Author's note: Hello all! I hope you are enjoying the story. Please review.-TheVictorianApothecary
I wore a pretty peach silk gown and my mother's jewels. The upper echelon filled our halls, the women gossiped and the men talked business as I walked through, paying attention to my guests. Many were giggling over the fact Henry was late, his lawyer was present with the cool faced Miss Barker at his side. They had arrived together but I had a sneaking suspicion they were not courting and no one mentioned how strange it was for an unwed lady and a man to arrive together with no chaperone. She must have told people he was her cousin or something akin to that. She wore a pretty pale mint colored silk gown and her hair was pinned up in braids. She wore a few ropes of pearls around her throat, a few diamonds and her pretty red gemstone ring over her gloves. Those silver eyes of hers were scanning the room for Henry. Her rosebud mouth tightened as her eyes hardened. She crossed the floor with that eerie grace of hers, as if she floated atop the very air, her hands extending to me "Emma, darling" her voice was silken and I saw just beneath the pearls was a three-metal braided necklace, it matched the one she had given me. "Dear Emma" I clasped her hands feeling the coolness there "how lovely you look this evening" "do you know where Henry is?" "I have an idea of where he might be" her face stayed light but her voice darkened "he and I shall have words on this terrible rudeness. You must have heard the Board denied him again" "I did" "he went and got drunk last night and the man has a bad habit of darkening my door when he does. Oh, do not look at me like that. It is because I have ways of ridding a person of the terrible head pains which come from drunkenness. However he wanted to argue with me last night, which is always a bad idea" "why is that?" "I know his weakness, he is no orator and I was instructed in it. My birth father was a Pastor, you see, he ensured I was well educated and a speaker. It is important for the women in my community to be able to speak well and loudly when the need is there. You will learn all of this when you and Henry wed. If you are lucky he will ask me to instruct you" "why is that?" "I teach at our school, part of my work is to teach the youth what they will need to know. He thinks I am old fashioned sometimes but I was taught classically and I know every rule backwards and forwards" she was guiding me through the room, I felt myself floating beside her. A way I had never walked before "see, you can walk like us if you have a good teacher" "did you just-" "I guided you through the motions, Emma, you need to use it when your choose" she smirked and looked out at the crowd "look at them all, many have lost fortunes, others lost everything and still they call themselves the upper class. Ah well, you could not have chosen a better husband. I give my blessing" she squeezed my hand "I, as the highest ranking lady of the church give my blessing for you to wed Henry Jekyll. Please accept this gift and wear it with pride" a small box was pressed into my hand and when I opened it I found a wolf pin, it was made of- "what is this, Evalina?" "they are black opals and red sapphires, just like my ring. We have a legend that goes back to when Christianity first came to England that a wolf guided our first Pastor or Priest as we call them to where the church would be erected. Now, if this was my father's church you would be presented with either a willow or sun pin. I would have presented you with a red teardrop brooch if I gave my blessing personally then. By giving you the wolf I am signaling that they must accept you, when you wed Henry I will present you with a red teardrop to show my absolute blessing in the marriage" she smiled "put it on, there are a few church members present. Here, let me help you" she pinned the brooch just over my heart and smiled "there, may you be blessed, lady" she pressed her hand to my shoulder and stepped away "ah, Henry. Finally" she floated away and I went to my groom "you are late" "I am sorry, dearest" "everyone noticed, what kept you?" "I am close to a breakthrough, Emma" he looked through the crowd then back at me "oh, that is a new bauble" "Evalina gave it to me" "Evalina? She gave her blessing?" "yes" "Emma, this is momentous. For one of her status to give her blessing is akin to a queen or the pope giving a blessing. She is from our oldest family, she is quite the heiress herself, it is simply she was adopted when her family was killed. Our church has cared for her since she and her adopted father arrived. She gave her blessing" he smiled "I have asked her to make a speech from my family's side tonight and at our wedding, Emma. I do not have a mother to do so nor a sister nor an aunt. All my of family is gone and Evalina is the best orator our academy every produced" "very well" I knew my family would be speaking, as would father. My side would speak first and then Henry's. Henry gave a speech of how much he loved me and gave my attributes. "I would like to introduce a lady many present do not know but she is the closest thing to a family member I have. She was adopted by a close family friend of mine when her family was murdered, leaving her orphaned. May I present Lady Evalina Whispers, or as she is most known as Miss Evalina Barker" even I had heard that last name. the House of Whispers were an ancient line of powerful lords and ladies going back before the Norman Conquest. They had died out or so we had all thought. As I looked at her I saw the strong resemblance to that line now from the art I had seen of them. Whispers rang through the hall as the lady came to stand beside Henry and a flute of champagne was placed in her hand. "Thank you, Dr. Jekyll, I am blessed to count you among my family as well" she smiled so sweetly before turning that radiant smile upon everyone gathered "I knew Dr. Jekyll was a special sort of man the day I first laid eyes upon him when I was only thirteen. He was a family friend of the man who adopted me and thus he and his then wife, Georgianna, may she rest blessedly in peace, took me in as a niece or a younger cousin. How glad I was to hear recently that Henry had found a new bride in Miss Emma Carew, I knew I had to meet the lady who had caught his eye and I was not disappointed. Beautiful, graceful, and sweet. That is Emma. I hope to count you among my family in time, my dear friend. To the future Dr. and Mrs. Jekyll" she raised the glass the words our guests echoed. I saw Henry bow to her, and she curtsied to him. She was radiant, her skin glowed as if lit from within, her eyes sparkled. She stepped back and sat down. Not outshining us, she made certain the attention was upon who mattered. Family. She longed for us to be close as sisters. "Do you expect me to be close to her, Henry?" "I would not see why you wouldn't. she can teach you more than I can, Emma. Trust her, and if something should happen to me, I want you to go to her. She can help you; she will help you. One of our ladies who married in got in trouble and was told to go to Evalina. Evalina came to her to ensure she and the child were safe and would be looked after but the woman sent her away. She will never force her will on others, you see, and the woman lost her child and her life. Evalina was devastated, I know she is still looking for the child" "who was the woman?" "it does not matter now, Emma. You would not know her, all you need to know is that if something happens to me you run to Evalina as fast as you can. She will protect you" he began speaking about his serum again and his goals for the future. I enjoyed the rest of the party.
Henry went straight to his lab after we returned and I went upstairs and looked at the little teardrop pin I would present to Emma on her wedding day. I was overseeing the preparations of her marriage to Henry as well as what type of life she would lead once she was wed. "Madame" Poole had a cup of chamomile tea "thank you, Poole" I unwound my hair "what is bothering you, Poole?" I saw the look on his face "Lord Jekyll is truly taking a concubine this soon?" "he is, with my blessing" "why would you give your blessing?" "because he is a good man who has been lonely for too long. Let him have his little doll, he has assured me I come first" "and he knows you are with child?" "yes, let him be happy" "but the Board-" "screw the Board. If he wants a subject he can come to me. I will give him one" "Madame?" "I know many who will do it just for the money. He is a good man, a good doctor, they know he can help them. I know he can help them" I put my hand over my womb feeling the little life growing there "yes, Madame. And will I be expected to serve the concubine?" "yes, Poole. I expect you to help run her household" "and keep you informed" "yes, keep me informed" I sipped the tea he had brought "thank you for taking such good care of me, Poole" he smiled and slipped from the room. I sighed and put on my nightgown, Lucy had gone missing and she had not yet been returned. She was the only one I had heard of not being returned so far. Hmm. I would have to investigate tomorrow night.