Realistic or Modern Victorian London

[Syrrus]

"No, I don't think that he will." Victor walked passed her and sat down in front of the piano. "The man is of a sickly spirit but not that type of sickly." He chuckled to himself. "He's just a poor excuse for being English is all." Looking up at the young woman again, he smiled slightly. "So, is that a yes, you are going to join me? Remember, if you upset me in one way, and one way only - I'll be sending you home, without question."


Victor looked back down at his keys. "I will have much to do, many things to experience and much more to see."

 

[GreyZone]

"You know, I think that I would actually enjoy being a prostitute more than playing mother and wife for my family all the while working seventeen hours a day. Either way, I would be providing men with two of their favorite things in this town--alcohol, and sex."


She quickly closed her mouth after that, knowing that she was walking a thin line with Victor. "I will be careful, Mr. Edwards. I promise you."

 

[Syrrus]

"Good." She was getting rather strange in her behavior. Victor couldn't help but feel a tad bit odd himself. It was as if they had never been apart, and simply continued being friends, meeting each day, talking and saying goodbye. "I assume I should teach you have to read, then, so you can at least read street signs and maps."


Victor scratched his chin in thought.

 

[GreyZone]

"Easier said than done, Mr. Edwards," she replied, raising from the piano bench and moving to pace around his apartment, taking in all of the mess. "I truly am sorry that I am behaving so crassly. Truly, I am."


Margaret had seemed to have an extreme case of diarrhea of the mouth lately. She couldn't shut up about the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times. Of course, she blamed it on the demon baby.

 

[Syrrus]

"I do not understand why your apologizing, mostly because I fail to understand what you have done wrong. As of the moment, you've just been talking." The man said, calmly as he smiled at her. "Nothing can be wrong when using freedom of speech." Not that England had freedom of speech, in fact, they never would have - not properly anyway. Though Victor lived in his own little bliss that was his apartment, there anything went the way he wanted it to.

 

[GreyZone]

"I just always bring up matters that would make most women faint in hopes of appearing more ladylike," she replied, a hint of a smirk residing on her lips. "But then again, you act as if it will not bother our friend in the least. I could blame it on multiple things; however, I have no real interest in trying to stifle it, so if it bothers neither of you..."


She took a few steps closer to the piano, being careful in case he would not want her to touch it. Very tentatively, she reached out and pressed down on the keys that composed of the C scale. Even though she had not touched an instrument in almost a year, she had been practicing, still, on the practice one he had given her.

 

[Syrrus]

Victor watched as he took a long and thoughtful look at his piano. "Let me teach you the rest of the scales, you are intelligent enough to have no problem." He sat down on the chair and began to play the D and G scale slowly, even though his fingers told him to play it quicker. "I will spend these upcoming months, until we have to travel. Johnson can already read maps and texts, being a man. No offence to you." Victor mumbled to himself, while watching his finger dance over the piano.


He never meant any offence, truly.

 

[GreyZone]

"Oh, I understand," she replied with a long sigh, mimicking his scales as they spoke. "Again, I am not ignorant and I have brothers that were allowed to learn to read. Sometimes I wonder if they do not educate women because they are afraid we will understand too much and overpower the fragile system men have created for us." She was half-joking, of course, but then again, why would they not want their women to read and be educated? Because there was nothing more to life than cooking and cleaning and bearing babies of a woman in her status?


She worked diligently on the scales. "If something that I say offends you, Mr. Edwards, please speak up immediately. I do not want to be returned to my family or I will perish."

 

[Syrrus]

"Actually, we do not teach women to read - in low class society - because you earn less money than a man does, so putting money and effort into teaching a woman who will not be able to earn the money back would seem wasteful." Victor said, calmly as he continued. "Sadly, the world is all about money."


-----


Months passed, Christmas passed - Victor spending it alone in his apartment, without knowing what was happening outside on the snowy street. New years ended, same thing different day. Spring came and went. Here he stood, outside his apartment with hat on head and sunglasses on his face. The man, Johnson was already there, packing bags into the carriage. The ex-chimneysweep smirked at the noble with a slighty raised eyebrow. "So, ya' be sayin' that we start with paris? Bah, I was hopin' for somethin' more impressive, like... India!"


"You can't start a trip by going to India, you need to stop in-between." Victor said, with a frown upon Jack who smirked back and made a tip of his hat.


"I apologize, lord and sir, but... eh- Not ta' pry, but where's the lady?"


"She'll be here shortly, I am certain."

 

[GreyZone]

Margaret sighed at that response, but didn't choose to argue. "It just makes me sad, is all ," she told Victor. "I know that I am just as good as any boy would be at tending my bar, and yet, I am automatically the inferior one because I wear skirts."


-


Margaret had already worked a shift of multiple hours before leaving to meet the men. She wore a new dress that she had spent months of meager earnings on, but it was appropriate, in fashion, and covered her ragged shoes. Perhaps she could pretend. Or with Victor paying her, have an actual wardrobe.


"Please excuse my tardiness, gentleman," she said in a quiet voice, unaccustomed to having gloves to wear and the type of hat that women actually wore. She felt like an impostor, and simply hoped that Victor would not make fun of her for it.

 

[Syrrus]

Victor smirked her way and put his pocket watch back into his pocket. "Good morning, Ma'am." He said, and without looking at Jack - slapped him over the back of the head. Frowning, the chimneysweep got up from his seat, which had been on top of one of the cases and finished packing the carriage. "Goodmornin' lass, so ya be the poor doll Vic- I mean, Lord Edwards managed to trick into comin' with 'im?"


Even though Jack had met her before, he could not recall her face. It had been a while - without returning to the pub.

 

[GreyZone]

Her eyebrows raised when she noticed Jack--and when he did not seem to recognize her--but did not question it. Booze and time working together were not exactly good to the memory.


"Yes, that will be me," she replied to Jack, offering him a small smile before turning to Victor and saying in a hushed voice, "I have one suitcase; should I even bother bringing it or would it be best for me to just leave my harlot clothing here where it belongs?

 

[Syrrus]

Victor looked at her with calm eyes. "Clothes can be bought across seas, I would recommend not getting to attached to you belonging, only bring what is the most necessary."


"Then tell me, your majesty--" Jack said, while bowing with hat in hand. "Why are ya' bringin' so many books and things with ya'?"


"That is none of your business, you little cretin." Victor frowned at the young chimneysweep who raised an eyebrow in response, grinning from ear to ear. "Alrighty then! Everythin' be packet and loaded, ya got anythin' ma'am?"

 

[GreyZone]

Margaret knew that it was unrealistic to think that she could afford all new undergarments and means of entertainment overseas, so she passed her one small bag for Jack to put in the carriage.


She was inches away from scolding Victor for being so rude to the former chimneysweep, but thought better of it to not. It would not go anywhere at all and she did not wish to be banished from the trip before they even left.

 

[Syrrus]

Jack took the back and packed it together with the other. He then opened the door for Victor and the lady, helping the young woman up as Victor entered himself, Jack however did not join them in the back and instead grabbed onto the back, and would ride with the luggage. They would travel by carriage to Hastings, a port town an hour train journey from London and the chimneysweep decided to spend the time playing on his harmonica, with cheer.


Victor placed the hat next to him on the seat and handed a book to the young lady. "The travel will take a while, we will travel by boat from Hastings to France. Reading will make the time pass quicker."

 

[GreyZone]

Margaret turned around, looking for Jack to join them in the carriage. "Why is he riding out there with the luggage?" She inquired of Victor, trying to keep the edge of distaste out of her voice. "Is he not deserved of riding in here with us?"


"Are you mocking me?" She asked Victor seriously, passing him the book again. "I am sure I will manage to pass my time without pretending to do something I have no ability to."

 

[Syrrus]

"We have spent months trying to teach you have to read - practice make perfect. So no, I was not mocking you." Victor snapped back at her with frustration. He took the book back and placed it under his hat. "Suit yourself. What point is there in teaching when no one wishes to be taught?" He muttered with frustration and instead of further the conversation simply pulled out his old notebook and began to scribble.


"He is out there because he wants to. That is Jack T. Johnson, the most annoying person you can ever spend time with and also the greatest of my friends. That man only does the things he wants to do, that being said - it is often things no one wants to do. Such as work, get dirty and always act like a child on christmas."

 

[GreyZone]

She reached over him and took the book again, an agitated look in her eye. "Fine, Mr. Edwards. Please, I do enjoy having you watch me struggle doing a skill that small upperclass children can do. It is not humiliating at all."


"I know," she responded with a sigh. "He visited the bar once. He was the one that convinced me that I needed to actually go see you and talk to you again instead of babbling about you to anyone who would listen."

 

[Syrrus]

"Sounds like Jack. Also, I am not going to watch you - I have things to do for myself, you know." Frowning, Victor continued with what he was doing, while the sound of the damned harmonica kept ringing in his ears. At least Jack knew what he was doing, from time to time you could hear him greet a stranger on the street which they passed, or whistle after a lady or two - causing them to wave and giggle in return.

 

[GreyZone]

Margaret nodded, doing her best to not show how much of a struggle it still was for her to read a novel. It helped that she could already speak well and wasn't starting from scratch like most children who learned, but it was humiliating for her to be so terribly bad at something so simple.


"Just tell me what you need from me, Mr. Edwards," she told him, her eyes never leaving the pages. "Do not allow yourself to get stressed. If I am able to, I will do it."

 

[Syrrus]

"Focus on one word at a time." Victor said, calmly before knocking on the back window of the carriage. "Please, Jack, be quite back there." A chuckle was all he got as a response and then, shortly later: "Sorry Governa' but I cannot do anythin' about da street, ya' better buckle up, is goin' to be a noisy and bumpy ride!"


Sighing, the Noble narrowed his eyes at the back wall, in great frustration.

 

[GreyZone]

Margaret lightly touched his arm. "Do not let it bother you, Mr. Edwards. Is there anything I can do?"


She was planning on doing everything in her power to keep him as content and happy as she could over this trip. If he regretted having her come along for one moment, she would have been an utter failure in her own mind.

 

[Syrrus]

"I will be fine." Victor said, completely confident, too, as he continued to scribble down words upon his notepad and his shirtsleeve. The words he wrote was simple one, and they had no context, no sentence to hold them up. Rose, white, treacherous, so on and so forth. He was paying deep attention to how he wrote the words, how they looked upon the paper and how they sounded.


Meanwhile Jack continued to play his harmonica, flawlessly as they moved over the road - towards the train station.

 

[GreyZone]

Margaret let out a long sigh. "Suit yourself, Mr. Edwards."


She knew that it was never best to bother him while he was doing...whatever in the world that scribbling of words entailed. So she turned back to her book, struggling over words that she could recognize audibly but never composed of those damned scribbles that should have made sense. Reading made her feel ignorant and stupid and helpless like nothing else.


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[Syrrus]

The trip to the train station took no time at all. Jack helped the young woman off the carriage, before taking all their bags, carrying two under each arm, one in each hand and one on his back - without much effort, the former chimneysweep smirked towards Victor as he stepped out of the carriage, tickets in hand. "To Hastings, then, Govna'?"


"Yes, Johnson, if you have to point out the obvious."