Waters of Oblivion

Chapter 25: The World's Fair

Reine held Emery Wescott - and his cryptic admonition against her marrying Cooper - responsible for her decision to leave London just two years before the turn of the Twentieth Century. It was only fitting that he'd also be the reason she now got to stay.

He'd promised to protect her, and in spite of her allegiances to the Confraternity of the Resurrection, guaranteed her safety under the Order of Westminster's authority. She was clearly a pawn in whatever scheme Wescott was playing, but until she was certain Sylvana wouldn't try anything else against her, this assurance was more than Reine could expect anywhere else.

Ironically, her first visit to the United Kingdom also ended with Reine's reluctant reliance on an unlikely benefactor. It wasn't a period of her life she thought about often, but as she strolled through Hyde Park, Reine reminisced about how different life was back then.

Over six million people had visited London in 1851 to see the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. Like many other Europeans, Reine also traveled to England intending to see this inaugural world's fair, using most of her money to buy the cheapest steamboat ticket. With just one bag to carry her meager belongings, she set sail in Calais for the unknown.

As the ship left the harbor, Reine stood at the rails and watched the town's ancient watchtower and then the cathedral's spire disappear from view, leaving France behind. The ruckus of wildly squawking seagulls circling the vessel gradually decreased until just the sounds of the engines and the lapping of the waves remained. Retreating below deck, she'd planned on spending the three-hour voyage sleeping, in preparation for the overland leg of the trip to London.

Before she reached the third-class cabins, a well-dressed Englishman propositioned her in a manner that was anything, but gentlemanly. Reine's quick reflexes saved her, but they also left the man with a broken arm. Labeled the instigator, she got her first glimpse of the white cliffs of Dover through a grubby porthole in the ship's brig.

Once they'd docked, slipping away from the unconcerned constables was easy enough, but she had to leave her things behind. With nothing else, but the clothes on her back, she could no longer afford the coach fare to London. Instead, Reine had to beg for cart rides from farmers heading into towns - like Canterbury and Rochester - along the way. What otherwise would have been a nine hour trip instead took three whole days to complete.

No matter how hard it was for Reine to get to London, in the end it was worth it. With its burgeoning railway network, formidable police force, and planned sewage system, the city was leagues ahead of any other she knew including Rome, Vienna, and Paris. The Romantics with their pastoral intuition were also giving way to the Victorians and their urban innovations. The stark contrasts she witnessed in both culture and industry between the capital of the British Empire and the politically turbulent nations of the continent quickly made her want to stay. The question ultimately became: how?

For the first few nights, Reine found refuge in a Whitechapel church that supported the local poor. But that arrangement could only be temporary. The opening of the expo was also just a week away, and she couldn't even afford the entrance fee.

Walking east along Knightsbridge, she unwittingly compared herself to the other pedestrians milling around the Crystal Palace. Like her, they were probably there out of curiosity, trying to get a peek at the preparations for what was billed as the greatest display of industry and manufacture in the modern world.

While their attire matched the contemporary elegance of their surroundings, Reine's appearance made her feel like a lowly street urchin. Her dress had stains she could no longer scrub out, and her hair was rough and frizzy from the coarse soap she managed to obtain. In spite of this, she was going to get a look at the massive glass and steel structure that brought her to the city, even if it was going to be from afar.