Authors: Astrid Yrigollen
“So you were waiting for me all those weeks Mr. Brighton?” He nodded.
“Now I have to tell you I have not been completely honest with you. My name is not Mr. Brighton. The servants at the brownstone know me as Mr. Brighton but I am actually Fredrick Lowood. It was necessary to take on what I call a traveling name when I purchased the brownstone to be closer to your aunt. It also came in quite handy when I went in to St. Marhen to investigate.” My mind raced turning his words over in my head.
He was not Mr. Brighton, he was Fredrick Lowood. He actually purchase a place to live near my aunt, were they romantically involved?
“I see by the expression on your face you have more questions. Please Claren, ask me anything. From now on there is no need to hide or lie and that goes for me as well.”
“You said you purchased that brownstone to be near my aunt. Were you two romantically involved?” I felt embarrassed asking him such a question which was really none of my business, but I felt I needed to know the nature of his relationship with my aunt.
He smiled as if remembering her.
“No Claren, we weren’t. Your aunt, even though she shirked modern convention, she was still a very proper lady. When she grew sicker, I wanted to bring her to the brownstone and care for her but she refused. I found a friend in your aunt, someone I could talk to who would not judge me. We had a few precious months together but she refused all my gifts, and even when I would send doctors over, she would turn them away.” It was his turn to look out the train window sadly.
I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“When I was finally allowed to visit my aunt she was very ill, in the last stages of her illness. I did not understand it since the influenza is easily cured if treated right away.” He nodded sadly. The porter announced the train leaving the station and we felt it give a lurch. Slowly we left the city behind.
“Sometimes a simple illness can become much worse if one’s heart is broken. I felt that your aunt’s heart had been broken, and I think that is what made us good friends since I am the same, a heartbroken old wretch. Your aunt carried a deep sadness within her, but she gave up. I do not have that luxury. I felt compelled to find you Claren. I thought that perhaps if I went to St. Marhen and sought you out…”
“You mean you went in to St.Marhen after the funeral?”
“Oh yes, I wanted to know what had happened. Once I got it into my head to help you out of that entanglement, I made my plans. I arrived the next day to your home but of course, you were not there, and your home had one of those awful biometric devices to keep humans out and alert the constables if
you
were to come back.”
The door to our private car slid open and a small woman bowed to us.
“
Shitsuree shimas
, would any of you like a meal?” I had been feeling peckish but I did not want to have to eat and then go to the bathroom later.
“
Hai, futari kudasai
.” Mr. Lowood answered reaching in to his vest pocket and producing his payment card. She took his payment card and slid it inside her kimono, just below her neck where her exchange panel was located discreetly. She was a perfect example of the humanoid android. One would never notice that she was made out of metal and gears underneath her synthetic skin. Androids in the workforce were primarily used in positions where humans could not constantly deliver the same level of service, mainly customer service on long trips. However, they were not legal to use in offices or stores where they would be taking jobs away from humans. She smiled demurely at Mr. Lowood and produced his payment card.
I noticed that his payment card glowed neon white, which meant his funds were inexhaustible. My own payment card, when I had one, glowed a pretty pink to indicate that my card was linked to my parents funds but that they had enough to cover purchases made by me up to five thousand Dumas. Anything above that, I would need their approval. Of course now my account was frozen, as I am sure my parents accounts were. All because of Kurten.
A table slid out from a side compartment under the window to position itself between Mr. Lowood and myself. The top was made out of a material called yongri which looks and feels like glass but can become soft and pliable in seconds. I could see the table contained a storage underneath in which it pushed up its contents through the top of the yongri. In seconds two drinks, and several plates of food rose up from inside of the table.
“
Doozo
.” The small woman said, indicating we should eat. Mr. Lowood picked up his napkin and placed it on his lap.
“
Arigatou gozaimasu
.” He nodded to her and smiled.
“
Doomo shitsuree shimashita
.” She answered and left as Mr. Lowood picked up a fork and began to eat his salad.
“Deuce if I know how they manage to keep everything in it’s place with these contraptions.” He said a speared a cherry tomato.
“We studied it in school and at the time it was quite interesting, but I am afraid that I have forgotten much of what I learned in my basic materials class.” He nodded as we proceed to eat in silence. After the meal was finished and the yongri table had disappeared back into the wall, he started his story once more.
“Was the meal to your liking Claren?” He asked.
“Yes thank you. I’m quite full.”
“Full are we? Good. Well that should carry us the rest of the journey and the rest of our conversation.” He took out a round pocket watch and flipped the lid to check the time. He closed it and tucked it back in to his vest pocket.
“Now where was I? Oh yes, so I went to the Constables station to gather more information about you and the incident. Thankfully there were enough loose lipped constables there to tell me more or less the story. They knew you were innocent and they painted quite a picture for me of this Kurten. They also informed me that you did not have a chance for a fair trial.”
“I gathered as much. Kurten’s family is very powerful and exerts much influence. I knew I had to leave before the constables arrived the next day.”
“You know Claren, I do believe they wanted to give you a chance to leave. I distinctly got that impression. Well, when you finally showed up at my door step I decided to play as though I did not know who you were since I was afraid that you would leave again. I did not want you to think I would turn you in to the authorities. I wanted to gain your trust.”
“But why take the chance and take me to St. Marhen where I may be recognized?” He made a fist and pounded his leg.
“Of all the bloody stupid things I have done in my life that was one of them. I needed to take you there because I was meeting with your solicitor. I wanted to see if there was a way for you to gain access to your property for your things. If he said yes, I was going to tell you then, and take you to your home. But he said that there was no way. I thought you would be safe in those shops. What are the chances that a person like the mayor’s son is going to go shopping in ladies shops at that time of the evening?” He held out his hand to me which I took. His expression was sad.
“Can you forgive me for putting you in danger?”
“Yes of course. You did not know and you only wished to help me.” He squeezed my hand then let it go.
“Thank you for that my dear. You are very kind just as your aunt always said.”
The time had passed by quickly and the train had covered several hundred miles. The October sky was brushed with water colors of pink and yellow. We were heading in to the country away from city lights and soon darkness would be upon us. Mr. Lowood continued.
“I thought it best that we leave for my estate, my main home. I did not want to take the chance that this Kurten fellow find you again.”
“Yes, I…I didn’t know what to think when Mary told me about the girl that was murdered and the note.” A wave of nausea engulfed me when I remembered it was
my name
on the body.
“That is a concern of mine also Claren, however it might have been a coincidence. I do not think this fellow would find you, no matter how much of a scoundrel he appears to be, then risk everything he has to scare you in this manner. You must put it out of your mind at once. You will be safe now if you wish it, you can have a place with me.”
I tilted my head to one side again not knowing what he was offering. He smiled and removed his pipe from its case that he always carried with him. Before he lit it he pushed a button on a side console that opened a vent that sucked out his smoke so that anyone else sitting in this private car would not even be able to smell that he was smoking.
“Smart girl, you are already wondering at what price I offer this safety. It’s true Claren. I am offering you something, but wish for something in exchange. Will you hear me out?”
What choice did I have?
“Yes.”
“I have a son as you know. He is close to your age, well maybe a little older, twenty two. He is quite intelligent and curious in fashion. He lives with me, but you might not ever see him. He is quite shy I am afraid and does not do well with strangers.”
“Then why Sir, are you bringing me in to your home if my presence will make him uncomfortable?”
“Because he needs someone, someone to talk to that is not me. He has been isolated for so long. You see, he does not leave the house, ever.”
“Why is that?” I asked, suddenly very curious about his son. He took a puff from his pipe and looked at me for a long moment, holding my gaze. I was beginning to wonder if he was going to tell me. I could sense his hesitation as he exhaled.
“Because he is severely disfigured. He is unlike other young men and his disfigurement is such that he cannot hide it with cosmetics or with a coat.”
I flinched inwardly. The kind of disfigurement he seemed to be describing seemed unimaginable. I supposed he had no option other than to hide, especially now that “beauty surgery” had been banned almost one hundred years ago by the Grand Council. My mother had told me that “cosmetic surgery” had been the rage for thousands of years. People would spend hundreds of thousands of Dumas on one procedure. Scientists revealed that it was not only altering our perception of human beauty, but also having severe negative effects on the psyche. It was causing people to look less human with popular procedures that elongated their noses past their mouths and altered their eyes to make them huge and wide spread.
I had only seen pictures in books at school of these people. Now we were taught that each person is beautiful and unique. Generally, people are now happy with their appearance. If they are not, they can always use cosmetics or change the color of their hair, but any type of flesh altering surgery is banned unless a person’s life is in danger. I wondered what type of deformity his son had as Mr. Lowood continued.
“You see, I need you to be his friend if you are able. He might not even show himself to you, that is a chance that I take. However, my duty to your aunt is fulfilled, I have taken you away from that situation that you were in. In return, I only ask that perhaps you can help me, help my son. That is my heartache.”
It was hard to consider all the different possibilities. What if his son has a foul temperament such as Kurten?
I could not live with someone like that. There would be no peace.
Mr. Lowood tapped his pipe against the polished wood armrest and answered as if he had read my mind.
“I want you to know that if it doesn’t work out Claren, you can always find another place. I will help you. I don’t want you to think that you are stuck with us. I won’t lie to you. My son may never choose to even talk to you. He can be like a ghost, moving around our old estate. Or he may choose to be wrathful and angry that there is a stranger living with us.”
It made me feel better that he said I was not to be obligated to stay if things did not work out.
“I am just not sure if I can do any good Mr. Lowood.” He smiled.
“Neither am I, but I have hopes Claren. Without hopes, dreams and faith, one cannot live.” He held out his hand to me which I took.
“All I ask is for a chance.” He said.
Mr. Lowood had hired a carriage to take us from the train station to his home. The only carriage available was one being pulled by two steam horses. He patted one on its side before he joined me in the carriage.
“We have horses, real horses on our estate. I hope you know how to ride Claren.” He shut the carriage door and the driver set off.