Emily DeClaire Pt.3
EMILY DECLAIRE Pt. 3
Chapter one | Constance pt.1 : Constance pt.2
Chapter two | Mister Topper pt.1 : Mister Topper pt.2
Chapter three | Madame Leota pt.1 : Madame Leota pt.2
Chapter four | The Hostess
Chapter five | Captain Blood pt.1 : Captain Blood pt.2
Chapter six | Emily DeClaire pt.1 : Emily DeClaire pt.2 : Emily DeClaire pt.3
Chapter seven | Finale
As soon as the sun was down I had grabbed my only other dress - the one I wore when I first arrived in this dreaded town. I opened my windows and fumbled with the lock- with all my urgency and panic I hadn’t heard the door open.
“Emily!” My grandfather snarled, but I was already out the window and off the overhang.
I didn’t land in a bed of wildflowers this time but instead in the arms of a man.
“Looks like I caught a little birdie.”
“Henry, put me down I have to get to Mister Topper!”
My grandfather raced into view in the doorway, ravenous with anger.
“No can do, see I’ve gotten paid a pretty penny to teach you two some respect.” He rolled his head from side to side, “No hard feelings I hope?”
“Yes! Yes, hard feelings! Henry if William knew-!”
“Well he won’t.” He snapped, “So long as Charlie keeps his mouth shut, it was hell trying to get him to agree to grab the old man.”
I was frantic now, thrashing about in Henry’s arms till he finally lost hold of me and I dropped to the ground, grandfather caught my wrists and pulled me toward him.
“Emily, I’m starting to get upset.” He growled, but I spat in his face and glared.
“IF YOU HURT HIM I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU.” He slapped me across the face so hard I saw stars, then looked to Henry.
“Go get the old man, your co-worker should have been here by now.”
“Leave it to Charlie to have a hard time grabbing a senior citizen.” Henry grumbled and marched through the house.
“As for you.” He pulled me inside and brought me to the living room, grandfather pushed me onto the couch and glared down to me. “I was hoping to discuss this the night you were gone, but it seems I must do it now.”
“What do you want to know? If I’ve kissed him? If I’ve given myself to him? And for what? Because you will never have me as I would let Mister Topper have me!” He slapped me across the mouth but I turned my face back to him, I narrowed my gaze.
“You’ll shut up until I ask you to speak.” He trailed his gaze down my body and ground his teeth together, “I was going to inquire about your alias, little canary.”
“I am the canary, I helped those poor people when you wouldn’t, I listened to them when you wouldn’t, I SAW THROUGH YOUR LIES WHEN THIS TOWN COULD NOT!”
“Because you have slave blood in you!”
“BECAUSE I AM NOT SO BLINDED BY IGNORANCE AND HATE AS YOU!” He squeezed my cheeks so I could not speak.
“You’ve gone too far you wretched girl, do you know what your stunt has cost my reputation? What will it do to my career?” I felt his grip loosen as he stared into my eyes, leaning closer.
“Oi! We got him!” Henry shouted from the door, Mister Topper hanging between Charlie and Henry.
“Miss Emily?” Charlie gasped, “Henry we shouldn’t be-.”
“You’ll shut your mouth, this is good money do you understand?”
“Horatio!” I screamed and hurried to his side, Henry and Charlie dropped him, I pulled his head onto my lap as tears trickled down my cheeks.
“I won’t have anymore part in this, you never said this involved Miss Emily.”
“What? It’s not like we’re beating the crap out of her, just her old man - but you know what I just needed you to grab the geezer so by all means I’ll take your share.”
Charlie shook his head and walked over to me, I could see from the corner of my eye that he was hesitating to comfort me.
“What is the matter with you?” I screamed.
“I suppose you should have listened to me, now I have to show you what happens when someone touches my things.”
“I don’t belong to you.” I felt Mister Topper’s hand weakly try to wipe away my tears, “Horatio…” I smiled and clutched his hand close.
“I love you… little flower.”
“I love you too.” I felt the sinking feeling in my stomach, I can’t let him take Horatio from me, I won’t.
“Enough!” My grandfather grabbed me and I pulled back, on my feet now I took hold of his hand and bit him. “WRETCHED GIRL!” And he slapped me, Charlie pulled me against him quickly while glaring at my grandfather.
“Don’t.” Charlie was built the same as grandfather, large and tall as he met his gaze. I hadn’t seen my grandfather actually look intimidated before, but he turned to Mister Topper instead of pursuing the matter further.
“He’s lucky he lived this long, the Toppers have already been on my list before.” I wanted to grab his throat and dig my nails into his flesh to make him stop talking, to keep him from Horatio. “It’s a town-wide mystery what happened to the Topper’s, why they left their sons in the middle of the night?” He looked back at me with a cruel smile, “But I know what happened to them.”
“You’re a horrible man.” I hissed.
“It happened just as tonight would have, had I not intervened. This man’s parents decided to help Claude and that temptress leave the town since I had forbidden him from being with that girl, that disgusting slave. I was going to give her to my officers and let it be done with - but instead I had my men grab up the Toppers and dispose of their bodies.” He shrugged his shoulders, “They shouldn’t have interfered, and now my son is dead just like theirs is about to be.”
“You’re an awful man, Charlie let me go.” I growled while trying to wiggled out of his arms. “I won’t let you! I won’t lose him!”
“If I let you go and you got hurt William would have my head.”
“LET ME GO! I DON’T CARE ABOUT ME! I’VE CARED TOO MUCH ABOUT MYSELF ALREADY!”
“No!”
“Both of you shut up!” Grandfather looked me over and then ran his hand along my cheek. “You have slave blood in your veins, you belong to me, I won’t throw away my slaves that easily.” He turned away from me and stalked around Mister Topper who seemed more than a little disoriented, but he still made an effort to glare at my grandfather. “Typically, you would lose your hand if you were a thief. But I think I have a better idea for you.” I watched in horror as Henry grabbed Mister Topper’s hair and placed his neck against the edge of an opened hatbox.
“No!” I screamed and tried to pull away from Charlie.
“I love you…” Charlie quickly grabbed my head and turned it away, forcing my face into his chest.
“Miss Emily it will be alright, don’t you look, I am here and William is here-.” He was trying to muffle the sounds behind me, I could hear Mister Topper still screaming.
“Emily I love you!” Before a horrible crack, they didn’t finish the first time around so they had to hack again before I heard his head land into the hatbox with a wet ‘thud’.
“I love you too…” I whimpered as I clung against Charlie, I couldn’t stop sobbing. “Mister Topper… I love you too…” I wanted him to hear me, I wanted him to know I would do anything for him- anything.
“There now, Henry I’ll have you dispose of the body in the location we agreed on. And soon enough I’ll have gotten two birds with one stone.”
“Don’t worry Miss Emily I’ll remedy this, I’ll help you.”
“If you want to help me…” I pushed away from Charlie and looked him in the eyes. “Then you’ll kill me.” I grabbed his arms while my legs quivered beneath me. “PLEASE!”
Charlie was too shocked to respond, so my grandfather took my wrists and met Charlie’s gaze.
“I’ll ask you to leave my home before I have you arrested, your bastard captain must be quite worried about you no doubt?” Charlie ground his teeth together but hurried out the door, leaving me alone with my grandfather seeing as Henry had already dragged off Mister Topper’s body, leaving his head and hatbox behind.
My stomach turned as my grandfather walked me up the stairs, there was so much blood… my dress was stained with it and the house smelled of it.
Once I saw my door I shakily reached out for the knob- I wanted to get away and be alone.
Grandfather took hold of my hand and pushed me against my door frame, kissing my collar and my neck.
“Get off me.” I sobbed weakly, using the hand he didn’t have a hold of to push against his face. “Are you deaf?” I growled, tears were coming again.
“Don’t speak to me that way.” He kissed up to my ears and took hold of my hips, the sadness I felt for Mister Topper was becoming overshadowed now by the hatred I held for the man who killed him.
“What will you do?” I snapped, almost choking on my words as I sobbed. “Will you kill me like you did him? You cannot scare me!”
“I will not kill you.” He smiled- that horrible smile. My grandfather opened my door and pushed me in, throwing me on my back onto my bed and standing before me. “I don’t have to kill you, I can break you my own - as I should have with William.”
“You’ve lost any hope to ‘break’ me.” I sat up and glared to him, “Because you are exactly like all those you fear, you’re a murderer, a common criminal.”
“Shut up.”
“You steal what you like, a filthy thief.” He pushed me into the cot and began ripping apart the front of my dress.
“SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” He was kissing me as I attempted to push against him, his hands tore at my skirts revealing my undergarments. Tears, there just seemed to always be tears running down my face.
I bit down on his lower lip which enraged him further, he was ripping the skirts of my chemise.
“You stupid girl! I would have thought killing that hatter might have taught you manners!”
“Go to hell!” I dug my nails into his neck as droplets of red trickled down my fingers.
“Dammit!” He snarled and finally got off me, punching the wall beside my door. “Damn slave! Dammit!”
I sat there with the fabric of my dress around me, his screams stopped once he was downstairs and I was left in silence.
I was left to cry just as I always did, I was pathetic really, I was an awful girl.
———
I attempted a few times to carve my wrists open with my nails, but my grandfather had Delilah check on me regularly to make sure I hadn’t left out the window so she stopped me every time.
He had tried to put his hands on me again as well after that night, but I clawed and bit him.
I would just sit in that room with red rimmed eyes, and when I wasn’t trying to pull the veins from my body I was sobbing.
I ran out of tears before -but now it seemed they were endless.
I would gather it was only a day or two before Delilah came into my room and told me to get dressed.
I had a visitor.
I had nothing to wear really, other than that awful red dress.
So that is what I wore to walk down the stairs to William, who happily announced that we were getting married.
I couldn’t believe it… I was leaving? I was getting out of this awful house?
I looked to my grandfather whose cheeks were like tomatoes, I then looked at William who pulled me into his arms.
“I know about what happened.” He whispered, making my heart strain.
We did everything that day, I was trying to stay as upbeat as I could but looking at the cakes and flowers made me think of Horatio.
I wanted him to be the one to whisk me away in a bridal gown, I loved Horatio.
“Here this one looks lovely and it will match your viel.” William smiled while looking at wedding gowns.
“It’s perfect.” It really was perfect, everything would have been if Mister Topper was there.
“Emily… Is everything alright?” I grinned and hugged William’s arm tightly.
“Of course! How could I complain?”
“Horatio-.”
“Yes, I can’t say I don’t miss him… That I don’t …” I sucked in a breath and swallowed down the lump in my throat.
“Hey… let's go home and see the gypsies, I’ve invited everyone to dance and drink in celebration! Moving those feet will bring that smile back!”
He was just trying to help, he wanted me to be happy again but I just couldn’t do it.
That night at the party was exhausting, I felt hollow in my chest as though all of those things which I had at one point loved now only drained what little life I had left.
And then Madame Leota stopped me.
She drunkenly took my hands and insisted that she was invoking our deal, if I had felt drained before I was empty when we touched hands.
I could feel something inside of my heart moving around, like hands were inspecting my feelings and all of my memories.I was so strangely aware of this feeling I thought I could feel myself pushing against whatever magic she possessed, I could feel her looking somewhere I never wanted anyone to see.
And wherever she had went I could feel it - I could feel my grandfather’s touch all over me, I could feel his eyes on me, I could feel his lips on me.
I grabbed onto her hands and pushed back, I shut out that part of me until I couldn’t feel it anymore and I loosened my hands once more.
She opened her eyes and I had decided to try and act as unassuming as I could.
Nothing was wrong.
Nothing at all.
I just wanted to be alone.
You can’t hurt anyone when you’re alone.
But William pulled me up the stairs and flopped onto his bed, drunk.
“I can’t wait to be married, just as we promised when we were young.”
“William…” I whispered, making him sit up on the mattress and look at me. He could tell something was wrong and dropped his smile. “I have to tell you everything, everything I should have told Mister Topper … I have to get this out of me.” I walked toward him as I unbuttoned my red dress, he quickly covered his eyes but I grabbed his hand and pulled it down. “No, not that…” I had to giggle because he reacted just as Mister Topper had. “I knew about your brand before… Because I also had one.”
“What?!” He clenched his fists. “Who the fuck would dare-?”
“Shh…” I placed my finger over his lips.
Those tears just couldn’t help themselves as I kept going, I told him absolutely everything that had happened since I arrived in Liberty Square, once I told him about the events after Horatio’s death he looked to my ripped chemise and pulled a blanket over my shoulders.
“Dear God Emily, and you’re still so happy.” I tightened the blanket around me and glared.
“No, I am not. I haven’t been happy - I have lied to everyone because …” I wiped my eyes on the blanket.
‘Don’t say it, don’t say it, you’re asking for pity.’
“I don’t deserve happiness, I’ve hurt you, I’ve hurt Horatio, I’ve hurt my parents … I just want to … I want to die.”
“Stop it.” William held me against him and kissed the top of my head, “I’ll do what I can to help, but I won’t let you die Emily … I won’t let that fucking moster hurt you anymore, after tomorrow we’ll leave this place and we’ll see the world…” He pulled back and looked in my eyes, “But only whenever you’re ready to … I will be happy so long as you live on- if not for me then Horatio?” I smiled a bit, giving a slow nod.
For Horatio.
“I suppose I should let you get some sleep then, you’re going to have an awful hangover tomorrow.”
“Oh but first! I had to get this from Horatio’s shop, I had him make something for you.” He rummaged through his wardrobe and pulled out a white hat box. William walked it over and placed it upon my lap, I proceeded to unbuckle it and finally saw resting inside was a crown of flowers with a veil tucked beneath it.
“Oh William…”
“I just thought it was appropriate since you have wildflowers in your hair all the time.” I leaned over and hugged him, lingering on the embrace as I felt the weight on my heart start to lift. I knew there was no magic spell to lift this pain, however just the fact that it was somewhat better made me feel like I had climbed a mountain.
------
William and I slept in the same bed that night, after he had gifted me a new chemise. I wrung my hands all morning because I just felt as though something would go wrong - I’d never gotten away from my grandfather so easily, and he was not a man to just let this go on.
But William assured me everything would be fine, he had me get ready in the attic - thinking that it would be the last place anyone would look for a bride.
I took in my appearance in the dusty mirror and gave a soft smile, “You would have loved this dress, mother.”
“Your father would have as well.”
My blood ran cold and I quickly turned to see my grandfather standing in the attic doorway, holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
“Do not look at me like that, I am merely here to celebrate your marriage.”
“William!” I screamed as grandfather slammed the door shut behind him.
“Here, this will calm your nerves.” He set the glasses on a trunk and began pouring, “And you were so set on the hatter … yet here you are opening your legs once again to the bastard of the Gracey’s.”
“At least I didn’t kill them.”
“I didn’t either, it is one of the many strange deaths of this town.” he grinned, “Here.” He offered me a glass and when I didn’t take it he took a sip from his own. “There, are you satisfied?” I was hesitant but still reached out and took it, giving a sip and as I watched grandfather drink more of his I began drinking more.
“Why are you really here?”
“I was envious, I wanted to see you in your wedding dress first.” His gaze swept over me as it had many times before.
“I never wanted you to touch me like that.”I blurted, no doubt due to the nature of alcohol being liquid courage. “I just wanted you and grandmother to treat me and love me like my mother and father did, I wanted you to treat me like a granddaughter not an object.” He took a long drink from his Champagne till the last of it had cleared his lips and then sighed, looking at his glass with satisfaction.
Then he turned his gaze to me.
“You were an object, you were my slave blooded prize. I hated you in the beginning, I even told your grandmother not to worry when you refused your meals because if you died we would finally be at peace.” He poured himself another glass, the room felt like it was spinning and I backed away from him, till I knocked into another trunk. “Oh Emily, you’ve not drank before have you? Have a seat.” He took my free hand and guided me to sit on the trunk as he refilled my glass in my other hand. “Where was I? Ah, yes, when I hated you. The only redeeming thing about you was that your eyes made me feel closer to Claude, I couldn’t have cared less about your safety, your feelings, or your words.” I took another gulp of champagne as I listened, my fingertips were tingling. “But then I started to notice things, the way your dress cling to you when I found you with William soaking wet, how you sang so sweetly and so beautifully, and how gentle you were in all you did. That was what ended my hatred, your soft hands plucking flowers from the yard and your voice which soothed my mourning heart.”
“Why didn’t you care for me then?” He looked at me rather astonished.
“I did care for you, you were my prized possession - keeping you in your room was no longer out of shame but out of greed. I would not let anyone else have you and one day I would finally take what no one else could, I would hear you beg for me to take it from you and your gentle face would be filled with ecstasy, and you would be mine.” He got to his knees before me and slipped his hands along my ankles and calves. “I was patient, I waited for eight years to hear you say it - to hear you tell me to take it. But that day never came and instead I find you’ve moved onto another man, I got jealous and irrational.” He cooed as he pulled up my skirts to reveal my legs which were thankfully concealed by pantyhose. “But you kept taunting me, you were not gentle as I once knew you to be as I loved you to be, if you wouldn’t have said such things I wouldn’t have tried to take what I wanted from you - to show you where your place was meant to be. We could be having dinner tonight in your red dress, but you did this… You made me have to drug you.”
“What?”
“I powdered your glass with something that will help you relax, to clear your mind, and if you give yourself to me I won’t have to show you the secrets of this attic.”
“S-stop…” I dropped my glass and attempted to push him but my hands missed, making me fall forward. “I can’t think… I can’t…” Grandfather wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest, his lips on my neck, his awful kisses. “William…” I gasped as I tried hard to concentrate.
“Don’t say his name.”
“WILLIAM!” I finally managed to scream, “WILLIAM! WILLIAM!” Grandfather clamped a hand over my mouth and glared.
“So… This is your choice.” He stood up and allowed me to fall onto the floor, my hands were numb as I tried to find my legs, what was it that he put in my drink? “Well then if you’re so set on being married I should give you your wedding present, I was saving it to frame William for murder and have him hanged but this will do.”
“WILLIAM!” Grandfather threw Horatio’s hat box before me and his head rolled out.
I screamed.
Grandfather took my shaking hands and lifted me up, but I couldn’t feel my legs either, he sighed while meeting my gaze.
“Such a shame, I would have made you a Queen among slaves.” My head was spinning and I wasn’t sure if it was the drugs or … or just everything?
But grandfather walked me over to the doors of the attic and opened them, he placed my feet on the ledge while he held my hands. “Last chance, give yourself to me Emily and all of this will stop.” I could feel the breeze against my back and looked behind him to Horatio’s head still laying on the attic floor.
I narrowed my gaze and looked into my grandfather’s eyes.
I slipped my hands free from him and fell backwards right as I saw William open the door, screaming. “Emily!”
I hit the ground hard, my body seemed to pull back out of the ground among the hill of wildflowers which had grown over remnants of a burned building.
I wasn’t sure where I went at all seeing as I was sure that I had just fallen from the attic? I turned my gaze towards the Gracey mansion, and I heard my heartbeat not to exaggerate seeing as my heart was quite literally glowing through my chest.
“William?” I called and began … floating?
I was dead?
I raced to the mansion, floating right through the window where I fell and looked around the attic which was seemingly the same. “William?” And then I caught my breath as I looked for Horatio’s hatbox. “Mister Topper? Mister Topper?” No one.
I sat by the window and began crying once more, no one was here, I was alone as I was unsure if this was a blessing or a curse.
“Emily?” I looked up to see William in shades of blue, he opened his arms with a smile.
“William!” I shot through the air and right into his arms, he spun me around with a laugh while looking me over.
“Now I KNOW you’ve gotten smaller.”
“That’s not true.” I floated above his head with a giggle, “How about that?” He gave a devious smirk and floated in the air with me.
“I’m relieved to see you’re safe… you wouldn’t have died if it wasn’t for me.”
“William…” I whispered as we came back to the ground, “It wasn’t your fault it was…” the pain and fear surged through my heart making William blink, tears were falling from his eyes as he clutched his chest.
“E-Emily?”
“I can’t stop it… I just…” Why were the memories so much more vivid as a ghost? I held my arms and crouched down by the window. “I don’t want to remember… I don’t want this…” I looked up to William as we both cried.
“I … I know I can feel it.”
“Make it stop … Make them stop coming…” I saw my grandfather a dozen sets of hands reaching for me, I saw Horatio’s decomposing head, I saw a window as I cascaded to the ground. “Stop…”
And then they did, I looked up to William with his hand atop my head.
“There, is that better?”
“Yes it is.” I remembered dancing by the river and grabbed his hands, “William! Teach me tango!”
“You know how to already, don’t you?”
“No, you were going to teach me, but I suppose we fell into the river.” William placed his hand on my head and the bad memories flooded back.
“Emily, I don’t think-.” I grabbed William’s hand and placed it on my head again, tears starting once more.
“No, please… Take it all out…”
“This might not help though.”
“No matter what, you must make me forget … I can’t live like this, William, make me your bride if you still want to - but I just want to be rid of all the pain.”
But I wasn’t, I remembered nothing of Horatio, I remembered nothing of my grandfather, but still the pain persisted in my heart.
I had forgotten so much that I wasn’t quite sure who I was most of the time, but it only lasted for a short time before I had looked through the window to the hill of wildflowers in my grandparents old yard.
I was entranced by it and couldn’t help feeling some kind of pull towards the beautiful plot of land.
Once I had left the mansion I began to remember everything again, and by the time I had reached the flowers I sat right down and let them hit me.
I let myself cry for days.
Ghosts aren’t limited by water when they cry, so I sobbed, and I sobbed until finally I flopped onto my back and sniffled. The stars were beautiful … The sound of the water was calming, and as I calmed myself I began thinking more of my memories.
This of course resulted in me going back into the mansion until I was drawn to the hill once more.
But every time I visited it got easier to remember, it took several years before I could sit on the hill and relax, but eventually I was at peace.
All the things I endured were horrible, awful, and unforgivable.
But I could not change time, I could not erase the events from being true, sure I had allowed myself to forget but the pain still lingered in my heart.
I nervously picked at my fingers as William placed his hand over them, giving an encouraging smile.
“And here we are, I’m ready to stop forgetting.” I looked at William, who gave a small nod.
“As long as you’re happy.”
“Oh Emily!” Red and Constance wrapped their arms around me.
“You sweet little thing! I'll tell you what!” Constance leaned back with a smile, “How about we have a party in celebration? Dancing and singing all night?”
“Well I haven’t been dancing in awhile, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt!”
“Then it’s settled!” Red stood up and held her hand out to me, “We’re celebrating your memory!”
