A/N: As always, Jasper Whitlock is intellectual property of S. Meyer. No copyright infringement intended. MaleficentKnits is the most wonderful beta EVER. Pretty much everything else here is from my imagination... which is pretty sad, because there is a character I am really coming to hate.
13 Sep 1862
Miss Melody Taylor and the major arrived late to the ball at the Gulf Star Hotel. The sun had already set and the gas lamps were providing all the available lighting. This final ball would be their last opportunity to touch each other in public for quite a while, or at least until some local aristocrat hosted one. The major pulled up to hotel, stepped down from the rig, and hurried around to his date and offered his hand to help her down.
Melody wore her finest dress, yellow with little white fleur-de-lis accents. These accents looked unusually natural against her milky and smooth skin. She was adorned with genuine pearl earrings and necklace, and even carried a parasol purely as an accessory. Between the cut of her dress and the manner in which her pearls draped around her neck, most men would find it difficult not to focus on her womanly endowments.
The major was also decked out in his finest attire. He wore his dress uniform with all the appropriate accessories: the yellow sash about his waist, officer's sword on his hip, white gloves, and large-brimmed slouch hat. In fact, his hat was so large, it draped unnaturally over his face. This fact was of little consequence, however, as all eyes would be on Miss Taylor.
As he helped her down, an enlisted man climbed up into the wagon, acting as an unofficial valet. Miss Taylor placed her hand just inside his arm as the major escorted her up the stairs, across the porch, and into the hotel.
As he did so, Albert Baldwyn stepped from the shadows on the far side of the wrap around porch. Baldwyn had situated himself perfectly in the one spot on the porch where no light shone. Now, he stepped with such care that he made no noise. He moved so stealthily in fact that no one in the hotel or on the street noticed him.
He had not planned on coming out of the shadows this early in the evening, but something about the major just did not seem right. Baldwyn could not put his finger on it, but something was amiss. He came from his hiding place just to see if he could put his finger on it…
He had stepped forward to get a better view of the couple as they went inside hoping for a glimpse or a clue of what was off. He inched forward until he was standing just outside of the window nearest to him, where he could see them enter into the lobby.
He watched as they stood there for a few moments speaking with each other before Melody offered her parasol to the major as if expecting him to check it like a coat. This he did dutifully, and no sooner had he returned to his date then Constance Austin found them. Baldwyn truly wished he could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation. In his mind he filled in the gas of conversation as Melody glared at Constance, and Whitlock rolled his head, and Constance clearly flirted with him. This had been precisely the kind of thing Baldwyn had hoped to cause before deciding on his course of action.
It all came to an abrupt end when Constance leaned forward and kissed Whitlock on the cheek. She appeared to blurt out one final line as Melody grabbed the major's arm and dragged him off into the ballroom.
Baldwyn smiled and slid back into the shadows, where he would patiently hide and await the arrival of his special guest. He had secreted himself away for the express purpose of watching the hammer fall down upon Miss Taylor and Major Whitlock. He waited patiently, knowing that his messenger should arrive exactly at 9:00pm. He had already been waiting for the better part of ninety minutes and knew his wait would be over soon. Then, something most unexpected occurred.
"Stephens," someone whispered from somewhere nearby.
Hearing his alias was not what surprised Baldwyn, but hearing it here was. Only one man knew he was there, and it was the man he hired to deliver the surprise he was waiting for.
"Stephens," the voice whispered again. This time Baldwyn could tell that it was just on the other side of the porch's side rail. He stepped forward furtively, knowing that he would only be disturbed like this if there was a problem.
"What did you mess up, you incompetent ass?" Baldwyn whispered as he leaned over the rail.
As soon as he leaned over, two men sprang up and grabbed him by his coat. Quicker than he could realize he was in trouble, Baldwyn had been restrained on the ground and gagged before they dragged him down the street for half a block, then into the alley between the hotel and the bank right next to it. He was picked up, shoved against and pinned to the wall so hard he lost his breath for a moment, but that was not what concerned him.
Baldwyn's mind reeled with questions. How was he found out? How did he fall into a trap? How could he forget his man spoke with a lisp?
"Mr. Baldwyn, you have been a problem, the likes of which I have never known before," Jasper Whitlock said stepping out from the alley's shadows.
"Mph fkry!" Baldwyn muffled through the gag.
"Shut up."
Baldwyn let out an unintelligible muffle.
"Now, you have been the cause of more time and trouble than you are really worth," Jasper began. "And while I have prepared quite the speech to dictate point by point the nuisance you have become, I have chosen a decidedly different path."
Jasper waited for a moment. He saw no fear in his captive's eyes. He wanted to change that. More than any of his words could express, he wanted this man to understand how he made others hurt.
"I am going to give you one opportunity to speak before we end this…," Jasper paused, looking for the right word, "unpleasantness, between us."
With a nod, one of the two men with Jasper reached up and pulled out the bandana shoved into Baldwyn's mouth.
"Of course," Jasper spoke up, "you are smart enough not to make a ruckus. Bad things will happen if you do."
The look in his eye was enough that Baldwyn understood he was hearing the truth.
"You're supposed to be inside," Baldwyn croaked.
"I know… that is the second time you have believed that Captain Jacobs is me," Jasper added a quiet tsk tsk at the end, as if he was speaking to a child. "Advice from a tracker; follow the footprints, not the trail."
Jasper's condescension infuriated Baldwyn, but he still managed to think relatively clearly in spite of it.
"How did you know about tonight?"
"You left breadcrumbs all over town, Baldwyn, and all the little mind games and rumors were too precise to be accidents. A battle is all about strategy, and the only clear move you had was to take another shot at Melody or me tonight… so I decided to turn your flank before you could land your offensive."
In spite of Whitlock's bravado, Baldwyn instantly understood that the major did not know what he had arranged to happen that very afternoon. Even with the upper hand in this conflict, Whitlock had planned this trap before he knew anything that had been done. That meant the forthcoming announcement of Mr. Taylor's death would still be a surprise. That Melody's tears and sorrow would still be genuine. That, in turn, would cause Whitlock's pain and sorrow.
Baldwyn also knew, if he had surmised the major correctly, that Whitlock was truly a deadly force, but his moral compass would only allow him to use that force to protect. He would never harm or kill out of vengeance.
All of these thoughts swirled around Baldwyn's head. When put together, he realized he still held the better cards in this poker game.
In his relief, Baldwyn let out a sound that was something between a sigh of relief and a laugh.
Jasper's confidence disappeared. He could sense the palpable shift in the atmosphere between them.
"What did you do?" Jasper demanded.
A smile crept slowly across Baldwyn's face.
"With all your speechifying about tracking, I am in awe that you caught the fox only after he raided the henhouse."
Jasper's fear grew, but it was more out of his uncertainty than it was from worry about what Baldwyn may have done.
"Tell me," Jasper said through gritted teeth.
Baldwyn's smile seemed to widen, then he winked at the major.
"TELL ME!" Jasper bellowed.
His fear turned to anger. His eyes shifted back and forth, as if looking for the answer that Baldwyn refused to give. Thoughts raced through his mind, but Jasper just could not fathom how his pursuer could have the upper hand. Baldwyn was a liar, but he knew the relief Baldwyn expressed was too genuine to be a bluff.
He stood there silently looking for something to say, but nothing came to him. Distant church bells broke the silence, slowly tolling nine times, letting the city know of the hour.
The longer he waited the more Baldwyn relished the moment. Confidence oozed from him.
Finally, Jasper nodded to the man holding the bandana, who then promptly shoved it back into Baldwyn's gaping mouth. Unfortunately, that did not seem to stop his cocksure smiling.
"If I ever see you in Galveston again," he paused, "I swear upon anything you consider holy, I will end you."
The severity in Jasper's voice let Baldwyn know this was no idle threat, and the smile left Baldwyn's face.
"Gentlemen," Jasper addressed his goons, "you know my stipulations?"
"No lynchin'," said one of them.
"And no talkin' 'bout whatever it is we ain't gonna do," said the other.
The major nodded.
"Enjoy your weekend leave," he said as they started dragging Baldwyn off further down the alley.
Jasper heard one of them promising that, per the major's orders, they were not going to kill him, but that there were no other restrictions.
He couldn't help but feel a little relieved that he would never see Baldwyn again. Now that his game was done, he was finally ready to turn to the dance to spend the remainder of the evening with Melody and relieve the captain who was, once again, playing a masquerade.
Jasper rounded the corner and walked up the street to the main entrance of the Gulf Star Hotel, but was surprised to see a large commotion. Strangers in varying levels of formal attire bustled into and out of the hotel. Most disturbing, however, was that he saw Jacobs standing on the porch of the hotel.
"Major Whitlock!" he shouted as soon as he saw Jasper. "Major!" He bounded down the steps three at a time and closed the distance between them in six steps.
"What in God's name, Jacobs?"
"You need to get in there, now!"
"Report, Captain," Jasper clearly slipped back into a commanding role.
"Someone just came in and told Miss Taylor that her father was found dead in his warehouse," Jacobs blurted, as if spitting it out would somehow make the bad news more palatable.
Jasper immediately knew Baldwyn was responsible. He did not know how, but he now understood the fox in the henhouse reference. He also knew exactly what he needed to do.
"Jacobs, track down Johnson and Colley. Tell them to ignore the first rule," Jasper ordered, but he saw the hesitation in the captain's face. "Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Jacobs said snapping to attention and offering a salute.
"We were just behind this very hotel, not even four minutes ago," Jasper pointed back the direction he came from. "Did Mrs. Taylor arrive?"
"Not as of yet, sir."
"Good work, Jacobs. Double time it and find them post haste."
"Yes, sir!"
Jacobs starting running immediately in the direction Jasper indicated, and disappeared around the corner and into the alley in a matter of seconds.
Jasper turned his attention to the hotel. Heading to the front steps, he ordered a nearby sergeant to find the Taylor's carriage. As he cleared the front door, he saw a crowd gathered in the sitting room to his right. He rather carelessly forced his way to through the gaggle of people to the front and saw Melody sitting on the couch crying. This was not a surprise. The fact that Constance Austin was consoling her did shock him.
There she was, her right arm around Melody's shoulder's and her right hand petting Melody's hair. Her left hand was holding both of Melody's hands. She was also whispering something in her ear. Jasper could not hear anything she was saying over the din of the assembled crowd.
He sat down on Melody's right and she fell immediately into his hug, away from Miss Austin. Without saying a word, Jasper guided her to her feet and tried to lead her outside. Connie stayed on her other side, as if willing her to find the strength to move.
The ocean of bodies in the small room parted as they stepped up and moved out of the room. The nameless sergeant had not only found, but had managed to pull the Taylor's carriage around to the front of the hotel by the time Jasper and Connie had managed to guide Melody out. They assisted her up into the front seat, where she sat with her head in her hands, still crying. Jasper ran around to the other side and climbed up to take the reins.
He checked around quickly to make sure the path was clear, and he noticed someone still holding the side of the wagon. He looked over only to see that is was Constance. She stood poised, ready to climb in onto the bench with them.
"I've got this, Connie," Jasper said.
She held his gaze for another moment as if to silently ask, are you sure?
Understanding, Jasper nodded quickly. Constance stepped away and Jasper was off with a loud, hyah!
He had no idea if Mrs. Taylor had heard this news. He hoped so, because he had no idea how he was going to tell her. Surprisingly, he was less worried about Melody. Although he did not have any reason to know or even suspect how she would react to this tragedy, he was surprised to realize that he could seem to sense her emotions. They were strong, and they were sad, but they were not anything that cause him any alarm… at least not for her.
In no time, they were out of town and on the path to the family's estate on the north side of the island. Melody, still in obvious shock, had stopped crying and sat upright, but she was not any better. In fact, Jasper could see that her body was flopping listlessly to and fro with the bumps and bounces of the road. Jasper reached over and put his right arm around her and held Melody close to him as they continued on the journey.
Traveling in relative silence, and now securely, Jasper was left to the thoughts bouncing around in his head. He was trying hard to focus on what was happening, or at least what he hoped was happening to Albert Baldwyn. However, as much as he tried to avoid it, he could not help but think about Constance Austin. She had taken so much pleasure in his misery, whether or not she had been the cause of it. Yet for some reason, Connie had been there at both his and Melody's side, comforting and preparing to assist further. He was confused by her sudden shift.
In the distance, he finally saw the lights from the Taylor House. Jasper popped the reins urging the horses to move along with more haste. As they drew nearer, Jasper cleared his mind. He thought even harder about how to address Mrs. Taylor.
He soon realized he had even less time than he had anticipated.
Mrs. Taylor was sitting on the porch. Her hair had been done up nicely and tucked under a blue bonnet, that matched her exquisite dress, and a couple of strategically curled locks draped down to her clavicle. She stood as the carriage pulled up. She could see there were two people, but could not tell who they were.
"Joshua?" she called out.
Jasper pulled up and stopped the horses.
"It's Jasper Whitlock, Ma'am," Jasper answered. "I've brought Melody home."
"Oh my… whatever is the matter?"
Jasper opened his mouth to speak, and for the first time since he could remember that he did not have an answer.
"Major?"
He could hear the worry in her voice. It was edgy and had quavered. He was not prepared for that. It broke his heart to feel her fear mixed with Melody's broken heart.
"Mrs. Taylor," Jasper finally began…
He could not remember anything he said after that.