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Chapter Two
Back to: Aristocracy Next: Chapter Three

Here is chapter two, hopefully the last bit before things get interesting. Enjoy!
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Henry returned home the following morning at an hour that Lavinia considered ungodly. Sleepily, she pushed herself up in bed and watched him cross the room.
"Good morning."
He glanced sideways at her, then returned his gaze to the mirror and began to unbutton his jacket.
"We really need more servants for the summer home."
Lavinia yawned and stretched.
"I don't mind dressing myself."
He gave her a scathing look before picking up a lint brush.
"Of course you don't, you grew up on the street."
She winced slightly, but managed to keep her voice level as she replied.
"Not everyone needs servants to do everything for them, Henry."
He finished brushing off his coat before responding dryly.
"That's exactly what the liberal candidate is saying. Please don't become political dear, it doesn't suit you."
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then strode out of the room.
"I'll be expecting you for breakfast."
Lavinia sighed and flopped back down against the pillows. Normally, Henry's treatment of her sparked anger and futile rebellion. Now, she felt triumphant, albeit slightly deflated. Elliot was a nice little secret to have, especially in circumstances like these.
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Later that day, Lavinia retreated to the garden. She was feeling particularly restless, and a little trapped. These feelings were not unfamiliar to her; she'd been having them since she married. The garden was bursting with color; the sun bounced off the flowers and sent prismatic light onto the ground. Lavinia knelt among the fragrant blossoms and relaxed into a smile as she saw what she had been looking for. The Comfrey root was wonderful for making poultices, and the leaves could be steeped into a tea that was almost certain to help with joint pain. Of course, she never used any of the herbs she grew, but it was always nice to have a store. She had just begun to dig up the root when a voice startled her out of her thoughts.
"Still grubbing in the dirt, I see."
Lavinia jumped and winced as the leaf she was holding tore slightly.
"Herbalism is not the same thing as 'grubbing in the dirt'."
She turned to face him, brushing off her skirt with one hand.
"And yes. I am still doing it. I'm allowed to garden, if nothing else."
Her voice was more bitter than she had intended. He smiled slightly.
"The natives have always had superior knowledge of medicines."
She sighed, flashes of broken memory flooding her mind.
"Yes."
Elliot looked chagrined at the expression on her face.
"I'm sorry. I should not have mentioned it."
Lavinia, struggling to regain her composure, shrugged.
"That's quite all right."
He shook his head.
"No, it's not, and I knew better."
She looked at the ground, unsure of what to say. He looked around the garden, pausing for a moment.
"I just came to say goodbye. Your husband's business proposition turned out to be sour, and I didn't want to stay long after turning him down."
Lavinia looked back at his face and smirked. She derived a certain satisfaction from the fact that her paramour had outwitted her husband.
"That's probably wise."
He hesitated.
"Lavinia...will I see you again? I enjoy your company outside the bedroom as well as in."
She looked at him sadly, wondering, not for the first time, what her life would have been like if she had taken him instead of Henry.
"I don't know."
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Elliot smiled, suddenly mischievous.
"Well then, I'll just have to find a way."
She rolled her eyes skyward and was about to reply when the sound of hurried footsteps on the garden path interrupted their discourse. Turning, she saw Ethel hurrying towards them, looking panicked.
"Ethel! What is it?"
The maid glanced from her to Elliot, looking flustered.
"I don't want to interrupt, m'lady..."
Lavinia looked from the flushed face to the trembling hands to the rumpled skirt and frowned.
"You're not interrupting anything, Ethel, dear. Now take deep breaths and try to tell me what's wrong."
Ethel took a moment to collect her thoughts, then spoke slowly.
"Beth is ill. I don't know what's wrong, she won't...or can't...tell me. And I know you have some knowledge of healing, m'lady, and I woudn't ask, but she doesn't like doctors..."
Lavinia looked worriedly from Ethel to Elliot, who met her gaze inquisitively.
"Who is Beth?"
Lavinia looked at Ethel, who shook her head imploringly. No one but Lavinia knew about her daughter, and she needed it to stay that way if she was to keep her position. Lavinia didn't remove her eyes from Ethel's brown ones as she answered.
"She's the housemaid. I had better go see what's wrong."
Briefly, she looked at Elliot.
"Goodbye, Sir. It was a pleasure having you."
Lifting her skirts, she followed her maid into the house.
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Beth was lying in her room gazing at the ceiling in a blank sort of way that made Lavinia's brow crease with worry. She followed Ethel to the girl's bedside and laid a hand on her forehead.
"No fever...strange. What have her symptoms been?"
Ethel looked at her anxiously.
"She's been nauseous, and she says her vision's gone all blurry."
Lavinia pressed her lips together and reached under the girl's head to feel a point below the base of her skull. Her fingers were gentle as she probed the lyymph nodes, which weren't swollen.
"...Odd..."
Suddenly, Beth's spine stiffened and she sat up.
"I'm going to be...sick again..."
Lavinia did not flinch as the girl vomited violently over the side of the bed, but Ethel apologized over and over again. Lavinia shook her head impatiently.
"Come Ethel, I've seen much worse, you know that. Now...Beth, dear, have you been bitten by anything recently?"
But Beth was staring blankly at the ceiling, shaking with either pain or cold. Lavinia whisked away her skirts with a brisk gentleness and examined the pale flesh beneath. There was a red welt just above the ankle on her right leg. Lavinia's lips paled as she turned to Ethel.
"When is the last time she was outside?"
Ethel's brow creased.
"This afternoon? Maybe around eleven o clock today."
Lavinia almost ran out the door.
"Then there's still time."
She heard footsteps behind her and decreased her speed long enough to speak with Ethel.
"She's been bitten, probably by a Pit Viper. They're relatively common around here. I know where to get an antidote, but it'll take time, and we don't have much."
Ethel paled, but did not faint, as Lavinia had half expected her to. Instead, she asked quietly,
"What can I do?"
Lavinia squeezed her hand briefly.
"Be with your daughter."
Then she ran.
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Lavinia had changed into plain riding clothes as fast as she could, but even so, dusk was settling over the countryside by the time she had saddled her horse and was making ready to leave. Her fingers seemed exceedingly clumsy as she brushed and saddled the creature, and her hands trembled slightly. It wasn't that she cared for the girl, really, but Ethel did. And Lavinia cared for Ethel. She heard Henry before she saw him. Recognizing the heavy footsteps, she swore under her breath and turned around. The darkness hid his face, but she could tell he wasn't in good humor tonight.
"Where are you going?"
Lavinia rested one hand on the horse's flank and straightened her shoulders so that she stood almost as tall as her husband.
"To the village. I have need of a medicine woman."
Henry stepped closer to her.
"You have need of what?"
She didn't move.
"The housemaid has been bitten by a snake. She needs help, and quickly."
She could tell he was making an effort, because his lips turned up in a strained smile as he tried to be indulgent.
"You always have sprung to the aid of the injured. It's admirable. I'll send for a doctor."
Lavinia's hand tightened into a fist, but she managed to stay calm.
"A doctor won't help, Henry. He'll take too long to get here, and he won't know what to give her when he does. The best he would be able to do would be leeching. I know where to get an antidote if you'll just let me..."
He was no longer making an effort to smile.
"You are not to contact the natives. You know that. They are nothing but dirty, flea-bitten creatures. Any contact we have with them must be to keep them as slaves."
The blood drained from Lavinia's face and her eyes glittered dangerously against the paper-white skin.
"And what am I then, Henry? Am I too a dirty, flea-bitten creature? Should I be kept as a slave?"
He looked for a moment as if he would strike her.
"You are little better, dear wife. A half-native bastard child is surely almost as bad as a pure-bred. It was a mistake to marry you, and I have long thought you enchanted me with your witchcraft."
Lavinia pointed a trembling hand at him.
"Your choices led to this union, husband. Not mine. I knew no better. I was naive, I thought a marriage would help me. You knew better. I did not. And I am not a dog that you can force to stay by your side. I am going to get that antidote, and I am going to save that girl's life."
Henry bared his teeth, reminding her quite forcibly of a wolf. His grip was strong on her wrist as he spoke in a low growl.
"Not if I can prevent it."
"You would kill an innocent girl simply to prevent me from associating with my people?"
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Lavinia was convinced for a moment that he would drag her back into the house, but the sound of hoofbeats behind him interrupted their argument.
"My lord, I came to wish you the best in your future endeavors and...Is there a problem?"
Coming from anyone but Elliot, the question would sound intrusive and threatening, but he managed to make it casual and easygoing. Henry took a deep breath and turned to face the white horse.
"No, no, not at all. My wife is insisting on riding into town. I would hate her to go without an escort, and I myself must be in a meeting this evening."
Lavinia, still pale with rage, swung herself up into the saddle before Henry could move to stop her. Her horse nickered softly, sensing her anger, and she stroked its neck with one shaking hand. Elliot glanced from her set jaw to Henry's and spoke in a soothingly quiet voice.
"Why, m'lord, I would be glad to escort the lady to the village if you wish it."
Henry's spine stiffened as he spoke, trying to preserve his reputation and prevent her from going at the same time.
"I'm afraid I would not trust a stranger with my wife, but thank you for the offer."
Elliot laughed.
"Suit yourself, my lord, but I have a feeling she will go, escort or no."
Henry's jaw tightened and Lavinia could make out a muscle going in his forehead as he looked up at her.
"Very well, Sir Elliot. If it is not too much to ask, will you ensure that she does not make contact with the natives that live in this country?"
Elliot nodded tightly, as though he could sense Lavinia's contained rage, and turned his horse to follow her out the front gate.
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As soon as they were clear of the house, Lavinia looked at Elliot.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you come any further."
Elliot looked at her and sighed.
"I knew you'd say that. Are you all right?"
Her hands tightened on the reigns as she responded.
"Compared to Beth, I'm immortal."
She dug her heels into the horse's flank and took off at a gallop down the quiet road. The hoof beats were the only sound, sharp in a night that was blanketed by silence. Eventually, she slowed to a trot, then turned abruptly off the road, following a path into the forest that she hadn't taken in three years.

Click Next: Chapter Three to continue...

 
Back to: Aristocracy Next: Chapter Three
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