Genevieve rolled over in bed, yawning lazily as she stretched out in her silk sheets. She had the most wonderful dream…a mysterious stranger was twirling her around the ballroom and was whispering the most naughty things in her ear. Keeping her eyes closed, she smiled a most sinfully delicious smile as she recalled the feeling of his lips brushing against her ear while whispering sweet nothing to her. It wasn’t often she had enjoyed such a…thorough dream…but it was equally frustrating. She had been unable to see the mysterious man’s face but his smooth British accent and suave demeanor was enough to keep her captive. As if knowing his mistress was preoccupied with her thoughts, King Rupert jumped onto her chest. Genny let out a gasp before looking down to see her pet capuchin monkey cuddling into her white lace nightie. Shaking her head affectionately, she reached down and brushed her fingers over his head “I know…I know. It was only just a dream, my dear friend. Come, let us see what father is up to on this glorious morning.”
Swinging her legs over the side of her luxurious bed, Genny stretched her arms over her head before standing up. With her bare feet touching the cool floor boards, she shivered once before padding over to her armoire. After finding a fashionably bold dress, she called for a maid to help her dress. Soon enough, Genevieve Bianchi stood before her vanity getting her thick dark curls pulled and prodded while smoothing pale hands down a red dress. It was quite showy, but as an artist, Genny cared only for colors and style more than a sense of propriety.
Soon enough, she was dressed up like a doll (just the way the maids liked it) and was turning towards the door. “Come along, King Rupert.” Her loyal friend climbed over her furniture until he was safely on her shoulder and nestled into her thick hair. Closing the door behind her, Genny made her way to her father’s office.
Dr. Bianchi’s Office
Learning at a young age never to disturb her father when he was working, Genevieve waited in his office rather than bursting into the treatment room. He was infamous for his…unconventional treatments and it was far too early for her taste to walk in on such a scene. Strolling back and forth in front of his book shelves, she merely waited patiently to see him come bustling out. Johnathon was a busy man and she was in no hurry to bother him. In fact. ever since she ceased traveling around the world, she found herself rather idle. Bored. Without purpose. What Genny longed for was adventure…
Maid Milly was busy helping Cookie gather herself together after the successful trialing of the steam powered hysteria treatment device. No doubt Johnathon would need to be patenting this contraption before others find out about it and try to steal his thunder. Walking back in from the treatment room, the Doctor had his spectacles resting upon the top of his head, as he continued to make notes over his observations.
“Rapid acceleration in heart beat, heavy moaning, vaginal lubrication to ease on friction, patient’s muscles tensing prior to climax…..and completely satisfied whilst in a limp state directly afterwards. Fascinating.”
Setting down his notepad, he watched Maid Milly walk the dizzy looking Cookie through his office. The Doctor could not help himself but comment. “You have done a great service to the women of London, and possibly the world with your participation, Cookie.”
Cookie smiled weakly and muttered something about wanting another go, as Maid Milly chuckled and led her out the door – right past Genevieve who was busy looking over some of her father’s books.
Looking up from his desk, Doctor Bianchi finally caught on that she was in fact there.
“Sweet Genny. Up with the sparrows I see. Care for some tea?” The Good Doctor offered, as another maid brought in the tea trolley service, complete with warm rolls. The Doctor gestured for his daughter to take a seat, as he started to make her a cup of tea.
“One lump of two?”
<3>
Genevieve turned slowly when she heard movement coming from her father’s treatment room. Seeing Cookie and Milly exiting, she smiled slightly and bowed her head “Good Morning, ladies.” Hearing what Cookie had muttered, her smile only grew as she shook her head slightly. It seemed her father was up to his usual tricks early in the morning.
Turning towards her father at his desk, she kept her smile in place as she returned the book she had been skimming to its place on the shelf. Gliding over to a chair in front of his desk, she took a seat gracefully and folded her hands in her lap. Tilting her head slightly at the papers on his desk, she murmured “It seems to be the pattern, these days. I can sleep when I am dead, after all.” Flicking her brown eyes up to Johnathan’s, she asked curiously “I am surprised to not see Mr. Blaine here this morning. You two have seemed so busy as of late, especially with that Vivienne woman.” Genny spoke of Viviene also with curiosity, as she herself had a thing for reading her articles. But to see her around her father and the detective so much was rather curious.
Smoothing her skirts down, she nodded once “One. I’m already quite sweet enough, thank you.” She rolled her eyes at her own tasteless jokes and fell silent. It wasn’t like her to pester her father with so many questions and they had the sort of relationship where talking was sometimes useless. That’s what she liked about her father. She could simply be around him without having to fill the space with meaningless conversation. They were both practical.
Genevieve was a child that was bored easily by the mundane lifestyle offered to girls of her caliber. Expected to do the social circles of needle point and endless tea parties that offered mindless chatter from spinsters that had cobwebs in their nether regions. It was suffice to say that Genevieve craved something more, and her usual morning offerings showed that she had yet to find what she was looking for.
In a somewhat witty decline to the offer of sugar cubes to her tea, the Good Doctor places a tea cup on the table nearest her as she had found refuge in one of his many tomes. Johnathon hadn’t missed what Gene had mentioned of being surprised that Mr Blaine had not yet been by this morning. Course, he had taken the lovely Vivienne back to her paper, so Johnathon expected that the Detective would not be back for some time. A sip of his tea and he placed the dainty china cup down on the saucer with a cheerful clink.
“Yes, busy is truly a word to describe our last few meetings. Tis why I was up all night working on my newest invention.”
Across his desk lay scattered the designs of his steam powered hysteria treatment device, and all of these would require being patented. He started to roll each of the parchments up and got ready to stuff them into a mailing container for easy storage. He knew the patent office would be open by eleven, and had high hopes of getting his invention certified and protected. The initial testing and his notes were able to be used as the trialing phase, thus helping with marketing the device after he had let it loose on his clients. Little did he realize that he had created a machine that would revolutionize the way in which specialists treated their female clients, and also create a bonanza of a windfall once it went into mass production. Not that the Doctor cared for that, he was more than happy to no longer have to physically relieve Mrs Peabody.
Popping the cap on the cylinder, the Good Doctor reflected on his newest friend, Miss Vivienne Westwood. He didn’t mind her company, but she certainly got up Reginald’s nose.
“I find dear, that Vivienne is much like you in many respects. Keen for adventure.”
He was right about that, and with the buzzing at the front door, it seemed that a new adventure was just around the corner.
Maid Milly hurried from the kitchen, where Cookie was fanning herself. At the door, she opened it and of course it was the Detective and Miss Westlake, back…again.
“Johnathon in?” The Detective asked, as Milly gestured towards his office.
“Yes, Sir. I believe he is sharing tea with Miss Genevieve.”
Nodding politely, he entered the doorway, with the amused looking Miss Westlake following after.
“Morning Milly.” Vivienne chimed as she went into the Doctor’s office with the Detective.
Johnathon glanced up to see the pair back again.
“Miss me that much, Reg?” Johnathon asked with a smug expression.
The Detective tipped his hat to Genny, and then spoke with all seriousness to the Doctor.
“We have a new case that needs your urgent attention. Murder on the marshes. There is talk of….of…”
Vivienne interjected. “Night walkers.”
Johnathon’s face was one of surprise and curiosity.
“Night walkers?”
“Either that….or we have a real murder mystery to solve. The yard want us to head out to the Addams estate in Loxley. All expenses paid.”
This was not exactly good timing, as Johnathon wanted to patent his device. Releasing a sigh, he knew that he was needed on the case, and it did sound rather interesting. Setting down his canister of designs, he moved to the door to get his hat and coat, along with his cane. The Doctor then asked Genny.
“Fancy a trip to Loxley? I hear that the hunt out there is one not to be missed.”
Would she accept the invitation to join her father on a mystery?
<3>
As Genevieve reached for her cup of tea, she smiled slightly at the mention of her father’s invention. It was nice to hear he wouldn’t have to service Mrs. Peabody himself, but it didn’t comfort her at all to know her sighs and shouts of joy would be heard within the Bianchi Manor still. There were just some sounds you couldn’t block from your mind or ears as much as you wanted to. Swilring the spoon around her teacup, she shuddered a bit to think of how Mrs. Peabody must speak of her father.
Silence soon fell upon them both once more as her father began to set about mailing a patent. She watched him move about easily as she enjoyed the tea he offered her. Such was how her mornings usually passed. If she was not painting, taking in London’s scenes, or enjoying the fresh air, she was watching her father work when he was not with a patient. Genny enjoyed the silent company and often wondered what the manor must have been like when she was gone. Was Johnathon even able to get anything done with Levi around? Perhaps. He had always been chasing after Samantha’s skirts after all.
When Vivienne was mentioned, Genevieve set her tea down and smiled knowingly. She had caught up with the journalist’s latest reports and Ms. Bianchi had to admit that she was quite fascinated by her work. No wonder she spent a lot of time with her father and Detective Blaine…there was certainly plenty to keep them busy in London these days. Nodding thoughtfully, she commented “She does very much seem keen for adventures if her writing is any sort of give away. I am actually quite shocked Detective Blaine lets her in on his investigations…though her accounts do seem accurate from an outside perspective. Otherwise you wouldn’t allow her to stick around, am I correct, father?”
Genevieve was waiting for an answer when who should arrive but the Devil himself and his loyal concubine. Genny giggled quietly at her private mental illustrations before bowing her head in greetings towards Blaine and Vivienne. “Good morning, Detective Blaine. Miss Westwood.” She was about to question Vivienne about her latest work but soon fell silent when the pair delved into the news about the night walkers. This caused her to raise an eyebrow and listened even more closely as her dark eyes flicked to her father.
As usual, she was silent during the whole conversation, though she was making her own mental notes. When her father turned to invite her along, her eyes widened a bit in mild surprise. He was inviting her along? Adventure indeed…Standing up from her seat, she smiled slowly as King Rupert stirred from his sleep. Rubbing his cute monkey eyes, he tilted his head at the new arrivals before clapping. Stepping towards the door, Genny only responded with “Well…I best get to packing, shouldn’t I?’Bowing her head once more to the group, she then disappeared out the door and headed to her room to gather clothing and her paints.
The Detective was somewhat surprised that the Doctor would be keen to invite his daughter along on this investigation. After all it was a dangerous case, with the talk of Night walkers being responsible for the suspicious deaths of people on the Addams estate in Loxley. Vivienne was practically giddy with excitement, and this too had Reginald bothered. He narrowed his gaze as she spoke with a delightful chime to Genevieve as the young Bianchi went off to pack.
“So lovely to have another woman along on this adventure.”
Reginald rolled his eyes at the thought of calling this investigation an adventure, but to the young journalist, it had all the hall marks of a great scoop and was sure to be one that the paper was going to be putting on the front page. She could almost see the headline now. Basking in the glory, when her Editor congratulates her on a job well done. Something that she yearned for, as he seemed about as encouraging as Reginald the Detective was.
Reginald rounded on Vivienne and stared her down. “I stand by what I said before. I don’t approve of you coming along on our investigations.” His tone was condescending, and it was clear that they were not going to get on at all. Doctor Bianchi popped his head back into his office and looked at both before saying.
“I have the coach ready outside. What’s keeping you both?”
Did he suspect a whiff of romance between the pair. Vivienne brightened and picked up her chin, smiling broadly at the Doctor.“Oh, I’m ready, just getting grilled as usual.” The Doctor thought a moment, and then said to Reginald. “We only have one carriage to take us out to Loxely, let’s try to keep it civil. For my daughter’s sake. I am sure she doesn’t want to hear the two of you going at it the whole way.”
It was rare that the Doctor ever pulled the Detective up, but in this case, he wanted to enjoy the trip out with his daughter, whom he rarely sees. The Detective agreed, but he did give Vivienne a stern look before putting his hat back on and heading out of the office. Indeed, a coach was waiting outside, and the Doctor had his bags packed by Milly. Milly had also taken the time to pack a bag ready for Miss Westlake, as she had stayed at the Bianchi Manor many times.
The driver was helping with the bags, as the Doctor stood on the front landing, pulling on his gloves. His medical bag was on the ground at his feet. He had to admit, he was curious about this murder investigation, and was hoping to disprove the existence of Night Walkers. But then again…they may well exist. After all, who would believe there were demons and angels in London?
<3>
