Soliloquy

The next day passed in unequivocal silence. I strained my ears to hear any sort of sound of the violin, just because my curiousity still remained a bit. I spent the day exploring the different rooms in the manor, and while many were locked, I found that the Wainwright's had a truly extensive library, lovely music room and a second portrait room. Strangely enough, I'd noticed that there were more portraits of handsome, black-haired, pale skinned, men. It seemed that this was a trait in the Wainwright boys, but they all had a certain look about them. Their all were all more sunken in the others, and their skin always looked just a bit sallow. I did not know much about anatomy or about illnesses, but I imagined that maybe they'd all contracted a similar illness.

I met Lily at dinner the first day of my arrival. She was everything that Charles had described her as, and was as beautiful as she was kind. She reminded me a little of my mother, and it had almost hurt to speak with her, because it made me remember so much. She was all that was friendly and obliging, and told me that tonight, she and Charles would be attending a ball at a nearby home called Criewulf Estate and that I was most certainly invited. I accepted the invitation mostly because I had nothing else to do, but also because I was almost afraid to be left alone here at night with the ghostly violin.

The day of the ball, the silent day, was just as foggy as the day prior. I audibly sighed when I looked out my large windows, and wondered if it was natural to have so much fog. Of course, it wasn't as if they could help the weather, so I dismissed it as a nuisance, but thought on it nothing further.

Jeannette came in a few hours before we were to depart and helped me don a cream colored gown that she had hung up the previous day. She curled my hair and put half of it in an elaborate up-do and left the rest down. It reminded me of when my mother's ladies maid would do such things with my hair when I was younger. That was back when my mother talked about me having my own Season, with dresses and dancing and the opera. She battled constantly with my father on it, who only wanted me to get married so I could leave. When Mother died, it was obvious that whatever was to happen to me, I was not going to get a Season, like many other girls of my age, especially my friends Priscilla and Olive, were going to have. I did not lament, though. At 12, a Season seemed like the greatest thing in the universe, but at 16 and motherless, I did not care very much.

When I was set I donned my traveling cloak and met Lily and Charles at the doorway. Lily looked even more radiant than before. Her fair hair was done up in curls and tiny bunches of Gypsophilia that went well with her golden gown. Her blue eyes shone at me and her full, pink lips, smiled to me as a mother might. For a moment, my heart clenched. Charles was dressed impeccably, with his starched cravat, black evening coat and dark waistband. His collar was done up to the level that was fashionable now-a-days and was tied with a black bow. He held his hat in one gloved hand, and the other was linked with the elbow of his wife.

It was Lily who spoke first. "Oh, Faerie, you look so beautiful!" she exclaimed. Charles grinned mischeviously.

"I am sure that it will not take the Morgensterns long to notice you, my dear," he said. The Morgensterns were the family that owned Criewulf Estate.

I flashed Charles a confused smile. "They have a son my age?" I asked.

Lily and Charles looked at each other momentarily before Lily turned to me, a bright smile on her face. "The Morgensterns are the most...unconventional family around here. Come-" she offered me her free arm, "I will tell you all about them in the carriage." I allowed her to lead me into a different, more ornate carriage than the one we had used to come from London to Hunstville. The inside was much warmer than I had expected and felt very comfortable inside of it. When we were settled, Lily leaned forward towards me. "You see, the Morgensterns are a family of seven young adults...the youngest is but eighteen, while the eldest is three and twenty."

"Why, that is odd," I commented back.

My hostess smiled. "Yes, well, as I said, they are the most unconventional family. Criewulf is the ancestral home of the Morgensterns - more importantly the Morgenstern twins, Prince and Wren. The five others who live with them are all cousins. And of course, none of their families live with them. It is only the seven who live in that large Estate."

"No parents?" I inquired.

Lily shook her head. "Not a one." She smiled at me. "Of course, there have been many stories of the Morgensterns over the years...you see, at one time in history, they were quite poor and worked on the land of our ancestors. The story goes that Nathaniel Morgenstern discovered the secret of life and used black magic to gain money and power throughout the land. Whatever it was, eventually they became even more wealthy and powerful than we. However, there are still whispers that the Morgensterns use black magic. They are...well, quite intimidating. Not many people your age would attend a ball at their house..."

I felt my mouth go dry. Oh, this was just charming. My first day here, and I'd already done something wrong. I could just tell that there were going to be catty girls there, probably a Morgenstern or two. They would judge and scrutinize me, whispering secretley to each other that I was not pretty enough, not smart enough, not kind enough, anything. I remembered a girl in London, a girl named Kitty Astor, who had been like that. We'd traveled in many of the same circles, but she and her friends were so snobby and rude, I could not stand it. It was especially awful, because in front of parents, they would seem perfect, but I always knew they had something cruel on their minds.

My excitement for the evening, which really mainly stemmed off of not being at Deathcreeke all alone, died quite quickly. There was not enough time to fake a megrim, however. Our carriage was pulling up to Criewulf, which was, as Lily had said, even larger and more extensive than Deathcreeke. I felt stunned by it sheer size and comforted by the fact that there were already many other families here. Charles escorted Lily and myself up the stone steps and into the foyer.

Inside, everything was bathed in a dark, warm light. Wall sconces burned in all sorts of colors, a feat that I was amazed by. Charles quickly explained that this was done using different types of chemicals, and quickly launched into a long and rather dull explanation of the theory of fireworks. Lily eventually was able to pull me away with a giggle and introduced me to as many people as she could. She was right, there were only a few people my age here, and they were mostly young men. None were exceptionally handsome, but all were very nice, and I made a mental note of each ones name and face, and I vowed to try and determine which one would I would be able to become closest with and eventually marry. When I thought of it, though, my prospects did seem quite dim.

It was then that I caught a glimpse of them. I knew instantly that these must be the family Morgenstern. There was an exclusive group of seven, lounging around a merry fire. And before I could turn away and pretend I'd never seen them, Lily pulled me to them. "Oh, of course, you must meet our lovely hosts," she said as she approached the seven young adults. We bobbed our curtsies and the seven of them returned them with curtsies, bows and nods of heads. "Good evening, thank you for inviting us. I wanted to take the time to introduce the daughter of Charles's business partner down in London, who will be staying with us for awhile, Miss Faerie Brighton." The family murmured their polite "Good evening"s and "Thank you for coming"s, but I knew it was all just politeness.

Lily extended her hand to the far left of the group, motioning towards a petite blonde. "This is Miss Lucy Morgenstern." Lucy was the most scantily clad with a very low cut gown. Her breasts were pushed up to the edge of the neck and peeked out of the top as two perfect half-moons. The skirst of her dress formed attractively around her legs and I noticed that she even wore rouge on her lips, an almost scandalous thing for a young woman who was not yet married. But Lily had already moved on. "Greer Morgenstern," she introduced and I looked at the tall, strong woman who had firey hair and alabaster skin. She looked like Queen Elizabeth reincarnate and I wondered if her temprament matched her physicality. At the very least, she was the most intimidating of all the females there. "Sloane Morgenstern and his older brother, Ennis," said Lily, pointing to two males. Sloane had a round face and tired eyes, and was the only one of the family who was sitting. He was outstretched on a burgundy chaise and almost looked as if he might fall asleep. His black hair fell in curls around his bright blue eyes, and he wore a lazy, seductive grin on his face. Ennis was an older version of him, the only exception were his eyes. They were dark and glittery, like two large beetles, which contrasted with his blotchy cheeks and pale lips. Even though his complexion was poor, he was still just as handsome as the others. "Glenn Morgenstern," Lily pointed next. Glenn was as tall as he was round, but had the face of a Rubens angel. Blonde ringlets were a mop on his head and his green eyes sparkled at me spookily.

With a smile on her face, Lily turned back to me. "And of course, one can not forget about the twins, Wren and Prince." She pointed to the two most striking individuals of them all, who were standing at the far right, almost in the shadows. Wren was a tall, slim young woman with long auburn hair that cascaded down her back in straight, silky waves. Her face was gorgeous, but her nose was just a slight upturned. The strange thing was, her eyes looked angry and her mouth was set in a straight, annoyed line. Then my eyes fell on Prince, and all other thoughts melted away. He was tall, taller than all the other men, with broad shoulders and a lean frame. He had the auburn hair of his sister that was tied back neatly by a black ribbon. His green eyes were the color of seaglass and they sparkled with a debonair charm. On his mouth was plastered an almost self-important grin. He was the first to really speak to me.

"Ah, of course, Miss Brighton. How wonderful of you to come tonight." With that, he took my hand and chastely kissed it. He then promptly stood up and turned his face on Lily. "You must let me show her around the Estate. Just a few rooms. I can already tell that Miss Brighton is a lover of music."

I flushed. "Why, that would be kind, but I'm afraid without a chaperone, it would be entirely improper." I did not like declining this perfect excuse of a human being, but I knew propriety told me that I must say no.

Lily smiled kindly, though. "Of course, Prince. If it is only a few rooms, I am sure no harm will come out of it," she told him. I was shocked, but I assumed she was trying to throw Prince and I together. I could not say I very much minded. Prince bowed shallowly and grinned at Lily, who I saw blush. She was much older than us, but I was sure that she must think Prince just as handsome as I did. She curtsied to the rest of the Morgensterns and took her leave. I watched her carefully and let Prince lead me out of the parlor.

The rooms that were for the use of the ball tonight all had the same, gypsy-like feel to them. Everyone here seemed like shadows to me, only half in existence. It was a strange feeling, watching the colors melt by my eyes as Prince led me away from the noise and the heat, down a long corridor lit by brightly burning blue and purple wall sconces. I smiled. "Charles- I mean, Mr. Wainwright, was telling me all about you use chemicals to make the fire burn different colors."

Prince nodded at this. "It is true. Ennis has a special love of pyrotechnics, so we let him expirament all he wants. Sometimes he creates disasters, but other times he does wonders for our home." We regarded the sconces as we wandered down the hall, leaving the chatter and music behind us. I could now even hear the clack of my slippers on the marble floor. We were silent, and I could not hide my intimidation. I looked at Prince. He was looking straight ahead, his head just slightly upturned. He had perfect posture and I strived to stand even straighter than I was.

We came to a large door that Prince opened with a strong push. Inside was an even bigger music room than the Wainwright's. It had high ceilings and two fireplaces, one on each end, held a big fire. A chandelier hung down from the ceiling and sent prisms of bright light over the walls. Prince smiled. "If there is but one love I have, it is music," he told me. I smiled.

"My mother loved music. She taught me how to play the pianoforte from a very early age." Prince's eyes brightened. He detatched himself from me and went to a beautiful and ornate Fortepiano, where he started to play a soft and already farmiliar melody. I recognized it almost immedietley as the melody that the ghostly violin had played from the North Wing. I looked at Prince, with what I knew was a confused expression on my face. "What song is this?" I questioned.

Prince nodded carefully, letting his fingers fly over the keys. The song was more complex than I could have imagined. "Traditionally, tis played by a violin. I believe it was composed in the 17th century by one of the ancestors of the Wainwrights. They played it at their funerals. There is quite a legend that goes with the melody; apparantley it is played to help usher the dead soul into heaven. Now I'm not sure if this is true, but it is a lovely and unique melody, is it not?" he inquired.

I swallowed. "It is," I agreed.

Prince let his hands fall of the keys and turned to me. "Tell me, what have you heard about the history of the Morgensterns?" he asked.

I willed myself not to shrug, for I knew it was quite unlady-like. Instead, I laughed a little, but it sounded forced. "Not too much. Only that you were poor tennants on the Wainwright's land, and you discovered some secret of life and used your black arts to gain money and power within this region. So I only know the silly legends, of course." Prince smiled mysteriously at this.

"Of course."

We made our way back to the party. I wondered if it was just the music room Prince had wanted to show me, and why he had taken me away only to ask me what I knew of the Morgensterns? Did he believe that Lily and Charles would tell me something else? Was there something else? Or could I be just imaging all of it? I decided that this answer was the one I'd take. And when we rejoined the rest of the Morgenstern clan, Wren was the first to meet us. She looked her brother straight in the eye with her dark, agitated ones. "Did you show Miss Brighton around?" she asked.

"Yes," Prince responded cooly. He nodded once to me and let me go. For some reason, I felt incredibly slighted, but let Wren glide her brother away, back to the exclusive semicircle. A strange feeling rose in my throat and I realized why it must have been that not many young girls my age attended the balls of the Morgensterns. I'd been right about the girls, but they weren't catty. They were very much polite, but I could not help but get the feeling that they were thinking how lowly I was. A young city girl, trying to be a part of their elite group? I doubted it. I suddenly felt utterly alone, watching the beautiful people laugh and talk quietly amongst themselves.

It was then that I caught the eye of Lucy Morgenstern. She winked at me, but not at a conspiratorial way. She winked in a mocking fashion, as if she was telling me I would never be a part of what she was a part of, and she knew that it as my deep, solitary desire to be accepted by them. I turned away hastily and ran to Lily, where I promptly feigned a megrim and let the carriage take me back to Deathcreeke.

But I knew, I just knew that there was more to the Morgensterns than just beautiful faces and tall tales.