree with you, you could tell all of that simply by looking at her physical appearance. Not her dancing style.”
“Fair enough. Here, you pick a subject this time.”
“What about... Alexis? What can you tell me about her?” she asked.
James laughed. “Excellent choice. Well, obviously by traditional standards, she’s considered a beauty. She’s incredibly well dressed, wearing a shade she knows will compliment her skin tone and fair hair. She’s keeping a smile perpetually plastered on her face.”
“You’re focusing too much on appearance again.”
“I’m getting there! Egads, you’re a persistent one.”
Jessamina blushed. “Sorry. Continue.”
“Notice how when she dances, her upper body is constantly moving in big, sweeping, grand motions. Her head turns from side to side as her body turns, allowing the ribbons in her hair to float in the air. By looking at her upper half, you would think that she is an excellent dancer, based on her confidence and style. Her parter, who looks incredibly nervous, would seem to be faltering because he is inept compared to her. Now, her skirt is incredibly large, but try, if you can, to notice her feet.”
Jessamina squinted and tried to see them. She gasped. “Why, she’s not waltzing at all!”
“That’s right! She’s simply moving her feet in any way she chooses. She’s so convinced that people will be distracted by her upper half, or outer appearance, that she doesn’t have to worry about actually putting any work into learning the steps. Unfortunately, this works on about ninety-nine percent of the men and women in this hall. You and I, however, know that she is nothing but a fraud. And that poor man dancing with her is probably an excellent dancer, but had no idea what he got himself into.”
“Well done, James. I’m impressed.”
“And then there’s you. You think you’re not a very good dancer, which I could tell because of the way you skirted around my question earlier. But here I am, dancing with you, and you completely surprised me. You’re incredibly light on your feet, which means that this is second nature to you. Your posture and hand positioning is poised and not stiff, which means that you’re incredibly graceful even when you’re not dancing. And the fact that you’re able to do all of this while still holding an incredibly articulate conversation shows your intelligence. You maintain a perfect balance between self-control and pleasure in your dancing. You are, in other words, the most perfect dance partner I’ve ever had.”
Jessamina could feel a blush creeping up the back of her neck. “That’s very kind of you, James. But tell me this: what does your dancing reveal about yourself?”
He winked at her and flashed her another one of his heart-stopping smiles. “That I enjoy myself a little too much.” And with that, he started to whirl her faster around the room. She laughed breathlessly as the final notes of the music played out, and they were brought back to the harsh reality of their surroundings. She began to break apart from him, but something about the way he’s holding her causes her to look up at him again.
“You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, Miss Delaney,” he whispers to her. “They are, much like you, truly spectacular and unique.”
There is a moment where Jessamina is not sure whether he is going to kiss her. He is perilously close to her now, and despite the fact that there are hundreds of other guests in the room, she feels as if they are completely alone in this moment. Before things go any further, she breaks the spell by saying, “Please. Call me Jessamina.”
He smiles at her, and finally releases his hold on her, which makes Jessamina feel strangely cold and empty inside.
“Well, Jessamina,” he said. “I hope you will be resting your feet tonight, because I plan on dancing with you a few more times before the night is through.” With that, he gives a low bow, and disappears into the mass of London socialites.
Jessamina stands there for a moment, completely floored by what just happened. For she realized, that in that moment when she thought james would kiss her... she actually wanted him to.
And that’s a feeling that scares Jessamina more than anything else.
“Do you enjoy dancing, Miss Delaney?” James asked. Jessamina wasn’t sure how to respond, because she had no experience with ballroom small talk. She decided it would be better to respond as noncommittally as possible.
“I have nothing against the tradition. It seems to me that dancing is an excellent way of expressing ones emotions, without any unnecessarily frills or adornments. Simply music and movement is enough to convey--”
“You’re avoiding the question, Miss Delaney,” he chuckled. “I wasn’t trying to trick you. You can answer me honestly.”
“Oh. Well, in that case... yes, I rather do enjoy it. But I rarely get the occasion. It’s not often I choose to attend one of these balls.”
“Yet you chose to attend mine? Why is that, Miss Delaney?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Well, I hope I’m one of them.”
“You are.” she lied.
“Then I’m a very lucky man indeed.”
But Jessamina realized that she wasn’t truly lying. In fact, she was almost rather starting to enjoy herself in his company. He had a way of making her feel at ease, which was very difficult to do considering how alert her senses were. It was strange how connected she felt to him considering how little she knew about him.
The orchestra started to play a waltz, and they began to dance easily around the room. It had been a long time since she had danced with anyone (at least since before her father died), and she was dreadfully nervous about making a fool out of herself. To combat her nerves, she affected an air of nonchalance.
*******************************
Jessamina is seven years old, and there is nothing she likes better than dancing with her father in the drawing room. After her mother has gone to bed and the house is quiet, Mr. Delaney will come home late from work, and knock quietly on his daughter’s door. And even though Jessamina has been closing her eyes like a good little girl in order to try and get some sleep, her eyes spring wide open the moment her father arrives. She springs out of bed (quietly though, so she doesn’t wake the nanny sleeping in the adjoining room) and tiptoes quietly to the door. She opens it softly and grins when she sees his responding smile and his finger to his lips. She nods vigorously (as if the fervor in which she shakes her head corresponds with how willing she is to keep quiet. He picks her up in his strong arms and carries her down the stairs.
He’s surprisingly light on his feet, considering how much bigger he is than tiny Jessamina who wakes the whole house on Christmas morning with her footsteps. He sits her down on the sofa and closes the double doors behind him, making a big show of looking out for intruders. Once he’s sure that they haven’t been followed by any spies (a game that Jessamina and her father love to play together), he gives her a wink and places a record on the gramophone he just purchased. The music crackles to life, and great luxurious waltz begins to pour out around her. Mr. Delaney makes a big show of pretending to be conductor, while Jessamina mimes playing an instrument (in this particular memory it is a violin, although she often pretends to be a loud cymbal player). Then, after running around the room in their silliness, the part of the evening Jessamina likes best arrives; the dance.
Mr. Delaney bows to Jessamina as he twirls a long imaginary mustache. Jessamina manages a deep lopsided curtsy, almost falling out of it due to her excitement. And then he picks her and twirls her around the room, humming the beats to himself carelessly.
Jessamina will remember this feeling as long as she lives. The feeling of flying in her father’s arms, colors and sounds swirling around her head in a dizzying blur. She feels his heart beating against her, and its exactly in time with the loud “pum pum!” of the drums. He smells like pipe smoke and a variety of medicinal herbs, all of which Jessamina could probably identify if she wasn’t enjoying herself that much. She closes her eyes and imagines that she is a princess at her wedding, and every eye is on her in her shimmering golden gown. Her prince charming (who, at this age, looks just like her father, except much younger) asks for her hand and they dance the night away. And every townsperson, every court member, every royal in the entire world is watching in awe of her dancing skills. They whirl and whirl around the room, faster and faster, until the floor falls aways and they are traveling through all the time and space. The stars are twinkling brightly around them, and shooting stars circle them as they fly higher and higher, reaching the moon this time. The man in the moon laughs heartily and starts to dance with them, only then the heavens begin to shake and the moon is saddened that he can’t join in on the fun. But Jessamina and her Prince are nice people, and so they dance around him, laughing merrily with their newfound friend. The moon starts to sink into the horizon, wishing them luck in case they don’t meet again, as Jessamina and her Prince slowly settle back on Earth.
The music stops. Mr. Delaney slips Jessamina over his shoulder and removes the record from the Gramophone. Jessamina would normally protest and ask or one more dance, but she is rather sleepy, and her father’s soft humming in her ear is enough to lull her to sleep. Instead she clings to him and nuzzles her face in his neck, taking in the scent of his cologne. He tiptoes up the stairs again, careful not to make any noise, and places Jessamina back in bed. He tucks her in neatly her covers, and hands Jessamina her favorite stuffed animal, a little cloth monkey from her father’s overseas travels. Her eyelids begin to get heavy, but she fights to keep them open as he wanders around the room preparing things. He closes the blinds so that she can get some more sleep the next day. He puts the rocking chair back in its original place (the nanny always moves it closer to the bed in order to see if Jessamina is really sleeping). He extinguishes the lantern placed on her bedside table. And then, when all is dark ad quiet, so quiet that you can hear the crickets chirping outside her window, he sits on the edge of her bed, and kisses her on the forehead.
“I love you, Jessamina.” he whispers to her.
“I love you, too, Papa.” she says sweetly back.
He smiles at his little girl.
“You know, one day, you’ll be able to really dance with me. Only a meter more and you’ll be able to touch the ground. You’re growing up so fast.”
Jessamina snuggles into her covers, blushing at his words. “I’m still your little girl, Papa.”
“Yes, you are. And I’m glad of it. But one day, you’ll get to go to all the parties your mother talks about. You’ll be able to say up late, and dance with young men from all across London. And you’ll have such a wonderful time. And, you’ll be a great dancer, just like your mother.” He kisses her on the forehead again “But promise me you won’t grow up too fast, alright?”
“I promise, Papa. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, my princess.” He holds her hand until she falls asleep, and then when her breathing is slow and heavy, he leaves as silently as he came, closing the door gently behind him.
She has vivid dreams. Always. She can never remember them in the morning, but when she sleeps she dreams in technicolor.
Sometimes she dreams of fairy kingdoms. She’s the queen of all of them, and she rules them with a fair and even hand. Her helper is a faun (who, not surprisingly, resembles her father) who can do magic, and heals all the sick woodland creatures in the kingdom. There are rivers and lakes that all the fairy children play in, and fields of green for them to frolic in. She sits on her throne, a giant rose petal, sipping honeysuckle from a golden goblet, and watches over her kingdom, thrilled at the fact that all of this world belongs to her. Even at such a young age, she is in charge of her own destiny.
Or she dreams about being a mermaid princess. She swims and swims fro hours, and when she is tired she sits on a rock on the shore, and talks to all the little children who are so surprised at her appearance. S\They admire her long flowing hair, and her golden fins swishing in the clear water below them. And when she finishes saying her goodbyes, she is off again, exploring the unknown beautiful depths of the ocean floor. She swims all the way to Australia and sees all the beautiful coral and dolphins around her. She makes friends with them, talking and dancing with them in the warm waters of the barrier reef. She is the bravest mermaid in all of the mermaid kingdom, as well as the wisest and the prettiest. She’s so incredibly brave that she’s not even afraid of the prisoners and convicts who live on Australia. She swims ashore and they are all so in awe of her that they don’t dare to step within a hundred meters of her. Instead, they just bow to her in admiration. They hand her pearls that they have collected themselves in anticipation of her visit. She is too polite to take all of them, but too polite to refuse them, so she leaves with enough pearls as it takes to make a crown of them and with a wave to her convict friends, she is off again, back into the deep blue ocean.
There is the rare occasion that she dreams she is an angel. She is friends with all the angles, although they all envy her for her beautiful singing voice. She plays a golden harp at night when she plays for all the sick children in the orphanages, and heals them with her music. She flies around the heavens, resting on clouds and dances in the sunbeams. Heaven is so beautiful that sometimes she cries out of joy, and when she does, all the other angels cry, and god cries, and the clouds cry, and her tears from the rain on earth. But mostly god tells her not to cry, so she doesn't. Instead she enjoys her time making friends with all of the good and kid-hearted people who she meets up there. The devil has tried to tempt her to join him in his paradise, saying that he wants her to be his queen, but she refuses, because she is the kindest, most godly creature in all of God's kingdom.
But mostly, her dreams aren’t about fairies or mermaids, or even angels. They usually aren’t about being a queen, or a princess, or any member of the royal family. She doesn’t dream about being a ballerina, or an opera singer, an explorer of exotic unknown lands. In her dreams, she isn’t even a sophisticated young woman yet, attending parties and balls.
In almost each and every one of her dreams, she is usually dancing with her father in the drawing room. In her dreams she is still seven years old, and felling as if she is flying because she is so far off the ground. In her dreams he only thing she needs is her father holding her and spinning her as fast as he can. That, to her, is the most perfect place in the world to be, there with her father, in her dreams.
Sadly, Jessamina hasn’t had those dreams since her father died.
*******************************
After a few minutes of dancing in silence (the custom at the time, for chatting while dancing was considered an incredibly rude habit), he cleared his throat, which brought Jessamina out of her thoughts and back into reality.
“Might I just say how absolutely lovely and breathtaking you are? Or would that be considered to forward of me?”
She was startled by his frankness. “A little too forward I would think, considering that we’ve only just met. However, I thank you for your kind words.”
“It is I who should be thanking you for allowing me to be so near to such great beauty. I should have been happy just to touch your hand when we were introduced, and now I’m waltzing with the most charming young lady in all of London.”
“Are you really?”
“Oh, yes. And the most intelligent and graceful, I might add.” “And how, Mr. Blackhorne--”
“James. I insist. There’s is no need for formality between us.”
“James, how would you know how intelligent, or graceful, or well-spoken I am if we’ve only just met? I’m afraid your compliments, although incredibly flattering, are simply rehearsed platitudes. You can’t possibly know what kind of person I am.”
“Oh, but I do, Miss Delaney. And do you want to know how?”
“Do tell.”
“He leaned very close to her and whispered in her ear, “the way you dance.”
The way in which he said those words sent a shiver down her spine. “What do you mean.”
“I can discover anyone’s personality merely by watching the way they dance. You said yourself that dancing is the expression of one’s emotions, and I couldn’t agree more. See that man over there, with the red hair and thick, curly mustache?”
Jessamina surreptitiously glanced over at the man in question.
“Notice the way he is slowly muttering the counts to himself, over and over again. How calculated and precise his steps are. He’s completely ignoring his dance partner.”
He was right. The young lady looked incredibly bored and almost frustrated, while the man was so intent on getting the steps right that he was starting to break into a sweat.
“Without ever having met that man, I can tell you that he is probably an accountant, or financier of some sort. He spends all day focusing on mathematics and figures, and a single misstep could have his whole world come crumbling down. He probably doesn’t spend much time outside of his office, and when he does, he probably approaches his hobbies with the same fervent concentration as his work. I can also tell you that he is probably not very popular among the ladies.”
“Intriguing. Go on.”
“Alright. That old woman dancing.”
“Where?”
“Does it really matter?”
Jessamina laughed. He was right; the room was filled with old matrons in giant velvet gowns.
“Notice the way she holds herself; incredibly poised and elegant. Her facial expression is blank but serene; indicating the fact that that she’s had years are years of training. She was clearly a beauty in her youth, and the toast of society. But now, notice her arm. See how her wrist is bent, and her joints are swollen. She in a lot of pain, but she’s not showing it. She’s a stoic woman, and unwilling to submit to the fact that she is growing older. She will keep dancing and reliving her youth until she can’t possibly stand.”
“While I agree with you, you could tell all of that simply by looking at her physical appearance. Not her dancing style.”
“Fair enough. Here, you pick a subject this time.”
“What about... Alexis? What can you tell me about her?” she asked.
James laughed. “Excellent choice. Well, obviously by traditional standards, she’s considered a beauty. She’s incredibly well dressed, wearing a shade she knows will compliment her skin tone and fair hair. She’s keeping a smile perpetually plastered on her face.”
“You’re focusing too much on appearance again.”
“I’m getting there! Egads, you’re a persistent one.”
Jessamina blushed. “Sorry. Continue.”
“Notice how when she dances, her upper body is constantly moving in big, sweeping, grand motions. Her head turns from side to side as her body turns, allowing the ribbons in her hair to float in the air. By looking at her upper half, you would think that she is an excellent dancer, based on her confidence and style. Her parter, who looks incredibly nervous, would seem to be faltering because he is inept compared to her. Now, her skirt is incredibly large, but try, if you can, to notice her feet.”
Jessamina squinted and tried to see them. She gasped. “Why, she’s not waltzing at all!”
“That’s right! She’s simply moving her feet in any way she chooses. She’s so convinced that people will be distracted by her upper half, or outer appearance, that she doesn’t have to worry about actually putting any work into learning the steps. Unfortunately, this works on about ninety-nine percent of the men and women in this hall. You and I, however, know that she is nothing but a fraud. And that poor man dancing with her is probably an excellent dancer, but had no idea what he got himself into.”
“Well done, James. I’m impressed.”
“And then there’s you. You think you’re not a very good dancer, which I could tell because of the way you skirted around my question earlier. But here I am, dancing with you, and you completely surprised me. You’re incredibly light on your feet, which means that this is second nature to you. Your posture and hand positioning is poised and not stiff, which means that you’re incredibly graceful even when you’re not dancing. And the fact that you’re able to do all of this while still holding an incredibly articulate conversation shows your intelligence. You maintain a perfect balance between self-control and pleasure in your dancing. You are, in other words, the most perfect dance partner I’ve ever had.”
Jessamina could feel a blush creeping up the back of her neck. “That’s very kind of you, James. But tell me this: what does your dancing reveal about yourself?”
He winked at her and flashed her another one of his heart-stopping smiles. “That I enjoy myself a little too much.” And with that, he started to whirl her faster around the room. She laughed breathlessly as the final notes of the music played out, and they were brought back to the harsh reality of their surroundings. She began to break apart from him, but something about the way he’s holding her causes her to look up at him again.
“You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, Miss Delaney,” he whispers to her. “They are, much like you, truly spectacular and unique.”
There is a moment where Jessamina is not sure whether he is going to kiss her. He is perilously close to her now, and despite the fact that there are hundreds of other guests in the room, she feels as if they are completely alone in this moment. Before things go any further, she breaks the spell by saying, “Please. Call me Jessamina.”
He smiles at her, and finally releases his hold on her, which makes Jessamina feel strangely cold and empty inside.
“Well, Jessamina,” he said. “I hope you will be resting your feet tonight, because I plan on dancing with you a few more times before the night is through.” With that, he gives a low bow, and disappears into the mass of London socialites.
Jessamina stands there for a moment, completely floored by what just happened. For she realized, that in that moment when she thought james would kiss her... she actually wanted him to.
And that’s a feeling that scares Jessamina more than anything else.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Chapter Six
Chapter Six
A few weeks after Mr. Wiloughby’s funeral, the big day had arrived: Mr. Blackhorne’s ball. So far her plan had gone off without a hitch, her mother wasn’t suspicious about Jessamina’s intentions (despite that she had changed her mind about attending social events a few hours after refusing to do so), and Marian was so convinced that Jessamina was in love with James, that she was willing to do whatever it takes to make Jessamina look pretty for the party.
This was, unfortunately, more difficult than expected. For even with the beautiful dress on (a dress that Marian said “would distract every young man from here to Scotland”) and her hair pinned up attractively, Jessamina’s face was hollow. She hadn’t truly smiled since her father died. Every upturn of the lips was merely a show to hide how numb she felt inside. She had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, and her cheekbones were sunken in from her lack of appetite. She was, in all forms and manners, a shadow of the great young lady she could have become. And because of this, no matter how she tried, she looked as if she didn’t belong in her attire. She would much prefer to wear her dark grey traveling suits and high necked dresses that she was accustomed to. Any color seemed out of place against her pale, almost translucent skin.
But, she had to try her best. She put on a pair of white silk elbow-length gloves, wrapped a black shawl around her shoulders.
“Mother, I’m ready to leave when you are!” she shouted across the hall.
“I’ll be right down! You should go ahead and wait for me in the carriage; tell Mr. Shelby I’ll be right there.”
“Very well. Please hurry, I want to get there as soon as possible.” She rushed down the stairs and always out the door before Marian stopped her.
“Miss Jessamina?”
“Yes, Marian?”
“Good luck tonight with your mission.”
“What mission?”
“Why, winning Mr. Blackhorne, of course! You’ll enchant him, I’m sure. Just remember to smile that pretty smile of yours!”
In her mind, Jessamina wanted to tell her that the smile w\she thought was pretty was merely a forcing of the muscles around her mouth to move a certain way, but instead she demonstrated that “smile” for her and opened the door. She was on the way to the carriage, looking at the ground avoid getting her dress ready, when she ran into something solid. She looked up in horror; Edmund.
“Jessamina!” he exclaimed.
“Sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“I’ll say so. Are you alright?”
“Yes. Sorry.”
“Not a problem.” He looked at her dress with recognition. For a fleeting moment, Jessamina thought she could sense a trace of sadness on his face but before she could interpret its meaning, he was his ever chipper self again. “Where are you off to?”
“A party, actually.” “Really?”
“Yes. Mr. Blackhorne’s son, James, is turning twenty-one today, and mother and I were invited.” “Well, that’s wonderful. It’s nice to see to see you out and about, Jessamina. It wouldn’t do to have a pretty little thing like you holed up in this place for too long. You might go crazy. Although I’m sure your mother dragged you into this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing! Just that it’s hard to imagine you at a party unless you had some sort of reason. If I remember correctly, social events of this magnitude were never on your list of pleasant activities.”
“For your information, Edmund, I am attending this party so that I may hopefully charm Mr. Blackhorne enough to court me. I’m looking to be married, and Mr. Blackhorne is an handsome, rich young man. And seeing as though I can’t think of anyone else who is interested in me, there’s no reason for him not be my first choice.”
“So, you’re attending this party in the hopes of finding a suitor.”
“Precisely.” He looked at her dumbly. “What? Is that hard to for you to believe, Edmund? That I want to get married?”
“No, not at all--”
“I’m nearly twenty, Edmund. I don’t have time to sit around and wait for Prince Charming to show up and sweep me off my feet. Fairy tales don’t exist at my age--”
“Jessamina, I’m glad that you’re choosing to do this--” “Oh, are you?”
“Yes. And for what it’s worth, Mr. Blackhorne would be a fool not to dance with you. I can’t think of anyone else who could possibly look more beautiful than you look tonight.”
Jessamina just stared at him.
“Have a wonderful evening, Jessamina. I hope everything works out well for you.” he gave a small sad smile, bowed, and headed inside the house.
Jessamina stood on the outside step puzzled by his behavior. She couldn’t understand how he could be son fine with her intentions of flirting with another man, even after him saying that he still cared for her! She wasn’t a fool; she knew that he must have some sort of feeling for her, or else he wouldn’t have looked so sad, and yet her wished her well on her quest for marriage. Jessamina didn’t understand how anyone could be so contradictory.
She didn’t have any more time to ponder her situation though, because her Mother came bustling out in her finest apparel, and shooed her into the carriage.
“What are you doing, standing out here like some sort of beggar? Go on, get into the carriage!” Mrs. Delaney shouted.
Jessamina hurried in, and collapsed with a loud “swish” into her seat.
The carriage left their house in silence, with Mrs. Delaney fiddling with her scarf while jessamina gaze off angrily into the distance, still infuriated by her conversation with Edmund.
“Were you talking to Edmund earlier, Jessamina? I saw him come in just as I was leaving.”
“Yes, he wanted to ask me where I was going.”
“And?” Mrs. Delaney persisted. “What did he say when you told him?”
“He told me that he was happy for me, and he wished me well on my merry little way.”
“Really?”
“Truly, Mother.”
“How peculiar,” Mrs. Delaney murmured. “I always thought that... well, never mind.”
Jessamina was too wrapped up in her own thought to hear what her mother had said, but when she finally comprehended her mother’s words, she turned towards her with a start. “Wait, what did you mean by that?”
“Hmm?”
“You said you always thought that Edmund what?”
“Oh, just that I always thought that he was in love with you.” “And what made you think that?”
“Oh, well, his behavior, I suppose. The way he would look at you when you entered a room. His eagerness to help carry your bags or tutor you in Latin. The way he reddened whenever your father said your name.”
“You noticed all of that?” “I’d be a fool not to,” Mrs. Delaney scoffed. “Which is why I’m surprised to hear that he’s happy to see you off to find a husband. I suppose I always imagined that he would ask for your hand. Not that I would have allowed it, of course. But still, I always rather liked him.”
Jessamina wanted to shake her mother senseless. Her mother knew all this time, and never once said anything to her!
But it was too late to dwell on such matter now. What’s done is done, and Edmund and Jessamina’s chance at having a life together had long since passed.
The carriage halted to a stop and Jessamina was jolted out of her own thoughts. She looked out the window and gasped in amazement, they were in front of a giant mansion at least an acre wide, and what seemed like hundreds of men and women were pilling into the front hall.
“You go ahead inside, dear,” Mrs. Delaney said. “I’ll see to it that we pay the valet handsomely, so that Mr. Blackhorne will see how well our family is doing.”
Jessamina normally would have protested that it shouldn’t matter how much money they had, but she was so in awe of the house that she obeyed her mother without any question.
“May I take your shawl, miss?” a young servant at the door asked.
“Why yes, thank you,” she replied.
Jessamina though the exterior of the mansion was breathtaking, but she was even more impressed with the inside. Flowers decked every banister, and candelabras gave the great hall a warm and inviting atmosphere.
She wandered around the hall for a bit, using the fact that no one there really knew who she was to her advantage. She eavesdropped on any conversation she could be privy to, but mostly they old women were just discussing their own personal problems, which were of less than zero interest to Jessamina.
After an hour of sleuthing, she finally found what she was looking for. Four servants were standing in a semicircle around a chaise lounge in the corner. She couldn’t see his face, but she noticed a gloved hand holding a black walking stick with a giant diamond on the top of it.
Vincent Blackhorne.
She picked up her skirts and was about to walk up to him to get a closer look, when all of a sudden, a familiar voice called out to her.
“Could it be? Has Jessamina Delaney graced us with her presence?” the voice shrieked.
Jessamina cringed. A voice that harsh and grating could only belong to one person. And unfortunately, that one person was not someone that could be easily ignored. She plastered a fake smile on her face and turned around.
“Alexis DuBoise,” Jessamina said through clenched teeth.
Alexis was considered a traditional beauty by many standpoints, but each trait that men found admirable about Alexis just irritated Jessamina to no end. Her teeth were blindingly white. Her white blond hair was curled so tightly that Jessamina thought she had springs attached to her head. Her lips were stained a blood red, and her cheeks were so rouged that she looked as if she had some sort of rash on her cheekbones. And worst of all was her gown: a bright pink tulle dress with a high collar so stiff, that she had to turn her whole body in order to look left or right. It took all of Jessamina’s strength not to gag in horror.
“Jessamina, darling! I can’t believe you’re actually here! What a complete and total surprise!”
“Good to see you as well, Alexis.”
“And what an... interesting dress! Taffeta was so in fashion three season ago, you know.”
“You don’t say.”
“Yes, and it was very expensive, too. Although nowadays, it’s practically worthless. No one in their right mind would be caught dead wearing taffeta at a party! It’s much to heavy to dance in. I admire you for your nonchalance towards the latest fashions, Jessamina. Only you would be able to manage wearing something so... different from the rest of us. But then again, you always like being the odd one out, don’t you?”
“I suppose I do.”
“But how have you been, Jessamina? I haven’t seen you since... what was it, my coming out party?”
********************************
Only a year after her husband’s death, Mrs. Delaney wanted Jessamina to attend Alexis Dubose’s coming out party.
“But Mother, it’s barely been a year since Father died. We’re still in mourning.”
“No, I’m still in mourning, my dear. Your mourning period ended months ago. You’re perfectly able to attend her party.”
“Mother, mourning doesn’t have an expiry date. I’m not going anywhere. You know those parties hold no interest me. Especially a party of Alexis’.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s horrible, Mother! An absolute monster! I’ve never met anyone more vile than Alexis Dubose.”
“I think she’s charming.”
“That’s because all you do is look at her. If you actually heard the words coming out of that perfectly puckered mouth of hers, you would know that she has no soul.”
“Jessamina, it’s time for you to re-enter society. You never had your coming out party--”
“Because Father died! Have you forgotten?--”
“So this is your only chance to salvage any marriage opportunities.”
“Mother, no man there would interest me.”
“Jessamina, I’m you mother, and I’m demanding that you go! End of discussion!”
Jessamina stormed out of her house and into her father’s office, so she could calm herself down. She sat in the back room and concentrated on her breathing until Edmund came in.
“Jessamina? What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Edmund!” she ran into his arms held him in a tight embrace.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Mother.”
“What? Is she alright?”
“yes, yes, she’s fine. Too fine, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“She wants me to attend Alexis’ party so that I can show everyone that I’ve reentered society.”
“But it’s only been a year!”
“Exactly my point! I can’t believe she’s so quick to dishonor father’s memory like that.”
Edmund held her in silence for a few minutes.
“Well, Jessa,” he said, “I think you’re absolutely right that it’s far too soon for you to be celebrating. However--”
“Oh no!”
“However, your mother wants to see that you’re a well-adjusted young woman. I promise you, your mother is in just as much grief as you are; she just has a different way of dealing with it.”
“And what’s that?”
“To go on with life. Time heals all wounds-- at least, that’s your mother’s philosophy. That’s the only way she knows how to feel that her life isn’t completely over. She’s scared that you’ll simply keep reliving that part of your life over and over again, and she wants to make sure that you’re going to be okay. I think you should go/”
“Edmund!”
“I’m not saying you should try to have a good time, or even make conversation. I just think you show your face for a few minutes, to show everyone that you’re going to be okay. And if it will help, I’ll go with you.”
“Really?”
“I know Alexis from the few times she’s been in here picking up medications, and I suppose out of courtesy, she invited me. I wasn’t planning on going, but if you’d like me to--”
“Yes. It’ll be nice to have someone I care about there with me.”
“Then I’ll send my acceptance at once.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. Now, why don’t you tell your mother that you’ll go to the ball, but you’ll only stay for as long as you want That way, if you start to feel like it’s too much for you, we can leave.”
She decided that Edmund was right. Even if she wasn’t going to enjoy herself, at least her mother would feel that she was doing her job. She did decide, however, that she wasn’t going to wear her blue party dress. She would never wear that again, as looking at it only reminded her of the events that took place the last time she wore it.
She decided, instead, to wear one of her lighter mourning dresses. She had a simple black muslin with long sleeves and a high collar. She would attach her father’s brooch to it, and that way she wouldn’t feel as if she were betraying her father by going to this ball.
She entered the ballroom with Edmund by her side and was surprised at how... normal everything seemed. Life really did seem to have continued without her father’s presence in the world. This thought almost made her tear up, but she hadn’t cried since the day of her father’s death, and nothing was going to change that.
“Do you mind if I leave you for a second?” Edmund asked. “I see Mrs. Kensington over there, and I need to ask her how her son’s pneumonia is doing.”
Ever since her father died, Edmund had been running the physician’s office by himself, and doing a wonderful job at it. He had started out only helping her father make the medicines, but after spending five years listening to her father diagnose medical problems, Edmund could identify and treat nearly any symptom a patient approached him with. Yes, the Delaneys had lost a lot of customers once they realized that Edmund had not gone to any sort of college, but Jessamina was incredibly proud of how quickly he was gaining favor again. Soon, she knew, he would be able to ask for her hand in marriage, and Jessamina couldn’t wait for that day to come.
“Of course, darling!” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze, straightened his tie, and with his easygoing smile approached Mrs. Kensington.
Jessamina loved watching the way Edmund interacted with patients. He was always incredibly polite, never raising his voice or letting a smile disappear from his face. Mr. Delaney’s biggest piece of advice that he ever gave to Edmund, was that “people want to be comforted and told that they are going to be alright. Tell a perfectly healthy man that he has no chance of living pasty Sunday, and his depression will certainly kill him. But tell a sick man that you believe he’ll recover, and his sheer will to live can almost always overcome even the greatest illness. Part of our medicine is our attitude towards our patients.”
So Edmund never gave up hope, even on his worst cases. He was unfailingly optimistic, and never without a kind word or compliment to say to anyone. Jessamina knew that these traits would make him a wonderful husband, and, when the time came, a wonderful father.
Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched shriek of joy that she knew came from Alexis Dubose, the lady of the hour. Alexis was the daughter of Lord and Lady Alexander Dubose, and she was considered the darling of every London party. She was known for always being well-groomed and the epitome of a Victorian woman, which means that she was incredibly stupid. Alexis had never had an original thought in her life. Everything she did or said was a direct parrot from her her mother or some other high-respected member of society. Alexis wanted nothing more than to marry into the royal family (often forgetting that she was, in fact, the daughter of an English Lord) and have a large mansion so that she could boss around even more people than she usually did.
Unfortunately, Jessamina was the opposite of all these things, and once told Alexis how much she despised her. And although they were never really close friends to begin with, Alexis had been holding a grudge against Jessamina ever since. She probably would have cut her completely if not for the fact that Lady Dubose told her it might come in handy to be friends with a doctor.
Jessamina knew that if she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, she should try and say hello to her. So she walked up to her waited until she was noticed by Alexis.
“Jessamina! I didn’t think you would actually come!” Alexis sneered.
“Yes, well, you thought wrong. Happy Birthday, Alexis.”
“Thank you, darling. My, what an... interesting dress you’re wearing. Is that one of your mourning dresses?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.”
“Well, isn’t that peculiar. One would think that if you were still in mourning, you wouldn’t have shown up here tonight. But I suppose sitting all alone at home listening to your other cry was getting a little boring.”
“I came here tonight to support you.” “Yes, well, I appreciate that. Now everyone will remember that this is the first time Jessamina has left the house since her father died! And in her blacks no less! What a scandal that will cause. And I love a good scandal.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve left the house since my father died.”
“oh, well, of course you had to leave for the funeral too, I suppose. So sorry I couldn’t make it, by the way. I had more important things to do.”
Jessamina cringed, but continued to try and make nice. “It’s a lovely party.”
“Isn’t it? Mother and Father worked so hard on getting everything ready and organized for tonight’s event. Seeing as though this is my first chance at having a suitor, this event needs to be the biggest talk of the season! Thankfully this won’t have to compete with your coming-out party. I wouldn’t want to steal your only sliver of fame.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb, Jessamina. People invite you to these events because they feel sorry for you, not because they like you. The poor girl who doesn’t have a father anymore. How tragic. It was the talk of the season, you know. I mean, if your father was a lord like mine, then people would be talking about it for years and years to come. But, seeing as your father was just a physician--”
“How dare you--”
“And a physician who dealt with the lower class, no less! Tell me, Jessamina, is it true that your father once gave assistance to a prostitute who was dying of consumption? And he didn’t even charge her? Why if I were you, I would just die of embarrassment. Of course, then your poor mother would have no one in the house anymore. At any rate, your father wasn’t even really a well-respected man--”
“My father is five times the man your father will ever be, Alexis Dubose!” Jessamina shouted. “Even in death, he helped more people than most people than an Lord could help in a lifetime. Your family is nothing but a disgrace to the English royal family, and you are nothing but a silly little girl who thinks that a party and pretty dresses make the world go round!”
There was silence in the ballroom. The musicians had stopped playing, and everyone was waiting to see what Alexis’ reaction to the outburst would be.
Alexis merely acted surprise and said in her interpretation of a loving, caring voice, “Oh Jessamina! I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you! I’m truly sorry if I’ve done anything to bring up those horrible memories. Please forgive me for my sins. Tell me we can still be friends?” Alexis held out a gloved hand, which Jessamina slapped away.
“You will never be anything to me,” Jessamina snarled.
And with that, Jessamina picked up her skirts and ran out of the hall, and into the dark gardens as far as she could. She finally came across a bench in a maze of topiaries and sat down.
After a few minutes, she heard rustling noises behind her. She stood up with a start and clasped her cameo brooch in defense. Once she saw the moonlight bounce off a mass of coppery curls, she let go of her brooch ad relaxed.
“Edmund, you frightened me,” she said.
“Sorry, love.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Jessa, you know there’s nothing that can keep me from you. I’m drawn to you like a moth to flames.”
Jessamina chuckled softly in spite of herself. Edmund sat down next to her.
“You want to tell me what happened back there?” he asked.
“Ugh, it’s Alexis! She kept saying horrible things about father, and how he was a disgrace to society. I couldn’t help myself, Edmund. I couldn’t.”
“Listen to me, Jessa. Your father was the most wonderful man I have ever met, and that includes my own father. And anyone who has ever met him will attest to the fact that he was a brilliant person with an enormous heart. I’m not sure what caused Alexis to say all these things, but I can assure you, she didn’t mean them. So don’t let her get to you, alright?”
“Alright. Can we go home now?”
“Are you serious? Jessa, I don’t think we’ll ever be allowed in there again!” They laughed. “Come on. I’ll find us a taxi.”
***********************************************
“Has it really been that long?” Jessamina marveled. “My, how time does fly.”
“Indeed. What have you been doing for the last few years?” “Oh, just eliminating London’s worst criminals from the streets.” Jessamina thought. In reality, she said, “Oh, not much. Just keeping myself busy with household duties. Mother’s been rather ill lately.”
“Has she now? I’ll be sure to have some flowers sent over from my estate. Well, I can’t imagine the upkeep on a house of your size should be too preoccupying, given how small it is. That’s one of the perks of only having one house in the city, I suppose. A house in the country would be so much more work for you! It’s a shame you don’t have any man in the house to help you manage the household.”
“I enjoy the work, actually. Numbers and figures are rather easy to understand. Even a chimpanzee with any sort of training could perform simple arithmetic.”
“I’ve forgotten how witty you are, Jessamina. But really, why are you here tonight? i thought you had vowed never to come to one of these events ever again.”
“Yes, well, I am allowed to change my mind, aren’t I? The truth is, I was curious to find out about Mr. Blackhorne.”
“Mr. Blackhorne? Why should you care about an old geezer like him?”
“I meant his son.”
“Oh, James! We never call him Mr. Blackhorne; he thinks it makes him sound too much like his father.”
“Yes, well, I was interested in meeting James. I heard he is quite the gentleman.”
“Ha! Is that an understatement! James is possibly the most perfect man I have ever met in my entire life. He’s elegant, charming, handsome, and incredibly wealthy. What more could a young lady ask for? He and i are practically engaged.”
“Oh, are you now?”
“Oh, yes. We met last summer at a ball, and he;s called on me twice since then.”
“Twice in twelve months? Yes, that certainly is an accomplishment,” Jessamina said sarcastically.
“Well, that’s the only time I’ve actually seen him. But every week since I met him at that ball, I’ve had red roses sent to me, and always from ‘Your Secret and Most Ardent Admirer.’ Obviously it’s James who is sending them to me! Who else would know that roses are my favorite flower.”
“Any git from here to South Hampton could guess that.” Jessamina thought. But instead, she said, “Yes, who else? And when do you think he’ll stop hiding behind his flowers and actually propose to you?”
“Probably tonight. It’s been exactly almost a year since we last met. That can’t just be a coincidence you know.”
It honestly frustrated Jessamina how stupid Alexis was. To assume a marriage proposal based on loosely pieced together incidents could only be done by someone as desperate to get married as Miss Dubose.
“Oooh!” Alexis squealed. “There he is! Quickly, out of my way.”
Alexis pushed herself forward and started primping herself. All across the ballroom, pirls started fanning themselves rapidly in an attempt to be flirtatious. Jessamina turned to see what all the fuss was about.
She supposed he wasn’t horrid looking. Classically speaking, he was as fine a specimen of mankind as one could find in London. He had beautiful golden curls and sparkling blue eyes. He was tanned (Jessamina imagined him riding his horses during the summer) and incredibly strong, as he filled out his tuxedo jacket.
Jessamina decided that she understood why so many of the girls were swooning. She, of course, was not attracted to him (after the incident with Edmund, she decided that it wasn’t possible to have feelings for a man again) but she at least knew where the attraction was coming from.
She also realized that it was very possible Alexis wasn’t a complete liar, because he was headed right towards her with that devilishly handsome grin. Alexis readied herself and gave him her most winning smile (which Jessamina often compared to a lioness about to devour her prey).
“James,” she crooned as she gave a deep curtsy. “It’s been far too long.”
“I believe it has.” He kissed her hand. “Miss Dubose, isn’t it? What a delight to see you here again. Pray tell, did my father invite you?”
It took all of Jessamina’s self-restraint to stifle a snort of ridicule. It was clear that he hadn’t any intention of proposing to her, much less remembering her name. She was starting to like him already.
Alexis’ smile faltered for a second, but she simply pressed harder. “Well, I suppose he did, after knowing how well we it it off at last year’s party.”
“How very thoughtful of him. I must say, you look absolutely beautiful tonight, Miss Dubose, as always.”
Alexis blushed and giggled, and was about to start her more forward advances when all of a sudden , he said,
“But won’t you introduce me to the ravising creature standing behind you? i’m afraid I haven’t the pleasure of meeting her yet.” James locked eyes with Jessamina and held her in a enchanting, steady gaze.
“Who, her?” Alexis scoffed.
“She is your friend, isn’t she?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Jessamina’s.
“Yes, I suppose so.” Alexis sighed. She haughtily walked over to her gave another deep sigh. Jessamina pretended not to know the reason she was approaching, just to make the situation as uncomfortable for Alexis as possible.
“Yes, Alexis? Do you need something?” Jessamina asked in fake innocence.
“Mr. Blackhorne, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Jessamina Delaney. Her father is the late Doctor Delaney, physician and apothecary to London’s...less fortunate.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Delaney.” he kissed her hand. Jessamina found herself blushing, which was peculiar, considering she had no feelings at all for the son of the man who killed her father.
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Blackhorne.”
“Please, I beg of you, call me James. I’m not my father, you know. And I’m dreadfully sorry for your loss. I read about it in the papers, and I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. You must be an incredibly strong woman to be able to find the strength to go on with your day.”
“Yes, well, thank you. I appreciate your condolences.”
“I admire you incredibly, Miss Delaney. And I’m deeply honored and humbled by your presence here tonight.”
Jessamina couldn’t really believe her ears. Was it possible that a man as horrible and vile as Mr. Blackhorne could have a son this impeccably sincere? She deduced that there must have been some mix up at the hospital, and that James’ biological parents must be kindly English sheepherders who are tormented by a bumbling, alcoholic fool of a son.
Alexis, who decided that it had been far too long since someone had lavished praise upon her, tapped James on the shoulder to break the moment.
“James? Aren’t you going to ask someone to dance? It is a party, you know. It hardly seems appropriate to waste the time by talking.”
“You know, Miss Dubose, you are absolutely right.” He turned back to Jessamina and extended his hand. “Miss Delaney? May I have the honor of this next dance?”
Jessamina couldn’t decide whether she accepted his hand because she really wanted to dance with him, or because it meant that Alexis couldn’t, but either way she found herself being led across the floor to the center of the ballroom.
A few weeks after Mr. Wiloughby’s funeral, the big day had arrived: Mr. Blackhorne’s ball. So far her plan had gone off without a hitch, her mother wasn’t suspicious about Jessamina’s intentions (despite that she had changed her mind about attending social events a few hours after refusing to do so), and Marian was so convinced that Jessamina was in love with James, that she was willing to do whatever it takes to make Jessamina look pretty for the party.
This was, unfortunately, more difficult than expected. For even with the beautiful dress on (a dress that Marian said “would distract every young man from here to Scotland”) and her hair pinned up attractively, Jessamina’s face was hollow. She hadn’t truly smiled since her father died. Every upturn of the lips was merely a show to hide how numb she felt inside. She had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, and her cheekbones were sunken in from her lack of appetite. She was, in all forms and manners, a shadow of the great young lady she could have become. And because of this, no matter how she tried, she looked as if she didn’t belong in her attire. She would much prefer to wear her dark grey traveling suits and high necked dresses that she was accustomed to. Any color seemed out of place against her pale, almost translucent skin.
But, she had to try her best. She put on a pair of white silk elbow-length gloves, wrapped a black shawl around her shoulders.
“Mother, I’m ready to leave when you are!” she shouted across the hall.
“I’ll be right down! You should go ahead and wait for me in the carriage; tell Mr. Shelby I’ll be right there.”
“Very well. Please hurry, I want to get there as soon as possible.” She rushed down the stairs and always out the door before Marian stopped her.
“Miss Jessamina?”
“Yes, Marian?”
“Good luck tonight with your mission.”
“What mission?”
“Why, winning Mr. Blackhorne, of course! You’ll enchant him, I’m sure. Just remember to smile that pretty smile of yours!”
In her mind, Jessamina wanted to tell her that the smile w\she thought was pretty was merely a forcing of the muscles around her mouth to move a certain way, but instead she demonstrated that “smile” for her and opened the door. She was on the way to the carriage, looking at the ground avoid getting her dress ready, when she ran into something solid. She looked up in horror; Edmund.
“Jessamina!” he exclaimed.
“Sorry. I didn’t see you.”
“I’ll say so. Are you alright?”
“Yes. Sorry.”
“Not a problem.” He looked at her dress with recognition. For a fleeting moment, Jessamina thought she could sense a trace of sadness on his face but before she could interpret its meaning, he was his ever chipper self again. “Where are you off to?”
“A party, actually.” “Really?”
“Yes. Mr. Blackhorne’s son, James, is turning twenty-one today, and mother and I were invited.” “Well, that’s wonderful. It’s nice to see to see you out and about, Jessamina. It wouldn’t do to have a pretty little thing like you holed up in this place for too long. You might go crazy. Although I’m sure your mother dragged you into this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing! Just that it’s hard to imagine you at a party unless you had some sort of reason. If I remember correctly, social events of this magnitude were never on your list of pleasant activities.”
“For your information, Edmund, I am attending this party so that I may hopefully charm Mr. Blackhorne enough to court me. I’m looking to be married, and Mr. Blackhorne is an handsome, rich young man. And seeing as though I can’t think of anyone else who is interested in me, there’s no reason for him not be my first choice.”
“So, you’re attending this party in the hopes of finding a suitor.”
“Precisely.” He looked at her dumbly. “What? Is that hard to for you to believe, Edmund? That I want to get married?”
“No, not at all--”
“I’m nearly twenty, Edmund. I don’t have time to sit around and wait for Prince Charming to show up and sweep me off my feet. Fairy tales don’t exist at my age--”
“Jessamina, I’m glad that you’re choosing to do this--” “Oh, are you?”
“Yes. And for what it’s worth, Mr. Blackhorne would be a fool not to dance with you. I can’t think of anyone else who could possibly look more beautiful than you look tonight.”
Jessamina just stared at him.
“Have a wonderful evening, Jessamina. I hope everything works out well for you.” he gave a small sad smile, bowed, and headed inside the house.
Jessamina stood on the outside step puzzled by his behavior. She couldn’t understand how he could be son fine with her intentions of flirting with another man, even after him saying that he still cared for her! She wasn’t a fool; she knew that he must have some sort of feeling for her, or else he wouldn’t have looked so sad, and yet her wished her well on her quest for marriage. Jessamina didn’t understand how anyone could be so contradictory.
She didn’t have any more time to ponder her situation though, because her Mother came bustling out in her finest apparel, and shooed her into the carriage.
“What are you doing, standing out here like some sort of beggar? Go on, get into the carriage!” Mrs. Delaney shouted.
Jessamina hurried in, and collapsed with a loud “swish” into her seat.
The carriage left their house in silence, with Mrs. Delaney fiddling with her scarf while jessamina gaze off angrily into the distance, still infuriated by her conversation with Edmund.
“Were you talking to Edmund earlier, Jessamina? I saw him come in just as I was leaving.”
“Yes, he wanted to ask me where I was going.”
“And?” Mrs. Delaney persisted. “What did he say when you told him?”
“He told me that he was happy for me, and he wished me well on my merry little way.”
“Really?”
“Truly, Mother.”
“How peculiar,” Mrs. Delaney murmured. “I always thought that... well, never mind.”
Jessamina was too wrapped up in her own thought to hear what her mother had said, but when she finally comprehended her mother’s words, she turned towards her with a start. “Wait, what did you mean by that?”
“Hmm?”
“You said you always thought that Edmund what?”
“Oh, just that I always thought that he was in love with you.” “And what made you think that?”
“Oh, well, his behavior, I suppose. The way he would look at you when you entered a room. His eagerness to help carry your bags or tutor you in Latin. The way he reddened whenever your father said your name.”
“You noticed all of that?” “I’d be a fool not to,” Mrs. Delaney scoffed. “Which is why I’m surprised to hear that he’s happy to see you off to find a husband. I suppose I always imagined that he would ask for your hand. Not that I would have allowed it, of course. But still, I always rather liked him.”
Jessamina wanted to shake her mother senseless. Her mother knew all this time, and never once said anything to her!
But it was too late to dwell on such matter now. What’s done is done, and Edmund and Jessamina’s chance at having a life together had long since passed.
The carriage halted to a stop and Jessamina was jolted out of her own thoughts. She looked out the window and gasped in amazement, they were in front of a giant mansion at least an acre wide, and what seemed like hundreds of men and women were pilling into the front hall.
“You go ahead inside, dear,” Mrs. Delaney said. “I’ll see to it that we pay the valet handsomely, so that Mr. Blackhorne will see how well our family is doing.”
Jessamina normally would have protested that it shouldn’t matter how much money they had, but she was so in awe of the house that she obeyed her mother without any question.
“May I take your shawl, miss?” a young servant at the door asked.
“Why yes, thank you,” she replied.
Jessamina though the exterior of the mansion was breathtaking, but she was even more impressed with the inside. Flowers decked every banister, and candelabras gave the great hall a warm and inviting atmosphere.
She wandered around the hall for a bit, using the fact that no one there really knew who she was to her advantage. She eavesdropped on any conversation she could be privy to, but mostly they old women were just discussing their own personal problems, which were of less than zero interest to Jessamina.
After an hour of sleuthing, she finally found what she was looking for. Four servants were standing in a semicircle around a chaise lounge in the corner. She couldn’t see his face, but she noticed a gloved hand holding a black walking stick with a giant diamond on the top of it.
Vincent Blackhorne.
She picked up her skirts and was about to walk up to him to get a closer look, when all of a sudden, a familiar voice called out to her.
“Could it be? Has Jessamina Delaney graced us with her presence?” the voice shrieked.
Jessamina cringed. A voice that harsh and grating could only belong to one person. And unfortunately, that one person was not someone that could be easily ignored. She plastered a fake smile on her face and turned around.
“Alexis DuBoise,” Jessamina said through clenched teeth.
Alexis was considered a traditional beauty by many standpoints, but each trait that men found admirable about Alexis just irritated Jessamina to no end. Her teeth were blindingly white. Her white blond hair was curled so tightly that Jessamina thought she had springs attached to her head. Her lips were stained a blood red, and her cheeks were so rouged that she looked as if she had some sort of rash on her cheekbones. And worst of all was her gown: a bright pink tulle dress with a high collar so stiff, that she had to turn her whole body in order to look left or right. It took all of Jessamina’s strength not to gag in horror.
“Jessamina, darling! I can’t believe you’re actually here! What a complete and total surprise!”
“Good to see you as well, Alexis.”
“And what an... interesting dress! Taffeta was so in fashion three season ago, you know.”
“You don’t say.”
“Yes, and it was very expensive, too. Although nowadays, it’s practically worthless. No one in their right mind would be caught dead wearing taffeta at a party! It’s much to heavy to dance in. I admire you for your nonchalance towards the latest fashions, Jessamina. Only you would be able to manage wearing something so... different from the rest of us. But then again, you always like being the odd one out, don’t you?”
“I suppose I do.”
“But how have you been, Jessamina? I haven’t seen you since... what was it, my coming out party?”
********************************
Only a year after her husband’s death, Mrs. Delaney wanted Jessamina to attend Alexis Dubose’s coming out party.
“But Mother, it’s barely been a year since Father died. We’re still in mourning.”
“No, I’m still in mourning, my dear. Your mourning period ended months ago. You’re perfectly able to attend her party.”
“Mother, mourning doesn’t have an expiry date. I’m not going anywhere. You know those parties hold no interest me. Especially a party of Alexis’.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s horrible, Mother! An absolute monster! I’ve never met anyone more vile than Alexis Dubose.”
“I think she’s charming.”
“That’s because all you do is look at her. If you actually heard the words coming out of that perfectly puckered mouth of hers, you would know that she has no soul.”
“Jessamina, it’s time for you to re-enter society. You never had your coming out party--”
“Because Father died! Have you forgotten?--”
“So this is your only chance to salvage any marriage opportunities.”
“Mother, no man there would interest me.”
“Jessamina, I’m you mother, and I’m demanding that you go! End of discussion!”
Jessamina stormed out of her house and into her father’s office, so she could calm herself down. She sat in the back room and concentrated on her breathing until Edmund came in.
“Jessamina? What are you doing here?”
“Oh, Edmund!” she ran into his arms held him in a tight embrace.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s Mother.”
“What? Is she alright?”
“yes, yes, she’s fine. Too fine, actually.”
“What do you mean?”
“She wants me to attend Alexis’ party so that I can show everyone that I’ve reentered society.”
“But it’s only been a year!”
“Exactly my point! I can’t believe she’s so quick to dishonor father’s memory like that.”
Edmund held her in silence for a few minutes.
“Well, Jessa,” he said, “I think you’re absolutely right that it’s far too soon for you to be celebrating. However--”
“Oh no!”
“However, your mother wants to see that you’re a well-adjusted young woman. I promise you, your mother is in just as much grief as you are; she just has a different way of dealing with it.”
“And what’s that?”
“To go on with life. Time heals all wounds-- at least, that’s your mother’s philosophy. That’s the only way she knows how to feel that her life isn’t completely over. She’s scared that you’ll simply keep reliving that part of your life over and over again, and she wants to make sure that you’re going to be okay. I think you should go/”
“Edmund!”
“I’m not saying you should try to have a good time, or even make conversation. I just think you show your face for a few minutes, to show everyone that you’re going to be okay. And if it will help, I’ll go with you.”
“Really?”
“I know Alexis from the few times she’s been in here picking up medications, and I suppose out of courtesy, she invited me. I wasn’t planning on going, but if you’d like me to--”
“Yes. It’ll be nice to have someone I care about there with me.”
“Then I’ll send my acceptance at once.” He smiled and kissed her forehead. Now, why don’t you tell your mother that you’ll go to the ball, but you’ll only stay for as long as you want That way, if you start to feel like it’s too much for you, we can leave.”
She decided that Edmund was right. Even if she wasn’t going to enjoy herself, at least her mother would feel that she was doing her job. She did decide, however, that she wasn’t going to wear her blue party dress. She would never wear that again, as looking at it only reminded her of the events that took place the last time she wore it.
She decided, instead, to wear one of her lighter mourning dresses. She had a simple black muslin with long sleeves and a high collar. She would attach her father’s brooch to it, and that way she wouldn’t feel as if she were betraying her father by going to this ball.
She entered the ballroom with Edmund by her side and was surprised at how... normal everything seemed. Life really did seem to have continued without her father’s presence in the world. This thought almost made her tear up, but she hadn’t cried since the day of her father’s death, and nothing was going to change that.
“Do you mind if I leave you for a second?” Edmund asked. “I see Mrs. Kensington over there, and I need to ask her how her son’s pneumonia is doing.”
Ever since her father died, Edmund had been running the physician’s office by himself, and doing a wonderful job at it. He had started out only helping her father make the medicines, but after spending five years listening to her father diagnose medical problems, Edmund could identify and treat nearly any symptom a patient approached him with. Yes, the Delaneys had lost a lot of customers once they realized that Edmund had not gone to any sort of college, but Jessamina was incredibly proud of how quickly he was gaining favor again. Soon, she knew, he would be able to ask for her hand in marriage, and Jessamina couldn’t wait for that day to come.
“Of course, darling!” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze, straightened his tie, and with his easygoing smile approached Mrs. Kensington.
Jessamina loved watching the way Edmund interacted with patients. He was always incredibly polite, never raising his voice or letting a smile disappear from his face. Mr. Delaney’s biggest piece of advice that he ever gave to Edmund, was that “people want to be comforted and told that they are going to be alright. Tell a perfectly healthy man that he has no chance of living pasty Sunday, and his depression will certainly kill him. But tell a sick man that you believe he’ll recover, and his sheer will to live can almost always overcome even the greatest illness. Part of our medicine is our attitude towards our patients.”
So Edmund never gave up hope, even on his worst cases. He was unfailingly optimistic, and never without a kind word or compliment to say to anyone. Jessamina knew that these traits would make him a wonderful husband, and, when the time came, a wonderful father.
Suddenly, she heard a high-pitched shriek of joy that she knew came from Alexis Dubose, the lady of the hour. Alexis was the daughter of Lord and Lady Alexander Dubose, and she was considered the darling of every London party. She was known for always being well-groomed and the epitome of a Victorian woman, which means that she was incredibly stupid. Alexis had never had an original thought in her life. Everything she did or said was a direct parrot from her her mother or some other high-respected member of society. Alexis wanted nothing more than to marry into the royal family (often forgetting that she was, in fact, the daughter of an English Lord) and have a large mansion so that she could boss around even more people than she usually did.
Unfortunately, Jessamina was the opposite of all these things, and once told Alexis how much she despised her. And although they were never really close friends to begin with, Alexis had been holding a grudge against Jessamina ever since. She probably would have cut her completely if not for the fact that Lady Dubose told her it might come in handy to be friends with a doctor.
Jessamina knew that if she wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, she should try and say hello to her. So she walked up to her waited until she was noticed by Alexis.
“Jessamina! I didn’t think you would actually come!” Alexis sneered.
“Yes, well, you thought wrong. Happy Birthday, Alexis.”
“Thank you, darling. My, what an... interesting dress you’re wearing. Is that one of your mourning dresses?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.”
“Well, isn’t that peculiar. One would think that if you were still in mourning, you wouldn’t have shown up here tonight. But I suppose sitting all alone at home listening to your other cry was getting a little boring.”
“I came here tonight to support you.” “Yes, well, I appreciate that. Now everyone will remember that this is the first time Jessamina has left the house since her father died! And in her blacks no less! What a scandal that will cause. And I love a good scandal.”
“It’s not the first time I’ve left the house since my father died.”
“oh, well, of course you had to leave for the funeral too, I suppose. So sorry I couldn’t make it, by the way. I had more important things to do.”
Jessamina cringed, but continued to try and make nice. “It’s a lovely party.”
“Isn’t it? Mother and Father worked so hard on getting everything ready and organized for tonight’s event. Seeing as though this is my first chance at having a suitor, this event needs to be the biggest talk of the season! Thankfully this won’t have to compete with your coming-out party. I wouldn’t want to steal your only sliver of fame.”
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb, Jessamina. People invite you to these events because they feel sorry for you, not because they like you. The poor girl who doesn’t have a father anymore. How tragic. It was the talk of the season, you know. I mean, if your father was a lord like mine, then people would be talking about it for years and years to come. But, seeing as your father was just a physician--”
“How dare you--”
“And a physician who dealt with the lower class, no less! Tell me, Jessamina, is it true that your father once gave assistance to a prostitute who was dying of consumption? And he didn’t even charge her? Why if I were you, I would just die of embarrassment. Of course, then your poor mother would have no one in the house anymore. At any rate, your father wasn’t even really a well-respected man--”
“My father is five times the man your father will ever be, Alexis Dubose!” Jessamina shouted. “Even in death, he helped more people than most people than an Lord could help in a lifetime. Your family is nothing but a disgrace to the English royal family, and you are nothing but a silly little girl who thinks that a party and pretty dresses make the world go round!”
There was silence in the ballroom. The musicians had stopped playing, and everyone was waiting to see what Alexis’ reaction to the outburst would be.
Alexis merely acted surprise and said in her interpretation of a loving, caring voice, “Oh Jessamina! I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you! I’m truly sorry if I’ve done anything to bring up those horrible memories. Please forgive me for my sins. Tell me we can still be friends?” Alexis held out a gloved hand, which Jessamina slapped away.
“You will never be anything to me,” Jessamina snarled.
And with that, Jessamina picked up her skirts and ran out of the hall, and into the dark gardens as far as she could. She finally came across a bench in a maze of topiaries and sat down.
After a few minutes, she heard rustling noises behind her. She stood up with a start and clasped her cameo brooch in defense. Once she saw the moonlight bounce off a mass of coppery curls, she let go of her brooch ad relaxed.
“Edmund, you frightened me,” she said.
“Sorry, love.”
“How’d you find me?”
“Jessa, you know there’s nothing that can keep me from you. I’m drawn to you like a moth to flames.”
Jessamina chuckled softly in spite of herself. Edmund sat down next to her.
“You want to tell me what happened back there?” he asked.
“Ugh, it’s Alexis! She kept saying horrible things about father, and how he was a disgrace to society. I couldn’t help myself, Edmund. I couldn’t.”
“Listen to me, Jessa. Your father was the most wonderful man I have ever met, and that includes my own father. And anyone who has ever met him will attest to the fact that he was a brilliant person with an enormous heart. I’m not sure what caused Alexis to say all these things, but I can assure you, she didn’t mean them. So don’t let her get to you, alright?”
“Alright. Can we go home now?”
“Are you serious? Jessa, I don’t think we’ll ever be allowed in there again!” They laughed. “Come on. I’ll find us a taxi.”
***********************************************
“Has it really been that long?” Jessamina marveled. “My, how time does fly.”
“Indeed. What have you been doing for the last few years?” “Oh, just eliminating London’s worst criminals from the streets.” Jessamina thought. In reality, she said, “Oh, not much. Just keeping myself busy with household duties. Mother’s been rather ill lately.”
“Has she now? I’ll be sure to have some flowers sent over from my estate. Well, I can’t imagine the upkeep on a house of your size should be too preoccupying, given how small it is. That’s one of the perks of only having one house in the city, I suppose. A house in the country would be so much more work for you! It’s a shame you don’t have any man in the house to help you manage the household.”
“I enjoy the work, actually. Numbers and figures are rather easy to understand. Even a chimpanzee with any sort of training could perform simple arithmetic.”
“I’ve forgotten how witty you are, Jessamina. But really, why are you here tonight? i thought you had vowed never to come to one of these events ever again.”
“Yes, well, I am allowed to change my mind, aren’t I? The truth is, I was curious to find out about Mr. Blackhorne.”
“Mr. Blackhorne? Why should you care about an old geezer like him?”
“I meant his son.”
“Oh, James! We never call him Mr. Blackhorne; he thinks it makes him sound too much like his father.”
“Yes, well, I was interested in meeting James. I heard he is quite the gentleman.”
“Ha! Is that an understatement! James is possibly the most perfect man I have ever met in my entire life. He’s elegant, charming, handsome, and incredibly wealthy. What more could a young lady ask for? He and i are practically engaged.”
“Oh, are you now?”
“Oh, yes. We met last summer at a ball, and he;s called on me twice since then.”
“Twice in twelve months? Yes, that certainly is an accomplishment,” Jessamina said sarcastically.
“Well, that’s the only time I’ve actually seen him. But every week since I met him at that ball, I’ve had red roses sent to me, and always from ‘Your Secret and Most Ardent Admirer.’ Obviously it’s James who is sending them to me! Who else would know that roses are my favorite flower.”
“Any git from here to South Hampton could guess that.” Jessamina thought. But instead, she said, “Yes, who else? And when do you think he’ll stop hiding behind his flowers and actually propose to you?”
“Probably tonight. It’s been exactly almost a year since we last met. That can’t just be a coincidence you know.”
It honestly frustrated Jessamina how stupid Alexis was. To assume a marriage proposal based on loosely pieced together incidents could only be done by someone as desperate to get married as Miss Dubose.
“Oooh!” Alexis squealed. “There he is! Quickly, out of my way.”
Alexis pushed herself forward and started primping herself. All across the ballroom, pirls started fanning themselves rapidly in an attempt to be flirtatious. Jessamina turned to see what all the fuss was about.
She supposed he wasn’t horrid looking. Classically speaking, he was as fine a specimen of mankind as one could find in London. He had beautiful golden curls and sparkling blue eyes. He was tanned (Jessamina imagined him riding his horses during the summer) and incredibly strong, as he filled out his tuxedo jacket.
Jessamina decided that she understood why so many of the girls were swooning. She, of course, was not attracted to him (after the incident with Edmund, she decided that it wasn’t possible to have feelings for a man again) but she at least knew where the attraction was coming from.
She also realized that it was very possible Alexis wasn’t a complete liar, because he was headed right towards her with that devilishly handsome grin. Alexis readied herself and gave him her most winning smile (which Jessamina often compared to a lioness about to devour her prey).
“James,” she crooned as she gave a deep curtsy. “It’s been far too long.”
“I believe it has.” He kissed her hand. “Miss Dubose, isn’t it? What a delight to see you here again. Pray tell, did my father invite you?”
It took all of Jessamina’s self-restraint to stifle a snort of ridicule. It was clear that he hadn’t any intention of proposing to her, much less remembering her name. She was starting to like him already.
Alexis’ smile faltered for a second, but she simply pressed harder. “Well, I suppose he did, after knowing how well we it it off at last year’s party.”
“How very thoughtful of him. I must say, you look absolutely beautiful tonight, Miss Dubose, as always.”
Alexis blushed and giggled, and was about to start her more forward advances when all of a sudden , he said,
“But won’t you introduce me to the ravising creature standing behind you? i’m afraid I haven’t the pleasure of meeting her yet.” James locked eyes with Jessamina and held her in a enchanting, steady gaze.
“Who, her?” Alexis scoffed.
“She is your friend, isn’t she?” he asked, his eyes never leaving Jessamina’s.
“Yes, I suppose so.” Alexis sighed. She haughtily walked over to her gave another deep sigh. Jessamina pretended not to know the reason she was approaching, just to make the situation as uncomfortable for Alexis as possible.
“Yes, Alexis? Do you need something?” Jessamina asked in fake innocence.
“Mr. Blackhorne, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Jessamina Delaney. Her father is the late Doctor Delaney, physician and apothecary to London’s...less fortunate.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss Delaney.” he kissed her hand. Jessamina found herself blushing, which was peculiar, considering she had no feelings at all for the son of the man who killed her father.
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Blackhorne.”
“Please, I beg of you, call me James. I’m not my father, you know. And I’m dreadfully sorry for your loss. I read about it in the papers, and I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. You must be an incredibly strong woman to be able to find the strength to go on with your day.”
“Yes, well, thank you. I appreciate your condolences.”
“I admire you incredibly, Miss Delaney. And I’m deeply honored and humbled by your presence here tonight.”
Jessamina couldn’t really believe her ears. Was it possible that a man as horrible and vile as Mr. Blackhorne could have a son this impeccably sincere? She deduced that there must have been some mix up at the hospital, and that James’ biological parents must be kindly English sheepherders who are tormented by a bumbling, alcoholic fool of a son.
Alexis, who decided that it had been far too long since someone had lavished praise upon her, tapped James on the shoulder to break the moment.
“James? Aren’t you going to ask someone to dance? It is a party, you know. It hardly seems appropriate to waste the time by talking.”
“You know, Miss Dubose, you are absolutely right.” He turned back to Jessamina and extended his hand. “Miss Delaney? May I have the honor of this next dance?”
Jessamina couldn’t decide whether she accepted his hand because she really wanted to dance with him, or because it meant that Alexis couldn’t, but either way she found herself being led across the floor to the center of the ballroom.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Chapter Five
Chapter Five
After a delicious dinner of roasted quail and buttered scallops (Jessamina felt her Mother was trying to cheer herself up after the funeral), she waited until Marian was alone in the kitchen and asked her to help her unpin her hair.
“Of course, miss; whatever you like. Should I come help you now?”
“No, you can finish up your work here. When you’re done, just knock on my door.” “Yes, miss. I shouldn’t take more than a hour.”
“Very well, then.” Jessamina started to upstairs, but then remembered her brooch. “Marian, where is Mr. Shelby presently?”
“I don’t know, miss. I would imagine that he is in the dining room cleaning up after supper.”
“Yes, of course. Well, thank you, Marian.”
“You’re welcome, miss.”
After finding Mr. Shelby and receiving a pair of pliers from him, she went up to her room to repair her broken brooch. But before she could begin, a knock came at the door.
“Miss?”
She hid the brooch under her pillow.
“Yes, come in”, Jessamina called out.
Marian entered timidly. “Are you sure you want me to pin up your hair still, Miss Jessamina?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, you’ve been very... distant lately, and you often snap at me when I try to help.”
Jessamina realized that Marian was actually afraid of her and began to laugh.
“Oh! Of course you would be apprehensive about my asking you here. But no, really Marian, I do require some assistance tonight, as I pinned up my curls much tighter than usual and they are quite painful against my scalp.” Jessamina sat at her dressing table. “I very much appreciate you coming here to help me today, Marian. Truly.”
“You’re very welcome Miss. It was just unexpected, is all.”
“Yes, well, I promise to be less hostile in the future.” She tried to smile comfortingly at Marian (jessamina hadn’t truly smiled in three years), who grinned in return and set upon Jessamina’s hair. She let Marian work in silence for a few minutes, and then cleared her throat. “Marian?” “Yes, Miss Jessamina.”
“May I ask you a question of a more... personal matter?”
“Why, I suppose so, miss. I will try to answer as best as I can.”
“Tell me then; what do you know of a Mr. Vincent Blackhorne?”
“What? THE Mr. Vincent Blackhorne?”
“I suppose so. I heard someone mention a man named Blackhorne who had recently acquired an original work of Pablo Picasso, and I wondered what sort of man could afford to purchase such an item.”
“Why, a very wealthy man, Miss Jessamina. A very wealthy man indeed. Mr. Blackhorne acquired a great fortune from his father upon leaving the army, and spent t wisely, investing in steel mills when they were first being built. Ever since then, he uses his money to continue his investments, but also to amass some collections.”
“What sort of collections?”
“Well, paintings, for one. He’d been looking for that particular painting for years in order to complete a trilogy of paintings, which is why it meant so much to him. That’s why he spent over $10,000 pounds on it.”
“My goodness!”
“Yes, it while quite a story around society. He also collects faberge eggs from Russia, and starting in his army days, a collection of interesting weapons.” “What makes them interesting?”
“Well, miss, they’re not just guns you know. There are axes, maces, swords, cannons, grenades, and even firework blasters from ancient china! He keeps all of these locked in a glass room, so that he may better display them for his guests. The entire collection apparently amounts to over fifty-thousand and something pounds!”
“He must have an enormous amount of servants to take care of his estate then.”
“Oh yes. And none of them like him.”
“Really? Is he mean to them.”
“Horrible! He hits some of the maidservants when he’s angry, and his been known to fire a butler with three kids simply because his breakfast was served only five minutes late! And, on top of all that, he pays them horribly. Not nearly enough as they should for working for a house of that size and prominence. Why, even I am paid more than some of the women in that place, and he can afford it!”
Jessamina knew that this was a way in to the house; if she could just pay off one of the servants to let her in (she could make up some excuse about wanting to see some his collections up close) she could sneak into his room and administer the poison. She wouldn’t bother with questioning him about who exactly hired him; if this man was as dangerous is Mr. Wiloughby claimed, she wouldn’t be able to defeat him. But she would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that the man directly responsible would be held accountable to his actions. He would be at her complete mercy, and she like having that power.
“But I know why you want to know more about Mr. Blackhorne!” Marian teases.
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re interested in his son, aren’t you?”
“He has a son?”
“Don’t be coy with me, Miss! Every eligible girl in London knows of Vincent Blackhorne’s only son!”
“I swear, I had no idea that Mr. Blackhorne had any children at all. What’s his son’s name?”
“They call him ‘James’, and he’s the most eligible bachelor in all of London. I’ve only seen him once myself, and even then I caught only a glimpse of his profile, but goodness! What a handsome man he is! And charming, too, from what I’ve heard. Quite a surprise he isn’t married yet, considering what a catch he is. Why, he could marry any girl in the entire city if he wanted.”
Perhaps, he, too prefers solitude to the company of the opposite sex, she thought. But aloud, she said, “And how old is Mr. Blackhorne?”
“Which one?”
“The son.”
“About to be twenty-one this Friday. In fact, his father is throwing him a lavish party to celebrate his inheritance, for he will then have acquired a great sum of money. Your Mother had managed to acquire an invitation a little while ago, but I thought that considering your aversion to such events.”
“Aversion? What do you mean?”
“Well, you had said that night... after your father’s death...”
****************************************
It is the day of Jessamina’s seventeenth birthday. She is no longer a young girl, but instead a radiant woman ready to entered into the marriage market. While this doesn’t exactly please Jessamina, since she is already promised her heart to Edmund, there is something rather lovely about knowing that she’s finally a true adult, and in charge of her own personal affairs. The day had been rather lazy for her; she had slept until two and then eaten a rather large dinner so that she would be able to socialize during the party.
The party. Another thing that Jessamina wasn’t too thrilled about. She was never type who enjoyed being in the company of a plethora of unrelated strangers whose only purpose for attending was free champagne. Nonetheless, she knew how important this evening was to her parents, and so she decided to humor them just this once.
Really, it was her mother who had wanted this party so much. Jessamina knew that if her father had his way, Jessamina would have been able to do whatever she wanted that night. In fact, considering the fact that the Delaney’s did not have very much money (they were upper-middle class, but Mr. Delaney was only an apothecary), the whole “coming out to society” party seemed a little foolish. After all, the people who normally threw these sorts of parties were not the type of people the Delaneys associated with. Nevertheless, Mrs. Delaney wanted desperately for Jessamina’s marriage prospects to be wealthy ones, and so spending an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary party seemed to be the only option.
Mrs. Delaney also spent an extravagant amount of time trying to get Jessamina ready for her big debut. She and her new maidservant, Marian, were struggling to get Jessamina into a corset that was much too small.
“Mother, please, can’t I just wear my usual one?” Jessamina cried. “This one pinches something awful!”
“Absolutely not! Your waist needs to be much smaller if you want to attract a handsome young suitor. You’ve fit into it once before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, when I was thirteen! This is meant for a child, Mother!”
“Just give one more deep breath for me, all right? Just try!”
Jessamina tried to exhale as much as possible (until she was dizzy, in fact) but the stays would just not tie.
“Bloody hell!” cursed Mrs. Delaney. “Fine, wear your old one! But you better have absolutely perfect posture tonight, Jessamina. None of your usual slouching.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“What’s all this fuss about?” Mr. Delaney asked as he entered Jessamina’s dressing room.
“Charles! What on earth are you doing back here? You can’t see Jessamina before the party.”
“Goodness, Eleanora, she’s not getting married yet, you know. I came to see how my two lovely ladies were doing. Do you need any help before I head out?”
“Why, where are you going.”
“I have a few errands to run before tonight, dear. I’ll be home before five in the evening, don’t worry.”
“Don’t worry? Of course I have to worry, Charles!”
“One of my patients, Mr. William Faunley, just delivered a message to me that he has come down with a case of severe influenza. I just need to drop off some medicine for him, but since he lives on the other side of town, it will take me an hour or two.”
“Can’t he just pick it up himself?”
“He’s too sick to even move out of bed. Eleanora, I promise I will be back soon, but the longer we continue to have this discussion, the more I am delayed from my task.”
“Fine. Let me get back work then.”
“Darling, maybe you should rest before the party. Can’t you let Marian do all of this?”
“Why, certainly not! How would she know how to pin her hair?”
“You’re pinning up Jessamina’s hair? But why?”
“Why? Because it’s what is done at these sorts of things, Charles!”
“Eleanora, Jessamina has the rest of her life to wear her hair pinned up like a matron. Let her have this one night to be young still.”
“Jessamina doesn’t want to be young. She would much rather wear her hair up. Right, Jessamina?”
Jessamina didn’t want to choose sides between her parents. But, truth be told...
“Honestly, mother? I’d prefer to wear it down, and wear that pretty pearl comb you gave me last Christmas,” she admitted.
“Fine. Fine! Have it your way, then. I suppose it is your party, isn’t it? I’ll just be taking a short rest then. Marian, if you need any help from me at all, I mean, if you are at all concerned about anything--”
“She’ll let you know, dear.” Mr. Delany promised.
With one final glaring look at her husband, she stormed off to her bedchamber.
“There, now you can get ready in peace and quiet!” he chuckled.
“Thank you, Father. For everything.”
“It’s your special day, my dear. Nothing should ruin it.” he gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon, all right.”
“All right.” he turned to walk out. “I love you, Father.”
“I love you, too, Jessamina. Always remember that.”
Jessamina blew him a kiss as he left his house for the last time.
“Shall I help you into your dress now, Miss Delaney?”
“Oh, yes! Thank you.”
Of this entire evening, there were only two things she was looking forward to, and one of them was her dress. Her father had the fabric imported from France, and had surprised her with it a few months ago. The dress was a beautiful blue-gray taffeta, with a giant bustle in the back and ribbons flowing down it. The skirt was pinched on both sides, and fanned out into a train whenever she walked. The sleeves were puffed to perfection, and neckline was a very elegant v-shape.
She felt incredibly elegant and beautiful when she was wearing this dress. The bluish-gray brought out the heterochromia of her eyes. She had always felt very self-conscious about her eyes being two different colors, but in this gown, she felt as if it enhanced it. The gown also set well against her auburn hair, which she was very pleased that she got to wear down for the evening. Once Marian had tied her into the dress, Jessamina let her naturally wavy hair fall about her shoulders, and placed the mother of pearl comb above her right ear. She also attached her cameo brooch to a black velvet ribbon and wore it around her neck. Although she didn’t think it would be needed during the evening, she didn’t know what sort of scoundrels would be attending her party, and therefore couldn’t be too careful.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar male voice wafting up the stairs from the main hall. Her heart started pounding out of her chest, and stomach had butterflies in.
“Marian, why don’t you take a break for a little while.”
“Miss?” Marian asked in confusion.
“You’ve worked so hard for our family today, and tonight will be an even more stressful event. Why don’t you go down to the kitchen and make yourself a nice pot of tea?”
“Are you sure?” “Absolutely! You’ve been an absolute life-saver so far. You deserve it.”
“Well, thank you kindly, Miss Jessamina!” She scuttled out of the room and down the stairs before Jessamina could even blink.
Jessamina took a huge breath, composed herself, and walked out to the top of the staircase, where she saw Edmund talking to Mr. Shelby in the hall.”
Wanting to be alone with Edmund before the night began, she cleared her throat and shouted, “Mr. Shelby?”
Edmund turned and looked up at her, and his jaw fell open in surprise. Noticing his agape mouth, he quickly shut it and looked embarrassedly at his shoes. Jessamina stifled a giggle at how adorable he was.
“Mr. Shelby, do you mind making sure that the flowers are all arranged. Mother would hate it if they were wrong.”
“Right away, Miss Jessamina.” Mr. Shelby bowed to Jessamina and walked out of sight. Once Jessamina was sure that she and Edmund were truly alone, she ran down the stairs and jumped into his arms.
“Edmund! What on earth are you doing here? I thought you had to work at the shop.” “I did. But your mother asked me if I would help set up for the evening, and I said yes. She said I could close up early tonight.”
“Edmund, I told you not to offer any of your services to Mother! She’ll only think of you as hired help if you do.”
“What was I supposed to do, Jessa? Say no? That would have been much worse for me as her future son-in-law, believe me. Besides, I couldn’t wait to see my little darling in her ball gown.”
“Do you really like it, Edmund?”
“You’re beautiful, Jessa.” He kissed her. “You always are, but tonight there’s a certain radiance about you. Something otherworldly almost.”
“It’s because you’re here, darling. I can’t believe that in a few weeks time, we’ll be engaged!”
“I can’t believe it either! I’m truly the luckiest man in all of England to have won a prize such as you.”
“And I the luckiest woman, to have man love her despite all her naivete and foolishness.”
“You’re hardly foolish, Jessamina. You’re the most intelligent girl that I know. How many other ladies can say that they know how to fill prescriptions?”
Jessamina laughed. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. But compared to all the older, maturer women that you could court, I can’t believe that you would choose me.”
“Well, it looks like we’re both very lucky then, aren’t we?” he leaned in to kiss her again, but there was a sharp knock at the door that made the two of them break apart. “I should probably get that. Perhaps more flower deliveries. Jessa, promise me you let me have the first dance?”
“And the last, dear Edmund.” He grinned at her and opened the door. But just as she was halfway up the stairs, she heard panic in Edmund’s voice. She turned around and was surprised to see two police officers standing at the entranceway.
“I don’t understand.”
“Sir, is this the house of Mr. Charles Delaney?”
“It is indeed. Is something wrong?”
“Sir, I’m afraid Mr. Charles Delaney has been killed. We found him dead outside of Picadilly Square a quarter of an hour ago.”
Jessamina’s ears were ringing and everything sounded muffled, as if she’d just been boxed in the ears. Nothing seemed right. Her sense of balance seemed off. Her vision was distorted and warped into some sort of carnival freak show. And although she wanted desperately for this to be all some sort of nightmare, and for her to wake up and have to go through all the tedious preparations again, she knew that this was real. Nothing had ever felt more real, more tangible at this moment, despite how numb her body felt. Like a patient in a coma, her mind was very much alert, even if her body was not.
“I will find the people who did this, and kill them,” she thought. “Make no mistake.”
Edmund turned to see Jessamina’s wide-eyed expression of shock and horror. He turned back to the officers.
“Look,” he stuttered, “there must be some kind of mistake--” “You found his body?” Jessamina asked quietly.
“Well, parts of it. It looks like he had been very badly beaten--”
“Sirs, please, not in front of the lady--”
“No, Edmund!” she shouted. Edmund’s surprise was quite apparent at her outburst. “I need to hear this.” She rushed down towards them. “Tell me what happened.”
“Miss, perhaps this young man is right. Perhaps it would be better to speak to the head of your household, your mother--”
“Tell me NOW!” she screamed. “I can take it!”
There was utter silence as the police officers exchanged nervous glances, and decided to tell her the truth.
“Miss, we found... parts of him. It seems as though he had been... clubbed. With a very dull and heavy object, like a broadsword. His face was unrecognizable due to the broken nose and the swelling. Both his hands were missing, so we couldn’t identify his fingerprints--”
“Then how do you know that it is her father that you found and not some homeless criminal?” Edmund demanded.
But Jessamina knew. Edmund had hope, for he was ever the optimist, and ever concerned for her safety. But no matter how much he wanted to protect her, there was nothing he could say or do that would alter the truth. The truth that her father was gone. She could already feel it in her whole being-- that sense of emptiness in her heart that felt unfillable. Edmund might be holding out for a miracle, but Jessamina knew that miracles didn’t exist. In order for miracles to exist, God had to exist. And any trace of higher power had vanished along with her father’s life.
“We found this in his pocket.” One of the officers pulled out a gold pocket watch.
“Oh god,” Jessamina whispered.
It was the very same one that she had given him for his birthday last year. He had complained about how the ticking of his old one had aggravated him to no end, and Jessamina had rectified the situation by asking Edmund for some money in order to buy her father a truly spectacular gift. Edmund, of course, acquiesced to her request (because he would sail all the way to India and back for her), Engraved on it were the words, “To Charles Delaney, the best father in the world, from your little flower.”
“Oh my God!”
“Jessamina!” Edmund whispered. “My darling, I--”
As if in a trance, without any feeling or knowledge of actual words coming out of her mouth, she said, “I must go tell my mother the news. Please excuse me.”
She had only managed to take a few steps away from them when the world grew dark.
Edmund had just enough time to catch her before she hit the floor.
****************************************
It’s true that ever since that day, she had vowed to never be celebratory ever again. She hasn’t gone to a single party or social event in three years, much to her mother’s chagrin. And how could she? How could she possibly be happy without her father by her side? Without her father to tell her that she was beautiful? Without her father to tell her that he loved her as much as he had loved anything in the entire world. Without her father to talk to about her fears and hopes and dreams.
The world had lost all joy the moment her father had taken his final breath. And as long as her father was dead, she would be in mourning. As much as her mother would hope, grieving came with no time limit.
Jessamina hadn’t realized that she had been silent for a few minutes until Marian cleared her throat nervously.
“Miss Jessamina, I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any pain by bringing up your father--”
“I’m fine, Marian.”
“I could run over to their place tomorrow and tell them you’ve changed your mind if you’d like.”
The idea of her wanting to attend some rich eligible bachelor’s ball made her insides twist in repulsion. But tactically, this may be her only shot at gaining any useful information. Jessamina thought this plan over. She decided what statement would sound the most convincing about her sudden change of heart.
“Well, Mother has been pestering me for ages about attending such parties. In fact, just today she made me promise to accept an invitation for the coming month. I suppose this one will be as good as any top appease my mother. Tell Mr. Blackhorne that I shall attend.”
“Lovely, Miss Jessamina! I shall run over there as early as I can.”
“Thank you, Marian. You can go now.”
“But I haven’t finished unpinning your curls--”
“I should be able to manage the rest on my own, thank you.”
“Have I done something wrong, miss?”
“Not at all. You’ve actually been quite a good deal of help to me. I’m just feeling rather tired now.”
“All right then. Goodnight, Miss Jessamina.”
“Goodnight, Marian. Oh, wait, do you think you could tell Mother that I’ve decided to obey her requests just this once?”
“Certainly,” Marian smiled, and she closed the door to Jessamina’s bedchamber behind her.
Jessamina waited until she Marian knocking on her mother’s door before she gave a huge sigh of relief. It would be perfect: she could attend this party on the pretense of meeting the son, but instead figure out the weakest point in his father’s defenses. By the end of the night, she could promise one of the servants handsome compensation for their help, and be well on her way to accomplishing her wildest dreams. Yes, it would have been nice to get the men on top, but she would be satisfied if this was was the last man she ever killed. She would have kept the promise to her father, and that’s all that really mattered in the first place.
She remembered the brooch under her pillow, and pulled it back out so that she could fix it. She used the plier to press the gold band back into shape. It still looked a little worn, but at least it wasn’t broken anymore. Just to be sure, she opened one of her windows, held the brooch outside, held her breath, and pushed down on the small lever. A small “poof” sound came out of the silhouette, and she knew that no severe damage had been done to it. She went back to her dressing table and laid the brooch on the top of her dresser next to a picture of her father. She picked up the picture and dusted it off. Her father’s smiling eyes beamed up at her, as if encouraging her to take this next step in her journey. He was proud of her, she knew, wherever he was.
“Don’t worry, Father.” she whispered. “It won’t be long now.”
She finished unpinning her hair and changed into her nightgown. She went to her bedside table to turn off her lamp, but caught a glimpse of some shiny taffeta in the mirror. She turned around and noticed that her coming our gown was hanging in her boudoir. She went over to it and inspected it, rubbing the smooth material between her fingers. The dress was just as lovely as she remembered it being, with all its ribbons and bows and layers. She was happy that it would finally be put to good use rather than just collecting dust.
She went back to her lamp and extinguished the flame. All was quiet and dark, just the way she liked it. She crawled in between her sheets and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come to her easily tonight, instead of the nightmares that she always had. But she felt that her newfound sense of security would be a comfort to her in her sleep that night; for just as the sun would rise, Mr. Vincent Blackhorne would be no longer, and all would be well.
After a delicious dinner of roasted quail and buttered scallops (Jessamina felt her Mother was trying to cheer herself up after the funeral), she waited until Marian was alone in the kitchen and asked her to help her unpin her hair.
“Of course, miss; whatever you like. Should I come help you now?”
“No, you can finish up your work here. When you’re done, just knock on my door.” “Yes, miss. I shouldn’t take more than a hour.”
“Very well, then.” Jessamina started to upstairs, but then remembered her brooch. “Marian, where is Mr. Shelby presently?”
“I don’t know, miss. I would imagine that he is in the dining room cleaning up after supper.”
“Yes, of course. Well, thank you, Marian.”
“You’re welcome, miss.”
After finding Mr. Shelby and receiving a pair of pliers from him, she went up to her room to repair her broken brooch. But before she could begin, a knock came at the door.
“Miss?”
She hid the brooch under her pillow.
“Yes, come in”, Jessamina called out.
Marian entered timidly. “Are you sure you want me to pin up your hair still, Miss Jessamina?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?” “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, you’ve been very... distant lately, and you often snap at me when I try to help.”
Jessamina realized that Marian was actually afraid of her and began to laugh.
“Oh! Of course you would be apprehensive about my asking you here. But no, really Marian, I do require some assistance tonight, as I pinned up my curls much tighter than usual and they are quite painful against my scalp.” Jessamina sat at her dressing table. “I very much appreciate you coming here to help me today, Marian. Truly.”
“You’re very welcome Miss. It was just unexpected, is all.”
“Yes, well, I promise to be less hostile in the future.” She tried to smile comfortingly at Marian (jessamina hadn’t truly smiled in three years), who grinned in return and set upon Jessamina’s hair. She let Marian work in silence for a few minutes, and then cleared her throat. “Marian?” “Yes, Miss Jessamina.”
“May I ask you a question of a more... personal matter?”
“Why, I suppose so, miss. I will try to answer as best as I can.”
“Tell me then; what do you know of a Mr. Vincent Blackhorne?”
“What? THE Mr. Vincent Blackhorne?”
“I suppose so. I heard someone mention a man named Blackhorne who had recently acquired an original work of Pablo Picasso, and I wondered what sort of man could afford to purchase such an item.”
“Why, a very wealthy man, Miss Jessamina. A very wealthy man indeed. Mr. Blackhorne acquired a great fortune from his father upon leaving the army, and spent t wisely, investing in steel mills when they were first being built. Ever since then, he uses his money to continue his investments, but also to amass some collections.”
“What sort of collections?”
“Well, paintings, for one. He’d been looking for that particular painting for years in order to complete a trilogy of paintings, which is why it meant so much to him. That’s why he spent over $10,000 pounds on it.”
“My goodness!”
“Yes, it while quite a story around society. He also collects faberge eggs from Russia, and starting in his army days, a collection of interesting weapons.” “What makes them interesting?”
“Well, miss, they’re not just guns you know. There are axes, maces, swords, cannons, grenades, and even firework blasters from ancient china! He keeps all of these locked in a glass room, so that he may better display them for his guests. The entire collection apparently amounts to over fifty-thousand and something pounds!”
“He must have an enormous amount of servants to take care of his estate then.”
“Oh yes. And none of them like him.”
“Really? Is he mean to them.”
“Horrible! He hits some of the maidservants when he’s angry, and his been known to fire a butler with three kids simply because his breakfast was served only five minutes late! And, on top of all that, he pays them horribly. Not nearly enough as they should for working for a house of that size and prominence. Why, even I am paid more than some of the women in that place, and he can afford it!”
Jessamina knew that this was a way in to the house; if she could just pay off one of the servants to let her in (she could make up some excuse about wanting to see some his collections up close) she could sneak into his room and administer the poison. She wouldn’t bother with questioning him about who exactly hired him; if this man was as dangerous is Mr. Wiloughby claimed, she wouldn’t be able to defeat him. But she would at least have the satisfaction of knowing that the man directly responsible would be held accountable to his actions. He would be at her complete mercy, and she like having that power.
“But I know why you want to know more about Mr. Blackhorne!” Marian teases.
“What? What do you mean?”
“You’re interested in his son, aren’t you?”
“He has a son?”
“Don’t be coy with me, Miss! Every eligible girl in London knows of Vincent Blackhorne’s only son!”
“I swear, I had no idea that Mr. Blackhorne had any children at all. What’s his son’s name?”
“They call him ‘James’, and he’s the most eligible bachelor in all of London. I’ve only seen him once myself, and even then I caught only a glimpse of his profile, but goodness! What a handsome man he is! And charming, too, from what I’ve heard. Quite a surprise he isn’t married yet, considering what a catch he is. Why, he could marry any girl in the entire city if he wanted.”
Perhaps, he, too prefers solitude to the company of the opposite sex, she thought. But aloud, she said, “And how old is Mr. Blackhorne?”
“Which one?”
“The son.”
“About to be twenty-one this Friday. In fact, his father is throwing him a lavish party to celebrate his inheritance, for he will then have acquired a great sum of money. Your Mother had managed to acquire an invitation a little while ago, but I thought that considering your aversion to such events.”
“Aversion? What do you mean?”
“Well, you had said that night... after your father’s death...”
****************************************
It is the day of Jessamina’s seventeenth birthday. She is no longer a young girl, but instead a radiant woman ready to entered into the marriage market. While this doesn’t exactly please Jessamina, since she is already promised her heart to Edmund, there is something rather lovely about knowing that she’s finally a true adult, and in charge of her own personal affairs. The day had been rather lazy for her; she had slept until two and then eaten a rather large dinner so that she would be able to socialize during the party.
The party. Another thing that Jessamina wasn’t too thrilled about. She was never type who enjoyed being in the company of a plethora of unrelated strangers whose only purpose for attending was free champagne. Nonetheless, she knew how important this evening was to her parents, and so she decided to humor them just this once.
Really, it was her mother who had wanted this party so much. Jessamina knew that if her father had his way, Jessamina would have been able to do whatever she wanted that night. In fact, considering the fact that the Delaney’s did not have very much money (they were upper-middle class, but Mr. Delaney was only an apothecary), the whole “coming out to society” party seemed a little foolish. After all, the people who normally threw these sorts of parties were not the type of people the Delaneys associated with. Nevertheless, Mrs. Delaney wanted desperately for Jessamina’s marriage prospects to be wealthy ones, and so spending an extravagant amount of money on an unnecessary party seemed to be the only option.
Mrs. Delaney also spent an extravagant amount of time trying to get Jessamina ready for her big debut. She and her new maidservant, Marian, were struggling to get Jessamina into a corset that was much too small.
“Mother, please, can’t I just wear my usual one?” Jessamina cried. “This one pinches something awful!”
“Absolutely not! Your waist needs to be much smaller if you want to attract a handsome young suitor. You’ve fit into it once before, haven’t you?”
“Yes, when I was thirteen! This is meant for a child, Mother!”
“Just give one more deep breath for me, all right? Just try!”
Jessamina tried to exhale as much as possible (until she was dizzy, in fact) but the stays would just not tie.
“Bloody hell!” cursed Mrs. Delaney. “Fine, wear your old one! But you better have absolutely perfect posture tonight, Jessamina. None of your usual slouching.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“What’s all this fuss about?” Mr. Delaney asked as he entered Jessamina’s dressing room.
“Charles! What on earth are you doing back here? You can’t see Jessamina before the party.”
“Goodness, Eleanora, she’s not getting married yet, you know. I came to see how my two lovely ladies were doing. Do you need any help before I head out?”
“Why, where are you going.”
“I have a few errands to run before tonight, dear. I’ll be home before five in the evening, don’t worry.”
“Don’t worry? Of course I have to worry, Charles!”
“One of my patients, Mr. William Faunley, just delivered a message to me that he has come down with a case of severe influenza. I just need to drop off some medicine for him, but since he lives on the other side of town, it will take me an hour or two.”
“Can’t he just pick it up himself?”
“He’s too sick to even move out of bed. Eleanora, I promise I will be back soon, but the longer we continue to have this discussion, the more I am delayed from my task.”
“Fine. Let me get back work then.”
“Darling, maybe you should rest before the party. Can’t you let Marian do all of this?”
“Why, certainly not! How would she know how to pin her hair?”
“You’re pinning up Jessamina’s hair? But why?”
“Why? Because it’s what is done at these sorts of things, Charles!”
“Eleanora, Jessamina has the rest of her life to wear her hair pinned up like a matron. Let her have this one night to be young still.”
“Jessamina doesn’t want to be young. She would much rather wear her hair up. Right, Jessamina?”
Jessamina didn’t want to choose sides between her parents. But, truth be told...
“Honestly, mother? I’d prefer to wear it down, and wear that pretty pearl comb you gave me last Christmas,” she admitted.
“Fine. Fine! Have it your way, then. I suppose it is your party, isn’t it? I’ll just be taking a short rest then. Marian, if you need any help from me at all, I mean, if you are at all concerned about anything--”
“She’ll let you know, dear.” Mr. Delany promised.
With one final glaring look at her husband, she stormed off to her bedchamber.
“There, now you can get ready in peace and quiet!” he chuckled.
“Thank you, Father. For everything.”
“It’s your special day, my dear. Nothing should ruin it.” he gave her a big hug and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be back soon, all right.”
“All right.” he turned to walk out. “I love you, Father.”
“I love you, too, Jessamina. Always remember that.”
Jessamina blew him a kiss as he left his house for the last time.
“Shall I help you into your dress now, Miss Delaney?”
“Oh, yes! Thank you.”
Of this entire evening, there were only two things she was looking forward to, and one of them was her dress. Her father had the fabric imported from France, and had surprised her with it a few months ago. The dress was a beautiful blue-gray taffeta, with a giant bustle in the back and ribbons flowing down it. The skirt was pinched on both sides, and fanned out into a train whenever she walked. The sleeves were puffed to perfection, and neckline was a very elegant v-shape.
She felt incredibly elegant and beautiful when she was wearing this dress. The bluish-gray brought out the heterochromia of her eyes. She had always felt very self-conscious about her eyes being two different colors, but in this gown, she felt as if it enhanced it. The gown also set well against her auburn hair, which she was very pleased that she got to wear down for the evening. Once Marian had tied her into the dress, Jessamina let her naturally wavy hair fall about her shoulders, and placed the mother of pearl comb above her right ear. She also attached her cameo brooch to a black velvet ribbon and wore it around her neck. Although she didn’t think it would be needed during the evening, she didn’t know what sort of scoundrels would be attending her party, and therefore couldn’t be too careful.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar male voice wafting up the stairs from the main hall. Her heart started pounding out of her chest, and stomach had butterflies in.
“Marian, why don’t you take a break for a little while.”
“Miss?” Marian asked in confusion.
“You’ve worked so hard for our family today, and tonight will be an even more stressful event. Why don’t you go down to the kitchen and make yourself a nice pot of tea?”
“Are you sure?” “Absolutely! You’ve been an absolute life-saver so far. You deserve it.”
“Well, thank you kindly, Miss Jessamina!” She scuttled out of the room and down the stairs before Jessamina could even blink.
Jessamina took a huge breath, composed herself, and walked out to the top of the staircase, where she saw Edmund talking to Mr. Shelby in the hall.”
Wanting to be alone with Edmund before the night began, she cleared her throat and shouted, “Mr. Shelby?”
Edmund turned and looked up at her, and his jaw fell open in surprise. Noticing his agape mouth, he quickly shut it and looked embarrassedly at his shoes. Jessamina stifled a giggle at how adorable he was.
“Mr. Shelby, do you mind making sure that the flowers are all arranged. Mother would hate it if they were wrong.”
“Right away, Miss Jessamina.” Mr. Shelby bowed to Jessamina and walked out of sight. Once Jessamina was sure that she and Edmund were truly alone, she ran down the stairs and jumped into his arms.
“Edmund! What on earth are you doing here? I thought you had to work at the shop.” “I did. But your mother asked me if I would help set up for the evening, and I said yes. She said I could close up early tonight.”
“Edmund, I told you not to offer any of your services to Mother! She’ll only think of you as hired help if you do.”
“What was I supposed to do, Jessa? Say no? That would have been much worse for me as her future son-in-law, believe me. Besides, I couldn’t wait to see my little darling in her ball gown.”
“Do you really like it, Edmund?”
“You’re beautiful, Jessa.” He kissed her. “You always are, but tonight there’s a certain radiance about you. Something otherworldly almost.”
“It’s because you’re here, darling. I can’t believe that in a few weeks time, we’ll be engaged!”
“I can’t believe it either! I’m truly the luckiest man in all of England to have won a prize such as you.”
“And I the luckiest woman, to have man love her despite all her naivete and foolishness.”
“You’re hardly foolish, Jessamina. You’re the most intelligent girl that I know. How many other ladies can say that they know how to fill prescriptions?”
Jessamina laughed. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. But compared to all the older, maturer women that you could court, I can’t believe that you would choose me.”
“Well, it looks like we’re both very lucky then, aren’t we?” he leaned in to kiss her again, but there was a sharp knock at the door that made the two of them break apart. “I should probably get that. Perhaps more flower deliveries. Jessa, promise me you let me have the first dance?”
“And the last, dear Edmund.” He grinned at her and opened the door. But just as she was halfway up the stairs, she heard panic in Edmund’s voice. She turned around and was surprised to see two police officers standing at the entranceway.
“I don’t understand.”
“Sir, is this the house of Mr. Charles Delaney?”
“It is indeed. Is something wrong?”
“Sir, I’m afraid Mr. Charles Delaney has been killed. We found him dead outside of Picadilly Square a quarter of an hour ago.”
Jessamina’s ears were ringing and everything sounded muffled, as if she’d just been boxed in the ears. Nothing seemed right. Her sense of balance seemed off. Her vision was distorted and warped into some sort of carnival freak show. And although she wanted desperately for this to be all some sort of nightmare, and for her to wake up and have to go through all the tedious preparations again, she knew that this was real. Nothing had ever felt more real, more tangible at this moment, despite how numb her body felt. Like a patient in a coma, her mind was very much alert, even if her body was not.
“I will find the people who did this, and kill them,” she thought. “Make no mistake.”
Edmund turned to see Jessamina’s wide-eyed expression of shock and horror. He turned back to the officers.
“Look,” he stuttered, “there must be some kind of mistake--” “You found his body?” Jessamina asked quietly.
“Well, parts of it. It looks like he had been very badly beaten--”
“Sirs, please, not in front of the lady--”
“No, Edmund!” she shouted. Edmund’s surprise was quite apparent at her outburst. “I need to hear this.” She rushed down towards them. “Tell me what happened.”
“Miss, perhaps this young man is right. Perhaps it would be better to speak to the head of your household, your mother--”
“Tell me NOW!” she screamed. “I can take it!”
There was utter silence as the police officers exchanged nervous glances, and decided to tell her the truth.
“Miss, we found... parts of him. It seems as though he had been... clubbed. With a very dull and heavy object, like a broadsword. His face was unrecognizable due to the broken nose and the swelling. Both his hands were missing, so we couldn’t identify his fingerprints--”
“Then how do you know that it is her father that you found and not some homeless criminal?” Edmund demanded.
But Jessamina knew. Edmund had hope, for he was ever the optimist, and ever concerned for her safety. But no matter how much he wanted to protect her, there was nothing he could say or do that would alter the truth. The truth that her father was gone. She could already feel it in her whole being-- that sense of emptiness in her heart that felt unfillable. Edmund might be holding out for a miracle, but Jessamina knew that miracles didn’t exist. In order for miracles to exist, God had to exist. And any trace of higher power had vanished along with her father’s life.
“We found this in his pocket.” One of the officers pulled out a gold pocket watch.
“Oh god,” Jessamina whispered.
It was the very same one that she had given him for his birthday last year. He had complained about how the ticking of his old one had aggravated him to no end, and Jessamina had rectified the situation by asking Edmund for some money in order to buy her father a truly spectacular gift. Edmund, of course, acquiesced to her request (because he would sail all the way to India and back for her), Engraved on it were the words, “To Charles Delaney, the best father in the world, from your little flower.”
“Oh my God!”
“Jessamina!” Edmund whispered. “My darling, I--”
As if in a trance, without any feeling or knowledge of actual words coming out of her mouth, she said, “I must go tell my mother the news. Please excuse me.”
She had only managed to take a few steps away from them when the world grew dark.
Edmund had just enough time to catch her before she hit the floor.
****************************************
It’s true that ever since that day, she had vowed to never be celebratory ever again. She hasn’t gone to a single party or social event in three years, much to her mother’s chagrin. And how could she? How could she possibly be happy without her father by her side? Without her father to tell her that she was beautiful? Without her father to tell her that he loved her as much as he had loved anything in the entire world. Without her father to talk to about her fears and hopes and dreams.
The world had lost all joy the moment her father had taken his final breath. And as long as her father was dead, she would be in mourning. As much as her mother would hope, grieving came with no time limit.
Jessamina hadn’t realized that she had been silent for a few minutes until Marian cleared her throat nervously.
“Miss Jessamina, I’m sorry if I’ve caused you any pain by bringing up your father--”
“I’m fine, Marian.”
“I could run over to their place tomorrow and tell them you’ve changed your mind if you’d like.”
The idea of her wanting to attend some rich eligible bachelor’s ball made her insides twist in repulsion. But tactically, this may be her only shot at gaining any useful information. Jessamina thought this plan over. She decided what statement would sound the most convincing about her sudden change of heart.
“Well, Mother has been pestering me for ages about attending such parties. In fact, just today she made me promise to accept an invitation for the coming month. I suppose this one will be as good as any top appease my mother. Tell Mr. Blackhorne that I shall attend.”
“Lovely, Miss Jessamina! I shall run over there as early as I can.”
“Thank you, Marian. You can go now.”
“But I haven’t finished unpinning your curls--”
“I should be able to manage the rest on my own, thank you.”
“Have I done something wrong, miss?”
“Not at all. You’ve actually been quite a good deal of help to me. I’m just feeling rather tired now.”
“All right then. Goodnight, Miss Jessamina.”
“Goodnight, Marian. Oh, wait, do you think you could tell Mother that I’ve decided to obey her requests just this once?”
“Certainly,” Marian smiled, and she closed the door to Jessamina’s bedchamber behind her.
Jessamina waited until she Marian knocking on her mother’s door before she gave a huge sigh of relief. It would be perfect: she could attend this party on the pretense of meeting the son, but instead figure out the weakest point in his father’s defenses. By the end of the night, she could promise one of the servants handsome compensation for their help, and be well on her way to accomplishing her wildest dreams. Yes, it would have been nice to get the men on top, but she would be satisfied if this was was the last man she ever killed. She would have kept the promise to her father, and that’s all that really mattered in the first place.
She remembered the brooch under her pillow, and pulled it back out so that she could fix it. She used the plier to press the gold band back into shape. It still looked a little worn, but at least it wasn’t broken anymore. Just to be sure, she opened one of her windows, held the brooch outside, held her breath, and pushed down on the small lever. A small “poof” sound came out of the silhouette, and she knew that no severe damage had been done to it. She went back to her dressing table and laid the brooch on the top of her dresser next to a picture of her father. She picked up the picture and dusted it off. Her father’s smiling eyes beamed up at her, as if encouraging her to take this next step in her journey. He was proud of her, she knew, wherever he was.
“Don’t worry, Father.” she whispered. “It won’t be long now.”
She finished unpinning her hair and changed into her nightgown. She went to her bedside table to turn off her lamp, but caught a glimpse of some shiny taffeta in the mirror. She turned around and noticed that her coming our gown was hanging in her boudoir. She went over to it and inspected it, rubbing the smooth material between her fingers. The dress was just as lovely as she remembered it being, with all its ribbons and bows and layers. She was happy that it would finally be put to good use rather than just collecting dust.
She went back to her lamp and extinguished the flame. All was quiet and dark, just the way she liked it. She crawled in between her sheets and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come to her easily tonight, instead of the nightmares that she always had. But she felt that her newfound sense of security would be a comfort to her in her sleep that night; for just as the sun would rise, Mr. Vincent Blackhorne would be no longer, and all would be well.
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