Avalon Revamped

by O. M. Grey

  Besides. Even if the Bainbridges never spoke to me again. Well. Worse things had happened.

  It would indeed be a splendid day!

  Let’s just hope for a cloudy one.

  §

  At breakfast, all those seated at tables murmured when I entered the room, but I walked in with my head held in pride. I joined the McNairys and the Ablesons, and the chattering stopped immediately. After shaking out the napkin and lying it on my lap, I signaled the waiter for a cup of tea.

  “Good morning, M’Lord,” he said.

  “Earl Grey.”

  “Of course, M’Lord. And you’ve a choice of eggs, sausage, and tomatoes or an array of pastries.”

  “I’ll have both.”

  “Very good, M’Lord.”

  “Exciting night, don’t you find?” I had found so often in my existence that if one just pretended there was nothing amiss, most would join in the pretense, and these lovely folks did not disappoint. In fact, they didn’t say a word. Although, Lady NcNairy pursed her lips tightly together and looked down into her lap. “I particularly enjoyed the stargazing.” The second option was to be very obvious indeed, making everyone else so uncomfortable they didn’t know what to say. “Did any of you go on the ship tour or gaze at the stars?”

  All four stayed silent for quite some time.

  Lady McNairy finally spoke. “Where is the lovely Miss Bainbridge this morning, Lork York? Shan’t she be joining you for breakfast?”

  “I think not, Lady McNairy. No, but with some luck, Mrs. Rosengarten will be joining me for breakfast and for a lovely stroll in Paris. Did you see Montmartre this morning? It is rather lovely sitting on that hill in all its majesty. Don’t you find?”

  “Preposterous,” Lord McNairy said. “Come, my dear, let’s prepare for the day.”

  “Yes, let’s. I do feel rather full at the moment. Positively unable to take any more.”

  “Indeed!” I said as the old couple hobbled away from the table.

  Lord and Lady Ableson remained.

  “That was rather rude of them,” Lady Ableson whispered with a scandalous lilt. “What do you plan to see today in Paris, Lord York?”

  “Oh, the usual sights, I suppose. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been here. Must get a baguette, of course. What is Paris without a fresh baguette? Perhaps even some decadent pastry. Yes. By the by, have you heard of the weather? Will there be rain or sunshine?”

  “I do believe they’re predicting a beautiful sunny day!”

  “That’s a shame. Perhaps I shall stay in, then.”

  “Why on earth would you do that? There shan’t be much to do on the ship, Arthur.”

  “I didn’t sleep well last night, what with all the scandal and such, so I thought perhaps I’d have a kip.” Plus, my manly parasol was locked in my former cabin with Avalon. I truly should find a way to get my clothes out of there and procure new lodgings. It would be scandalous to wear the same waistcoat to the gala tonight.

  “Well, suit yourself. I, for one, wouldn’t miss Paris on Christmas Eve!”

  Lord Ableson cleared his throat and dabbed each side of his mouth with a napkin. Blood rushed up into his face, which meant he was either very angry or very embarrassed.

  Lady Ableson said, “Oh, my.”

  All right. Shocked.

  “Good morning, Lord York. Lovely day, no?” Chastity’s voice sounded as sweet as the music of the spheres.

  “Good morning! What a lovely surprise. Won’t you join us?”

  “I would be delighted,” she said, leaning over and breathing the words into my ear.

  Lord Ableson huffed and Lady Ableson gasped.

  Chastity wore a sharp blue walking dress with a lovely bustle. The bright color complemented her auburn locks. A flower among all these dreary people. As she sat down, she kissed me on the cheek, and my lips spread out in a wide smile. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She was a vision. The Ableson’s said something about leaving, but I didn’t notice, really, until they were already gone.

  “Was it something I said?” Chastity asked, with as much admiration in her eyes as I felt for her.

  “Not at all, my love. It’s so much better for us to be alone anyway. I’ve had enough gossip for one cruise.”

  “I’m so sorry about last night, Arthur. That must’ve been quite difficult for you.”

  “It was rather uncomfortable. Avalon can be so unreasonable.”

  “You poor thing. How have you put up with her for so long?”

  “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. Too nice, I suppose. She has been so clingy and smothering for so long, and I just didn’t have the heart to break it off with her. She would be devastated, you see, and I couldn’t bring myself to do that to her. I was only thinking of her.”

  “Such a selfless man. You deserve a partner who will be your equal. One who will allow you your freedom and breathing room.”

  “Yes, indeed.” Her lips were a breath away from mine, and I so wanted to taste them again and to finish what we started last night. Blood rushed downward as I thought about being buried in her warmth again. “I’m so excited about this courtship, Chastity. I think I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for for so long. So, so long. You have no idea.”

  “Courtship? So you think of me as more than just a quick poke, do you?”

  “Heavens! Yes! Oh, my love. I think we have something real here, don’t you?”

  “I would love to find out.”

  Just as I was about to close those last few inches and slide my tongue across her bottom lip, a rather rude person stood just behind us and cleared her throat in a thunderous manner.

  Emily Bainbridge.

  “Have you no shame, Arthur? Are you even concerned about my niece and how she must be feeling right now? You scoundrel! And YOU!” she said, turning to Chastity.

  “Why, Emily,” I interrupted. “Don’t you look fetching today! Ready for a day in Paris with all its romance and grace? You shall fit right in. I have no doubt with your style you will be mistaken for a Parisian at every turn.”

  “Really?” Softening. “You think so? This is from the latest Parisian fashion. I got it specifically for this trip. Do you really like it?” She spun around, seeming to have forgotten all about her feigned offense on Avalon’s behalf. She cared nothing for her niece. She’d made that clear time and again. In fact, I would wager she found great delight in the rumors, especially since it involved her niece, she would be getting far more attention than usual. So, of course, she had to put on a show, at least for now.

  “I have never seen you look more beautiful, Emily. Honestly, you get more lovely with each passing day.”

  It was, of course, the most hideous thing I’d seen since her last ensemble. Her hat was at least three times the width of her head, yet her puffy shoulders extended past even that. It served to make her cinched waist look ever so tiny. I’d give her that. And the bustle! Well, I did love large bustles, but this thing looked like the backend of a horse, which, come to think of it, was quite apropos for Emily Bainbridge.

  “Thank you, Arthur!” As some others passed by, she regained her cross composure and shook her finger at me. “You watch yourself, Arthur York. I am not done with you.”

  With that, she was quite thankfully gone.

  “Paris today, my love?” Chastity asked me, dragging the back of her hand down my cheek. Such a loving gesture. Ah, yes. How wonderful to feel adored again.

  “Alas, I heard it was to be sunny, and I have a rather serious, albeit rare, allergy to the sun. It burns my skin on impact, so I must stay inside, I’m afraid.”

  “As fortune would have it, sir.” Her finger traced my jawline, then over my lips. “I have a really large parasol, and I’m quite certain it would protect us both. There are lots of dark corners in the alleyways of Paris, my dear. Plenty of places for naughtiness.”

  On second thought, a day in the city was exactly what I needed.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

/>   CONSTANCE

  The crowd gathered inside the ballroom

  Waiting until the hallway was clear, I dug through my reticule, ensuring I had all the tools I’d need for the Willie’s sentence. Once all were gone and I was alone, I knocked on Willie’s door, and he answered, peeking through the door first, then looking both ways down the hall, before he opened it for me to come in.

  “Hurry,” he said. “We don’t want to be seen.”

  “Am I early?” I asked, commenting on the lack of Mr. Chenery’s presence.

  “No, my darling, you are right on time. Excellent! We have a full hour now.”

  “Where is Mr. Chenery?”

  “Um. Running late. Yes. He said it wouldn’t be until closer to nine, likely. But it’s fine. Don’t worry.”

  Flustered, I turned to leave.

  “Wait. Don’t panic. It will be fine. He just wants to meet you, after all. He’s already been told all about you. He’s already read your article and adored it, by the way. You’re welcome. Meeting you won’t take long. Besides.” He said the word in a long, drawn out way, emphasizing his deep-south accent, not to mention his underlying intentions. “This will give us some time to ourselves. For practice, of course. You want to make a good impression, right? After all, you’d be the first woman writer at The Times, and that’s a great achievement! Milestone, some would say. Tragedy, others.”

  “And which do you think, Mr. McFerret?” My behavior was properly miffed at being trapped in a small cabin with a man. I stood with my hands pulled in tight, but I stood proud, too.

  “What? A milestone, of course. Why do you think I’m helping you, Charlotte? And what’s with all this Mr. McFerret. Come on, we’re colleagues. Call me Willie. You know better than that.” He handed me a glass of Gin as a smile crawled across his face. “Bottoms up!”

  He threw his back and I sipped mine.

  “You’re amazing,” he said to me, eyes sparkling, then leaned in, putting his hand against the door, blocking me. “I’m going to be able to say I knew her when she was just a simple girl from the country. Now look at her, London’s first woman journalist.”

  “How you flatter,” I said, blushing, and I pushed him away. Gentle, so as not to cause offense. No, Charlotte wouldn’t jeopardize her budding career. After all, she’d be telling herself everything was fine. I, however, knew better.

  “See there. That’s it. Smile! Drink up! Drink up!”

  I polished off my Gin, and he promptly poured me and himself another, then sat down. “Sit. Come sit next to me. After all, we’re not going to have the meeting standing up. Get comfortable. You’ll do much better if you’re not nervous. Drink up. It’ll take the edge off, relax you. That’s it.”

  I sat next to him on the bottom bunk, as there was no where else to sit in the room. Their travel trunk was, no doubt, intentionally on the desk chair which had been pushed under the porthole. He scooted closer to me, and I had flashes of the assault last night by the revolting Nimrod Nesbitt.

  I looked forward to Boxing Day to take care of him.

  Next thing I knew, Willie had poured me another drink, clinked my glass, and slid his arm around me.

  “Willie, business, remember?”

  “Just relax, please. You’re so uptight! Drink.” Clink. “Cheers.” He downed the next, but I didn’t even sip mine. Still my vision started to get rather blurred.

  “Oh my,” I said, reaching out to steady myself. “Something isn’t right. I’m not feeling at all well.”

  “Oh, my. That’s not good. Here, lay back. There you go. Just rest for now. It will be all right.”

  “But, Mr. Chenery,” I slurred.

  “We’ve got time, yet. Just take care of yourself. That’s all that’s important now. I’ll wake you when Chenery gets here. Just rest.”

  Then, blackness.

  I awoke to find Willie buttoning up his trousers and smoothing his hair back. A sharp pain along with a deeper ache below told me what had happened. “What did you do to me?”

  My bloomers were in a heap of fabric in front of the desk, and my skirt was still above my knees.

  “What did I do to you?” he laughed. “What did you do to me? You’re amazing, Charlotte! You had me fooled with all that talk of business only, which would’ve been fine, of course, since this is what it’s about. Writing. That’s all that matters, after all, but then you wanted me to lick Gin off your thighs. It came out of nowhere, but I was already under your spell.”

  “I what?! No, I didn’t! What did you do?”

  “My darling, you seduced me.” His face twisted in anger at the implied accusation. “I was completely at your mercy. I thought you were a maid.”

  “I am a maid.”

  Laughing, he said, “Well, you’re not anymore. Quite a wild thing, too. Unlike anything I’ve ever had.”

  I pushed my skirts down past my knees and wept.

  “Now don’t be like that. It was fun. That’s all, but, you know, no one can know about this. In fact, if anyone ever finds out about this, you won’t ever see me again. I mean it. Then you can kiss that job goodbye, too. I have a reputation to uphold, and it won’t be said I was consorting with a whore like yourself, now. I won’t have it. Besides, no one would believe you. But,”—again with the long, drawn-out drawl—“as long as you want to fuck me in private like this. I’m game, darlin’. Anytime you want. A firecracker like you. Anytime you like.”

  He patted his walrus belly and stretched his braces out and back with his thumbs a few times, looking very pleased with himself.

  “Yes. That was great, my darling, but you have to go now. It’s nearly nine, and my wife might come straight back from her blasted games. Regardless, I’m supposed to meet her at the ball. Remember, if I see you out tonight, I’m going to make as if I don’t know you, and you’d be wise to do the same. No one can know. But I’ll meet you in some dark corner somewhere after midnight for round two.” He leaned down and licked up the side of my face as I cringed, then nibbled on my ear. “Come on, then. Grab your knickers. You’ve got to go.”

  “What about Mr. Chenery?”

  “Looks like we’ll have to postpone that meeting until back in London. Busy man, Thomas.”

  “He never was coming, was he? Does he even know who I am? Has he even read my work?”

  “Oh, he’s read it all right. That last article you gave me, well, it’s set to be published after Christmas.”

  “It is!”

  “With my byline, of course. Do you really think the world is ready for a female journalist? If you do, you’re even more foolish than you look. Harlot.”

  Now. Enough.

  I flicked my eyes from him to the bed. His body flew onto the bottom bunk and landed about the way a wet walrus would. Each hand fought as I raised them above his head with nothing but my will.

  My will. Always.

  Then Charlotte melted away, revealing Constance before him. Calm, determined Constance. His fear was palatable, and I licked my lips this time, ready for my meal. A warmth spread.

  No. That was just the bed sheets after he had lost control of certain functions.

  Fear had the strangest effects sometimes.

  “I—I’ll do anything you want,” he pleaded, eyes wide.

  “That’s true.”

  I picked up my reticule and removed my tools, laying them out one by one, reveling in his fear.

  “My wife! She’ll be back any minute now. I know she’ll come back here first. Before she goes to the dance. I know my wife. She’ll be here any minute!” Sweat dripped down his face, and the front of his shirt was now as wet as his trousers.

  “That’s all right. This won’t take long.”

  “You’ll get caught. They’ll put you away, you manipulative bitch.”

  Back to aggression and intimidation. Nice.

  “Seeing as how no one knows I’m here. No one even knows you know me, isn’t that right? Even if they did, you knew Charlotte, but she’s now served her purpo
se. No one will ever see her again.” I leaned over him, putting my nose right up to his and looked into those dead blue eyes. “Don’t worry, our secret is safe with me, my darling. No one will ever know about this, not to protect you, of course, and I can happily say I shall still never see you again.”

  He struggled against my restraints, trying to reach me, face twisted in an infernal scowl. “You’ll be sorry! You cunt. How dare you? Do you know who I am?”

  “Enough.” With a twirling of my fingers, motioning around and around, I sewed his lips shut without ever touching him. His eyes widened even more, as if they’d pop out of his head at first, then turned into angry little slits. His nostrils flared in his indignation, but the fear returned as I raised the straight razor and flicked it open. Shaking his head side to side, willing this to stop, he shut his eyes tight.

  “No. You’ll watch this.” Throwing my hand up inches from his sizable jaw, I made his head freeze in place and his eyes pop open. He wouldn’t be able to close them again. Leaning forward, I steadied the blade and sawed off a lock of his hair, then stuffed it in the poppet’s neck, cinching it shut.

  Tears filled his eyes in his terror.

  “Seems you don’t like someone else controlling your body, Willie. Funny, really. As it’s all right when you do it, isn’t it? You think you have the right to control others, to use their body for your pleasure whether or not they agree? They don’t get a say in the matter, do they? You drug them. Coerce them. Threaten them into doing what you want. Isn’t that right, Willie? Well, my darling, it’s time to pay for all that forced privilege.”

  My fingers traced along the top of his trousers, pulled halfway up his walrus belly, until they reached the button. Undoing it, then the next and next, Willie’s gaping eyes turned upward.

  “No,” I said with a flip of my fingers, and his eyes were forced down where I would work. “Watch.” Pulling his pants down below his hips, I exposed his weapon.