Chapter 4
Butterflies and Broken Hearts
Finally, the dreaded day had arrived. The eve of Victor Van Dort's and Victoria Everglot's wedding.
The weeks leading up to this day, Emily had been very distant towards Victor. She spent the majority of her time helping out the staff by running errands or taking solo walks in the park. Anything to keep herself out of the house and away from Victor. And, of course, what time she did spend in the house, was spent in her room.
Poor Victor. He could not help but feel as though he had done something to upset his dearest friend. He made several attempts to resolve the situation, but Emily would retreat out of the room as soon as he made his presence known.
Now here he was, pent up in his room and dreading what was to come of the day. He hoped to kill the time by drawing the butterfly he had trapped in a bell jar.
The creature was beautiful. It was blue with purple markings. If he were in Emily's good graces, he would have shown her.
Emily loved butterflies. In fact, Victor even thought of her as a butterfly of sorts. At first appearance, she was beautiful and delicate. Once you learned more about her, though, you discovered all her wonderful talents and abilities.
Victor had just finished his drawing and was just about to release the butterfly when her heard a knock on his door. "Come in," he called.
The door creaked open and there stood Emily. Her dark curls cascading around her face and her forget-me-not eyes shining, the powdery blue of her dress making them appear brighter. She was as beautiful as the day he had met her.
"Emily," he said, a smile gracing his lips as he spoke her name.
She returned his gesture with a half-smile of her own. "I'm sorry to intrude, Victor, but your parents are waiting for us. We are to take the carriage to the Everglots'."
Victor nodded, dread settling in the pit of his stomach. "R-right," he stammered. "Let me just finish up here."
Emily's lips quirked into a curious smile. "What are you doing?"
Victor's own smile grew. For once, she wasn't running away from him.
He extended his hand to her. "Come see."
Emily obliged and glided across the room, taking his hand once he was in reach. With his free hand, he gestured to the insect flitting away in the bell jar that was perched upon his windowsill.
"How lovely," Emily whispered in awe of the creature.
Victor gave a small chuckle. "I thought you would like it."
She smiled at him, the first genuine smile he had seen from her in weeks, and gave a hum of laughter. "You thought right. Oh! and it's blue and purple. Those are my favorite colors, you know, Victor darling?"
"Yes, I know, my angel."
There was an odd pause. They only stared at each other, waiting for someone to speak, but not daring to be first.
The whinny of horses was what finally broke the silence, and Victor and Emily looked out the window just in time to see William Van Dort and the Van Dort's driver, Mayhew, struggling to fit Nell Van Dort through the door of the carriage.
Both Emily and Victor suppressed a laugh.
"We should set it free. Yes?" Victor asked, the tension in the room now eased.
Emily nodded and lifted the dome shaped glass from the windowsill. The butterfly floated once about the room before flying out the window.
"We should go," Emily said quietly as she placed the jar upon Victor's desk. He nodded and the pair of them went to join Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort.
Once in the carriage and headed towards the Everglots' home, Mr. Van Dort broke into conversation about how wonderful the Everglots were and how lucky Victor was to be marrying their daughter.
"You've certainly hooked a winner this time, Victor," he said in his nasaly voice.
"Now, all you have to do is reel her in," interrupted Mrs. Van Dort.
Victor gave a short sigh, clearly frustrated by the situation. Emily made sure his parents weren't looking when she took his hand. An attempt to calm his nerves.
"I'm already reeling, Mother," he retorted. "Shouldn't Victoria Everglot be marrying a lord or something?" he asked with a shrug.
"Oh, nonsense!" she snapped, waving her little hand fan and fussing with her hair. "We're every bit as good as the Everglots. I always knew I deserved more than a fish merchant's life."
Her husband gave her a wounded look but didn't say anything.
"But I've never even spoken to her," Victor said in a small voice, his eyes wide with fear.
His mother gave him a nasty look before replying in an equally nasty tone, "Well, at least we have that in our favor."
A cough sounded from the front of the carriage, interrupting the conversation.
"Mayhew!" Mrs. Van Dort cried, banging her husband's can on the roof of the carriage. "Silence that blasted coughing."
Emily, thankful for the distraction, turned to whisper in Victor's ear. "Don't listen to them, Victor. A shiver shot through his body at the tickle of her breath. "You will do wonderfully. And if Victoria Everglot doesn't like you, she'll have me to deal with." She gave his cheek a small peck before pulling away, which caused Victor to turn several shades of crimson.
"Why do you look so blotchy, Victor?" asked his mother, now finished yelling at Mayhew. Luckily, Victor didn't have to answer for it was that moment in which they had finally arrived at the Everglots' home.
When they exited the carriage, Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort began fussing with Victor's suit and hair. Once they were satisfied, they rang the doorbell.
Then, Mrs. Van Dort decided that she had a problem with Victor's posture.
"Look at the way you're standing," she snapped, unaware that the door had been answered. "You look like you got rickets or something..."
Emily tapped her shoulder and pointed to the door where a snooty looking butler--Emily had decided that he resembled a penguin--was standing. Mrs. Van Dort gave a nervous bout of laughter before the four of them shuffled through the door. Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort walked several paces ahead of Victor and Emily As they entered the house.
It was a dark house and it was cold. Emily thought this was what mausoleums looked like on the inside. Oh, but Mrs. Van Dort thought quite the opposite.
"Oh my goodness. Oh, such grandeur!" she praised, to which both Emily and Victor rolled their eyes. "Such impeccable taste!" She turned to her husband, "Oh, beautiful, innit?"
"It's not as big as our place, dear," he replied, looking around. "Bit shabby really, isn't it?"
His wife struck him in the chest with her fan. "Shut up," she chided and plastered a smile on her face upon seeing Mr. and Mrs. Everglot standing on the staircase.
Mrs. Everglot was a fairly tall woman, with a hair do that matched in length. She had a pointed chin accompanied by a permanent sneer upon her lips. She was clad in a long dress the color of wine that hugged at her waist and breasts.
Mr. Everglot could only be described as round. He was simply a sphere with twiggy limbs and a frown to match that of his wife.
"Lord and Lady Everglot..." the butler introduced. "Mr. and Mrs. Van Dort."
"Why, you must be Miss Victoria," Mr. Van Dort began, addressing Lady Everglot and doing his best to sound flattering. "Yes, I must say, you don't look a day over twenty." His wife elbowed him in the ribs. "No. Oh, yes," he mumbled.
Lady Everglot, who looked unimpressed, said something to her own husband. Something that Emily couldn't quite catch. Whatever was said, caused Lord Everglot to plaster a painfully fake smile on his face.
"Well, hello," he spoke through his gritted teeth. "What a pleasure. Welcome to our home."
"Thank you," chortled Mrs. Van Dort.
Lady and Lord Everglot descended the rest of the stairs as Lady Everglot spoke.
"We'll be taking tea in the west drawing room," she informed them as she began leading the party around the corner. "Oh, do come this way, it's just through here."
"Oh, I love what you've done with the place," Mrs. Van Dort started up again. "Who is your decorator?"
Emily did not bother to listen to the rest of the conversation, for she noticed that Victor was lagging several places behind everyone else. She turned on her heel and began walking towards him.
"Are you all right?" she asked once she was standing in front of him.
He nodded and gave her the smallest of smiles. "Yes. I just... I just need a moment."
She gave him a small smile and took his hand. "Of course," she whispered. You take as long as you need." She gave his hand a small squeeze before letting go and heading off to join the others.
The drawing room was decorated much like the rest of the house. Dull and boring. Everyone was settled on chairs that were all faced towards a table where an elderly pastor and with a pointed nose stood. He appeared to be immensely irritated. He took a moment to scan the room, his eye twitching in displeasure.
"Where are they?" he grumbled. "We can't very well start without them."
Emily rose from her seat. "I'll go and fetch them."
She exited the room and turned the corner, just in time to see Victor knock over whatever was atop the piano.
"Oh, dear," he exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"
It was then that Emily noticed Victoria Everglot.
She was a petite girl with a heart shaped face and brown, doe eyes. The apples of her cheeks were rosy and her ashy brown hair was pulled back in knot atop her head.
She smiled at Victor and brought up a sprig of flowers to her nose, inhaling deeply. She then offered it to Victor, who took it from her, returning her smile.
Meanwhile, all Emily could do was watch. Watch and hope that the breaking of her heart would not cause her to cry.
"What impropriety is this?" cried a voice from behind her and making her jump.
Victor and Victoria appeared to have been start, too. And Victor hid the flower behind his back and did his best to appear innocent. Something that he failed miserably at.
"You shouldn't be alone together," continued the voice, who happened to be Lady Everglot. "Here it is, one minute before and you're not at the rehearsal. Pastor Galswells is waiting. Come at once."