Chapter 4

Moving her fingers gently across the ivory keys of Mrs. Vyse's antique piano, Minnie sat rigidly, staring at the sheet music placed before her, scrutinizing every note and playing at a fairly moderate speed.

"You play quite well, my dear," Mrs. Vyse remarked, seated on a plush sofa on the opposite side of the room. "My guests will be quite pleased to hear you. You know, I'm rather vexed that you have waited till now to display your talents."

At this, Minnie glanced away from the sheet music. "I beg your pardon, Mrs. Vyse. I was not aware that you cared so deeply for music, or else I would have played for you as soon as I arrived, three days ago."

Minnie was not quite certain whether Mrs. Vyse had not heard her or simply did not wish to reply, for the lady had been staring at a piece of paper, presumably a letter, quite solemnly for the past twenty minutes. "I'm sorry, my dear. Did you say something? I was just reading a letter from my son. These postmen are so slow about getting one's mail delivered in a timely fashion. Take this, for instance. It was dated three weeks ago, and yet I just received it this morning."

"Is your son well?" Minnie asked awkwardly, unable to think of a response to Mrs. Vyse's complaints.

"Hmm? Oh yes, my dear. He's very well. Only… it seems he's had a bit of a falling out with his friend in Paris. He claims that it's nothing very serious, but… I do hope he hasn't offended the Churchills. Mrs. Churchill has been an intimate friend of mine for many years."

"Well, if Mr. Vyse is still in Paris three weeks after the falling out, I'd think the matter was resolved," Minnie replied consolingly.

"I do hope so… For Cecil's sake, at least. The poor man rarely meets new people and hardly ever befriends anyone. He really cannot afford to lose the few friends he's already obtained." Once again unable to think of a response, Minnie turned her attention to the sheet music and continued playing. Mrs. Vyse listened satisfactorily for an hour. By nine o'clock she rose from the sofa and lifted a small candle. "You'll have to forgive me, Miss Beebe. I'm rather dull company this evening. I think I shall retire." Minnie promptly stood from the piano bench and followed her towards the hall. "Oh, don't think that you must retire on my account," Mrs. Vyse quickly said.

"I'm quite tired as well," Minnie replied, though, in truth, she never slept quite so much as she had since arriving in London.

"Good night, my dear," Mrs. Vyse said, stifling a yawn as she crossed to her chamber.

Minnie slowly trudged towards her own chamber, an expression of ennui upon her face. Removing her outer garments, Minnie placed her clothing within the cedar trunk and took up a small brush, stroking her heavy train of golden hair with precise, brisk movements for a quarter of an hour, until finally the physical exertion caused her to feel temporarily fatigued. After opening her window enough to allow a soft breeze to enter, clearing the oppressive atmosphere of the room, she slipped until the quilt on the bed and buried herself within the covers. A mild, unknown, yet not unpleasant aroma filled her nostrils as she deeply inhaled under the blankets. The richness of the entrancing scent was the last thought that moved through her head before she slowly drifted into a serene state of sleep…

*******

Her heart racing, Minnie suppressed the urge to scream as soon as she felt a large mass land on top of her, awaking her from her previous mode of rest. She violently pulled herself from under the mass, though this proved to be unnecessary, since the unknown person or creature traveled with equal speed and urgency from the bed. Due to its uncontrolled movements, the creature stumbled over Minnie's luggage, which she had not yet placed in the chest, and tumbled towards the floor, pulling an inconveniently placed mirror down with it. The creature's plunge ended with the shatter of glass and several shrieks echoing from the throat of Minnie Beebe, who had leapt from the bed and staggered towards the door with remarkable agility.

"Mrs. Beebe!" the terrified girl cried, striving to open the door with her shaking hands. She could hear the creature struggle to its feet, moaning and cursing with every arduous movement.

After a brief moment, the door was swiftly opened and Mrs. Vyse appeared, dressed in a high-collared nightgown with a small candle trembling in her hands. "What on earth has happened?" she inquired vehemently.

"I don't know! Look for yourself!" Minnie exclaimed, pointing her shaking finger towards the tall figure, still struggling to stand in her chamber. Nervously, Mrs. Vyse took a small step towards the being, holding her candle out just enough for her to discern his stunned features.

With an astonished giggle, Mrs. Vyse crossed to him and placed a hand on his pale cheek. "Cecil! You've arrived home early, my dear boy!"

Cecil Vyse was still unable to speak or even respond when his mother gently put her arms around him. All he could manage to do was stare at the young woman who appeared in doorway. Minnie stared at him as well, dumbfounded for several moments and then immediately appalled, not only by her behavior, but also by her under-clad appearance. Assuring that she would not fall over the same piece of luggage that had staggered their new arrival, Minnie crossed to the chest and pulled out a small shawl, which she wrapped snuggly around herself.

"I wrote to you several weeks ago," Cecil began at last, clearing his throat dryly and pulling from his mother's embrace in order to search the floor for his gold pince-nez, which had dislodged during his violent plunge. "I mentioned that Mr. Churchill and I were no longer on the best of terms." At last he located the spectacles and, to nobody's surprise, could not suppress the sigh that erupted as soon as he scrutinized the shattered glass and distorted frames.

"Well, yes, but that was over three weeks ago!" his mother responded, taking the pince-nez from him and placing them on the bureau. "I thought that you must have reconciled with him."

"I thought I had. But it soon became quite clear that I was no longer welcome in his house. For this reason, I returned home. The train was late, or else I would have arrived before dinner." Once again, his eyes slowly shifted to the young woman loitering in the shadowed hallway. "Would you mind explaining to me…" Though his words drifted off, his gaze remained fixed on the young woman.

Mrs. Vyse turned to see her young, frightened guest. "Oh, Miss Beebe! Come here, my dear. There's no reason to be frightened. You remember Mr. Vyse, don't you?" Out of obligation, Minnie reluctantly abandoned the hall and stepped towards them. She bowed nervously, well aware that this was not an appropriate greeting under the circumstance.

"How do you do, Mr. Vyse?" she asked cordially, her voice breaking as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I have no recollection of meeting this young lady," Cecil began hesitantly, continuing to stare at her as though she were a ghost.

"Of course you do, Cecil! It was five years ago…" Her tone suddenly became more delicate. "When you were staying with the Honeychurches. Miss Beebe was residing with them as well, in order to avoid a diphtheria scare. She was thirteen years of age at the time."

"Yes, of course," he replied, memories of the young, rambunctious girl flooding his mind. "Yes, I remember."

"Miss Beebe is staying with me for a month, at least. Her mother wishes for me to introduce her to London society."

"That's very well," Cecil began. At last he asked the pressing question. "But… May I inquire as to the reason for her staying in this particular room?"

Minnie could feel her cheeks become a deeper shade of scarlet and she became irritated with her inability to control this. "I've been decorating the spare room," Mrs. Vyse explained. "At present, it's not fit for a guest. I didn't think you would be arriving for several weeks at least. In the meantime, I didn't see any reason why Miss Beebe couldn't stay in your room."

"I'm so sorry to be such an imposition," Minnie stuttered, her cheeks growing warmer as she spoke.

"You're not an imposition," Mrs. Vyse quickly replied. "There's just been a misunderstanding. Now, I can have the spare room ready for Miss Beebe by tomorrow evening. However, I'm afraid that in the meantime, I will have nowhere to put her, unless-"

"Of course, I will stay in a hotel this evening," Cecil immediately stated. "You'll have to forgive me, Miss Beebe, for my unexpected arrival. I certainly had no intention of startling you… to say the least." At this, he turned towards the door, preparing to depart. "Good night. I shall return in the morning…" Both women listened in the hall for several minutes until they heard him quit the flat.

Sighing deeply, Mrs. Vyse lifted the candle from the bureau and moved towards Minnie. "You poor thing! You're absolutely shaking! Here… I'll have Maria make you a cup of tea."

"No! I thank you, Mrs. Vyse, but I'll be quite well. It was just a little fright. Nothing more." Minnie placed a hand on her chest and could immediately feel her heart beat pounding under her fingers. "After a few minutes, I'll be asleep once more. I'm quite sure of it."

"Well…" Mrs. Vyse began hesitantly. Giving the girl's cheek a soft pat, she ventured towards the door. "If you're unable to sleep, just remember-"

"I'll be quite well, Mrs. Vyse. Thank you." At that, Mrs. Vyse gently closed the door behind her.

Minnie slowly paced from one side of the room to the other, the breath going in and out of her lungs in vigorous heaves. Finally, after a moment of collecting herself, she moved towards the bed, only to be distracted by the mangled pince-nez that had been set on the edge of the bureau. Lifting the frames slowly to her eyes, she suddenly felt a burst of unstilted laughter rise from her throat, which she could not suppress, despite her fear of once again awaking the flabbergasted woman in the room across from her own. Falling onto the bed, she continued to laugh hectically until at last she once again returned to her previous state of light rest.