Chapter 61
Previously: The Rose of Whitby – Chapter 60
He can see her hands lifting. Is she going to pounce? Holding on with more strength than he could break away from? Higher, higher… all the way up to her face before she starts squealing in embarrassment and telling him she can’t kiss him!
That… was not the reaction he expected and he can’t hold in a snort. More at himself for ever having taken his own hypothesis seriously than any other reason. “Rose petal, you’ve kissed your Papa more often than I can count. Please, no reason to be embarrassed. It’s a father’s duty and joy to provide for the child he loves.”
~~~~
Arthur… is kind of glad that Dr Seward doesn’t think the biting/kissing thing is a big deal, because… well, Darcy bit him and it’d be embarrassing if, uh, it was that sort of thing- and he doesn’t think it was. After all… it felt like a hug.
~~~~
“Come here, rose petal. Let me show you that love. A safe social bite, no reason to worry about any potentially questionable reactions. You can do that for me, right?” Jack coaxes and keeps talking. He doesn’t think he’d have any questionable (by all those societal standards that make precious little sense to him) reactions to a hunting bite from her. That’s his little girl after all. He’s half convinced all he’d feel is the love and care he has for her anyway. What more would be needed to keep him right there to offer his blood to her?
So he tries to make her feel better by just talking her through it, the way he’s done with so many things he’s been teaching her. Now he’s doubly glad he did all those experiments with Lucy for them to figure out how to take full conscious control of the bite. Clearly, Darcy hasn’t figured that out yet.
~~~~
Social bite? What’s that, Arthur wonders- probably it’d be rude to start taking notes right there, but he has the itch to. He’ll have to try and remember to ask Darcy later.
~~~~
Oh… oh right, she could do that. That wouldn’t be so bad; Darcy would like her papa to know how much she loves him! Yes, she’ll do that, and he knows how to talk her through it. There’s nothing in the world she can’t do when her papa explains it!
~~~~
She’s always so eager, even with her emotions. Jack ends up wrapping his free arm around her to steady himself when she hardly gives him a moment after she bites down on his wrist, overly cautious, to shove all her burning feelings at him. She’s so much her mother’s daughter, the intensity and clarity and just sheer level of those emotions are overwhelming to him. His own emotions never feel like this, and all of hers are so sweet and caring. She hasn’t figured out how to focus on one, so she just flooded him.
His rose petal, his little girl. No, he doesn’t mind the tears. Those emotions of hers, that deep joy and love she has, that’s all he ever worked for, that’s why all those years of fighting for her were worth it. He loves her and he’s not worried about showing that both by offering his own emotion back to her, his fatherly care and wish for her best, and by leaning down to put a kiss on her hair.
~~~~
Arthur thought the ‘social bite’ was supposed to be safe- and, well, maybe it is, but it looks so emotional that he blushes and turns a bit to give them privacy.
~~~~
This terrible, dark urge for his blood she is supposed to have manifests in a sheepish pout when he has to ask her twice to let go. That was all it took. This monstrous curse of hers. Damnation on her soul and all the other things the hunters talk about. He has his own dark urge to set their world on fire for ever having made him question her.
His sweet little girl kissing her bite better with a chirp and loud declaration in words, too, that she loves him! Then she does her usual thing, declares that it’s really not fair though, now she has to bite Daddy so he knows she loves him, too! Dabbing his tears away with a handkerchief, her declaration makes Jack laugh. Oh yes, the evil, manipulative dhampir, trying to find ways to catch more prey! Cretins. The hunters are all cretins.
So instead, he encourages her. Yes, she should, it would make her daddy very happy.
~~~~
Oh… if Papa thinks it’s okay to bite Daddy… bite others… Maybe she misunderstood this all? If Papa is encouraging her, and now that he has explained how to do social bites- maybe her mother can explain more about hunting bites! Maybe she’s not a harlot if she bites more people? Maybe she wouldn’t be bad? She’ll have to talk to John about it. If her papa and John agree, then there absolutely couldn’t be anything bad about it!
~~~~
Arthur still feels kind of awkward and out of place, but turns around again towards Darcy and Dr Seward.
~~~~
She might be a rather bad excuse for a soul cursed to damnation, but his rose petal is a healthy young woman with a healthy appetite, for blood at least. “Would you be so kind and heal me, Arthur? I believe I finally found a way to have rose petal eat a sensibly sized portion.”
~~~~
“Oh, yes, of course!” Arthur says, happy to have something useful to do- even if it involves him resting his fingers on Dr Seward’s sleeve, so having to step closer.
~~~~
Maybe she shouldn’t, but she’s been listening to how her papa and daddy talk, so Darcy chirps with a grin: “If you are a sensibly sized portion, then Daddy is going to give me a belly ache from being too large a portion.”
~~~~
Jack snorts and is going to make a point of telling Lucy about this, she’ll laugh very hard at her daughter certainly having no idea how that could be interpreted.
~~~~
Arthur’s pretty sure that’s not how it works- she can decide how much blood she drinks, after all, size of the person she drinks from doesn’t matter… But he’s also pretty sure that would be taking a joke too literal, so he decides to keep that to himself. With Dr Seward healed, he steps back to look around properly and see where they actually are.
It’s dark, of course, but the clouds above reflect some of the ambient light of the city- that doesn’t happen out in the country, he realizes, the nights are both darker and clearer there. There are some big trees making black silhouettes around them, and they’re standing near a flagstone path on… a lawn? There are some strange shapes on the grass in rows and clusters nearby- almost like scales? He’s reminded of gravestones, except these only come up to maybe his knees? Between the trees further along the path, he can see the glow of a lit window, the vague outline of a single-storey building.
“…Where are we?” he asks.
~~~~
“Hyde Park Pet Cemetery.” Jack answers, checks his location, and adds with a smile. “Three rows down from where Art buries his favourite terriers to be exact. Rose petal, would you want to go pay your respects? I lack the sentimentality for it, but I’m sure your daddy would like it.”
He is not surprised at all when she immediately dashes off, counts the rows and then, because she doesn’t know which graves it is exactly, kneels down in front of each to kiss her fingers and put them to the stone. While she does that, Jack mentions to Arthur: “That right there is our excuse for being here so late should the keeper over there come out.” Gesturing to the single close-by building, he starts walking “Otherwise, this is by far the closest open space to Art’s townhouse.”
~~~~
Arthur’s still stuck on the fact that: “There’s a cemetery for pets? I didn’t know that was a thing…” Of course, he’s only been to Hyde Park once or twice, that he can remember, to peer at the fancy people strolling there and their horses and carriages. It is- or was- a bit of a long run from their usual stomping grounds, right through the middle of the city with the important buildings and people and lots of policemen always willing to swing their baton at two dirty urchins lurking around their betters and suspecting them of stealing or begging.
~~~~
“It’s mostly women using it, and some would call them overly sentimental, but I happen to know that a certain young man is helping my rose petal with healing even mice, so I doubt you are of the opinion that animals are below being loved and cherished. Art most certainly has been seen sniffling at pet burials.” As Jack explains, he calls softly, not to be too loud, to Darcy to join them once she’s done being a good daughter to her daddy.
~~~~
“I, um… I like animals,” Arthur agrees. “…If my pet died, I’d want to remember it somewhere nice, too…” He doesn’t really want to think about Katharina or Hannibal dying, though- he just got them!
~~~~
“A dedicated physical space can be beneficial to better deal with any loss. Although, I confess I am very glad that I never again have to accompany Art to Lucy’s grave.” The thought is all but physically distasteful to Jack, but then he feels Darcy taking his hand after she ran up to him and his mind shifts hard. They are in London, outside, together. The thing he wanted for so many years. His fingers around hers grow tight and he has a faint quiver in his voice. “Rose petal, after we’ve done some research tomorrow, how about your papa finally makes good on that promise I gave you on your fifth birthday? How about I take you to the minerals section at the museum?”
~~~~
Her eyes go wide. She’s been dreaming of that for so very, very long. She can’t remember that promise, she must have been too young, but of course her papa does. He’d never break a promise to her! Still, the first question she asks as she starts bouncing is: “Can Arthur come, too?”
~~~~
Arthur has no idea what to say about, right, Art thought Lucy was dead, so she must have a grave and of course he would’ve visited it… So he’s glad for the distraction. “…That sounds interesting?” he says, tries not to sound too eager. He’s always wanted to see a museum, but he’s never dared sneak into one. Gregory once said it’d be easy, and they should do it, but when they got there, it didn’t look easy at all. There was only one door, and he could see the desk where you were supposed to pay for tickets, and there wasn’t really anywhere to hide and use for cover. So Gregory said it looked boring, anyway, and they left to do something else- he doesn’t remember what.
~~~~
“Of course your friend can come.” Jack isn’t surprised, and not too disappointed either. Of course, in his fantasies about this day Darcy was alone with him, but she had also been younger in his mind. He had still had hope to solve her supposed curse while she was a little girl. She is a young woman now and has her own social circle. At least it is Arthur, not Mr Cobb.
This might even be enjoyable, he suspects the children to infect each other with questions. Yes, he is looking forward to going to the museum with both of them, and if he is any expert in this, with Art, too. Nothing in the world is going to stop that man from doing fatherly things with his sugar doll.
~~~~
Arthur feels a frisson of excitement- really going to a museum! He offers Darcy a grin- it sounds fun!
Grinning right back at him, Darcy chirps a “Thank you!” at her papa. Tomorrow will be the happiest day of her life!
~~~~
Maybe it is petty, but Jack feels… let him check, yes, he believes that is smug. He is the reason for his rose petal’s happiest day. Take that, Mr Cobb, on clearly failing both at the wedding and the honey moon. Yes, competitiveness is illogical, but his little girl is worth fighting dirty for.
Right now, though, he checks his watch. The gates likely will be closed on them, but nothing too difficult. If a guard is still nearby, he simply will present their excuse and point at the waiting noble carriage, if not, one lock isn’t anything that should stop him for longer than some minutes. Or it might present an interesting test for how Darcy’s strength has progressed if he doesn’t mind the obvious break-in, well, break-out, but the constabulary wouldn’t know that.
~~~~
Arthur, in response to Darcy’s words, blushes a little and says, no, as far as he can remember, the best day of his life would be his birthday party and getting Hannibal, but it will definitely be great! He’s wanted to see a museum for ages!
~~~~
“In that case, maybe we should check some brochures to pick the right museum. Not that this has to be the only time I take you two. Or John as well, if he is interested.” Jack makes sure to pick the most picture perfect smile he has to direct at Arthur, then smirks. “And I hope you won’t tell on me if I open that gate for us.” No guard, but the street is a bit too populated for his taste to expose Darcy’s power. Especially with the carriage standing directly across from them, the driver might gossip to the rest of the staff.
~~~~
Even a selection of museums? This sounds better and better! And of course Arthur nods to Dr Seward saying not to tell on him- though he is curious what he’s going to do that isn’t to be told on.
What he does do, is pick the lock- with a professional’s nonchalance, distracting any onlookers with body language to look like he’s searching his pockets for a key, and like it’s a bit difficult to turn, but like he has every right to be standing here at this gate, fiddling with it.
Arthur is impressed. He’s nicked things, of course, but he’s never quite managed that “nothing to see here” aspect with the body language and all that makes people look past you. And he doesn’t really know how to pick locks at all. He wonders if Dr Seward would teach him…
~~~~
Darcy knows that her papa can do absolutely anything, so she’s not surprised at all, just strolls along the bushes at the gate, looking if any of them still have something nice-smelling on them, oh, or which dog was here last. She hopes that one has an owner, she knows that smell, poor thing has an infection. But no, she can’t run all over London trying to track it down so she can bring it to her hospital.
Instead, she bounces back to her papa’s side once the gate is open and flows on his offered arm. It’s so nice to be out with him! Just as nice as she always dreamed! And there’s Daddy’s carriage with the big emblem right on the doors.
~~~~
Arthur steps out, too, and Dr Seward closes the gate behind them with just as much calm entitlement as he opened it, and then they’re heading across the street to an actual noble carriage. Of course, it doesn’t draw much attention in this part of town- and it’s very strange to be not drawing much attention himself in this part of town. He’s wearing a nice, good suit, so people assume he belongs here.
~~~~
The driver greets Jack by name, but Jack stops him from climbing down to open the doors for them. He’s well aware Art employs veterans crippled during service, and he knows this one has a prosthetic leg. He is still an excellent driver, but frankly, Jack finds it too illogical having to wait on the man to get down and back up just because it is a bit uncouth to open his own door.
Uncouth is one of those terrible etiquette things that are just plainly irrational. He’s aware of it, and he’s also aware that most of the time he plays by the rules, always unsure what is too far a breech, but this is one of Art’s people. They might be a danger to his dhampir, they are not a danger to his reputation. So he just opens the door himself and helps Darcy in.
~~~~
Did… did her papa just break an etiquette rule? Darcy wonders. But he’s always so perfect! What? This doesn’t make any sense. Etiquette rules are there to keep you safe. Maybe this is because he’s a man? But if Papa doesn’t follow all rules… She’ll have to think about that. Better yet, talk to John about it.
~~~~
Arthur climbs into the carriage at Dr Seward’s nod- the carriage is really plush and comfortable on the inside, but it also shows some signs of use. He decides he likes that- it makes it feel more comfortable, like he doesn’t have to be so self-conscious about creasing the curtains or scuffing the upholstery or something.
~~~~
Darcy inhales deeply. Her daddy’s carriage, it smells of him… and, um, oh… oh. She breaks off in her happy declaration thereof as she turns deep red.
~~~~
If she manages a few more of those, Lucy is going to start feeling left out that she didn’t get to see all of them, Jack thinks, pats her hair and, having absolutely no trouble whatsoever guessing what she smelled, tells her it’s alright. That’s just how her daddy is and it makes her mother very happy, so it’s good.
~~~~
Arthur’s rather sure he doesn’t want to know why Darcy is so red suddenly and what it has to do with making Lucy very happy- he’s just going to pretend nothing happened and instead peek out the window as they drive through the wide, clean streets of Mayfair. He really never thought he’d be one of the people riding in a carriage, rather than one of the people watching carriages pass by.
~~~~
Once they roll through the gate into the private courtyard shared between the three town houses of Art and his neighbours, Jack tries hard not to laugh because of course Art is standing in the open door, too eager to see his sugar doll again to stand on protocol. So much for properly welcoming the Lady Rossmore to Godalming House. Oh very well, Art so likes being scandalous and it makes Lucy happy and to be fair, the neighbours are used to worse, having to live wall to wall with England’s most scandalous bachelor. So he opens the door and then tells Darcy to yes, go run up to her daddy.
~~~~
Can she really? It’s not the proper way to do it. She should be helped down and be all reserved and decorous… but Papa said it’s alright, so she lifts her skirts and hops down the step before running at Art with a happy giggle, squeals when he lifts her up and hugs her tight.
~~~~
Arthur can’t help but feel intimidated with all these windows of fancy town houses looking down on him, but he does his best to get out of the carriage like he’s done it before. And he has to say that he is glad to see Art- he might be a noble, but half the time Arthur forgets that, he’s usually so nice and normal. Kind of like Darcy, really.
So he makes his way over to say hello- resists the urge to pet the horse on his way, too. The horse doesn’t know him, after all, and he wouldn’t want to make trouble for the driver or anything.
~~~~
Still holding Darcy, Art steps back inside, lifts her up to one shoulder, then grins at Arthur. “I think that was one of the best telegraphs I ever got. Welcome to Godalming House! Your rooms are ready upstairs. Have you had a proper dinner yet? Or a proper late night snack? You can start working tomorrow.”
~~~~
Jack chuckles at hearing his best friend do exactly what he expected from him. “You old mother hen. If I couldn’t see you right now I would suspect you of bouncing. Go, show rose petal her room, I know you want to. Also, rose petal, tell your daddy what we did on the way here.” With Art and Darcy already going towards the stairs, Jack turns to Arthur. “I can show you your room or I could hand you over to the servants. What would you prefer?”
~~~~
“Um,” Arthur says, since he didn’t expect that question at all, “it’d be nice if you could show me?” Dr Seward is a bit intimidating, sure, but at least he knows him a little by now, and he never knows how to act around servants…
~~~~
“Not a problem.” Long used to servants, Jack himself hands his coat (and blanket) to the waiting maid, then walks Arthur upstairs. Hearing Darcy’s giggle reverberate down the corridor, he smiles. “Those two make each other ten years younger each.”
~~~~
“…That’s good, right?” Arthur’s pretty sure that was a positive comment, though Darcy being ten years younger would make her a little girl. Which, well, there is a lot of giggling…
~~~~
“Very.” Not having seen Art with Darcy as a little girl might be one of Jack’s biggest regrets in life, so yes, that they clearly have no intentions of letting themselves be stopped from making up for lost time is soothing. Art doesn’t resent him for the loss, he is working to make it better and knowing how little energy Art can have at times, knowing that he’s investing so much into… their daughter gives Jack a good amount of vague but enjoyable emotions he won’t bother trying to dissect in detail. Art makes him comfortable to just accept the softer impulses without having to understand them.
Turning to Arthur with a chuckle he focuses back on the other child currently in his care, although really, he should know better than to fall into a similar mindset as Art. They are not children, they are young adults, still. “Now let us see if Art remembered that you aren’t ten years old. He may have gotten very excited about having you children over.”
~~~~
Arthur doesn’t know whether Art remembered his age or not, but there’s well-thumbed novels with covers full of cowboys and horses on the shelves, and… an actual telescope by the window? He walks over and looks at it cautiously, but… that’s so cool!
~~~~
Chuckling Jack strolls over to the bookshelf to make sure he sees right which books are stacked up high. “And that answers that question. Please don’t take it as an insult; these are his own favourite childhood adventure books. He means well, he wants to make you feel comfortable. I stole his opportunity to have children, so he may be slightly overcompensating now.”
~~~~
Arthur gives Dr Seward a surprised look. “Um… I don’t mind? I, uh… I look forward to reading some of them? They look interesting…” If there’s horses and adventure, what more could he want?
~~~~
“They are, and thank you.” Jack hopes that’s the right thing to say but he means it.
Any further words get cut short anyway as Darcy crashes into the room squealing and holding up a garment to Jack. “Daddy got me a cycling skirt! Can I wear that? Is that not wrong? It’s basically trousers!”
Art might look just a little bit sheepish as Jack looks up over Darcy’s head and raises an eyebrow at him. “You are a terrible, feminist influence on her.” But on this one, he’ll defer to Art. That’s social rules, they always are irrational. If Art deems it safe enough for Darcy to be part of this movement, then he trusts his friend. So he pats Darcy’s hair. “If you like it, then yes, you can wear it.”
~~~~
Arthur isn’t sure what he was being thanked for by Dr Seward, so he doesn’t mind Darcy’s interruption at all. Not that he has any opinion on the ‘cycling skirt’- he doesn’t think he’s ever seen one, but whatever Darcy is holding up looks too voluminous for trousers. Anyway, Art and Dr Seward clearly have that question answered between them, so instead, he offers an: “Um, thank you for the nice room?” to Art.
~~~~
That gets Art to beam at him. “Jack basically just dropped your arrival on me, so sorry that it’s not much. Settle in first. After that, we gentlemen can discuss anything further in the smoking room.” Turning to Darcy again, he adds with a wink: “Would the young lady be amenable to honouring us with her presence as well? We promise not to be too rude. I won’t say anything that would have upset your mother, may she rest in peace.”
Really, really, Art? Jack nearly wants to shake his head at him, but it is a way to both make it clear that they won’t be proper and to not give away that Lucy very much isn’t resting in peace. More likely she’s out on the town, catching herself a midnight snack at a bar somewhere.
~~~~
Arthur decides he shouldn’t quip about how that’s not as reassuring as Art thinks it is- he’s not supposed to know Lucy, after all. Or speak ill (?) of the dead… So he nods, and puts down his back pack, which… is pretty much him settled in, he doesn’t know what else he’s supposed to do.
~~~~
Seeing the way Darcy and Arthur are looking at him a bit confused and the growing smirk on Jack’s face, Art coughs. “Right, not nobles. Sorry, let’s just go now.”
~~~~
Arthur’s never been in a smoking room, but Art’s is nice- comfortable. Lots of very cushy furniture and warm dark colours and books and things. It does smell of smoke, a bit, a nice, spicy-sweet aroma. Art invites them to make themselves comfortable and does so himself, half-lying sprawled on a couch. They chat for a while- they can’t really talk about what they’re really there for, what with servants being around, so mostly they end up talking about going to the museum tomorrow, and the city, and things.
At some point, Art gets up and opens the window, claims it’s a bit warm in the room- it isn’t really, though, and Arthur realizes why when he notices the little bat head peeking out of Art’s sleeve when he sits back down, wiggling its- or her- ears and, it’s hard to tell, but Arthur thinks she might’ve winked at him. And Lucy’s voice greets him in his mind as she wishes him a good evening.
Her being there means that she can mentally pass on to Art what they’re really there for, and both her and Art agree that it sounds like it’s something like a ghouling.
They don’t stay up too much longer from that point, any research is planned for the morning, and so Arthur climbs into a very comfortable guest bed. After he had a little peek through the telescope, but all he got to see was clouds, unfortunately.
He does read two of the novels before he goes to sleep, and they are fun- and he’s looking forward to the next day. He had a similar feeling of happy anticipation before his birthday party, he thinks. It’s new, but he likes it. He really hopes the museum is everything he imagines it to be.