Midnight in Everwood(23)
Long after she exited the room, Marietta remained, frozen with worry as her life marched out of her control.
Upon awakening the following morning, Marietta found a velvet box beneath her pillow. She set her coffee cup aside to open it. Inside, she was surprised to find the same Cartier brooch she had pawned but a few days earlier. A thick notecard held an insignia of a mouse, stamped in a swirling design that incorporated the initial ‘D’. She pressed her trembling fingers to her mouth. She had thought no one had seen her inside the pawnbrokers; how had Drosselmeier known of the brooch? Perhaps he had followed her from the theatre. Ripples of unease furrowed through her. Her suspicions were further substantiated, yet it appeared Drosselmeier was becoming bolder, and she worried what he intended next.
The door clicked open and Sally entered. ‘Your diamond brooch. I had wondered if you’d misplaced it. Is everything all right, miss? You’ve gone awfully pale.’
‘I too thought it had been misplaced. Was this not returned to you?’
Sally shook her head, her mouth opening as she spoke. Marietta failed to hear a single word above the roaring horror in her head.
Drosselmeier had entered her bedroom while she slept.
Chapter Twelve
In a rare spell of fortune, when Marietta entered the dining room for Christmas Eve dinner, she managed to source a seat beside Frederick. Having no family to speak of, Drosselmeier had been invited to join them and sat opposite. Marietta felt him watching her, his frosted eyes sinking ever deeper into her skin. A gaze with hooks and shadows.
As per custom, they dined on courses of minced pies, roasted nuts, roast goose stuffed with chestnuts, served with gooseberry and bread sauces, followed by fruitcake and plum pudding, flaming with brandy. And all the while, Drosselmeier watched Marietta. She started concealing her joy, burrowing it into that place where her life was tethered, its only witness the blood roaring through her veins, the wind-rush of her breathing. When she was a girl, Christmas Eve had been her favourite day of the entire year. The traditions of feasting and exchanging gifts beside the Christmas tree in the evening filled her with sparkling delight. Marietta clenched her spoon and smiled brighter, suddenly determined not to allow Drosselmeier to dull that delight.
When the feast came to a close, Marietta followed her mother to the drawing room, to retire for coffee and await the men. A large deep-green Christmas tree sparkled in the centre, lit with candles and festooned with glass baubles, golden bells and sugarplums, with red ribbons laced around it. Presents wrapped in silver paper were heaped underneath. Ida played carols at the Steinway while Marietta sang O Christmas Tree and The Twelve Days of Christmas until even she, at long last, felt the festivities of the season penetrate her mental chainmail. Tomorrow, at long last, she would take to the stage as Aurora. After that, the future stretched wider with possibilities than it had in an age.
Drosselmeier was the first to join them, his arms filled with berry-red and green crackers. Ida pulled one with him, squealing when it burst in a shower of sparks and a loud bang. A paper twist of roasted nuts and a wind-up toy mouse fell into her lap. Her laughter ringing out, she wound it up and they all watched it scurry around the base of the Christmas tree, squeaking and swishing its tail as it went.
‘Would you care to pull one with me?’ Drosselmeier offered Marietta a striped green and gold cracker. Not trusting herself to voice the emotions sending her stomach pitching, a sea in a winter’s storm, she grasped the end and tugged. Drosselmeier pulled back, his long fingers tight around his end. The cracker failed to succumb to their efforts.
Marietta gave him an impassive look. ‘You are mistaken if you believe that in allowing me to win you shall wend your way into my affections.’
Something unfettered ran across Drosselmeier’s face. ‘Perhaps it is not necessary for me to win your affection. Marriage is predominantly an economic agreement after all. Affection oft follows later.’
Marietta stiffened with anger. She doubted any man should ever possess her love, not while she remained her own greatest devotee. She did not voice the thought aloud, not under the surreptitious glances her mother was casting at her and Drosselmeier, heavy with curiosity and touched with a knowing compassion. This was likely to be her final Christmas with her family with what was to come and she did not care to tarnish it. She wrenched the cracker from Drosselmeier while he was awaiting her response. It exploded in a spurt of golden confetti, raining sugarplums and hazelnuts. A small nutcracker accompanied them. Painted in the livery of a toy soldier, he wore shiny gold buttons on a red, double-breasted military coat, and navy trousers tucked into glossy black boots. She slid it into her dress pocket without a word.
‘Am I correct in assuming that you’ve heard of my intentions towards you?’ Drosselmeier’s gaze dipped to encompass her ivory satin gown, encrusted with midnight beading and vintage blush lace. His breath was hot against her bare collarbone and she inched away a little to reclaim her own space. Yet he moved with her, closing the gap between them, his thigh pressing against her gown.
‘Do my eyes deceive me? Have you started without waiting for us?’ Frederick exclaimed upon entering the drawing room with Theodore. His spotted necktie was undone, and the scent of cigar smoke clung to him.
‘Why, of course not; you are just in time for the presents,’ Marietta said, diverting the energy of the room. Drosselmeier shifted away from her and their intimate conversation shattered.