Adeline took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He may have had a certain lecherous element to his demeanor as he watched her perform, and he had certainly startled her, appearing out of nowhere this way, but she found that she was not frightened, standing here, less than two feet from him. Rather, she was exhilarated. She briefly and demurely bowed her head.

"Thank You."

It occurred to her then that despite the fact that she had heard his mother tell Dandy her name, it would be polite to introduce herself. She tentatively put out her hand, palm down, and extended it to him, unsure whether or not he would accept it. She usually only offered her hand when around other show people, as a means of introducing herself or to seal an agreement. But those were business transactions of a sort. Adeline typically avoided offering her deformed hands to anyone outside the circuit if she weren't wearing gloves, as she assumed it would likely startle them, but in this case, he was aware of what she would be presenting to him, and could presumably refuse if he wished.

"I'm Adeline…Vestergaard." She gave him her most friendly and least flirtatious smile.

Dandy was wildly intrigued. Gone was the coquettish temptress and in her place stood a well-mannered seraphic picture, equally captivating. He reached out and took her hand, and as her fingers were closed, Dandy could feel the soft extra skin of the webbing folded between and beneath them. He relished the softness of her hands, and the notion that he was touching her, let alone her freakish deformity, sparked a thrilling tremor throughout his body.

"Dandy," he stated, his voice and his tone gentle and benevolent. He drew her hand deliberately to his lips, running the pad of his thumb across the backs of her fingers. "Mott."

The kiss he gave the back of her hand was delivered with the most intense, beguiling eye contact Adeline had ever experienced. She willed herself not to look away bashfully or break her composure with a flirtatious giggle. There was nothing passing about his introduction. The way his soft lips touched her skin was with a sensation that was feather-light, yet she still felt the strange impression that he was….tasting her. The moment seemed to persist for an inordinate amount of time, and Adeline resisted the urge to shiver as she felt the surface of her skin begin to cool. She realized he was tugging gently on her hand.

"Come," he invited.

She stepped out through the doorway, following as he led her back into the playroom. Still holding her hand, she noted. She was aware of a rather grand pinky ring on his finger. She realized they were standing back before the stage where only moments before she had been playing the part of coy enchantress, but she seemed not to recall having walked those few paces, distracted by the strange rushing in her chest reminiscent of the chaotic, dizzying sensation she felt when she looked into the kaleidoscopes the butchers sold in carnival midways. After a final squeeze, he dropped her hand and spread his hands out before him hospitably. "Welcome."

"Thank you. It was lovely to have been invited." She gave another prim smile.

"You don't have to depart right away, do you?" He asked.

"No, I have some time to spare," she assured him.

"Miss Vestergaard, Do you like cupcakes?" He studied her face, even more beautiful now in the natural light, he thought. Something sweet for something sweet.

"I don't trust anyone who doesn't." She smiled, an easy, natural reaction, not a carefully staged one, and in spite of herself, gave a little laugh.

"Wonderful. Would you excuse me, momentarily? I'll procure us some refreshment."

Adeline nodded. "Of course." He maneuvered around her and was making his way swiftly to the door when he turned, briefly, to call back to her.

"Please, make yourself comfortable in my absence." Dandy invited.

She nodded again, and he pushed through the double doors. Adeline allowed herself to exhale a breath she had not known she was withholding, and intentionally inhaled as deeply as she might, straining against her costume, exhaling with a controlled rush of air from her lungs, deliberately attempting to calm herself. Then she set about putting the room back in order, the way she had found it.

Gloria jumped, the silver teaspoon in her hand clattering to the floor beside her when Dandy burst through the prep kitchen door, sliding across the marble floor in his flat-soled oxfords.

"Dora, I need the white cupcakes with strawberry frosting for my guest. Now. And pink lemonade."

Dora nodded, but scowled as soon as she turned away, muttering under her breath "….no good, spoiled rotten, candy-ass…"

"Dandy!" Gloria interjected, warbling. "Are you having a nice time with Adeline?"

Dandy's face was entirely serious when he faced his mother, his voice low, stern, and insistent. "She's magnificent."

"Oh, how nice, darling!" Gloria warbled.

"And paper straws, Dora!" Dandy snapped.

Dora sneered, griping as she walked away towards the pantry "This little motherfu-"

"When is she coming back?" Dandy asked, attempting to pepper authority into his plea.

"Well, I don't know, darling, we haven't discussed it. Would you like that?" Gloria asked. Her voice was shrill and tremulous.

"I demand it," he declared, his voice icy.

"Very well, I'll arrange something," Gloria replied.

Dora returned, a plate of cupcakes, two dessert plates and twin glasses of iced pink lemonade, with paper straws, on the sterling silver serving tray.

"Took long enough," Dandy grumbled, dragging the tray across the island with him as he departed.

"Good luck getting him to give up that toy…" Dora muttered to Gloria as she fetched the spoon from the floor. "…this could very well be trouble."

Gloria gave a forlorn, defeated sigh. "Unfortunately, I fear you may be right, Dora."

"Mmm" Dora grunted. "When am I not? If he does something to that girl, that's on your conscience, Gloria."

Her voice was far away, her eyes fixated on the ornate, gilded wallpaper, yet focused on nothing at all as her voice left her lips without life behind it "Then let us pray it does not come to that."

When Dandy returned to the playroom, breezing through the still open doors, he did his best not to indicate to Adeline that he had come back, preferring to simply watch her for a bit once more. She was reverently carrying his stuffed lion in her arms. He tipped his head to the side with a tender, sentimental look on his face, a surprisingly satisfying crushing sensation rising in his chest as she placed it back in its proper place at the center of the puppet show stage where she had found it. The remainder of the playroom had been returned to its original state, including the curtains, which had been re-drawn and secured. Dandy thought she might be rather good at anticipating his needs. He reminded himself of his breeding and sniffed, his resolve renewed. He didn't want to overwhelm her just yet.

"Here I am!" he called triumphantly.

Adeline turned to peer at him over her left shoulder, dark lips parting in an easy smile. "I like your lion," she said.

"Oh yes, that's Leo. He's delightful," Dandy agreed.

He placed the tray down in the center of the bench and gestured to Adeline to join him by patting the plaid cushion expectantly. She carefully sat across from him, lifting one of the pillows to place it on her lap. She kept her feet on the floor, both long, smooth legs tucked modestly to one side. She suddenly, now that she was no longer performing and he had returned, felt quite exposed in her costume alone, but her silk robe somehow felt less formal, so she had refrained from putting it back on. While she had considered it for a moment in his absence, she had dared not disappear back to the guest room to change, as she had gathered from her short encounter with Dandy that he was rather intense and may not appreciate her unexplained departure, however brief it might have been.

"Now, wherever did mother find you?...Not at that atrocious Freak Show, I presume." He scoffed.

He plated a cupcake for her, holding out the dish, and Adeline was quite plainly aware of his eyes on her hands. He watched her with fascination as she balanced the plate on her pillow and set to carefully peeling back the baking paper with impeccable neatness. Her dexterity was remarkable, with those hands.

"She saw my banner yesterday afternoon and recognized me in town...although I'm afraid that is my new troupe," she feigned a disappointed, disheartened look and then pursed her lips, failing to suppress her giggle for as long as she would have liked. Dandy's put-out near pout might have driven her to a fit of laughter either way, but she had intended to break the illusion at some point, anyway, to illustrate to him that she was not offended.

He exhaled with a relieved laugh and a scolding shake of his head at her.

"My sincere apologies. It was not my intention to offend, but I can't imagine they could possibly be worthy of you." He watched with barely veiled yearning as she raised the cupcake to her deep red lips and took a neat first bite. He resisted the urge to lick his lips, caught, as he was, mid-sentence.

Adeline was concerned about the outcome of the challenge she was about to issue, but she felt it couldn't be helped. And she couldn't resist the compulsion to tease him. "It seems you found the twins worthy enough."

She took another bite, this one defiant and laced with the flirtatious character of her performance.

His eyes flashed. She had located at least one of his buttons.

"Who told you that?" he demanded.

"Our show-runner." She retorted, a haughty air about her. She thought it best not to mention Jimmy.

She took another bite and Dandy seethed. It took all he had to suppress the urge to tackle her and pin her to the bench beneath him for the purpose of a harsh reprimand. He could stuff that cupcake in her mouth and hold her there until she understood him. He'd never hurt her. Not ever. But he felt he had the right to make himself clear. Then it occurred to him that she might simply be jealous, and he softened.

"Those girls are boring rubes! They couldn't hope to possess a shadow of the beauty before me, even with two heads. And they have no talent!" He snorted.

Adeline smiled. "Forgive me. I was only teasing you."

Dandy forced a laugh. "Well, aside from the…. gossips who seem to be running things over there, how do you like it?"

"I like it well enough thus far. It's only my second day in Jupiter." She looked down at the half eaten cupcake in her hand. "This is amazing."

"You would be better suited to an operation of great renown….in a magnificent tent...surrounded by an adoring audience." His perturbation had disappeared in favor of the opportunity to explore a topic he was fond of.

Adeline stared down at her plate for a moment. "I was, at one time." Her voice, to Dandy, seemed far away.

He set down his plate with a clatter onto the silver tray. Adeline was stunned by how moved he seemed by the subtle change in her demeanor.

"Tell me," he implored, leaning forward across the bench to search her eyes earnestly.

"Are you sure?" Adeline asked, raising her eyebrows, genuinely surprised that he had taken interest.

"Oh yes," Dandy insisted, his voice rising in volume. "I'm fascinated! Please, tell me everything!" Adeline smiled once again; charmed in spite of herself by how emphatically he delivered his entreaty.

"Well, all right. So…I grew up in the show circuit." She watched Dandy's eyes widen with disbelief and excitement, so she continued. "My father finished medical school and came to spend the summer with his brother, who, in the time my father was learning medicine was working his way up the performance ladder."

Dandy was watching her with rapturous attention, and when she paused, he said, nearly impatiently, "Go on."

"I've lived on one lot or another my whole life, and I've been on the stage since I was seven years old. We've been with five major circus outfits since I came along, all of us together, and a few limited carnival engagements. So, I'm primarily a cirky, but I suppose I consider myself a carny as well."

Dandy's prior frustration with her had evaporated, and he found he was studying her legs again.

"Surely you could audition for…any show in operation and be accepted," he replied, taking another, albeit distracted bite of his cupcake.

Adeline flushed, looking down at her plate.

"Well that is a tremendously flattering estimation of my abilities…but I had interests other than mine to consider." Adeline was, as a rule, greatly distressed on occasions when she managed to surprise herself, and she had, in this instance, come upon one of those occasions. She hadn't expected to find him charming, or handsome, or to find herself so at ease with him.

Dandy's brow knitted and a churning, unpleasant dread swilled in the pit of his stomach. He was convinced she referred to some fool of a paramour. No matter, whoever he was could be easily circumvented or disposed of, it would simply be an unpleasant inconvenience should it turn out her affection currently lay elsewhere. He had to inquire.

"Oh? Whose might those have been?" She noted the frost that had crystalized in his voice as he asked his rather contemptuous question. She realized he probably thought she meant a man. A human man. She resisted the urge to laugh, as she suspected, from the way he'd behaved earlier when she mentioned the twins, that he was the kind to fume and erupt and entertain explanation later only if he were feeling magnanimous.

"Maximus. He's my five hundred twenty pound African lion. And my best friend." Adeline gave Dandy a warm smile, as if to reassure him, though she could not have explained, if pressed, why she felt compelled to do so. He felt his heart swell in his chest.

"How did you manage to be in possession of a lion?" his mouth drew apart in an inquisitive grin, beset with awe.

"Well, I raised him. My uncle was an animal trainer, and then also the Equestrian Director of the last two shows we were a part of." A smile was gradually spreading across Adeline's face as her memories flooded back as she recounted them for Dandy.

"When I was eighteen, a litter of cubs was born in his menagerie, and he decided that I was of an age to raise and train my own lion to perform. Under his strict…and profoundly overbearing tutelage, of course." She gave a short laugh to indicate she did not harbor resentment.

"It's part of the reason Elsa's show appealed to me. If I had joined a larger circus outfit like the ones I'm used to I would have had to relinquish my control of his care and training to the master of their menagerie. And I have concerns about how many circus trainers handle their animals. There are many who are quite good, of course, as well, but unfortunately it's difficult to tell until after you've already signed a contract. Being more like a carnival than a circus, Elsa's show allows me to retain control over my act and his." Adeline paused, surprised at herself, and unsure if she had gone too far.

"Why am I telling you all of this?" Her question was mostly to herself, though she spoke it aloud. Dandy decided to answer her anyway, glad for an opportunity for suggestion.

"Perhaps you feel at ease in my presence. I'd like to think so." He blinked at her a few times, a winsome look of suggestion on his face.

"Yes, actually, I…suppose I do." Adeline hoped she didn't sound as surprised to her herself saying so as she was by the revelation itself… "But you must be bored speechless. Your impeccable manners are probably the only element restraining you from asking me to desist."

She took the opportunity to take another bite of her cupcake.

"Not at all. What else?" He asked, with a shake of his head and a nod to continue.

"Hmm?" Adeline asked.

"What else appealed to you? About that…show." Dandy found the look of recognition that crossed Adeline's face utterly endearing, and as she continued he allowed his eyes to rove over her a bit once more, committing her to memory for later.

"Well, many freaks are relegated to 10-in-1s or sideshows, especially when joining a new outfit not in need of new acts for their big top. This way, I can be part of the stage lineup, and I can incorporate Max into my act the way I see fit. Naturally, all the acts need Elsa's approval, but I don't' mind that arrangement."

Dandy nodded. "Well," he began, "regrettable as it is that it may not be the finest operation you've been a part of, I certainly consider it my good fortune that you've come to Jupiter."

"Thank You. It is a small operation. But it's all right, really. I welcome the respite, by comparison. We don't do a full spec, just a preview at the outset and a curtain call, and then of course, individual acts, so it is less work….and less demanding on Max." She finished her cupcake.

"A spec?" Dandy asked, looking puzzled.

"It's at the beginning of the show….the spectacle. We all parade around for the audience in full regalia…" Adeline reached for a glass of pink lemonade, the glass sweating. As she held it in her hand, Dandy watched with veiled lust as she placed her dark red lips around the straw and drew the lemonade up into her mouth. He imagined it spreading across her pink tongue, tart and sweet in the same instant. As she continued, Dandy watched with anticipation as the sweating glass began to run, rivulets of water trickling down towards her hand.

"And everyone cheers…all the children straining to see the animals, all the excited faces, the lights, and the music, and feathers and sequins, fabric, and fur, and sand….all of it churning in this….wild maelstrom of excitement…."

Dandy was tortured by the concentration it took to both focus on the picture she was painting for him in his mind and the water now creeping down her fingers towards her webbing. She suddenly felt the frigid sensation of the frigid water and she gasped, putting down her glass for a moment to wipe her hands on one another.

Dandy was staring openly, his lips parted. He should have offered his handkerchief to her, but he was transfixed. Adeline should have been afraid. It should have been a warning. Instead, tentatively, she reached out, with tentative, elegantly positioned hands, offering them, palms down.

"It's called syndactyly." She stated. She nodded down at her hands and then up at him to reassure him. "You can….if you like," she assured him timidly, certain given the look on his face that he would know exactly what she meant.

Dandy, now unconcerned about conceding his fascination, wiped his hands on his pants and reached out across the bench. When they touched, his eyes fluttered closed for just a moment. Then he opened them to study their hands, together. Palm to palm, he watched her deep red fingernails glide down his fingers, warmth spreading down his arms and through his body with a forceful rush that made his head spin.

Hands in his, her heart hammered, both with the recollection of the sensation she was relating, and the sensation coursing through her now, in pulsing waves.

"The whole tent is just….alive. There's this…current, flowing….through everything. It's a feeling I have never tired of. We all might be confined beneath the canvas of a tent anchored to the ground but everything feels…." Her voice was an ethereal whisper. "…limitless."

"Whyever did you leave?" Dandy asked, his voice a perplexed, detached, gentle murmur. Her fingertips were folded gently to curve over his wrists, and he began arching his fingers to stroke her wrists with his fingertips as he studied the webbing resting on the heel of his hand.

"We had some….a…conflict with the locals at our last location. A series of events…irreversible ones…it destroyed everything." She stopped. "We had to close. It broke my heart." Her voice quavered.

"Adeline…." He sighed her name. "How-"

She protested, her face troubled. "It's…..I'd rather not, just now. I'd hate to spoil our lovely afternoon with such a… depressing topic."

Her expression was apologetic, but no amount of supplication would have changed her mind, even had Dandy pursued it. He chose, instead, to clasp her hands, holding them gently, but firmly. He leaned further forward, looking directly into her eyes, hoping to convey his sincerity.

"I do hope in the future we might enjoy a confidence in which you might share with me all your secrets."

He caressed her hands with the pads of his thumbs.

Adeline flushed, and looked down at their hands together. Just then, the chiming of a grandfather clock in the hall began, and Adeline jumped up. Dandy had been so surprised at her reaction he dropped her hands, and regretted it as soon as he had done so.

"Is it two o'clock already?" She asked, panicked. The tone had ended and now the clock was chiming twice.

"You're leaving? So soon?" Dandy sounded positively dejected.
"We have a matinee this afternoon. Hopefully only the case until the curfew is lifted." To Adeline's shock, Dandy appeared about to sulk.

"Very well" he sighed ".….I must go and speak with mother. May I help with anything before I depart?"

Adeline shook her head. "No, thank you."

Dandy nodded and was hurrying to the door. "When you are ready, I will see you out!"

"All right," Adeline called, and he was gone.

She dressed carefully, her skin clammy, her teeth chattering. When finally she had put herself back together and her props, train case, and record player in order, she took a last look in the mirror in the guest room and shook her head at herself. Then she swept out of the room and down the hallway. As she descended the curving staircase, floating in her full circle skirt and crinoline despite the burden of all her things, she saw Dandy, standing at the foot of the stairs, leaning casually on the right hand turnout. Adeline was instantly reminded of Rhett Butler's similar pose on the staircase at Twelve Oaks in Gone With the Wind, and she smiled, praying in her distraction that she wouldn't fall and go toppling down the stairs and break her neck.

Dandy was entranced. She was positively exquisite. He could watch her breeze down these stairs towards him every time he called for her and rest in the knowledge that he need never suffer boredom again. He reached out for her train case and her record player.

"Allow me," he insisted.

Adeline reached out, pinning the sleeve with her props under her arm.

As they made their way across the foyer towards the door, Dandy leaned over and said, softly, "You are equally ravishing in conventional attire."

Adeline looked up at him with a flutter of her eyelashes. "Thank You," she said, once more.

Dora had hurried to open the door. Adeline realized, with a hint of concern, that Jimmy was waiting on the front steps expectantly. She was afraid, for a moment, that they were going to have a problem, or a confrontation. But something worse happened. Dandy extended Adeline's things out to Jimmy with hardly a glance in his direction, keeping his eyes on Adeline and a serene look on his face. Dora reached out, and with a smile, Adeline handed her the velvet sleeve with another "thank you."

Dandy turned to face Adeline and leaned down to speak quietly. "Promise me you'll return." His voice was stern, now. It was not a request.

Adeline couldn't see what harm it would do. She likely would be back for one reason or another. "I promise," she said.

Dandy grinned, and then his smile faded slightly. "Very well, I suppose I'll have to patiently await your return."

Adeline bowed her head "Thank you…. for your hospitality, your kind attention….and your pleasant company."

"Good afternoon, Miss Vestergaard."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mott."

She turned and hurried down the stairs, stopping at the bottom to see Dora, who was waiting for her. As soon as she had turned away towards the car, Dandy had hurried through the atrium and rushed up the stairs, hoping to watch from an advantageous point as the truck pulled away.

"Miss Gloria asked me to give you this," Dora said quietly. She held out another envelope, discreetly, and Adeline took it quickly, aware that the exchange should be brief and as undetectable.

"Thank you," Adeline said.

"You be careful," Dora insisted. She started towards the car, and Adeline called after her. "I will. And thank you, for the cupcakes!"

Dora turned around and nodded, and the look of concern on her face was not lost on Adeline. Jimmy broke her reverie.

"Hey! Ready to go?" He asked. He was holding her door open for her.

"Oh!" she said. "Yes, sorry." She hurried around to the passenger's side and hopped in the truck. With a last, disdainful look up at the house from behind the driver's seat, Jimmy hit the gas and the truck roared away, back down the driveway.

Behind the window in the upstairs study, Dandy stared after the truck, longing, and conspiring.