Sitting in the armchair, she could hardly concentrate on the words on the page in front of her. Living in this house, she had everything that she could possibly need or require. She never went without anything and she was never expected to really do anything. She had been living with the doctor for just over a year and in that year, she had gotten to know him quite well. She knew him before, of course, but she had never spent as much time with him as she currently did. Instead, it had just been fleeting glances or conversations at the opera or in the street.
But things had changed. Things changed as soon as he told her that she was welcome in his house. She had taken him up on the offer, of course, needing to get away from her home. She had been cast out by her parents. She had been disowned by her extended family. None of them wanted to know her anymore. None of them cared for her.
"What are you reading?"
His voice startled her from her thoughts. She hadn't really been reading. She had lost herself in her memories for a few moments, going back to that dark place she sometimes went to. She peered up to him as he entered the parlour room, dressed in his fine suit and holding onto the cane in his hands.
"Would you be surprised if I told you that I had picked up one of your books?" she questioned from him and he moved further into the room, standing by the armchair and moving his hand outwards, taking hold of the book from her lap as she peered up to him.
"Freud," he commented to her and she nodded. "And how are you finding it?"
"Quite dull," she said to him and his lips tugged upwards at hearing that before he sat down on the arm of the chair, placing the book down onto the table besides him. He moved his hand out to her shoulder, stroking her hair behind her back and letting his thumb run along her neck softly. "You know me, Laszlo, I prefer fiction to fact."
"Which is why I am surprised to see you reading Freud," he said to her and she looked up to him, moving her hand to take hold of his from her neck, squeezing his fingers tightly in her grip as he looked over her, his eyes roaming over her pale features. "I did buy you an entire bookcase filled with fictional novels."
"I know you did," she responded to him. "And I am very grateful…for everything that you do for me."
"I know you are," he assured her, his voice husky and she continued to toy with his fingers inside of both of her hands, angling herself so that she was facing him on the armchair, her back pressed up against the opposite arm. "I was thinking, if you so wish, that it might be an idea for us to go for a walk in the park?"
"Now?" she asked from him.
"The weather is pleasant," he said to her with a nod of his head.
"And do you not have a case to be working on?" she asked from him.
"I do," he responded, "but it can wait until the morning. Even brilliant minds need to rest."
"Your ego truly knows no bounds," she responded to him and let go of his hands, nodding her head. "But fine, let us go for a walk before the sun sets."
He watched her move to her feet, gracefully uncurling from the ball she had been sat in. Her blue skirts tumbled down her legs and she pushed her hair behind her ears. She rarely wore her hair up when she was at home. She hated the feeling of it being scraped back, pulling on her skull. Instead, she let it hang loosely down her back and Laszlo would often spend his evenings running his hands through it when she was resting against his side, reading a book as he did the same.
"Do you need a coat?" Laszlo questioned from her.
"Is it chilly out?"
"Slightly," he said with a nod of his head. "I will go and get it and ask Stevie to ready the calash."
"I can get my own coat, Laszlo," she said to him.
"I insist," he responded and she let him wander off from the parlour room. She watched the back of him disappear before she picked up the book she had been attempting to read and moved over to the bookshelves, placing it back from where she had gotten it. She ran her fingers along the spines of the books, unable to believe how many books he owned. She often forgot just how his brain worked. He had read all of these. He had read them and he had taken in every word. She didn't know if she could even comprehend that. Her mind was nothing like his. She did not pretend to be able to keep up with his thoughts or even that she cared for knowing about the workings of the human mind. She was completely different to him, yet he still showed an interest in her.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when he returned, standing in the doorway and looking over to her back. "Elizabeth?" he questioned and she turned her head over her shoulder and nodded.
"Coming," she said and moved over to him. He held her coat up, letting her shrug into it. He tugged her hair from the collar and handed her the hat he had picked up. She settled it on top of her head and Laszlo watched her button up the red, woollen long coat.
They walked out to the calash together, Laszlo holding his good hand out to help her in. She took hold of it and sat down on the seat as he took the seat next to her. They lapsed into silence as Stevie navigated the streets of New York, Laszlo looking out to the street and occasionally moving his gaze over to Elizabeth, seeing the way she tapped her foot nervously on the floor. He knew why. Of course, he knew why. She was worried that someone would recognise her. He tried to distract her as best as he could, but he knew that she was still apprehensive. He understood why, of course.
"What is the new case you are working on?" Elizabeth asked from him, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones as he helped her from the calash and told Stevie to wait for them to return. He offered her his arm and she took hold of it, letting her hand sit on his forearm and he swore that he could feel the warmth of her touch even through his layers of clothing.
"A boy was found mutilated on Williamsburg Bridge," he said to her and she recoiled slightly, her face scrunching up at that piece of news. "He was a prostitute dressed as a girl. I had John go to the scene and draw illustrations…it reminded me of a patient I once treated who wished to dress like his twin sister. Both of the children were found dead and the boy's body was mutilated and found clothed in a dress."
"That's horrible," Elizabeth said, the two of them passing through the park, the sun slowly dipping beneath them as they made their way along the footpath, Laszlo well aware of the stares coming in their direction. But he paid them no attention. He simply continued talking to Elizabeth, ensuring that she was distracted.
"Indeed," he agreed with her on that point, "I went to the prison today to see the man who is the suspect, but it most certainly is not him. No doubt he is guilty of some crime, but he is not guilty on this crime."
"Then what do you intend to do?" she wondered from him.
"I intend to continue investigating," Laszlo said to her. "I went to visit the police commissioner and explain my rationale…the press were there, as I had expected them to be."
Elizabeth shuddered at that piece of information and he continued walking by her side, moving them to take the next left at the junction of the path. He knew how she felt about the press and he knew better than to take her anywhere near where they would be. In a sense, he kept her hidden and she preferred it that way, for the time being, anyway.
"What did the commissioner say?" Elizabeth enquired and Laszlo sat down on a park bench, Elizabeth following his movements and settling down next to him. She kept her hand on his arm.
"I told him that I interviewed the man being held for the murder. He stabbed a grown man in the heat of an argument. That is very different to mutilating a boy," Laszlo informed her. "That man is not the killer and I am certain of it. I have asked the commissioner to send me information on the post-mortem of the boy to see if it is linked to the murder from years ago."
"Did he agree to it?"
"Not entirely," Laszlo informed her. "But I hope that he will come around and see sense eventually. If not, I suspect his secretary might be more amenable. She seemed to have a connection with John and there was something interesting about her…almost as though she was interested in the case herself. She seemed to be an intrigued young woman."
"A woman working for the police department?"
"Yes," Laszlo responded. "Quite impressive, I admit."
"It is," Elizabeth said to him. "And why do you think that John would ask her for this information?"
"Because I suspect that there are deeper feelings there than John is alluding to," Laszlo told her. "Either way, I will get access to those files. I just need to be patient."
"You're not exactly known for being patient, Laszlo," she said to him and he picked up on the teasing tone on her voice, her lips quirking upwards in a sly smirk and he found himself smiling despite everything. Elizabeth moved her gaze over the park and Laszlo watched her for a few moments before she lowered her eyes and he saw what she had been looking at. A young man and woman were walking along the path, their gazes turned in the direction of the couple on the bench.
They looked away as soon as Laszlo caught their eye and he looked back to Elizabeth.
"When will people stop talking?" she wondered from Laszlo and he shook his head.
"We cannot control what people discuss, Elizabeth," he said to her. "We can only pay them no attention."
"Easier said than done," she said to him and she looked up to him once more, her eyes meeting his and he swore that he would never tire of her looking at him as she did. "You know that I could damage your reputation, Laszlo. Why do you not simply tell me to leave? Why do you allow me to stay?"
"You know why," Laszlo told her. "I do not care what people say nor do they truly know what happened."
"I just do not want you to…well…be ruined because of this," she said to him and his lips arched at hearing her say that. He shook his head and she moved to tug her hat from the top of her head, resting it on her lap. Her hair was straying away from her scalp, the flyaway strands moving in different directions. She was nothing like the high society girls he knew.
"Do not worry for me. People already find me to be rather unorthodox," he said to her.
"That is because you are," she said to him. "My mother practically had a fit when she brought my sister to you. She was convinced that Sally was some kind of sexual deviant."
Laszlo's lips arched. "She was simply a girl turning into a woman," he responded. "There was no cause for concern…but I do remember your mother cursing me before she stormed out because I was unable to help her. Did she not end up going to a priest?"
"She did," Elizabeth confirmed with a nod. "In the end, Sally was fine. She ended up going away to boarding school. The last I heard she was married to someone wealthy in England. She…she said that she was happy with him and I am glad. I am glad that she got away."
"So did you," Laszlo responded to her.
She shook her head. "I'll never get away," she said to him.
"You will," he promised her, moving to pick her hand up and hold onto it. He knew that if anyone saw then it would cause a scandal. But he didn't care. He didn't care about anything people saw and the conclusions that they reached.
"Do you ever regret it?" Elizabeth asked, running her thumb along the back of his knuckle as she angled her body towards his. "Do you ever regret taking me to one side and involving yourself in my life?"
Laszlo's eyes met hers and he shook his head at that. He would never regret that. How could he? He reached his other hand up, ignoring the pain in his limb as he made the movement. He moved his fingers over the top of her head, pushing her hair back into position and smoothing it down.
"No," he said to her earnestly. "There are certain things that I regret, Elizabeth, but meeting you and involving myself in your life is not one of those."
"You mean that?"
"I mean it," he confirmed, knowing that she needed reassurance. He knew that better than most. "Come along, we should continue walking if we want to be home in time for dinner."
"Of course," Elizabeth said and moved to her feet with Laszlo still holding onto her hand. He moved it to his arm, keeping it tucked in the crook before they continued with their walk.
…
Standing in the doctor's office, Elizabeth looked around, confessing herself intrigued by the sights she saw. There were numerous drawings and books in bookshelves. The sun was shining through the window and the doctor was sat in a chair, Elizabeth's mother and sister sat across from him. Elizabeth had remained stood, looking around and ignoring the doctor's stare. She had only agreed to come with her mother because she had continuously beavered away at her until she had cracked. She had gone with her, but she had no interest in what was going to happen. She knew what was happening. Her sister was not some sexual deviant, as her mother feared. She was simply a young woman discovering the joys of sex. The doctor would see that too.
And he did. Elizabeth's mother was not very happy about it, but she stood up and stormed out. Sally stood up cautiously and Elizabeth sent her a small wink. Honestly, if her mother knew what she had gotten up to at Sally's age then she would have sent her to a convent.
"Miss Johnson, may I have a word?"
Elizabeth looked over to the doctor as he remained sat in the chair. "Me?" Elizabeth checked.
"Yes," he said.
Elizabeth nodded and looked to Sally, a hand going to her cheek. "You wait outside and I'll be there in a minute," she urged her little sister and Sally nodded, her cheeks red from embarrassment and her hands shaking. She moved out of the door and closed it behind her as Elizabeth looked to the doctor.
"It's Mrs Martins, Doctor Kreizler," Elizabeth said to him.
"Apologies, I did not see a ring," Laszlo responded and she pulled off the leather glove on her fingers, holding it up to reveal a sparkling blue diamond and a simple wedding band. Nodding once at her, he watched her pull the glove onto her fingers one more time. "I suspect you are questioning why I have asked you to stay here."
"I did find it odd," Elizabeth said to him.
"I offered you a seat yet you did not sit down," Laszlo commented and moved to his feet. He walked around his office, his footsteps steady on the wooden floor and Elizabeth remained where she was. "And you wince whenever you move."
"I…well…I fell from my horse the other day," she said to him. "I injured my hips so I find it quite difficult to stand and sit."
"And that bruise you are concealing on your cheek?" he wondered form her and she shook her head. She was not going to do this with him. She didn't even know who this man truly was. She was not about to divulge intimate affairs with him. "I noticed that you have tried to cover it up, but it is still visible. At first, I had thought that it was your father who hurt you-"
"-How dare you?" she interrupted him, outraged on behalf of her father that he would even suggest a thing.
"But now I wonder if it is your husband," he concluded and he saw her freeze at hearing that. She looked over to him and his eyes remained focused on her. He drank in the way her cheeks puffed out and turned red. The indignant look on her face faltered and he saw the flicker of fear. "Does he hurt you, Mrs Martins?"
"I do not see how this is any of your business, Doctor," she said to him with a shake of her head and she folded her hands together in front of her. "I should go and find my sister."
"Because a man who hurts a woman is no man at all and I have influence, Mrs Martins. I can help you."
"You truly think that?" she asked from him. "This is a man's world, Doctor Kreizler…there is nothing that you can do and please do not feel inclined to involve yourself. I am perfectly fine."
"Mrs Martins-"
"-I'm fine," she interrupted him once more and he watched her as she walked away from him and his office. Moving to the open door, he saw her take hold of her sister by the hand and walk away with her, saying something to make her smile. Laszlo remained where he was, completely unaware as to how Elizabeth Martins would change his life.
….
Sitting on the long couch, Laszlo had one leg folded over the other, a book open on his lap. The lamps were dimly lit, light flickering over the walls. He was dressed in his suit, pulling down the tie he wore around his neck slightly as he read in silence. The familiar weight of Elizabeth was resting against him, her back pressed to his side and her head resting just by his shoulder. He kept an arm around her, his fingers running through her hair, pulling at the knots that had formed from it blowing in the wind. His movements were gentle and soft, almost soothing.
He knew that Elizabeth was sleeping already. She was resting against him and he wondered just what she was dreaming about. He knew what was coming. Most nights, they went through the usual routine of Elizabeth falling asleep against him and then waking up with a nightmare. He would calm her down and promise her that it wasn't real before he walked her to the guest room that had become her own.
And it seemed that tonight was no different. She began fretting against him. He felt her body begin to twitch and he placed the book down onto the arm of the couch. He moved steadily, arms wrapping around her as she woke up, her breath coming out in short pants and sweat forming on her forehead. Laszlo tried to hush her as she opened her eyes and her gaze darted around, unable to settle for a few moments before he ground her, his hand going to her cheek, stroking it softly and drawing her gaze to him.
"I'm here," he said to her and she nodded, gulping, her mouth dried out. "I'm here, Elizabeth."
She nodded at him and he tucked her hair behind her shoulders before feeling her move closer to him. He never complained. He never said anything. It had taken a while before she had even felt this comfortable around him and he had to admit that he was glad. He was glad that she was able to seek solace in his hold. She rested her cheek by his neck and he sat back, feeling her hands run along his arm, holding onto him as he dropped his beareded cheek to sit on the top of her head.
"I've got you," was all that he could say to her, hoping that it would sooth her. "I've always got you, my dear Elizabeth."
….
A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm new to The Alienist, but adored Laszlo's character and couldn't resist writing something. Much more to come! Would love to know what you think so far!