what happened to you.” He peered at one of the scrapes on the child’s arm. The abrasion was not
swelling nearly as badly as before. He pointed this out to Anne. “Well, how about that? It looks
like you are almost healed already.” His face crumpled into a frown again. “But if you truly
cannot recall anything, Anne, I may have to fetch a doctor. My butler Windsor has better
knowledge in the medical field than I do, but he is not here at the moment, I’m afraid. In
contrast, it was only a short time ago that you awakened, so perhaps you simply need to rest for a
bit.”
With this said, the young Rad draped the wet cloth over her forehead once more, softly
beckoning her to close her eyes as he blew out the room’s candles, took away the porcelain basin
and quietly left the vicinity, closing the door behind him. As he walked away from the room
through the long corridors, wondering at the various paintings that were hung on walls here and
there, amazed at the artwork that he saw, he thought about what a genuinely pleasant young lady
Anne was.
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“George, I don’t understand-where am I right now?”
“You are going to have to solve that puzzle for yourself.”
“Where are you going?”
“To meet my own destiny, since you clearly don’t want me in yours.”
“Oh, George, come, stop sounding so bathetic. What’s going on here?”
As the sun went to sleep behind the countryside’s picturesque hills, the unbecoming fury
of darkness zealously distributed its gloominess to the rest of the remaining world. Suns of
morality and goodness that once magnificently glazed out of every heart were now rained on as
the darkness took over.
“George! What is happening in this place?”
Time passed and soon there was not a kind word spoken anywhere. Shadows shrouded
London, blocking out material objects such as buildings and houses and wrapping paths into
extreme blackness.
“Excuse me, lady, but what is this? Do you know at all?”
“Yes, of course. Everyone knows by now.”
Loud roars of the lions could be heard from afar by everyone, this was true. Only Anne
was unaware of it, but that was incorporeal. They crept ever closer into the area, snarling
dangerously to everything that passed by them, even going so far as to literally devour the
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creatures that were still holy enough to contain even a beam of light within them. Anne, having
been a horrified spectator of one of these consequences, screamed bitterly and threw her hands
over her eyes, but it seemed that no matter what she did to keep the images from her mind they
always found some way to reach her. Spinning around, she called again for George but the
unreliable boy had disappeared.
.
Of course he had gone. Why would he stay?
Anne screamed as a lion’s jaws overcame the most darling little boy that she had ever
seen, vanquishing his feathery brown hair and white skin in an instant.
What am I doing here? Where did George go off to? What...I have to do something here.
I...I cannot just act like nothing is happening. I have to open my eyes.
Anne opened her eyes.
With a blood-curdling roar, those terrible jaws ground down on her very core, slashing
and tearing her whole self to pieces. Down the abyss did she fall, her senseless screams and
cries never being answered as she returned to her home.
Hell was her home.
Reclining easily in one of the fawn-coated wing chairs of the mansion’s spacious drawing
room, Rad permitted himself to become involved with the universe of heat and radiation as he
44
blazed his concentration into the fire burning in the hearth below him. Watching the coals
pounce and spark against each other, he thought about how absurd it was to have a fire carrying
on in the month of May. The weather of late, however, had been unusually brisk for the season
and he certainly did not wish for the ill girl upstairs to feel any further discomfort.
A tremolo of whinnies was then heard from the estate’s stable yards, along with the
clattering of a carriage’s wheels, and Rad knew that his butler had returned. He crashed through
the tall door at the front of the mansion, nearly startling Rad out of his wits.
“Good Lord, Windsor! Why the commotion?”
The elder man slammed the fighting door from behind him, breathing laboriously. “You
will not believe how raring the weather has become, Mr. Quincy,” he shouted back. “I apologize
if I gave you a fright. The wind has picked up to a grand extent; it took all of my driving skills to
steer the horses safely home.”
As if to confirm what the servant said the fire in the hearth jumped, ate half of itself, and
then turned a bleak, pallid shade. Rad scrambled to the firebox, lifted three thick logs out of it,
and proceeded to toss them into the flames. The fire regurgitated what it had consumed.
Breathing a sigh of relief the lad chuckled lightly, shaking his head in amusement.
“I must admit that I was not prepared to believe you, but I suppose that sudden wind
through the chimney told me all I need to know.”
Windsor took off his coat and scarf before trotting to the fire to get warm. “Yes, sir, I do
not understand why the weather is like this in May.” He stretched his neck in the direction of the
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staircase before turning back to his master. “How is the dear girl faring, my sir?”
“She woke up once, seeming confused, so I told her to go back to sleep. The scars on her
body were not as red, however, and her fever has broken.”
Windsor closed his eyes, producing a snow white handkerchief from his pocket and
mopping it on his forehead. Rad narrowed his eyes.
“Oh, thank God,” the former man murmured, briefly delivering a gratified look at the
gulf above him, unaware of his master’s outstanding curiosity at his behavior, but once he was
past his slight phase of embossment he realized that Rad was grinning at him.
“Is there something the matter, sir?”
“Oh no, not at all, Windsor,” the younger man replied. “I simply have never seen you so
worried about anyone who was not one of your acquaintances or family members. Am I to
understand that you think quite highly of our guest upstairs?”
Windsor’s eyes dilated and his aged face turned crimson. “Those actions of mine, sir,” he
muttered, “were not supposed to be found in your sight.”
Rad shrugged, free of care. “I don’t believe that was a legible answer to my question,
Windsor,” he teased. “If you think so highly of dear Anne, I am allowing you to make yourself
comfortable and travel upstairs to visit our friend.”
Now wearing a scarlet-infested demeanor, the butler turned his back so as to save himself
from further humiliation. “How exactly was I reacting to your news about her, sir?”
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“Why, Windsor,” Rad taunted, moving forward to position himself in front of his elder,
“has embarrassment eradicated your memory so quickly? Why should you even feel guilt in a
situation such as this? I mean, I have known you my entire life and you most certainly have
never been the kind of person to pay no heed to sick children on dust-ridden streets or laugh at
the world’s poor, helpless inhabitants. I wonder why you hide your good heart from me at a time
like this.”
A rather long pause ensued after this address as Windsor’s face retrieved its normal shade
and his mouth instantly became grim. “I must tell you my mind, sir,” he muttered in such a
subtle fashion that Rad had to lean forward to hear his next words. “The truth is, I have been
contemplating the girl’s health continuously in my head and have constituted that surely she
could not have done such a horrid infliction upon herself as cutting herself and drying up her
poor throat until it can no longer absorb even the smallest drop! Am I making myself sensible?”
The boy nodded understandably, raising his eyebrows. “I suppose that’s why you showed
such love for Anne just a moment ago.”
“Yes, sir, that’s correct. I worry for her. In addition, I don’t have any distinct doubt that
she is all alone in the world, with no one in plaintive sight to care for her-that is, if one were to
look in the inattentive areas of London.”
“I understand perfectly what you are saying, Windsor. If you and I had not come across
Anne when we did, she likely would have encountered death. What I cannot interpret is how
anyone could not care about or pay heed to such a pure, angelic heart as we have upstairs. Why,
the whole world must be severely corrupted if they do not feel concern in any way for the girl!”
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“What do you suggest that we do for the poor child?”
Rad shook his head sadly. “I am not entirely certain.” He paused. “Wait a moment...” His
eyes increasingly widening, Rad made his way toward the study, beckoning his butler to follow.
When he had reached the large, immaculate room, he opened a mahogany bureau complete with
record books and many different kinds of files and paged through them until he found what he
had been searching for: the history of the mansion’s expenses. He ran his finger down the
columns of expenses and a smile slowly grew upon his face.
“Windsor, listen to me carefully: what do you think about adopting Anne?”
The man gaped at his master. “Adopt her, sir?”
“Well, not adopt her, but simply take her in. I mean, did we not discuss only a while ago
how alone in the world she was? I calculate that, with this house’s many decadent living
quarters, you and I could easily afford to introduce her to society and enrich her young life far
more than it has ever been enriched before. Your thoughts?”
An elated grin smearing across Windsor’s cheeks he stepped toward Rad, squeezing his
arm in congratulation. “I think that such an idea as that is exactly what I’ve been wishing for all
along!”
Rad smiled, chuckling lightly. “Very good, then! We’ll do exactly that for Anne as soon
as she recovers.”
Startlingly, a horrific scream pierced the air above the men’s heads, scattering their wits.
Glancing at one another in great alarm they darted through the doorway, into the drawing room,
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and up the stairs to Anne’s room. Rad was the first to break through the closed door and hurry to
the girl’s side, where she sat up, perspiration streaming down her face, tears cascading down her
cheeks, and tremors violently persecuting her small frame.
“Anne-what is the matter?” Rad gently inquired, rubbing her back soothingly. Casting a
worried look over her scars, he hastily told Windsor to check to see if her fever had returned. The
butler lightly placed his hand on Anne’s skin before glancing at Rad and shaking his head. Anne
did not seem to notice his gentle touch and continued to sob painfully.
“Anne,” Rad said, “please, you need to tell us what gave you such a fright. Are you in
pain again?”
The girl shook her head, her blue lips trembling.
“Well, what is it, then? If you do not tell us, dear, we cannot help you. We can take care
of you and set things right if you just tell us what is wrong.”
As if she were deaf and had not heard a word of this verbal show of comfort Anne stared
straight ahead, her meager galls being chafed by the many tears that her eyes continued to shed.
Rad sighed, but Windsor lightly tapped his master’s arm.
“I think that the child is rather tired, sir. She has been through so much already that I’m
sure we do not want to put her under any additional strain, wouldn’t you agree?”
The young man nodded, standing up now and traveling back toward the door with
Windsor to leave Anne to rest, but as they were leaving they heard the faintest whisper.
“I was all alone.”
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Snapping back around, Rad hurried back to Anne’s side, placing his fingers under her
chin and lifting it to meet his eyes. “What was that, dear?”
Shifting her eyes downward, Anne proceeded to take a deep breath to cease her
trembling. She drew a pale hand briskly over her wet eyes, sniffed once, and stared up at her
caretaker.
“I...I had a dream...sir,” she stuttered. “A h-horrible dream. I was...” A sob threatened to
invade her throat, but she bravely held it back. “I was all alone, truly all alone. More alone than I
had ever been before. George was...” The battle for the victory over weeping was finally lost and
she took to sobbing again. “George was betraying me...oh, I did not know what to do! I asked
him what was happening and he said...he said I would have to discover that for myself. He
wouldn’t listen to me...it was so unlike him...oh, help me!”
Thence, young Anne sobbed much worse than before and Rad sat beside her and silently
pressed her head to his while Windsor rushed away to retrieve some cloths for her forehead.
“There, there, dear Anne. Everything that you experienced just now was only a dream,”
Rad muttered. “You’re here now, safe from danger, and my butler and I are going to take care of
you until you recover. Do you understand?” He once again lifted her chin to his eye level, gazing
at her softly. “Anne, do you understand that it is the duty of my butler and me to keep you safe
here?”
“Yes, sir, I do. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How do you feel now?”
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Fitting the bed covers over her legs Anne lay down, emitting a small smile.
“Considerably better, sir, thank you.”
“I’m glad,” Rad replied. “Is there anything else that I can do for you?”
“Yes, sir, I’m afraid that there is just one more thing.” Anne once again sat up. “I was
simply wondering...what did you plan to do with me after I had recovered from my illness?”
Grinning, Rad shifted his position, gently taking Anne’s hands into his own. What she is
about to hear could make her so happy that she could be healed immediately, he thought
pleasingly.
“I believe that you are going to be heartily pleased to hear this, Anne. Windsor and I have
been discussing a few things and we have come to the decision that we would like it very much
if you had the pleasure of living with us for the time being. Now I know that it may be hard for
you to become accustomed to living in an actual home, but my servant and I believe that it really
is for your good. Now if you don’t want...”
“Oh, yes, yes, sir! I would be obliged to live with you! Thank you so much!” The girl
threw her arms around Rad’s neck, nestling her face into it. His heart flooded with a weakening
wave of happy despair and invincible satisfaction, for he had found the young lady to be quite
beautiful and likely would have done anything to welcome her to live in his new home.
51
4 Developments
July 1768
“What would you like for breakfast this morning, my dear?”
“Eggs and scones if you please, Windsor.”
“Right away, my child.”
Rad entered the dining room then, rubbing his hands together. “Well, I believe that we
are set, Windsor, as soon as breakfast is over with.”
“Sounds fine, sir,” the butler replied, setting a plate of eggs and scones before Anne, to
which she responded by taking a scone, biting off a large piece, and then forcing down the eggs.
“Miss Falkman, slow down!” Windsor laughed at her appetite. “We have plenty of time
before we have to leave, so try to actually enjoy your meal.”
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“Yes, sir, it’s true, but I still have to get dressed and make myself as presentable as
possible before we depart.”
“What on earth for, child? We are just going to a meeting.”
Anne ignored him and turned to Rad. “Rad, you do have that dress that Windsor ordered
a few weeks ago, do you not? I should love to wear that for the meeting.”
Rad grimaced comically, settling himself down to eat. “I think that I may have to agree
with Windsor in this matter, Anne. I’d rather not have you wearing that dress today.”
“Why not? Is it not my dress? Shouldn’t I be the one to decide whether or not to wear it?”
Taken aback, Rad exchanged glances with Windsor. “Anne, I...”
“Yes?” the impatient girl pushed.
Rad shook his head, beginning to cut apart his flapjacks. “The truth is, Anne, that dress is
quite complicated as it comes with a bodice, and, well...I wanted you to wait to wear it until we
can secure a woman to assist you with that. You should know that men like Windsor and I are
not fit in any way whatsoever for helping young women to dress.”
Crossing her arms, Anne squinted challengingly at him. “How do you know that? Have
you ever tried?”
An opus of merry laughter broke out in the room from Windsor and Rad, much to Anne’s
frustration. Nonetheless, she resolved to take care of things her way.
“All right, Rad,” she retorted, jumping up and throwing down her napkin. “If you think it
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must be so comical to try, I invite you to try it-on me.”
Immediately the laughter suspended and Rad turned to her, aghast. Windsor took no time
at all to interfere.
“Now, just wait a moment there, young lady…”
“No, Windsor, it’s fine.” Rad pushed his chair back and stood up on shaking knees.
“Anne does, after all, have a point. What kind of guardians would you and I be if we couldn’t
even dress our own charge?”
“Now, Mr. Quincy, dressing a woman is entirely different from dressing a man and you
know it. You’ve never done such a thing before in your life, and beyond that, chances are that
you will do just about everything incorrectly.”
“Oh no, you needn’t worry about that, dear Windsor,” Anne tongued. “I will be right
there to lead him in the right direction.”
“Miss Falkman, you’ve never had a dress like that-”
“I probably will more frequently when I am older, though, so don’t you think that I
should learn how to work with such outfits now?”
Windsor frowned, and then smiled. “Miss Falkman, I really...”
“Oh, please, Windsor?” the girl begged, sliding over to the man and gingerly caressing
his arm. “Rad and I can figure it out together. He’s intelligent, I’m intelligent, and I know that
we can do this flawlessly together. Please, dear sir?”
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Rolling his eyes hopelessly, Windsor finally shrugged. “All right, I suppose you can try
it.”
“Yes! Thank you, dear sir! Thank you!” Flying up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his
cheek, Anne raced away and ascended up the stairs, giving out a singsong to Rad:
“I’ll see you upstairs, Raddy!”
Gazing quizzically toward the direction that Anne had run for, Rad twisted together his
eyebrows. “Windsor,” he began, “why do you think she was so...eager?”
The man laughed, stooping down to pick up the breakfast dishes. “She must really want
to wear that dress.” Returning to his former posture, he looked at his master. “I do think though,
sir, that if we are going to be on time for the engagement you had better go upstairs and prepare
her.”
Rad flicked his eyes to his man’s, looking horrified, but Windsor simply urged him on
with facial gestures. Feeling doomed, Rad gritted his teeth, reluctantly reversed his feet, and
trudged slowly up the stairs. Once he had gone, Windsor, balancing the dishes on a tray, stifled
his great view of the humor in the situation by chortling softly to himself.
“I only wish I were up there to witness you trying, Mr. Quincy.”
This is ridiculous; why am I doing this?
Rad made his way upstairs with a gait that would have had him climbing until sundown
as nervousness and confusion ate away at him ruthlessly.
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Why did I agree to do this?
Rad already knew the answer to this question: he was falling in love with Anne, and he
would have given anything to see her waiting in a room for him, half-dressed.
Even if I may love her to death, Rad grudgingly thought, it doesn’t necessarily mean that
I’m ready to do something like this.
The climb to the room had to come to a close eventually, and when it did and Rad
hesitantly pushed ajar the door Anne frightened him by standing expectantly by her mirror,
smiling persuasively at him, clad only in her petticoats. At the sight of her Rad wanted to turn
and gallop away, but the saintly color of the girl’s lovely blue eyes beckoned him to stay.
“The dress and bodice are on the bed, Rad, dear.”
Pale-faced, Rad nodded vaguely and the trip across the floor to the bed seemed to come
to him in a dream. Once there he reached down and took the silk skirt of the dress in his hand,
awing over its smoothness. Its tint was of dark violet, trimmed with threads of lace. His eyes
moved and also fell upon the long, tightly-sewn pannier bodice, shaped with full sticks of
whalebone. Upon seeing this, Rad fell into a hole of desperation. How was he to manage
something like this?
“Rad? Is anything the matter?”
That seductive voice having reached his ears successfully Rad turned to her, feeling quite
lost. “Anne, forgive me, but...this bodice here...how is it supposed to work?”
His question was answered with only a sharp cackle from the girl. “That is something that
56
you are going to have to figure for yourself, Rad. I did make myself understandable about that,
did I not?”
Rad threw up his hands. “Well, yes of course, Anne, but this...” He made a gesture
toward the snug bodice. “This is composed of pure whalebone and I just don’t think...”
“Now Rad, you said that you would help me.” Disfiguring her countenance into the most
seducing tone that she could conjure Anne smiled hugely, her radiant eyes glowing at her victim.
Expectantly, Rad could not back out of that trick and within moments he had forgotten what he
had protested about and was back to concentrating his mental power on the mystery of the outfit
before him. Gingerly scooping up the bodice he made his way toward Anne, his heart pounding
faster with every step that brought him closer to her. She stood by her mirror, patiently waiting.
“All right, Anne,” the nervous boy stumbled, proceeding to loosen the garment in his
hands. Now directly behind her, he motioned for her to turn her back. “Forgive me if I am
wrong, but it seems to me that putting on and tying this article is very much like...clockwork.”
Solely using the potency of his own mind, Rad asked Anne to lift her arms so that he could fit on