by Sam Gafford
Amy stretched out her hand in welcome and Mary took it warmly. Perhaps it was just my fancy, but it seemed to me that Mary held Amy’s hand just a little too long, as if she were getting the measure of her competition. Mary smiled and tossed her red hair a bit, but I felt that her attention was elsewhere as her eyes moved constantly about.
“Mrs. Machen, I am delighted to meet you. Did you know that I knew—”
I burst upon them and blurted out, “Walter! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Sickert looked at me blankly as he tried to remember who I was and why I should be bothering him.
“Albert, I didn’t know that you knew Walter,” Amy said.
“Oh, my, yes. We met while Arthur was bringing me around Whitechapel. In fact, I think I will have to steal them for a bit as I really want Ann to meet them. Would you mind?”
“Ah, no, I suppose not. I’ll see you later then, Walter?”
Walter looked more than a little confused. “Yes, I guess you will, then. Lead on, Macduff, but please allow me to grab something liquid. I’m quite parched.”
“Certainly, certainly, Walter, we’ll be right over there near the piano when you’re ready.”
Before Walter could protest, I maneuvered Mary over to a quieter part of the room.
“Such persistence, young Albert! You know you can buy my time if you wish?” She smirked at me, and I felt myself falling into that smile and those eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I thought I was enjoying a party as Walter’s request. What are you doing here?”
“Arthur invited me. Do you know that he has been going out of his mind trying to find you?”
“Ah, yes, I had heard about that. I’ve been busy, you know. Earning a living.”
I paused for a moment. “I don’t need to know what you’ve been doing. To be honest, I really don’t care. But you must leave now!”
“Must I? And why?”
“Because I am not about to let you come between Arthur and his wife. I’ve seen how he looks at you and I’m not going to allow this to happen.”
Mary looked at me quite seriously and then burst into laughter. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but you looked so bloody sincere that I just had to laugh.”
“Do you think I’m joking?”
“Not at all, young Albert, and it’s really quite endearing, but listen.” She moved closely to me and whispered icily, “Do you really think that you could keep me from Arthur if I wanted him? You are a very small, little man, Albert, so do not fuck with me.”
She pulled away, smiled, and then kissed me full on the lips. Laughing, she walked away just as Sickert was coming towards me.
“I see she has enslaved you as well.”
I looked at him and didn’t know what to say.
“Ah, yes, I know that look well. Be careful, Mary Kelly is not so much a woman as she is a force of nature. Now what is your name again?”
I shook my head to clear the cobwebs, and when I looked up again I saw two things simultaneously. Mary had found Arthur and was moving towards him, and Ann had seen Mary kiss me. I was about to go to Ann when she turned her back on me and fled out the room.
“Um, Albert, Albert Besame.”
“Oh, yes, now I remember. A.B., Arthur’s friend from the bar. Are you enjoying the party?”
“Not particularly.” I swung my attention fully upon Walter. “Why did you bring her here? How could you be so stupid?”
“My dear fellow!” Walter was at once insulted, pained, and amused. “It was she who brought me!”
“What are you talking about? She wasn’t invited.”
“No, that is true.” Walter took a large gulp of his drink. “But somehow she knew that Arthur was not only having a party tonight but that I have a standing invitation to all Amy’s parties. She sought me out the other day and insisted that we attend. Actually, that’s not right. She told me that we would be coming to this party in such a way that I didn’t dare refuse. Besides, free food and drink are always appealing to a starving artist, even if I do have to put up with Arthur. So here we are. But I understand your fear.”
“You do? Why?”
Walter looked at me and apparently concluded that I was worthy of hearing more.
“Mary Kelly can destroy a man with a look or a smile. Pity the man who has tasted her lips or lain between her thighs, for once done you will never be the same. She can appear sweet and timid when she likes, but there is a fire in her that is born of hell itself. I’ve known men who have become totally bewitched by her to the point where they have lost their fortunes, their families, their lives, and their very souls. Stay away from her, A.B. Forget that kiss and forget her. Go back to whatever village spawned you. And for the sake of all you hold dear, never, ever cross her.”
Walter walked away and left me alone. On the other side of the room, I could see Arthur and Mary hugging far too tightly than propriety would allow. Arthur had a look of pure joy on his face and Mary looked as sweet and innocent as a young child. Back near the door, Amy was pretending to talk to Stoker as she watched Arthur. Ann was nowhere in sight. I noticed, as well, that Mansfield was likewise missing.
I had to make a choice, and quickly. Unfortunately, I chose badly.
Walking up to Mary and Arthur, I saw her face change just for an instant. But in that instant, I thought I caught a glimpse of something else, something other lying in wait under the surface—and then it was gone.
“And here comes your protector, Arthur, to save you from terrible little me.”
Arthur looked at me, puzzled. “Who? Albert? What are you talking about?”
Mary moved slowly around Arthur, keeping him between me and her. I noticed that her hips brushed against his.
“She means that I tried to warn her away from you, Arthur, for Amy’s sake.”
Arthur laughed. “Whatever could do you mean, Albert? Mary would never hurt me. She proved that a long time ago.”
Mary smiled. “I did indeed, and was rewarded with great pain on my part. But we don’t need to bring up old things, do we, Arthur? We remember, and that’s enough.”
“Quite so, quite so. I never forgot, you know. After all this time.”
There was something between them—some bond from long ago, probably during their childhood in Wales. It was something deep that I would never be able to touch, and neither could Amy.
It was as if I had disappeared from them. I was no longer visible, no longer important. The room fell away and there was only the two of them there. Without taking any clothes off or touching in but the most superficial way, they were making love more passionately than any two people ever had. And I was in the way.
“Arthur, do you need me for anything? Anything at all?”
“Hmm? Oh, no, no, Albert, I’m quite fine, quite fine indeed.” His voice had taken on that singsong Welsh quality again, becoming less words than a thought or an impression.
Mary had her head upon Arthur’s shoulder and with a slight turn smiled upon me. She had won a battle that I wasn’t even aware I was fighting. I began to leave, but then I felt a resolve come upon me that I had never felt before. I don’t even know where it came from, but it filled me to the brim and I felt my hand move towards Arthur.
“That’s splendid,” I heard myself say, “but I actually need your help.”
I gripped Arthur by his arm and instantly felt an electric shock travel through me. Pulling Arthur towards me was like pulling a wet sack through a mud-filled road. I felt Mary’s eyes on me but refused to look. I planted my feet and tugged. Arthur came slowly and not willingly, but he came.
“Albert?” he muttered, “what are you doing?”
“I need your help with Ann. Right now!”
I walked away and pulled Arthur with me. When I was at the other end of the room and there were people between us, I looked back at Mary—and my blood ran cold. If hatred could be seen it would have stretched in a straight line from her t
o me. In my mind, I could hear Walter’s voice: “For the sake of all you hold dear, never, ever cross her.”
As we walked, Arthur’s head seemed to get clearer, as if he were just waking up.
“What’s going on, Albert? Where are we going?”
“We,” I pushed on, “have to correct a misunderstanding before it goes too far.”
“What are you talking about? Really, Albert, I need to get back to Mary. Do you know how long I’ve been looking for her?”
“Yes, I know. All this week you’ve been looking for her.”
“No, Albert, even longer than that. I’ve been searching for her for years, and I’m not about to let her go again!”
I stopped suddenly and looked Arthur straight in the eyes. “Arthur, answer me true: are you in love with this woman?”
Arthur smiled. “No, Albert. It goes farther than love. Our—our bond is similar to those shared by soldiers in wartime. It is about what we endured, what we went through together. In truth, I had long ago assumed that she was dead.”
“Right about now, Arthur, I can think of someone else who wishes that Mary Kelly was dead. Come on, I have to find Ann.”
Arthur followed me as I went from room to room. In most of them were groups of people talking quietly and enjoying the party. In the den, amidst the cluttered bookshelves, I finally found Ann who, not to my surprise, was being chatted up by Richard Mansfield.
“Ann! I’ve been looking for you!” I said.
Ann looked from Mansfield to me. It was the first time I had ever seen coldness in her eyes.
“Oh, really?” She said. “You didn’t seem to be looking for me earlier.”
“I can explain that.”
“Explain what?” Arthur asked. I could tell that he was already thinking of Mary back in the other room. “What are you talking about?”
“Ann, I assure you, I did nothing to encourage that kiss.”
“You didn’t seem to be resisting very much either.”
“She was the one who kissed me! Without my consent or permission.”
Mansfield stepped between us. “I think you should back away, sir.”
“Ann,” I pleaded, “please, listen to me. That woman is one of Arthur’s friends. I don’t know why she did that, but it didn’t mean anything.”
Ann turned away. “It looked as if it meant a great many things.”
I gazed at Arthur. “When she arrived and I tried to tell her to leave you alone, Mary Kelly kissed me. Tell Ann that it meant nothing.”
“Yes, Arthur, tell us,” Mansfield commanded. My dislike of the man was growing to a veritable hatred.
Arthur smiled and shook his head. “Is that what this is all about?” He moved around Mansfield to Ann and took her hand in his. “Ann, my friend Mary is a very emotional woman and very demonstrative. She acts upon her impulses. Please be assured that she has no designs on Albert, nor does he have any intentions on her. Please, think no more about this and come back to the party.”
Ann seemed to melt under Arthur’s words until Mansfield spoke again.
“Now, really, can one be so sure these days, Arthur? I mean, who knows what people really mean?”
Arthur turned on Mansfield like a lion on a wounded gazelle.
“What they really mean? What kind of twaddle is that? I know these people, Mansfield, you do not! Kindly take yourself out of this room and out of my house!”
Mansfield backed up a step. I could tell that he was not used to being talked to in that manner. For myself, I was cheering inside. This was the Arthur Machen I knew, and to the end of my days this is the Arthur Machen I will remember.
Turning to Ann, Mansfield held out his hand. “My dear? I leave it to you. I am at your disposal if you care to leave with me.”
Ann’s hand moved towards Manfield’s and then stopped. Slowly, she withdrew it and stood up straight, looking at me.
“My thanks, Mr. Mansfield, but I think I shall stay at the party a little longer.”
“Very well. Please do consider my earlier offer.” He gave Ann his card and strode out the room.
“Ann, I—” I began.
She brushed past me to the door. “Do not think for one moment, Mr. Besame, that I have totally forgiven you or forgotten this. We will be talking about this later.”
Ann left the room, and Arthur and I stood there like two actors in a romantic comedy who had forgotten their lines. Arthur patted me on the shoulder. “There is no madness like love, Albert. It is sweet and bitter at the same time. I think we both need something to drink, don’t you?”
We left the room together and entered into a scene from Dante himself.
Chapter 19
London is the epitome of our times, and the Rome of today.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
When I walked back into the sitting room, everything had changed. I was no longer in a house in London and felt that I was no longer even on the planet Earth. All around me was a scene of horror that I could never have imagined possible. There was a mound of people lying in the middle of the room. Some were dead, some were feeding on the flesh of the others, but all were naked and writhing. Other people were standing around talking with drinks in their hands, but their faces were distorted and evil. They didn’t speak as much as hiss or growl. Small creatures ran about that I cannot describe. They appeared human in shape but were distorted and compressed. Blood flowed freely, and more than a few things were scooping it up with their glasses. In the midst of it all stood Mary Kelly. Half victim, half devil, she led the celebration and revelled in its sinful excesses. She saw me and smiled. Turning aside, I could see Ann behind her. She was mired in the swirling excess of humanity in the middle of the floor. She was naked and devouring a dead man who looked suspiciously like myself, while another man who appeared uncomfortably like Mansfield was defiling her from behind. As I watched, Ann looked up and saw me. Her smile was the same as Mary’s but worse. I could see a delight in Ann that was wicked and frightening. She growled as she ate the bloody, dead flesh.
“Albert? Albert, are you all right?”
I felt someone shaking my shoulder, and the bloody spectacle slowly faded away from my eyes, to be replaced with Arthur’s concerned face and the normal sitting room around us. The vision had gone as quickly as it had come, but to my horror I noticed that many of the people were standing in the exact position the creatures had been.
“Albert?”
I shook my head. “I’m—I’m sorry, Arthur. I think I need to sit down for a moment.”
“Of course, dear boy. Come over here.” Arthur led me to a vacant chair against the back wall, and I sank into it heavily. My legs were weak. My heart was pounding and I felt I would pass out at any moment. “Sit right here, Albert. I’ll go get you a drink. Where is that blasted Rose? What is the point of having a maid when you can never find her?”
As I watched Arthur move towards the bar, I noticed something else. Mary Kelly was staring at me. Her smile was the same as from the vision, and as I watched her she turned her head and looked straight at Ann. Looking back at me, Mary smirked and licked her lips. Then she walked over to Ann and started talking.
I wanted to get up, to run over there and pull Ann out of the room, out of the house, but my legs were like water and I could not stand up. I couldn’t hear them, but I saw Mary introduce herself and shake Ann’s hand. Ann was coolly polite, but Mary was animated and very bright. I could see Ann start to warm to Mary and thought I could hear her laugh.
By the time Arthur brought me a drink, Mary and Ann were giggling and laughing as if they had been old school friends. I felt fear such as I had never known in my life. It was worse than the terror I had known on the boats at Cornwall, where one wave could throw you over the side in a second. This kind of fear grabbed your very soul and twisted it into a knot. And no one else saw anything out of the ordinary.
“What happened to you, Albert? You went all white. I thought you were going to pass out on me!”
&
nbsp; Amy came up beside Arthur with a very concerned look on her face.
“Is everything all right? Are you feeling ill, Albert?”
I tried to talk, but no sound escaped my throat. I took a sip of the brandy, a taste that I was quickly getting far too accustomed to, and felt my voice coming back.
“I’m—I’m all right. Just a little light-headed. I suppose the party just got to me a little. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” Amy asked. “Would you like to lie down for a bit?”
“No, no, I’m fine, really. I just need to sit here for a minute.”
From behind them, I heard another voice.
“Is something wrong? Is Albert all right?” It was Ann, and she was coming closer.
Arthur and Amy parted to let her pass. “It’s nothing,” Arthur said. “He just felt a little woozy. Probably the heat. This room can get terribly warm sometimes.”
Ann came up to me and looked at me the way she had before we had come to the party, and with such a sense of concern and compassion. Then it was gone.
“Albert?” she asked. “Is there anything wrong?”
I was about to say that there was plenty wrong, starting with Mary Kelly, when I saw Mary standing behind her.
“Yes, Albert,” Mary said, “did you see something wrong?”
I didn’t say anything.
“Arthur,” Ann said, “would you get me a chair? I’d like to sit here with Albert and make sure he’s all right.”
A chair appeared beside me almost instantly, and Ann sat down. She gently laid her hand on mine.
“I’ll sit here with him,” Ann said. “I’ll make sure he’s all right. Why don’t you two get back to the party?”
“Albert?” Arthur asked, “do you need me to stay?”
“Hmm? Oh, no, no, Arthur, I’m quite fine, quite fine indeed,” I replied. Then, with a start, I realised that I had said nearly the same thing that Arthur had said when I pulled him away from Mary.