A Diamond of the First Water

Lucretia Ivronin

(The Night of the Burning Diamond)

The idea for this look at an episode from the perspective of one of the lesser characters was inspired by reading "Majoring on the Minor" by the Wild Wild Whovian, whose writing I have long admired. I had also been discussing with SilverShadow44 whether or not Lady Margaret Midas was actually dead and how Artie and Jim avoided going back to prison at the end of the episode.

I dedicate this to both of them with thanks

,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.

I should have known that my dreams were going to be wrecked the day that persistent little man came to the door looking for Morgan's aunt Margaret. But that wasn't the beginning of this story. I need to go back to when I was still an obedient daughter to a member of minor German nobility. Impoverished though we were, people still looked up to the Ivronins. Well, to be perfectly candid I was only obedient because, although I had realised what I wanted from life, I still had no plan as to how I could make it happen. Women with my background don't have the freedom to direct their own lives.

Then in a spa resort near Dresden I met Morgan Midas who was visiting with his Aunt Margaret. And I don't remember anyone by the name of Baron Felix von Schlesweig und Holzegergen being there. But that's not to say that his aunt didn't meet him at some other time, I suppose.

To me Morgan represented everything I wanted, coming from America, a country where you could be free to realise your dreams. His family had money and prominence and he hinted at plans for accumulating vast wealth and power. When he proposed marriage and offered to take me back to America with him I agreed without hesitation. I was suffocating in Saxony with its rigid social conventions and my mother was about to affiance me to a member of the Prussian aristocracy who was more than twice my age. I left the hotel telling her I was going to take the waters and I never went back. Of course I took my faithful manservant Rudd with me and so the four of us left for America on the next ship. Thankfully Lady Margaret was a hopeless romantic who couldn't bear the thought of my youth and beauty being wasted on a decrepit old man. It was easy to charm Lady Margaret Midas though in reality I thought her a rather silly old woman who didn't know how to enjoy her wealth properly. We stopped off in London for a while where I was described as a diamond of the first water and was presented to the British Queen, a vast woman with no style at all, and the engagement was made formal, with a ring, a family heirloom which had been lodged at Lady Margaret's London bank. Among other jewellery she took back to America with her was the Queen Anne Triplet, which consisted of three large, cabochon-cut diamonds, and an emerald bracelet.

Lady Midas invited me to live with her, and Morgan often came to stay. That's how things stood when Lady Margaret died.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

Morgan was resident at the house at the time, making use of one of the large upstairs rooms as a laboratory. I only know what Morgan told me, that his aunt had died in her sleep. But he also told me that we would have to keep it a secret because otherwise people; doctors, lawyers and others would come to the house and might find out about his work. So I didn't object when he had her body taken away in a trunk, although I couldn't quite quell my conscience; after all, she had been good to me. But Morgan reminded me of all the beautiful things I would have in the future when his plans came to fruition and so I put it out of my mind. It was then that he revealed that he had distilled his first batch of the diamond elixir using the Queen Anne Triplet. So it was just as well his aunt was no longer around to find out.

Unfortunately neither of us knew that, even before she had travelled to Dresden, she had promised the Government that she would allow the Queen Anne Triplet to be put on display at the International Jewellery Exhibition. That was what prompted the first visit from the persistent little man I mentioned earlier.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

Rudd opened the door to him but I could hear everything that was being said. He was asking see Lady Margaret and told Rudd that his name was Artemus Gordon. He surprised me by being fluent in both French and German. Of course Rudd could not understand him as he speaks only a dialect of German found on the border between Saxony and Prussia.

I had to step in, as it was necessary that someone explain Lady Margaret's absence to prevent the man from forcing his way into the house as, from what he said, she had obviously made arrangements to see him.

I made my presence known and was surprised to find myself facing a man in his forties with a good head of hair but who was wearing a blue suit with cream piping which didn't suit him and made him appear more like a bell-hop. I can't remember quite what I said. "Lady Margaret has recently departed...not return for some time...she didn't mention it…."

Then he said something about the Queen Anne Triplet. I had kept a calm, imperious expression on my face as I spoke to him, something in which I had been well-schooled in my own country but I was not used to dealing with American males and certainly not such confident ones. At this point I merely stared at him, my mind racing.

"I don't mean to seem impertinent," he said, "but who are you?"

I immediately shut the door in his face.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

Of course I had to think of an explanation for my odd behaviour when Mr Gordon's colleague turned up shortly after. Rudd was not around so Clive opened the door and let him in. Morgan was with me when I faced him and I was glad of his support. He introduced himself as Lady Margaret's nephew and me as his fiancée. The visitor's name was James West and he was even more forthright than Mr Gordon. He didn't seem convinced by the story that Morgan's aunt was suffering from gout and had gone to take the German mineral waters. West seemed well-acquainted with her cat Sultan and I remembered how I had pleaded with Morgan not to dispose of it. Had that been a mistake?

I explained that I had not been in the country very long and that in my country we were wary of strangers. The last was a complete lie but the only thing I could think of to explain my odd behaviour. Then he insisted we hand over the Queen Anne Triplet into his safe-keeping as he had been sent to secure and protect the diamonds and deliver them to the International Jewellery Exhibition. He had her written permission. Morgan explained that they were in the safe and he didn't have the combination. Unfortunately Mr West claimed that he was a very good safe-cracker. Frightened, I looked to my fiancé who excused himself. I could guess what he was going to do so I tried to remain calm when the safe was finally open.

"Imagine that, it's empty," he said. He had been expecting it!

"I don't understand," I bluffed.

"You and your fiancé will have to come with me."

I stalled for time. "Can't we discuss it," I said, kissing him. It ended up distracting me more than him. I had never experienced such a kiss.

"That's a start," he said, once he took his pliant lips from mine. But I knew he was toying with me.

Then an invisible hand punched him in the face and I had my revenge. "I bet you've never been kissed like that before," I crowed, but he didn't hear me as he was unconscious and part of me was a little bit sad.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

"You're not going to kill him?" I said, shocked as I entered Morgan's laboratory to find Mr West hanging upside-down from a piece of apparatus as my fiancé sent several thousand volts of electricity through his body.

He assured me he would only destroy his memory. But he blamed me for letting Sultan live as it had aroused Mr West's suspicions as he had never known Lady Midas to go anywhere without her precious cat. He told me I was too soft because of the cat and because he knew I would never stand for murder.

"Watch him, I'll be right back," Morgan said. I was happy to. I now had this man where I wanted him, the man who had treated me so flippantly earlier. I walked over to where he was hanging upside-down. James West was an exceptionally handsome man and his kiss had acted like a drug on my senses. However, he obviously had no respect for me. But what if he lost his memory as Morgan had threatened? Would he look on me differently? I was a beautiful young woman, 'a diamond of the first water' as the English had named me. For a moment I wondered if having the love of such a man and loving him back might be better than all the material things I wanted from life. But it was fleeting. I was in too deeply with Morgan now and this man was his prisoner. I feared going back to my old life too much.

"I just saved your life, Mr West," I told him. He should be grateful. Instead he was sarcastic.

"I'll never forget you," he said. He didn't mean it.

"Yes you will – very soon." I meant to hurt him by reminding him of Morgan's threat.

Morgan soon returned and I found myself ordered downstairs to entertain a distinguished-looking but irascible old man who had come to see Lady Margaret and insisted on waiting for her. He had told Morgan he was Baron Felix von Schlesweig und Holzegergen and was obviously German. That was all I knew though I couldn't help thinking I had seen him somewhere before.

Somehow Mr West must have freed himself as loud noises began coming from the laboratory above us. The old man was strangely athletic and ran for the stairs, even though I had assured him it was only the servants moving some furniture. I instantly called Clive and Rudd to restrain him. He soon dealt with them but not before one of them dislodged his wig and Mr Artemus Gordon was revealed. No wonder he had seemed strangely familiar.

He and Mr West attempted to escape but Morgan, once again invisible, soon put a stop to that and the servants helped him carry the unconscious men upstairs to his laboratory, where they were tied to chairs placed back-to-back.

I'm not a monster so I took them up a glass of water for each of them. Also I wanted to taunt Mr West some more. I allowed them each a sip. They were amazed that it was Morgan who had knocked them out, under the influence of the diamond liquid. I tried to explain it to them that the liquid was distilled from diamonds and had the effect of speeding up the metabolism. I explained my part in it. I referred to Morgan as Midas when talking to them so as to make him seem more important.

"I'm a very practical girl. I want a lot of things," I said, "and Midas is invulnerable after he's taken the fluid. He can do anything, which makes him a good provider. Can you imagine a better one? The whole world is spread out for his taking, money, power, anything. You might as well stop fighting him, Mr West. You can't win. Besides I rather like you. You are very attractive." Why on earth did I say that? I'm sure that man didn't need me to stoke his vanity. I was soon back on track though. "But not as attractive as Midas. I told you I was very practical," I added to put him in his place. Instead he had the temerity to ask me to help them.

"Midas wouldn't like that," I replied. "No thank you, I'd rather live and enjoy the finer things in life." Where did that come from – did I really think I was in danger from Morgan? I didn't betray my thoughts by even the blink of an eye but to steady them I leaned in and kissed Mr West for the second time that day. His kiss was assured and strangely comforting. In an attempt to put fear into them so that they would do what Morgan wanted I felt I had to say something.

"Good-bye," I said. "I do wish you were going to live a little longer." There that should do it, I thought, leaving the room.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

I should have seen the writing on the wall but I was too caught up in my own desires, for riches and for power….. and for James West. Drat the man! I was starting to lose my faith in Morgan as well. He had promised me the emerald bracelet but I found out that he had 'planted', that was the word he used, yes he had planted the bracelet on the two Special Agents so that they would be arrested and put in prison. It was partly my fault I suppose because I had begged him not to kill them and that was the only way he could stop them from interfering with his plans.

There was also the matter of our engagement. There had been no mention of a wedding and where were the riches and power he had promised me? So far all that had happened was that I had lost my reputation and we were wanted by the Treasury Department – or we would be if Mr West and Mr Gordon ever got out of prison. Morgan was preparing to pack everything up and we would be moving on in a day or two. I was even beginning to suspect that he might have killed his aunt in order to cover up the theft of her diamonds.

James West was beginning to look like a much better prospect and I had begun to realise what a foolish girl I had been. Then suddenly James West burst in on us while in the laboratory. He had a determined look on his face that scared even Morgan, who demanded that I get the gun. I took it from the drawer and pointed it at Mr West.

"Shoot! Shoot!" Morgan ordered. I froze. I simply couldn't shoot a man in cold blood and certainly not James West.

Morgan turned on me. "I won't forget how you failed me," he told me. "I'll finish you later!"

The die was cast and when James asked me to throw him the gun I did so without hesitation, but too late. James had swallowed some of the diamond elixir and so had Morgan. They disappeared before my eyes.

It seemed as if I waited a lifetime as I hoped desperately that James would be the one to emerge triumphant. Then he was back and I feasted my eyes on him before my attention was caught by a vivid flame flickering on the carpet and I watched it transfixed as it began to die away.

"What was it?" I asked.

Mr West explained that Morgan had spilled alcohol on his clothing and the heat friction caused by moving so fast had made him burst into flames.

"How Horrible!"

I was totally shocked. I had never loved Morgan Midas and recently I had come to realise he was not the answer to my dreams but I wouldn't want anyone to die like that. I was also relieved that he had not died by Mr West's hand. I didn't want to remember him as the man who killed my fiancé.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

Several days later I found myself sitting on a gold brocade couch aboard a train, The Wanderer I think it was called, sipping sherry with Mr West and Mr Gordon.

"It was very kind of you to speak up for me at the police station," I said.

"It was the least we could do after you had straightened out the matter of the emerald bracelet for us," Mr West said. "Not to mention the fact that you refused to shoot me. A man can't ask for more than that from a beautiful lady." His smile made me collapse onto the cushion behind me.

"That was the right thing to do." I said, sitting up again. "I don't suppose they will let me have the bracelet..."

"I'm afraid that's part of Lady Margaret's estate," Mr Gordon told me.

"Tell me, did Morgan kill her? I would like to know."

Mr Gordon looked grave and took my hand in his. "I'm sorry but they found the trunk with the body down at the railway depot, awaiting transportation. The physician says her death was not a natural one."

I couldn't believe I had associated myself with a murderer.

"Will you be returning to your family now?" Mr West asked.

"No I have decided that I prefer the freedom I have enjoyed in this country. Besides I don't know if my family will have me back after the way I behaved."

"What will you do? You said you wanted lots of things."

"That was true once but someone made me see that I was mistaken," I said, looking boldly at James West. "My engagement ring belongs to me. Morgan didn't burn it because it is a large ruby with only a few carats of diamonds. It will bring me enough money to support me for a while. I thought I might find myself a good man to marry."

"I'm sure you'll make some man very happy," James said.

I stood up and so did the two men. They really did have impeccable manners. "Would you mind…?"

James put his arms around me and kissed me as only he knows how.

"Thank you," I said, once we had parted. "That will keep me going for now." I would have to start thinking of him as Mr West again.

Mr Gordon attempted to look embarrassed but merely looked amused.

I took my leave of them. I had a new dream in a new country and I was eager to start.

ooooooooooo0ooooooooooo

THE END