In The Fog of London

The Murder

Hours after her meeting with Jekyll, Kathrine stood on the stoop of a townhouse in Soho. She had a shawl pulled over her head, not wanting to be seen in such a place. she had stood there for a solid minute, wondering why she had let herself come this far. I don't want to knock on this door but I must. She thought, looking at her pocket watch. 5:58. I need to now or else I'll be in real, tangible trouble. And so, she raised her fist and gently knocked on the old door, expecting the worst. A few seconds later, the door flung open and in the dark rectangular void of the doorway, stood the man she'd come to see. Hyde's generally discontented expression disappeared upon seeing her face under the shawl. "Well, well... How pleasant of you to heed my letter." He spoke softly enough, stepping aside, "You may come inside now." Kathrine felt as if her legs were walking in without her instruction, but by the time she'd become aware of her reluctance, the door had already shut behind her. "Follow me, Kathrine, just in here. I've prepared some tea for us." He rasped as he brushed past his guest and led her down a hall and into a room that spilled light out into the hallway, making it somewhat dim as opposed to being completely pitch black. Upon entering the room, she found it to subvert her expectations of what his home might've looked like in her mind. Edward Hyde's home was furnished just about as lavishly as Henry's was. The fire was lit and burning brightly in the hearth, and a few lamps were lit around, what appeared to be, the drawing room, making it feel oddly inviting for the home of a crook. "You... You have a lovely home." Kathrine commented timidly, sitting in a red, floral upholstered chaise. Hyde grunted in response as he fetched the tea tray, which was near the fireplace to keep it warm. He roughly pulled up a table in between then, setting down the tray before plopping himself down in a leather chair that had been placed just across from where Kathrine was sitting. Neither of them touched the tea for a moment and they both just stared at it before she sighed and took up two cups, pouring them both some. "Before I go on, I must ask, is there any particular way you would like for me to address you?" She asked, not looking up from her small chore. "Hyde is well enough... Eddie, if you're comfortable." He responded with a slyness in his voice. She nodded, having finished making up their tea. She stared into her cup, but could feel his gaze. Kathrine knew he hadn't set his eyes off of her once since she'd arrived, aside from the short moment he had when he retrieved the tea tray. "You'd like to ask what the meaning of this all is, wouldn't you?" Hyde spoke suddenly, and her eyes flickered up, only to look at his hands holding his cup, but not his face. His hands were very unlike Henry's, which were smooth and spindly and elegant. Hyde's were broad and square, with very visible veins and coarse hair on the back and on his fingers. They reminded her of the hands of a young man who worked her father's plough for a time on the farm in the country, although, Edward Hyde's didn't look calloused, just rough and brutish, holding the saucer awkwardly and clutching the cup, not by the handle, but by its base. Kathrine nodded in response to his question, "And why you've been so dreadful to me these past days." She added a bit brazenly. He set down his cup and saucer noisily, and leaned back some. His outfit was more visible to her, a slightly unbuttoned white undershirt, and dark brown trousers, rolled up to his knees like breeches. She assumed he wasn't wearing shoes or stockings, though she had not looked at his feet, and thus, wasn't sure. "The doctor addressed that. You very well know why I've not been hospitable." He snapped at her, though he looked relaxed in his slouched position. "Yes, yes, he's told me you're not the best at expressing yourself, but why be violent towards a lady?? It is quite unnecessary. A-and I would like to make it clear that I am not jeopardizing my own safety for your sake, but for the doctor's as, though I believe it is against his better judgement, he seems to care somewhat for you." Kathrine shot back bitingly. Hyde recoiled slightly with an agitated expression, still Kathrine continued, "I'm also wondering what Henry meant when he said you were fixated on me? What is the meaning of that??" The small, grimacing man in front of her suddenly sprang to his feet, slamming his hands down on the table where the tea set was now. In a startled effort to look everywhere but his eyes, Kathrine accidentally managed to look down his shirt, which hung loosely on his body. His chest was clearly defined, with his pectorals covered in a thin layer of more coarse hair. She looked away with her eyes quickly, then started to realize how dangerous this situation was and how vulnerable she had become in entering his home. He looked close to hysterics again and the audible grinding of his teeth only added to the tension. "You're a very difficult woman, Kathrine Lynn. And I'm afraid that if you continue, you may find my filter to be about as good at censoring my vocabulary as a sieve with no mesh." He explained, baring his teeth in a sort of not-smile as he leaned even more forward, now about a foot away from her face. "I just-" She began, biting her bottom lip almost as if restraining another spiteful comment. Hyde looked at her expectantly, his jaw set and the vein in his forehead making an appearance, "I just want to know. In the case that I might be able to set something to rest. Fix something you're so... Besotted with." She spoke slowly and carefully, finally meeting his eyes. He laughed somewhat exasperatedly, slowly starting to move the table aside. "Oh, you daft, dull-headed, oblivious wench. How could you possibly fix a man's infatuation when it runs so deeply and with such vehemence as to drive him mad?? And you, so disconnected with your desires that you wallow in ignorance, seeking comfort from a man you could so easily achieve through me, me! Of all people!" He then shoved the table the rest of the way, causing it to tip and spill the tea tray across the floor with a raucous burst of sound. Hyde descended in on the chaise, placing his hands on the top of the chair back, one on either side of Kathrine's head as she pressed herself into the cushion as far as she could to get away from this howling demon before her. "I want you. Lasciviously." He growled, inches away from her face, "And I will tell you that I intend on pursuing you until you realize you feel the same." Kathrine stared at him, watching his eyes search her face as he breathed roughly, like an animal. Her face filled with heat and her heart raced in her chest before, without warning, she struck him with a firm slap across the cheek. She dared not move after that. Hyde stood with his head slightly turned from the force of the blow, his eyes wide, and his mouth slightly ajar. he had stopped breathing momentarily, as the air had been somewhat sucked from his lungs out of shock. Unexpected. He thought, vicious, impulsive thoughts swirled around his mind as he fought the instinct to wring her neck until she turned blue. Most unexpected. He slowly turned his head to face her again, the corners of his mouth twitching as a red splotch started to form on his pale skin. Kathrine was obviously afraid for her life, but made a decent attempt at trying to hide it. The two of them stared at each other for a moment that felt like hours. "Hit me again." He finally breathed hoarsely. "Wh-what..?" Kathrine squeaked in return. "Strike me, damnit!!" He roared and she did as she was told, striking him a second time on the other cheek. This time, he recovered quicker and stared down at her with fire in his eyes. "After this night," He spoke almost inaudibly, leaning in so his lips nearly caressed hers, "You will never be alone." Kathrine shut her eyes tightly, feeling a rush of air pass her. She let a moment pass and the sound of a door slamming shut caused them to fling open again, but by then, he was gone. She raised her shaking, bandaged fingers to her lips, not knowing exactly what to do or how to respond to this. She looked at the shattered tea set, feeling a bit sad that such lovely china had been ruined in only a second. She then realized how baffling it was that she was so upset by the tea, and not the fact that a lunatic had just berated her before dashing out of his home, leaving her on the chaise. "I've not the words to convey it." She said out loud to herself. "Not a word to describe my place at all." At that moment, she knew that if she had not yet realized it already, she was certain now that Edward Hyde may be the most frightful beast in all of creation. I'll never be alone. Not even in my dreams, I fear. Somehow I know he won't give up. Not until death takes him... or myself... Will I ever be free of Edward Hyde.
That night, after she rushed home in a flustered flurry, she collapsed on a small couch in a reading nook inside of her shop on the first floor, her face stained with tears and her head filled with horrible thoughts and a piercing migraine. She didn't even bother changing. She was so exhausted, that all she managed to do was lock her door and stumble over to where she had inevitably slept for the night. The following morning, though, she was awoken by the sound of people shouting out on the street corners. "Murder!" She heard, "Murder of an MP!" Kathrine sat bolt upright and wiped her face, wondering if the night previous was only a dream. Just as she looked to the front window, a very wild-looking Utterson clambered out of his cab and rapped on the door. She leapt to her feet and rushed over, hastily undoing the lock and allowing him to come in. "There's been a murder," He huffed before he even got over the threshold, "So I've heard, John, who's been-" Kathrine began, but the lawyer addressed her even before she'd finished, "Sir Danvers Carew, but dear God, Kathrine, we know who did it." He blurted, "Who then?" She pressed, "You'll see in the papers, Lynn. It's madness. I'm to see Henry, you stay inside, lock the doors." Utterson quickly pecked her on the forehead and rushed back out to his carriage before she could protest. She stood there for a moment, baffled. He only does that when he's truly worried for me. Oh, John, what has this whole thing got to do with you? She thought, whimpering to herself. One night had set her life on a path of chaos. How? Why had a chance encounter sent her world spiraling out of control? She slowly walked to her door and locked it again. She wouldn't take any chances, getting a sense that she already knew who committed the atrocity. His words echoed in her mind, You will never be alone, she shuddered and stepped away from the front of the shop. She wasn't going to leave the shop anyway, let alone open it. She could survive another day without business. She decided that doing chores and making food would keep her mind off of what plagued her. Keeping her hands busy working would certainly help her forget, right? Thus, she worked her hands raw, and only stopped when one of her bandages came off. She looked at it with a pang of grief piercing her heart and she ached knowing Henry must be so troubled by all of this and wondered, for a fleeting moment, if he was thinking about her.