A Change of Business

[Valentina Audley]

Valentina relaxes a little, leaning her head back and resting her hands primly on her lap.

"I'm rather afraid the unpleasantness would likely seem nonsensical darling, without months of learning our ways anyway. In the meantime it is best you are truthfully able to claim ignorance."

Now for the matter of how vampires become. She's not surprised at the question, indeed she remembers sitting before a fire, with her head resting against Andrew's knee as she asked the same question, full of the same curiosity as Jacob is now displaying.

"Ah, no darling. Not in the manner you are thinking, though it could be considered a birth I suppose. A new beginning certainly!" She smiles up at him.

"I was born mortal, the child of a tailor who worked his way out of the slums. He had discerning clients and one of them, ah," she pauses briefly. "One of them was Andrew." Even now she can't say his name without longing for him. It's a weakness and one she means to conquer.

"Andrew courted me, took me into his service and after such time as he felt I was ready... Well, here I am."

Not the truth. Not even close. Well, about Andrew anyway. But it was the sort of lie a ghoul could really take to and the aim of tonight was to bolster Jacob's belief in her so that she could bind him closer in her service.

[Jacob Swainswick]

"My G-d!" he breathed.

The young man made the minutest gesture, as though to take her hand: his face coloured as he caught himself. Instead he sat, transfixed.

"Were you not afraid? What - what was it like?"

He thought fleetingly of his own moment of revelation. He'd been surprisingly calm as she revealed herself; afterwards, he'd ascribed this to the kindness of her nature, which even then he'd been readily able to detect. Even now, her obvious concern for him warmed him to the depths of his being. Darling, we're going to be such good friends. Such a sensitive creature; he could only marvel at what her courage must have been.

[Valentina Audley]

She notes the move and files it away for later. It'll be in her favour if he thinks he's initiated things, so that can be built on.

"Do you know, I don't really remember darling. It was," she grins, inviting him with her eyes to share the joke "a very long time ago now!"

Another honeyed lie. It'd been awful and she remembered well the fear and the horror. Andrew... Well, tall, dark, handsome men meant trouble her mother had hinted but as a girl Valentina had been frankly disbelieving. It'd turned out her mother was right and yet... Even now Valentina cannot quite believe that Andrew hadn't cared for her even as he'd hurt her. It was true she was doing well right now despite the precariousness of her position but given a choice she's not sure that she'd not choose for Andrew to be back with her again, her lord and lover and her guidance through their murky world. She sighed softly, then realised it didn't quite match the mood she'd been creating and moved to excuse it.

"Goodness me," she opens her eyes wide in faux surprise "counting back, it really has been such a very long time! Somehow I'd not quite realised... It gets lonely, after a while..." She bites her lip and looks down. A chance for her chivalrous young man to further ensnare himself...

[Jacob Swainswick]

"My dear Miss Audley! Come now, you are not alone."

Her plight wrung his heart; he could well imagine how the weight of years (decades? centuries?) must lie heavy on a sensitive soul condemned to such eternal secrecy.

"You must have many admirers, I am sure," and he neatly avoided the slip, "and friends, of course, like Mr. Verity - who, if I may make so bold, is fortunate indeed to have your acquaintance.

"And you would do me a service to permit me to count myself amongst them. Miss Audley - you, who have been so kind to me. If you would have me, you will not find so stalwart a friend. You need not be alone: I will not abandon you. I swear it!"

[Valentina Audley]

Well, also useful to note an appeal to his chivalrous instincts is currently more effective than one to his libido. She debates leaning against him in pretended melancholy and then decides, regretfully, against it. The key here is time. Tonight's work is well begun but rushing here will end up in having to unpick and start again and Valentina cannot abide sloppy work. In ghouls or stitching.

So instead she takes a seemingly calming deep breath, smiles tremulously up at him and murmurs "How kind you are darling."

Another deep breath and she's apparently steadied her emotions, to be able to smile more cheerfully at him. "This is all very well and good darling, but I really should go and make some progress on Lady Hawes' satin bodice and you, my very dear lad, need your sleep, else you'll yawn your way through tomorrow!" The tone is playfully chiding, the facial expression almost maternal for a moment, before dimpling into a cheekier smile for a split second.

[Jacob Swainswick]

Regretfully, she was correct.

Jacob insisted on finishing the stock-take before retiring; and if he drew that process out a little longer so as to linger, perhaps he should not be blamed. Eventually, however, he could find no further excuse, so with a quiet, "good-night, Miss Audley," he repaired to his small apartment.

With a single candle for company, a nightshirted figure sat perched on the edge of his bed for long minutes, lost in thought. She was still downstairs; the dancing of the light reminded him of her nimble fingers, flickering adroitly.

But a short flight of stairs away.

He breathed her name.

Guiltily, he pinched out the flame, sliding between his sheets. If he held his breath he fancied that he could hear her soft movements below. It was a long time before Morpheus claimed him, wrapping him in turbulent dreams.