Blood and Jasmines

CH 2: A Day In Town

When Willie returned from his mortifying shopping experience at Ohrbach’s, he found Josette in the sitting room gazing fondly up at the portrait of Barnabas over the mantle.

Never removing her reverent eyes from the painting, she breathed, “So strong, so gentle…whoever was able to capture Barnabas’ essence so completely has quite the natural born talent.”

Not even bothering to answer her, Willie set the armload of bags he’d been carrying onto the floor before revealing, “These’re for you – Barnabas wanted me ta get you some new clothes an’ stuff, so I hope ya like ‘em.”

“New clothes?” When Willie nodded, Josette gave a squeal of delight before rushing over in order to inspect the bags. What she unearthed from their interiors, however, suffused her cheeks with the deepest scarlet that Willie had ever seen.

“What is this?” Josette demanded, her eyes flitting in horror from the dress, to Willie, and then back to the dress, again. “Surely this is not what you’ve selected me to wear, monsieur – it has no sleeves, and the skirt is far too north of the ankle to be deemed proper!”

Suppressing a snort, Willie muttered, “Well I’m sorry, but girls a’ this age don’t really go for all that lace an’ fabric, anymore. They like ta show what God blessed ‘em with, if ya know what I mean, an’ jus’ between you an’ me, I think they’ve got the right idea.”

“Oh!” Sending him a look of pure outrage, Josette snapped, “You, sir are by far the least redeemable being on the face of this earth! First you have the audacity to address me improperly, then you buy me the most deplorable rags I have ever laid eyes on in my entire life, and now, the last and final straw, you have degraded my sex to nothing more than mere objects to lust after like the dog you are!”

Now it was Willie’s turn to be angry. “Well fine!” he spat, “Be ungrateful, ya stupid wench! All I did was try an’ help ya out, but if you’re gonna turn your nose up in the air at all my efforts, you can go ahead an’ do everything, yourself!”

“Oh!” Now giving a childish stamp of the foot, Josette growled out, “I will personally see to it that you are banished from Collinsport if you keep up this vast disrespect for your master and mistress!”

Willie narrowed his eyes. No way in hell was he going to be pushed around by Barnabas and this no good, spoiled aristocrat – he may’ve done some pretty bad things in his life, but surely playing the fawning sycophant to Josette Collins was a punishment only deserving of the highest level of Hell. Exhaling through his nostrils so as to dispel any ill feeling, Willie took a deep breath before trying again, “Alright, look – ya don’t like me, I get that, but if you’re gonna survive in this time, we gotta work together. Ya need ta get yourself a haircut since nobody’s got hair like yours anymore, so if ya want, we can go ta Ohrbach’s afterwards so you can pick out your own clothes.”

Appearing to be momentarily appeased by this, Josette finally calmed down before giving a prim nod of the head as her answer. “Yes, yes, very well” she agreed, “but just be sure to ready the carriage while I go and fetch my purse.”

“Carriage?” Shaking his head, Willie placed his hands on his hips before returning, “Lady, we ain’t got no carriages ‘round here anymore, ‘cause –”

“Kindly address me as ma’am or Madame.”

Grunting, Willie dramatically relented, “Alright, Mah-dame, we ain’t got no carriages anymore ‘cause we’ve got these lil’ motor-powered thingamabobbers called cars.”

“Your language is most puzzling to me” Josette admitted, by now far too bemused to reprimand him for having been so disrespectful. Taking a step closer, she urged, “Pray tell what a thingamabobber is.”

Willie rolled his eyes. “Look, jus’ get your things together, alright? An’ while you’re at it, you should go an’ put on that dress I boughtcha.”

“W-what?” Her eyes flashing with outrage, Josette exclaimed, “I most certainly will not! I refuse to go anywhere near that harlot’s clothing and soil my good name!”

“Butcha need to!” Willie irritably insisted. “If you’re seen in public in that-that doofy gown, people are gonna think you’re nuts, or somethin’! It ain’t Halloween, Josette, so ya gotta dress like a normal human being!”

“I believe it is you who doesn’t dress like-”

“Yeah, yeah” Willie cheekily interrupted, “Jus’ get on upstairs, will ya? I’ve heard all about how you women take forever an’ a year ta get ready, so I figured you should go ahead an’ get a head start.”

“Hmph!” Sticking her nose up in the air, Josette haughtily stalked over to fetch the shopping bags, but not before having purposely stepped on Willie’s unsuspecting foot.

Wincing, Willie hissed, “Stupid bitch.”

Positively livid, Josette shot back, “Uncultured swine!”

“Prissy, flat-chested wench!”

“Mousy, squinty-eyed toad!”

“Stuck-up, stuffing brained Barnabas lover!”

“Stupid, stupid…oh!” Her cheeks flaming red over her having lost a game of wits to a servant, Josette shot one last acrid look over her shoulder before stalking upstairs. One thing was for sure, she was definitely going to prove that ‘forever and a year’ statement for all it was worth!

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When Josette finally came back downstairs, Willie was impatiently shifting his feet by the double front doors, his eyes narrowing as he grumbled, “Well it’s about friggin’ time! When I said get ready, I kinda-sorta meant fifteen minutes, not an hour an’ a half!”

Feigning innocence, Josette inquired, “Oh, is that how long I took? Why silly me, I suppose I just lost track of time!”

“Yeah, that ain’t the only thing you’ve lost track of” Willie grumbled. When Josette continued to stare quizzically back at him, he gave a wave of the hand before urging, “Well c’mon, will ya? We ain’t got all day!”

Slipping into the sweater jacket (what a curious garment!) that Willie had bought her, Josette tried her best to maintain her dignity due to being fully aware of the fact that her pale legs were exposed from the knee down. Oh, poor Aunt Natalie…she would surely die of embarrassment if she could see her niece, now!

When Willie had taken Josette around out back, the bemused young woman couldn’t help but recoil upon spotting the beat-up, rusted truck stationed alongside the forest. Turning to Willie for guidance, Josette urged, “Pray tell that that is not one of those contraptions you were speaking of! I absolutely refuse to be seen inside such a beastly vessel!”

Groaning, Willie took Josette by the arm before beginning to forcefully drag her onward, her shrieks of protest finally grating on his last nerve as he spun her around and snapped, “Look, jus’ shut up for a second, will ya!? You may be Barnabas’ long lost love an’ everything, but that don’t mean that I gotta put up with all your crap! Jus’ get in the car, buckle up, an’ shut up!!”

Stunned, Josette stared back at him with wide and comically perplexed eyes, her shock over his sudden outburst causing her to be haughtily submissive as Willie moved over and opened the passenger door.When he motioned her inside, she stuck up her nose before hopping in and defiantly crossing her arms across her chest. She may have agreed to go along, but she was not going to enjoy it!

Rolling his eyes at the behavior he figured Josette deemed punishment, Willie stuck the keys into the ignition so that the engine roared to life.

Crying out, Josette latched onto Willie’s arm before wailing, “Oh, mon Dieu, we are under attack! Please, Heavenly Father, take this half-wit, instead!”

Willie drooped. Irritably removing her from his person, he grumbled, “Jeez, don’t be so dramatic, will ya? I swear, it’s women like you that make me never wanna look at the opposite sex, again!”

“Likewise, you boorish brute! Just looking at your mousy face makes me want to gouge my eyes out!”

“An’ lookin’ at you makes me wanna throw myself off a cliff!” Willie hotly shot back. “You might have a decent face an’ all, but I betcha any amount a’ money thatcha hafta stuff that corset a’ yours. I never thought Barnabas would be the type a’ man ta fall head over heels for a flatty.”

Josette’s eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates. “And what gives you the right to assess my bosoms, you boorish cad!? Servants are supposed to avert their eyes when speaking to their master or mistress!”

“Well I do!” Willie irritably defended. “I can’t help that when I lower my eyes your boobs, or lack there of get in the way!”

Josette felt like a steaming kettle ready to boil over. Clenching her hands into two tight fists, she remarked coolly, “You know, if there’s anything I’ve learned in life, it’s that individuals who make fun of others are only doing so to make themselves feel better in regards to their own unfortunate blemishes. Perhaps you are only making fun of my chest because you’re trying to compensate for something…a certain small something.”

Willie balked. “Hey, let’s not go there, lady! I thought you were all prim an’ proper!”

“I would like to think so, yes” Josette agreed, “but let’s just say that the gloves are off, and I am not afraid of humiliating you in the lowest possible form!”

When Willie moved to make a sour retort, he then realized that amidst their bickering they’d officially made it into town. Parking the truck, he hopped out and went to help Josette out of her side of the vehicle, but she defiantly ignored his assistance.

Frustrated, Willie grumbled, “Flatty.”

“Tiny!”

“Flatty!”

“TINY!”

Realizing that they were attracting a small audience, Willie irritably seized Josette by the wrist and yanked her into the barber shop. The tinkling of the little bell over the door sounded as they entered, thus causing barber Bill to look up with a big smile on his face.

“Why, bless my soul, if it ain’t lil’ Maggie Evans! I haven’t seen you since you had pigtails!” he exclaimed, grinning broadly as he beckoned Josette forward. “C’mon, dear, c’mon! You jus’ have yourself a seat while I get everything together.”

Glancing helplessly from Bill, to Willie, then back to Bill again, Josette uneasily sank down into the barber’s chair as Bill called over his shoulder, “You know, I still owe ya some sweets since I ran out of lollipops that one time in December. You remember that?” Without waiting for an answer, he retrieved a small wooden box before urging, “Here ya go, sweetie, you just choose whatever color you want.”

Bewildered, Josette lifted the lid before selecting a small red lollipop, her lips momentarily curling upward as she placed it (wrapper and all) into her mouth. Immediately removing it, she exclaimed, “Why, this is just awful! It’s positively tasteless!”

Laughing, Bill acknowledged, “Ya gotta take it out of the wrapper, sweetie – you sure you’re feelin’ alright?” When Josette moved to reply, he added, “And that’s some mighty interesting hair you’ve got there…did you just come from one a’ those re-enactment parties, or somethin’?”

“Why no, I…”

“Uuuh, yeah! Yeah, she did!” Willie anxiously cut in from the side. “That wacky Barnabas wanted ta have another costume party, so now that it’s over, Maggie figured she’d jus’ go ahead an’ get a haircut…her usual, a’ ‘course.”

Nodding, Bill looked Josette’s uneasy figure over before acknowledging, “Alrighty, I’ll see what I can do.”

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Oh, God…why did she have to look so much like her?

Gazing back at Josette with a pang in his heart, Willie finally understood how Barnabas had seen Maggie Evans in his former love – the differences were there, but they were barely perceptible. Josette, for one, had fuller, ruddier lips and exotic eyes. Maggie’s features were quite beautiful, of course, but they weren’t nearly as unique as those of the count’s daughter. Besides their dialect, Josette also had slightly darker hair and a more refined nose.

With a barely audible groan, Willie paid Bill and took Josette back out to the truck.

Admiring her new hairstyle in the reflection of the glass, Josette glanced over at Willie before inquiring, “Who’s this Maggie Evans? Whoever she is, she must look exactly like me since that man couldn’t even tell the difference.”

Willie exhaled deeply before nodding. “Yeah, you two’re really similar…if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two were twins.”

“Really?” As Willie started the truck, Josette (this time no scream included) bitterly demanded, “So does that mean that you also view her as being flat-chested?”

Willie couldn’t help but grin. “Now I know that it may not seem too nice a’ me ta say this, or anything, but I don’t really think that matters since she’s got such a nice can.”

“Oh?” Appearing to be interested, Josette sustained, “Does her can happen to come from France or Italy? They make the most delightful collector’s tins in the world!”

Glancing over at her in disbelief, Willie couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Josette might’ve been annoying as hell, but so far she was at least proving to him that there would never be a dull moment.

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When night at long last arrived (for Willie the day having been far longer), Josette became absolutely delighted the moment she spotted Barnabas making his way toward her across the threshold.

“Oh, Barnabas” she cooed, “when did you arrive? I didn’t see you come through the front door!”

“I came in through the back” he lied, a warm smile suffusing his features as he took her fondly by the shoulders. “If you close your eyes and hold out your hands, you will find that I have a surprise for you.”

Josette laughed. “Oh, Barnabas, what could you possibly give me that would be better than your love? Really, darling, I don’t need anything at all, and I…”

“Please” Barnabas urged, his eyes reflecting a rather perplexing urgency.

Smiling, Josette nodded before finally agreeing, “Well alright, my love”, her eyes closing as she held out her hands in obedience. Within moments, she felt a medium-sized object that was rather cold to the touch enter her grasp, her features breaking out into a glorious smile the moment the familiar melody began to reach her ears.

“Oh, Barnabas” she gasped, “it’s my music box!”

“Look inside” he urged, his eyes mirroring her smile as she gingerly peeked within the fragile piece.

Placing a hand over her mouth, Josette removed the lovely gold band with tears in her eyes, her face positively glowing as she breathed, “Oh, Barnabas, it’s beautiful! Why ever did you give me such an extravagant gift?”

“Because I wish to finally marry you” Barnabas revealed, his hands now encircling her own as he fondly placed the wedding band onto her finger. “Say you will be mine, Josette…say you will be mine for all eternity.”

“Oh, Barnabas…” With tears rolling down her cheeks, Josette warmly threw her arms about his neck, her voice choked with emotion as she sobbed, “Yes, my love, yes…a thousand times, yes! You needn’t even ask, for I love you more than life, itself!”

As the couple continued to fervently embrace, neither took notice of Willie uneasily averting his eyes from the scene. He didn’t like to admit it, but the sight of someone who so very much resembled the woman of his affections embracing his master hurt him. It hurt him very deeply. It seemed these days that no matter where he looked, he was constantly being reminded of the fact that Maggie Evans would never be his to love and to hold, but someone else’s. With a sullen sheen to his eyes, the servant turned around and bitterly trudged back upstairs.

A/N: Wow, I can’t believe I finished this within two days of the other chapter, and double wow to all the nice feedback I received! That really means a lot, so thanks:-D Also, I think I should apologize for the ridiculous nature of this chapter since it was so completely random – I think I had a little TOO much fun with it. lol Welp, hopefully I can keep cranking these out…I’ve got finals to prepare for this coming week, so I’ll try! Thanks again for everyone being so nice and supportive! ;0D