by Karen Joyce
“Well, I heard she is the very woman rumoured to be the mistress of the late Duke of Montague.”
“Lydia, you should be ashamed. Why, to even suggest such a thing,” said one of their small party, as she fanned the heat rising to her cheeks.
“Do not scold me, Annabelle. I have it on good authority she has threatened the Montague’s with this unsavoury truth should they not continue with this charade.”
“Imagine a young woman engaging in such vulgar behaviour,” said Miss Jezebel, “Though it would explain her sudden appearance.”
“I hear she is the sole surviving heir of the Tudor Dynasty,” said Lincoln quite unexpectedly, startling the women as they turned to face him.
“Impossible!” said Miss Annabelle, “any Briton worth his salt is well aware that Queen Elizabeth did not bear any offspring and the Tudor dynasty ended upon her death.”
“Yes, young lady, I can see you are a conscientious student as that is the official word on the matter but, any Briton who is worth his weight in gold has also heard of the Prince Tudor theory.”
“Excuse me Ladies, I couldn’t help but overhear and it just so happens there is truth to what this gentleman speaks of,” said Percival, joining Lincoln’s side.
“Please, Sir,” said Jezebel, voicing their impatience, “Prey tell.”
“The Royal Court has been rife with talk that Queen Elizabeth had a secret lover and they bore a child.”
“Oh my,” the ladies chorused in unison.
“Then that can only mean one thing…” began Miss Jezebel.
“From the first, I did detect a note of royalty in her manner and style,” said Miss Lydia.
“Quite a change of heart,” smiled Miss Jezebel.
“There are theories that the man was the 17th Earl of Oxford, Lord Alexander de Vere, or her courtier, Lord Robert Dudley, the 1st Earl of Leicester.”
“Perhaps we should formally introduce ourselves...” suggested Miss Annabelle.
“Yes, now that she is out in society, she will certainly benefit from her association with us.”
“How very kind,” said Lincoln, with sarcasm. “Why I just passed her now by the dance floor. If you hurry, you’ll catch her before she begins the first waltz.” Excited cries were heard among the ladies as they hurried off together like a flock of birds flying south for the winter.
“Percival, you received Duchess Montague’s invitation.”
“Yes, though I was surprised to receive it.”
“It seems you have made a good impression upon them after all.”
“Have you had the honour of making the acquaintance of this mysterious young woman?”
“Perhaps we should seek some solitude on the terrace.”
Lincoln didn’t respond and instead motioned to Percival to find some solitude from the boisterous sounds of the ballroom.
“I was present at her announcement this morning at the balls commencement when she was presented to Lord Chamberlain.” revealed Percival, as he joined Lincoln upon the terrace.
“And what did you make of her?” asked Lincoln, feeling the pace of his beating heart increase with excitement.
“She is as you may suspect of any such lady who is presented in such an elaborate fashion. Most agreeable and Lady Madeline has said she is accomplished in art, music, languages and of course, the most desirable skill of them all, needlepoint,” he said, winking, “but it is her modest disposition and subtle beauty I find most alluring.”
“You found her quite amiable then?”
“Indeed, but she does not hold a candle to Lady Madeline.” Lincoln was relieved at this disclosure and relaxed a little. Knowing that he and Lady Delphinia were at this very moment situated in the same location, he began to feel impatient to discover what the evening would hold when he would finally have the chance to speak with her again.
“Shall we postpone our sojourn and join in on the festivities?”
“Lincoln,” called Lady Madeline, as she saw them enter the ballroom. Lincoln saw her dressed in an elegant, floor length, cream ball gown with a pattern of African violets and layers of embroidered white lace tulle cascading from the boned bodice that accentuated her ample bosom. Her voluminous red hair was swept up into a large bun with a braided tail coiled around her crown and tightly curled ringlet tresses falling from the nape of her neck.
“I was afraid you may not make it,” she said.
“Please accept my apologies for my tardiness,” he said, “There were some affairs in Gravesend that required my attention.”
“Of course, I understand” she said, as she played with her closed fan anxiously.
“Never fear, Lincoln, I have been keeping Lady Madeline entertained in your absence.” Lady Madeline lowered her eyes at the inference in Percival’s remark.
“I am comforted to hear of it,” said Lincoln, as he looked now about the ballroom searching for Lady Delphinia, the conversation of this present company drifting away from his mind. His eyes fell upon a delicate figure standing on the other side of the room caught in conversation with several young men and Duchess Montague. Lincoln felt a sharp pang in his chest as he beheld this striking vision. Overcome with the eternal longing of the dark for the light on a moonless night. The thought coming upon him now as naturally as the beat of one’s heart; that he should never be parted from her again.
“Do you not agree, Lincoln?” said Lady Madeline. “Lincoln…?” He could no longer hear them, as he looked upon Lady Delphinia and saw that her lungs drew upon the air as his own and that she moved within this world as he. Saw that her heart moved to the rhythm of life, instead of the sound of silence. Lady Madeline followed Lincoln’s gaze to the other side of the room and saw to whom it had settled upon.
“Of course, Lincoln, you must be eager to be formally introduced to Lady Delphinia.” Hearing her name spoken lifted him from his daydream and he turned his wandering eyes back to Lady Madeline.
“Come, let us not delay,” she said, as she waited for Lincoln to offer his arm to her. Lincoln failed to see this gesture and instead, walked ahead of them. Lady Madeline stood there feeling humiliated at Lincoln’s rebuff, when suddenly she felt Percival’s hand take hers and thread it through his own.
“If I may, Lady Madeline,” said Percival, his smile betraying the heaviness of his heart. Lady Madeline smiled, but Percival’s act of chivalry was overshadowed by Lincoln’s slight against her and though her affections for Lady Delphinia were akin to those that are shared between blood sisters, she suddenly felt a great animosity toward her.
Lady Delphinia’s laughter plucked at his heart strings. The jealousy touching his uplifted mood, strangling it within its hold. To see her enjoyment of these other young men seared the flesh of his soul.
“Excuse me gentleman, may I borrow Lady Delphinia for a moment?” said Lady Madeline, as she pulled Lady Delphinia away and brought her to stand before Lincoln. She was even more beautiful than when he had first laid his eyes upon her and she cast an enchanting shadow upon him. This angel that stood before him dressed in a floor length, long sleeved, emerald gown. The bustle adorned with a deep flounce of lace. Her bodice richly embroidered with diamonds. Her dark auburn hair was swept high above her head whereupon sat a diminutive, diamond tiara, but what he saw as the most beautiful within her aspect was that she lived and breathed as any mortal soul does upon this earth and words could not express the incomparable joy of that one single moment.
“Delphinia, may I introduce Sir Lincoln William Rinehart, the representative of Gravesham,” said Madeleine, “and, may I present my cousin, Lady Delphinia Iris Montague.”
“Lady Delphinia,” said Lincoln, taking her hand and bending down.
“Sir Rinehart, I am honoured by your attendance.” It was then that the music faded away and a lighter, spirited tune grew from the temporary silence, moving throughout the ballroom. They all observed as many of the guests formed lines upon the ballroom floor.
“Lady Delphinia,” sai
d Lady Madeline, her infectious excitement lifting her from Lincoln’s spell. “The Regency Dance has begun.” They hurried then to the dance floor. Lady Madeline positioned herself before Lincoln and Lady Delphinia before Percival. The violin strings heralded the beginning of the ladies and gentlemen’s movements upon the dance floor. Each couple bowing to one another as they moved forward and backward, forward and backward then changed places with the other couples and repeated these steps. Lincoln and Lady Delphinia watched as Percival and Lady Madeline came together and drew apart, waiting with earnest for their turn. Then they too were merely inches apart and just as suddenly separated, as Lincoln twirled her to where he had stood and took her place upon the floor. At first it was torture to move with her then be taken away. In time the rhythm began to move through him and at each rising tempo of the violin strings, he felt her there still: through him; around him; within him. If he were to close his eyes, he would feel her still in the mark of her touch upon his hand. In the gliding of her feet as they twirled through the air. In the gentle swaying of her body, captivating him with her intoxicating scent. At the final change, Lincoln whispered urgently to her.
“I must see you,” he said, as he stepped away from her, and back again.
“Do you not see me now, Sir?”
“There is not a day,” he began, twirling her, “that I am free of you.” but his words were lost to the music, as she re-joined her line. At the end of the dance she was swept away by Lady Madeline as introductions were made to an endless stream of notable men and women, including many eligible bachelors. Lincoln stood with Percival at the back of the hall. His weakened legs struggling to hold him.
“It’s quite a celebration they’re holding in her honour. I can’t say I’ve seen many like it, though I’m sure this is just another day for you,” said Percival.
“I left the nest a long time ago,” Lincoln replied.
“You still fly don’t you?”
“These people are like Cassowary’s. They have the finest feathers, but they don’t know how to use them.”
“You seemed to be eager to join in their formation on the dancefloor, especially with one little sparrow in particular.”
“I wouldn’t call her a sparrow,” Lincoln replied, as he watched Lady Delphinia being passed from one young gentleman to another. Seeing the novelty of their attentions as they fawned over her. Praising her on her gown; her poise; her grace. No, she wasn’t a sparrow. She was a small, delicate humming bird drawing him in with her sweet song and like the great legends of Prima she would lead him to salvation. His clipped wings would soar once more. After what seemed an age, Lincoln finally saw an opportunity to go to Lady Delphinia and whisk her away onto the dance floor for the first evening’s waltz.
“May I have this dance?” he asked, reaching out for the inward turn of her waist. She didn’t object and as they took their positions, the music began. Slowly at first they moved in unison throughout the room amongst the other couples dancing with glee. Timidly catching his eye from time to time, Lady Delphinia saw a depth hidden within this man, and she knew somehow that she had the key to its release. After some time, she summoned the courage to raise her head, lifting her frightened eyes toward his. It was all the encouragement he needed.
“Lady Delphinia, I must confess,” he started, as the music carried them through to another time where the world around them fell away until they stood alone in another place only they could go.
“Sir Rinehart…” she replied unable to finish; her voice failing her, for she knew if they opened that door they would have to go through it and neither of them would ever be able to go back again.
“I have walked this earth as if my life is nearing its end. As if I can see every day stretching out before me until the very last, and nothing has been able to pull me out of that reality when the setting sun of my final day will take its last breath, but when I’m with you; when I’m without you; because of you I am saved from all the perils of this world. Its vices, its temptations, the regrets, the loss, the darkness, the pain.”
“Please, Sir Rinehart…Lincoln, please, don’t do this. I beg of you, most ardently.” They were moving faster now, turning, and turning; their steps gaining momentum. Lady Delphinia was feeling dizzy now but she didn’t want it to stop. She was falling…falling…falling down and they were no longer dancing the waltz, for they had moved into another dance that only two people whose souls have been separated from the dawn of time can know.
“When I am with you it is as if I am holding the hands of time and we have been found by a stillness where nothing dies. Nothing is lost to that eternal sleep and I am safe at last. God gave us life, but I didn’t take my first breath until I met you, and if we are ever parted, no matter how long my lonely heart from that day beats within my chest, life will no longer move through me.”
“Lincoln…” she whispered, as he pulled her closer to him, their faces inches apart.
“You are my life. My hopes. My dreams. Everything that I am is within you.” With these words, the dance came to an end and they stood there for only a moment, but it seemed longer; to never end. Then suddenly, Lady Delphinia ran from Lincoln and broke through the prison of shocked whispers, escaping onto the terrace. Lincoln cared little for their judgement and went after her to find her gazing up at the moon.
“I can’t believe you are real and so beautiful. It must be a dream,” he said with sadness.
“I no longer know what it feels to be beautiful. Sometimes I wish I could disappear. If my body could just begin melting down and across the ground, until it seeps through the floor boards and vanishes as if it never was.”
“Why do you speak this way? Everyone has come here tonight just to see you”
“The fire of man burns this world and the sea cannot save her. And soon, when it has taken all of her, there will be nothing left for her to do, but to let go.”
“Delphinia, the fire of man burns brightest when it is lit by the heart of another and his warmth brings life to all that he touches. That fire is within me because of you.”
“Lincoln, you cannot go on in this vein. We must return to the ball. They are waiting.”
“What do I care for them when you are here with me?”
“How can you profess to love me so? What do you know of me?”
“I’m a man of science. What I feel is akin to cause and effect. You provoke a reaction within me that I cannot explain and I’m powerless to control. Your every touch, every word, every sigh. You know the language of my soul like the light speaks to the eyes through sight. As the departed speak to us through the memory of our hearts. When I’m with you I don’t have to hide anymore. Only you can release me from this world.” He reached out a hand to touch her cheek, as he had dreamed of doing so many times before. Her eyes closing with the emotion of his touch. “Fin, if I have failed to impress upon you what dwells within the dungeon of my heart, then there is nothing left for me to say, but the words that have escaped me for far too long. I love you.” Tears began to slowly fall from her eyes and when she opened them, she saw he was waiting for her and she understood in that moment that she had also been waiting for him.
“Lincoln,” she said, as she brought her hand to his and moved it from her face, holding it with both her hands. “There is so much you do not understand and I’m afraid if you knew what I have done. What terrible things…” Lincoln had felt her heart opening to him, but now like a flower without the sun, her petals were closing to him. It caused him to turn from her and he looked down defeated.
“If you do not love me, it will not change what I feel for you,” he said, his voice losing the strength it had held. “It is the truth. If I were a beggar on the street with nothing to my name but your love then I would be the richest man in all the world. I will love you until the last star has fallen from God’s dying arms.”
“How can you come to me on this night and burden me with your heart?”
“Burden you? If my love is s
uch a burden upon you then accept my apologies for the intrusion,” said Lincoln, bowing down to her. “I will respectfully take my leave.”
“You misunderstand my meaning, Lincoln. What am I to do about Madeline?”
“Madeline? You must not allow your imagination to get the best of you,” he smiled, amused. “There is no shared feeling of intimacy between us.”
“But she is engaged and to be married.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of her engagement, but I don’t understand how that has any bearing upon my feelings for you.”
“Do you mean to tell me that you were not aware of Lady Madeline’s engagement?”
“I was aware of her mother’s hopes for her daughter’s future, and my own aunt and uncle had entrusted me with being persuasive in this regard by helping her to find a suitable match.”
“Yet you behave as if you don’t know of her engagement. You cannot deny your feeling for her when your own interest in her affairs has gone far beyond anyone’s expectations; and I’m sure they would agree that it’s only natural for things to have developed the way they have.”
“My interest in her affairs? Lady Delphinia, there are other things to consider.”
“What other things do you speak of?”
“The Winchesters would not allow the wedding between their son and my cousin to go ahead, until Lady Madeline had become engaged.”
“Then tell me, and speak with all the honesty you claim to have shown me this night thus far. Are you promised to another?”
“The only woman I would make such a promise to, is standing right before me, and if she doesn’t return my affections, then I shall spend the rest of my days with your memory as my only bride.”
“You are not engaged to Madeline?”
“Please Fin, why are you asking me all these questions? Who is Madeline engaged to?”
“Lincoln, your aunt and uncle they…”
“What is it? What have they done?”
“I cannot be with you, Lincoln. You have been promised to another.”