Lady Elizabeth

To say it was a dark and stormy night would be, while accurate in description, far too cliché. The view outside my window resembled that of a vengeful widow. The sky was cloaked in blackness so complete, that the light from my candle seemed dim. The incessant weeping and violent howling was either going to drown me or rip my home from its very foundation. Not that I would mind, as I lived in a rather dreary mismatch of shabby rubble that lacked a woman's touch. I would, however, wish to avoid drowning.

I sat at my writing desk by the window, though I had considered moving the desk to the other side of the room on several occasions that night. Not that I could move it no matter how badly I wished to. Everything in my sad little house was immovable. In more simple terms, everything was stuck to the floor, which was a rare blessing to me as I glanced out of the window. I received a sudden shock that caused me to jump back. I would have fallen to the floor if the chair had not been permanently fastened to the ever-creaking floorboards.

A shape appeared in the darkness. It was the figure of a woman in a hooded cloak. I saw neither her face, nor a travel bag, but it was too dark for my eyes to discern anything more than the gender of the newcomer. I leaned over my paper and ink to attempt a better visual. I had never seen a lady out of doors in such dreadful weather. My curiosity was overwhelming as I saw her walk into the house across from me. The front door opened and closed with haste but no lanterns were lit. The windows remained dark.

I got up from my desk and put my letter writing aside with the intention of continuing penning my note to my sister in the morning. I stretched and yawned. My broken old clock chimed midnight, but it was an hour fast. I got up and crawled into my straw bed and covered myself with my many moth-eaten blankets. I wondered if the rain would continue and I would drown in my sleep.

The next morning before the crow of the rooster, there was a tap on my door. I opened up my eyes and grumbled. I was never one to enjoy waking early. When the knock occurred again, I got up and put on my housecoat. I then noticed that the rain had stopped and it lifted my spirits because I did not die in my sleep. Then my spirits fell because I did not die in my sleep.

I opened the door to see the most beautiful creature I had beheld with my own eyes. I was mesmerized by her immediately. Her hair was raven black and her eyes were as dark as coffee but her skin was so fair, she appeared to be white. She was a lady of good breeding as was evident by the luxurious material of her full black gown and the jewels she wore around her neck. She greeted me softly.

"Good morning, Sir," she said. "I do hope I am not intruding."

"No," I said more hastily than I intended. "How may I be of service to you?"

"I was told, by several people, that you're a man who can help me with a problem I am having," she said in a voice that played in my ears like a bird song. She barely moved her lips but she spoke clearly.

"I shall do my best," I said. I restrained my eagerness.

"I wondered if you could find it possible to travel with me," she inquired. "You see, Mr. Asinus, my problem is in my home. I have no one to take care of my letter writing for business. I am not proficient in the proper language for deciphering all of the business talk in regards to my late husband's company."

She was a widow, a young beautiful widow who needed my help. I was certain that I was still dreaming. No sane wealthy lady would come seeking the help of a pauper, no matter how well-educated he may be.

"I will be delighted to assist you," I replied. "If you would like to wait, or come in, I will be ready shortly."

The lady chose to wait outside, a gesture I appreciated as my home was not suitable for company. I was never a tidy man and my home was only one larger room. I grabbed my best clothes and put them on. They were presentable for a lady of her standing as it was the last thing I owned from my days as a gentleman before the family fortune was gambled away by my contentious father. I was thankful right then that my older sister had married into a good family before that happened. I was not so lucky.