Chapter Seven
It was the night of the Annual Boston Society Ball and it was not something Maura would usually attend. But Garrett had asked her and she had nervously agreed. She figured putting up with a little high society was worth it if she got to see more of her fiance. She had gotten home from work about an hour ago, it was seven o'clock, she had another hour and a half to get ready before her and Richard had to leave as the ball started at nine o'clock. Work had been ridiculously busy as many people were coming down with colds already; she had been worked off her feet all day and really was in no mood to go to a ball. But she had made a promise to Garrett and she would keep that promise. Maura had decided months before on a deep green silk gown that had a slight trail and long billowy sleeves that hung down low but didn't completely cover her hands. Of course, she had to wear a corset but it wasn't a proper corset, only one that brought her already narrow waist in slightly, it was high collared so as not to show off too much breast and had large black buttons up the front. Maura had been assured by the dressmaker that this was the latest fashion in modest dresses. Maura had paid a pretty penny for it, but wasn't fathomed; she was used to spending reasonably large amounts of money on dresses and fabrics. Not only did she have her own wage but substantial savings and her even larger inheritance. A lot of her wealth went to various charities and homeless organizations all over Boston, she was extremely wealthy but did not want to show off her wealth pompously, nor did she want to squander it all away when it could be used for the benefit of others. Maura saw no sense in having money for the sake of having money if you were too selfish to share it. The wealth she had, she would never be able to spend it all in ten lifetimes let alone one. She had more than enough to buy herself her own estate but had opted to remain living with her father rather than live alone in a huge mansion all alone.
As she sat once again in her deep bathtub, she thought back to her day at work, her morning had been busy but it was normal. What made her tense was the feeling that had come over her once she had begun her home visits. She couldn't shake the sensation something was wrong, something felt off. Maura didn't really ever rely on her stomach instincts; she didn't believe her intestines could tell her anything important apart from that she was hungry. But as her afternoon wore on she was hard pressed to actually believe her stomach wasn't trying to tell her something. She kept glancing around whenever she entered or left the carriage, but couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. It sounded ridiculous but she felt she was in danger. At first she had paid no attention to it as she started her visits, but as the feeling persisted she had to admit to herself something was not right. She began to pay careful attention to her surroundings and didn't see anyone watching her or anything out of the ordinary, the city was its usual active self. Nevertheless the uneasiness stayed with her all afternoon and only ceased once she had gotten back to her father's townhouse. She had been quite and subdued and everyone noticed but she had successfully evaded them without having to lie and say she was okay when she was not.
Sighing Maura began washing herself, she knew she shouldn't let what happened get to her; surely it must have been her imagination playing tricks on her? Maybe it was the lack of sleep she had the night before that had her mind and body addled. Yes that must be it. She knew know reason why someone would be watching her. Deciding to ignore her lingering unease and discomfort she finished washing and called for Trudy. She wasn't going to let some strange notion of being watched ruin her night with Garrett and the experiment she was going to conduct.
J&M
John Calico hid in the shadows of an alley and watched as Maura entered a rundown brick building on the outskirts of town. Jack had told him that Charles wanted him to watch the woman and find an ideal place to kidnap her, why Jack couldn't fucking do it himself he didn't know. His captain Charles Vane was to be hung and of all people, he was handing his ship over to Jane. John was fucking furious at his decision, he had worked under Charles Vane for years and this was how the bastard repaid him? He was fucking livid. There was no way in the hot depths of hell he would sail under Jane so he drew satisfaction from the fact he'd be taking as much booty from the Orpheus as he could before moving on with plans to build his own ship, he was fucking tired of being a lap dog. He would live out his remaining years a captain. All he was interested in was the booty, that and perhaps coping a feel of the woman's large tits he was watching. John imagined his hands roughly squeezing them and felt his dick begin to stiffen.
Yes coppin' a feel o' th' bitch will make up fer some o' me losses. He thought grimly. So far, he hadn't found any spot that was any better than another to kidnap her. She was always around someone and never alone. John had hoped to find some part of her routine that left her exposed and vulnerable but there had been no such luck. No, he was going to have to improvise and come up with something else if he was to get the strumpet before it was too late. He watched as Maura left the house, glanced around a moment before entering the carriage. When it began to roll away he hurried to his own carriage and told the driver to continue to follow Maura.
J&M
Maura, Garrett and Richard arrived at the Ball in Garrett's immaculate carriage exactly on time. He opened the carriage door, stepped down and held the door as Richard appeared first. When Maura went to step down, he took her hand in his own and helped her down; he then instructed his driver where he was to park the carriage. Maura looked absolutely breathtaking tonight and Garrett couldn't seem to stop telling her. He was extremely proud to have her on his arm tonight, to be able to show her off as his woman. Garrett wanted to do more than kiss her as he looked down at her ample bosom pushed up but still frustratingly hid beneath fabric. He was wary of a repeat of last night as he had felt his lions tighten pleasurably during their kiss at did not want to lose ground with her by rushing her. He was seriously considering talking with her about moving the wedding forward, the sooner they were married, the sooner they could consummate their relationship. Taking her hand and tucking it snugly into the crook of his elbow she smiled up at him and they began to walk towards the mansion with all the other guests.
J&M
Maura was physically and somewhat mentally exhausted even after her bath, now she was with Garrett and her father at the Annual Ball. As happy as she was to be there in the hope of spending time with Garrett, she would have preferred if the two of them had been somewhere quiet together, able to talk and unwind. But she was at the ball and determined to have a good time regardless of her tiredness. The Ball was being held at George Struthers manor; he was the wealthiest man in Boston and had been hosting the Annual Ball for years. The hall was enormous and exquisite and currently full of people. An Orchestra was set up at the end of the hall next to a large set of French doors that led out into the patio and gardens. They were playing a lively tune and couples were dancing. Maura watched longingly as beautiful women were led around gracefully by equally graceful men. She was alone for the moment, Garrett had gone to fetch drinks and Richard was chatting with men from the firm. She sat quietly at the end of the hall where some dining chairs were placed along the wall; Maura didn't know how to dance.
She was embarrassed by this considerably and that was just another reason why she avoided situations such as this. Her father knew how to dance but she had never asked him to teach her and he never offered. He assumed if Maura wanted to learn she would. So here she was at thirty seven years old at a spectacular Annual Ball watching grand couples glide across the room with no idea how to dance herself. Not only that so many of the guests here were people she did not know. Maura frequently associated with the lower class to treat them in the clinic, all the people here tonight where upper crust society and Maura had nothing in common with them apart from two things, wealth and beauty. They had been here almost three hours and Maura had yet to have any real time with Garrett, when they had arrived he had proudly showed her off to everyone he knew. The only guests she had met once before were a group of women about her age. Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Carlyle, Mrs. Elliot and Mrs. Forbes. All extremely wealthy, all uninterested in Maura and anything she had to say.
The first time they had all been introduced to each other Maura had gone off on one of her science related rants and all four women looked at her as if she was a bug to be squished, they had never met a woman more inappropriate. They had been polite enough but their noses were high in the air and later on Maura had seen them glancing her way, smiling and laughing together behind their hand held folding fans. As soon as Garrett had moved to introducing the same four women to Maura tonight thinking that perhaps Maura could spend some time with them while he spoke with the men, they had recognized her and immediately tried to hide their self-satisfied smiles behind fans once more. The whole time Garrett and the women were making small talk they gushed over him and paid Maura not the slightest bit of attention. Needless to say she decided not to stay with the women, opting instead for her own company. Not by any great surprise she ended up wondering the corridors and hallways of the beautiful manor admiring all George Struthers paintings. He had many styles and types preferring not to settle with one style and she found she admired each painting in some way or another. He had works by some of the more famous artists as well including Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, George Caleb Bingham, Theodore Gericault and Adolph Menzel just to name a few. Maura was greatly impressed by his collection and eventually found herself completely lost in the grand manor but thankfully she came across a kind servant who was more than happy to help her back to the main hall.
As soon as Garrett had seen her he went striding to her side noticeable worry in his eyes. She had told him where she had been and assured him she was fine before apologizing for disappearing. He had smiled at her and asked her not to just walk away without letting him know as he was worried for her safety. She had felt rather sheepish and that's when she had asked him politely if he could fetch her a drink as she was thirsty. That had been over twenty minutes ago as leaned her head back against the wall and let out a small breath. She wanted to be home reading in her father's study, home in bed, anywhere but here. She let her hazel eyes gaze over the superb chandeliers on the ceiling, they were remarkably large, meticulous in detail and Maura adored them, they were simply exquisite. Her eyes drifted from the chandeliers slowly down one large white pillar than across the floor and up the next sturdy pillar. The hall was very aesthetically pleasing to Maura; for she took great appreciation in architectural detail. Maura took her fill of the architecture and was about to stand up in search of Garrett when he appeared by her side her glass of red wine in his hand. She took it gratefully and took a small sip, swishing it around in her mouth before swallowing, it was delicious wine, not too tart and not too sweet, it was simply divine and Maura again made a note to ask one of the servants what it was called.
"Sorry darling I ran into Mr. Westby, you know Adam, he works with me and we got to chatting."
Maura in fact did not know Mr. Adam Westby but merely nodded her head and took another sip of wine; she didn't want to talk about complete strangers.
"Would you like to go outside with me for a while, the gardens are quite fine here."
Maura looked up at Garrett in genuine interest, "Yes that would be very nice." She wasn't about to say no, if they could find a secluded area outside she would be able to follow through with her experiment.
He took her outstretched hand and together they walked around and through groups of happily chatting, eating and dancing guests to the open French doors.