Jasper hadn't slept so nicely in a long time, and he could rightfully say he felt rather refreshed the next day. He hadn't spent hours in his library during the night avoiding his lonely room, he hadn't shed a single tear at all, and he wanted to say it was all because of just how tired he'd been before bed, but that would have been a lie. Last night he'd gone to sleep with a smile on his face, a good feeling in his heart, and now that he was finally awake, his only wonder was when Timothy would join him again. Would the other man come this morning to share breakfast? Or perhaps during midday when they could have tea and enjoy the weather? There was always dinner like before.
After he was up, a bath was readied for Jasper by the servants, and he soaked in the hot water for a while, making sure to leave his foot out so the stitches wouldn't be disturbed. As he sat cleansing his body from the previous day, Jasper pondered on what exactly he and Timothy would spend their day doing. He didn't much want to go out and continue putting strain on his foot, so perhaps more music and stories were in store for them? Jasper would love to hear tales from Timothy's past. Of course, only those the dark-haired man was willing to tell. Never did Jasper ever want to put the man in an uncomfortable situation, so he wanted to learn the boundaries, where he wasn't allowed to venture regarding his past.
When the Master was finished with his bath, he dressed himself in the second half of his bedroom. He stepped carefully into black cotton trousers with y-back braces, a white high collared dress shirt along with a Paisley ascot and lavender silk vest. When the ascot was applied properly around his collar, he slipped his arms into a gray and dark violet coat. Once Jasper's blonde hair was tamed by his own brush, he let it flow freely down his shoulders, and made sure to grab his walking stick after stepping into buckled socks and leather lace-up boots.
After having breakfast with Darcy and Juliette in the dining room, Jasper went ahead into the library and sat down in his chair. For once, he didn't feel overshadowed by his sorrow after meeting the eyes of Elijah. All he did was sit down with a book he'd purchased from the bookstore in the city and read to his heart's content.
Hours seemed to pass as he went unbothered by anyone, only the sound of pages flipping and his occasional huff of laughter. That didn't last much longer after Jasper reached the final chapter of the book in his hands. Footsteps began to approach the library from down the corridor, more than just one pair, and while his first thought was the doorman coming to announce the arrival of Timothy, he was wrong when his name was called and the book was closed.
"Master Jasper," the doorman said from the archway, being sure not to enter the library as no one was ever allowed to. "You have a guest."
Jasper placed the book aside on the nearby table and stood, and when he met the eyes of this guest, his heart stammered from the near resemblance they held to a memory long tucked away in his mind.
Just outside the archway of the library stood the doorman as he lowered his head respectfully, and beside him was a young girl dressed in brown high-waisted trousers, and a baggy tan shirt tucked in around her, boots on her feet, and she had shoulder-length crimson red hair that matched that of Elijah's.
"Miss Ava Goode, my Lord," the doorman said before departing back to his post.
Jasper was frozen where he stood as the young girl stared timidly at him. She couldn't be any older than eleven or twelve at most, and she resembled almost exactly what Elijah had looked like many years ago in the woodlands of Brimonhive. Her face was a bit more feminine, but the manner she dressed, and the similar shade of hair shared in her family gave her a strong likeness to her elder brother.
"Hello," she said, her voice light, nervous, and she held her hands behind her back. "My — my father sent me looking for Jasper Lancechester."
"That is I," Jasper swallowed a lump in his throat. He came out from behind the large armchair and grabbed his nearby cane, limping to the doorway. "You are Xavier and Ella Goode's daughter?"
"Yes, my brother used to work for you when I was a baby. My father said you promised to help us if we ever needed anything."
"Your father sent you all this distance just to meet with me?"
Seeing that Jasper wasn't as frightening of a nobleman as Ava thought he would be, the young girl let herself relax and tucked a hair behind her ear. "I may be a girl, Mr. Lancechester, but I am not weak. My father raised me tough like the boys."
Jasper noted her confident tone now and looked her over, spying the sheathed blade she had hidden in a strap on her boot, and her knuckles had minor bruising as if she was no stranger to a tussle. "Even so," Jasper said, stepping out into the corridor, "It is not safe for such a young girl to be traveling all alone. Could I get you anything to drink, perhaps some food? Brimonhive is a long distance from Banemount."
"You got hot chocolate?"
"Plenty," the Master started from the library, ordering a housekeeper to bring a tray of hot chocolate to his office downstairs. When he and Ava were in the red room, he took a seat behind the large desk while the girl seemed to marvel in her expensive surroundings. "Tell me, what has your father sent you for?"
"Money," Ava answered, "Mum has fallen ill back home, and we haven't the money to afford a doctor or any herbs for her. Father said you could give us what we need to help her. Since my brother hasn't come home in years, you're the only hope for us. Father says my brother he's stuck in the Americas. He wants to come home but can't find a way and its awful over there."
Jasper furrowed his brow in confusion at Ava's thoughts toward Elijah just never going back home. Was that a story her mother and father made up? Was it so the girl wouldn't know the true reason behind her brother's disappearance? If anything, it was probably best she thought that way. "How much does your family need?"
"I don't know," Ava shrugged. "Enough to pay a doctor for his time? Enough for herbs? I would personally say enough for a whole new house in general, but that might be a bit much and father would call that rude. Really anything would help, Mr. Lancechester."
It wasn't a difficult decision for Jasper to make if he would help the Goode family. He already knew down in his heart that, even with Xavier and Ella's previous neglect, Elijah would want all of them to be taken care of. After all, that is why the butler took on his past position in the first place: to help his family.
From a large safe hidden beneath the desk, Jasper took out one-hundred pounds and counted it on the surface, Ava's emerald eyes going rather big after seeing such a large amount of money. "Given I am sending you with all of this," Jasper said, "I cannot allow you to travel alone."
"You don't have to worry about me, Mr. Lancechester," Ava protested, "I can take care of myself."
"I'm not sending you alone and that's that."
While Jasper then grabbed a velvet sack to hold everything in, Ava was given the hot chocolate she'd requested. It was so strange still for Jasper to sit here in front of someone from Elijah's family, especially someone who shared a sharp resemblance to him. The young girl surely did take on the looks of her brother from the rescue in the forest, and suddenly Jasper wondered if there was anything at all she knew about Elijah. Was she aware of how kind and brave he was?
"Oh, Jasper!" the Master suddenly heard Lady Darcy from the hall, and when she rounded into the office, she froze almost immediately after seeing the crimson red hair of someone seated before her husband. Stunned before Jasper could say anything, Darcy circled in front of Ava. "Dear me," the Lady breathed, "I thought — never mind."
Jasper was about to introduce young Ava when Timothy appeared in the doorway of the office as well. He wore an almost all black outfit with just a burgundy vest for color, curly black hair pushed back out of his face.
"Who is the little lad?" Darcy asked.
"Lad?" Ava rutted her brow up at Darcy. "I am a girl."
"Oh, pardon," the Lady snickered, "I must be ruining this moment."
"Darcy, this is Ava Goode. She is Elijah's younger sister."
"My god, hello, I'm so sorry for mistaking you for a—."
"Happens all the time," Ava shrugged, "I'm used to it."
Jasper stepped out from behind the desk and placed a hand on Ava's shoulder, "Why don't you go ahead and wait outside? I will be there shortly."
When the red-haired girl vanished into the hallway, Jasper met Timothy's eyes. He was very glad to see the man had actually shown up today, but was distraught now that he wouldn't be able to spend the day with him like planned. "I'm sorry," he said, "I must make sure Ava makes it home in one piece. You are more than welcome to stay until I return, or come back another time as the journey will be a long one."
"That's all right," Timothy understood, "I haven't anywhere else to be."
Jasper smiled at the thought of the dark-haired man waiting for him to come home, promising himself then to make sure the trip was as quick as he could make it.
He said goodbye to his wife and to Timothy then and joined Ava in front of the manor. The girl had arrived in a roofless horse-drawn buggy, and he could see that Timothy's own was there as well, but the horse had been taken back to the stables for rest. Once Ava's buggy was attached to a coach brought out for them both, they climbed into the cab and the door was shut behind them.
Jasper watched as Ava touched the expensive fabric of the cushion she sat on, running her fingers across the finely crafted wood of the interior, and then, she said, "Father said him and my brother used to build things before I was born. Built the house we live in now, but it's starting to fall apart, and we're struggling, especially since Mother is sick. Do you have a mother, Mr. Lancechester?"
"Not anymore," Jasper said, fingers twirling around the string of the velvet money sack. "She died when I was eight."
"Was she sick, too? I'm afraid Mother will die if she's not taken care of properly. She's getting worse."
"My mother was sick, yes," Jasper confessed, "But I don't want you to worry about yours so much. I'm here to help however I can."
"You know," Ava smiled thankfully, "You're not as scary as I thought you'd be. Where I'm from, Lancechester's are always talked about as being discourteous and quick tempered. I even heard once that your great-great grandfather Kristian Lancechester once had his entire house of servants butchered all for one missing diamond from his collection."
"Unfortunately," Jasper said, "That is true, but I can assure you I am nothing like my father or grandfathers."
"I know that now. To imagine your father Ronald Lancechester being so courteous to commoners is comical."
Jasper thought it fair that many people around the lands of England thought so highly and poorly of the Lancechester's. After all, every horrendous tale told at the tables of the common man, or whispered here and there by other Ladies and Gentlemen were usually true. The senseless blood spilled by the hands of his past relatives followed each Lancechester down the line, and Jasper could only hope it would stop when he was the last one standing.
"No offense, of course," Ava added as the Master took a moment to answer.
"It's fine," Jasper smiled to the girl.
Merely observing Ava as she picked the dirt beneath her nails, braided thin twists into her hair, and whistled short tunes as the journey progressed, Jasper couldn't help but see bits of Elijah in her. They were virtually the same aside from their genders, and Ava had a more feminine curve to her jaw, but the eyes, her hair, even her nose and ears were the same as her brother's, and it did Jasper's heart well to see she was a healthy and confident young girl, something he was sure Elijah would be happy for as well.
Examining her nails after she was finished, Ava sat with her hands beneath her bottom, and said, "Mr. Lancechester, can I ask you a question?"
"Go right ahead."
"Why do you walk around with a cane? Is your foot hurt? Maybe one of your legs is shorter than the other? Is one an imitation limb?"
"No," Jasper wrinkled his brow at her guesses. "I stepped on a piece of glass the other day, and the stitches are still tender."
"I've gotten stitches before. Fell out of a tree when I was seven and split my head open." She then leaned forward a little and pointed to a faded scar running along the top of her hairline. "See. Impressive, huh?"
"If you say so," Jasper laughed, "I've got a scar as well. Acquired it when I was ten years old. I was attacked by a wolf one day in the forests of where you are from. Believe it or not, but your brother Elijah saved my life that day. He fought it off like a knight. Very brave, he was."
"My brother fought a wolf!?" Ava gasped, "That is mad! Oh, how I wish I could meet him some day. Father always makes him out to be such a good son."
The gloom began to settle in Jasper with all the talk of Elijah, but he tried his hardest to keep strong.
Then Ava asked, "Is that why you have a portrait of my brother in your library, because he risked his life to save you? I didn't think much of it at first, but it was like looking into a mirror and seeing mixtures of my mother and father in one painting. That was my brother Eli, wasn't it?"
Should I lie? Jasper wondered.
The young girl hit the nail on the head with her assumption, and given her high thoughts of Elijah, would it be such a bad thing to admit that she had in fact looked into the eyes of her brother? Never would Ava ever know what it was like to have Elijah in her life, nor would she ever reach that hope of someday meeting him, so... "Yes, it was," Jasper confessed tensely. "I owed everything to your brother back then, and still feel like I do even now. To have something around to remind me of why I'm here is nice."
Ava sighed and brought her feet up from the floor of the coach, hugging her knees to her small framed chest. "If he ever finds a way back from the Americas, I will let him know how highly you think of him."
***
"Allow me to apologize for the inconvenience Jasper's departure has brought you," Darcy said.
She and Timothy had joined Juliette in their own reading room. It wasn't nearly as big as Jasper's, nor did it have as many books, but the few bookcases inside were filled, some books stacked on top, and there was a desk nearest to the large bow windows with drawing paper and pencils. Juliette was seated at the desk focused on a sketch she was making, while Timothy and Darcy made themselves comfortable on a couch on the opposite side. There were jams and fresh breads out for the taking, and the Lady helped herself to some.
"It's all right," Timothy said, "I hadn't anything else planned for the day, and I told Jasper I would come by. I am willing to wait until he returns."
"That's lovely," Darcy smiled, "Just so you are aware, Mr. Creel, it makes Juliette and I happy to see you coming around more often. She and I are the only friends dear Jasper has, and it will be good for him to have someone else to talk to. I hope to be seeing more of you."
"Jasper is the first person to take my mind off how horribly I live my life," Timothy said. "It isn't natural for a man to wake up every morning with such emptiness inside of him, and I am glad to feel that hollowness is fading. I was previously requested to gather with an acquaintance of mine for drinks, but I wanted to fulfill my promise to Jasper and be here today."
"How sweet of you," Darcy giggled cheerfully. "May I inquire what you think of Jasper? He is beautiful, isn't he?"
Timothy was reserved for a moment, but nodded anyway, "Yes, he is."
"I only ask one thing of you, Mr. Creel," the Lady added, "And that is to bear with Jasper for as long as you plan to stay involved with him. He is a strong man, but can also be fragile when certain things get to him. I know he will need some adjusting from time to time, but I assure you dear Jasper is the most passionate and authentic man when he is in love. He will never cease to surprise you."
Timothy was already surprised Lady Darcy was so quick to speak of love regarding him and Jasper, but also wasn't going to push her words aside. He did want to get to know more about Jasper, more about his history, whatever he could learn to understand who exactly Jasper Lancechester was. And he would be sure to open his bolted doors just as much as time went on.
"Once you get to know Jasper for who he is," Darcy added, "You can't help but love him so deeply. Just as his friend, I know that feeling. Juliette knows that feeling, and I haven't a doubt in the world you could know it, too. Love is so invigorating, Mr. Creel."
Remaining with the two Ladies for the rest of the afternoon, Timothy was treated to dinner in the evening, entertained by Darcy's vibrant stories of her and Juliette from when they were young, and all the while his thoughts went back and forth from two names.
Neville and Jasper.
They were not the same in the least, probably the biggest pair of opposites in the world, but somehow he could feel that his heart did not take that into consideration during this time of deliberation.
Jasper was such a rich man with a solid status, while Neville might as well have not existed. The only thing he could think of that put the two on the same pedestal was that they both had a love for books, and while the Master's collection was far greater than the books that still sat in Timothy's home, the parallel enthusiasm to read works of literature was perfect for them both. Of course there was also the true and most refined beauty that captured both Neville and Jasper, but that was something Timothy would not dare bring into comparison. In that department, they were most beautiful in their own right.
Timothy was almost startled when he came to see how prepared he was to feel these sorts of things for Jasper. Long ago, he'd come to accept that Neville would never stand at his side again, he would never hear the boy's soft tone, and touch the brunette twists that made up his hair, but that didn't mean Timothy wasn't still angry all the time. Every day he blamed himself for what had happened, every day he blamed himself for allowing such a treacherous act to take place, and though there had never been a warning to announce what would occur that night on his property, he blamed himself every single day for it still.
So, he was ready for whatever Jasper could bring into his life, and never would he allow something like what happened to Neville happen to another, to Jasper. Timothy was a mentally and physically strong man in nearly every department, but there would always be that one hole in his chest, the one that loathed himself for not being able to save his past love, and the one that feared he wouldn't be able to stop it from happening a second time.
After dinner was finished that evening, to entertain Timothy before the night grew later, Darcy and Juliette treated him to a game of chess. Although it was supposed to be a quiet, thoughtful and challenging game between two opponents, Darcy did not fail to bring on laughter during the session. But, the laughs and smiles faded quickly when Master Ronald and Madame Scarlett Lancechester were presented together, the merriment within the manor seeming to melt like snow under a blazing sun.
"Ronald, Scarlett," Darcy said, puzzled to see the two at this hour and without prior announcement. "I did not know you were coming."
"Where has Jasper gone off to?" Ronald asked, the usual high-spirited mood he had now nonexistent. "And who is this man?"
Timothy stood and lowered his head in respect for the nobleman. He all of a sudden felt like the sixteen-year-old boy he'd been long ago, a nervous lad trying to please a man he knew had a short fuse. "Timothy Creel," he introduced himself, "An associate of Master Jasper."
Ronald didn't appear pleased to see Lady Darcy spending time with another man while his son was out, and he let that be known in the mere way he moved his eyes between the two. "Even with Jasper's current absence," Ronald went ahead anyways, "I will have you know, Lady Darcy, that I took it upon myself to have a chat with your mother and father. I already mentioned this to Jasper the other day, and would have you aware as well if he has not spoken to you about it. But if you do not provide my family with an heir by autumn, be it you cannot produce one, or you and my son hold a grudge and simply refuse to give me a grandson, I will see that your name is removed from my family entirely."
The tension in the room grew ridiculously in thickness, and while Juliette was upset that Ronald would speak to her lover so rudely, even in front of what appeared to be her guests, there was nothing she could do but hope Darcy didn't say anything that would get her into trouble. Thankfully, all the Lady said was, "You don't have anything to worry about, Ronald."
"Smart choice," the man smiled then. "It would hurt my heart to have to tear you and my son apart. And if by any chance you end up having a daughter, you will provide another child until it is the boy I demand."
With that said, Ronald left the manor after promising to be back when the time to show proof of pregnancy came around, and Darcy, who had once been in a seemingly unbreakable cheerful mood, wiped at the bottom of her eyes when tears shed from them, and she hurried out of the room.
Juliette stood quickly to rush after her lover, "Pardon us," she said to Timothy. "You are welcome to the manor until Jasper returns," and then she raced away to comfort Darcy.
Autumn, Timothy thought to himself, leaving the game of chess as it had been. With it being the middle of May at the moment, that gave Jasper and Darcy five to six months until Ronald Lancechester showed his face to them again. With the Master's adamant will to refuse his father, he wondered what Jasper could have in mind to make sure he and Darcy were not separated. If there was anything he still knew very well about Ronald Lancechester, it was that when he threatened someone with consequences, he'd make sure the consequences were handed out if he did not get what he wanted from someone, and it seemed being his son changed nothing about that.
***
A few more hours passed, the time striking ten o'clock at night as Timothy played song after song on the piano in the ballroom. Everyone in the manor, including the servants, were tucked away in their beds by now, leaving Timothy the only one awake. There was a single candle propped on a carrier sitting atop the piano, providing the only glow in the entire house, and his fingers brought life to the music he once practiced when young.
He was pleasantly surprised to know all of his talents hadn't vanished through the years, but when he heard one of the large doors to the ballroom creak open and shut, he stopped and looked over the angle of the piano lid.
Jasper had returned at last from his journey with Ava Goode, and though Timothy was sure the Master was tired from the day, it pleased him to see the calm smile on Jasper's face as he drew nearer.
"I thought you would be gone by the time I returned," Jasper said, slowly climbing the steps to the stage. "Then I heard your music."
"I said I would wait," Timothy said, turning on the bench when the Master stood beside him.
Things were quiet for a moment as Jasper mulled on what to say next, but it seemed he didn't know what to say when he dropped the walking stick to the floor of the stage. To Timothy's veiled astonishment, his heart stammered eagerly when the Master lifted a leg over the bench and straddled him.
Both of them tried their hardest to maintain the shakiness in their breath, the warmth in their bodies rising exponentially when Timothy placed his hands at Jasper's hips, and the Master settled his arms atop Mr. Creel's broad shoulders. No words passed between them as they found comfort this way, but when Jasper nuzzled his nose against Timothy's cheek, their lips hovered tentatively just a centimeter apart.
Jasper was so scared of what he was doing, so unsure but in no way did he want to see this stop. These arms that wrapped around his slender body, these lips that hesitated to touch his own, they were something he wanted, and it only solidified even more so when Timothy said, "It's all right."
Jasper dissolved into Timothy then, pressing his lips softly against the other man's as a tender embrace closed around him. His heart was beating so fast he wanted to know if Mr. Creel could feel it, feel his fearful excitement as their kiss sustained into several minutes. What he was feeling right now at this very moment, Jasper knew what it was, but he didn't care.
This was desperation, and it felt so good as it raced through every vein hidden beneath his skin.
When Timothy's hands gripped the underside of Jasper's thighs, he gasped when he was lifted with ease. "No," he breathed haggardly, still clinging to the other man. "Let us stay here," it would take too long for them to reach his chamber, and he wanted this now.
Without further delay, Timothy brought them both down to the floor of the stage, his kiss never leaving the Master's lips as he rocked him backwards. Here in the empty ballroom, with only the tender glow of the candle lit upon the piano, the two were alone with nothing more than their shadows cast against the thick red curtain behind them, and the mutual need to feel each other as truly as anyone could.