White Lady

by Nix Whittaker

  “She’ll probably need me like a packhorse.” Glancing at the open door of the lab it mused out loud, “You think she has calmed down enough to remember we had a lunch date?”

  “Most likely. Rayne doesn’t hold a grudge for very long.” Victor was already turning back to his work so clearly thought the conversation was over. There were so many things in Victor that reminded Everett of Katherine. He knew that was probably one of the things that drew Rayne to the dragon.

  Everett wandered out and back down the corridor to her office.

  Rayne sat with her arms on the table and her head lowered. He glanced around but Larkin wasn’t around. Since the detective had married, he had learned to read Rayne and her moods better—that was according to Rayne. His absence was clear evidence that he had grown more adept at handling women. Everett though didn’t have the luxury of just ignoring her bad humour and sat down in the seat meant for witnesses and clients.

  He studied the top of her head before he broke the silence. “Don’t let Mom name it, no matter what it is.”

  Rayne’s head shot up though he was almost sure she had known he was there. She wrinkled her nose and said, “What is wrong with our names?”

  “They are boring. You are married to a dragon and the kid will be part dragon. He should have an awesome name. Something worthy of a dragon hybrid.” He leaned back in the chair and was tempted to put his feet up on the desk but he doubted his sister would be pleased about it.

  She frowned and said distractedly, “You shouldn’t use cant. Mother would be appalled.”

  Everett offered her a roguish smile. “But she isn’t here and I’d bet you’ve heard way worse in your job.” As a police detective, she would have seen things no lady should have seen. Why Society and the ton were so preoccupied with the seeming of perfection rather than dealing with reality was beyond Everett. He had never understood others in his social strata. The fourth time he had been sent down from school, he hadn’t missed his fellow classmates and it had made it easier for him to go to the continent to train to make mechanical limbs. He had trained with the woman who had made Rayne’s hand; a mixture of dragon technology and human innovation.

  She waved him off and said, “Sorry that you had to come all this way but I really don’t feel like going out to lunch.”

  “But Rules is your favourite. Where else will we go and mock the dandies and pompous authors?”

  A smile cracked her lips so he knew he was getting through.

  “I promise we won’t speak about you moving into your husband’s home or the fact you are about to expel a parasitic life-form.” He softened his words with a wide grin.

  She sneered at him as she gave a sarcastic, “Har di har har.” But she rose to her feet so she would go out with him after all.

  He jumped to his feet and clapped his hands pleased that he had brought her out of her slump. She eyed him suspiciously and asked, “You seem overly jolly. Has the shop been doing well?”

  His thoughts went back to the woman he had met earlier in the day at his store. He turned and headed for the door so his sister wouldn’t see the faint blush touching his cheeks.

  “I had an interesting client today.” She had been in his mind since she had left. He wasn’t sure how he could explain her allure to his sister. Absently he said, “She was an albino.”

  “She?” Trust his sister to pick on his feelings rather than the interesting titbit of her pigment mutation. At least dissecting his love life would take her mind off the issues with the men at the Yard and her pregnancy.

  Chapter Three

  Rayne sighed as she propped her feet up on Victor’s calves. He raised an eyebrow. She knew better than to try to hide something from him. She still tried and gave him a flirtatious smile. That only had his eyebrow rise a little higher and for mirth to brighten his eyes.

  She chuckled and said, “Why do I bother? Obviously, anything close to being feminine is only suspicious to you.”

  He helped tug off her boots and let them clunk to the ground by the couch. “You are feminine.” She snorted at the thought but didn’t complain when he pushed up her skirts so he could dig in a thumb to the sore muscles of her legs.

  She let a moan of pleasure roll up her throat. “You are the only one who thinks I’m feminine. Wait, I’m wrong. The others at work think I’m feminine enough to use my wiles to manipulate men to my will.”

  His touch turned more sensual. “I wouldn’t go so far to say you have wiles.”

  She chuckled and placed a hand over her eyes before the chuckle could become hysterical. So far her godfather had made no comments about the rumours going around work but she knew they would force him to deal with it, eventually.

  She had thought once she had announced she was married, the rumours would die but it had only gotten worse because now they saw her as a woman. She had no idea what they thought she was before that. Maybe some ape creature that could speak in rudimentary sentences. They had certainly treated her as less than human. She speculated that the change in attitude was because they saw her as a desirable woman for the very first time.

  Victor’s hand stilled on her leg and she looked up from behind her hands.

  He frowned at her and she waved his concern away before she said, “It should blow over.”

  She hoped it would. Maybe it wouldn’t matter. Once the baby came along, everyone would expect her to stay at home. She wasn’t someone who wished to be attached to a child on her hip but she also wanted a child. Someone who came from her. She couldn’t explain why she wanted children and yet wasn’t enamoured by the idea of child-raising.

  At least she was part of a class that could afford nannies. Though she wondered what kind of nanny they could hire to deal with a human-dragon hybrid. She knew their child would throw up some challenges. Victor gave her a leg a squeeze communicating with her he understood her concerns.

  Tears pricked her eyes as she said, “I love you.” It wasn’t easy to say as it had been a long road to untangle her emotions regarding the dragon.

  “No longer mad at me for getting you pregnant?” His hand slipped up higher on her leg.

  “I wasn’t mad at you. We talked about it. We made a choice. That isn’t why I was upset today. I was upset because Fields suggested that to stop the rumours I should just go home and pop out children. I haven’t even told anyone I’m pregnant. What are they going to think when they know?” She at least now knew the workload wasn’t to keep her away from the others but to put so much pressure on her she buckled. Fields had no idea who he was dealing with if he thought work would make her run.

  “Do you want me to beat him up?” Victor was many things but violent wasn’t one of them.

  “You are just offering because you feel emasculated at work.” She teased as she knew Victor had no regard whatsoever for human opinions. He only discussed this with her because it bothered her.

  She jumped as his hand grew even bolder. “Not anymore since everyone now knows I put bacon in the drawer.” She whipped the pillow out from behind her back and flicked it at him. Laughing, he lifted an arm and the pillow bounced off him harmlessly.

  “You know I will take this as permission to tell everyone you are carrying my baby.”

  She frowned and asked, “What makes you so proud? That you can procreate or that you’ve convinced me to procreate with you.”

  His grin swallowed his face. “The latter.”

  ___

  Medea hopped off the moving tram and stumbled as she struggled to get her crutch into position under her. Others stared at her but no one offered to help her. Not in this neighbourhood in any case. She wouldn’t have taken any help even if they had offered. The only people who would approach her would be the kind to push her over and rob her. As a cripple, she was too much of a temptation to the opportunists of Londinium’s streets.

  Once she found her stride, she headed for her small home above a store. Painted signs spelled out the types of stores facing the street. Bakers an
d butchers for the most part. Alleyways led to courtyards where homes and workshops nestled amongst the industrious element of the area. The trade centric streets meant there weren’t many people who lived in the district. Which was the reason Medea had chosen the place in the first place as the small community made her feel safer. Everyone knew each other and could vouch for each other.

  A stranger would be obvious. It was impossible to hide amongst a crowd so instead, she went for places where she would be noticed and made one of them. Connections could be powerful, though they were also dangerous. But she hadn’t been bothered in some time. It was this illusion of safety that had her stepping into Ancaster’s store in the first place.

  She felt a little foolish that she had rushed out of Ancaster’s store before she had settled on details for her new foot. With added mobility, she could escape. Worse she had been skittish in front of the handsome young man. A blush warmed her cheeks as she remembered her visit to the store. It wasn’t often that a man flirted with her. They had ridiculed most of her life for her looks. Desire wasn’t really what she expected.

  When she was sought after it was because of her novelty. None of those experiences had been a delight for her so it was interesting to have someone want her merely because she was a woman.

  Her owner in the new world had hidden her from visitors in case others thought she was accidentally working the fields. Her paleness had people mistaking her for a landowner or a freeman. But that had been when she was a child and before Cayman had found her. As a child, she thought the greatest thing to fear in the world was to draw the attention of the overseer but she had been wrong.

  The baker from the store across from her place came out onto the street when she passed. “Hey Medea, you able to look after the baby tonight?” The baker’s strong Roshian accent made him difficult to understand. He brushed flour off his white coat nervously. Medea had been asked a few times to look after his baby while he went to visit his wife in the hospital so the request didn’t surprise her.

  She flashed him a smile. “Of course, Nikolai. I’ll pop round in an hour or so.” Nikolai always gave her a loaf of bread for her efforts and she had limited funds so she prized every morsel. Besides Nikolai had coal for his fire. She had run out three days ago and hadn’t been able to afford any more. The nights weren’t freezing but the autumn air was definitely turning chilly.

  She had a few things to do before she went over so she excused herself and quickly made her way up the stairs. Her thoughts were still on Ancaster as she brought her crutch around to make her way up the short flight of stairs. If she had been as cautious as she usually was, she would have noticed the basket before she kicked it over.

  The basket skittered across the wooden planks before it toppled on its side. The cloth on the top flittered away in the breeze. A decapitated sparrow rolled out. Her hand went out to hold her up against the door. Her crutch fell to the ground from her numb grip. Shaking she reached down to pick up the bird. Light in weight it was cool in her hand. A note inside the basket was carefully folded and tucked in the bottom. She put aside the bird to pick up the note. The crinkle of the paper deafened her as she unfolded it.

  Written in fresh ink there was only one phrase, “My fortune.”

  Sweat beaded on her palms and the paper fluttered out of her limp grip. She didn’t even open the door to her small apartment. She grabbed her crutch and backpedalled off the landing and down the stairs.

  As she passed by the bakery, she heard Nikolai calling for her but she couldn’t risk being anywhere near him or his child.

  Chapter Four

  Everett struggled to keep up with Katherine. At sixteen she was nimble enough to duck amongst the crowd outside the circus tents without getting entangled with people. Everett wasn’t so lucky and gave up on apologising to people as they glared at him for contacting them.

  “Why did I agree to this again?” He skipped aside as a bearded lady squeezed past him. He stared after her. She had all the curves of a woman but a beard he would have been jealous of in his school years. They arranged the tents in rows to create streets and alleyways that funnelled the visitors towards the main tents and attractions.

  Katherine didn’t turn as she answered, “Because you love me.”

  He wasn’t sure why Katherine was even interested in the circus. Obsessed with books and science she rarely wandered out of the house for other forms of entertainment. He grumbled as someone shoved an elbow into his ribs. Skipping aside he almost stepped too close to a cage that held a large cat. It growled at him and he kept his eye on the creature as he backed up.

  He turned and realised he had lost his sister in the crowd. Spinning around he looked for her. Someone grabbed his arm and dragged him to the side. He was about to pull away when he recognised that it was Katherine.

  She pulled him into a tent. The sudden darkness inside took a while for his eyes to adjust. Once he did, he recoiled from the macabre scene. Rows of jars filled with amber liquid held grotesque and very dead creatures. He stumbled back on the sawdust strewn floor.

  His sister, on the other hand, was close to the jars of creatures. Her nose almost pressed up against the glass as she studied the contents. Inside the large jar was a creature from a nightmare. A hairy body and head but instead of legs it had fins. The liquid, it was suspended in, plastered its features into an unnatural mask.

  It solved one mystery. His sister had come to see these preserved mysteries though he doubted they would be a mystery for long, by the look on his sister’s face.

  Katherine snorted. “I can see the stitches.” She turned and pointed with an accusing finger. “Who would believe this thing is real? Whoever did this must be a man as the stitches are as big as train tracks. Any mother would be appalled if her daughter was this unskilled with a needle.”

  He leaned in, though he didn’t particularly like looking at the creature. Katherine said, “You’ve gone green. Who would have thought you had a weak stomach? You’ve been in a war zone. Surely you’ve seen worse than this. This is sanitary even.” She waved to indicate the jars. Even with them sealed shut he could smell the liquid they had preserved them in and it turned his stomach. He hadn’t enjoyed his time on the battlefield. The smell there had been worse than the stringent smell of the preservation fluid but the scene in front of him reminded him too much of his time as an assistant to his mentor at various battles.

  “I didn’t see bits of people in a jar.” Even as he said it, he knew his sister would point out the obvious flaw in his rebuttal. He’d blame his nausea for his lack of forethought.

  “This isn’t a person. That is a monkey.”

  “A monkey?” He had been on the continent but most of the animals there were similar to what they could find on the island they lived on. He’d only heard stories and seen drawings of monkeys. Studying the creature he moved closer so he could make out the monkey features.

  A closer view showed the stitches his sister had pointed out. They were mostly hidden in the fur but the little black stitches were too precise to blend in completely. He wouldn’t have called them crude but then he couldn’t sew at all and his mechanical skills were more about gears than stitches and thread.

  Katherine answered, “A capuchin, I think. Anything bigger wouldn’t be able to attach to the fish. Ghastly.” She moved on to the next one which showed a cow foetus with two heads. The yellow liquid was murky so the features looked obscured. He stopped to stare at it. Wondering if it had lived at all with the two heads. He dreaded what other creatures might have had two heads and survived their journey into life.

  Katherine gasped and he turned to see her studying another jar. This one was twice the size of the others and held a small child with the limbs of a squid.

  He asked as he stared at the closed eyes of the child. “Is that real?”

  “Depends what you mean by real. Some beast has taken this child and desecrated the body.”

  “Haven’t you desecrated bodies?” He thought
back to the body they had swapped out for Victor’s when the government was going to hang him for a crime he hadn’t committed. That one had been well desecrated by the end of the prison break. Even before they had set it on fire Katherine had used it to explore the organs in a human. It had certainly directed her more to a medical field than her other scientific explorations. He thought his father had been pleased she had finally settled on one field as he was going bankrupt sourcing new books.

  Her tone showed her rancour for what they had done to the child in the jar. “Not a child. Besides, that was to save a life, this is merely to entertain people.” The child disturbed him himself. Not because it had been used by someone to sell tickets but rather because they could not put the child to rest. Even the body they had used to save Victor had been buried. There was no rest for this child. He wondered if the child’s spirit lingered. His hair shivered as goose bumps travelled across the back of his neck.

  Katherine grabbed his arm and said, “I’m going to go talk to someone about this.” Lecture more like it.

  He pulled his arm free. Her voice promised her conviction to bring justice to the child and pity to anyone in her sights. He’d been dragged along with his sister’s crusades before. Usually, he was blamed for any fallout and he had learned his lesson. “I’ll wait here for you.”

  Katherine huffed and with stiff arms, she stormed off to look for whoever ran the show. He didn’t stay in the tent as the grotesque jars chased him out. Outside he watched animals in cages atop wagons while he waited for his sister to eviscerate some poor person.