Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

The debutantes' talent demonstration had been going on for three hours and Jovana sighed as she watched the girls perform on stage while she thought to herself, 'I'm still not getting Xena's enthusiasm for these endless events…. But I need to give credit to many of these girls. They're really talented. However, I suspect that some of them just went on stage after drinking a vial of Serendipity and hoping for the best.' 

As for Jovana, for the whole time she had been the center of an endless parade of men from every corner of her life. From family friends and fellow soldiers from Elijah's battalion to very distant relatives that should be avoided. 

"Third-grade cousins aren't even relatives anymore. Maybe we should know each other a little better." Jovana's distant cousin said, while Jovana looked away from him and glanced at the debutante's stage where a girl was performing a clog dance.

Suddenly, one of the waiters who passed by carrying a tray full of empty glasses secretly slid a note in her hand. 'A massage? What's happening here?' Jovana mused.

"Plus, I think it's a good thing to not dilute the family blood too much, if you know what I mean…." he said, 

"I'm sorry, dear cousin, but I know exactly what you mean. In fact, if you will excuse me, I have to get out of the nausea."  Jovana responded to him.

"But I love you." He called after her, while Jovana walked away from the creep as fast as she could and found a secure spot to read the note. Jovana opened the note and saw that it was from Keith. It read, "The Duke's spy stumbled upon one of our hiding places. Only he can give the order to break into it. Stall for time and make sure that no one gets to the Duke for as long as possible. That's the only way we'll have time to clean everything up." 

As Jovana read the message, goosebumps rode her skin like a soldier on the battlefield. 'This is bad. Really, really bad! What am I supposed to do now? I can't just walk up to the Duke and casually seize him from…. Wait a minute! Of course, I can. After all, this is the debutante's picnic. I can seize anyone I like, at least according to Xena.' Jovana thought, and looked through the crowd. It wasn't hard to spot the Duke. Tall and mysterious, he was surrounded by adoring girls and submissive men.

'I need to play smart; I can't just keep him busy. After all, he's after me. I don't want him to suspect anything.' Jovana mused, and as her gaze fell back on the talent stage, she already knew what she had to do. 'Oh merciful Gods…. The damn demonstration of talents, that's the only way. And I need to come up with something really special if I want to succeed.' Jovana mused thoughtfully, and then sent a message home, to have one of the servants bring her cello.

After a while, the cello was brought to Jovana, and she looked at the sleek curves of the instrument as she made it slowly rotate on its endpin. As she took to the stage with the bulky instrument she noticed a few eyes rolling, a few snarky smiles and a few unkind remarks.

"I wonder who is going to play who. They're almost the same size!" Someone commented in the crowd.

"If I have to hear 'Heroes of tomorrow' one more time, I'll stay a bachelor forever." Another commented. But there was at least one set of eyes that was watching Jovana's every move with nothing but genuine expectation.

'To hell with those ignorant drunkards. This will only be for Caspian Clifford.' Jovana said in her mind, as a servant brought a chair at the center of the stage. Jovana sat and lodged the instrument between her long and perfect legs with one swift movement. The general buzz and snarky remarks fell dead silent. She surrounded the cello with her arms, put her fingers on the strings and closed her eyes. Then the bow struck the first note. It was a warm, enticing melody that filled the air with luscious promises, like the embrace of a lover.

It was not just her fingers, but Jovana's body moved with the music, as the melody got sharper and faster. It was like she and the cello were falling into a very close and early dance. When she played, something within her reached for the wild part of her soul, tapping at direct wantonness. It was like a spell that spread through every gesture, captivating the eyes of the men and charming anyone lucky enough to listen. Jovana's mother had played the cello for her father, and he named it, 'The call of the sirens' like it was some kind of supernatural gift, and it was clear she had passed it down to her daughter, Jovana.

As Jovana's fingers moved flawlessly over the fingerboard and the bow struck at a fierce pace, all eyes were welded to her. When Jovana opened her eyes and looked at the Duke, he was looking up at her so deeply that she got goosebumps. No other man in the crowd could look at her with the same eyes. And no man had ever looked at her with such yearning. The Duke could play music of his own even without any instrument. 'I'm playing a dangerous game against the devil himself…. And yet, right now, I don't mind it at all.' Jovana mused silently, as she struck the last notes and ended the performance. The crowd exploded in deafening applause.

Even the Duke was slowly clapping his hands with a very pleased smile, "Bravo, bravo." As Jovana was about to step off the stage, a horde of pretenders was already moving in her direction. But as the Duke approached as well, they scattered around, opening a passage for him.

'Well, apparently I got the attention I was looking for.' Jovana mused, as she watched the Duke come close to her.

The Duke slightly bowed his head, paying homage to her performance, "I can't help but regret all the years I spent at dull events without knowing you and your many talents, Lady Stafford." He said,

"Is that your way of saying that you enjoyed my performance, Lord Clifford?" Jovana said, flashing him a smile.

"It's my way of saying that I would like to walk with you away from the circus, if you don't mind." The Duke said, gallantly offering Jovana his arm.

"I'm not sure if I feel comfortable accepting your invitation, Lord Clifford. Your reputation is quite intimidating." Jovana said, and Caspian chuckled as he walked around Jovana, moved closer in and leaned toward her ear.

"Are you afraid of being alone with me, Lady Jovana?" He whispered, clearly challenging her with the look in his eyes.

Jovana raised her chin up, and replied, "I don't surrender easily to fear, Lord Clifford. Let's go." 

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As they walked away from the crowd and the noise, a deep sense of relief lightened Jovana's heart and shined through her lips with a smile. Caspian, who walked beside her, didn't miss the shift within her. "Feeling better?" He asked.

"Yes. I tried to comply with the preaching of etiquette, but I'm afraid it's not for me." Jovana answered.

"I see. I don't care about being accountable to random strangers for my behavior either." Caspian said, and Jovana beamed at him.

"It's a great relief to hear that." She said, making Caspian have a light laugh. Craning her head to the side, she asked, "What's so amusing, Lord Clifford?" 

"I have walked this path with many girls over the years, and this is the first time someone described the experience as a relief." He said, and Jovana raised an eyebrow.

"Really? And may I ask you where those girls are now?" She asked, curious.

"I have absolutely no idea. I don't care about boring and predictable people, Lady Stafford. There are too many of them." Caspian said, and Jovana glanced at him.

"Then I'm glad to be such an unusual girl." Jovana remarked, as she looked at him right in those steely eyes and showed a confident smile.

Caspian held her gaze, then smiled as well, "Yes, you are unusual." He said, and reached for his pocket watch, and glanced at the time. He continued, "And speaking of unusual things, considering your average participation in any event, by now you would have long gone. What's holding you back today?"

Jovana's heart pounded in her chest as her thoughts raced at his words, 'What? How in the world does he know when I leave parties? Does he have spies on me? Does he know? Am I screwed?'