Bottled Madness

I am so good at reading people's faces, I daresay I can predict exactly what they feel, what they think about a situation just based on looking at their faces; their eyes says it all. The moment I saw the Mistress hastening her way towards us, I should have left the scene of the crime myself. Perhaps there are moments you wish you had the courage to do something, anything, just to save yourself and this moment is one of those.

"Have you lost your mind, Anthony?" the Mistress asked her nephew—quite aggressively if I am to be honest—and then looked at me apologetically.

"Aunt Lucinda, calm your nerves, you shall swoon. I merely introduced myself to the young lady." The last sentence was said as he looked at me with a smug smile plastered on his face. I shall remember to disembowel this man.

"Anthony, this is not the countryside! You ought to ruin this young lady if you're seen in London without a chaperone!" Mistress Lucinda looks like she was about to explode.

"But you're here now aren't you?" I can't believe it, he really is an animal.

"Yes, I am. Now go on and leave at once!"

"But Aunt Lucinda—"

"Leave before I write a letter about this..." She looked at me, confused and apologetic at the same time, then back to Perseus "...event," a pause, as if relieved to find a suitable word for the situation, "to your mother back in Somerset." Those words seemed to have an impact on Perseus, his shoulders slumped and he turned his back on us.

He walked a reasonable distance and faced us again, "I´ll see you again, Miss Vanya!" he shouted and continued to walk, this time, faster. "That boy shall be the death of me." Mistress Lucinda unconsciously said as her gaze followed Perseus walking down the scaffolding.

"I do offer my deepest apologies for my nephew's attitude towards you, Vanya." She said as she held my hand and drew closer together with me to the railings.

"I expect nothing more of men, Lady Lucinda. They think they are the wisest creature in the world yet they haven't a thought of what actually matters. I believe we shall rejoice every minute of their absence." We both laughed at that.

"I shall agree to that, but I do believe the bold actions of my nephew is not entirely his fault. I'm afraid I told him a bit too much about you."

"He did mention."

"Oh forgive me, Vanya, you do know I talk a lot when prompted and he showed so much interest in you I couldn't help but tell him how wonderful of a person you are and--" She was doing her thing again, I squeezed her hand and faced her entirely.

"I understand that it was a mistake, Lady Lucinda. You do not need to apologize for his recklessness." I said to calm her down.

"Oh but I do, I do indeed!" It did not seem to be a successful attempt. "We shall visit tomorrow for afternoon tea, I will introduce him formally to you and no one shall know of the impropriety that occurred today." I was baffled. She actually said the thing I dreaded the most.

"But Lady Lucinda, I see no need--" She interrupted, "I insist, Vanya, and Anthony will apologize to you tomorrow. I promise." I really should have left the moment I saw the Mistress making her way to us. The look on her face says she will not let go of this. Oh, must I suffer another time spent with his company?

The rest of the day I wasn't paying attention, or rather I could not pay attention to the one thing I came to the factory for. I made my way home when the first batch of ink was mixed, rather unusual of me but everyone was occupied with their work they did not have the time to question me.

"I will introduce him formally to you..."

The words kept ringing in my ear even at the dinner table, I winced.

"Is there a problem my dear?" I looked up to see my mother's worried face.

"No...nothing...everything is fine, Mother." I smiled to convince her. She stared at my face for seconds that felt like decades, she then nodded and continued on her food.

"Did you have Mary mend your dress for the afternoon tea tomorrow?" How did she know about this madness of a tea party?

My mother knows me better than myself so she answered the unasked question, "Lucinda sent a letter over informing me of this affair, and I for one, agree with how she wants to deal with this." The protest in my mind reached my face and before I could voice it out she said, "You will attend tea tomorrow, Vanya. This is for your own good." A statement, she hardly finalizes things in this household except for parties, curtains, and garden plants. I cannot get away from this, can I?

The dreaded day has arrived. I haven't slept a wink. I hated the idea of seeing that man again, let alone be acquainted of him. That very thought kept me up all night, Mary shall have her hands full with me today.

"Good morning, Miss Vanya!" The door spat out Mary and she walked straight to the massive curtains and opened them, the sudden invasion of brightness in the room blinded me for a good second.

"Good morning to you too, Mary." I said without energy; not wanting to go about the day.

"Oh cheer up, Miss, the books from your cousin in France has arrived today!" That made me sit upright in half a heartbeat. I decided to get up and get ready with her to have my hands on the books.

"Did it really, Mary? I have been waiting for those books for three months, three months! I shall remember to thank William." Now I can't help but smile, I needed a new collection, fresh ideas from new authors, and this is such a good time for me to read, to get my mind off the impending demise that I'm about to face later in the afternoon.

Mary and I headed to the library near my father's office as soon as I finished my morning rituals. We arrived to three busy servants already opening the box and lining up the books in the central table. I quickly joined them and busied myself scanning the books at the table. William sure did not hold back with the number of these books, it can last me for a year! Well I better start reading then, starting with…"William spoils you too much."

"Father..." I look up to see my father on the doorway, staring at me with his kind hazel eyes, that I inherited, with an annoyed expression "...you spoil me." I said with an emphasis on the word 'you'.

"He merely said yes to a request and besides if you had let me travel to Paris—" "You know how I feel about traveling and not having you around in the house..." he interrupted. "Well, yes..." "Good, we shan't dwell on this matter now and hurry along to break your fast with your mother and I." My father is good with a lot of things and a few of them are making decisions for other people and ending conversations. Raising an argument with him would be futile, besides it's too early. I grabbed the closest book to me and brought it with me to breakfast.

Black pudding, smoked ham, coddled eggs, sausage, toast & butter, and fresh fruits were neatly laid on the table by the cook and the maids as I sat down.

"Summer is nearly over, when exactly are your classes to resume?" Mother asked as an attempt to spark a conversation.

"I believe two weeks from now." Although college isn't everything I dreamed it would be, it still brings me joy. Knowing that someday I will be able to have a job, something the high society often frowns upon, it feels freeing to choose your own path and not have it carved for you. A lot of my childhood friends from the country have now been married, their time all spent with their children and husband, and I know they wanted that but I can't help but think what could have been if they hadn't married and pursued their passion. Perhaps I will find out myself, I shall steer away from the marriage market and my dreams of being a writer shall come true.

"Vanya, should you be fine if you stayed at your school dorm?"

"Mother, the school is not eight blocks away from here it wouldn't make sense for me to make accommodations there."

"Darling, your father and I decided to go back to Kent after you've started school and settled at their dormitory." I choked on what she said.

"Pardon me?"

"I haven't been feeling my best after years in the city, I decided or rather my doctor decided we go back to the countryside where the crowd is calm and the air is clear." My father explained.

"I'm just hearing about this now, why?"

"I found out about it yesterday, you aren't exactly missing up on anything, Dear." He sounded distant and sarcastic but I know him better than that, he just doesn't want me to worry about him so I dropped the conversation thinking I can pursue it on a day where my mind isn't occupied, "All right then, but I shall hear your plans before the week ends." I said and the breakfast continued.

Time ran through the day quickly specially with a book in my hand and before I knew it, Mary is assisting me on my vanity, putting rouge on my lips, she inquired "Is he handsome, Miss?" "Who is, Mary?" I asked back with my eyes still on the Greek mythology book in my hands. "Lady Lucinda's nephew." I looked at her through the mirror, "I believe I am not the right person you should ask."

"You have seen him, right Miss?" Mary insisted.

"I did." "Can't you tell if he's handsome?" "I don't believe I should be the judge of that, although I can say that he is arrogant beyond belief." She stopped dabbing her hands on my lips and put the rouge aside. "Is he, Miss? The words in the kitchen seems to contradict yours, news of Lady Lucinda's 'handsome' nephew have already reached Mayfair, mothers are also eyeing him." "If you don't believe me Mary, then you shall be the judge of the man's appearance, I'm afraid." I was calm when I said that but deep inside, my mind was running all over the place. If Mary was indeed telling the truth that Perseus gained a bit of influence among the mothers, then it shall not be long after they find out that we are acquainted—or about to be, and they shall nag my ears off about him. "Shall we go down, Miss?" Mary put a halt to my running mind. "Yes." And down we go.

I joined the already buzzing crowd at the drawing room.

"There you are, love." Mother looked like she wanted to say something more than that, like a secret; one would think scandalous if the world hears the words she wants to utter.

"Good day Lady Lucinda..." I greeted the Mistress politely and just nodded to her nephew. I sat on the sofa across the both of them, beside my mother.

"Lovely afternoon, Dear." said Lady Lucinda as if to tease me knowing well enough that I refused this affair.

"Indeed..." I agreed as I have no other choice, besides they all look like they were hanging onto my every word, "I appear to have put a pause to your discussion when I entered the room, please do continue." I said as an attempt to divert everyone's attention to something else while pouring tea for myself.

"Oh we were talking about nothing, love." Silence then crept back in so I looked up from the table. When my vision dropped at the Mistress, she smiled at me and cleared her throat, "Miss Vanya, this is my nephew Anthony Perseus Lewis."

"Good afternoon, Miss Vanya..." My eyes turned to Perseus, he looks like he wants to say more than just pleasantries but was bribed not to. I looked at my mother and then back at him and continued pouring myself some tea, "Well I do remember him to be more talkative than that."

"Ha!" laughed Perseus.

"Vanya!" my mother exclaimed.

"Anthony!" Lady Lucinda slapped Perseus' arms.

There was a bit of a commotion which to say I think broke the ice between us four.

"Mother, Lady Lucinda, thank you for your efforts to save my reputation but now that we've been formally introduced, the standards of society's been met. We shall sit and talk comfortably, drink tea and eat scones till four! We're practically family." And there goes the easy air right out the window, they all looked at me like I was a savage not taught of the proper etiquette, I looked back at them wondering what I said wrong.

"Excuse us." Said my mother, breaking the awkward silence, and pulled me aside to the hall and whispered, "I love you with every fiber in me, I know you know that, but should you embarrass me?"

"What?"

"Dear, you should never have said that."

"Why?"

"Anthony is a man."

"That is a fact I am well aware of but I fail to see the connection of him being a man and this little commotion of ours at the hall with my words?" I exhaled the words almost instantly.

"Vanya Griffiths!" she yelled, "Should you continue this distasteful act of yours, no one will see you fit for marriage."

"Marriage?" I cannot seem to think straight, I could only ask. "Why?"

"You are of age Vanya, you should think about your future."

"I am thinking of my future, I am attending college."

"But that doesn't necessarily get you a husband." Hearing those words felt like getting hit by lightning. It took me a full minute to collect myself, "If no one will see me fit for marriage, then no one is truly for me. I will not marry someone who will deprive me of my hopes and dreams. When I finish college I shall do fine on my own with a job."

"Dear, this is not one of your books where everyone can do anything. This is real life, we shall live to dream but only to dream."

"The characters in my books didn't just dream, they fought for what they wanted, what they needed, and I ought to do the same. If you cannot see yourself supporting that, I can only ask for you not to meddle."

"I am your mother."

"So God help me."

"Is anything amiss?" The brewing fight was interrupted by a familiar voice, Perseus.

"It's nothing, Mister Lewis." My mother answered for the both of us, "Vanya was feeling quite stuffy in the drawing room and would like to take a brief walk down Hyde Park for air. Would you be so kind to accompany her?" Perseus' face lit up, after that I often wonder what pushed me to agree; the unfamiliar feeling of anger from the discourse with my mother or the unfamiliar feeling of safety when he smiled at me.