by A. W. Exley
We rattled along the packed dirt, and I clutched my feathered headband, ensuring it didn't blow off and fly down the road. Serenity House was lit up. Every light in the place must have been on, with additional lanterns on tall poles lining the driveway. The entire estate exuded an enchanted air, as though anything could happen — like a serving girl taking the hand of a duke to dance at a grand ball.
There was something far more opulent than decorative lights lining the drive: a procession of gleaming motorcars. As Henry manoeuvred between them, my heart grew tighter in my chest. I couldn't do this. Gentry from the surrounding county poured into Serenity House, and I would be an imposter amongst them. I pulled my googles off and threw them down by my feet. No, we had to go back. This was a foolish idea.
The little door in the sidecar cracked open. "Lord Leithfield is looking for you, miss." Warrens, the butler, held out his hand to me as though I were waiting to exit an expensive motor, not lever myself from a sidecar.
Seth was waiting for me, and I at least owed him a last dance. I placed my hand in Warrens and met his gaze. "What if I were just a nobody, and not a lady at all?"
"You are the defender of this parish miss, and have always acted noble, even if you were not born to it."
Deep thinkers, butlers. I wonder if it's all that time standing around in hallways waiting for something to happen? Warrens had been with the deMage family for decades, and no doubt had a network of ears throughout the county. He must have known the truth of my origins. Had he told Seth I was no noble?
"You'll find his grace in the ballroom, miss."
Apparently I was taking too long to decide on a course of action. He nodded toward the noise and light spilling from the house. Here goes nothing.
Up the steps, I ventured across the expansive entranceway to the source of the noise. The ballroom occupied its own wing running off to one side. It dropped below the level of the rest of the house. The steps downward enabled one to survey the dancers below and make an entrance.
I stepped over the threshold as though I expected to find it packed with vermin. It wasn't, but it seethed with colour from the myriad of women in a range of fashions. Some still clung to the pre-war fashion of long gowns and trains. One or two modelled the scandalous harem pants, but most had raised hemlines. I was the only one baring my knees in the height of fashion.
The men were mostly monochromatic in black evening wear and white (or ivory) shirts. Amongst them I spotted the khaki of soldiers. They hung near the open doorways, some with rifles slung over their shoulders. One man detached himself from a group of penguins by the side and walked to the bottom of the steps.
Seth.
The Duke of Leithfield raised one dark eyebrow and looked up at me. His hand extended, waiting. "Will you dance with me, Ella?"
Chapter Nineteen
How could I refuse?
I took the last step and laid my hand in his. He drew me near as the band began to play a waltz. Not the ragtime music I expected, but I wasn't going to complain while he held me close for a slow dance.
"You look beautiful," he whispered. His gaze shone, turning the grey of his eyes to shot silver.
"You're very fine yourself," I said. He was exquisite in his tails, but I imagined it was bad form to call a man beautiful.
We moved out on to the parquet floor. While it gleamed for the moment, it would be dull and scuffed by thousands of footsteps by dawn. Overhead, enormous chandeliers glinted, as though Seth had plucked several moons from the heavens and hung them from the ceiling. One wall contained French doors at regular intervals, leading to the patio and gardens beyond. In between each set of doors, mounted on the wall, were crossed swords, from Japanese katanas to Scottish claymores. Steel caught the overhead light, and fire ran along razor edges. These were no ornaments, but sharpened blades ready to be used.
"I like the décor choice," I said, nodding to a set of exquisite katanas with long, silken tassels.
A smile pulled at his lips. "With this many people and all the doors open, I thought it would be prudent to be prepared."
I had the image of lumbering vermin climbing through the windows and rushing onto the dance floor. Let's hope they didn't like to party, but I admired his forethought. That also explained the soldiers, ready to repel the enemy should they make a push over the balcony. "Spoken like a true duke, looking out for his people."
His serious gaze pulled me in. "Something I learned from you. These people need my direction and protection. It's not a duty I ever wanted, but I will take it up. I will not fail them."
A shiver ran down my spine. Did he feel it under his fingers where he touched my skin? His gaze stripped me bare, down to the core of who I was. The conversation of a few hours ago ran through my mind. Had he really spoken to the king and queen about marrying me? Preposterous.
I looked sideways at our joined hands. That was a future beyond my grasp.
Enjoy the moment, Ella, and then blow it away like a dandelion fluff ball.
My gaze drifted to the uniforms by the door. "Where did all the army chaps come from?"
"I told the War Office of your bee and hive hypothesis. They are intrigued, and agree it should be investigated. They sent a detachment of troops to help us search for the hive, concentrating on the area we identified on the map, but I thought to use the spares as security tonight." He grinned, and I thought I detected a hint of pride.
They thought my idea had merit. An ember burned in my stomach at being valued for what I could contribute to this fight. Equality was seductive, giving one dreams far above one's station. Like dancing with a duke, when you should be scrubbing the hearths and bringing in wood to keep the range ticking over.
The waltz came to an end, and people clapped for the musicians. Seth kept his arm around my waist, holding me to him.
"Wait with me. I have arranged a special treat." He winked.
On the raised platform, the men and women trooped to one side, while another band walked on. People gasped, whispers shot around the room as they were recognised. Their faces adorned the front page of the daily papers. Louise played their record constantly, practicing her moves. The lauded Original Dixieland Jazz band took up their instruments. The British called their sound hot music, but Americans called it jazz, and it was sweeping the country faster than the flu pandemic.
I was impressed. Perhaps there were advantages to being a duke. "Lord Leithfield, how scandalous, bringing jazz music to the country. However did you manage it?"
That wide smile took over his face, and my knees melted. "They are on tour in England. I have some pull, and detoured them on their way to Bath."
"The older ladies will pass out, you know." Already the matrons were shaking their heads, the older men throwing up their arms. I couldn't hear their words, but I imagined it was something akin to foolish children and their distasteful music.
As the band played, our conversation ended. The fast beat took over, and I was grateful for late nights trying out new steps with Alice. The beads on my dress spun and slapped, and for a moment, I imagined I was one of the new women – a bright young thing with the world spread before her.
Four numbers later, and I thought my lungs would explode from lack of oxygen — never had I danced so fast and free. My skin glowed, and if I didn't stop now, I would need to dab a napkin under my armpits. Seth breathed heavy as well, but his gaze remained on me.
The band took a break for refreshments, something I desperately needed.
"Time for a drink?" he asked.
"Please, before I pass out and you'll have to carry me to the side." As I said the words, he winked, and my treacherous knees thought about seeing what it would be like to have him sweep me into his arms and whisk me away. Perhaps somewhere slightly less crowded than the ballroom?
As we crossed the floor, I took a step from the gaiety of the dance, and back into a world that burned and crashed down around my ears.
"Whore!"
I didn't need to turn to know who had scream
ed the insult across the room. How long had she waited for her moment? Did she see me descend the stairs and take Seth's hand so many dances ago? Given she expected to wring a marriage proposal from him this evening, she must have watched every second I spent in his arms.
Confronting me during a dance would have gone largely unnoticed in the push and hustle of bodies and loud music. Yelling whore in the peace that descends when the band is on a break certainly has impact. Complete silence fell and all eyes centred on us. To give Louise her dues, she knew how to create a scene.
Seth's hand tightened around mine. I took a deep breath as my paper walls were shredded around me.
Chapter Twenty
It's surprising how quiet two hundred people can be when they don't want to miss a single syllable of the main show. Louise's heels clicked on the floor as she approached. I had to turn, instinct demanding that I never present my back to the enemy. Two things gave me immense satisfaction in the horror playing out. The first came as I took in her dress, and had the satisfaction of knowing it was last season's. And here was the scullery maid, wearing Paris, summer 1919. Ouch.
The second matter to bring me a fraction of joy came as I saw her angry face, adorned with the broken nose and darkened circles under her eyes, although she layered on the powder in a futile attempt to cover the dark smudges. She could throw all the dirty names she wanted, but I could throw a punch.
"What is the meaning of this, Louise?" Seth asked.
She pointed a finger and stabbed the air in my direction. "She is a liar! A filthy, grasping whore."
My feet wouldn't budge. I swallowed, but couldn't squeeze out any words. The returned dead were so much easier to deal with, but a living, screaming person tied me up in knots.
Elizabeth detached from the crowd and joined her daughter. Charlotte shuffled deeper, burying herself behind layers of watchers.
Seth frowned, a scowl settling between his brows. "Make yourself plain. What is the basis of this horrid allegation?"
Elizabeth glared in my direction, and my knees wanted to dip in a curtsey. "She is the daughter of a servant and a servant herself, your grace. She works as my scullery maid, and is unfit to be in your presence. She has gained admittance here, amongst her betters, by lying between her teeth and offering her shoddy wares."
An audible gasp ran through the crowd of aristocrats and minor peers, except for those who actually knew me.
"I have never lied." I'm pretty sure that offering her wares didn't mean she suspected me of handing out pottery. "I have always been truthful with you." I needed him to believe that. This little game that Alice and Frank cooked up was destined to cause misery from the start, but I always gave Seth the true me.
"She has misrepresented all that she is." Elizabeth's words dripped with venom. "She is nothing but a slattern from the gutter in a stolen dress."
"She is a jealous little sow who sought to usurp me in your affections through her conniving ways." Louise's face turned red as her anger and tone escalated.
Seth held up his hand and silenced them both. "Enough of your insults, Ella has never spoken a word against either of you." He turned to face me. "Is there any truth to this, Ella?"
A tear escaped my eye, and I wiped it away. "Yes," I whispered. "My mother was the housekeeper, and I am but a house maid. I tried to tell you, but the words never made it out."
I wished the floor would open up and swallow me. The eyes of everyone in the room drilled into me. The flimsy beaded and organza was dress no barrier to their condemnation. Inside, I knew I had never deceived Seth.
"I'm sorry, I don't want any trouble. I only came to say goodbye. I will leave," I whispered, although I couldn't dare to meet his gaze, too scared of what I would find in his eyes.
"Yes, get out of our sight and be gone from the house by the time I return. Your employment is terminated, and I will ensure you never work again, except on your back, where you so obviously have a talent." Elizabeth pointed her finger at the exit, as though commanding a whipped dog to leave the house.
As the clock struck midnight and twelve bells rang out, I stood there shivering in my glass beaded heels and couldn't understand the power Elizabeth wielded over me. What weapon could I wield against her? Then it hit me — she held as much power as I handed to her. Ever since she came into our lives after mother died, I was desperate for her approval and love. I thought if I tried hard enough, she would hug me to her bosom and love me like a daughter. My need gave her all the ammunition she needed against me.
As the chimes sounded on the twelfth strike, her spell over me shattered.
The manor was my home and where my father lived. So long as he still breathed, I would not abandon him to her. Nor would I leave the others so she could unleash her true cruelty upon them. It was time to take back my power and I knew the weapon that would defeat her. Knowing I was better than what she cast me as, I drew myself up and stood tall in my fabulous shoes.
Seth's hand wrapped around my arm and kept me at his side. "Do you think so little of me, that you assume I would denounce you, because of the place in life assigned to your mother?" He placed a finger under my chin and raised my gaze to his. I expected disgust, but found only his usual open honesty. "You forget Frank knows Alice, and Warrens knows everyone. There has been no deception here."
"What?" Louise, Elizabeth, and I all spoke in unison. Then that single word rattled around in my head.
Louise, no doubt sensing a losing battle, pushed forward and levelled a finger at me. "She is nothing but a grasping gold digger, trying to get her claws into you for her own advancement."
Seth smiled. "I rather think you describe yourself, madam. Ella has never made any claim on me."
Bright crimson flooded her face, making the black under her eyes leap out. Her mouth opened and shut as she did a wonderful impersonation of a goldfish. I was tempted to throw her into the drinks fountain and complete the look.
Seth turned his attention to Lady Jeffrey. "And you, madam, forget that her father is Sir Jeffrey, making Ella your step-daughter by marriage. I wonder, does your husband know how you abuse his daughter?"
Lord, I loved this man. My hand flew to my mouth as the words entered my mind, in case they erupted forth. My eyes widened as realisation hit, wrestling with the last lingering hint of shame at my origins.
"She was born in a kitchen and belongs at the hearth of one." Elizabeth reached out for Seth, a sneer on her face. "How could you chose a commoner over a noble-bred woman?"
The Duke of Leithfield looked down his nose at her hand until it fell away. "I would rather have a sword at my side, than a knife in my back."
Oh, never had I heard sweeter words from a man. Yes, I had it bad.
In that moment a number of things happened at once. Louise lunged at me, her talons extended. Shots rang out on the balcony. At one end of the ballroom, glass shattered and broke. Then, a woman screamed, "Vermin!"
In that instant, my mind made an immediate list of priorities. First, I threw my weight behind my arm and shouldered into Louise, sending her across the floor on her arse. I only hoped she stayed down. Elizabeth screamed, and went to help her daughter. With them both out of the way, I could concentrate on the real problem.
Vermin had clambered up the north balcony and shuffled through the open French doors, while everyone watched the drama within. Thankfully, Henry was stationed on the south side, and I prayed none found him alone out there.
The soldiers fired upon them, and lord knew how many more were scrambling around on the back lawn. Those who gained the ballroom had succeeded in taking down a dancer, grabbing the woman from behind and pulling her into their midst. A high-pitched scream echoed around the room, wobbling the crystals in the chandelier.
The assembled people surged away from the vermin. There's nothing more dangerous than panic, and I needed to get to a sword. Seth pulled me to one side as more shots rang out. Two vermin fell back, allowing men to snatch the hysterical woman away from her attacker
s. A cravat was hastily tied around her bleeding arms, but it also dripped from a neck wound. Poor woman; she was doomed, but at least she would have a little time to say goodbye to her family.
Seth pointed to a soldier in his smart uniform. "Lieutenant Bain, get this lot out of our way before they're either shot or bitten." Then we dashed amongst fleeing dancers to arm ourselves.
He hooked down two swords and tossed one to me. Not my preferred weapon, but the closest kind to our hands. My gaze flicked to a pair of katanas that hung on the other side of the room, behind the incoming vermin. The weight of the sabre felt alien in my hand, but my beloved and elegant sword was out in the sidecar, keeping Henry company. I took a few swipes at empty air, accustoming myself to the different weapon and the way it moved and responded in my hand.
The soldiers took control of the crowd, directing people from the room and up the stairs. Like sheep, they needed a strong dog to herd them in the right direction. Rough orders kept them moving.
Seth held out a large handkerchief to me, and I tied it around my mouth and nose. He pulled another from the top pocket of a passing aristocrat and did the same. Soldiers on the balcony kept firing at unseen targets outside, leaving us to take care of the ones that made it past them.
Seth and I, two soldiers, and a small group of braver men worked as one to confront the remaining intruders. There were four vermin, all male, and looked to be a few weeks from the grave. One wore tails, as though he had dressed for the occasion, and I wondered what event the man had been attending before he was bitten and transformed. His look was spoiled by the dirt and blood on his once white shirt. He looked fresher than the others, and ambled to the front. The other three fanned out behind him in a rough formation.
"Do you think they are your workers?" Seth asked as we circled.
If my concept of bees held true, was there a lead vermin?
"They seem to be following the lead of this one, but who directs its actions?" I disliked taking on multiple vermin with other men watching. You needed to keep eyes in the back of your head to ensure you didn't lob off the wrong head or limb. Decapitation was a learned skill, newcomers tended to hack like drunk executioners, which only served to increase the risk of noxious splatter going in every which direction.
