Thank You, Victoria

A single scarlet rose clutched inside her delicate hand, Victoria kneels down beside a fairly new tombstone. She runs her ghostly white fingers over the top and feels the rough stone chafe the fingertips. Victoria draws her hand back and pulls her black veil, customary of women in mourning, over her auburn ringlets. Any one passing by would have thought it strange to see a young, striking woman in all black, in a graveyard, laughing. Some might think that the poor woman has gone mad with grief. Grief over the death of someone close to her. A lover. A mother. A sister. Is it a friend?

But Victoria is laughing because she has won, she has won! She can barely restrain herself from jumping up and yelling her joy. Her victory.

So, instead she lies across the grave with a manic grin across her beautiful face. And she reads the tombstone over and over again.

Elizabeth Anne Hallsworth

1856-1874

Beloved Daughter, Sister, and Wife

Yes, so beloved! Victoria rolls her brilliant blue-gray eyes and sits up from her position on the newly laid grass.

*“Elizabeth Anne, meet Victoria Hawthorne,” says Elizabeth’s elderly great aunt and namesake, Bessie. Victoria surveys the newcomer to the ton. Elizabeth is only about a year younger than herself, a pretty girl with a wide-eyed innocence that men find just as attractive as the worldliness they see in her own eyes. Elizabeth even had the beloved natural, blonde hair, but her body was slim with few curves. She wore no rouge or kohl. No powder at all! Victoria had to keep herself from wrinkling her nose, and stuck her elegant, fair hand out and touched the girl’s shoulder.
“I’m so glad someone is here that is my own age, and you are so fair as well!” Victoria smiles, and somehow manages to seem pleasant and affable. Elizabeth smiles back, genuinely glad to have found someone who might turn out to be a friend.*

Victoria remembers later that evening, when she saw the awful wench suddenly catch the eye of Nathan Johnston. Obviously the girl was some sort of witch, because nobody, nobody could take away a man from Victoria, a man so close to making her his wife! Victoria would have had it all….

*Victoria slowly crept along the wall, listening to their conversation.

“Elizabeth, it seems no matter what I do or say, you do not want me,” she heard Nathan say, his charming, svelte voice barely a whisper and Victoria could just imagine the net he just cast over that little girl. She was his.

“That is not the case at all Nathan…..I do…want you,” Elizabeth’s voice was choked with emotion. Victoria’s rosebud mouth curled up into a snarl, her perfectly rounded fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her palms. She was the most stunning woman in the ton. How dare this dreadful, scrawny girl even dare to look at one of Victoria’s men!*

Victoria was indeed outraged, Nathan was hers! Now, she did realize that she could go into any man’s home and have him, but she wanted Nathan. And if she could not have him, that repulsive whore could not have him either!

*"Victoria, having tea at Elizabeth’s great aunt’s house with the two of them, cast another longing look at Elizabeth. Elizabeth knew Victoria was looking at her while she poured more tea. You see, Victoria had been doing this for quite a while.

“Did you hear the joyous news, Victoria? That lovely man, Mr. Johnston, has proposed marriage to Elizabeth!” Great Aunt Bessie, with a slightly senile grin, told her. Victoria had heard....only a minor delay in her master design.

“I did hear! How excited you must be Elizabeth!” Elizabeth could hear the fake tone in Victoria’s voice, but instead of the jealousy, anger and madness that really hid behind her forced happiness, Elizabeth heard sadness.

“Yes, indeed,” Elizabeth said a confused, yet pleased expression on her sweet face. “Aunt Bessie, Victoria and I are going to retire to my room for a little while.”

“Of course, dearies! Go, right on upstairs, I think I will take a nap as well.”

Victoria could barely contain herself as she and Elizabeth climbed the stairs in her Great Aunt’s townhouse. Then Victoria had to stop herself from laughing as they walked into Elizabeth’s room. Her clothes were neatly in their proper places, all unadorned and dull. Elizabeth never wore jewelry except for lackluster pearls in her ears. No make-up on her dresser, just some parchment and ballpoint pens. And of course there was no man in her bed…how boring. How does she live like this? How can Nathan be attracted to this plain, dreary girl?

“Victoria, I think we need to talk,” Elizabeth told her, flashing her brown, intelligent eyes in the direction of Victoria’s.

“What about?” She asked, feigning nervousness.

“I…I have read novels…or poems…about one woman,” Elizabeth paused, fidgeting with her hairpin, “loving another woman....” She trailed off.

“What are you jabbering on about?” Victoria asked harshly, hoping Elizabeth would just get to the point. Elizabeth did.

“Do you love me?”*

Victoria had thought it would have taken less time for the bright, yet naïve girl to catch on. But, now Elizabeth was completely ensnared in her trap.

*It had been almost two weeks since the “best friends” had seen each other. Victoria had dashed out of the townhouse last time, tears running down her porcelain skin. Elizabeth then knew that Victoria was indeed too fond of her.

Nathan and Elizabeth were hosting their engagement bash at Nathan’s grandfather’s country estate, everyone would be attending. Including Victoria.

She entered into the colossal ballroom, dressed in the most graceful, emerald gown, dripping with immaculate pearls and diamonds. All of her clothes were very a la mode, exceptionally chic.

Elizabeth was standing next to Nathan, clothed in a bare, light blue dress, wearing just those same pearl earrings. She had refused all of Nathan’s gifts of jewels and dresses to wear, maintaining that she was a simple girl. Victoria’s gloved hands clenched in disgust. Then she walked up to where Nathan and Elizabeth were greeting guests. That should have been her by Nathan’s side, that vile wench!

“Victoria, I am delighted you could come!” Nathan exclaimed as he spotted her. His hazel eyes were sparkling and he shone with happiness. Repulsive.

“Victoria,” Elizabeth said, nodding her head. How noble! Victoria wanted to rip all of the pretty blonde hair out of Elizabeth’s skull.

“Elizabeth, it is wonderful to see you!” And all that was inside Elizabeth’s head was Victoria throughout the entire night.*

Victoria laughed again at how easily that poor, modest girl had fallen right into her trap.

*“Victoria, I would like to speak with you,” Elizabeth whispered in her ear later that night. Of course she would!

“What is it, Elizabeth?” Victoria asked, feigning nervousness.

“Come with me,” She grabbed Victoria’s gloved arm, and lead her past the ballroom door and into a rather old library and office.

“Victoria,” Elizabeth closed the door behind them and turned to the stunning redhead, “I…I keep thinking about…what happened yesterday and…I keep thinking about you.”

Finally!

“Really, Elizabeth?” Victoria asks with false hope in her eyes.

“I love Nathan…but I want you Victoria,” Elizabeth replies, some of her blonde hair falling out of the perfect up-do.*

How simple! She was so naïve! It still made Victoria sick to her stomach how stupid that bony, little girl was. Only a few months later and everything fell into place.

*“But Elizabeth! You cannot have both of us,” Victoria tells her, lying in Elizabeth’s bed with nothing on except for a strand of beautiful pearls (a secret gift from Elizabeth).

“Victoria…” Elizabeth says, getting dressed beside her without the help of her maid. Victoria is not impressed.

“Elizabeth, it kills me everyday to watch you with him! Don’t you love me?” She questions, tears coming to her eyes.

“Yes! I…I don’t know what to do,” Elizabeth stops lacing her corset and collapses onto the bed. Victoria throws off the blankets and sits next to the pretty blonde in all her bare glory. Elizabeth tries not to stare too long.

“Let’s run away, Elizabeth, my dear! We can be together, leave your husband and we’ll go to America!”

“America?”

“Yes, together! Leave Nathan behind and come with me!” Victoria smiles jubilantly, and throws her exposed arms around Elizabeth’s neck.

“But…but, how can I leave him behind? He will never let me leave!”

“You’re right, that’s the difficult part…but, I have an idea.”

“What is it?”*

And that was it; Victoria knew she had won now.

*Victoria walked into the study, finding Nathan there by himself, reading.

“Nathan?” She asked, coming closer. She was dressed splendidly and looked as beautiful as ever.

“Victoria? Where’s Elizabeth?”

“I don’t know, but I came to talk to you about her…there is something wrong,” Victoria feigned concern.

“Something wrong? What do you mean, Victoria?” Nathan looked worried and frown lines appeared on his comely face.

“Well…she doesn’t seem mentally stable…she accused me of having…ahem, relations, with you.”

“She did?”

“Yes!”

Elizabeth slowly walked behind Nathan, drawing a small pistol from his grandfather’s collection out and pointing it at the back of his head. It was now time for Victoria’s plan to fall into action.

“Nathan!” She screamed, just as the gun went off. Victoria threw herself in front of Nathan, the bullet catching her in the arm and she crashed into the ground. Elizabeth’s face was stunned and distressed. Nathan’s was similar. Finally, Victoria spoke.

“Elizabeth, why would you do this?” She asked, clutching her wounded arm.

“But…but…” Elizabeth stuttered.

“Elizabeth, what is the matter with you?” Nathan shouted, kneeling down to see Victoria’s arm.

“I…” Elizabeth could not get the words out as she just realized what Victoria was doing. She hung her head, her fair hair framing her face. Then she looked Victoria in the eyes, “Didn’t you love me?” Victoria laughed inside.

“You are my dearest friend Elizabeth, I don’t understand!” Victoria’s tears ran down her perfect face.

“Elizabeth, what is wrong? Why did you shoot at us?” Nathan questioned.

“She told me to! Nathan, you must understand…she’s tricked us all!” Elizabeth was in tears of frustration.

“Elizabeth,…why?” Nathan was distraught; his beloved wife had gone mad.

“You…you whore!” Elizabeth yelled at Victoria, her brown eyes full of hatred and disgust. Victoria gasped, false hurt in those bright eyes. “You tricked me! You seduced me and you made me believe I was in love with you! I hate you!” No one spoke for a small while.

“Elizabeth, we can help you,” Her husband told her, pain clear on his face

“Believe me!” She screamed. “Oh, it’s no use!” Elizabeth took the gun and pointed it at herself.

“Thank you, Victoria.”*

You are most welcome!

“Darling, are you ready to go?” Victoria turned to Nathan, forged sadness in her expression. Why did she want this man so badly? He wasn’t so handsome and she had met richer men. Leaving the single, crimson rose behind, Victoria’s mind was already at work.