When Wendy left the shop she bought five caramde franks and brought them back to share with her friends. All four of the temporary revived ghouls savored each and every bite of their lunch. It had been so many years since either one of them had really tasted food. It was an experience that they had missed for too long.
As soon as they finished their meal, Wendy told them about the portrait and then took them to the shop so they could get a first hand look.
"It does look like me." Juvia remarked. "But I can't remember ever being called Melanie."
"And this doesn't really look like an authentic antique painting." Gray said. "Something about it appears a little modern."
"Even so if we find out more about the artist then we might get something on who Juvia was." Wendy said. "Let's go find the painter's descendant and see what he knows."
They took a bus to the other side of town where Reedus Jonah's art class was. Luckily he had just finished up on his last class for the day and shouldn't have been too busy.
"Reedus Jonah?" Wendy called out to the man preparing to lock up his classroom.
"Yes." He said.
"Are you busy at the moment?"
"Not as far as I know."
"My name is Wendy Fernandes. My friends and I would like to talk to you about a painting. One that an ancestor of yours might have painted. Enrico Jonah?"
"Oh him. Yes my great, great, great, great, great, grandfather was remarkable artist. His most famous works are on display at many museums."
"Yes and I just saw one that was for sale at a shop."
"Oh no none of his paintings are for sale. What you probably saw was a copy I made. The art teaching business sometimes get's a little slow so I'll retrace and repaint copies of my ancestor's work which I'll then sell to be sold at other stores and shops. But he gets all the credit of course."
"I knew it wasn't an original." Gray mumbled.
"But is he the artist who painted a portrait of Melanie de Ravin?" Wendy asked.
"Melanie de Ravin now there's a name I know very well." Reedus said. "It was my ancestor's first successful painting. The one that really made him well known."
"We were told that he kept notes on some of the people he painted. Did he have any on Melanie?"
"He did."
"Would you mind sharing them?"
"I don't know. With all due respect, I don't feel comfortable showing my ancestor's private notes to strangers."
"We completely understand." Natsu said. "But Juvia here happens to be a direct descendant of Melanie."
"She is?"
"See for yourself."
He pushed Juvia forward and allowed him to get a good look at her. The artist was amazed and astonished by the resemblance. Every detail of her physical appearance was completely on tact with that of the woman in the painting.
"Wow. She's identical."
"Yes and she's aware of that which is why she wants to know a little about her ancestor." Natsu said. "But there's no information regrading her anywhere. Hence why we would like your help."
"I guess I can understand but..." He looked skeptical for a moment. "Are you sure that she's a direct to descendant?"
"You see the family resemblance don't ya?"
"Yeah but judging from what I read in my ancestor's notes I assumed that she didn't live long enough to have any children."
"Do those notes say when she died?" Juvia asked.
"Not an exact date but she was twenty-three when she passed and had never married."
"Never?" She said looking at her ring. "Are you sure?"
"I'm only going by what my ancestor's notes said."
"May we see them? Please."
"Normally I wouldn't be comfortable with it. But considering you may be related to someone he knew, I guess I could. I keep them stored up in the class attic. Along with original portrait of Miss de Ravin."
"You mean you didn't give it to museum?" Gray said.
"His earliest works were kept by the family as family heirlooms. To let us know that his artistic vision runs through our veins. I could get the notes and the painting down if you'd like."
"We would. Thank you." Wendy said.
In about ten minutes he showed them an old journal full of notes and the original portrait that was painted by Enrico Jonah. It was a master piece to behold. The sketching, the paint, the color, the design, it as all so elegant and antique. A thousand times better than the one they saw in the shop.
"It's so exquisite." Lucy complimented. "Your ancestor was very gifted."
"I know." Reedus said. "Those copy cats I made lack the real emotion and feeling that he put into that one."
"Juvia you sure were photogenic." Natsu whispered to her. "What didn't you tell us you were a model?"
"Very funny." She whispered back.
"What do you think of it Gray?" Lucy asked.
But he didn't seem to hear her. At the moment he was entirely transfixed by the portrait. Feeling as if this wasn't the first time he had actually seen it. He had the strangest instinct that he had looked upon that precise painting a many times. He looked at Juvia and started to compare her likeness to the portrait in his mind. It gave him a sense of familiarity.
"Gray are you alright?" Juvia asked him.
"Huh?"
"You seemed to have zoned out on us for a moment." Natsu said.
"Oh I'm sorry. I guess I'm just so amazed by how much Juvia and this woman look alike." He said. "Mr. Jonah would you mind reading us some of those notes?"
"Sure." Reddus said.
He opened the book and flipped through some pages before stopping on one.
"Here we are. September 20th 1885. Today must be my lucky day because Thomas Nightshade has just hired me to commission a portrait. His family is one of the richest in all of Magnolia and if I do well he will pay me a great deal of money."
"Wait Thomas Nightshade?" Natsu said. "Who's he?"
"He was the son of Charles Nightshade. An English landowner who moved his family to Magnolia."
"We know who Charles is but we didn't know he had a son." Gray said.
"Well he did and he's the one who commissioned that painting. Shall I continue reading?"
"Yes please." Wendy said.
"I am very eager to do this painting and I will do my best not to fail Mr. Nightshade but I found what he was asking me to paint very puzzling. He wishes for me to paint the maidservant of his fiance."
"Fiance?" Wendy said. "He was engaged."
"Yep. To Miss de Ravin's mistress."
"By any chance would his fiance be Constance Holloway?"
"Yes she is. How do you know?"
"She was mentioned by someone selling a copy of the painting. Read on please."
"I did not understand his reasoning for she was a servant and he was quite high in rank. However once I saw her for myself I could see why. Miss Melanie de Ravin is quite captivating. However Mr. Nightshade says that I tell no one of this painting. When I asked why he said that it was to be a surprise gift to his fiance because she and her servant are so close. I suspected an ulterior motive but chose to be ignorant because there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity like this."
"I smell secrets." Natsu smirked.
"My ancestor did suspect something was going on but there was no confirmed affair."
"At least not sexually right Juvia?" Natsu whispered to her jokingly.
She blushed, Gray stomped on his foot hard.
"Ow." He groaned quietly between his teeth before glaring at Gray.
"So there was no scandal or anything?" Lucy asked.
"I don't think so." Reedus said. "From what I read Thomas was a perfect gentleman. Honorable, respectful, and a little shy when it came to what some people call hanky panky."
"What about Melanie?" Juvia said.
"She was shy like him. In fact according to these notes one of the things that made her so attractive was that she was completely untouched. Innocent, chaste, to some even angelic. But her mistress on the other hand..."
"What? What about her?"
"Those two were extremely close which to some was odd considering how different they were from each other. They were what literary experts would call light and dark feminine. Melanie was the more light: Fair and gentle. Constance was the more dark: Vivacious and passionate. Ironic considering Melanie was a brunette while Constance was said to be blonde."
"Blonde?" Lucy said eyeing a strand of her hair that had fallen out of place. "What shade of blonde?"
"I don't know. He never wrote it that down. Anyway Constance wanted to break some of the boundaries of women's expectations back then. In other words she wasn't afraid to leave her shoulders uncovered in public and flirt a little. I'm not trying to insult her or anything but based on what I've read she was more likely to be involved in a scandal than her fiance or her servant."
"Is it written in that journal how Melanie died?" Juvia asked.
Reedus looked over a few pages.
"No. Only that some time after she died, Thomas passed as well and the painting was returned to my ancestor by his father. No money was demanded in return but when people saw how amazing the painting was they started hiring him."
"Hold on Melanie and this Thomas guy died around the same time?" Natsu asked.
"Roughly around the same time."
"How did he die?"
"Don't know. My ancestor didn't live there. He only knew what townsfolk knew but suicide was suspected."
"Based on?"
"The fact that no one in the Nightshade family really confirmed how Thomas died. Back in those days suicide was considered a very disgraceful way to die so if someone in a rich or high classed family offed their self then the family would usually try to cover it up. Make it look like an accident so at the very least that relative could have some dignity. And that's pretty much all I know."
"Nothing else?" Wendy asked.
"Nope. Sorry I couldn't have been of more help."
"You've helped us plenty enough." Juvia said. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Listen since you're related to Miss de Ravin I feel that it would be more appropriate if you had the original picture."
"That's very kind of you but your ancestor painted it."
"Yes but I have plenty of his early works. Consider it a thank you to her for helping him become so famous."
"I'm very grateful. Thank you." She said looking back at the picture.