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Lilian wasn’t expecting a knock today, as her meeting with August had taken place already; if she had appointments, she already knew when they were due. Curious, she lifted her head from her work and stood up to greet the unexpected guest.
“Yes?” Madam Halifax called.
“It’s me,” Blackmore said, his voice raised, still muffled through the door. The woman frowned, and immediately walked over to let him in. The doctor stood before her, holding papers and looking perturbed, which was unusual. Instantly, Halifax knew something was even slightly amiss.
“Come in, Blackmore,” she said inquisitively. “Is everything alright? You seem disturbed.” August entered her office and shut the door behind him as they advanced to the desk, and when he set his papers down, the deep displeasure in his heart made itself known in the set of his mouth.
“I have reason to be disturbed, Madam,” the man started, waiting for her to sit before he took the seat before her. “My patient has delivered to me some extraordinarily grave news, and I’m afraid it requires immediate action. Lilian…” Blackmore’s head dropped, and she could see the strain of upset in the clench of his teeth as his brow fell to his upstretched fingertips. “I’ve discovered why Valentine Godwin was found in her underthings her first morning here. One of our household staff, after escorting her, got her alone with the intention to…” he sighed heavily, not wanting it to be true. “…rape her, Lilian.”
The woman gasped, her eyes going wide. One delicate hand shot to cover her lips in a gesture of horror.
“No! Good God August, tell me it’s not that serious,” she pleaded, both agitated and enraged. The man shook his head despondently.
“I’m afraid it is just that serious. I have evidence from the young man himself that places him in her room the night she arrived, and Miss Godwin’s testimony that he, however feebly, threatened to overpower and ravage her.” August produced Charles’ excuse note and handed it over, which Lilian took with fumbling fingers and read, shaking.
“The Richardson boy?” Her eyes flashed as she looked up at him at the end. “What did she say happened?”
“That he escorted her, pretending to be harmless, until he shut himself inside her room and attempted to restrain her. She says he threatened her verbally, but ultimately no harm was done- by him. She confronted him, Madam. With fisticuffs!” Still he reeled from the very idea! Not only that Charles had thought to ravish his woman, but that she herself had anticipated, and retaliated. “She was expecting him to attack her, and so was successful in defending against his advances- choking him and pulling him to the floor.” Lilian’s eyebrows shot up with the news.
“Thus the ‘mad fit’ he reported? The attack?” Incredulous, Madam Halifax reread the note in her hands, searching for indications of the lad’s guilt. She knew well who he was; had received an official notice from his guardians when they sought employment for him. The young man came from significant wealth and influence. Both his patres familias were members of the English court of law, and the young man had been named his childless uncle’s heir to boot. He’d come with high praise and had only ever shown her a polite veneer and hard work. It was a blow indeed to think she’d allowed such a devious villain into her ranks.
“I theorise the lad turned an accusation upon Miss Godwin in the hopes her word would not be believed, so as to exonerate himself. I would imagine that vein of thinking would extend to any previous victims- and according to Miss Godwin, there is at least one.” The news chilled Halifax’s blood to ice.
“Oh August…” the woman lamented. “This is dreadful. How many more might he have violated? Is he the only criminal that we’ve allowed onto the staff? It’s unconscionable!” August heaved a rough breath.
“I know, Madam, and wholeheartedly agree. I cannot bear the thought that I’ve let such predators among my patients.” The Scotsman clenched his jaw tightly, baring his teeth. To think, it was he who hired them! No one had made it to the ranks of their employ without interviews from himself and Halifax, but she had trusted him to choose only the best of the best candidates! The requirements for household staff were not nearly so rigorous and demanding as they were for doctors, but still… This was his failing. And now he had to amend it. August took a calming breath.
“Shall we terminate his employ and telegraph for a constable?” Lilian began gathering ink and paper to undertake these actions, but her employee put up a hand.
“Wait, Madam. Not yet.” She stared at him, aghast.
“Why-ever not, August? I want the little beast gone!” Blackmore put up his hands in plea.
“As do I, but if we terminate him and turn him over to the law, we do not have enough evidence of crime to bring him to justice. We could open ourselves to legal action from his guardians and be accused of lying, as could beylikdüzü escort Miss Godwin. Furthermore, what if the boy is simply sent to another place to work, where he can prey further? I don’t just want to be rid of him- I want him exposed and prevented from further harm. Please, Lilian. We must be smart about this.” Madam Halifax stilled, her mouth twisted into a frown.
“Then what do you suggest we do, Doctor?” She said tightly. August reached across the desk and squeezed one of her hands to comfort.
“We gather evidence and testimony, and keep an eye on him. I have already begun a course of action to stop and correct this, Lilian. My patient has made it clear that she will not allow an opportunity to punish him out of her grasp. So I made her a deal. She will lure him into my trap, and she will approach the patients to see who else has suffered. I know it’s an unorthodox approach, but I humbly ask you to allow the attempt.”
Halifax appraised her trusted head doctor with a grim but curious expression.
“How, exactly, will Miss Godwin lure him into discovery…?” The matron asked very carefully.
“Shall we say, Madam… she will be his Siren, and beckon him to his doom.” A profound silence hung for a moment, and the woman’s face paled. When she spoke again, her voice was hushed.
“Will the young lady be quite alright doing this, August?” Lilian queried warily, raising one delicate eyebrow. In spite of his anger and regret, August had to smile wryly.
“In all honesty, Lilian… I think she will be better than I myself will be,” he confessed. “The idea of allowing her to feign seduction causes the bile to rise in my throat.” He could feel the acids in his stomach churning. “But Miss Godwin has assured me that she would have done this with or without my approval. She intends to protect the patients from him by using herself as bait- and there’s something about her I’ve barely begun to understand. Something… feral. I think she’s come from such violence before, Madam. She seems to think of most men as predators already, and has built herself upon the notion.”
“My word…” Halifax gasped. “Do you imply she may have done something like this already?” The man gave a shrug.
“Not to this degree. If she has built herself as a predator to counteract the baser urges she sees in the male sex, then I think this is her first true hunt.” A tremour passed through Madam Halifax.
“I suppose, in any case, she is here for good reason,” the woman breathed. “Promise me the young lady will not come to any harm, August, and I will trust your tactics.” The widow collapsed against the back of her chair with a distressed sigh. “I would prefer to terminate him, but I fear you are too correct in thinking he would escape justice. His guardians are too wealthy, and far too respected to allow him to be convicted. I shudder to think what they might do to our facility’s reputation if they were told their son was a rapist.”
“Precisely my concern, Madam,” August said, patting her hand. He withdrew and made to stand. “Of course I intend to keep you informed of my plans, and Valentine’s discoveries. I swear to you I will protect her.” He smiled. “Whether she thinks she needs it or not, she is mine to protect.” Halifax gave a faint curl of her lips in return.
“You’d best, dear August. I will naturally wish to speak to any patients who wish to lodge complaints… and yours, as soon as possible.” August nodded and took to his feet.
“Perhaps I can lighten your mood a little. Miss Godwin has proposed a rather intriguing idea.” The woman gave him a look.
“Oh? Something unrelated to our staffing problem, I take it?” The man nodded, told her the idea of the performance, and by the end, Halifax was smiling. “Well! Let us see what can be made of that, shall we?”
***
When August returned to the sitting-room after quite the grave conversation with his employer and trailed by the proud matron, he blinked with confusion at the sight of some twenty or thirty patients holding and comparing brightly-coloured gowns, with Valentine, Annie and Rosamund at the centre of the whorl. Annie seemed to be examining each person individually to see what alterations needed to be done, Valentine was speaking with the patients who had not yet received her charity and wished to partake, and Rosamund was overseeing the queue of those waiting for the seamstress. Nurses and doctors were trying in vain to command attention from Valentine, and in all his years, Doctor Blackmore had never seen his charges collected and full of such vim.
“My my,” Lilian said, behind Blackmore. She gave Valentine a thorough perusal.
“My apologies, Madam. I had no idea she would seize upon my absence to cause such a din.” Amused, Lilian Halifax chuckled.
“Set your heart at rest, Doctor,” she said, and August had to smile at her subtle reference to the not-so distressing aspects of their conversation. beylikdüzü escort “This is what she wants with the play, isn’t it? Life?” He nodded. Everything was very lively, indeed. Not only did he see that, but, happiness as well. Real, genuine joy on more faces than he could count. And hope on many more.
“I promise all of you who wish one will get a gown,” Valentine said as she flitted through the crowd. “Rest assured, we’ll get as many out at a time as we can.”
August strode forward, his arms full of books, and he headed right for the knot of women. Something in his step must have betrayed him, because Valentine became still and soon turned, already developing an uncanny sense of her lover. Most of her composure was feigned, he was sure, because he could see the sudden, tiny clench of her shoulders.
“Alright, everyone,” he boomed loud enough to break the noise but without threat or displeasure. “I see Miss Godwin wishes to gift you all with a new dress, and I promise we will sort it all out effectively. In the meantime, I need everyone to be calm for a few minutes. Madam Halifax has come to speak with you.” Doctor Blackmore’s command did not just hold sway over his slave-girl, it also ensured he got swift control of any situation. As the handsome young doctor (grown even more so, many mused in wonder) easily gained all attention in the room, it quieted in respect. Lilian stepped forward as August crossed behind her, to bequeath his armload of tomes upon his patient.
“You naughty, wicked creature,” he whispered into Valentine’s ear clandestinely, as Lilian drew her audience- “Do you have any idea how fascinating you are in your mischief?” His voice was laden with amourous delight, but his body was going to have to catch up. If he could have swept her into his most scorching embrace right there, he would have. The woman accepted his offering, and fought not to blush.
“And here I thought you would be stern,” she teased. As if to show any onlookers her rapture was for the books in her arms, she began to stroke the heavy covers with her fingers.
“Just try not to get my staff to quit if you can help it,” he told her with more seriousness. She stifled a laugh.
“As long as they don’t deserve worse.” Those words were a blade of ice. He nodded in silent agreement.
“Good day, everyone. Some of you may not have met me before, but I am Mistress Halifax, owner and overseer of this facility. All of you know Doctor Blackmore.” Their eyes all turned to behold the exchange of texts from one set of arms to the other, the excitement on the woman’s face at their presence. “The doctor and I have had a brief conference today, and it is my great pleasure to announce that Miss Valentine Godwin-” The named one’s eyes and ears perked up- “will be devising and orchestrating a performance of the Shakespearian classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The young woman smiled in victory, and her companions clapped in exultation. A murmur rose around the room, but no one seemed to realise yet what this proclamation would mean for them. “With Doctor Blackmore’s supervision, of course.” Valentine sprang to attention.
“Auditions will begin as soon as I can manage!” she declared, and then the real excitement started.
“Yes,” Madam Halifax continued, “a production for the ladies of my facility, by the ladies of my facility. If this one is successful, I shall certainly allow more in the future. I think it a fine method of therapy, and I do so look forward to seeing what all of you can create together.” The nurses and doctors left waiting to take control of the room finally gave up, exasperated. Valentine’s machinations had bested them without much effort. August drew level with his employer once more.
“Who else has enough seamstress skill to aid Miss Tailor in alterations? The more hands working, the quicker all of you get your gift from Miss Godwin.” A few hands went up, and August waved them to approach the front of the crowd. He sent the volunteers along to Annie, the four of them. Taking counsel with his girl once more, August maintained his business-like manner. “Grab a few volunteers, Miss Godwin, and we will expedite this process. No sense in leaving it unfinished now.” She nodded, giving a coy smile. Turning away, she pointed to a half-dozen young ladies without a dress.
“Come with us, lasses, and we’ll fetch a spate more of my gowns.”
Doctor and patient led the parade, followed at the last by Madam Halifax.
***
Long before the third expedition to Valentine’s room for gowns, Wilson returned from the facilities to find Henry waiting. After a brief explanation, the boys left the scene with no one the wiser they had ever been there- though Henry could not be sure Valentine or one of the others hadn’t heard his retreat. It was a lucky thing that Charles was too taken with the girl’s secrets to seek his comrades. They had a meeting place arranged for just such beylikdüzü escort a scenario, and they headed toward it at once- Henry adding details along the way, yet the aftermath and knowledge of Valentine’s plot conveniently slipped his mind in the telling.
Soon they found their dusty retreat and discovered their leader within. Henry could tell by looking that Charles was still very much flummoxed by his encounter. The filthy poetry filled his hands, his eyes fix’d upon it without seeming to read. He only came alive when Wilson’s voice split the silence.
“Wot ye got there, Charlie?” The lackey asked, twiddling the pages with a flick. Charles didn’t move, but the cognisance relit in his gaze. When he spoke, it was quiet, in the hallowed manner of a wise man or a particularly reverent priest. He believed in his own enlightenment. He saw divine purpose fallen into his lap, without ever once thinking that perhaps madness was not what brought you to the asylum, but the infection of dwelling within.
“Imagine Ponce de León returned from his voyage with casks of water that could cure a wound instantly, or return an aged man to youth when drunk. Imagine Raleigh returned to the Queen, his ships laden with pure gold, clutching a direct map to El Dorado. This here…? The fruit the old bastards didn’t get. This is it, boys. This is her secret, her weakness. Right here.” Charles slapped the pages down, spread them out. Remembering Charles’ rather personal reaction to whatever was on them, Henry picked one up with slight reluctance; Wilson greedily snatched one into his hands and trained a squint to the lines. Henry dropped his gaze, and began to read.
Within this ink lies a maiden’s plea to the God of Carnal Love;
O Eros! Son of Venus, seated on Olympus, tow’ring high above,
Hear my cry and bend thy favour so to consume my soul,
For this lusty vessel shall never be, bereft of lover, whole.
Eros! A man stalks my dreams, and haunts my waking mind
Grant him flesh and blood and bone, if thou wouldst be so kind.
A man of passion, a man of strength, a Master to my slave:
Without such a man to fuck me well, I can only rant and rave.
Some have tried and all have failed to claim my virgin cunt,
Each one worse than the one before, from boor to foolish runt.
Though many times I’ve stuffed myself with objects strange or fair,
Only a Master’s blesséd cock could truly fill me there.
O Eros! Thou must have someone perfect waiting just for me,
Else why, with all chances, have I kept my despiséd virginity?
Well thou know’st the rituals I have to thy glory given,
From my daily masturbation to the erotic prose I’ve scriven.
Of all earthly delights, many have I seen or tasted or touched,
Fine clothes and fine wines I’ve had, gold and jewels I’ve clutched.
But nothing will compare to my great desire, not even the roses I’ve plucked:
I would give up wealth, morsels divine, just to know what it’s like to be fucked.
Henry was at the end of the page, and it was almost impossible to continue. Could the others see how much his hands shook? He darted his eyes to the side and oversaw Charles begrudgingly walking Wilson through some of the larger words in the poetry. Still, the bawdy nature of the lines was not lost on any of them. Henry could feel his face flaming hot, and there was a stirring much lower down he couldn’t ignore. It was… potent, to say the least, Valentine’s longing. Part of him wanted to keep reading, to come to know the full, intimate portrait of the woman he was beginning to admire. She was gifted, undoubtedly. Bold; in full command of herself, and unafraid of scum like Charles. She was someone he was not, someone he found he wanted to be.
To distract himself from his embarrassment over his own perceived inadequacies, Henry found his mind trailing back to the power of sexual desire. Never had he met a young woman who so unabashedly wrote or admitted her body’s burning needs before, and he found it not just surprising, but freeing. He was a young man, after all, and he felt the demands of his baser self. His ‘Es’, as Freud would call it, was alive and well. He simply hadn’t the lack of self-restraint his accompaniment did, in taking advantage of those weaker than himself. The boys knew he was still a virgin, and derided him frequently for what they deemed a lack of masculinity. Was it really so awful a thing to wait for love, or even marriage, just to enjoy the joining of two bodies and souls in pleasure? Then again, that’s not what the two of them thought about the act. No, it was only and always about themselves. The women were just passive receptacles for their lust.
But, as he was becoming increasingly aware, not Valentine. Not Valentine.
The writings in his hand proved that Valentine was worse, far worse, afflicted with lust, and that hers could never be slaked by anything less than either the most daring and ferocious of men, or, apparently, an archaic demi-god. And so, Henry thought, if she proved that a woman could live and burn hotter and harder than even a foul rapist like Charles, it must be true that men who longed for affection, lifelong romance and love before sex could also live and thrive. He was heartened.