Chapter 22
Music filled her ears and her mind. Notes swirled in like gowns during a waltz, looping in rounds, starting new melodies, beginning new movements. An orchestra was forming around her while her fingers itched to join the dance. A smile etched it's way onto her face as she peeled open her eyes.
A carven white mask watched her. The lips of the mask were painted gold while a gold and silver fish scale pattern was painted on the right corner of the mask, from the nose to the temple. If the mask could smile in return, it would have. But beneath the cover, the wearer grinned so widely the mask had to be readjusted once he regained control of himself.
"You miss it, your music?" He asked.
"Do you not?" she questioned, almost frightened. She sat up in her bed. A warm blush enflamed her face. "Of course, you do. Worry not, I have composed another piece."
This amused him greatly. "You've arrangement an entire movement; are you creating a concerto? It sounds lovely. Oh, yes, you have been singing it in your sleep for some time now. And your fingers! I imagine they miss playing."
Laughter filled the room as she looked towards the mask. "Yes, they miss playing."
"I've always been enamored by how quickly your fingers move and how precise they strike each key."
Her face flushed once more. "There will be time soon enough for you to be further impressed with my fingers when they're used to unbutton and untie your clothing."
"Miss Daniels!" Cried Nettie. Her book dropped to her lap while her jaw hung open, stunned. Georgia and Rossignol roared with laughter, they shared a mutual and wicked pleasure in shocking Nettie. "I believe you are well enough to be out of bed. Monsieur Rossignol, before you corrupt Miss Daniels any further, I must ask you to remove yourself."
Nettie set her book on a small end table and moved to the wardrobe to pull out a dress for Georgia. She quickly wrapped her loose braid and fasten it in a bun against her head. Tapping her foot, she waited for Rossignol to take his leave. His tall form towered over Nettie and over Georgia who cautiously lifted herself from her bed. They clasped their hands and pressed their foreheads together. Georgia kissed the painted lips of Rossignol's mask. As they separated he took her loose curls and let them fall through his fingers like liquid silk. He left Georgia to dress and descend the steps of the inn to watch as his father prepared to depart the Inn and England.
The Frankensteins were somber, quietly gathering themselves and what bit of their belongs they managed to find after their captivity. Elizabeth was shut inside their carriage almost immediately. With a hesitant glance, Alfonse looked to Rossignol before disappearing behind the dark doors of their vessel. Victor was the last, and the most melancholy of the three. Sleep evaded him with merciless spite; his complexion was pale and despite the chill of the weather, a gleam of sweat seemed an ever permanent fixture upon his flesh. His gaze fell on Rossignol, for a moment, his creation thought he might swoon. Victor held himself together, at least long enough to bow his head in shame before ordering the driver to depart as he disappeared within the carriage as well.
Rossignol sighed, feeling his eyes burn, he shut them tightly. In the face of all that he had endured and all that he inflicted, his heart still yearned to be accepted by Victor. Was he asking too much? He felt an arm wrap around his waist, followed by the touch of a much improved Georgia. She felt like a blanket, wrapping him in her protective mantle.
"Let him be your devil no longer, my love," she said. "Are you ready? I think Nettie will have a fit if we are not in the carriage within the hour. Also, I suspect Lord and Lady Dunham are quite anxious. I haven't seen them in an entire year!"
She was rambling. He didn't understand why; perhaps she knew they would remain together, their relationship now honest and open. They needn't fear secrecy or fear being caught. They needn't fear horrific screams ending their time together.
"I am ready to meet them. Will Mrs. Davenport be there? I think I need a list of people we are to meet."
Georgia blushed profusely. "Well," she replied, "if meeting people who aren't trying to kill us is such a bother. . . ."
"Nothing," he stopped her, "you do could bother me." Rossignol took her hands in his and leaned low to her, his mask mere inches from her face. "I am utterly devoted to you."
"Are we to be sent to the poor house?" Asked a timid voice from behind them. Both Rossignol and Georgia turned to see as two men were carrying out Monsieur De Lacey who had, in the recent days, become immobile. Walking alongside Nettie was Eva, who looked about in distress. She tried in vain to mask her fear.
Both Georgia and Rossignol approached what was left of the De Lacey family. Georgia took Eva's hands into hers and knelt down before her. Rossignol did the same with Monsieur De Lacey when the chair he sat in was placed on the ground.
"Monsieur De Lacey," started Rossignol as his heart thundered against his ribs. "You were so kind to me before. I was completely lost and desolately alone. You offered me food and music, company and kindness. Since the day I was torn from the first family I ever knew, I have done everything I could think of to obtain some semblance of that life. I have mourned the loss of your family— my family— every day. My heart has broken for you a thousand times over."
Monsieur De Lacey began to weep as he listened. He pulled a hand free to touch Rossignol's face. He quietly asked him to remove the mask. Fear crept in, but Rossignol did as he was asked. The pale grey face of Frankenstein's creation stared hopefully up at his old benefactor.
"I swear to you, on all that I love, that I will never abandon you, never abandon Eva. Georgia and I shall look after you both and you shall want for nothing. I will not suffer you to the agony of poverty and loneliness. If you do not wish to remain with us, we will give you a home and you will be looked after."
Tears slid down his face. Monsieur De Lacey's wrinkled hands touched every inch of Rossignol's face and wiped the unyielding tears away. "You are my son." His scratchy voice choked out sobs. He would never again hear Felix's voice, nor Agatha's, they were lost to him forever. It was in this old stranger that he felt renewed hope. "My son weeps at my feet after avenging his brother, burying his sister, and saving my granddaughter along with my new daughter. I ask only this: when I am gone, care for Eva as if she were yours."
The words barely left his lips when Rossignol grabbed Eva and Georgia's hands and pressed them against Monsieur De Lacey's palms. "I can guarantee that. We can guarantee that." He kissed each hand he held and wept. This was his family, everything he had ever hoped for. Nothing could compare to the elation he felt.
The five of them sat quietly for the duration of their journey. Eva and Monsieur De Lacey slept soundly while Georgia occasionally dozed with her head pressed against Rossignol. Each time her eyes snapped open or she adjusted her position for maximum comfort, Rossignol took the opportunity to glance out the window. Despite their assured safety at the death of their enemy, the harbinger of their shared misery, Rossignol still felt anxious. Lady Adler was most certainly not alone in her affairs, there were others who might be willing to harm Georgia.
At length, Rossignol felt restless and pressed his cool fingertips to his temples to quell the pain he felt in his head. An angry fury pounded him. If he could convince his mind and body to unite in rest then perhaps it would end; fear, however, poked him with horrid images of Georgia's beautiful head severed from the rest of her, unable to smile, dance, or play her beloved music. He would go mad, he was sure of it, but he was not alone in his worries. He often felt Georgia tremble and clutch his hand, it was his mere voice that allowed her to drift back to sleep.
During the course of their journey, Nettie found herself dozing every so often, but she did her best to snap awake as she was charged with keeping Eva from slumping to the floor. Eva clung to Nettie and would have done the same to Georgia if she didn't fear she would insult Georgia's rank. This thought amused Rossignol who now saw the passengers in the carriage as his family. Would Eva cower before the Dunham's sprawling mansion? She would be humble and quiet, quite unlike the girl she had been before. She was no longer the friendly girl greeting strangers and asking all manner of questions. Now, she was reserved and hard, storing away the information she stole with her quietness.
His family suffered horrendously and he feared he would never be able to liberate them of this fear, especially when his own fear seemed determined to drive him mad.
With a startled jerk, Georgia snapped awake and threw herself against the door to her right. Her chest heaved as her breath shortened itself. Wide eyes darted like a spooked animal. She was somewhere else, about to feel the final kiss of a hair thin blade. Rossignol had her by the wrist and gently pushed her against the corner of the carriage. The sound of his voice calling her name steadied her heart and lulled her into a sobbing mess against Rossignol. He held her close as she wept.
"A-are we almost there, Miss Nettie?" asked Eva. She and her grandfather were wide awake; Monsieur De Lacey's face was grave as he listened to Georgia's terrified sobs.
"A few more hours and we'll be there, my dear." Nettie offered a forced smile and hugged the girl tighter. "A few more hours."
Darkness descended upon the countryside; the sun fled and gave way to a quiet moon just as the carriage pulled up to the home of Sir John's sister. Lord Dunham and Sir John stood waiting to receive them and immediately opened the doors of the carriage once it came to a stop. Nettie was the first person out, followed by Eva whose eyes devoured the much friendlier home of their host. A servant brought forth a chair once Lord Dunham and Sir John helped removed Monsieur De Lacey from the small confines of the carriage. Rossignol was next to emerge, he presented his arms to Georgia and set her upon the ground.
Exhaustion, coupled with her fear, left her eyes sunk and her skin pale. "Lord Dunham," she greeted, her voice was hazy and felt distant to her.
"She isn't ill again, is she?" He asked Rossignol.
"This is my fiance, Lord Dunham. Tell Lady Catherine that I am to be married at last!"
Through the mask, Rossignol's blue eyes found Lord Dunham's concerned gaze. "I gave her a sleeping tonic prescribed by Dr. Edmondson. She is feeling the effects of it, but she does need to eat. Do you have porridge available, Lord Dunham? I hate to impose such a triviality on you, good sir; Miss Daniels has not eaten since we left and the tonic will soon render her inert."
Lord Dunham moved quickly and scooped Georgia into his arms and carried her off with Rossignol rushing after them. "I was told of your impeccable manners, Monsieur," he shouted back to a distraught Rossignol. They passed the entrance of the mansion, Rossignol ignored the replicas of famous Roman sculptures of beautiful women reaching out. "Please, set decorum aside for your bride-to-be. I am taking her to her room."
Lord Dunham rushed up the grand staircase leading to the second floor and followed the landing passed several doors, almost making a circle above the entrance of his home. He brushed passed a servant and followed an obscured hall to where his guest rooms were. "Ah, Lady Catherine, do you have the porridge?"
At the door stood a woman holding a candle next to her servant holding a tray with Rossignol's requested dish. "Of course, my love. We added some honey to it. Our Miss Georgia loves honey. The room is ready, my love."
Georgia was ushered into the room and set upon the turned down bed. Pillows were fluffed and layered to prop her up. A tray was set on her lap and the bowl of porridge was set before her. Candles were lit so that she could see her food and her companions. Her eyes lingered on each person around her and languidly turned back to her food.
"Lord Dunham, I will remain with Monsieur Rossignol and Georgia. Will you see to the others?" asked the lady of the house.
Lord Dunham smiled to his wife and left them. Rossignol started to approach Georgia but stopped short. He could not be so open with his affection, despite his burning desire to do so. It pained him to watch her when she seemed so weak.
"Please, Monsieur Rossignol," continued Lady Dunham. Her countenance was bright and warm, she exuded an air of familiarity. Rossignol found this to very strange indeed given that she out ranked both him and Georgia. "Sit with her and have no fear of whispers."
"My lady, whispers destroyed Georgia's life here. I'll not be the cause of further agony and grief for her in her native country. Not after endeavoring to be honorable for her. She is too sweet and amiable— angelic and precious to me to tarnish her reputation."
"Oh, aunt," exalted Georgia with her dreamlike incandesce. A dribble of porridge was hastily wiped from her chin by a servant. "Gabriel is a poet! I love him."
The servant took the food and tray away from Georgia and brought a chair up to the bed for Rossignol to sit. Lady Dunham extended her hand, gesturing for him to sit. Despite his protests, she left the room and sat outside, leaving the couple alone in the room. Rossignol readjusted the pillows so that Georgia would be more comfortable before sitting back to watch her drift off to sleep.
"Thank you, my love," she whispered, the lids of her eyes were heavy.
For what? Saving her, she responded. He would always save her, he would always be there. He traced her jawline and then followed the line of her bottom lip. She smiled faintly before finally succumbing to the tonic. He sat for a long time watching her breath before he felt night's embracing slumber call out to him.
A/N: The first chapter of my currently untitled sequel will posted in August. I hope you all will follow me was a writer so that you will get the notice for when it is posted. Or just keep checking the Frankenstein pages. Georgia and Rossignol are being patient with me as I try to learn about their next adventures. We are in for a trip, I think, if they keep chattering away. We shall see some characters from the original novel just to bring it back to the ground work. I will also do my best to recall scenes from the Hallmark movie since that is the world my story is based in. Message me or comment here if there is something you'd like to see in the sequel. Thanks, as always.
*****Update: This is not the last chapter. I realized that the message above might have been confusing. There are two more chapters and an epilogue. Sorry!****