Page 34 of The Lady and the Lion (Victorian Outcasts #9)

thirty-one

V ivienne expected a huge wave of relief and happiness after escaping her house, but instead, fatigue was the only thing she felt the next morning, despite a good night’s sleep.

She was happy to be with Samuel, but for now, she didn’t have the energy to show it.

After a maid helped her get washed and dressed, she had breakfast in her bedroom in front of the orange glow of the fireplace.

Everything she ate, from the tea to the scones, tasted like the concoction Captain Jackson had given her last night.

“My lady.” Mrs. Foster entered the bedroom, carrying a fresh glass of Captain Jackson’s drink.

Speaking of the devil.

“Wonderful.”

Half of the housekeeper’s face was normal, but the other half looked as if a brutal force had pushed the facial features up, distorting them.

Her left eye was pulled up. The left corner of her mouth was twisted up as well, and in general, her left side was deformed. Her brown eyes were uncommonly kind.

Mrs. Foster curtsied. “Is there anything else you need?”

“Nothing, really.”

“I’m sorry we had to wake you up at dawn. You need to get ready for the ceremony.” Mrs. Foster folded the clothes and unpacked the carpet bag efficiently and quietly.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Vivienne watched the housekeeper work around the room.

“Are you happy here?” she asked, vaguely aware she was crossing a line with a woman she barely knew.

Mrs. Foster smiled. “Very much. Before meeting Mr. Lyon, I worked as a maid for a wealthy family. My employer didn’t want me to become his housekeeper, despite my years of service, because my face wasn’t to his liking.

So I joined a roadshow. It was honest work, but not the most rewarding, either in coins or in happiness.

I played the role of the deranged monstrous woman and used a frying pan to fend off my attackers.

People would always laugh. The show was silly, but I learnt a thing or two about fighting.

When Mr. Lyon offered me a job, I didn’t hesitate to accept it. ”

“Samuel is a good man.”

“He is. I’m happy for you,” Mrs. Foster said in a motherly way.

When Mrs. Foster left, Vivienne couldn’t deny a hint of nervousness at the thought of her wedding. There were plenty of reasons to be nervous. It was her wedding, after all.

She wouldn’t be surprised if Mother didn’t show up, and maybe even Father might decide not to come after her last stunt. Her brothers and sisters wouldn’t be present as well. She hadn’t given them enough notice.

And there were things she wanted to discuss with Samuel. Things they hadn’t mentioned, like what he expected from her. Selfishly, when she’d agreed to be his wife, her only thought had been to leave her house. He deserved better from her.

She resigned herself to drink the potion.

Loud voices coming from downstairs distracted her from her breakfast.

“...what was I supposed to do?” That was Captain Jackson.

Someone else answered but not loudly enough for her to understand who the speaker was.

Footsteps pounded closer. She tensed as her door was flung open.

“Vivienne.” Father swept into view and crossed the room with quick strides.

“Father.” She hugged him.

He searched her face. “I read your letter this morning and came immediately.”

That explained the loud voices. Father must have met Captain Jackson.

“How are you?”

“Better. I’m sorry I left without seeing you, but Dr. Tucker scared me. And Captain Jackson?—”

“Why is he here?”

“Heaven.” She exhaled. “It’s a long story. Take a seat. I’ll start from the beginning.”

Dishevelled and with his shirt wrinkled, Father listened patiently to her escapades from a few years ago, raising an eyebrow at her visiting Samuel regularly for months. He narrowed his gaze when she told him about Murdock and Dr. Tucker being the same person.

“Captain Jackson has been nothing but kind to me,” she said, taking her father’s hand. “I know it’s difficult for you, but please, it would be wonderful for me if you could avoid arguing with him, especially today. I need you by my side.”

He squeezed her hand. “Is it true? You aren’t dying?”

She shouldn’t be surprised he was interested only in that part of her whole speech.

Tears stung her eyes. “No. Captain Jackson said with time and the right food, I will fully recover.”

Father hugged her again, shivering. “I confess I understood very little of everything else you told me. But that’s the most wonderful news I’ve ever heard and the only thing I care about.”

She rested her head on his shoulder as they cried and laughed together.

He caressed the top of her head, as he’d done when she was a child. “There’s no hurry to get married then, since you aren’t dying. You can have a one-year-long engagement, an engagement party, and we can plan a proper reception.”

She dropped her smile. “But Father…I really want to?—”

He laughed. “Only a jest. I know you well. You wouldn’t have agreed to marry Mr. Lyon if you didn’t like him. I’m happy for you.”

“What about the captain?”

Father returned serious. “I was angry with him when Adele died, but after the pain diminished, I realised he wasn’t at fault, but I was too proud to search for him.

And he’s helping you. I don’t want to argue with him or bring enmity to this moment that is so important to you.

You’re happy and healthy. I don’t care about anything else.

” He rubbed his beard. “No, there’s something I care about.

Rest assured, Dr. Tucker, Murdock, or whatever his real name is, will face justice.

I’ve never liked him, and I should have followed my instinct. ”

“What about Mother?”

Father’s facial lines tensed further. “I made the mistake of indulging her hysterics, because she was grieving. Not anymore. Because of her delusions and my being weak, you nearly died. She must face the consequences of her actions, too. Sometimes loving someone means not letting them do everything they want.” He kissed her forehead and rose.

“Now get ready. Your groom is waiting for you.”

Between the combined efforts of Dobkins and Mrs. Foster, Vivienne was ready in about three hours. Almost ready.

After her hurried departure from home the other night, Samuel had sent his footman, William, to retrieve her belongings, but somehow, the gown she’d planned to wear that day had been left behind, and all her accessories matching a few of her gowns had been mixed up.

William had claimed the gowns and accessories looked all the same, even though a maid should have helped him.

She opted for a pale green dress with long sleeves hiding her thin arms and bony shoulders although the colour didn’t complement her pale complexion.

Dobkins kept blinking as she fixed Vivienne’s chignon.

“Don’t cry. I’ll cry, too.”

“They’re happy tears.” Dobkins wiped her face. “I’ve always dreamt to see you happily married with a man you loved, and you couldn’t have found a better man.”

“True.”

Dobkins’s smile dropped. Her new tears didn’t seem happy at all. “I can’t believe I was so stupid to let that thug almost kill you. Captain Jackson saved your life. I don’t want to think what would have happened to you without him.”

Vivienne hugged her. “It’s done. We can’t change the past, but we can work together for a better future. And I have my share of fault, too.” She stepped back from Dobkins and smiled at the woman who had been a second mother to her. “I’m glad you decided to come with me.”

“Where else would I want to be?”

She poked Dobkins teasingly in the ribs. “Unless you’re here only for the captain.”

Dobkins laughed and blushed. “As you said, the past is done. Let’s think about the future. He certainly isn’t the same man he was before, and I can’t deny I’m proud of him. As I’m proud of you.”

They hugged again, letting more happy tears fall.

Samuel would wait for her at the church, so she went down the stairs with Father.

The entire household was gathered in the hallway to see her out.

She didn’t know them well, but their warmth touched her.

Dobkins, Mrs. Foster, Richard, Bernard, and William clapped their hands when she stepped into the hallway.

The man with a hand around one of the ropes on the wall had to be Potter, the cook.

He stood half hidden in a corner, a shy smile on his face.

Mrs. Foster helped her don her capelet. “My lady, we’ll be here to welcome you and Mr. Lyon after the ceremony.”

William held the door open. “I’m coming with you to the church.”

She climbed into the carriage with her father and Dobkins. The bright sunlight glinted off the elegant windows of the neighbouring houses, flashing golden sparks over her. She closed her eyes in the sunshine, enjoying the warmth on her skin.

Captain Jackson’s awful potion was already working because her body didn’t feel numb and the air had a crisp quality she’d missed.

“If you feel unwell,” Father said, “I’ll take you home immediately.”

Home. It was curious how her mind flew immediately to Samuel’s house at the word home, and not her parents’. She’d been in Samuel’s house for a few hours, but she already felt safe and comfortable there.

“I feel better than yesterday.”

“And hopefully, worse than tomorrow.” He smiled.

When the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the church, she looked out of the windows. Beautiful white roses adorned the stone arch of the front door, looking like an angel’s wings. Father helped her out of the carriage.

“Do you think Mother will come?”

He shook his head. “She won’t be here today.”

Nothing new, and it was better that way.

Captain Jackson bowed his head at their passage, and Father returned the greeting with a polite gesture.

The semidarkness in the church made her squint her eyes as Father accompanied her to the altar where a radiant Samuel was waiting in a tailored morning suit.

Her heart raced, and for a moment, she feared she might have another fit out of excitement, but when he smiled, her pulse returned to normal.