His Black Wings (8 page)

The next few days passed uneventfully but I did not see my savior Mr. Brighton. I was worried that he had gone to the authorities in St. Marhen and related what had happened. I could not allow that since they would quickly know who I was. I waited on pins and needles to see Mr. Brighton again. Mary also noticed that Mr. Brighton was not spending as much time at home as he had been the past few weeks. She had many questions as to what had transpired between us two.

“Nay, Lilly, ‘e don’t look a bit too happy does ‘e? Wot ‘appened in St. Marhen?” I could only shake my head, for I did not know either.

A week passed without a word from Fredrick. I was beginning to think he was following up with a police investigation. I grew anxious the longer he stayed away.

“Aye Missus, did ye ‘ear bouts the girl they found dead outside the pub ‘ere in town?” I shook my head no.

“They found ‘er dead and stiff as board. No one knows what ‘appen to ‘er.” That was big news in a small village such as this where crime was rare. I hadn’t heard anything of this before and told her so.

“Ooh, ye haven’t? Constables don’t know who commit crime. Can’t find no suspects.” It began to rain lightly outside and I shivered thinking of the dead girl.

“An I spoke ta the scullery maid at the pub an she said note was found on body. Only ‘ad a name on it.”

“A name?” I questioned. Mary nodded her head vigorously.

“Aye. Name was somethin’ different, nothing I ‘ad ever ‘eard before. An maid said the girl was bloody and ‘orrible to look at.”

Just then Mr. Brighton entered the kitchen with a dark scowl.

“Mary!” He said sharply. “Stop talking such nonsense and clear the dishes away.” She shot him a hurt look but obeyed. Neither Mary nor myself had seen him in weeks and his sudden appearance startled us both badly.

“Lilly, come in to the parlor we need to discuss some matters.” I followed him to the parlor and sat down in my customary spot.

“I have some good news.” But the way he said it, it didn’t sound like it was anything to be happy about. I focused my attention on him as he looked intently into my eyes.

“We are going home.” He stated flatly.

“Home Sir?” I questioned. He nodded looking out to the fireplace watching the fire dance among the burning logs.

“Yes, back to my home. We will leave at the end of this week so be prepared. Pack up all your things, including Naza’s. A porter will come and collect our luggage, so only keep your purse if you wish, with you. Naza will have to travel in the animal car, but she will be quite alright in there.”

“Animal car?”

“We will take the train.” He said as he stood up to take his leave. More than likely to go down to his gloomy basement. Of course I did not know if it was gloomy since I never even touched the handle to the door. I stood up as he did when Mary entered the room with an excited look on her face.

“Aye remember !” Mr. Brighton and I looked at Mary in bewilderment. I could tell Mr. Brighton was in a sour mood still and trying to suppress it.

What the deuce are you babbling about girl?” Mr. Brighton said sternly.

“Aye remember what the note said, the name!” She was referring to the body they had found.

“Mary,” Mr. Brighton began in a softer tone this time, “please do not speak…”

But Mary cut him off.

“Note only ‘ad one word, ‘Claren.’ ” Mr. Brighton continued to scold Mary for speaking of gruesome things but his voice became faint and the room grew dark. For a third time in Mr. Brighton’s presence I fainted.

Once again I awoke in my bed and looked towards the moon. I was frightened. Someone knew I was here, and that someone had to be Kurten. I shivered despite my room being warm. Naza climbed in to the bed with me and I buried my face into her wiry fur.

Mr. Brighton stayed at home all week but hardly spoke to me. He did not mention my fainting spell nor anything else, which I thought peculiar.

Only on one occasion did he speak when I made to go out the front door to retrieve the day’s paper.

“Not going out are you?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Only for the paper.” I answered. He looked away but answered.

“Leave it. I saw an animal squat over it, we’ll get a new one.”

I made sure to stay in my room as much as I could since I did not have an answer for him if he did question me regarding my fainting spell.

After what seemed an eternity, the day to leave arrived. Naza was taken ahead of us with our luggage but not without a kiss from me and pat on the head from Mr. Brighton.

“Now there’s a good girl Naza. Soon you’ll be running down acres and acres of grass after rabbits.” He said in a light hearted tone which I was relieved to hear. Perhaps his mood was lifting and whatever dark thoughts he had regarding the incident in the city, were leaving him.

We arrived at the train station early to have our tickets punched and to be led to our private care. The modern trains were sleek tubes made of copper and glass. Beautiful things to look at and to ride in. They ran on steam and electricity and were whisper quiet. The porter shut the door to our private car and Mr. Brighton sat on the couch across from me. He looked at me without smiling.

“Have you ever rode on a steam train Lilly?”

“Yes, once when I was a child. We attended the world fair in Luxington.”

The porter’s voice came over the intercom to announce the departure. The train lurched in the beginning but after that its movement was imperceptible. I watched the autumn landscape speed by our window. The leaves had already turned beautiful shades of gold, red and brown and you could see a slight mist in the air. I was aware of Mr. Brighton staring at me, and for the first time in a long time I felt uncomfortable in his presence.

“I have a question to ask you.” Mr. Brighton finally spoke after awhile. I looked towards him hoping to clear the air between us.

“What is it that you wish to accomplish with all the lies you tell me, Claren?”

I had heard that when one is faced with a sudden shock, their knees tremble and their heart feels like it skips a beat. When faced with my own shock, I thankfully did not faint but I felt as though my knees began to tremble. I didn’t know what to say, so I sat there stupidly. He grinned at me from behind white, even teeth. My heart fluttered and felt like a huge fish was rolling over in my breast.

“Well?” He said as he moved forward and traced the outline of my knee through my heavy skirt with his slender, white finger.

“What is your wish, Claren?” My heart, upon hearing him use my real name, beat harder. I felt the adrenaline push itself through my veins. He seemed to be aware of it, and licked his lips quickly.

“I don’t know what is it you ask Sir.” I stammered, my own voice sounding as a child’s would when confronted with some wrong doing. He had used my real name, was it safe to assume he knew who I really was? He stopped smiling and cocked his head to one side, contemplating me.

“But you do Claren, you know very well what I want, what you want.”

How did it ever come to this?
I thought franticly. What was I going to do, now that he knew who I was? He seemed to read my thoughts because he answered my question without it ever being posed.

“What will I do indeed? What
can
I do is the question, Claren. Here we are on a train, bound for the quaint countryside. No alarm has been raised, no Porter is valiantly trying to fight for your honor or to even help and cover your embarrassment, your lies. Thus, it shall remain so. At least, until we arrive at our destination.”

“Then what?” I questioned quietly.

I am resolved to die, but not without a fight. He knows this. That is why he will not attempt to take me here, on a train full of people.

My question hangs in the air between us, like a solid thing. He still has not answered, even as the whistle of the train shrieks into the wind, we race into a tunnel, blackness engulfing our private car.

The tunnel went dark and I prepared myself for an assault, one that did not come. Instead when the train emerged in to the light Mr. Brighton was no longer touching my knee but leaning back on his couch. His eyes were inquisitive yet his overall expression was slightly amused.

“First, do you know what I want Claren?” I was relieved he was no longer touching me. I shook my head.

“I want the truth from you. I need to know that you are an honest young woman. It’s important, no
vital
, that you be completely frank with me.” When I hesitated, he added with new warmth in his voice, “You can trust me. I do not want to harm you. I would never want to harm you and I don’t wish to see you in a bad situation. Trust me.” He looked into my eyes with a quiet determination, looking for answers that only I could give him. I decided to trust him with everything and if he turned his back on me, then I would handle it from there.

“I first want to apologize for deceiving you. As you have found out my name is not Lilly Cardindale, but Claren Maidstone. Both my parents are deceased. They died a few weeks before I came into your employ.”

He listened intently as I told him everything that had happened to me up until the time he hired me. I left nothing out. It seemed to be somewhat therapeutic for me to tell him about my parents, about the unwanted attention from Kurten and the attempted rape. I spoke in a low voice looking down at my hands that were now folded in my lap. I related how Naza had saved me from Kurten, but was injured herself by him. I told him how I fled that night with Naza and a small case of belongings. As always he studied me intently, his gaze attempting to penetrate my mind and private thoughts. When I was finished, he spoke to me in a soft tone.

“So this Kurten, he was the one that attacked you that night you were shopping?” I nodded.

“Now I will tell you what I know of you. I knew your aunt quite well and was very fond of her. She spoke of you often towards the end of her illness and felt badly about that young man Kurten being pushed on you by your parents.” I marveled that she had listened all that time I spoke to her. She always seemed so far away, only joining my monologues on occasion.

“So, you knew about Kurten then?” I asked.

“Yes. I knew his name only, not what he looked like. That day when I came upon you both, I heard you call out his name. You said, ‘Kurten stop!’ I stopped him from hurting you but I was confused. I thought that maybe you had let him know you were coming in to town. Thousands of different thoughts entered my head. Perhaps you were in love with him, perhaps there was more to the story that the Constables knew. I have been very confused this past week Claren.”

“No! I could never be in love with a beast like that. I was actually very upset when I realized that we were going in to St.Marhen. I was petrified that someone would recognize me.”

The train slowed as it prepared to enter a new city and take on more passengers. I looked out the window to see the happy looks on people waiting for their loved ones to step off the train.

“Claren, it was always my intention to help you if an opportunity presented itself. My plans, of course were bungled by Kurten who chose to force himself on you and not wait. I am so glad you were not harmed. I read in the paper that you had escaped during the night.”

“How did you know my aunt? How was it that she never mentioned you to me?” He smiled wistfully.

“I met your aunt quite by accident at the park. She engaged me in conversation which proper ladies do not do, however, I knew right away there was something different about her. She had a free spirit about her and I took to her right away. I only knew her for a short while before she grew ill and passed on, but I knew right away that if I could help you I would be honoring her memory.” I felt sad not to have known that my aunt cared so much about me. All my life, my parents tried to keep me away from her and here she was thinking of me that whole time. I felt a strong urge to take out the teapot she left me from my baggage but it was packed away in another car. Mr. Brighton continued his narrative.

“When I had found that you had gone, I tried to put myself in your shoes as it were. You would be seeking refuge and would need a way to support yourself. I placed that ad the day you vanished. I was worried that something had happened to you, but I felt that I had to stay here until I knew for sure.”