“No he wouldn’t Viktor, but he’d certainly be mad about my actions tonight.”
Gabriel sat on the edge of his sister’s chair and then took her hand, “You drive me mad, but I love you anyways Emilia. You’re very lucky that no one found you out.”
Emilia smiled up at him, “I know that Gabriel, this was the last time. I promise, for now at least.”
“Where did you get such a dress? The girls would love this upstairs, it gives the illusion of skin, but there’s actually fabric protecting the entire body.”
He was examining the material with fascination as Emilia said to the room, “Ms. Janice is a wonder with a pin and needle, remember that lotus dress from last year?”
Viktor blanched, but he remembered it, so he nodded to his cousin.
Emilia continued, “That was dear Ms. Janice’s creation as well. You should see the masterpieces that I’m going to wear this season. I should have no problem finding a husband this season.”
The men all looked at each other quickly with a secret understanding. When the truth finally came out, everyone would be happy.
The topic of marriage was very fragile in this room, so Alexander changed the subject.
“My tenant made that dress?” Alexander asked with intrigue.
Viktor and Gabriel thanked him with nods as Emilia answered his question.
“Oh yes, and you should see what she has ready for your lucky lady this season. You’ll be so obsessed with that red-haired Amazon that you might cart her up to Gretna Green. Now wouldn’t that be exciting!”
Gabriel looked at his sister and asked, “You approve of the lady that Alexander’s madly in love with?”
Alexander tried to speak up but he had no chance as the Hamill siblings began speaking over him.
“I do! She is such a wonderful lady. You should see her hair, and you won’t be able to believe her height when you see her at the Stanton’s Ball. I think our Alex has made a great choice for himself. She’s charming, and outspoken at the same time.”
The fact that Emilia highly approved of Marcella was a relief for him. If Emilia liked her, then so would society. Her words also helped him realize that he wasn’t blinded by lust after all.
Lady Marcella Stansfield was who she appeared to be, and he was going to pursue her wholeheartedly now. Not that he wasn’t going to do so before, but now he knew that he could bring her into his group of friends, and that they would accept her with open arms.
Nonetheless, now that Emilia was saved, and appropriately dressed, it was time to for the Hamill’s to go on home to Belgravia.
“Goodnight Viktor.” Gabriel said as he hugged his cousin.
“Spokoynoy Nochi Viktor.” Emilia said, then gave her cousin a kiss on each cheek.
“Priyatnykh Snov Emilia.” Viktor replied and gave his cousin a warm hug.
The Hamill’s left, but Alexander had decided to stay back in order to speak to Viktor for a moment. The man rarely ever slept, he had a booming businesses all about London, and he always stated that there was no rest for the wicked.
“Are you going to the Stanton’s Ball tomorrow?”
Viktor saw the time on the clock and then looked back at Alexander with a derisive look, “You mean today? Good God no. I cannot stand that oaf of a man, or his wretch of a wife. That woman talks too much, and not all good or true things either.”
“Yet, if I am not mistaken, you were properly invited. Weren’t you?”
Viktor smirked, “Of course I was invited. I was raised amongst the ton, my uncle is the Duke of Oxford, and who in the ton wouldn’t want their daughter to marry a wealthy man like me? I’m a very successful lawyer, booming businessman, and a worldwide entrepreneur.”
“You’re a society mama’s dream come true Viktor.” Alexander joked.
“If you add my royal blood, then I am also basically a Russian prince thanks to my relation to Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. I will tell you this in confidence Westbrook, and I mean every word of what I’m about to say. I will never marry one of those mind-numbing, exasperating, and characterless debutantes.”
“Do you want to get married one day Viktor?” Alexander questioned.
“Perhaps one day, but I assure you none of that will be happening anytime soon for me. If the right woman shows up and rattles my world, only then will I take the gamble.”
Viktor continued, “My cousins can get married, have more babies, and perhaps one day in the future I’ll join them too. Just not anytime soon. I’m just getting started here brat. I have so much more planned, so much money to make. I cannot afford to be distracted by a wife and kids right now.”
It was all about the money for Viktor Nikolaev. He had a tragic birth, but his uncle, the Duke of Oxford, had made sure that he had a life worth living. He was brought up like a Duke’s son, educated at Oxford, and even went on to become a sly and respected lawyer.
That’s exactly how Viktor knew how to open up an establishment like Circe’s Palace. He knew every law, and its loophole.
No one from the Metropolitan Police would ever dare to investigate Mr. Viktor Perseus Nikolaev. The man knew people from of all walks of life, and he knew how to make money.
Plus, the man was loyal to a fault. He loved his cousins, they were the only family he truly had, and he treasured Emilia the most out of all of them. He would do anything to make her happy.
Gabriel once told Alexander that the reason Viktor protects Emilia the most is because she highly resembles his mother.
Viktor had never met his parents, but when he had been delivered to the Duke’s doorstep, the maids had found that there were lockets with painted portraits within them attached to his baby blankets.
Viktor may have been born to Russians, but he considered himself an Englishman. This country, and his uncle, had given him the life that his parents had dreamed of for their little prince.
His grandmother, the late dowager Duchess of Oxford’s sister, had given birth to Viktor’s own mother out of wedlock. That had turned into a huge scandal in Imperial and Orthodox Russia.
When his own grandmother died giving birth to his mother, the people of Russia had said that it was divine intervention taking its course because they believed that a woman giving birth to a baby out of wedlock was against what they all believed in.
People could be cruel, but that baby girl would grow up into a beautiful princess who would fall deeply in love with a Russian naval captain.
The captain and the princess would marry, but he would soon die at sea. The princess was heartbroken, so she decided to leave Russia for good, and seek out her English-Russian cousin’s advice.
After all, he was the Duke of Oxford.
The sea travel to England was rough, and the princess’s babe decided that it was time to enter this world, aboard a large ship headed through a fierce hailstorm.
The baby was safely born, but the princess too would soon die at sea after losing too much blood during childbirth. The baby was now an orphan in this world, but the day that baby arrived at the dock in Brighton, the Duke of Oxford knew what he had to do.
This baby was his blood, his family, and he would raise his nephew to the best of his abilities. Thankfully, a year later the Duke would marry a Greek woman who was more than willing to help him raise the young boy.
His uncle Nikita, and his aunt Nina, had become the parents that he never had. One day his parents, both living and dead, would see him happy with a woman who would bring him so much love that the angels themselves would come down from the havens to sing their joyful hymns.
“How will you know when you’ve met the one Viktor?” Alexander asked with true fervor in his voice.
Viktor e was conceived and raised by love. He would know what it looked like, what it felt like, and if it was real.
Viktor replied with candor, “You’ll be thinking only of her, and the things that you would want to do with her. Not just sexual, but mundane as well. Taking a walk in the park, or going to church on Su
nday. All the little things that we dread the most, like those horridly boring house parties. You’ll want to do them because she’ll be there by your side, reliving the memories you make and will make in the future. That, my friend, is how you’ll know you’ve found the one.”
Alexander listened carefully, taking every word what this man said sacredly. Viktor wasn’t that much older than the whole lot of them, but he had so much more wisdom within to give to them.
Viktor cracked his neck a couple of times and then said, “If you don’t mind, I’ve had enough of this hoity-toity shite for one night. I have a meeting with my managers.”
“You mean your horsemen?”
“Yes, my horsemen. Go on home Alexander, and get some well-needed rest because according to my cousins you have someone really special to see later today.”
Alexander was about to open the door to leave, but Viktor spoke to him nonchalantly before he reached the doorknob.
“Thank you by the way, for helping Emilia tonight and for keeping our family’s secrets. Your loyalty is not unseen by God.”
Alexander looked at him proudly and avowed, “It is my pleasure to serve and protect those whom I hold dear. I’ll always be loyal to the Hamill family, always.”
Viktor cracked a smile, bowed his head to him, and then walked on over to his two-way mirror. He was a man with an empire.
Alexander did as he was told and gladly left Circe’s Palace and went on home to Mayfair. The rest of the night, he slept soundly, and dreamt only of seeing Lady Marcella Stansfield of Hertford again.
Chapter 10
It must’ve been half past noon when Marcella woke up, because she swore that she could hear laughing coming from Louisa’s room. She swung her long legs off of the bed, and down to the floorboards.
The laughter was getting louder, so Marcella decided to knock lightly on the door in-between her room and Louisa’s.
“Come in Marcella!” Louisa’s voice sounded joyfully between the connecting door. Marcella began to wonder what was going on. This was the first time her new friend sounded so lively.
As she entered the room, with a cautious smile on her face, she saw that Rachel and Louisa were both sitting on the edge of the bed laughing. Louisa stood up from the bed and ran up to Marcella.
Louisa then pulled Marcella to sit in-between her and Rachel on the bed, and boomingly said, “Marcella, we have to tell you something absolutely mindboggling.”
Marcella grinned guardedly, “Alright, what happened?”
Rachel giggled, “A few hours ago, Zachary came home…naked!”
Marcella’s eyes widened in shock as she asked Rachel, “What?”
“Zachary snuck out last night to go to this newly opened sordid establishment.”
Marcella was still confused, “But why was he naked?”
“He lost at a specific game of chess. The sort of chess where one removes clothing.” Louisa cheekily said.
“A foreign woman beat him silly at a game of strip chess. Now he’s been forced to join us all at the Stanton’s Ball tonight.” Rachel added.
Louisa then said, “Mother nearly had heart palpitations when she had to tell father about what Zachary told her.”
Marcella started laughing, “Where’s your brother now?”
Rachel said, “I think father tied him to a chair in the parlor. For his own safety, of course.”
Marcella jumped off the bed, “Well, what are we waiting up here for? Let’s go have a little fun.”
They sprang out of Louisa’s room and down the stairs to the parlor room, where they saw Zachary tied to a chair wearing only his dressing robe.
Marcella closed the parlor doors behind them, as she then crossed her arms and leaned back against them. She then said, “Don’t you look dashing this morning.”
Zachary shook his head at all of them, and then replied, “Well, I might as well confess my sins. Could you ladies at least order some tea? If I’m going to entertain you lot, I might as well be well-hydrated.”
Marcella moved away from the doors as Louisa went to go find their most trusted maid to help her order some tea. Minutes later, Louisa came into the parlor with her maid Joan by her side and a tea tray.
The maid put the tea tray down on the tea table for them, and then she quickly left the parlor room without making any eye contact with any of them.
Louisa began to pour the cups of tea.
Zachary murmured grumpily, “Well, are you going to ask question or not?”
“I was waiting for you to begin your story on your own.” Marcella replied evenly.
Zachary groaned,” Fine. I went into a gentleman’s club calling Starling’s where I ran into a few school friends of mine. Apparently, the older Wilson brother is back in town and he invited me to join his group at this new place called Circe’s Palace. I couldn’t say no. One might say that I was like Thomas from the bible, a non-believer until I saw the holes in Jesus’ hands.”
Rachel frowned and said, “Goodness Zachary, that’s blasphemous. Now, go on with your story.”
Zachary stared at his older sister, “When we got there everyone was wearing masks. Circe’s Palace is quite like the one from Homer’s Odyssey. Any who, I made my way around the place, and ended up losing my party. I was going to leave when there was a large commotion.”
“What kind of commotion?” Marcella curiously asked.
“There was this Russian princess wearing the most scandalous dress that I’ve ever seen. She challenged me to a game of strip chess, I took her on. I was having a top night, but then her entourage joined her. They were very intimidating. I wanted to ogle her some more, but then the owner came over too, and he sat right next to me. I was way too nervous to even think about looking at her bosom after that.”
Zachary ended with, “Before I knew it, I was stripped naked, ushered out of the room, and put into an unknown carriage that took me the long way home. By the time the butler let me in this morning, mother was already coming down the hall.”
“What did she do?” Marcella asked again.
Zachary replied with, “She slapped me a few times. After that, she went to find father, and that ladies is how I got myself tied to this chair.”
They all clapped with animated gusto. Zachary tried to bow with his arms but the rope tightened and he winced. Louisa leaned forward and fed him a biscuit.
“Good doggie.” She jokingly tapped him on the head.
Zachary spit the biscuit out of his mouth and then gave her a dark look as he said, “Listen here Louisa, just because I’m tied to a chair right now does not mean that…”
Louisa put her hand up, “Zachary, please. You’re tied to a chair the way one would tie a dog to a tree in the park.”
Marcella didn’t want to laugh, so she bit the inside of her cheeks. That was funny.
Rachel broke the tension by saying, “Father doesn’t want Zachary going out alone anymore. So, for the rest of the season he’ll be present at all the events that father deems worthy.”
Zachary replied, “Thank you Rachel. At least one of my sister’s isn’t an intrusive termagant with wallflower tendencies who probably won’t be able to find a suitor in her first season.”
Louisa gasped as if someone had died, and her face turned pale white. She then got up from the couch that she had just sat down on and strode straight up to her brother.
She stared at him cruelly with tears in her eyes, and before any of them saw it coming, Louisa raised her right hand and slapped Zachary right across the face.
With tears rolling down her cheeks, she ran from the room and up the stairs.
Rachel looked angrily at Zachary as she spoke heatedly, “What have you done? You’ve crossed the line Zachary. You’ve just callously insulted her, and all she was trying to do was be witty with you. You of all people should know how difficult it is for Louisa to communicate with anyone, you know that!”
Rachel then ran after her sister. Zachary looked over to Marcella with a void in h
is eyes, “I’m going to get in trouble for this. I just know it. Louisa’s the innocent soul, and I’m the devil.”
“You know that Louisa was only trying to joke around with you, and instead of go along with the jest as you usually do, you chose to crush her confidence instead? Who does that? Where’s your empathy? You are going to fix this mess Zachary Pinkerton!”
Zachary was shocked that Marcella had raised her voice at him, “Who do you think you are Marcella? My mother!”
Marcella stared at him with darkness in thunderous green eyes, “I may not be your mother, but I am your sister’s friend and I’ll do whatever it bloody well takes to maintain her happiness while I live under this roof. Do you understand me?”
Zachary nodded, “Of course I do, my apologies Marcella.”
Marcella disgustingly shook her head, “It’s not I who deserves your apology.”
She then picked up a biscuit from the tea table and shoved it right into Zachary’s mouth before she too stormed out of the parlor, slamming the doors right behind her.
When Marcella made it up the stairs, she heard severe sobbing coming directly from Louisa’s room. Marcella walked slowly to the threshold of the bedroom and saw that Louisa was on the bed crying into her pillow.
Rachel was stroking her hair, but then she looked up towards the door and hand-motioned for Marcella to wait a moment. Rachel then walked out of the room and pulled the door gently closed behind her,
“Poor Louisa, I haven’t seen her this bad in a long while. She used to cry like this all the time growing up. “
Marcella’s eyes began to water as she asked warily, “Why does she cry?”
“The girls would bully her all the time in Surrey, and even here in London. I can’t comprehend why, she’s kind to everyone.”
“Some people are just cruel by nature Rachel.” Marcella said from experience with the kids who bullied her in Hertford.
“Yes, well society here in London is not kind to those who do not fit into its mold.”
Marcella asked, “What can I do to help?”
Rachel opened the door to Marcella’s room and said, “Just give her some time, and remember the schedule. We have a busy day ahead of us. The Ball is later tonight, so try to give her some sort of hope, but most importantly just be her friend.”
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