His Black Wings

by Astrid Yrigollen

  “Lilly, come in to the parlor we need to discuss some matters.” I followed him to the parlor and sat down in my customary spot.

  “I have some good news.” But the way he said it, it didn’t sound like it was anything to be happy about. I focused my attention on him as he looked intently into my eyes.

  “We are going home.” He stated flatly.

  “Home Sir?” I questioned. He nodded looking out to the fireplace watching the fire dance among the burning logs.

  “Yes, back to my home. We will leave at the end of this week so be prepared. Pack up all your things, including Naza’s. A porter will come and collect our luggage, so only keep your purse if you wish, with you. Naza will have to travel in the animal car, but she will be quite alright in there.”

  “Animal car?”

  “We will take the train.” He said as he stood up to take his leave. More than likely to go down to his gloomy basement. Of course I did not know if it was gloomy since I never even touched the handle to the door. I stood up as he did when Mary entered the room with an excited look on her face.

  “Aye remember !” Mr. Brighton and I looked at Mary in bewilderment. I could tell Mr. Brighton was in a sour mood still and trying to suppress it.

  What the deuce are you babbling about girl?” Mr. Brighton said sternly.

  “Aye remember what the note said, the name!” She was referring to the body they had found.

  “Mary,” Mr. Brighton began in a softer tone this time, “please do not speak…”

  But Mary cut him off.

  “Note only ‘ad one word, ‘Claren.’ ” Mr. Brighton continued to scold Mary for speaking of gruesome things but his voice became faint and the room grew dark. For a third time in Mr. Brighton’s presence I fainted.

  Once again I awoke in my bed and looked towards the moon. I was frightened. Someone knew I was here, and that someone had to be Kurten. I shivered despite my room being warm. Naza climbed in to the bed with me and I buried my face into her wiry fur.

  Mr. Brighton stayed at home all week but hardly spoke to me. He did not mention my fainting spell nor anything else, which I thought peculiar.

  Only on one occasion did he speak when I made to go out the front door to retrieve the day’s paper.

  “Not going out are you?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Only for the paper.” I answered. He looked away but answered.

  “Leave it. I saw an animal squat over it, we’ll get a new one.”

  I made sure to stay in my room as much as I could since I did not have an answer for him if he did question me regarding my fainting spell.

  After what seemed an eternity, the day to leave arrived. Naza was taken ahead of us with our luggage but not without a kiss from me and pat on the head from Mr. Brighton.

  “Now there’s a good girl Naza. Soon you’ll be running down acres and acres of grass after rabbits.” He said in a light hearted tone which I was relieved to hear. Perhaps his mood was lifting and whatever dark thoughts he had regarding the incident in the city, were leaving him.

  We arrived at the train station early to have our tickets punched and to be led to our private care. The modern trains were sleek tubes made of copper and glass. Beautiful things to look at and to ride in. They ran on steam and electricity and were whisper quiet. The porter shut the door to our private car and Mr. Brighton sat on the couch across from me. He looked at me without smiling.

  “Have you ever rode on a steam train Lilly?”

  “Yes, once when I was a child. We attended the world fair in Luxington.”

  The porter’s voice came over the intercom to announce the departure. The train lurched in the beginning but after that its movement was imperceptible. I watched the autumn landscape speed by our window. The leaves had already turned beautiful shades of gold, red and brown and you could see a slight mist in the air. I was aware of Mr. Brighton staring at me, and for the first time in a long time I felt uncomfortable in his presence.

  “I have a question to ask you.” Mr. Brighton finally spoke after awhile. I looked towards him hoping to clear the air between us.

  “What is it that you wish to accomplish with all the lies you tell me, Claren?”

  I had heard that when one is faced with a sudden shock, their knees tremble and their heart feels like it skips a beat. When faced with my own shock, I thankfully did not faint but I felt as though my knees began to tremble. I didn’t know what to say, so I sat there stupidly. He grinned at me from behind white, even teeth. My heart fluttered and felt like a huge fish was rolling over in my breast.

  “Well?” He said as he moved forward and traced the outline of my knee through my heavy skirt with his slender, white finger.

  “What is your wish, Claren?” My heart, upon hearing him use my real name, beat harder. I felt the adrenaline push itself through my veins. He seemed to be aware of it, and licked his lips quickly.

  “I don’t know what is it you ask Sir.” I stammered, my own voice sounding as a child’s would when confronted with some wrong doing. He had used my real name, was it safe to assume he knew who I really was? He stopped smiling and cocked his head to one side, contemplating me.

  “But you do Claren, you know very well what I want, what you want.”

  How did it ever come to this? I thought franticly. What was I going to do, now that he knew who I was? He seemed to read my thoughts because he answered my question without it ever being posed.

  “What will I do indeed? What can I do is the question, Claren. Here we are on a train, bound for the quaint countryside. No alarm has been raised, no Porter is valiantly trying to fight for your honor or to even help and cover your embarrassment, your lies. Thus, it shall remain so. At least, until we arrive at our destination.”

  “Then what?” I questioned quietly.

  I am resolved to die, but not without a fight. He knows this. That is why he will not attempt to take me here, on a train full of people.

  My question hangs in the air between us, like a solid thing. He still has not answered, even as the whistle of the train shrieks into the wind, we race into a tunnel, blackness engulfing our private car.

  Answers

  The tunnel went dark and I prepared myself for an assault, one that did not come. Instead when the train emerged in to the light Mr. Brighton was no longer touching my knee but leaning back on his couch. His eyes were inquisitive yet his overall expression was slightly amused.

  “First, do you know what I want Claren?” I was relieved he was no longer touching me. I shook my head.

  “I want the truth from you. I need to know that you are an honest young woman. It’s important, no vital, that you be completely frank with me.” When I hesitated, he added with new warmth in his voice, “You can trust me. I do not want to harm you. I would never want to harm you and I don’t wish to see you in a bad situation. Trust me.” He looked into my eyes with a quiet determination, looking for answers that only I could give him. I decided to trust him with everything and if he turned his back on me, then I would handle it from there.

  “I first want to apologize for deceiving you. As you have found out my name is not Lilly Cardindale, but Claren Maidstone. Both my parents are deceased. They died a few weeks before I came into your employ.”

  He listened intently as I told him everything that had happened to me up until the time he hired me. I left nothing out. It seemed to be somewhat therapeutic for me to tell him about my parents, about the unwanted attention from Kurten and the attempted rape. I spoke in a low voice looking down at my hands that were now folded in my lap. I related how Naza had saved me from Kurten, but was injured herself by him. I told him how I fled that night with Naza and a small case of belongings. As always he studied me intently, his gaze attempting to penetrate my mind and private thoughts. When I was finished, he spoke to me in a soft tone.

  “So this Kurten, he was the one that attacked you that night you were shopping?” I nodded.

  “Now I will tell you wh
at I know of you. I knew your aunt quite well and was very fond of her. She spoke of you often towards the end of her illness and felt badly about that young man Kurten being pushed on you by your parents.” I marveled that she had listened all that time I spoke to her. She always seemed so far away, only joining my monologues on occasion.

  “So, you knew about Kurten then?” I asked.

  “Yes. I knew his name only, not what he looked like. That day when I came upon you both, I heard you call out his name. You said, ‘Kurten stop!’ I stopped him from hurting you but I was confused. I thought that maybe you had let him know you were coming in to town. Thousands of different thoughts entered my head. Perhaps you were in love with him, perhaps there was more to the story that the Constables knew. I have been very confused this past week Claren.”

  “No! I could never be in love with a beast like that. I was actually very upset when I realized that we were going in to St.Marhen. I was petrified that someone would recognize me.”

  The train slowed as it prepared to enter a new city and take on more passengers. I looked out the window to see the happy looks on people waiting for their loved ones to step off the train.

  “Claren, it was always my intention to help you if an opportunity presented itself. My plans, of course were bungled by Kurten who chose to force himself on you and not wait. I am so glad you were not harmed. I read in the paper that you had escaped during the night.”

  “How did you know my aunt? How was it that she never mentioned you to me?” He smiled wistfully.

  “I met your aunt quite by accident at the park. She engaged me in conversation which proper ladies do not do, however, I knew right away there was something different about her. She had a free spirit about her and I took to her right away. I only knew her for a short while before she grew ill and passed on, but I knew right away that if I could help you I would be honoring her memory.” I felt sad not to have known that my aunt cared so much about me. All my life, my parents tried to keep me away from her and here she was thinking of me that whole time. I felt a strong urge to take out the teapot she left me from my baggage but it was packed away in another car. Mr. Brighton continued his narrative.

  “When I had found that you had gone, I tried to put myself in your shoes as it were. You would be seeking refuge and would need a way to support yourself. I placed that ad the day you vanished. I was worried that something had happened to you, but I felt that I had to stay here until I knew for sure.”

  “So you were waiting for me all those weeks Mr. Brighton?” He nodded.

  “Now I have to tell you I have not been completely honest with you. My name is not Mr. Brighton. The servants at the brownstone know me as Mr. Brighton but I am actually Fredrick Lowood. It was necessary to take on what I call a traveling name when I purchased the brownstone to be closer to your aunt. It also came in quite handy when I went in to St. Marhen to investigate.” My mind raced turning his words over in my head.

  He was not Mr. Brighton, he was Fredrick Lowood. He actually purchase a place to live near my aunt, were they romantically involved?

  “I see by the expression on your face you have more questions. Please Claren, ask me anything. From now on there is no need to hide or lie and that goes for me as well.”

  “You said you purchased that brownstone to be near my aunt. Were you two romantically involved?” I felt embarrassed asking him such a question which was really none of my business, but I felt I needed to know the nature of his relationship with my aunt.

  He smiled as if remembering her.

  “No Claren, we weren’t. Your aunt, even though she shirked modern convention, she was still a very proper lady. When she grew sicker, I wanted to bring her to the brownstone and care for her but she refused. I found a friend in your aunt, someone I could talk to who would not judge me. We had a few precious months together but she refused all my gifts, and even when I would send doctors over, she would turn them away.” It was his turn to look out the train window sadly.

  I cleared my throat awkwardly.

  “When I was finally allowed to visit my aunt she was very ill, in the last stages of her illness. I did not understand it since the influenza is easily cured if treated right away.” He nodded sadly. The porter announced the train leaving the station and we felt it give a lurch. Slowly we left the city behind.

  “Sometimes a simple illness can become much worse if one’s heart is broken. I felt that your aunt’s heart had been broken, and I think that is what made us good friends since I am the same, a heartbroken old wretch. Your aunt carried a deep sadness within her, but she gave up. I do not have that luxury. I felt compelled to find you Claren. I thought that perhaps if I went to St. Marhen and sought you out…”

  “You mean you went in to St.Marhen after the funeral?”

  “Oh yes, I wanted to know what had happened. Once I got it into my head to help you out of that entanglement, I made my plans. I arrived the next day to your home but of course, you were not there, and your home had one of those awful biometric devices to keep humans out and alert the constables if you were to come back.”

  The door to our private car slid open and a small woman bowed to us.

  “Shitsuree shimas, would any of you like a meal?” I had been feeling peckish but I did not want to have to eat and then go to the bathroom later.

  “Hai, futari kudasai.” Mr. Lowood answered reaching in to his vest pocket and producing his payment card. She took his payment card and slid it inside her kimono, just below her neck where her exchange panel was located discreetly. She was a perfect example of the humanoid android. One would never notice that she was made out of metal and gears underneath her synthetic skin. Androids in the workforce were primarily used in positions where humans could not constantly deliver the same level of service, mainly customer service on long trips. However, they were not legal to use in offices or stores where they would be taking jobs away from humans. She smiled demurely at Mr. Lowood and produced his payment card.

  I noticed that his payment card glowed neon white, which meant his funds were inexhaustible. My own payment card, when I had one, glowed a pretty pink to indicate that my card was linked to my parents funds but that they had enough to cover purchases made by me up to five thousand Dumas. Anything above that, I would need their approval. Of course now my account was frozen, as I am sure my parents accounts were. All because of Kurten.

  A table slid out from a side compartment under the window to position itself between Mr. Lowood and myself. The top was made out of a material called yongri which looks and feels like glass but can become soft and pliable in seconds. I could see the table contained a storage underneath in which it pushed up its contents through the top of the yongri. In seconds two drinks, and several plates of food rose up from inside of the table.

  “Doozo.” The small woman said, indicating we should eat. Mr. Lowood picked up his napkin and placed it on his lap.

  “Arigatou gozaimasu.” He nodded to her and smiled.

  “Doomo shitsuree shimashita.” She answered and left as Mr. Lowood picked up a fork and began to eat his salad.

  “Deuce if I know how they manage to keep everything in it’s place with these contraptions.” He said a speared a cherry tomato.

  “We studied it in school and at the time it was quite interesting, but I am afraid that I have forgotten much of what I learned in my basic materials class.” He nodded as we proceed to eat in silence. After the meal was finished and the yongri table had disappeared back into the wall, he started his story once more.

  “Was the meal to your liking Claren?” He asked.

  “Yes thank you. I’m quite full.”

  “Full are we? Good. Well that should carry us the rest of the journey and the rest of our conversation.” He took out a round pocket watch and flipped the lid to check the time. He closed it and tucked it back in to his vest pocket.

  “Now where was I? Oh yes, so I went to the Constables station to gather more information about you and
the incident. Thankfully there were enough loose lipped constables there to tell me more or less the story. They knew you were innocent and they painted quite a picture for me of this Kurten. They also informed me that you did not have a chance for a fair trial.”

  “I gathered as much. Kurten’s family is very powerful and exerts much influence. I knew I had to leave before the constables arrived the next day.”

  “You know Claren, I do believe they wanted to give you a chance to leave. I distinctly got that impression. Well, when you finally showed up at my door step I decided to play as though I did not know who you were since I was afraid that you would leave again. I did not want you to think I would turn you in to the authorities. I wanted to gain your trust.”

  “But why take the chance and take me to St. Marhen where I may be recognized?” He made a fist and pounded his leg.

  “Of all the bloody stupid things I have done in my life that was one of them. I needed to take you there because I was meeting with your solicitor. I wanted to see if there was a way for you to gain access to your property for your things. If he said yes, I was going to tell you then, and take you to your home. But he said that there was no way. I thought you would be safe in those shops. What are the chances that a person like the mayor’s son is going to go shopping in ladies shops at that time of the evening?” He held out his hand to me which I took. His expression was sad.