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Chapter 20

"Careful, Dawn, the dock’s a might slippery here."

Dawn accepted his hand as he helped her onto the dock, before letting him loose to help Willow and Tara down the precarious path as well.

The trip back from England had been unusually smooth sailing for the time of year and they had arrived in Boston a full day ahead of when they’d expected. The appointment with Miss Greenlee was for the next afternoon, and he had plans to make a few business calls the following morning. But for now, his only goal was to bundle everyone off to a hotel and reassure Dawn yet again.

She’d grown increasingly nervous on the crossing, vacillating from anticipation after a round of tales by Willow fondly recalling her school days, to abject terror at the thought of being left alone. As he hailed a carriage and oversaw getting the rather prodigious number of bags that now had Dawn’s name attached, he wondered if perhaps they’d been too hasty in sending her to this place. Although he didn’t doubt that she’d receive the finest of education here, acquire the polish she would need to move in society and be safe from the likes of Glory, he worried that, after the loss of her family and the turbulence of her life in Charleston before Buffy’s intervention, she was still too nervy to be on her own.

Not that he doubted Dawn’s pluck. The little mite had stood up to far more than he would have been able to at her age. He just hated to leave her so far from those who she’d come to think of as family.

Or maybe he just wasn’t ready to let her go. She’d grown dear to him, not just as a link to Buffy, but in her own right, as a sunny and personable young lady who was slowly blossoming under the attention of those around her. He watched as she chattered happily with Willow and Tara as they settled themselves in the carriage before he swung in and pounded the roof to let the driver know they were ready.

"So ladies, I find we have some spare time this afternoon with our early arrival. Miss Willow, would you care to visit your family? Or perhaps you have someone you’d like to see, Miss Tara?"

The two were quiet for a moment, then Willow shook her head. "Perhaps tomorrow, before we leave. With this being so unexpected, I’d best send a note before we come."

William acknowledged the refusal, knowing there was more there but choosing not to pry.

"Well then, whatever will we do with ourselves this afternoon?"

He cringed, waited for it, knew it was coming.

"William, can you take us shopping?" Dawn gave him the big eyes she’d figured out he was useless against and he found Willow and Tara had him pinned in a similar gaze, mischievous grins firmly in place.

"This carriage can barely make it through the streets, it’s so loaded down with baggage and you bought half of London. Could there actually be things you haven’t purchased?"

Willow ignored his mock growl. "Now, William, you wouldn’t want Dawn to not be properly attired for school, would you? It’s so important for girls of her age. And it’s not as though you can’t afford it, Lord Darlington."

"Fine, fine, you bints will be the death of me. Tell the driver where to go."

He briefly wondered when he’d become so very whipped as to give in to such demands, but as he was showered with praise by the three smiling girls, he had to admit it did have its perks. And perhaps he could get Willow to help him pick out a small token for Buffy.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harmony, are you ready?"

The blond haired girl delicately patted her nose again with the fine bit of linen that passed for a handkerchief. "Cordy, I’m not sure this is a good idea."

"Harmony, we’ve talked about this all morning. You need to know."

Harmony still lingered, pottering with her hairbrush. "You’re right Cordelia. You’re so very strong. Why can’t I be more like you?"

Tears looked as though they were about to well up in Harmony’s eyes and Cordelia took the initiative before she became to weepy to move. Today was the appointment with Madam Anya and Cordelia had gotten the impression she wasn’t someone to be kept waiting.

"There, there, quiet now. Your mother believes we’re going for a walk down at White Point for your constitution, if she sees you crying again she won’t let us go."

"Right." Harmony gave herself a final pat and followed Cordelia bravely out the door as they strolled along. Once they’d reached a quiet alley, Cordelia pulled her aside. "Now put this hat on and pull the veil down, and then put this around you." She pulled the cloak from the basket she’d carried as a pretext for possibly going to the market.

Adequately disguised, the pair made their way quietly through the back streets until they reached the neighborhood where Anya’s brothel stood, punctuated by only a few sniffs from Harmony along the way. When they reached the gates, Cordelia decided a small talk might be in order before they went in. She held Harmony’s shoulders and looked her squarely in the face.

"Now remember what we talked about. No real names. I told her I’m Jane."

Harmony broke in, "Jane? That’s so plain."

Cordelia resisted the urge to give her a little shake. "That’s the point, Harm. We don’t want to be memorable. What should we call you?"

Harmony crinkled her nose. "Umm, Melody?"

Cordelia couldn’t not groan, but she acquiesced. "Fine. Melody. Don’t forget it though."

"Alright."

"Now let me talk as much as possible. And don’t act all shocked by what you see, even if you are. We need this woman’s help."

Harmony’s eyes were like saucers by now. "Is it true what they say?"

"Harmony, I have no idea what they say."

"About the," her voice dropped even lower than the hushed tones they were using, "bawdy women here?"

Cordelia threw her hands up. "If they say they’re half naked and let men have their way with them, then yes, it’s true. But it’s the middle of the day, we should be fine. Come on Harm, we’re wasting time."

Harmony’s eyes were big as she followed her to the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xander turned to Wesley as they exited the Planter’s Hotel. "Wes, did I give you the file, from yesterday?"

Wesley shook his head. "No, I haven’t seen it since last night."

"I meant to bring it to the office to lock in the safe until William returns." They walked along in silence again until Xander suddenly snapped his fingers. "Anya’s! I had it with me when we went there yesterday and I left it on her desk."

"Well, it should be fine then. Anya will put it aside for you."

"Yeah, I know."

They walked another block.

"Wesley, why don’t we stop and get it, I’d like to look through it again this afternoon, make sure we didn’t miss anything important."

Wesley shrugged. "Very well. She’s not far out of our way."

The two men turned in that direction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And your name is?" Anya prompted the new girl who had accompanied Jane.

"M-melody."

"Very well, Melody, why don’t you tell me what brings you here."

Jane immediately intervened as Melody’s tears welled up again. Anya was starting to regret ever telling her to bring the girl here.

"She’s very emotional right now, could we just get on with things."

Anya nodded. "Very well, come with me, Melody. We’ll need to get you out of those things so that I can see how you’re doing alright?"

Melody looked hesitantly at Cordelia, who nodded and shooed her along as she followed behind. Anya noticed her shadowing them.

"Jane, why don’t you just wait in my office here, we won’t be but a few moments and your friend might be more comfortable." Anya gestured her into the small room and shut the door firmly behind her.

Cordelia started to protest, but slumped into the chair beside the desk instead. She’d done what she could. Now they’d just have to wait and see.

She took in the ledgers stacked on the polished walnut surface of the desk, the clear indications of a well-run business that looked much like her father’s at home. That was odd, she’d never really thought of a brothel as a business before, more a den of iniquity, really. She reached for the file on the corner just as
a sound outside the door caught her attention. She straightened back, not wanting to be caught snooping as the door swept open to reveal two men, one of whom Cordelia recognized as Xander Harris. Why, he was at the dinner party the Henderson family had held week before last. Talking to her father. She started to grab for her veil, but from his startled expression, he’d already recognized her as well.

She wasn’t sure whether she should try to run or faint from mortification. As they were blocking the door, she opted for the latter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Miss Chase, Miss Chase?" A vial of smelling salts was waved on her nose and she found herself coming to in the arms of a strange man who regarded her with worried blue eyes.

"Yes?" she answered groggily as he picked her up and sat her gently in the larger chair behind Anya’s desk before kneeling at her feet and holding her steady.

"Are you alright? I’m afraid we must have given you a start bursting through the door in the manner we did."

"I’m fine." She looked at him more closely. Blue eyes, dark hair, lovely accent, who was he? "I’m sorry, have we met?"

He sprang back at the comment. "I am so deeply sorry, I fear we have not been properly introduced." He looked over at Xander Harris, who still stood in the doorway watching them in sort of a detached fascination, much as one might observe exotic animals in a zoo. He shook his head. "It’s something in the water. Or air. Maybe both."

The stranger gave him a glare and Harris straightened up. "Right then. Sorry. Miss Chase, it’s nice to see you again. May I introduce Mr. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce? Mr. Wyndam-Pryce is with our London office and will be visiting in the city for some time." He then turned to Wesley. "And this of course is Miss Cordelia Chase. Her father is Richard Chase."

Mr. Wyndam-Pryce smiled down on her. "Ah, I had the pleasure of meeting your father recently, Miss Chase." As Cordelia paled, he realized her discomfort. "Not that I would of course mention our meeting here, were I to see him again."

She breathed a sigh of relief until the next question followed from Mr. Harris. "Speaking of, precisely what is a lady like yourself doing here, Miss Chase?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anya helped the young girl refasten her gown, as she was clearly unused to performing such tasks on her own. Part of her wanted to laugh at the rich, spoiled thing in front of her, who would have crossed to the other side of the street had she seen her coming on the main thoroughfare. But there was something so genuine in how excited the girl had been when she’d confirmed that she was indeed expecting and was in fact quite far along. This was not a woman who was interested in parting with her child. But something had driven her to this point.

"Melody, why don’t you tell me the real story."

As she babbled on about her Riley and their forbidden love, Anya couldn’t help but feel a little admiration. There was clear devotion on her part to this solider, probably unfounded, but she seemed so sure of him.

"And then Father made this contract to have me marry that Montgomery fellow. And he’ll be back soon and I don’t know what to do.

The words registered and Anya stopped her and gripped her arm tightly. "What did you just say?"

Melody backpedaled. "Nothing, I’m sorry, I said too much."

Anya kept her grip and pulled the girl along. "I think we need to go have a talk with your friend." She opened her office door to find Jane in panicked conversation with Xander and Wesley.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So let me see if I have this straight, just to be sure." Wesley took a deep breath. "Harmony, you married this Riley last summer, in a ceremony before a minister, in Savannah. And you have a marriage license?"

She nodded.

"But he’s been reported ill or possibly dead?"

Harmony whimpered. "I haven’t heard from him in more than a month now."

"And now your father’s engaged you to marry William Montgomery?"

At the final nod, Wesley looked at Anya and Xander, who gave an answering smile.

"Would you ladies mind waiting here a moment for us?"

The three moved quickly into the hallway.

"Did you hear what she just said? She’s already wed, William has no problems now. There’s no way Wilkins can defame him of Buffy, he wouldn’t dare," Anya squealed.

Wesley shook his head. "It does appear we’ve found just what we needed, in a rather roundabout way. But there’s one problem."

Xander nodded. "We need to find this Riley and this wedding certificate. Without them, the case is less solid."

Anya waived that notion away. "Please, Xander she’s pregnant. She’ll be big as a house in a few months."

Xander nodded. "And with no Riley around, what’s to stop Wilkins from insisting William got her in the family way? He’s whispered around the engagement to a select few already, it would be enough to make the rumor plausible."

"So we really need this Riley?"

"I believe we do." Wesley turned to his friend. "Are you up for a little trip, Xander?"

"Yes I am. We’ll get direction to the plantations where he’s supposed to be and we’ll be off."

Anya stopped them "What should I tell the girls?"

"I’d tell them everything. They’re very much a part of this, and the more they cooperate, the better." Xander assured her, "We’ll be back in a few days. Take care, Anya."

He and Wesley bustled out the door and into the sunlight. "So, Miss Chase, huh?" Xander commented off hand, as they turned towards the military encampment to find the soldier, Graham.

Wesley blushed just a bit. "She seemed like quite a nice girl."

Xander laughed. "Wesley’s smitten. I knew it was just a matter of time."

~~~~~~~~~~~

"And he’s in love with Elizabeth Crawford? That’s so romantic. If I’d have only known, it’s almost as romantic as my sweet Riley and I eloping."

Anya thrust a fresh handkerchief at her. "Yes, indeed. Now listen carefully, both of you. Go home quietly. I’ll have a maid, her name is Winifred, come and bring a message to you as soon as we hear about Riley. If he’s had the swamp fever, there’s a good chance he’ll be alright. It’s far milder this time of year, unlike in the summer months. But it takes a toll, so he might just have lacked the strength to travel, yet."

"You really think so?"

"I do."

Cordelia rose. "We’d best be going Harmony." She was still a little shaky from the events of the afternoon, from the meeting of the dashing Mr. Wyndam-Pryce, to the unfolding of the tangled web that had enveloped them all over the last few months. If they could find Riley, perhaps everything could work out.

"Thank you again, Madam Anya, for your help. Do we . . ." She opened her purse hesitantly.

Anya waved her away. "Think nothing of it. In a roundabout way, you’ve provided a great service to a good friend of mine with your news."

Cordelia carefully sat her hat on her head and adjusted the veil before turning at the door. "I . . .I’m not sure how to say this, but you’re not what I expected."

Anya smiled. "Neither are you. Perhaps we should both try to remember that in the future."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Buffy looked at the piles of essays in front of her and reached instead to pour another cup of tea. The last few weeks as she’d settled in at Miss Greenlee’s had been trying, but she was slowly settling in, she thought.

And at least she had little time to ruminate on her decision.

She idly stirred sugar into the cup. Well, except for nights like these, when she was alone in the room she’d been assigned, with nothing but some papers and a good book to keep her company.

She supposed she could have gone and joined in with some of the other instructors, but the few times she’d tried, she found herself becoming nostalgic for home. When she would be curled by the fireplace, listening to Willow’s bright chatter or Tara’s soft laugh. And then perhaps William would arrive, bringing Dawn with him. They’d settle quietly down and she’d listen to him talk about his day as the fire burned down and the shadows grew longer.

And then . . . she should stop this train of thought. Because then her remembrances always seemed to shift a little away from well-impressed reality to the fanciful notions of what might have been but never would. A future where the house was no longer hers, but theirs, peopled with those near and dear to them, a home. Their home. Where she was his wife.

Tomorrow was the day Dawn was to arrive. Miss Greenlee had alerted her this morning. And that meant William would be here as well. She’d given it a great deal of thought and determined the safest, no, the wisest course of action would just be to make herself absent until he departed. It might be cowardice on her part, but she simply didn’t think she could withstand the pleading she’d seen in his eyes the day they’d left. Not this time.

She pulled the first essay towards her and began to read carefully, blocking out the thoughts that just made her angry and a little bitter. It was all in the past. That door was closed, by choice. She could have stayed in Charleston, perhaps even convinced herself to carry on some pale imitation of a relationship with him. She wasn’t fool enough to think he would have stayed away or that she would have resisted him forever.

But she would have grown to hate him for it. So this was her here and now, a small fire, a cozy room, a quiet night. Her well worn copy of Jane Eyre ready for another read when she settled in for the night. She’d never had such appreciation for Jane as she did now.

It would have to be enough.





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