"It seems that some of their personal effects are gone, too. Hair ribbons, rings, but it's unclear. Their parents didn't know all of their trinkets."
"Hmm."
"Yes, I thought about that, too. Still, I think it's a madman. A maniac."
Lily sighed.
Jack the Ripper was the last thing she needed in Laveri.
"What about the murder weapon?"
"A knife, in all cases."
"Were the girls killed right away, or were they tortured first?"
Jess shook his head. He genuinely didn't think that women should talk about things like that, but it was Lilian, his Lilian, a completely different case.
She was unique, and if it didn't ruin her mood, why shouldn't she do it?
Before meeting his wife, he had thought women gentle and fragile, unable to discuss any serious matters, let alone crimes.
Help? Support? From a woman? Aldonai forbid! Women were incapable of that, no question about it.
As it turned out, he was wrong, and his wife became the one to prove it to him. She could do everything it seemed: start a production of lace, operate on a wound, calmly pull several arrowheads out of a man, escape from a riot-hit city, even kill a person.
Jess couldn't say that he admired every facet of her personality, but there were lots of other women and only one Lilian. If she wanted to discuss blood and viscera, let her, especially since he was curious as well. In other circumstances, he would have to wait for the dinner to be over and politely ditch the women, but it was impossible with his wife. She would question Tremain, discuss everything, and look quite surprised if anyone told her that such behavior was unbefitting a countess. It was quite fitting, she'd say. Why be a countess if you couldn't break the rules?
"Not right away," Hans replied. "The murderer took his time..."
"Was he torturing them or playing with them?"
"The second, I think, but I doubt it was all that different from the other option." Hans seemed unfazed by the questions, making short work of the boar meat in front of him.
Lily nodded thoughtfully. Such issues never ruined her appetite, either. Still, the presence of a serial killer in Laveri bothered her.
Why couldn't he go threaten Wellster or even Avester?
Such thoughts were wrong, though. Lily felt sorry for all girls, everywhere. How could such bastards walk the earth, really?
There was only one consolation: with no "innocent until proven guilty" clause and no lawyers, the murderer would get his just rewards as soon as he got caught with no way to escape the punishment. Most likely, he would be broken upon a wheel or maybe even worse.
Served him right. In a world like that, where human lives didn't cost a penny, there was no point in wasting the government's funds on a lowlife like that, risking more victims if he ever got free.
Avester
The man sitting on the throne was handsome; there was no doubt about that. Blond, well-built, with a charming smile... Truly, the crown on his head was far from the only reason why his mistresses dreamed of warming his bed.
Still, few of them had gotten to see him in such a state, with his gray eyes turning almost white like ice covering a dirty puddle, his lips pressed in a thin line, his cheekbones making his face look like a death mask. Few got a chance to see His Majesty Entor like that, and praise Aldonai for that. Otherwise, they might not have gotten to sleep at night, tormented by nightmares.
The man standing in front of the king, however, felt no fear. He wasn't guilty of anything, but he knew that he was still of use. There was no need to worry beforehand.
"Ativerna prospers."
Baron Lofrayne bowed. He wasn't going to argue with that. So what if it did?
Still, he had already realized the reason for the king's ire. So many years had passed, more than a generation, but his hate... His hate remained.
That hate bore the name of a beautiful woman: Imogene. The poor queen of Ativerna, unloved by her husband, unwanted, humiliated and scorned. A queen replaced by a woman barely above a streetwalker!
Leonar had loved his sister, and he hated Edward of Ativerna. He passed on that hate to his son, not caring a bit about the consequences. And then, another grudge emerged: this time, for his daughter, Larissia.
She might not be the prettiest of girls, but she had fallen in love with the handsome prince Richard, and his father didn't even think about her as a prospective bride, didn't even look at Avester. They were close relatives, true, but the aldon could have granted a dispensation. It would have been a good match, with a good dowry, not to mention Larissia's own feelings. More than enough for anyone.
But no, for the second time, another girl was chosen over a queen from Avester!
Leonar wasn't wrong, either. Viscountess Earton might have truly loved Edward, but morality condemned a woman who seduced someone else's husband.
That's right, and don't even say that rules were different for kings. Decency and integrity were the same for anyone. Jessamine and Edward had been in love, but a promise made is a promise kept, and he broke it.
Was it really any fault of Imogene's? No. Her treatment was deplorable and dishonest, and feelings were no excuse for that. Men weren't animals to be ruled only by their emotions.
And then there was Anna of Wellster who was chosen instead of Larissia. Now that was a slap in the face!
Not everybody knew the whole story, but His Majesty Leonar managed to make inquiries through certain channels. A maiden, really? That girl had gotten involved with her teacher even before the wedding and then disappeared Aldonai knew where. The epitome of virtue!
If she was like that, were any of her sisters any better? And that's who they picked over Larissia? What an insult!
At least, that's what the late King Leonar and Entor both thought. Maybe the former wouldn't have started anything if he were still alive, opting to keep the status quo. Better a lean peace than fat victory, especially in politics. Entor, however, was nowhere as wise as his father: young and reckless, he wanted revenge. He didn't even need a reason. Just because.
King Leonar's death had come at the worst possible time. The cause was simple, and there was nothing unusual about his death, either. Lily would have diagnosed a ruptured ulcer. Even in the twenty-first century, something like that couldn't always be treated: often, patients died before reaching the hospital. Bad things happened; nothing to say about that.
Alas, the man was dead, but his hate remained. It got worse, too. Hate could be tolerated if the enemy was unhappy or grieving, but Ativerna was more than fine. Richard was married, his wife was probably already expecting, and the kingdom grew richer and richer, famous for its mirrors, laces, glass, and healers. Lately, an Ativernan doctorus had become a seal of excellence. That hurt a lot.
Why did Edward have access to the best healers, while His Majesties Leonar and Entor had nothing? Why did Ativerna have it all while Avester didn't? It felt insulting...and could make one go to great lengths to fix it. What lengths, you would ask?
Simple. Take it away and split it. If you take just a little from a rich man, it wouldn't be robbery—just redistribution. Having decided that, His Majesty Entor started to make inquiries. He found out a curious detail. All the new inventions came from Castle Taral and County Earton.
Healers were taught in County Earton. Actually, whenever he looked, he found one person: a certain blonde countess. His interest piqued, Entor ordered a more thorough investigation and realized that if Lilian Earton wasn't behind everything, she was at least involved. She was also married to the dastardly Jerisson Earton and friends with His Majesty and His Highness.
The informant assured Entor that Lilian Earton knew a lot. Even if someone else was in the foreground, she was there as well. She was the source of all the new inventions, too.
And she was a woman. Weak, pliable, used to obeying men—a man could scare her, intimidate her, even force her to do anything...
At the very least, her disappearance would hurt e
veryone whom Entor hated, and it meant one thing. It was time to act.
The baron received a mission: find and abduct Lilian Earton. Deliver her to Avester. Do it in secret so that it couldn't be traced. If he succeeded, he would become a count. If he failed...well, he shouldn't, or he wouldn't become anything, ever.
The baron listened carefully but didn't think much of it. An abduction? What would be so hard about that? Especially if he was to abduct some woman. People might be all complimentary about her, but in the end, a woman was a woman.
The baron bowed and agreed to fulfill His Majesty's task. Of course, it wouldn't take too much time and effort. All he had to do was to go to Ativerna.
The baron had more than enough reason to be confident. Prince Richard and Jerisson Earton might be the most well-known lady-killers in Ativerna, but in Avester, that title belonged to Baron Lofrayne with his dreamy looks.
Dark brown curls, green eyes, thin black eyebrows, a firm chin, high cheekbones...he looked like a fallen angel or a sultry demon. His body was no less attractive: tall, broad-shouldered, with narrow hips and long legs, he had bedded more than a few court ladies. The baron's respect for women had vanished back after two dozen of them, and his belief in their honor even before that.
Lilian Earton? He genuinely didn't expect her to become a problem. He would ride there, seduce her, convince her to elope—all in a month's work, two months in the worst case. Nothing complicated, really. Why not go to Ativerna?
He bowed to the king once again and assured him that the mission would be accomplished...at any cost.
***
Anthony Lofrayne had never been refused in his life. The oldest son of Hans and Amanda Lofrayne, he was adored by everyone around him since childhood: his sisters, as upon receiving a long-desired heir, their father stopped getting drunk as a skunk and throwing everything at them; his mother, as his birth made Hans fall in love with her all over again; and, of course, his father.
For Hans, his son was everything: the continuation of his bloodline, his hope and strength, pride and joy. He had dreamed about a son for years, but alas, his wife only bore him girls.
He had bastards from maids and servant girls, of course, but who cared for them with their dirty peasant blood? No, Hans wished for a legitimate heir, but Amanda gave birth to one girl after another six times straight.
Hans was desperate. He started to drink and beat his wife, hoping (silently, of course, but Aldonai saw everything) that Amanda would die in childbirth, maybe together with another girl she would bring into the world, leaving him free to marry a woman capable of producing a son.
That might have happened eventually, but Amanda's seventh attempt finally resulted in a male child.
Finally getting his heir, the baron, with all the enthusiasm of a neophyte, proceeded to educate him.
There was no point in paying attention to the girls—sooner or later, they would leave the family. But his boy, blood of his blood... His son.
As a father, Hans was utterly insane. He put the crib in his own bedroom and handpicked the wet-nurses and the nannies. If the baby cried, he took him in his arms and lulled him to sleep. Unthinkable! Yet the baron didn't care.
However, Hans was nowhere as thrilled at the birth of his second son Rufus. All of his love and adoration went to Anthony. Rufus, by the way, turned out to be the only person who bore no love for his brother. As for the others... People only saw what they wished to see: a handsome face with chiseled features, a head full of chestnut hair, sparkling green eyes, a stunning smile, good manners... In his velvet suit with a frilly collar, the boy was irresistible.
He never lost his charm, either, being equally graceful and polite while atop a spirited stallion on a bloody hunting party and sitting in a parlor with elderly court ladies. He smiled at everybody but loved no one.
Early on, Anthony realized that he was the one who was supposed to be loved. In his reference system, it was well and good. The only thing that bothered Rufus, however, was that his brother didn't even dislike him—he didn't see him at all.
For Anthony, Rufus didn't exist. Why would one care about some trifling nonsense? Anthony Lofrayne definitely wouldn't, no sir.
Unlike his brother, Rufus was a momma's boy. No, he wasn't spoiled or entitled—the baroness didn't have the energy to coddle him, as after giving birth to Rufus, the doctorus strictly forbade her from having any more children, saying that the next labor would kill her. The baron took it well, already having an heir and a spare, and left his wife's bed for the maids.
The baroness breathed out in relief and proceeded to bring up the children, or rather, her daughters and Rufus.
Hans was all over the eldest son, while the youngest grew up to be a calm and quiet boy who loved reading.
He spent most of his time in the library, rummaging through manuscripts and trying to learn how to manage the estate.
In the meantime, Anthony shone in society, attracting everyone's attention.
Rufus fell in love at sixteen, smitten head over heels as if knocked down with a hammer, courtesy of one Melinda Weiss.
Anthony, in contrast, changed girls like socks, although good socks were harder to come by for him than women.
One more, one less... He didn't get Melinda into bed simply because she was a neighbor's daughter, and good relations with one's neighbor mattered more than untied breeches. It's not like she had something different between her legs compared to other girls. There were many other women, and he was in no hurry to get married and listen to their endless complaints, anyway.
And so, the Lofrayne house became the scene of a classic love triangle. Melinda was making eyes at Anthony while Rufus pined after Melinda. The baroness saw everything, but what could she do? Only talk to her youngest. Rufus could still remember that conversation, his mother's soft fingers on his cheek, her sad smile...
"Don't marry Melinda, son. Please.”
"Mama..."
"I know you want to propose."
Rufus did. Marry first, and love comes afterward, right? After they had children, everything would turn out well, he was sure of it.
"Don't marry her."
"Because she loves Tony, right?"
“Yes, sweetie."
"It will pass like a dream."
His mother smiled bitterly, understanding in her eyes.
"It won't pass, dear. You will take Melinda into the house where Tony will always be in her sight. Being married, she won't have to preserve her maidenhood anymore. She'll be free to seduce and be seduced. Sooner or later, you will hate your brother and your wife for what will happen, and who knows how that will turn out?"
"This is the worst option, Mama. Melinda might get over Tony and stop loving him."
"This will only make it worse. The thing women hate the most is what stayed unfulfilled. Our broken dreams."
Rufus slowly nodded.
"I understand, Mama. But I can’t promise you..."
"Don't, then. But wait a year."
"I can do it."
"And don't talk to her during this time."
"All right, Mama."
A year passed, and the baroness turned out to be right. A lot had changed; Melinda married a rich widower and, as Rufus later found out, managed to seduce Anthony. She simply slipped into his bed one night. Accustomed to having a woman next to him, he didn't bother to check her face before doing the deed. Famously, when the candles go out, all cats are gray, but in the daylight, some of them turn out to be purebred.
A scandal broke out, exacerbated by the Weisses believing Anthony over their own daughter, who claimed that Tony had raped her. Tony, in turn, screamed that he would never do anything like that.
The case was solved by the maid. Pale, she came to her masters and confessed that young lord Anthony had told her to come that night, and she would have, if not for Lady Melinda, who stopped her on the doorstep, gave her a coin and ordered her to get out, then entered the room instead.
That story earned the m
aid a slap from Melinda and later, when the drama was over, a good sum in gold from Hans and Anthony Lofrayne. She bought herself a small inn in town and got married. The baron knew how to be grateful.
Rufus gritted his teeth and tried to forget his love. He got busy with the estate's affairs and soon became its manager. He learned everything about Lofrayne: its population, the number of sheep in the fields, the number of forks in the dining hall, the cost of his sisters' dresses, the investments and the profits... But despite truly loving Lofrayne and knowing it inside out, he understood that the estate would never be his.
Still, his brother wouldn't abandon him and kick him out. All he had to do was find a girl who didn't care about Anthony, a girl who could love Rufus for himself. Alas, he hadn't succeeded yet, and considering that in looks, the youngest Lofrayne was a pale shadow of the eldest, he would have to wait a long time, seeing as the potential bride needed to be immune to Anthony's charms. Tony was quite capable of seducing his brother's wife, and Rufus wasn't exactly anxious to become a cuckold. Melinda was still heavy on his mind. No, he would rather bide his time looking and find the perfect woman.
Rufus really looked like his brother's blurred photo. The same green eyes and chestnut hair, but with softer and weaker features, a thinner build, a timid expression on his face, a lack of confidence... Compared to Anthony, he was a candle next to the sun.
As the two brothers sat on the couch in the dining hall, that contradiction was especially pronounced.
"Ruf, I need to leave."
"For how long?"
"Half a year, I think, maybe less."
"Are you going far?" Rufus had a reason to ask. Hans Lofrayne had passed away ten years before, and Anthony inherited the title. All documents needed his signature, and all decisions, his permission.
"Yes. Prepare the papers. You'll be my proxy while I'm gone."
"Where are you headed?"
Anthony fell silent for a few minutes.
"To Ativerna, Ruf."
"We aren't friends with them."
"That’s right, but I'm not planning on staying long."
A New World Page 2