Meddlesome Madness: A Short Story Collection

by Beth Byers

Neither of the twins believed her, but she ran her fingers through their hair, one hand on each head and told them a story of their mother, which made everything feel better. That and the long-horrified shriek that woke them from their sleep that night.

  The End

  Part II

  Steamships & Shenanigans

  Chapter 1

  (This short story falls chronologically between A Merry Little Murder and Murder Among the Roses and was originally published in New Year’s Madness.)

  “Fabulous news, darlings!” Gwennie declared, spinning as she came into the stateroom to make the fringe of her dress flare. “The surprise event for New Years is a scavenger hunt!”

  “Oh,” Violet said, trying for excited and failing. She glanced at Kate, who touched her face. For Kate, her bruises had faded enough that hiding them with powder was easy. Violet, on the other hand, still looked like she’d been thoroughly beaten. She had been, so it was a reasonable though terrible result.

  They had just left the Lake Country where their friends Lila and Denny had inherited a home, met their friend Kate, and were traveling to Cuba to try the rum cocktails. Perhaps it was the promise of cocktails or perhaps it was just the love in the air, but the mild crossing wasn’t even affecting Gwennie’s motion sickness.

  “We were to be assigned randomly to table teams and the lads have bribed the fellas in charge of the teams, so we’ll be somewhat together for the hunt! How fun will this be?” Gwennie was bouncing on her toes. “Leg it, ladies! Powder your noses, freshen your lipstick, it’s a night for kisses and fireworks.”

  “Ah,” Kate said, far more aware of how Violet was feeling than Gwennie.

  Their light-hearted friend shimmied and then gasped, “Oh! I forgot!” Before she said what she’d forgotten, she was out of the stateroom once again, leaving behind a wave of weighted silence.

  The stateroom was over-the-top elegance reminiscent of a French palace with gilded elaborately carved furniture with lush rugs to accent each room. It was excessive in its comforts and even Violet was able to find a little ease there despite her injuries.

  Violet glanced at Kate, who commented, “I’m sure Jack and Victor will understand if you’re not quite up to it.”

  Violet considered. Her ribs were going to hurt for weeks yet, as was her collarbone, but the intense racking pain had faded in the last week to a sort of constant throb. The desire to enjoy a New Year’s Eve party was not automatic when one had experienced a rather thorough beating. She knew, however, if she didn’t get up, eat the feast the ship was serving, and at least stand with Jack near the railing of the ship for the fireworks, she’d be smothered by her well-meaning twin and her beau in the coming days.

  A scavenger hunt did sound fun. Maybe she was up to it? Perhaps if she was rather careful?

  “Darling one,” Kate said carefully, “you should consider taking a little of the morphine.”

  Violet shook her head, holding her hand against her ribs. They weren’t hurting at that moment. “I don’t want to need it.”

  “You need it if it hurts to move.” Kate’s careful answer was sufficient evidence that Violet hadn’t been hiding her pain well enough.

  “I don’t want to need morphine when I am well again.” Violet slowly curled onto her side, trying to pretend as though it didn’t send shooting pain through her side.

  Kate didn’t say the obvious, which was if Violet took the morphine and was careful, she might be able to function without pain for the evening. Kate lifted a brow at Violet, took the solution of morphine and adjusted it so that it would be lower in content than what had been prescribed. Violet hesitated, but when Kate handed over the carefully modified morphine, Vi scrunched up her face and took it.

  There was a bath in the stateroom. Violet called for her maid and had the bathtub filled with the hottest water she could stand with an excess of Epson salts. A lower dose of morphine, a long soak to make her muscles a little more fluid, and she would play the evening away.

  The dress she had selected was entirely new, with layer upon layer of red fringe. The fringe helped to hide the bulkiness that came from the wraps around Violet’s cracked ribs. Her maid carefully helped Violet put the bindings back on and then dropped the gown over the top of her head. To that, Vi added her long strand of black pearls, followed a heavy set of bangles on each wrist, diamond earbobs, a diamond and black pearl tiara, and her flat black shoes.

  She was feeling a little better once she was dressed, especially once she added makeup. She layered a heavy bit of kohl around her black eye. The bruise itself had faded and with heavy kohl and blackened lashes, it wasn’t so obvious. Violet ended up smudging out the liner more than she normally would have. With another heavy round of blush and red lips, she tried to take attention from her black eye. She went so far as to add a beauty mark near her lips.

  “You look lovely,” Kate said as she slid into her own dress. Kate’s was silver and black with a drop waist and a higher hem than her upright mother would appreciate.

  With new vigor, Violet and Kate left for the dining saloon. Vi was a little wobbly on the way because of the morphine, but Kate wound their arms together until they found the gentlemen near the grand staircase. Jack stepped in to keep Violet upright.

  With his hand in hers, she laughed up at him, a high-pitched giggle that seemed to make everyone else laugh back. There was just something amusing about New Year’s Eve and all the people in their prettiest clothes. Like cocks of the walk striding about to be admired.

  As they arrived in the dining saloon, they found even more waiters than usual circulating with cocktails. There were pillars and arched doorways, with a ceiling that could belong in a small cathedral. As luxurious as it was, it paled in comparison to those steamships that went from London to New York City.

  Violet took a cocktail, giggling as she leaned into Jack’s arm.

  “Oh,” she said, knowing everything was quite right. “Isn’t everyone lovely? Jack, you look smashing! Top notch even. Oh, you’re so big.” She patted his shoulder, holding her hands high over her head and ended on another round of giggles only to find both Jack and Victor grinning down at her. Their grins made her laugh harder.

  “Well, now.” Victor winked at Kate. “What mischief have you two been up to?”

  “None!” Violet solemnly crossed her finger over her chest in a large X. “We are the most solemn and zealous of solemn…” She stumbled over the word and tried, “Solemna…oh that is hard! Solllemmnniity. Something like that. Stop laughing. My lips feel funny.”

  Kate smiled at Victor’s inquiry and batted her lashes with a wide, innocent gaze.

  “You are my favorite boys! Doesn’t Kate look lovely, Victor? You’ll need to keep an eye on her or someone will snatch her away from you. Perhaps one of those clever coves who don’t buy houses zozzled.” Violet laughed again, staring past her companions to the crowd of strangers, making ship-born acquaintances like old friends with glittery jewels, coiffed within an inch of their lives.

  “What did you do?” Victor asked. Violet glanced back, noticed he was talking to Kate and returned to oohing over the crowd.

  “She’s got about a half-dose of morphine in her. She wasn’t sure she was up to the scavenger hunt without it. I didn’t realize she had only taken one or two doses ever. She’s…ah…sensitive to the drug.”

  “She bullied me,” Violet declared gaily. “You’ll have to promise to keep it away from me after this, darlings. Otherwise, I might turn into one of those opium hounds. Swear it!” Violet suddenly turned back and ordered. She placed her hands on her hips and scowled up at Victor and Jack, who were both grinning inexplicably her way. Why were they smiling? Her eyes welled a little and Jack held up surrendering hands.

  Victor snorted before he said, “Sworn, darling one. Stop up those tears.”

  Violet laughed and wiped away a tear before she cooed, “Oh, you are just the best brother. Having a twin is just the best,” Violet loudly whispered to Kate. Vict
or laughed, but when Violet spun to see why, he was looking past her. She followed his gaze and didn’t see anything funny. “Hullo there, cocktails!”

  Whatever had happened to her last one? She couldn’t remember where it had gone or even if she’d enjoyed it. Ah well. Violet took the whole tray from a waiter and handed them around while the fellow stood awkwardly by. He stared at her until Jack took the cocktail tray back from her and gave it back.

  “That might have been useful,” Violet sniffed. “What if we needed somewhere to place our glasses?”

  “I’ll carry what you need,” Jack told her, taking a sip of his cocktail.

  “Let me hold that for you,” Victor told Violet, taking her cocktail before she could have a sip. Violet handed it over with a grin and tucked her arm through Jack’s, smiling up at him. She fluttered her lashes and then carefully dabbed the corner of her eye. That did feel odd, didn’t it? Why did women bat their lashes? Did men really find it attractive?

  Jack took Violet by the hand when a waiter led them to their newly assigned table. Instead of their usual table they were seated with a group of assigned scavenger hunters. Violet and Jack were placed in one group, while Victor and Kate were placed in another and John and Gwennie in a third. Lila and Denny were far across the dining saloon, and all Violet could see of her closest friend was a laughing glance at her husband and a purple and silver gown that glittered. Violet waved merrily at her friends before turning to stare at their group.

  Next to Violet was a man in his sixties, who was scowling down at her. His bushy eyebrows were both black and silver and so large they seemed to be almost extra limbs.

  “My!” Violet grinned up at him and winked. “You are fierce.”

  Despite her grin, he didn’t waver in his scowl. Violet didn’t waver in her grin either, looking at it as a challenge.

  “Is your friend touched?” he demanded of Jack.

  “She’s injured,” Jack said calmly. “Her painkiller is leaving her a bit giggly.”

  Violet shot both of the men dirty looks and turned to the older man’s wife. “Oh!” Violet gasped. “You are so lovely. Your eyes are beautiful. Have they always been so brilliantly blue?”

  The woman grinned and nodded at Violet. “I was born with them.”

  “You are lucky. Isn’t she lucky, Jack?”

  “Indeed,” Jack answered dryly.

  “Thank you, my dear.” The blue-eyed woman sipped her champagne and glanced around the table.

  Jack introduced them to the table, but Violet yawned entirely through the conversation and most of the dinner. She could have sworn she kept finding something moving in her potted shrimps, and her arms were itching. She ran her fingers down her arms, sipping her wine which was quite the worst she’d been served since being on board. She was leaning into Jack’s shoulder when the first round of clues were handed out.

  “We’ll meet back here for a dance and fireworks,” a man with a very thin mustache shouted. “The first group back will win a wonderful prize and lead the first dance of the ball.”

  “Oh, how fun,” said the other youngish woman. Violet glanced her over, noting her stylish dress and bright brown eyes. Her hair was a little lackluster, but it was cut into a smart style and her jewelry was as fine as Violet’s.

  Violet listened as Jack read the clue:

  I have a face but never smile.

  I have hands but never wave.

  What am I?

  “I am terrible at riddles,” the blue-eyed, older woman tittered. She glanced happily at her husband and then back at the others.

  Her scowling husband rolled his eyes. “This whole scenario is terrible. I’m going to the bar. Are you coming, Mildred?”

  Lovely, Violet thought, now she had a name to go with those blue eyes. The woman tittered again, but Violet could tell that Mildred wanted to join in on the scavenger hunt.

  “Oh, do stay.” Violet grinned merrily, shaking off the lethargy that had been hitting her hard throughout the meal. “We shall need your wisdom.”

  “Let alone her chaperonage. If I’ve seen a tableful of folks more ready to rain down havoc, I’ll eat my shoe.”

  “Oh, Niles,” Mildred said with a scowl. “These are good young-uns. Don’t mind him, dears. He’s quite the teddy bear under all those prickles. Now, what was that riddle again?”

  Jack read it once again, while Violet searched for the names of the other set of young people. They seemed to know each other rather well. Vi searched her mind through the haze. Ah, of course, they were Betty Grady and her brother, Harold.

  They were hissing to each other back and forth throughout most of the dinner, but Violet had been more bothered by the way something seemed to be crawling on her legs.

  It was the brother who ignored the clue as he asked Violet, “Why are you all going to Cuba?”

  “A little sun, a little sand, a little rum.” Violet yawned and nodded to a passing waiter with a tray of champagne glasses. The whole of the dinner, the waiter kept missing Violet’s wine glass on refills, and she’d have sworn he mistakenly filled her glass with mostly water and then simply added a little wine for coloring. She took a sip of the champagne, sighing and enjoying the way the fizz tickled her nose. “I believe the answer to our riddle is clock, and I also believe there is quite a magnificent clock outside of this very room. I do wonder if we’ve all got the same clues, or if we’re being sent in different ways to the same final destination.”

  Mildred tittered once again and leaned towards the brother-sister duo. “I do believe that they must send us on different routes. Otherwise, we’d end up cheating rather spectacularly. What has got you two whispering in such a tizzy?”

  The sister’s eyes welled as she glanced at her brother, who shrugged indifferently. Violet scowled at Harold, who was quite an unsatisfactory brother. Really! It was rather too much to make your sister cry at dinner and on New Year’s Eve! Victor should have a few words with the lad—this Harold needed training in being appropriately brotherly.

  “Well, I have been getting these messages, and they are…”

  “They’re mean jokes, Betty. Burn them and be done with it.”

  “What do they say?” Violet demanded. Her injuries had come from a fellow weak in the head, sick in the soul, and strong in body. He’d wanted a girl, and secret messages had been the avenue to let her know. When he couldn’t have her, he’d killed her and moved his attention onto Violet’s friend, Kate. Violet would never forget those horrible, unwelcomed notes and how they made her feel scared and yet foolish for being so haunted.

  “They’re love notes. Ridiculous.” Harold’s frown made his sister flinch, and Violet wanted to smack him a little for being so scathing.

  Violet didn’t think that sounded ridiculous at all. Love notes—the kind that didn’t make it clear you were being hunted like a fox. That didn’t sound so bad if they truly were intended to convey love. To be honest, she’d rather welcome some love notes from Jack, though not from some unnamed fellow.

  “Whyever would that be ridiculous?”

  “Don’t feed her delusions,” Harold warned. “Betty’s a good enough girl, but she’s a solid old gal. The kind of good one you settle down with to raise solid little boys. Not the kind of girl you wax poetic over. Eyes like flower petals, skin like cream. She’s had a spot or two this whole trip. Most women have their spots end by the time they reach their adulthood. Betty’s got thick hips, frizzy hair, and a laugh to drill a hole in a man’s head.”

  Betty’s eyes welled further. Violet slowly stood, lifting her champagne and tossing it into Harold’s face. He jerked back from the table and rose to his feet with a curse. Threateningly, he stepped towards Violet, but Jack rose, blocking Harold. The mountain of Jack with his broad, broad shoulders sent Harold stumbling back.

  “I understand there’s going to be a game of billiards tonight,” Jack observed sternly. It was not a suggestion and Harold nodded frantically.

  “Just the thing for me,” h
e squeaked and fled.

  Violet glanced around the table at Mildred, who was patting Betty’s hand, and Betty, who scowled after her brother but held onto Mildred’s hand so tightly, her fingers made white circles on Mildred’s flesh.

  Betty was rather thick in the hips, Violet thought, but not overly so. She wasn’t the slender form that was popular at the moment, but she was the kind of curvaceous bundle many a man preferred. Her hair might have been a little thin and a little frizzy, but it framed a heart-shaped face with lovely round cheeks, bright, kind eyes, and full lips.

  She was not, Violet admitted, quite the fashion. She was, however, very much someone lovable. It wasn’t as though she had a third nose or mean eyes.

  “Isn’t it lovely?” Violet asked brightly, hoping that the right tone would let Betty recover and find a shred of happiness. “We’ve rid ourselves of the grumpy lads and now we can have fun. If only I hadn’t wasted my champagne. I declare once we have a cocktail or two, we’ll have rather a good time.”

  Chapter 2

  Violet found a waiter and sent him for a G&T while the separate table guests were gathering into circles and whispering over their clues. Violet watched several guests leave, heading away from the clock.

  John and Gwennie were already gone with their group. They had left with the sort of eager looks that said they intended to crow themselves the winners of the scavenger hunt for the rest of the voyage. John’s look was especially keen as he smiled down at Violet’s friend. Gwennie had the sort of shining eyes and sparkling complexion that declared she was falling in love and found the world beautiful.

  Victor and Kate, on the other hand, seemed to have called for another round of drinks and Victor was certainly telling an animated story. Violet knew that pose too well, along with the surety that he had little concern about winning the scavenger hunt.

  “Do you have your love notes?” Violet turned to Betty, who nodded. Vi took the G&T from the waiter. She saw the frown in Jack’s gaze but assumed it was because of that fiend of a brother who had been so cruel to his sister.