Wilhelmina A Novella (7 page)

The child, too, had been sacrificed by night’s end when my day ended with a pair of scissors against my scalp. My dreams fell to the floor with dead locks. Love left when I saw my near bald head in the mirror.

I was shattered, empty, and broken.

4. Changeling

Brush, work, eat, brush, sleep. Brush, work, eat, brush, sleep. Brush, work, eat, brush, sleep.

My life was a cycle of grueling and laborious repetition, but I had to keep my hair brushed, straight and untangled if I wanted to keep it at all. My locks were finally past my shoulders again, and I intended to keep it that way.

No matter how dull my existence was, I had something wonderful to look forward to on this most joyous evening.

Tonight was another one of the governess’ monthly dinner parties. Tonight was also my seventeenth birthday, and both Rhoda and Yvette said that they had something planned for me. When I helped them get dressed for the occasion, in which Yvette would be a debutant presented to high society, they would ‘present my present’, as Rhoda put it.

They had both grown so much, and Yvette was definitely going to be a heartbreaker. Unlike quiet Rhoda, Yvette needed to be the center of attention and would take drastic measures, even when unnecessary, to ensure that all eyes were on her. And when Yvette caught sight of the men in governess Bathory’s circle she would, without a doubt, swoon on the spot.

I had seen the kind of people in Elizabeth Bathory’s circle. They were all young and beautiful, statuesque and irresistible, and even though they all looked down on me when I waited on them, hand and foot, I didn’t mind. I liked to stand in the corner and simply gaze.

However, one doesn’t serve their kind for three years and not suspect anything. I
knew
that they were more than human, of this I was dead certain, and I knew that they were dangerous. But so long as I kept my mouth shut and gazed like the mindless servant girl that they thought me to be, I was safe enough to stare and observe them.

In fact, after a while, one got used to their initially creepy air. Even their deep red eyes, which they all shared, became less daunting as the months went by. I wasn’t sure what they were, or even if they were creatures of god or the devil himself, but it was a coexistence that had a delicate balance, and I needed to make sure that I didn’t tip the scales in either direction.

‘It’s funny,’ Yvette pondered as she watched me lace her gown in the mirror. ‘This is something that I’ve dreamed of since I was a little girl, and now that I’m sixteen and finally about to enter this glorified world of men and manners, I don’t feel like I belong. As though everything I’ve done for the last three years has taken me further away from the things that I want. The problem is that I don’t exactly know what I want. Do you ever feel that way, Wilhelmina?’

‘I used to,’ I mused. ‘But somehow you get over it. You realize that this is the life you've been given, and the only way you'll survive it is to accept the hand dealt to you. I guess it’s just wisdom, it comes to us all in our own time.’

‘That doesn’t sound like wisdom, Wilhelmina; it sounds like you’ve given up,’ Yvette said sadly.

‘Please, no pity; I endure quite well, thank you,’ I said. I took in her exceptional beauty. ‘You look gorgeous.’

‘All thanks to you,’ she said as she turned to face me. She held my hands and drew in a deep breath. ‘I’ve never been so nervous about anything in all of my life.’

‘Breathing helps with the nerves,’ I laughed as she giggled. ‘So does knowing that you will be the most stunning young woman in that room. And I’ll be right there when you need me.’

‘Thank you Wilhelmina,’ she said, accepting my assurance for what it was. She embraced me, gently, and quickly rush off to the governess’ den for the woman’s approval. I stayed behind, smiling to myself as I the memory of her timidity linger. I studied myself in the mirror, and wondered how my life could have been different than it is now.

My face was still round, but had grown longer. It was more like a cat’s expression, with full lips, and wide eyes resting on my curved cheeks. My hair fell in long fiery waves behind my back, and I pulled my rag of a dress tightly behind me to accent my curvatures and pivots.

I saw myself wearing a forest green dress, much like the one I owned in my life back in Fremont - before my step-mother disowned me, and my sister Mary seemed to vanish off of the face of the planet.

I looked around before I proceeded with my next bold move. A grin spread across my lips, and I giggled quietly before I ruffled my hands through my hair wildly and let it fly and swirl all around my head. It streaked over my face, but my eyes were still visible, staring back at me from under my mane. It gave me a sense of strength, of pride and prowess.

‘Don’t let the governess catch you,’ Rhoda said as she ran inside the ward. She quickly jumped onto her bed and crawled under her bed sheets. The thirteen year old was obviously hiding something, probably more bugs she’d caught in the garden.

‘Don’t let the governess catch
you
,’ I said, combing my hair back and working out the fresh kinks. ‘You know how she feels about insects, she
despises
them.’ I sat the comb down and snuck up to her bed. ‘And if she caught you she would
pounce!
’ And so I did, jumping on the bed and shocking her with my
impressive
dexterity. I thought it was rather impressive, anyway.

‘And fire would shoot from her nostrils!’ Rhoda laughed.

‘Would it?’

Our ominous eavesdropper stood in the doorway, veiled in black as usual. Rhoda froze beneath my hands, and I crawled off of the bed and straightened out my dress.

‘Governess Bathory,’ I bowed, looking at my feet as she drew near. The air literally became colder when she walked by, toting Yvette behind her.

‘This gown is not laced properly; I would think that you would’ve put more care into the job.’ The governess said sharply. 'After all, your own sister is going to experience the most important moment of her life.'

Yvette silently stepped forward with an apologetic glance, but I understood.

‘I assure you, mistress, I did not intend to rush through the task.’

‘Rhoda, run along,’ said the governess.

Rhoda climbed out slowly, eyes fixed on the floor and away from the face that haunted her dreams most nights. The girl ghosted her way around us until the governess gripped her shoulder.

‘And take those insufferable creatures with you. The next time that I suspect them in my home you will be the one to suffer the consequences.’

Rhoda quickly grabbed the mason jar beneath her sheets and rushed out the door. I got to work on the meticulous task of untying the tight threads on the dress and felt sorry for Yvette. I knew that the gown was laced properly and was more tight enough for any human girl to endure, but now the governess was simply out for blood. Yvette had probably done something miniscule to upset her.

‘I am impressed, Wilhelmina,’ the governess said as she studied my every movement. ‘Yvette is going to experience a grandeur moment in her life, something that you, too, could have experienced under...
different
circumstances. Yet, knowing full well that this moment is forever out of your grasp, you have been gracious with every step of the way.’

My, wasn’t
she
gracious this evening?

‘I understand my place, governess. And I am happy for Yvette.’ I really was.

‘For the first time, since you'd stepped in this mansion, I see a tamed girl,’ she said calculatingly. ‘Only when you have been completely broken and restrained can you be disciplined and turned into something of value.’

‘Forgive me, governess, but I don’t quite understand your meaning,’ I said, trying to concentrate on my duty instead of her piercing words, or poor Yvette’s whimpers as I used every ounce of strength I had.

‘No, you wouldn’t,’ she commented. She smirked when I yanked the laces one final time and tied them off. ‘Splendid work, Wilhelmina; she can hardly breathe.’

They left in silence and I wished that I had something to throw across the room. But I had places to be. I needed to get dressed and make myself presentable for governess Bathory’s peculiar guests. Besides, I didn’t want to miss one single moment of Yvette’s presentation.

As I made my way to the dining room, where I was expected shortly as the sun had set moments ago, I was abruptly stopped by one of the children from the kitchen.

‘Wilhelmina!’ Henrietta was one of the yard slaves' daughters. She worked in the kitchen doing odd jobs like dish washing. At eleven years old she was headstrong, and obstinate, which was probably why I enjoyed her company so much.

‘You should be in the kitchen. If any of the guests saw you wandering about, the governess would put you in the garden shed,’ I warned her.

‘I just wanted to say happy birthday,’ she said. ‘I told my mama and Thomasine and they have a surprise for you later when you come to the kitchen.’

‘They didn’t,’ I smiled humorously.

‘They did; they made you a cake. But you didn’t hear it from me,’ she said. She ran off and vanished around the corner, and I continued on my course to the dining room.

Once there, I noticed a few of the guests early tonight, but the governess was still nowhere to be seen. I silently drifted to a corner as they stared, unblinkingly. I knew two of the four by name; an ashy brown skinned woman named Rosa from Texas and a platinum blonde man named Francis were seated casually in chairs at the table, while two others lingered loosely.

‘Really? Left the Trenners' for
that
sort of lifestyle?’ Francis asked one of other men. ‘And all he has to go on is a theory, you say?’

‘Madness where there needn’t be, that’s what I say; let the blood pour and let us be the instinctive creatures we were meant to be!’ The dark haired man replied. The third man was new. I hadn’t seen him here before in the three years I'd been waiting at these monthly soirees, but he seemed particularly interested in me as he stared, cocking his head as though I were a puzzle to be solved. He had light brown cropped hair, and eyes as black as onyx.

Soon others began to file in, and the governess herself finally made an appearance, veiled and silent. She greeted everyone personally as usual, and soon there was a room of fifteen of the usual visitors, with a few newcomers who had shown up for the occasion.

I tried to look focused and alert, but tonight my heart was not in my duties. Yvette still hadn’t made an appearance and the entire evening was growing duller as they brought up names and topics that I knew nothing of. However, I heard something from the governess’ cold lips that immediately sent me flying into a world of forgotten emotions, revived and clashing against one another from their numbed slumber.

‘Charles Abberdean, this is a surprise,’ I heard her say from the entrance hall.

My heart literally stopped for a moment, my mind thoroughly shocked to the frayed ends of my nerves.

‘I didn’t think you would accept the invitation after our seven year silence.’

‘Well, when I heard that you were still in the matchmaking business I had to see if the rumors were true.’

It was him, it was really him. His voice, like audible honey, flowed into my ears and resonated into my soul. Untended and forgotten fragments of my former self resurfaced like limbs from the murky depths of a still lake, emerging from the crawlspaces I had buried them in to die.

‘Interested in a fresh young mate,
András
?’ the governess asked, bemused. ‘I’m presenting a young lady tonight. By this time next week she would be perfect for you, I think.’

‘Don't call me by that name. I didn’t come to be matched, Elizabeth. I came to see if you were truly still in the business of creating and selling brides to the highest bidder,’ my angel said disapprovingly.

‘By the tone of your voice, I would think that you came here to insult me in my own home,’ the governess retorted.

‘Of course not, governess. I merely came out of curiosity. I also brought a friend of mine from London. When I told him what you did, he wouldn’t believe my word alone and simply insisted he see for himself,’ Charles said.

‘The ceremony will commence shortly. If you will follow me to the dining room I will introduce you to a few close friends of mine.’

I watched the governess waltz quickly into the dining room, stepping aside as her new guests entered the dining room. I swallowed hard when I saw him, standing there. Tangible. I had gotten so used to my imaginary projection of his features that I had forgotten just how soft, how fair he was. His straight nose and narrow jaw were chiseled but yielding, as though directly sculpted from a Leonardo da Vinci painting.

The other was refined. He had golden blonde hair and white skin. His smile was alluring, but not as much as Charles’. Mr. Abberdean smiled as he met each acquaintance, and I tried to settle my heart rate as he drew closer. He was almost an arm’s length away from me, and still he hadn’t noticed my presence.

‘This is Francis, he came all the way from Canada just to see the presentation.’ The governess introduced the blonde sitting in the chair closest to me.