Ward of the White Worm

The Queentower Railway Station was located in Haleshire, which was roughly five kilometers south of the Brynebourne. It was the northernmost train station possible, as possibly hundreds of speculators found out the very financially hard way some decades ago. The lives lost were easy enough to write off but the hundreds of thousands of pounds that had vanished left many less well off and even destitute.

Haleshire was a small city, with the Queentower Station at its most northernmost corner, having been built on where the alleged Queen’s Tower had once stood. Haleshire had always had a respectable population of merchants, tradesmen, and labourers, and with the coming of the rail the population had further expanded with workers for the train station. This was from ticket-takers, workmen to load and unload shipped materials and finished items, night watchmen and day watchmen, and from the small army of clerks necessitated by the railway line owners, the Glasson Brothers, moving their main office into Haleshire.

Queentower had another important claim to fame besides behind the most northern possible station, for once the weather began to cool the northern aristocracy would begin their sojourn from their country seats to Parliament and Queentower was the station most would leave their coaches to continue their journey straight to the capital. Thus the station building itself was made of expensive imported marble stone, becoming a mighty white edifice with wide welcoming oak doors and iron gates that watchmen patrolled.

Great windows allowed the late summer light to fall inside on white tile covered floor, illuminating a statue of a young man in armor sitting on a tree stump, and providing just enough light to allow people within to read a massive wooden departure board that hung over another set of gates to the platform itself or to read a book. There were a dozen stands with stacked books chained to their wooden frames to serve any bored waiting passenger in such a way.

Besides the platform and the waiting area, Queentower boasted yet two more (truly three) parts that made it well loved by passengers coming aboard.

In its westward wing was a gentlemen’s tobacco lounge. While any upstanding citizen would not want to submit women and children to such noxious smog, it was accepted as a masculine hobby and bonding activity. The lounge itself was set up in dark wood paneling to better hide any stains, with a shopkeep that also provided tea and coffee for any fellow who felt a pit peckish (by Royal Decree, alcohol of any kind was banned from being consumed in stations).

The eastward wing contained a ‘caffe’ in the Languedis style, with more airy windows and purple papered walls with an occasional plaster-carved decoration. It was a place for young women to come get something to eat and drink, and to feed children as well, before or after a train trip.

However, given that it was an auspicious day of travel the two wings were closed. This was to allow the traveling lords, their ladies, and their families and chosen servants to swiftly make it to their trains without distraction. But with the two wings closed, the station was ever more crowded. For not only would the nobility be going southwards, but the learned doctors, physicians, and recently graduated solicitors and attorneys would be arriving for their mandated two months making rounds in the northern lands along with their own families.

Thus, Henrietta was doing her very best to keep one hand firmly holding Olli’s hand while also trying to keep Theodore in sight. This proved to be difficult as not only were numerous people attempting to get to or away from their train, but there had been another aspect of the entire business Henrietta had never known about.

Petitioners.

These were men of the Society of the Salvation of Such-and-Such, representatives of the Alliance of Dye and What-Have-Yours, Concerned Sisterhood of This-or-That, and ambassadors of the Something Club. Each carried with them papers, pamphlets, cards, treatsies, and even books as they swarmed the nobility. Adding to the crush were the brown and red uniformed men of Her Majesty’s Seventy-Third, who as she had been told by Theodore earlier were always dispatched to ensure a relatively safe environment in the stations during this time. While the uniformed could keep away the bulk of petitioners, they could not keep all of them away.

“My lord! Sir! Our papers!” Someone cried.

“Baron de Mausargille, did you-”

“Earl Brynebourne, please take this document with you! I represent the Lakes Protec-”

“It’s the Marquis Waller!”

An arm was thrust out with a thick pamphlet, the knuckles nearly touching Henrietta’s nose. An elderly man who stood close to her also jumped in alarm, “good gods! You nearly punched this poor woman!” The man admonished the petitioner, while allowing Henrietta to squeeze past with Olli.

Olli, being small, was mostly faced with the bustles of skirts or being swiped at by crinolines, and batted aside anything that came too close to her with her free hand. “There’s too many people!” She grumbled.

“Yes,” Henrietta sighed in agreement. She looked towards Theodore, only to see a cluster of unfamiliar people pushing ahead. “...Sir?” She called out hesitantly, before raising her voice over the clamour, “Sir!?”

“Miss.”

The voice was right by her ear, a low and scratchy one that made her nearly jump from her boots at its suddenness. She turned her head to see a young man with the flat misshapen cap of a laborer. “Y-yes?” She managed to speak, glancing briefly at the crowd still pushing around her, drawing Olli closer behind her.

“You’re with the Earl right?” He asked.

“The Earl of Brynebourne, yes?”

Suddenly a letter was pushed against her, “this is from Captain Rourke, give it to the Earl.”

“Captain Rourke-”

But the young man had seemingly faded away. She only barely caught sight of his cap floating away with the river of professionals leaving the train station.

“Miss Marsh, there he is!” Olli tugged on Henrietta’s hand, pointing to a small knot of people ahead. Theodore was only obvious from it for a moment because one man had stooped to pick something up. But he was speaking to someone whom the knot seemed to focus around.

Henrietta moved closer, not wanting to lose track of him again. Mister Burke was a little farther ahead, holding a small stack of various papers, letters, documents, pamphlets, and other such petitions. Finally she was close enough to see who it was that Theodore was speaking with.

It was as though the crowd had melted away into the background, still images in darkness to the golden light that haloed the woman Theodore was speaking with. Her skin was soft, the pinkish glow of health under its paleness. Her bonnet was a lively shade of faint blue, and two well done curls of pure blonde framed a round face with glittering blue eyes and a cherry red cupid’s bow of a mouth, held in a warm smile that suggested endless friendship and joy. The woman was a light, a focus of eyes, an enchantress of happiness. None who passed could resist the pull of her gaze, her silver bell of a voice. How could anyone compete? How could…

Henrietta blinked.

The vision was gone, and while she saw that Theodore was speaking to a very beautiful woman she no longer pulled Henrietta’s attention so strongly. So Henrietta was able to walk closer to the duo as they spoke.

“-my mother should take your advice, of course, but she has never been the one who looks at herself,” the woman sighed. “Theo, I’m never quite sure how to convince her otherwise, and father being as he is I cannot appeal to him for help.” Henrietta felt something in her chest sink, ‘Theo’, how friendly were these two?

“I have asked the servants to keep a good eye on her until you and your husband arrive to Watshire. Speaking of, where is he?”

“He left a week ahead of me,” the woman replied, before turning her sight to Henrietta. For a brief second, the allure threatened to return. “Oh?”

Theodore looked over to Henrietta and Olli, “ah, Miss Marsh, Olli. This is Mrs Charlotte Stone, Motzy’s daughter.”

The name ‘Charlotte’ was familiar, Henrietta remembered Motzy briefly mentioning it, “ah, Mrs Stone. It is a pleasure,” she greeted with a tone colder than she intended. Perhaps she was tired from the constant jostling.

“It is a pleasure to meet you both as well. Mother had spoken of you two in her letters,” Charlotte smiled. “When time permits, you must really meet my children,” she said to Olli. “They would be about your age, and I know Theo is unlikely to bring many friends for you to visit. I say, children must play with children, they learn to be people that way.”

“You are quite rude to me,” Theodore said with no offense in his words, “she has met de Mausargille’s children, I assure you.”

“Oh, certainly she has met. But has she gotten to play with them? Climb a tree, even?” Then Charlotte turned her attention to Henrietta, “Miss Marsh. You are her governess, so you really must impress upon Theo the importance of play time!” She was quiet for a moment before adding, “ah, I really should get going through. The coach is likely waiting. Would any of you like me to give a message to my mother?”

“Tell Motzy not to lift anything heavier than a hatbox,” Theodore replied instantly.

“She will not listen.”

“Tell Mrs Handler I wish her good health and she will be in my prayers… and also, if she feels well and has the desire to do so, to write to us,” Henrietta said with a nod of her head.

“Oh, of course, I am certain she will be busily writing a letter as we speak!” Charlotte laughed. It sounded too wonderful.

Olli took a moment to think, before she finally asked, “tell Motzy… I miss her.”

Charlotte smiled gently, “I will, but I will not say you were sad! She will want to come straight to the capital to cheer you up!” Then she gave a curtsy, “now my lord, I must be off.”

The knot of men around them came into prominence again, “Mrs Stone, I will help you!” One man said.

“No, let me carry your trunk, ma’am!”

“Please, allow me to hold your coat!”

“Farewell for now, Charlotte,” Theodore said, doffing off his hat for a moment to her. “Tell your husband I said hello if you can get his nose out of his books.”

“Of course! Farewell!” She then began to walk away, followed by the crowd of men squabbling over who would carry what.

Henrietta felt a strange tangle in her chest, but could not figure out why or where it had come from. It settled in her breast like a small ravenous beast, clinging to arteries. But Theodore was already walking to Mister Burke, and not wanting to lose him again she and Olli walked swiftly after him towards the platform proper.