The next evening arrived quickly. When the setting sun reached the horizon I was already wearing my midnight blue gown. My long, slightly curly, golden brown hair was decorated with a pearls, while my moss green eyes were full of joy. When we arrived to the garden of Buckingham Palace my beauty was praised not only by my father, but also by Queen Victoria. I really enjoyed her company, she was always so kind to me. However, the young ladies were so boring.
"These cosmetics are extremely expensive, because they came straight from Paris. Gifts from my suitor..." Theresa boasted. Besides me, three young ladies were listening to her bragging, and it seemed that all of them were envious of her. And for what reason? For some poisonous rubbish. I almost got lost in my thoughts as I was listening to their boring conversation, but Helena didn't let me.
"Do not take offense, Adaline, but I think that you also need some qualitative powder. The shade of your skin is not pale enough. Not to mention your eyes..."
"Excuse me, but what is wrong with my eyes?"
"Nothing!" Helena said in a hurry, as soon as she sensed in my voice that I took her words as an insult. "But without makeup your face is so featureless. Perhaps, someone would court you too if you were more attractive." she added without looking into my eyes. Helena had no idea how many suitors I had rejected in my life. And, as for the cosmetics in question, I avoided them for a very good reason.
"I will not poison my skin with arsenic and lead for the sake of any man." I answered. This time, my words were laced with disgust.
"Arsenic? What is that?" needless to say, these fools had no idea how poisonous those cosmetics are. Their used them every single day, ruining their skin and their health. Helena and Theresa were staring at me as if I were a fool, while the two youngest members of our company, Emma and Leticia joined to the the increasingly awkward conversation with stifled laughter. It was so annoying and even more embarrassing that these whores and other ladies like them always looked at me with pity, looking for faults in me, so instead of explanation I remained silent. I glanced at the table full of various biscuits and cakes. I was about to reach for a piece of lemon cake, but Helena opened her mouth again. "Adaline! Don't use your left hand, it is not appropriate!" at that moment I have had enough of their company.
"Dio santo! (Holy God!)" I grumbled, but of course they didn't understand my words. They were very good at bragging and mocking, but they had no idea how to speak in Italian, not even manage to say a 'Thank you!'. Minutes later I was already walking in a quieter area of the garden. I wanted to calm my thoughts before returning to the guests. As soon as I heard the pleasant sound of the violin in the distance again I stopped and looked up at the night sky. I was staring at the constellation of Orion, while the gentle breeze brought me the honeyed scent of the lilies.
"I don't know why you accepted the Queen's invitation, but I assume that the reason was not the expensive French champagne." I heard a pleasantly deep voice, coming from behind me. As I turned around, I saw a young man, standing only a few steps away from me. Although, only the golden string lights were shining near us, but I saw every tiny feature of his face. His messy chocolate brown hair and his stubble made him so attractive, but his golden eyes especially enchanted me. And I noticed two old scars on his face, one over his right eyebrow, and another on the left side of his jaw. I took a long look at the handsome man who I had never seen before, enjoying the chirping of the crickets, but later I broke the silence.
"The French champagne is excellent, but the people that thirsts for it is not really." I admitted, even though it was not appropriate to say so.
"I agree!"
"Oh! So you did not come here for the free booze?" I joked.
"If I were interested in the alcohol, then I wouldn't be here with you. Would I?" he answered, making me smile. I knew a few men who would certainly have taken my words as an insult, but the mysterious stranger appreciated and reciprocated my sense of humor. "Jacob Frye..." the man introduced himself as mialatt our gaze met. I got lost in the pair of the golden eyes moment by moment, but soon I realised that I should introduce myself.
"Adaline Lanchester..." I said. Hearing my name, Mr Frye's smile grew even wider and for some reason I felt that our unexpected meeting was shaping the future in every second.
"Will you tell me that why you are not having fun with the guests?"
"I prefer the company of the stars." I informed him and with that I looked up at the night sky again. I glanced at the constellation of Lyra and soon a legend revived in me. It was the most beautiful legend I ever heard as a child, at the Blackburn Estate. "Have you ever heard the legend of Vega and Altair, Mr Frye? Thousands of years ago, there was a beautiful celestial princess who lived in Heaven. At every sunrise and every sunset she weaved colourful clouds onto the sky. But she was lonely... She wanted to be in love..." I started, but soon I realised that I couldn't last even two minutes without mentioning the starry sky. I really enjoyed the company of the man, despite the fact that I knew nothing about him, except his name, and I didn't want to scare him away. "I'm sorry! Sometimes I talk too much..."
"I don't think so." Mr Frye reassured me as he stepped closer to me. "So? What happened to the princess?" he asked and I was a little confused. I thought that Mr Frye will lead our conversation to the politics or the economy, or maybe he will leave and return to the guests, but instead he wished to hear the legend of the stars. His answer was so unexpectedly that for a few moments I forgot which story I had started to tellbut his golden eyes reminded me of my last words and I continued the legend.
"One day she visited the mortal world and met a young cowman who was sitting under an oak tree, playing an old love melody on his flute. The princess fell deeply in love... Their love was pure and they got married secretly. On their wedding night the princess promised her husband that they will be together in Heaven... But one day the princess' father, the Lord of the Heaven, found out that his daughter fell in love with a mere mortal. His fury grown when he found out that her daughter wanted to bring her love up to the Heaven... The Lord of the Heaven loved his daughter, so he let the princess to keep her promise. He placed the two lovers in the sky as stars, but they couldn't be together, because the Celestial River separated them... The princess was heartbroken... The Lord of the Heaven was moved by his daughter's tears, so he allowed her to meet her husband once a year. On the seventh day of the seventh month of each year... However, when the big day has arrived they couldn't cross the Celestial River, because there was no bridge. The princess cried so much that a flock of magpies came and made a bridge with their wings, so finally the lovers could cross the Milky Way..." and with that the story was over.
"Vega and Altair..." Mr Frye whispered their names as he also got lost in the beauty of the unreachable lights.
"You can see them, since they are stars. There... The brightest stars in the constellations of Lyra and Eagle..." I pointed towards the northern sky. As soon as the words left my mouth everything went silent again. The silence was so pleasant, as we were listening the sound of the violin in the distance. Soon my eyes were no longer admiring the night sky, but Mr Frye's features. He really found the story interesting, filling my heart with joy. He was the first man in years who didn't start mocking when I started talking about the stars. Quite the contrary, he showed interest in my passion. However, to make sure that this is not only a mask, I had to ask a question that has been asked many times in the past. "Do you know who Johannes Kepler is?"
"I just arrived to London recently. Unfortunately, I don't know everybody yet." Mr Frye answered. Hearing his words, my lips curled into a smile again. Johannes Kepler was a German astronomer who lived almost three hundred years ago and he was not a citizen of London. I instantly realised that Mr Frye had no idea who I am talking about, but, for the first time, it did not bother me that a man has no knowledge about the astronomy. "May I have this dance, Miss Lanchester?" Soon Mr Frye's words made me realise that my thoughts were far away, again. I happily accepted his offer, then the handsome man escorted me back to the garden of Buckingham Palace. By the time he put his right hand on the midnight blue satin on my waist, I heard a beauteous song. „Danza Alla Daggers", meant that „Dance at the daggers". I knew the steps of the dance so well, so I let the pair of golden eyes enchant me again. I had so many questions for the man who gained my trust in such a short time, but I didn't know how to put my thoughts into words. Instead, I got lost in his gaze, his charm did not let me go. Soon the violin went silent and our dance came to its end. "Thank you so much for the dance, Miss Lanchester! But now, if you will excuse me, duty calls." the man said goodbye to me. as soon as the words left his mouth he was about to leave, but an inner voice made me to hurry after him. Fortunately, I caught up with him in the palace lobby before he could leave the Queen's residence.
"Wait!" I asked him, while I heard the pleasant sound of the violin in the distance again. "How long are you staying in London?"
"From now on, it depends on you too..." Mr Frye replied with a mysterious smile on his face, but before I could understand the meaning of his words he disappeared from my sight. Moments later my memories about Mr Frye were filled with the pleasant scent of the hydrangeas, then soon the time had come to return to the guests. Although, as the hours were passing, so many men danced with me in the garden of Buckingham Palace, but my thoughts were spinning around only Jacob Frye in the spring night.
It was already past midnight when my night blue gown was replaced by my white nightgown. Well, the dance through long hours in the night exhausted me, but my thoughts did not calm down. I was stroking the ash grey fur of my cat, Rogue, while my eyes were captured by an oil painting hanging on the wall of my bedroom. The colours on the canvas were so beautiful. The brushstrokes captured a perfect moment.
"Stasera ho incontrato con un uomo misterioso. (Tonight I met a mysterious man.)" I started talking about what happened in the garden of Buckingham Palace. I often talked to the oil painting. Telling about what happened to me while I was away from home or what my thoughts were spinning around. And, I always talked in Italian. I loved to speak Italian, since I had Italian blood in my veins on my father's side. "Era molto bello e la sua voce era così piacevole. E il modo in cui mi fissava gli occhi... Oserei dire che mi ha rubato il cuore... Vorrei rivederlo, ma non ho idea di dove trovarlo. (He was very handsome and his voice was so pleasant. And the way he was staring into my eyes... I dare to say that he stole my heart... I wish to see him again, but I have no idea where to find him.)" I said with a deep sigh, but as soon as I looked into Rogue's amber eyes I remembered someone. Someone who always knew what is happening on the streets of London. "Tuttavia, conosco qualcuno che forse lo sa... (However, I know someone who maybe knows...)" I whispered with a smile, then the time had come to sleep.