I remember thinking it bizarre the way these women spoke. That my life was a thing of amusement to them. I know in their hearts that they meant well, but they spoke of me as if I was a character from their favourite novel.
And Berkeley's words about Lord Pembridge — Oliver as his mother called him — still had me concerned. A Viscount? Visiting an asylum?
I found it odd that he would not send someone in his stead to collect the blood, if it were truly for matters of science. But what science would be so gruesome? What macabre reason would he want to see the collection of the blood too?
I am not opposed to blood, I do not know many women who are in truth. I know several now who feign faintness at the sight of it, but I believe they do that for the attention of the men.
I wanted to believe the best of Lord Pembridge. I wanted to believe he was a good man. And yet so many things seemed odd.
Even his own mother treated him like a strange creature.
That night finished rather in a rather dull fashion. I did not dance any more dances. Nor did I make any new friends. Anne, who turned out to be a Lady of some kind, I did not catch who her husband was, and Lady Pembridge were a delightful pair when talking on matters other than matrimony. They told such wicked tales of the ridiculous goings on in the various social circles of London. How some poor young woman's dress had been ripped. How an old man got so drunk he began attempting to court his own wife. How one of the soldiers had been tricked into thinking a ball had had a theme and that he ought to dress up in a costume.
I remember laughing a lot that night.
"You are late to breakfast," Lord Pembridge said by way of a greeting the following morning.
"I think I drank a little too much wine with your mother and Lady Anne yesterday."
"I see."
"It has been some time since the wine has flown so liberally and… I realise the mistake now."
"I don't suppose that means my dancing has been wiped from your memories?"
"No, no, that is quite clear. You are not as dreadful as you purported to be."
He smirked.
"If more young ladies knew that I was not entirely dreadful, more of them would want to dance with me."
Mai rolled her eyes.
"You will have to dance with a few in order to find a wife."
Lord Pembridge sighed heavily.
"It is a shame I cannot court a young lady with a book."
Mai laughed.
"I am sure with a few that a good book in addition to a few dances would not go amiss."
"Perhaps you are correct," Lord Pembridge replied. "Do you have many plans for the day?"
"No, I hoped to go for a walk around one of the nearby parks, but beyond that, I am determined to be quite idle."
"Do you ride, Lady Astley?"
"No," she replied quickly. "Not since… Not since my husband's passing."
"Of course. Foolish of me to forget. Though I hope you do not blame the beast."
"No. But the thoughts… It is too close."
He nodded solemnly.
"I understand. After… After my brother died, I was wary of certain things for a while… Necessity forced me from that position, but I still felt it in my chest."
Mai looked away, unsure she should be witnessing the emotion he was sharing with her.
"You must miss him terribly," she said.
"There were times when I was younger that I wished we were not so close. For all the love I had of him, he was far more proficient in things I could not seemingly improve on. But now? Now I wish more than anything that things were what they were…"
Mai nodded slowly.
"I felt the same about my mother. I resented her in life for so many daft little things. I would give anything to see her again."
Lord Pembridge cleared his throat, downed his tea and stood up.
"I will take my leave of you. Enjoy your walk."
He left before Mai could say another word.
Her days in London passed most amicably. With Lady Pembridge, she attended many evening dinners and visited more of society. They attended two balls without Lord Pembridge, though he was often drawn into the meals that his mother hosted herself.
Soon enough, the final day of their visit came. Lady Pembridge had, as a close friend, secured invitations to Lady Anne's winter ball.
"I want you in your best things, Oliver. Lady Anne may not hold her station in much esteem but I do not want you looked down upon."
"Her station?" Mai questioned.
"Lady Anne is an Earl's wife," Lord Pembridge supplied.
Mai fell back into her seat.
"And you allowed me to speak so casually with her?" she accused Lady Pembridge.
"Oh Anne does not mind these things. She only enforces her rank when people are rude to her."
Mai fanned herself with the book she had been reading earlier that day.
"I am going to be thrown out!"
Lady Pembridge only laughed.
"Go and get changed, Lady Astley. Or we will be late."
Mai stumbled her way to the doorway of the drawing room, where they had been sitting. Lord Pembridge followed after her.
"Do you require assistance?"
"No, no, this balustrade will do me quite well I am sure."
"Good, hasten your step then, we do not want to be late."
Mai glared at him, to which he smirked in return.
She changed speedily and made her way back down to the drawing room to find Lady Pembridge also in finer garb.
"You look stunning," the older woman said. "While I am disappointed to have failed in my quest to find you a husband during your visit, I think at least you will have left an impression on a few men's hearts."
"Thank you."
"Doesn't she look stunning, Oliver?"
Mai turned as Lord Pembridge entered the room. He looked her up and down and gave a noncommittal shrug.
"The colour suits her well enough, I suppose."
"Well enough?" Lady Pembridge was unimpressed. "I picked this blue out myself. It suits her perfectly. That boy. He does not know beauty when it is right in front of him."
Mai blushed, unsure of how to respond to her comments.
"Come, the carriage is waiting," Lord Pembridge said.
Lady Anne's abode was like nothing Mai had ever seen before. If any of the places she had visited had been fine, this exceeded that with ease.
"This must be finer than the palaces!" Mai exclaimed as they walked around the ballroom.
"Have you been to the palaces?"
"No."
"Then do not say such nonsense," Lord Pembridge admonished.
"Hush Oliver," Lady Pembridge said. "Why don't you go and find Anne's daughter? I am sure Lady Charlotte would be delighted to dance with you."
"Lady Charlotte would not so much as sniff in my direction. She would never lower herself to dance with a Viscount," Lord Pembridge muttered.
"Then perhaps you should find another dance partner."
"Lady Astley, your first dance is free, is it not?"
"Yes."
"Then will you dance with me to keep my mother happy?"
"Of course," Mai replied with a laugh.
"Excellent, I am going to find Anne," Lady Pembridge said as she wandered off.
Mai took Lord Pembridge's hand and allowed him to lead her to where the other dancers were.
"This is the second time you have danced with me, Lord Pembridge. What will the gossips say?"
"Oh no doubt they are already planning our matrimony. Or those that believe I am doing something nefarious with my science will believe that I have corrupted you to my dark ways."
"Are you attempting to corrupt me?"
"Oh yes, you daren't risk a third dance, as at that point my evil plan will culminate in your total corruption to the dark ways."
Mai laughed. The music began, and so did the dance.
"Who knew you could have such humour in you," Mai teased.
"I admit it takes me a little time to warm up to new people."
"Does this mean we can be friends now?"
The question caused more concern on Lord Pembridge's face than expected.
"I shall think on the matter," he said finally.
"I will accept that," she replied.
His serious expression remained for the rest of the dance. Mai did not push conversation further.
As the dance ended, another familiar figure made his appearance.
"Mr Berkeley!"
Lord Pembridge disappeared.
"Lady Astley, do you have a dance free for me?"
"I am sure I can find time for you," Mai replied. "When would be best?"
"I am dancing with Lady Charlotte next, but how about the third dance?"
"Perfect. I shall see you then!"
"You are free for the second dance? Let me introduce you to my friends, I am sure one of them would be delighted to dance with you."
"Thank you."
One of Berkeley's friends agreed to dance with Mai, a slightly older gentleman who she gathered was married and whose wife was currently confined.
On the third dance, Berkeley took Mai's hand and they began to dance.
"I hope you will find me after the dancing," he said.
"Why?"
"I have something for you."
"A Christmas gift? Do you want me to wait until the twelfth night to open it?"
He smiled.
"Oh no, open it today if you wish. It is not much, but I want you to have it."
"I am to leave London tomorrow," Mai said.
"So soon? Will you return?"
"Perhaps. I have enjoyed my time here more than I expected to."
"I would like to see you at more of society's events."
Mai blushed.
When the dance ended, Mai followed Berkeley to where he had stashed his overcoat. He retrieved a small package from a pocket and handed it to Mai.
"A book?" she guessed.
He smiled.
"Perhaps, I am sure you will find it interesting. I have another dance now, but perhaps we can talk more later."
"Enjoy your dance."
Mai wandered through to the refreshment room and helped herself to a few morsels of food. She slipped open the package and took a look at the book inside. It was a handwritten journal with no title.
She took to a private corner and opened the book.
Dictionary of Creatures Most Foul
Each page contained a drawing of a creature and text detailing all that was known of it. The author had evidently added to their own text with additional scribbles. Mai had not heard of half of the beasts contained in the tome.
She slammed the book shut, remembering at once where she was. Mai slipped the book back in the package wrappings. She searched out for Lady Pembridge and found her, perhaps not surprisingly, playing at cards.
"Have you had a good evening thus far, Lady Astley?"
"Yes, though I think I am done with dancing for today. I am to leave London tomorrow, there is no reasonable heart that could be won in the course of a single evening."
"What do you have there?" Lady Pembridge asked.
"Mr Berkeley, a young man I met at a previous ball, gave me this as a gift."
"Mr Berkeley? I know that name… If only Anne were not having to play at host, she would know."
"Mr Berkeley?" Lady Pembridge's acquaintance said. "He's the youngest and third son of a Baron I believe. He's known in London for being a rake."
"I can believe that by his clothing alone," Mai said.
"Let us deal you in," Lady Pembridge said. "If you are not going to dance any more, you may as well join in."
"You cannot play at piquet with three people."
"Then we shall play another game. Where is Oliver? We could play whist."
"You called, Mother?"
"Ah perfect, take a seat, we're playing whist and Lady Astley needs a partner."
Lord Pembridge sat down opposite Mai and regarded her for a moment.
"You received a present?"
"Yes," she replied, as Lady Pembridge dealt.
"A book?"
"Yes."
"It's from Mr Berkeley," Lady Pembridge supplied.
"You know, the well known rake," Lady Pembridge's friend added.
"I see."
"Shall we begin?"
Mai could not look up at her partner as they played for quite some time, and as a result, did not play well for the first few games. She listened to Lady Pembridge and her friend chatter and eventually, she began to play better.
It was past midnight when they made it back to Aubrey House.
"Goodnight, I will see you both in the morning," Lady Pembridge said as soon as they entered. She sped up the stairs with remarkable grace and was out of sight before Mai could so much as blink.
"I did not realise your acquaintance with Berkeley was so intimate," Lord Pembridge accused.
"It isn't," Mai said quickly. "We have spoken only a handful of times."
"And yet he attempts to woo you with a book."
"He has no interest in me. I have not the fortune—"
"And yet he gave no other young woman a present this evening."
"How could you know that?" Mai asked.
He did not answer.
"I am going to bed." Mai made for the stairs.
"To read Berkeley's book?"
"What issue is it you have?" She spun around on the first step, still shorter than Lord Pembridge despite the added height.
He deflated, as if wounded by his own thoughts.
"I will see you in the morning," he stated.
He walked off towards the drawing room. Mai watched him go, then headed up to bed.
Author's note: Happy new year everyone! I'd love to hear any fun new year's resolutions you have in the reviews :) Mine is to not buy any new socks unless I throw away old (holey) ones that I have worn out. Because I have a terrible habit of hoarding old socks just in case I need them...