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“Lisa!” Father called. “Come down here; there’s someone I need you to meet.”
“Coming!” she yelled back. She bounded down the stairs with all the energy of an eight-year-old and skidded to a stop in front of a woman she’d never seen before.
“My, Sir Danvers!” she exclaimed shrilly. “There is certainly room for improvement; I have my work cut out for me.”
“That is quite enough, Bessie,” Father responded with a faint note of irritation. He turned towards Lisa. “This is Lady Beaconsfield. She is here to help teach you.”
“And we should get started right away!” Lady Beaconsfield said, smoothing her dark red dress. She took Lisa’s hand and began leading her to a different room. “We’ll start with the clothes. Once I’m through with you,” she declared, looking down at Lisa, “you’ll look just like a real lady!”
Lisa pulled her hand out of Lady Beaconsfield’s grasp. “But I like my clothes!” she said, spinning in her simple – but very swishy – skirt.
“Oh, hush,” Beaconsfield responded, waving a dismissive hand. “All little girls say that. You’ll thank me later. Now come, we have quite a bit of work to do. I’m determined to turn you into a proper lady.”
“Straighter!” Beaconsfield ordered. “A lady does not slouch!”
“Very well, your majesty,” Lisa muttered under her breath. She arched her spine, feeling as if she were moments away from falling over backwards.
Beaconsfield rapped her cane on Lisa’s desk. “I heard that!”
“I am sorry, ma’am,” Lisa said in her perfectly insincere tone of voice. She’d had a lot of practice “apologizing” over her years of instruction.
Beaconsfield frowned at Lisa. “Now,” she said, relaxing her expression, “despite the six years you’ve spent studying under me, your handwriting is still monstrous. Thirty lines, as usual.” She plopped the paper and inkwell down on Lisa’s desk and left her to her work.
Lisa ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face. She rushed into her room, slammed the door shut, and curled up on the floor. Why couldn’t Simon just leave her alone? She’d told him no.
Emphatically.
Repeatedly.
But no. He would never leave her alone, no matter how many times she rejected him. Even her shouting today wouldn’t deter him for long. He was just so convinced they were the perfect pair, no matter how many times she insisted they were not.
She was startled from her inner ramblings by the sound of heels clacking down the hallway. Figures. Lady Beaconsfield would never let such a racket go uninvestigated.
“Lisa?” Beaconsfield called out from the other side of the door. “What was that yelling about? Come out this instant!”
Lisa hurriedly wiped her face, hoping to remove at least some of the evidence of tears. She brushed off her dress, smoothing the wrinkles, and opened the door. “Yes, Lady Beaconsfield?”
“You look dreadful! What could possibly have gotten you worked up so?”
“…Simon Stride paid me another visit today.”
“That boy again?” Beaconsfield furrowed her brow. “You know he is well-connected. Why do you spurn his advances?”
“Because I don’t love him and I never will!”
“Love!” Beaconsfield scoffed. “What room is there for love in this world? You ought to find a man that will take care of you, ‘love’ or no.”
“Like your husband did?” From the moment the words left her mouth, Lisa knew she had crossed the line. Lady Beaconsfield went stiff, her expression hardening into the same mask she always wore when her late husband was mentioned.
“That,” she hissed, “is quite enough.”
“I- I’m sorry-“ Lisa started, but Beaconsfield cut her off.
“You will return to your room for the rest of the night. Should Mr. Stride return to visit you, you will behave like a lady. You will not shout at him in such a dreadful manner again.” With that, Lady Beaconsfield swept away, leaving Lisa to her own thoughts.
Lisa sat with her back perfectly straight, clothed in an elegant violet dress perfect for the dinner party that was currently boring her to death. Who was it that was talking right now? She had lost track of the conversation entirely.
She shook herself imperceptibly and refocused on the conversation. Sir Archibald Proops was regaling the table with one of his tales of the Court.
“You laugh,” he said, wagging a finger at one of the other guests, “but it is all true! I swear it on my life.”
If it weren’t for her years of training, Lisa would have snorted. The man almost never told a story that hadn’t been inflated beyond recognition. But Lady Beaconsfield had taught her well, and Lisa was able to stifle the laugh.
“Lisa,” a voice interjected into the conversation, “What is it you are studying right now? I cannot for the life of me remember.” Lisa looked up to see none other than Simon Stride to be the owner of the voice. Well. This definitely complicated her plan of ignoring him all evening.
“Of course, Mr. Stride,” she said smoothly. “Currently, I am furthering my knowledge of history, particularly the fall of civilizations due to kings not heeding the wisdom of others.” Lisa blushed slightly. Was she resorting to veiled insults now?
Stride furrowed his brow, but quickly hid his confusion with a smile. “A wonderful topic,” he replied, “but it must be a rather depressing field of study. What drew you to such a dreary topic?”
“I feel we can learn much from those who came before, and I know many people that could stand to accept advice from others. I feel I can truly relate to those whose wisdom and opinions were ignored.” Why couldn’t she just shut up? If Beaconsfield were here, Lisa would be in deep trouble.
This time, Stride wasn’t able to disguise his confusion as well. “Of course, of course,” he said, and he turned away from her to join another discussion.
Lisa breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She returned to her meal, but her attention was drawn away by the sound of poorly stifled laughter. Lisa glanced around the table, and her gaze landed upon a young man, clearly the source of the laughter.
What was his name again? She had met him a few weeks ago at another party, hadn’t she? Yes, that’s right. He was the doctor she had danced with. Jekyll, Henry Jekyll.
He noticed her looking at him and reddened slightly. He jerked his head in Stride’s general direction and smirked, an action Lisa understood in an instant. So Jekyll had caught her meaning in her teasings.
Lisa grinned back at him and winked. This Henry Jekyll was definitely an interesting man. She would certainly not object to getting to know him better…