Page 8 of The Lady and the Lion (Victorian Outcasts #9)

eight

S itting through the afternoon tea with her parents and their guest was sheer torture for Vivienne.

Finding out how Lion Boy was faring was the only thing she could think of.

She’d been lucky the night of the escape.

No one had noticed her absence. But now she was eager to go.

Two days had passed, and she hadn’t seen Lion Boy.

Dobkins hadn’t received any message from the captain, either.

She couldn’t get to the newspaper for any news of his escape. When Lady Chester had arrived, Father had folded his copy of The Times and set it next to him, hiding the front page.

The chatter about the usual gossip on some scandalous rake went on until Lady Chester asked Mother, “What about you? Any news?”

“We went to see a show, Cade’s Circus,” Mother said. “I wouldn’t recommend it. Quite shocking. Not to mention it was full of dirty people.”

“Cade’s Circus, of course. That’s where that wild creature escaped from!” Lady Chester said, catching her attention.

“Which wild creature?” Vivienne put down her cup of tea.

“Haven’t you heard?” Lady Chester beamed, enjoying the attention. “Cade’s Circus of Curiosities had this creature raised by lions.”

Vivienne frowned. “He’s a normal human, actually.”

Mother glanced at her. Even Father angled a look towards her.

Lady Chester continued, “It doesn’t matter who he is because he’s at large. He escaped from the cage he was locked in, and he’s now somewhere in London. We’re all in danger.” She sounded too excited to be taken seriously. “I hope the police catch him or shoot him to keep us all safe.”

Shoot him? “Do they want to kill him?”

“He’s dangerous.” Lady Chester bit into an oat biscuit. “I would think they will shoot him, so he doesn’t attack someone. An article in the Evening Standard said Lion Boy was considered dangerous and shouldn’t be approached.”

Vivienne’s stomach roiled. She folded her hands on her lap not to show how much they were trembling. He wasn’t dangerous. He needed care and compassion and fewer stupid people talking about him.

“Enough of this grim story.” Father patted her shoulder. “Play something for us, darling. An allegro .”

Playing music would help distract her. She rose and sat down in front of the piano as a knot of worry tightened in her belly.

Lion Boy’s scared eyes flashed across her mind.

He’d panicked in the cab. Not being able to talk had to be horrible for him.

The police wanted to shoot him, and he couldn’t even give his side of the story if he was caught.

She started playing Mozart Piano Concerto 21 in C minor , but her fingers turned clumsy all of a sudden. She made one mistake after another, playing the wrong tempo and keys. Even a non-expert would find her performance wretchedly poor.

“Well, that was an interesting performance.” Lady Chester resumed drinking her tea. “What is wrong with you, Vivienne?”

Vivienne stood and muttered something about being tired before going back to her tea.

The conversation returned to the Season, and Vivienne focused on her tea.

“When are you going to have your Season, Vivienne?” Lady Chester asked. “All your elder sisters and brothers are married, are they not? It’s your turn now.”

Father cleared his throat. “Vivienne enjoys going to dinner parties and balls. This might be the year she has a proper Season.”

She smiled at him. “I would love a Season.”

“I don’t think so.” Mother straightened her napkin. “There’s no hurry, and going out at night is deleterious to one’s health.”

“Every fledgling must leave the nest,” Father said.

“When it’s ready to fly,” Mother rebuked.

Vivienne didn’t comment. The conversation was nothing new, and while last year she’d wanted to have her Season, now, with the responsibility of Lion Boy, fewer social obligations and demands would be better.

Lady Chester followed the exchange with keen interest. “It’s always difficult for a mother to let her child go into the world, especially after a tragedy.”

Vivienne stiffened.

Mother clenched the silver box with Adele’s hair. “What do you know about that? You didn’t lose any of your sons.” From her tone, it sounded as if she were wishing such pain on Lady Chester.

“Jane.” Father shook his head.

Vivienne winced.

“Well.” Lady Chester put her cup down. “It was lovely to see you. It’s time for me to go.”

Mother glared at Lady Chester, acting like the wronged one.

When Lady Chester left, Vivienne exhaled. Now she would be free to go.

“What happened?” Father touched her shoulder gently.

“Oh, the piano? I wasn’t focused. My heart was not in playing, Father I’m sorry.”

Mother put a hand on her forehead. “You’re warm. Are you sick?”

“Just a bit tired.”

“I’ll send for our physician.”

“It’s not necessary.” She forced a smile. A visit from the physician would mean she wouldn’t be free to leave the house.

“You’re pale, and I noticed you were a little jittery. That cursed visit to the circus has made you ill.”

“This afternoon there’s a poetry reading I would like to attend. Dobkins will come with me.”

Mother shook her head. “I’m not sure?—”

“Jane.” Father stood and clasped his hands behind his back. “Let her go if she wants to. A young lady must cultivate different interests and spend time outside to make friends.”

“Diseases don’t care about a young lady’s interests,” Mother said. “I want Dr. Acton’s opinion.”

“Dr. Acton?” Father asked. “Who is he? What happened to Dr. Stewart?”

Mother huffed. “I dismissed him.”

“I think Dr. Stewart was fine, but he didn’t tell you what you wanted to hear.” Father scowled.

Vivienne rubbed her forehead. Mother found a new family physician every other month, claiming the physicians were all incompetent.

“Well, I’m fine, and I would like to go.” She forced a cheerful tone.

“I just want to take care of my family.” Clenching the silver box, Mother left the sitting room in a flutter of black fabric before anyone else could speak.

Father touched the top of Vivienne head. “Go if you want, my girl. Don’t stay home because of your mother’s words. You must enjoy your life. Go now.”

“Thank you, Father.” She stood to leave, but he called her.

“She’s hurting. You know that, don’t you?”

“I know. She’s hurting, as is everyone.”

He released a long breath. “She’s improved. Last year, she wouldn’t have let you go.”

In her opinion, Mother was far from improved. “I love you, Papa.” She kissed his cheek before going upstairs to get ready.

When finally Vivienne left the house with Dobkins, the sun was hiding behind the clouds. Inside their cab, Dobkins looked outside and wrung her hands, gazing outside. “Police are everywhere.”

Constables seemed to have multiplied overnight; they patrolled the streets in the centre of the city, stopping carts, coaches, and omnibuses.

Posters with a sketch of Lion Boy hung on the walls, framed with the words ‘ murderous ’ and ‘ dangerous. ’ They knew nothing about him. He wasn’t the deranged creature people believed.

The officers became scarce as they drove farther.

“Do you think Cade believes Lion Boy escaped, or could he know someone helped him?” she asked Dobkins.

“They said escaped, not taken. I think the newspapers would have reported him taken.”

“Lady Chester said the police will shoot him if they see him.”

“Let’s not worry about that.”

Not worry? A thousand worries piled up in her mind. She paused, remembering what her father had said. Perhaps that was how Mother felt every day.

Despite the distance she put from the circus, the driver of the cab from last night still might have questioned the commotion inside, realised what was going on, and reported them.

Maybe someone had seen them. Maybe Captain Jackson went to the public house to get drunk and left Lion Boy alone. So many things could go wrong.

She fidgeted until the cab stopped well away from their destination. They would need to walk a few minutes and around a corner to arrive at the captain’s flat, but she was glad to put her nervous energy to use.

No constable was around in that part of the city. Either the superintendent didn’t care about the people who lived there, or the area had already been searched.

She knocked on Captain Jackson’s rear door with urgency, both because she wanted to get off the street and because she was eager to see Lion Boy.

The captain opened the door and beckoned them in. “Why are you here? I didn’t send any message to Dobkins to ask you to come.”

Vivienne ignored the heavy smell of tobacco. “I wanted to know how Lion Boy is faring.”

He locked the door behind them. “There were bloody police everywhere this morning.”

“Did they cause any problem?” Dobkins asked.

“No, but the last two days weren’t the most enjoyable of my life.” He poured himself a whisky. “A couple of times I thought they would knock on my door. I expected a search, but not of this magnitude.” He raised the bottle towards them. “Any takers?”

“For Pete’s sake.” Dobkins pinched the bridge of her nose.

“How’s Lion Boy?” Vivienne rose on her tiptoes to see past him, but the bedroom door was shut.

“You don’t need to worry about him. Now you’d better leave.” He finished off his whisky with one gulp and put a hand on the knob.

She didn’t move. “No, I want to see him.”

“Not now. In a few weeks maybe. For now, you must leave. And don’t come back. Just wait for my message. You are putting him at risk by coming here”

“A few weeks? Let me see him. I want to make sure he’s doing well.”

“Doing well?” He put his hand on his hip. “Of course he’s not doing well . He grew up in a bloody cage, beaten and drugged.”

She winced at his tone. “I promised him I would visit him.”

“Not now.”

“Why?” Dobkins asked. “Did he escape?”

Vivienne gasped. “You got drunk, and he left!”

“Dammit!” He slammed the empty glass on the table. “He’s here, and no, I’m not stupid enough to get unconscious while a drug-addicted young man prone to panic is under my care. A bit of trust would be appreciated.”