Steam

Chapter 2

The night of the 26th October. Victoria stood in her dressing room, before her great mirror. The maid, behind her, hauled on the strings of her corset, making it almost unbearably tight. The whale-bones triturated her ribs, and she struggled to breathe. She ran her hands along the contour of her waist, satisfied with the overtly hourglass figure. Her nails snagged on all the tiny beads and sequins that adorned the corset; she could almost feel the thousands of pounds that her father had spent on this birthday present. The gold twinkled in the dim autumn light, that beamed through the open widows of the room. Her bustle held her many skirts high, and the waterfall of golden fabrics cascaded to the floor behind her. Jewels adorned the trimming that perfectly defined her pert breasts; as beautifully pale as a winter moon. Her caramel hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back. The loose ringlets flounced as she walked. Her lips, though many secrets bestirred behind them, were plump and red, not unlike those of a temptress. Oh the hearts she had broken with those lips... And those eyes. They were the gateway to the inner depths of her soul. A deep brown; like the mahogany of the chaise longue that was no less than a few metres behind her. They were deep and mysterious, and paired with those lips, enough to cause a hurricane of the heart.

She spun quickly at a tap on the door. "Miss Devitt is here, my lady". She shooed him away with the flick of a wrist, took one more glance in the mirror, and sauntered out of the room. Her heels clicked on the great marble staircase, and it echoed throughout the huge, empty mansion. Though it was an impressive building, it was often lonely at times; when only the shuffling of servants and the ticking of Thomas' thoughts could be heard. She descended the staircase with absolute grace and the trail of her dress followed with such precision, one would not be thought mad if you were to think it had a mind of its own.

It was a warm evening, and the foggy skies of London burned with the crimson of the sunset. The trees were still, and sat silently, lining the cobbled road out of the estate. Not so far away, the sound of daytime life could be heard dying down, as the night-life of London began to emerge. Eliza's carriage sat in front of the house, and the horses stood regally, silhouetted against the erubescent sky. The driver hopped from his post immediately, and opened the coach door for Victoria. She thanked him and climbed inside. She perched herself on the cushioned seating inside, and held herself as the driver ordered the horses onwards. Eliza was laid back in her seat, an almost indeterminable smirk on her cherry lips. She had opted for a deep purple gown with black and ruby embellishments upon the corset and bust. Her charcoal hair was pinned beautifully to the top of her head, and a few tendrils hung freely around her face and neck. Her emerald eyes were unbelievably alluring, but a gentleman's attention was never there for long. Her chest was almost porcelain-like, her breasts magnificent by themselves. Her cleavage clearly presented for all to see. Plump and pert, they seemed as though they weren't real; like the sort of thing gentlemen could only imagine existed. Victoria always wondered how her tiny waist managed to support them..

"My, my Victoria, you look exquisite. New corset from daddy?" Eliza laughed. An enchanting laugh; that made you want to keep listening to everything she had to say.

"Yes, for my birthday. It is a little tight though.." She fidgeted, to get comfy. "So, where are you taking me this evening?"

"Patience my dear, you'll find out soon enough. But, like I said, the people I socialise with are a little, how shall I put it?" She paused, twirling her tendrils in thought. "Different. They're almost a secret society, so you should feel lucky you've been allowed in.."

They conversed in such a way until they came to a street that Victoria had never visited before. In fact, she didn't even know it existed.

As they bobbed along the cobbles, she peered out the window in to the road. They passed dark clothed figures, some seeing her through the glass, others not. They were menacing and Victoria's heart rate began to increase.

"Are you sure we're in the right place here?" She asked, slightly panicked.

"Positive"

There was silence in the carriage for the next few minutes. Victoria began to twiddle with her fingers; her give-away sign of nervousness.

They soon stopped outside a towering building. It was dark in colour, and clearly old. The paint flaked away from the window frames and the door, and the ragged curtains hung limply from the rail. In all, the building was nowhere near as impressive as any of the residences she was accustomed to socialising in. Her heart rate soared as Eliza almost casually stepped out of the carriage and signaled for her to follow.

She stepped out into the dingy street and followed Eliza, who seemed far too calm for such a situation, to the rather desolate looking door. Eliza raised her hand and rapped with her knuckles on the splintered wood. They must've waited no more than twenty seconds when the sound of locks being unlatched was heard, and a very suave looking gentleman appeared in the doorway. He was tall and slim, and he sported a rather impressive moustache. He must've recognised Eliza, as he tipped his top hat, stood back and waved her in. Eliza spun around, made a hand signal to the carriage driver then swooped into the dreary building. Victoria glanced at the man, who smiled warmly, gulped, then followed inside.

The man's warm smile turned to a devious grin, as he glanced each way down the street, chuckled menacingly and locked the door back up.

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