HeartWorks

by Charmaine Gordon

  “If you say so…” Jannessa realized she may be considered feeble minded, should someone see her talking to the wind. Although she was sure he heard her, the only answer she received with the whistle of the wind through the vines.

  Just as Jannessa was walking back into the manor house, she heard Sabine calling.

  “Jani…Janni where are you?”

  Jannessa shut the door and took off her coat.

  “I’m right here silly. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s your father, my dear. He wants to see you. Right now!” Jannessa allowed herself to be rushed the two flights of stairs, and pushed down the East Wing. The East Wing was where her father kept his rooms. A place where she’s rarely been allowed by accident and almost never by invitation. Jannessa ran her hands down her dress, to smooth out the few wrinkles, and made sure her hair was up appropriately before knocking.

  “Enter.” Jannessa turned the jeweled handle, and stepped into the room. Once inside she did a low curtsy, and waited for her father’s permission to stand back up.

  “Rise, daughter.” He always did that, calling her ‘daughter’ instead of Jannessa.

  “You wanted to see me, father?”

  “Yes I did.” He didn’t offer her a seat, nor did she ask. Jannessa knew her stubbornness came from him, and she had it in spades. If he didn’t care for her comfort, she wouldn’t show him how uncomfortable she was.

  “We need able talk about the ball on Sunday.” By we, he meant, he’d talk and she’d listen.

  “This ball is very important to my future. Three men are coming who would make suitable husbands’ for you. One is a rich trader from Austria. He may seem a little aged for you, but some of the best marriages have been old men and young women. The second is an ambassador from Hungary. He is well respected by his peers. Your third suitor is a minor prince from Spain. He is not like the other two; he is young and quite handsome.” Herraoud looked embarrassed for a moment. “However, it is said he is never seen in the company of women. But he needs an heir, and you, daughter, need a husband.”

  Jannessa keep her mouth shut as she bowed deeply, and turned to leave. His voice interrupted her egress before she reached the door.

  “You will be nice, to all three of the men. I don’t care if you like them or not. So practice your smile. And don’t let me see anything other than it, on Sunday night. Because, and believe me on this daughter, I won’t tell you twice.” Janessa nodded and fled out the door. Her father threatened her. Which was, granted, more than he normally did. But it didn’t make her feel loved and wanted. If anything, it pushed her farther away. Right now, she wished she had another option.

  Getting ready for bed Saturday night, Jannessa couldn’t help but feel excited and apprehensive. It had nothing at all to do with the men her father was auctioning her off to, for that is truly what it was (though the his threat was never far from her thoughts). No, it was the man who hid in the darkness, whose voice made her shiver pleasantly even now while remembering it. A man whose face she hadn’t seen, but felt and understood the night the way she did. That’s who she was looking forward to seeing. On Sunday, there would be no moon. That meant, the night she’d finally meet him, had to be that of her ball. At the same time, she had no right to see him. She was nearly-promised to three different men, and after tonight, she’d likely be betrothed. Jannessa herself owned nothing, held no properties, nor made any money: therefore her father had say over her whole life, until she had a husband. Then her husband would have control.

  “I don’t care,” she said to herself. “Nothing is going to upset me tomorrow. Until I get betrothed. Until then, I’ll be dancing.” She smiled to herself, as she slowly slid into dreams of dancing, with a man with no face.

  The room was a pale gold, flickering in the night as the candles danced upon wind from the open balcony door. The music was divine, and the man Jannessa was dancing with was an angel on his feet. Light, almost like flying.

  “You sir, are fabulous. Dance with me always?” It was a brazen thing to say, but Jannessa was feeling brazen.

  “Ah Ma Petite, that is my goal. If I had my way, you’d never dance with another man.” Jannessa was surprised to hear the velvety accented voice that made her tingle. No part of her wanted to pull away.

  “For tonight, no other man will touch you. Tomorrow night, you must be strong. I will be there, even if you must dance with louts and oafs as well, I will be there to dance with you. “

  “Can’t we keep dancing now?”

  “We can, beautiful, for a few more hours. Is there a dance that you prefer, or music you’d like better?” Jannessa had realized this wasn’t real, but she couldn’t have cared.

  “Non, as long as I am with you, the music is perfect and I feel as though I could dance forever.”

  The man gave a low chuckle that tightened her female parts. It was not an unpleasant sensation.

  They danced for many hours more. Jannessa found she never got tired, and her feet never hurt. Checking to be sure she was wearing shoes, she found it was not the green brocade dress (and matching shoes), but rather a black velvet dress, with a red petticoat. It was gorgeous and set off her pale skin perfectly.

  “Is the dress your idea?”

  “Do you like it Ma Petite?”

  “It is the single most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen.”

  “I, too, thought so. You will find it waiting in your sitting room for tomorrow. Wear it for me.” Jannessa smiled for a moment and then frowned.

  “How will I know you? There will be ever so many people, after all, it is the Ambassador’s Ball. And believe me, the rest of society wants to watch him give me away. They don’t care who to, as it’s the biggest even here, except The Winter Festival. “

  The voice by her ear said “I know, my darling, and I am ready to face that. And those men. Trust me.”

  “I do,” the words came out in a breathy whisper.

  “Good. I must leave you, until tonight.” He turned to go.

  “Wait,” Jannessa called behind him “How will I know you? I still haven’t seen your face.”

  “I will also be in black and red. You will know, ma cœur. Just as I would always know you. Now, rest a little, for the morning comes in on feet of fog, and I must away.”

  Jannessa turned to say something else, but he was gone.

  The dream left her slowly, and she fell into a fitful sleep until Sabine woke her for breakfast.

  “Get up, get up, get up!” Sabine chirped. She hadn’t needed to wake Jannessa since she was a child. “It’s a beautiful day m’dear, get up. So much to do before the dance tonight.”

  Jannessa opened her eyes slowly, begrudgingly. She felt as though she hadn’t slept a wink, and wanted nothing more than burrow into the down and go back to sleep. She had her responsibilities however, and started getting out of bed.

  “Just sit, my girl. I have your breakfast in bed. You are to be perfect tonight, so no over doing it.”

  Jannessa laughed. She would have liked to have slept in that case. However, she knew she had to eat.

  “Thank you Sabine.” She smiled at the older lady. Looking behind her, she saw the same, long box that had arrived with the brocade green dress. Last night had been a dream after all. Sabine saw her look, but not her thoughts.

  “Yes, you get the wear that gorgeous dress tonight. We’ll start getting prepared after breakfast. Cook made you honey thickened porridge and toast with cream and jam.” Sabine set her tray on Jannessa’s lap carefully, and kissed her on the cheek.

  “I’ll be back shortly, pigeon.” Sabine nearly floated out of the room, for she loved parties so.

  Jannessa didn’t have much of an appetite. She didn’t want to meet the horrid men her father had described. She wanted the one from her dreams. Still, she knew she owed her father this, for caring for Jannessa after her mother died. She ate most of her porridge, and half the toast. Sabine came dancing back into the room just as Jannessa was pushing the tray away.<
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  “Oh good girl,” Jannessa couldn’t help but to smile, “You ate well. This is good. I’ll just get this right to the kitchen, and come start your hair.” Sabine was humming to herself as she left this time.

  “I’m glad someone is having a good time,” thought Jannessa. And she really was.

  The rest of the day was a flurry of ribbons, jewels, and the chatter of other women. None of whom were talking to Jannessa. She was expected to sit there the many hours it took to get her just right for the ball. Today, Jannessa wasn’t their boss, she was their doll. She sighed inwardly, but couldn’t fault their flawless end game. She knew she would look stunning.

  “Janni, you must see this!” Sabine rushed to her side, a small wooden box in her hand. One of your suitors sent this. There was no name on it, but, oh it’s exquisite!” Sabine opened the box and showed Jannessa the necklace.

  Inside on a piece of black velvet sat a silver Celtic cross with a dark, flawless garnet set in the center. The silver was so old, the patina was black, and set off the jewel perfectly. There was a note inside, and all it said was “Ma Cœur”. This beautiful piece of jewelry did not come from one of her three suitors set up by her father. No, this came from the mystery man, the one from her dreams.

  “I will wear this tonight.” She declared.

  “But Janni, it will signal to the man who set it, that he has your favor.”

  “Then it shall. But only he and perhaps I will know. Please Sabine. It is so beautiful.” Sabine snorted slightly.

  “Fine my child. We shall see, how is that for an answer. If it matches your dress, you may wear it.”

  Jannessa smiled to herself. She hoped beyond hope that it would match her dress.

  After the excitement of the necklace, the activity started again around Jannessa. Her hair and make-up had to be perfect, on her father’s orders. Jannessa didn’t mind the pampering all that much, except for the bone lined corset. She, like most aristocratic women, couldn’t sit, eat, or even take a deep breath in hers. Sabine knew exactly how to pull, the directions and the strength it took to get her into the stays.

  Once in, Jannessa glanced out the window. The day was beginning to darken. Her guests would start arriving within the hour. She looked sadly at the box. She knew the green brocade with in there, and would not match the beautiful gift she had received.

  “All right girls,” Jannessa said in her happiest fake voice, “Time for the dress!” Sabine smiled in delight and rushed to the wooden box.

  “I have been waiting all day for this,” gushed Sabine as she took it from the chest it had been perched up, and laid it on Jannessa’s bed. Lifting the lid, and pulling back the parchment and tissues papers, Sabine gasped.

  “Oh…I…,” she stammered as she backed away from it and Jannessa, her eyes wide in horror.

  “What is it?” Jannessa demanded to know.

  “Loo…k at…it..” Still stammering, Sabine pointed at the dress.

  “Fine.” Walking very carefully in her corset and other undergarments, it was not green brocade that greeted her eyes. No, it was the black velvet dress from her dream the night before. It included the red petticoats that matched the necklace perfectly.

  “I don’t know what happened,” said Jannessa, feigning confusion “but I supposed we must make the best of it. Sabine, please help me into the new dress. I’m willing to bet it fits like a glove.”

  Sabine stayed back from the bed, her face pale. “You can not wear that Jannessa. It must be the work of the devil himself.”

  “Don’t be silly, why on Earth would the devil send me a dress. In all likelihood we ordered two, and this one came late. After all, you know there’s no such thing as magic. And it is such a beautiful dress. Appropriate for a ball on a night like this.” Sabine came closer “Come on, nursey, look how beautiful it is. My father will be in awe, and I’ll captivate all of the suitors. That’s what we wanted, right?”

  Sabine walked closer, like shaking herself out of a dream. She tentatively reached out and touched the fabric.

  “You are right, Janni my dear. This dress is gorgeous, and will put all others to shame. And oh, how it matches your new necklace so.” The old nurse sounded stronger, “You’re right, we must have ordered it.” She smiled at Jannessa then, and Jannessa knew, this was the dress she’d be in for the ball tonight.

  The petticoats were so smooth against her long, shapely pale legs. She hadn’t owned anything made of silk in years, and luxuriated in the touch. The outside red petticoat showed through the dress bodice perfectly, with the Celtic cross choker showing off her neck and bust line. Her hair was coifed, with a few ringlets hanging down. Sabine had even found a strand of garnets to weave into her golden hair. Jannessa was ready for the ball. Not a moment too soon, as she slipped a foot into an elegant black silk slipper, she heard the first ringing of the bells downstairs.

  “Now dear, don’t rush. The footmen will answer the doors. You need to come in after the guests are all announced. They must get their first glimpse of you tonight, descending the stairs. It should leave most of the men and plenty of the women, speechless.”

  “I don’t see how that is fair to them,” smiled Jannessa “But as you’ve always taught me, my dear Sabine, life is not fair.” She chuckled to herself, as another guest arrived.

  The sun had finally vanished into the night sky, and it was so dark. There was no moon this night, and the stars, seeming to fear it, kept themselves hidden. This was the night Jannessa was promised. The mystery man would reveal himself. She found herself giddy at the idea, and hoped she looked the vision he wanted.

  “I’ll go see how many visitors we have, and how many still should be arriving. You wait here Janni, until I or your father comes to get you.”

  “Wait, my father?”

  “Yes dear, it is customary that he walk you to the stairs, showing you off and confirming that you are, indeed his daughter.” Sabine waved quickly and practically faded into the hallway and beyond.

  “Lovely,” thought Jannessa, “So my father will see me first. If he doesn’t like what he sees…” She let the thought trail off. She would have to change into the green brocade, and she did love this black dress so. She looked at herself in the reflecting glass. Jannessa’s porcelain skin glimmered with it’s own moonlight, giving the necklace the perfect place to lay. And the dress fit better than anything Jannessa ever owned, accenting her golden eyes. For the first time in her life, Jannessa truly felt beautiful. She stood, looking into the glass, lost in thought. She would give anything, for her mother to see her now. Jannessa hoped, that no matter what, she would have made her mother proud.

  “Daughter?”

  She shook herself out of the daydream. “Yes father?”

  His Excellency Herraoud Guillory looked upon his daughter, in awe and amazement. This was exactly why he seldom interacted with her. It just hurt too much. Standing before him was the nearly immaculate visage of his wife, when he’d first met her, so long ago. While he’d been avoiding Jannessa, she grew up without him. Of course, he said none of this to her. It was too late now to explain it all, and his life would hurt less once she was married off.

  “It is time to go and meet our guests.” He held an arm out for her, which she graciously took.

  “Yes Father.”

  The grand marble staircase started in the middle of the second floor, and ended at the archway between the ballroom, and the receiving room. In many ways, it followed the balcony on the outside of the manor estate. Jannessa walked on her father’s arm the length of the hall from her wing, to the top of the stairs. She smiled demurely as they descended the stairs, and tried to keep her eyes steady, not looking at any one guest for too long, at the same time, trying to make them all feel that she had connected with them personally. Jannessa did notice the three men clustered at the bottom of the stairs. One looked at her as if she were a meal, one with naked lust in his eyes, and the other, also lust, but not at her, at her father. She couldn’t see he
r benefactor anywhere, but she sincerely hoped he was out there.

  “Ladies and Gentleman,” came the voice of the oldest footman, “May I present to you his Excellency Herraoud Guillory, and his daughter Lady Jannessa Emilie Liliana Guillory.” On cue, Jannessa gave a curtsy to the room. Her father smiled, but leaned over to whisper “Have fun dear, but take care not to neglect your gentlemen suitors.” Jannessa heard a threat in his very tone.

  Putting a black gloved hand on the railing, she made her way down the rest of the stairs, praying she would not fall. Jannessa wasn’t clumsy by any stretch of the imagination, but were she going to tumble, this was the perfect time. Nevertheless, she made it to the bottom safely, holding her other hand out to each of the three suitors.

  “Bonjour,” she said to each.

  “Bonjour, you are very pretty.” Said the Austrian, Sir Cassidine, in a thick accent. Jannessa smiled.

  She then held her hand to the Hungarian Ambassador, His Excellency Nikolous Kovak.

  “It is nice to meet you, Lady.” The look in his eyes didn’t match his gentle tone. He wasn’t looking for a wife; he was looking for a whipping pole. Still she smiled and moved on to the last suitor, the minor Prince from Spain, Andres de Cordeba.

  “Bonjour, my lady. Tis a pleasure.” He lightly kissed her gloved hand. Jannessa was impressed. While it was clear he was not into women, someone had taught him impeccable manners. One of the perks of being a prince, she supposed. His light kiss left her cold, however, as there was not an ounce of passion in it.

  Jannessa was introduced around the room. There was Lord’s this, and Lady’s that. She didn’t remember their names, because they weren’t the ones deciding her fate this evening. Still, she smiled charmingly at them, and gave each a friendly welcome. It was her job as lady of the house. In the background a stringed quartet played, softly for now. Her father’s finest wines were passed out by the footmen. The night was set for Jannessa to find a husband, whether she wanted to, or not.