by Jess Schira
From Moonlight to Mayhem
By
Jess Schira
Swords, Secrets, and Scandals
Book One
From Moonlight to Mayhem
By Jess Schira
Copyright ©Jess Schira 2015
All Rights Reserved
Cover Art Provided by Be My Bard
Definition of Japanese Words Found in From Moonlight to Mayhem
Kaiken- 懐剣- knife the samurai class used when fighting in situations where there wasn’t enough space to use a sword.
Tsuka-柄-The hilt of a bladed weapon.
Yaiba-ホームレス中学生-The blade of a weapon
Saya-私はScabbard
From Moonlight to Mayhem
Chapter One
London, Late December, 1800,
Sarah Canton’s toe tapped in time to the music the band played while her fingers twisted the braided handle of her reticule. Her gaze flitted from one face to another before it landed on the symmetrical features of one Sebastian Harper.
He stood beside another man in a quiet section of the ballroom. The pair weren’t speaking to one another and it appeared to Sarah that they were content to observe the revelry taking place all about them rather than participating in it.
Sarah pursed her lips. She didn’t care how content he might be at this particular moment, or how important the man he was standing beside was, Sebastian Harper was about to be disturbed by her. He would just have to accept it.
She grabbed the material of her full skirt and lifted the hem enough to display her pretty shoes and a small portion of embroidered stockings. She kept her eyes locked on Sebastian while she wove her way through the press of bodies. In the past, she’d learned Sebastian had an uncanny knack for disappearing whenever she wanted to have a word with him, something she refused to let happen tonight.
Sarah skidded to a halt in front of the two men, flashed a bright smile, and let her skirt fall into place.
Sebastian raised a sardonic brow and peered down his nose at her.
Sarah ignored him and turned to the second man.
She added some extra sparkle to her eyes and curved the corners of her mouth into her most beguiling smile. “Prime Minister Pitt, it’s always a pleasure. Too much time has passed since last we spoke.”
William Pitt the Younger returned her smile though she couldn’t help noticing his seemed somewhat strained. “Mrs. Canton. I assure you, the pleasure is all mine. How are your children?”
Sarah beamed. One of the many things she admired about the current Prime Minister was his ability to remember what was important to specific people. “They are marvelous. Little Benjie asks after you each and every day.”
William Pitt the Younger’s features developed a slight, but unmistakable, tension. He lifted the glass he held and swallowed a generous amount of port. “Is he in attendance?”
When she announced she was hosting a Yule Ball at the Queen’s Lodge, Queen Charlotte made it clear she expected her guests to bring their children, a royal request Sarah Canton had been happy to comply with.
“No, not at the moment I’m afraid. I sent him, and my other children, home, though I imagine excitement about the evening they have just enjoyed will keep them up half the night. He’ll be devastated he missed you. He so want’s to apologize for the episode with the hot tea … and for the red paint … and the time his pony-”
“I understand.” An undercurrent of amusement warmed the Prime Minister’s voice. “There’s no need to continue.”
Sarah wiggled between the two men and looped her arms around their waists. Pitt tensed and Sebastian heaved an exasperated sigh.
Sarah grinned at the shocked looks people sent her way and met their wide-eyed, disapproving stares with one of her own.
She’d spent the entirety of her youth and a good portion of her adulthood being a prim and proper lady and had found the process tedious. When her husband passed away two years ago she vowed she’d never restrict her personality just so it conformed to society’s expectations. Now, each time she went out in public she delighted in shocking people. She found the experience liberating.
She turned her attention back to the Prime Minister. “You must come to tea someday soon. Benji would adore it. He gets so much pleasure from the political discussions the pair of you engage in whenever you’re in the same room. He has so much admiration for you. I’ve lost count of the number of times he’s told me he’s going to grow up and become a member of the House of Commons.”
“Yes. It’s a lovely … invitation. If I find the time, I’ll pay you and the boy a visit.” Pitt shifted away from Sarah and scanned the crowd. “I must go speak to … someone about … something.”
He nodded at Sarah and moved into the crush of people.
“Oh dear.” Sarah rested her head on Sebastian’s shoulder and breathed in the mingled scent of soap and cigar smoke. “He seemed so uncomfortable. I wonder if I behaved improperly.”
“Sarah, you thrive on improper acts in the same way fish thrive in water. I sometimes wonder if you spend all of your time thinking up new ways to scandalize every person you encounter.”
“How ever did you guess my secret?” Sarah gave a cheery little finger wave at a matronly woman who stared at her with open disapproval. “Now I can cross horrifying the prime minister off my current list of shocking accomplishments.”
“Sarah, I fear a day will come when you find you regret your behavior.” He gentled his tone in an attempt to remove the sting from his words.
Some of the sparkle slipped from Sarah’s eyes and her jaw tensed. “Nonsense! While there are a good many things I regret, they are all firmly in my past and I can assure you my current behavior will never be added to my list of regrettable actions.”
She pushed old memories aside.
A long time ago, she’d promised herself she wouldn’t let her memories haunt her or dictate the course of her life.
Her grip on Sebastian’s waist tightened. “Let’s turn our attention back to the reason I first approached you.”
Sebastian’s brows drew together in a curious frown and his smoke colored eyes racked her face. “Which was?”
“I would like to know how someone who has managed to plan such a marvelous celebration, can appear to be bored and unhappy while in attendance?”
Sarah expected Sebastian to contradict her, as he often did, but this time he surprised her.
“You’re happy enough for both of us.” His soft words were intended for Sarah’s ears alone.
“Oh you clever man.” The sparkle returned to Sarah’s eyes and her wide smile wrinkled her nose. “That was one of the most perfect things you have ever said to me. It’s a shame you have yet to find a wife to benefit from your cleverness.”
“I’m quite content with my life.”
“Everyone needs to have some pleasure and happiness in their life, even you Sebastian Harper.”
A large taper candle in a wall sconce caught Sarah’s eye. She reached over and removed the candle which she held at an angle to prevent any hot wax from dripping onto her skin.
Sebastian watched with hooded eyes.
“Tonight, I’m making a wish on your behalf.” Sarah’s laughing expression contradicted her solemn tone. “A wish you’d never make yourself.”
Sebastian wondered how people would react if he covered her mouth with his hand. The small scar on his palm, a reminder of the last time he’d tried such a move, tingled and burned.
“I wish for you to find something that really truly interests you and helps you shake the tedium
you seem to have sunk into over the past few years.” Sarah closed her eyes and exhaled. The flame flickered for a moment before it disappeared, leaving a smoldering wick and thin curl of smoke in its wake.
Sebastian hooked a finger under Sarah’s chin. He lifted her face and looked straight into her eyes. “What is this sudden obsession you have with my happiness?”
“It’s nothing. I’ve thought of a lot over the past few weeks and … I have this feeling everything is about to change.”
“While I appreciate the sentiment, you’re wishes are wasted on me. I’m satisfied with my life and have no desire, no wish,” he emphasized the last word, “to change anything.”
“Sebastian. Dear heart. You only think you’re content because you don’t know what you’re missing.” Sarah stood on her toes and placed a quick, chaste kiss on his pursed lips. “My wish stands. Use it well dear friend.”
Anyone who looked at Sebastian while he watched Sarah walk away, would assume from his passive expression and relaxed posture he didn’t have an opinion about her departure.
They would be wrong.
The further Sarah moved away from him, the darker Sebastian’s mood grew. It wasn’t melancholy or anger, but intense, deep boredom. Even as a child, he’d grown bored easily, and the older he became, the more it plagued him. It seemed nothing held his interest these days.
Sarah and his best friend, Oliver Hamilton, were the only people who managed to light a spark of interest in him, and even those instances were growing further apart. While he often found the pair irrational and thought that certain aspect of their behavior was illogical and baffling, he enjoyed their company. When they were around, the world became a bit brighter.
Now, with Sarah leaving town for a few weeks, and Oliver in Northern England, exchanging moon-eyed stares with a pretty candlemaker’s daughter, Sebastian resolved himself to enduring a long period of tedium. Perhaps he’d convince Queen Charlotte to let him start planning another large soiree. Still, as much as he enjoyed helping her plan various events and functions, even they had grown dull and repetitive.
He never spoke of the overwhelming boredom, yet somehow Sarah knew about it and understood how much it troubled him. Some days he thought he’d do anything just to make life seem interesting.
Sebastian’s gaze traveled around the ball room, seeking out the Queen. He’d been in attendance for hours and was ready to be done, she wouldn’t mind him leaving, provided he didn’t sneak away without first bidding her a fond farewell.
Since the arrival of the first guests, King George the III and Queen Charlotte had moved about the room greeting everyone they encountered with a smile. There had been a time when they would have been able to do this all night long, but they weren’t as young as they had been and age forced them to be still and allow their guests to approach them.
Sebastian spied the royal couple on the opposite side of the room, near the enormous tree Queen Charlotte ordered be brought into the Queen’s Lodge and decorated. They looked tired but pleased.
Sebastian smoothed a hand over his evening coat and prepared to make his way over to them and wish them a good night.
Before he took a single step, a visiting dignitary approached the King and Queen. Sebastian sighed and resigned himself to spending a few more minutes in this hot ballroom. He knew better than to interrupt.
His gaze shifted to the tree.
When Queen Charlotte first told him of her idea regarding the tree, Sebastian wondered if she’d developed a touch of the same madness that often troubled her husband. He’d been certain the entire experience would turn into a colossal disaster.
He’d been partially right.
The act of getting the tree into the ballroom had been simple compared to the headache of dealing with the decorations. The process had been full of pitfalls and disasters, and on more than one occasion he’d been prepared to scrap the entire plan and return to traditional decorating ideas, but in the end, the queen’s wish came true and a magnificent tree now held the place of honor. Seeing the tree lit by the hundreds of candles that Oliver’s skilled young chandler had crafted as well as ribbons and other decorations, Sebastian had to admit it was the most spectacular sight his eyes had ever encountered, a sentiment that seemed to be echoed by everyone in attendance.
A young woman standing between the tree and a window, caught his attention.
She drew his eye in a way that none of the other women in attendance had managed to do.
Her dress was constructed out of good quality material, the dark blue color suited her complexion and the cut flattered her figure, though the style was a few years out of fashion. She wore her dark, unpowdered hair piled high on her head, and a light application of rice powder and rouge enhanced her natural beauty and gave her features an exotic appearance.
Her face was lovely but it was her figure that set her apart from every other woman in the room. Instead of round curves and a soft body every other young woman took pride in showing off, this woman was lithe with straight posture and an elegance that suggested graceful movement. The only other women Sebastian had ever encountered with a similar build were actresses who took on more athletic roles and dancers.
She drew his gaze the way a flame draws a moth.
Sebastian could not think of a single time he’d seen anyone more poised, striking, or stunning.
After watching her for a few moments, the back of Sebastian’s neck began to itch. Something about this magnificent woman was wrong.
He clasped his hands behind his back and wondered what to do. He didn’t have many options.
There were members of the Yeoman Guard everywhere, he should approach them, but what would he tell them. He couldn’t very well say they needed to arrest a young woman because she continued to gaze at the King and Queen, they wouldn’t obey him and he’d lose their respect.
Nor could he ignore his instincts.
He needed to deal with the girl, and for now at least, he was on his own.
********
Saika Donavan forced her mouth to curve into a small smile and refused the gentleman’s invitation to dance. He took the rejection well, and bowed to her before he turned to find a lady more willing to spend time in his company.
Saika watched him go and a quiver of longing shot through her.
In different circumstances, she would have accepted his charming invitation without a moment’s hesitation. She loved to dance, especially with someone as handsome and sweet as the young man appeared to be, and twirling around the dance floor would be preferable to behaving like a wallflower while everyone around her enjoyed a wonderful evening.
As if he sensed her thoughts, the gentleman hesitated and glanced over his shoulder. The corners of his mouth kicked up into a crooked smile, a silent appeal for her to change her mind.
Saika’s teeth sank into her lower lip. She was tempted. This was the first time she’d attended an event as grand as this and it was unlikely she’d ever attend such a celebration again.
Besides, it would be nice to relax and enjoy herself, even if just for a few moments.
No, Saika squared her shoulders, she wouldn’t, she couldn’t, indulge in a dance or brief flirtation. Not tonight. Perhaps not ever again.
She turned her back on the hopeful suitor and stared at the tree.
It was marvelous.
She hadn’t believed it possible for a tree to be so beautiful.
For weeks, she’d heard whispered rumors about Queen Charlotte harboring some strange desire to set up a tree in the middle of the Queen’s Lodge, but Saika hadn’t believed them, though she and everyone else in London spent a great deal of time wondering what such a thing would look like.
Her imagination failed to create anything close to reality. When she first entered the ballroom and noted its presence, the sight stole her breath.
The tree was huge. The top all but brushed the ceiling and its needle crusted branches extended an impressive distance from the trunk so it se
emed just as fat as it was tall. Small candles, colorful ribbons, and cheerful garlands festooned the boughs. The entire ballroom smelled like a forest, or at least how Saika imagined a forest smelled since she’d never visited a real forest. She wondered how long the scent would last.
Movement caught Saika’s attention. She turned and watched a tall, rail thin man with eyes so brown they seemed black, a pock marked face, and wearing a tailored green coat wind his way through the crowd.
Saika’s stomach churned.
Mr. Lovelace, the man she hated more than anything else. She should have known that sooner or later he’d approach her.
Mr. Lovelace stopped a few inches from her, forcing her to take a step backwards. The casual observer might believe him to be intrigued by the tree but Saika knew better. She’d met him for the first time three days ago, but it had been time enough for her to develop a complete hatred of the man.
She lifted her chin, straightened her shoulders, glared into his cold brown eyes and waited for him to speak.
She didn’t have to wait long. He wasted no time getting straight to the heart of the matter.
“I secured your invitation to this event specifically so you would have an opportunity to complete the task assigned to you. You should not be standing here, admiring this …” He examined the tree and a look of utter disdain crossed his features. “Monstrosity, isn’t moving things forward. Time is running out. Or have you failed to remember the deadline?”
“No one is more aware of the passage of time and what needs to be done, than I am.” With each passing second the invisible weight Saika bore on her shoulder grew heavier. “You’ve made the stakes very clear to me.”
“Then why haven’t you acted already? It seems you’ve had ample opportunity.”
“It isn’t simple. In case you haven’t noticed, this room is full of people, any one of whom would stop me if they sensed something was amiss. As soon as an opportunity presents itself, I will handle the matter. You have my word.”