Jess sits at a table... A white table cloth is what her hand rests on. In front of her is a tea cup and tea pot with a small plate of biscuits. Where is she?
She can feel a corset on her and her hair is up it little curls of an up-do. She can hear soft voices in the building... a charming little restaurant. Her table is small and she sits alone.
Until someone says, "Mary Morstan I presume?"
She looks up to see a man in a suit, one that resembles the late 1800's style. He is tall with broad shoulders and masculine look to him, light brown hair and sideburns... small lips and ice blue eyes. She would be able to recognize his face anywhere.
"Of course, sir," Jess responds.
He sits down at the table with her and looks at her oddly. "You look like you were expecting someone else Miss Morstan."
"Do I?" she asks. She's not sure who she was expecting.
"Yes and I am sorry to intrude on your... appointment. Though I am sure you know who I am. If not you must know of my partner... who seems to be the more well known one indeed."
"Why of course. Dr. John Watson."
"Then you must know why I am here."
"I cannot say that I do. Care to enlighten me, doctor?"
"As you might have read, Sir James Thomas has died most recently. Could you say you were a close acquaintance to him?" he speaks quieter.
"I suppose so."
"Well information of any kind to his death is what we are searching for. My partner believes he was involved with a very dangerous man, you see."
"What man is this? I have no knowledge of James being involved with anyone like that."
"Most think he is a harmless professor, Miss Morstan. So I do not think you would know of the danger at all... But tell me, do you know of where he was on the twenty-eighth madam?"
"I am sure I have no idea, doctor."
"What a shame," he looks down. "Others are also in need of this information you see, Miss Morstan... And I believe some are closer than you think..." he says quietly as he looks at her. She can see him so vividly. This is the face she has come to know as Mr. Nobley. But here he is Dr. Watson?
"Whatever do you mean?"
He looks up after checking his pocket watch. "...It was a pleasure meeting you, Lady Mary. I am late for my own appointment..." he stands to his feet. When he walks over to where she sits she stands to her feet. They are shoulder to shoulder as he speaks at the volume of a whisper. "It seems the person you were expecting is... late for tea..."
"Yes..." she mutters. "Yes I noticed."
It is quiet in the room after they speak... something lurks... 'Dr. Watson''s eyes go to the right, opposite 'Miss Mary'. He reaches for the umbrella leaning against the wooden pillar.... there is a hesitation. Jess can hear her own heart beat...
He reaches up with it and plucks the man here to assassinate her from his place, bringing him down and spinning to smack him in the face with the umbrella, letting the man stagger.
People in the restaurant gasp and exclaim.
The killer is beside Jess--or Mary--now and pulls out a knife meant for her.
He is grabbed by a hand of Watson on the shoulder and then thrown off by a punch hard to his jaw. Where had she seen that move before?
The killer drops the knife.
Watson tackles the man and tries to choke him from the back as they stand. He struggles, staggering back. "Knife him," Watson groans.
Without hesitation Jess pick up the knife and plunges it into the chest of the attacker as hard as she can. In the back of her mind she is thinking 'When did I become capable of murder?' But her main focus is ensuring that this man will never be able to hurt her.
There's no blood but the assassin falls back dead with the knife in his chest and her savior looks at her, fixing his collar. Watson approaches her. "Are you alright?" he asks as he breathes.
"Yes, I am fine."
"The professor wants you dead. You're going to have to come with us it's not safe here," he says with urgency. "Come," he walks from their table with her following but stop when they hear exclaiming. Looking over their shoulders they see the man she had killed stands up and sheds the wooden plank behind his chest where she stabbed him, plucking the knife from it. Ah yes there's only one place where she saw that trick before...
"You had to stab him there..." Watson mumbles as the assassin looks ready to kill her again.
"How was I supposed to know?" she takes offense.
But he is about to throw his blade.
"Run!" Watson turns and with a hand at her back helps her sprint forward as the people around them holler in the chaos. Her feet hit the wood of the second story as she hears the killer following behind them. Watson grabs a metal tray as he throws the knife, using it to block the throw by leaping in between him and Mary. He uses the thing to smash against the man's head, knocking him to the left hard. "Go!" Watson commands to Mary. She takes off past crowded people, pushing her way through and to the stairs to lead to the first floor beneath them.
Watson ducks as the assassin swipes at him with another knife, punching the man in the ribs. But the killer retaliates with a blow to Watson's side with a tough kick that knocks him into a table. His ribs hit the wood and he cringes after losing balance.
The killer looks over the edge of the second floor as he sees his target moving down the stairs to the lower level. Without anymore hesitation he leaps over the balcony down on a table below, rolling off it and onto the floor to chase her again.
Watson fumbles to his feet and looks over the edge. He grabs the umbrella and throws the hook over the rope holding a decorative flag. With a plunge he lets it carry him down to the first floor in one swing. He jumps onto the ground and runs for the assassin, yelling, "Move!" to anyone who gets in his way as he pushes through the crowd or exclaiming citizens.
Mary pulls her dress up high as she runs, people dodging her with confusion as her hair falls from its do. She shoves a man out of the way and keeps fleeing hard to get out of the building as her assassin pursues her still, hopping over tables and chairs to get to her.
She stops when there is just a wall ahead, no doors. She whirls around to see her killer ready to end her life.
Watson pulls a revolver from his jacket as he runs.
He aims it high and fires at the rope that holds another flag. It falls down on the assassin and folds around him, blinding him as he fumbles to get it off. But Watson charges forward and kicks the man hard to knock him over. And to keep him that way he gets down and pins him to the floor, or tries to.
"Watson!" someone calls.
"I'm here Holmes!" He says back as he struggles. The killer elbows him in the face and makes him grunt before he is pushed off him. The man stands up and faces Watson. Then he lunges for him, the doctor grabbing his fist and kicking him in the leg, then ducking to avoid a punch. Watson thrusts his fist hard into the man's gut and throws him towards the ground. But he gets back up and leaps forward again.
"Duck!" another voice commands and Watson does so just in time for his umbrella to smash against the killer's chest, the wielder, Mr. Holmes himself. Played by Robert Downy Jr. she notices.
The assassin staggers back and pulls out a small blade, thrusting it through the air and letting it slice Sherlock's cheek just barely before he can dodge.
Watson charges and throws a punch but he blocks it. Holmes grabs the man's arm but the trained killer returns by flipping Sherlock on his back on the floor. Watson takes a couple more swings as he blocks and dodges, ready to pull his knife from the wall and kill him with it as Holmes returns to his feet. Just as the assassin is ready to assault the two detectives again Mary grabs a metal rod and nails the man in the face with it hard, letting him crash to the floor unconscious.
It's quiet as soon as this happens and both Sherlock and Watson look a bit surprised at her. When they stand side by side she feels as if she really is in an 1800s Sherlock Holmes movie as Mary... and Nobley is her Watson? She can live with that. What could generate such a dream? Ah of course, the game of charades. She was thinking about Sherlock Holmes. And as for Nobley, she witnessed him save her again that night... it makes sense now. Only at the moment she doesn't feel like she is dreaming at all and this information doesn't spark with her.
She just watches as Watson leads her from the building and Holmes helps with the police to clean up.
"You should go, Miss Morstan. It's not safe for you," he says as he turns to her, that familiar set brow giving her a strange comfort. But his face softens as she looks smugly at him. "But it was a pleasure meeting you of course. Perhaps we shall have tea sometime..." he smirks with a squint of his eyes, an expression that makes her feel warm... Why can't this be real life?
He takes her hand and brings it up to his lips... gently placing a kiss on her knuckles that sends a shiver down her spine, his eyes locked with hers and a spark inside her starting a blazing fire. As they stare at each other with a familiar hypnosis she feels lost in the gaze... And then-
.
Something is thrown on her, her senses returning to light, her body awakening from the dream world, her butterflies-in-her-stomach feeling flying away as she opens her eyes to the morning light.
"Jessamyn Audri, you little scandal wake up now," a scolding tone from a best friend says to her.
Thick cloth rests on her face and when she breathes through her nose she immediately recognizes the luscious smell of men's cologne-oh.
She sits up and looks at Nobley's jacket on her lap. That's right she had it last night and took it off but forgot to hide it. She just left it on the chair...
"Ella, just chill out for a moment while I explain," Jess says calmly.
"Oh I am much intrigued to hear what you have to say, you've been out late again, here you have a gentleman's jacket, a ripped dress and what's this?" she walks forward and looks at Jess's throat. "A very specific bruise on your neck is it?"
"This is not what it looks like, Ella. At least, not exactly..."
"You are such a bloody liar, Jess you know I had no idea this is what you have been doing every night. Tell me which of the men have you claimed?" she puts her hands on her hips, still in her white night gown and loose side braid. "Claimed and seducing no doubt by the looks of it." She lifts her brows.
Jess is quiet for a few moments. She doesn't really want to talk about what happened with Mr. Wattlesbrook last night. She doesn't want to remember it, but Ella keeps bugging her so finally she blurts out "Mr. Wattlesbrook assaulted me!"
That shuts Ella up. Jess feels her eyes tearing up but holds it back. She takes a deep breath before continuing. "At least, he tried to. He would have succeeded too, if Henry had not come and saved me. As it is I still got some bruises and bumped my head pretty bad. Henry took me to his room and watched over me until Wattlesbrook was taken care of and I was feeling a bit better. Then he escorted me back here and that is the end of it," she finishes. She smiles inwardly thinking about how worried and protective Henry had seemed about her. No one has ever treated her like that and she has to admit, it feels nice.
Ella frowns in confusion and a bit of disbelief. She sits next to her in silence. "He... 'assaulted' you?"
"Yes. It was late, after everyone else was in bed. I was coming back here and he stopped me in the hall. He played casual at first, complimented me, I thought he was just being polite... but then he suggested some... very not appropriate things... I tried to nicely decline but, he was drunk. He wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried to kick him but I used my bad ankle and reinjured it, so then I managed to scream for a moment before he punched me in the throat. I couldn't talk for a while afterwards. He had my dress partially ripped open when Henry came and punched him."
"Jess," she gasps with her hand over her mouth. She looks horrified. "This truly happened?"
Jess just looks at her friend. She can't bring herself to talk about it anymore.
"Oh thank God for Mr. Nobley..." she breathes but still looks like she might cry. Ella has always been very sensitive.
Jess only nods in agreement.
"Oh Jess," she whispers, taking her hand in comfort. "I'm so sorry we shouldn't have left you down there... I had no idea... Mr. Wattlesbrook never seemed like that kind of man to me..."
"It's not you're fault Ella. None of us had any idea something like that would happen."
"Are you hurt? What did he do to you? Bruised? You hit your head? Let me see," she pulls down her head to look at it.
"Ella, I'm fine. I don't believe I have a concussion, my ankle is feeling better. As for the bruises, well, they will fade," Jess reassures Ella. "You need to stop worrying so much. Honestly, you're as bad as Henry."
"I am?" she seems shocked.
Jess chuckles a bit, remembering how upset he had been over her last night. "Oh yes. He got me an ice pack and checked to make sure my bruise was only that. He also checked my head and did not leave my side until I was better."
"Is that so?" she lifts her brows. "He had always seemed like such unpleasant fellow... but he seems now more sensitive than any of us by your words doesn't he?"
"Ella, I know what you are implying and it is insane. He does not like being around me. He practically threw me out last night, he was so ready to be rid of me, and I suspect it will always be so."
She looks at Jess with disbelief, a teasing smirk on her lips. "Do you like him?" she asks in the way she always had, reminding Jess of a sixth grade slumber party when they would talk about what boy they had a crush on.
Jess gives Ella a look and says, "What kind of a question is that?"
"It's pretty straight forward, Jess. Answer it and don't change the subject."
There is no arguing with Ella... "I might like his character... only a little. But who knows what he is really like. I can't afford to have feelings for any of the guys here, especially the one who can't seem to stand me."
"He seems like he can tolerate you just fine..." she mutters as she picks up his coat and looks at it, Jess can't help but gaze on it as well. It's like having a piece of Henry in here in a way that doesn't sound creepy she supposes.
"That's called acting," Jess says. "It's what he gets paid to do."
Slowly her smile disappears as her finger plays with a button... She looks past the garment and to the floor in thought... She seems to swallow with an odd sorrow that she doesn't disagree with Jess...
"Ella, would you mind not mentioning any of this to anyone else, please? Misses Wattlesbrook already knows but I don't really want word spreading."
She looks up at her friend. "Of course," she nods. "Jess I am so sorry... I cannot imagine how scared, how..." she tries not to start to tear up.
"Hey, I'll be fine. Misses Wattlesbrook will keep him under control and if not, there's always reliable Mr. Nobley."
"If it wasn't for him Jess..." she breathes... She looks more upset than Jess herself could ever be. "If it wasn't for him," she whispers and embraces her in a tight hug. Jess knows what would have happened if Nobley had not come... She would have lost her virginity to that horrid man, her pride, her dignity, her purity... everyone would know... even the possibility of getting pregnant? Jess cannot even imagine. But it didn't happen. She was rescued.
"I know Ella... I know..."
She puts her nose into Jess's shoulder and closes her eyes. "I think there are things we all take for granted, Jess and that is our blessings..."
Jess laughs a little then says, "When did you become so philosophical?"
"Since my second birth," she breathes a laugh.
Jess smiles at her friend as they hug.
.
.
.
.
.
.
When they head down for breakfast no one is acting any different. Everyone is up in the drawing room. The only ones not present are Henry and Mr. Wattlesbrook. Misses Wattlesbrook looks at Jess with kindness when she sees her, but not more than would cause people to suspect anything.
"How are you this morning dear?" Wattlesbrook asks casually but with eyes that understand exactly.
"I am better," she answers.
She smiles and without the others noticing she asks, "Do you need anything?"
"No thank you, Mrs. Wattlesbrook. I will be perfectly okay."
She smiles again with sympathy. Then she returns to a proper manner. "I suppose you have noticed Mr. Wattlesbrook is not with us today. He has decided to visit relatives in Bath and won't be returning for a long while." Jess knows that Bath is quite the distance from here and she can be sure she won't see him again. 'He's probably been sacked,' she thinks to herself.
"Well I do hope he enjoys himself," she says.
Ella tries not to give a look
"Oh I am sure he will," Wattlesbrook says in a way that has definite meaning behind it. She is angry with him of course and has dropped him from Austenland and probably got him arrested. Who knows?
During a conversation Bradford is having with the others he looks over at the two girls who had entered and his expression intensifies when he spots Jess and how muddled she looks. Perhaps the others are too dimwitted to notice but he does and he walks over to them, a look of concern on his face. "Lady Audri what has happened to you? Are you alright?" He has an odd tone the girls have never heard before; a genuine tone under his proper one.
She and Ella exchange a look.
"What should be the matter?" Jess behaves obliviously.
"You are badly marked," he eyes her cheek and neck. "And you seem rather tired."
"Oh yes that is probably because I fell last night, clumsy as I am you see. Perhaps I have won our competition of coordination after all, Mr. Bradford." She tries to smile but can't make herself conjure it up.
He doesn't believe a word of it and decides to corner them with, "I too am tired... Because I woke up to quite a commotion last night. Mr. Wattlesbrook seemed to be dragged from the house by his heels. And I wonder now what it was about," he looks at them both seriously, not fooled like the others.
>>> CONTINUE READING CHAPTER 10