Verity

by Liese Anning

  'The room is far too crowded,' Maisie replied, 'there is no guarantee you could see her even if she was here.'

  'I think we should stay here for a little longer,' Verity said, in a whisper, 'we can hide here until we get a chance to explore.'

  Then suddenly, about half an hour later, a hush descended on the occupants of the room. A door, at the far end, opened, and everyone turned around to see who was about to make their grand entrance. Verity immediately recognised the two people who entered. Major Ellington walked into the salon full of his usual confidence. He leant slightly on his cane, but his limp was not as prominent as she remembered. But Verity's attention was drawn to his companion. Holding onto his arm was a tall, stunningly beautiful woman. She had a cascade of long, golden hair that fell to her waist, that was styled into perfectly formed ringlets. She had brilliant blue eyes, the colour of sapphires and her skin was like alabaster and completely flawless. Every gentleman, in that salon, stopped to admire her beauty. 'Cassie,' Verity said, under her breath, 'it cannot be you.'

  Maisie, who was also peering out from behind the curtain, put her hand on Verity's arm. 'It is your sister. I would recognise those eyes anywhere.'

  Cassie wore a different dress from the other women. It was made from the finest gold silk and was tied around her waist with a blue sash that reached to the ground. The silk was so sheer, it emphasised every curve of her body and clung to her legs as she walked. Her feet were clad in a pair of golden sandals, and each of her toenails had been painted gold. Her eyelashes had been carefully blackened, and rouge had been tastefully applied to her lips and cheeks. Around her neck, she wore the most exquisite necklace, composed of sapphires in an intricate gold setting. These jewels matched the colour of her eyes and the sash around her waist.

  'Cassie,' Verity said, quietly to herself, 'what have they done to you?'

  Major Ellington released her arm and placed his hand on the small of her back to guide her steps as they crossed the room. They walked over to the recess where Verity and Maisie were hiding. They were so close that Verity could overhear their conversation.

  'Champagne, my dear,' she heard Ellington say to Cassie.'Yes,' Cassie replied, 'that would be lovely.'

  Ellington summoned a footman, who subsequently poured champagne into two glasses. Verity then overheard Ellington speak once more. 'My dear, do you see that tall gentleman, who is leaning against the mantelpiece?'

  'Yes, I see him,' she said, as she sipped her champagne.

  'That is your quarry for tonight. He is the Earl of Acton, and he is a very influential man.' Verity lost the thread of the conversation as a noisy group of gentlemen walked past them ‘Find out as much as you can about him.’

  Cassie nodded, 'yes, Major Ellington,' she replied, 'will you give me some…' Again, Verity could not hear what was being said.

  'Only if you are a good girl and do as you are told,' Ellington replied, with a smile.

  Another footman came in and handed Ellington a note. He read it and turned to Cassie, 'I have to leave. But, I can trust you to do your job. Now be a good girl and run along.'

  Cassie nodded and then Major Ellington left the salon, leaving her standing alone drinking the glass of champagne. She quickly finished the contents of the glass and handed it back to the footman carrying a tray. Then, she began to walk across the room towards the Earl. Verity could see that a sister would have to walk past the recess where they were hiding. This could be her only chance of attracting her attention.

  'Cassie,' she said, in a loud whisper, 'Cassie, it is me, Verity.'

  Cassie stopped and looked around; a puzzled expression came over her face when Verity came out from behind the curtain. 'Cassie, it is me, Verity.'

  'Verity,' she said shocked, 'what the hell are you doing here?'

  'I have come to see you,' Verity replied, a little shocked by her sister’s reaction to her.

  'You had better go, Verity, this is not the type of place for you to be seen in.'

  'No,' Verity said firmly, 'until a few days ago, I thought you were dead.'

  'Who told you I was alive? Was it Reggie? I thought I made it abundantly clear, that he was not to tell you where I was.'

  'No,' Verity replied, 'he did not tell me anything, but he did infer that you are still alive. I found you myself.'

  Maisie came out from behind the curtain and stood next to Verity. 'Maisie,' Cassie said, with indignation, 'good grief, the pair of you look quite ridiculous.' She then motioned to their dresses. 'Where did you pick up those monstrosities? They are quite dreadful.' Cassie looked around the room and then said, 'you cannot stay here. One of the guards will catch you. Come, follow me,' she said, 'and please, please, do not talk to anyone.'

  Chapter 15

  'Well,' Cassie said, once they had entered a large bedchamber, 'what do you want to know?' Cassie sat down on a stool next to a dressing table. She turned around and looked at her sister and her companion, 'please sit down,' she said, motioning to a love seat. 'The pair of you look quite ridiculous standing there.'

  Verity sat down next to Maisie.

  'You were very foolish coming here,' Cassie said, at last, 'if you were caught, there would be nothing I could do to help you.' She took a deep breath, 'I would hazard a guess and say that you are not leaving here until you get some answers?'

  'Yes,' Verity answered, looking around the room, 'does Reggie know you are here?'

  The bedchamber was unlike any Verity had ever seen before. It was well lit with the same large candelabra, that she had seen in the salon, arranged on tables around the room. There were numerous mirrors with ornate gilt frames, placed strategically on the walls that were covered with a rich red wallpaper. A plush carpet, of a similar hue, covered the floor and a large bed, took centre stage.

  Cassie flicked her long golden hair to one side and laughed. 'Of course, our dear little brother knows I am here. He comes most nights to avail himself of the many pleasures a place like this provides.'

  'Does he gamble?' Verity asked.

  'Our dear, dear brother,' Cassie said, in an exaggerated manner, 'is just like our father in many, many ways. But he does not come here only to gamble.

  'He has not lost Hadlands?' Verity asked quietly.

  'Not yet,' Cassie replied, 'but it can only be a matter of time before he does.'

  The door of the bedchamber opened, and a woman, wearing the same golden dress as Cassie, but with a green sash, walked in. Her long flowing hair was black, like a raven, and she had brilliant green eyes, the same colour as the large emerald around her neck. 'Rosa, I saw you leave abruptly. Are you in trouble?' The woman said to Cassie, as she looked suspiciously at Verity and Maisie.

  'No Emerald,' she replied, with a smile, 'nothing is amiss. Just a couple of old friends. That is all.'

  'Is there anything I can do to help?' she said, still standing at the door.'

  'I am meant to be with the Earl of Acton. Would you be a dear?'

  Emerald nodded, 'I will go and find him.'

  Once she had gone, Verity asked, 'why did she call you Rosa and not use your real name?'

  Cassie laughed as if Verity had said something very amusing, and then said, 'my dear sister, my name here is La Rosa d'Oro; the golden rose. It was chosen for me to reflect the colour of my hair. The young, innocent and very naive Cassie, you knew, died eighteen months ago, and was replaced by the sophisticated and worldly La Rosa d'Oro.' Cassie swept her arms downwards to show Verity the change. 'You will not find your sister here anymore, just what she has become.'

  Cassie sighed and opened an enamel box on the dressing table. Once she had scrutinised its contents, she selected a long thin cheroot and walked over to the nearest candelabra. Closing her eyes, she drew slowly on the cheroot, until a cloud of smoke came from its end. After it had been lit, she walked over to a chaise long, just opposite to where Verity and Maisie were sitting. Holding the cheroot delicately in two slim fingers, over her right shoulder, she then drew on it deeply, holding
her breath, before releasing the smoke through pursed lips.

  While Cassie was lighting the cheroot, Verity was able to make a closer examination of her sister's face. Around her eyes and lips, small hair-like lines, the first signs of dissipation, were beginning to reveal themselves. Her skin that had first appeared in the salon to be clear and flawless was starting to become sallow. The reflection of her face, in the large mirror, highlighted the dark smudges under her eyes. She looked tired and a good deal older than her eighteen years.

  Cassie stretched out on the chaise long and continued to smoke. 'My dear sister,' she eventually said, sarcasm dripping in her voice, 'do you remember Major Ellington? He came to Hadlands the night of the storm.'

  Verity nodded, 'yes, I do. I recognised him with you earlier in the salon. Why are you here with him?'

  'Be patient, V,' I will get to that presently.' Cassie said as she drew once more on the cheroot. 'I will start at the beginning when Major Ellington walked through our front door, on the night of the storm, and I saw him for the first time.' When she had finished speaking, she drew on the cheroot and then slowly released a cloud of smoke through pursed lips.

  'Do you remember those gothic romantic novels we used to read?' She continued, 'you know, V, the ones that had tall, dark, handsome heroes and young, impressionable, insipid heroines?'

  Verity smiled and nodded, 'I remember, after our father's funeral, we used to read them out loud to pass the time.'

  'And, do you remember the night of the storm, we were reading one together. I cannot remember the title, or who wrote it, but I remember just wanting to be like the heroine. All I longed for was a tall, dark, handsome storybook hero to come and sweep me off my feet, just like in the novel. Can you imagine my delight when Major Ellington came to our door, looking every inch the image of the perfect man I had constructed in my mind's eye? A real-life hero, with a gash on his forehead and a limp caused by an old war wound. I fell in love with him, the moment he walked through our door.' Cassie sighed at the memory. 'Do you remember, you sent us to the drawing room, and I cleaned his wound. Of course, a libertine like Ellington, left unattended, with a young, impressionable girl, did not take long to make his first move.'

  'That evening, he kissed me,' she said, as though it was something very ordinary, 'it made me feel, for the first time in my life, alive. Before you came back, he had persuaded me to meet him later that night. I could not refuse.'

  'But, we were in the same room. I would have heard you leave.' Verity said, with concern.

  'Once you had fallen asleep, I crept out and spent the night in Ellington's bed.' Cassie smoked again, as she let her sister come to terms with what had happened. The smoke, like her words, hung heavy in the room.

  'Cass, if I had known, I would have stopped you.' Verity said, closing her eyes.

  'You did warn me, and I only have myself to blame. I genuinely thought he had honourable intentions and wanted more than just to take away my maidenhood. I made an error of judgement by mistaking lust for love. I thought they were the same.'

  'You could have told me. I may have been able to help.' Verity said, her voice full of sadness.

  'But Verity, I was young, only just seventeen. I was still only a girl in the body of a woman. I did not know how to handle the passion he evoked in me. In my naivety, I thought you were an old maid, who did not know the first thing about love. You did warn me that men like Ellington would not marry someone like me.'

  'Did he lie to you?' Verity said softly. 'Did he promise marriage?'

  'No, he never promised to marry me. Many times, he talked to me about marriage and children, and I always assumed that it would be me he would choose as a bride. I did think that he was an honourable man, with honourable intentions. And, because he made love to me, I thought that I would get my fairy tale ending, just like in the novel.' Cassie shifted and laid her head back against a cushion.

  'That still does not explain how you ended up here?' Verity said, looking around the room.

  'During those two weeks, before your departure back to school, I met with Ellington every day. By the time, you had left, I was so in love with him, I would have done anything, and I mean anything, for him.'

  'On the morning, just after you left, he came to Hadlands. He told me a story about owing a vast sum of money, and that he would have to leave immediately without me. I was devastated at the thought of never seeing him again. I made up my mind to do whatever I could to help.'

  'Cassie put the cheroot in a small dish on the table next to her and stood up. She walked over to a cabinet on the other side of the room and poured herself a brandy from a glass decanter. She turned to Maisie and Verity and said, 'would you like one?'

  They both shook their heads, 'no thank you, Cass,' Verity said quietly.

  Cassie drank the contents of the glass in one go and poured herself another one, and went, once more, to stretch out on the chaise long.

  'I cannot just leave,' Cassie eventually said, leaning back against the cushions of the chaise long. 'It is not as simple as walking out of the front door.'

  'Why not?' Verity asked curiously.

  'It is complicated,' Cassie said, after sipping the liquid from the glass.

  'Tell me why,' Verity asked, ‘I would like to know.’

  'I could leave here anytime I want. It is not as though we are locked in our rooms and never let out. Remember I told you that I loved Ellington.' Verity nodded. 'You will not understand, V, but I still love him in an odd sort of way. He can be so very kind and gentle.'

  'But, Cass, he has you working as a ... whore. I do not think that is either kind or gentle.' Verity said, her voice full of anger.

  'You are right, as always, but I cannot help the way I feel. He has a hold over me. It is like he has invisible chains that have tied me to him. Whatever I do, I cannot break them.' Cassie put the half-drunk glass of brandy on the table and picked up the cheroot once more and continue to smoke.

  'Break those chains and leave with me tonight. You can start afresh.' Verity said, with excitement.

  Cassie leant her head back and laughed. 'I told you it was complicated. After my first night at Highfields, Major Ellington and Lord Melrose made it very clear what my life would entail. You know, they mentioned you. They said that you should be there as well, and in your absence, I would have to work twice as hard.'

  'Me?' Verity said puzzled.

  'Yes, you,' Cassie said, now looking directly at her sister. 'As you are aware, our father owed Melrose money. A good deal of money. He was going to use both of us to collect the debt, but you managed to escape.'

  'But, I had the deeds to Hadlands, as well as five thousand pounds. We owed him nothing.'

  'V, you really can be quite naive,' Cassie said, as a matter of fact. 'Melrose thought nothing of the kind. He did not care who had the deeds. To him, the debt was still owed and had, in fact, increased. And, he wanted payment in full. Since then, I have had to work every day to reduce the amount owed.'

  'It was not the money that bothered Melrose; it was more than that: It was power. He wanted to use our family as an example. If you owed him money and did not repay, he would still expect payment. Death may excuse you, but your loved ones, left behind, would have to shoulder the responsibility for your folly.'

  'Please, Cass, let us go, tonight. You do not have to stay here.' Verity said, almost pleading with her sister. 'The debts were nothing to do with us, and we are not responsible for them.'

  'What about Reggie?' Cassie said sitting up, 'have you thought about him.'

  'What about him?' Verity asked.

  'Have you ever wondered why Ellington and Melrose are his guardians?' Cassie said, leaning forward. 'Did it never seem to you a little odd.'

  'Yes, ever since I found out last week, I have been puzzled.'

  'It is to keep me in check,' Cassie said, in a haze of smoke, 'they look after Reggie if I behave myself and do what they say.' She paused and drew deeply on the cheroot, 'who do you th
ink ultimately paid for his commission? Ellington? Melrose?' There was a pause as she flicked the ash into a dish, 'it was me, of course. I had to pay.'

  'If Reggie knew, he would have refused it,’ Verity said vehemently.

  Cassie laughed loudly. 'Do you think that brother of ours is ignorant about his sister's vocation?' There was a bitter edge to her voice, 'he has known about this for some time and is quite happy for me to continue, as long as he can benefit from it in some way. He is quite selfish, just like our father.'

  'Do not feel you have to stay here for Reggie's sake. He should never have put you in such a dependent position.' Verity said passionately, 'he must learn to take responsibility for himself, without relying on us. Leave tonight, leave with me.'

  Cassie stood up slowly, picking up the half-finished glass of brandy, 'there is one more reason why I cannot leave.' She walked slowly over to her dressing table, opened a drawer and took out a small brown glass bottle with a rubber dropper. Carefully, she placed a couple of drops of the dark brown liquid into her glass. 'This is why, I cannot leave,' she said. Then she drained the contents of the glass.

  Verity immediately recognised the bottle and its contents; the highly addictive opiate; laudanum.

  'This is what keeps me here,' she said, as she put the glass back down on the table. 'I cannot live without it.' She sat back down on the chaise long and smiled, 'it takes away the pain and makes life so much more bearable.'

  'How long have you been taking it?' Verity asked quietly.

  'Ever since Highfields,’ she said, as she leant back and shut her eyes, 'that first night was ... I cannot even talk about how terrified I was. I was repeatedly raped. They broke me both physically and mentally. Over the coming weeks, I came to realise that Major Ellington had not only taken my freedom but my dignity. My whole life was on show. Nothing was private. I had to sleep, eat and work when they wanted me to. I had no control over what I wore or how I conducted myself. I was at their beck and call, and I hated it. I just wanted to die.'