A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

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librarian_7
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A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

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A Game of Chess

Chapter 13

When the door opened, Josef was mildly surprised to see Cynthia Davis on the other side, not that he let it show. “Miss Davis,” he said with evident pleasure.

She responded with a stretch of her wide mouth that vaguely resembled a smile, moving her hands smoothly across the folds of her full skirt. The dark grey merino was cut appropriately for an upper level servant or housekeeper, although the material of her dress was far finer than would be expected. The crisp white collar and cuffs gave her a modest, nunnish air. “Mr. Fitzgerald. Mlle. Duvall will be delighted to see you.”

“Isn’t everyone?”

Cynthia’s smile tightened, but she stood aside to admit him.

“And where is that toothsome little colleen that met me last time?” Josef asked.

“She’s—no longer with us.”

Josef cocked his head to one side. “Gone, or dead?”

Cynthia frowned, closing the door. “Dead.”

“Careless of you. Very careless.”

“Not that I need to defend anything to you—”

Josef sniffed. “I’m your elder. So possibly yes, you do.”

Cynthia’s response was sharp enough to be waspish. “I do not think either of us are so deeply embedded in the local hierarchy for that to be true.”

That got her a bark of a laugh. “Touché. Nevertheless, we must endeavor to be…responsible citizens.”

“Citizen,” Cynthia said stiffly, “is an unfortunate word, Fitzgerald, to use to a Frenchwoman of breeding.”

“Which you are not, Miss Davis.”

“No. But Coraline is. And she lost a good many friends and relatives during the Terror.”

Josef waved away her protest. “That’s as may be. Holding grudges is not practical for those of us who live long. But you were going to tell me what really happened to that poor unfortunate lass.”

Cynthia twitched her skirts, Josef thought, like an angry cat switching her tail. He was on the verge of liking the blonde vampire. She had an essential and pragmatic ruthlessness he could understand, far from Coraline Duvall’s aristocratic machinations. Now, she was almost hissing. “You don’t think we’d be so stupid as to simply drain a servant girl, do you? And toss the body out with the trash?”

“When you put it like that, it sounds so….plausible,” Josef replied with an acid smirk.

“The stupid chit was carrying a bucket of ashes down the back stairs, and tripped on the steps. Broke her silly neck on the way down. Made the most dreadful mess. Ashes everywhere.”

“And blood loss had nothing to do with it?”

Cynthia shrugged. “It’s not our fault if her duties required her to carry on with cleaning after she’d been bled. We had no idea she was a fainter.”

“Well, then, that’s a pity.”

“You know how it is. These Irish girls, so unreliable. You’d think peasants would be sturdier.”

Still, careless of them, he thought. There were better ways to handle these things. And he’d be surprised if that pretty little scarred neck hadn’t been snapped prior to the girl’s tumble down the stairs. Not that anyone was likely to put much energy into investigating the death, as long as there were no similar incidents connected to the household in the future. “Indeed.”

Cynthia pasted a false, sunny smile on her face. “And after all, servants are so very replaceable.” She turned to lead the way deeper into the flat.

“I’m surprised,” Josef commented, “that your mistress hasn’t taken a townhouse. So much more privacy.”

She looked back over her shoulder. “Mlle. Duvall considered it, but she was advised that propriety would be better observed if she were in a position to be—better observed.”

Josef nodded at the sense of this, considering that masculinity did carry certain advantages. He never questioned his own freedom of movement. But they were moving on.

The last time she’d received him in her boudoir, the calculated attempt at seduction a little over-obvious. This time, speaking of propriety, she was evidently planning a different mode of attack, as Cynthia took him to a fashionably decorated parlor. Unlike her boudoir, the elegant furnishings here were not a precisely tuned setting for her, but Coraline’s dark beauty still shone in this more formal setting.

She did not rise to greet him as he entered, and Josef made the trip across the room to take her hand and bow over it. He did not quite brush cool lips across the backs of her knuckles, but it was close enough to satisfy etiquette.

“Mlle Duvall.”

“Mr. Fitzgerald.”

Josef noted that Coraline’s dress this evening was, although considerably more formal than when he had last called, still a trifle more casual than fashion dictated. He gathered from a certain stiffness in her posture that she was encased in the usual combination of whalebone and linen, although he judged her figure too slender to have need of the active confinement of corsets. On the other hand, she had eschewed the billowing crinolines of a dress meant for public view, her layers of hampering skirts making a more subdued bell around her. He supposed for practical purposes, it was far more convenient than hoops.

After greeting him, she returned her attention to a chessboard sitting on a small table beside her, the game mostly complete. With a soft sigh, she reached out and with the careful flick of a finger, knocked over the white king. Then she smiled up at Josef.

“It took some decades,” she remarked, “for me to gain sufficient patience to appreciate the game. Then I realized that I could take the time to enjoy it.”

“That is often the case.” Josef picked up the red queen. The set was a masterpiece of meticulously carved ivory, the white pieces mellowed almost to gold with age, the red stained to the color of old blood. The base of each piece was banded in gold, giving them a satisfying weight in the hand. He had a momentary destructive urge, thinking the set must be dear to her. He closed his hand around the piece. Turning the delicate carving into dust would make his point.

But she was gazing at him, dark eyes showing no apprehension. She knew his capabilities as he knew hers. There was no need to prove it, crudely. He opened his hand, and set the piece back on the board with a soft, precise click. “A very fine set,” he said.

“I’d hoped to entice you into a game,” Coraline replied.

“I rarely play,” Josef said, “unless the stakes interest me.”

Coraline dimpled. “Of course. That explains your interest in commerce.” She waved a hand in signal to Cynthia. “I think I have something to pique your curiosity.”

Cynthia rose with a quiet rustle of skirts, and stepped to the parlor’s other door. Sliding open the pocket doors, she said gently, “Kommt herein,” and ushered two young humans into the room.

They were both in their middle teens, a blond boy and a dark-haired girl. She had olive skin, dark hazel eyes and hair that glinted with mahogany highlights, loose around her shoulders. The boy had hair of bright gold, his fair skin almost translucent save for two hectic red spots on his cheeks. His blue eyes were wary and confused, and Josef could tell from the scent that neither of them knew quite what to make of the circumstances in which they found themselves. They stood close together, hands linked, looking uncertainly at the occupants of the parlor. Josef noticed absently that although both of them were freshly bathed and dressed in clean, serviceable clothes, they retained a faint distant aroma of salt water and fish.

Josef raised an eyebrow at Coraline. “Catch of the day?”

“They are very fresh. I thought perhaps something straight from the docks might suit you.” Coraline smiled. “Of course, they don’t speak any English, which is a drawback, but it’s so difficult to find just the right thing.”

“Ah, well,” Josef said, “I find that conversation in swallows is highly over-rated.” He knew that the resemblance between these two children and his Tessa and Ned was no coincidence. Damned if he was stupid enough to show it on his face, though.

Not that it mattered. Coraline was perceptive enough to read his blank expression just as easily as if he’d uttered a curse, and Cynthia allowed herself a small, secret smile.

“Josef,” Coraline said as though chiding a foolish infant, “Cynthia and I have known for a long time how to tuck up our hair and put on boy’s breeches. You’d be amazed how much you can learn with a little soot on your face. And the freedom of movement is—enviable.”

He suppressed a start at how closely her words paralleled his earlier thought. “Am I supposed to be pleased that you’re watching my house? Or impressed?”

“Why, neither. I think the better word is ‘warned.’ I can’t imagine you’d be surprised.”

“Let’s just say, I’m not amused, and leave it at that.”

Coraline shrugged. “That’s as may be,” she said. “But we were going to play a game.”

“Yes. I recall.”

“I thought you might care to wager. If you win, these two—“ she indicated the children, “—can be yours.”

“That’s assuming I want them.”

“Don’t you?” She rose and crossed behind them, trailing cold fingertips across the girl’s cheek. “But you seem so interested in little humans.”

“And if I should lose?”

“Oh, well, they stay with me. And you may send me some bauble. I’ve offered you a pair. Perhaps you would hazard a pair. Ruby earrings sound nice. I’ve always liked rubies and gold.”

Josef looked at the humans. Why should he care about food? But the sad fact was, he did. In fact, the older he got, the more he came to realize that humans were most of what made his existence interesting. Not that he’d admit that. Not to another vampire, and all the forgotten gods forbid that a human should know. He smiled, using the expression of unsuppressed irony so many had informed him was extremely irritating, and pulled up a substantial chair across the table from Coraline. “Red,” he said, “or white?”

Tradition dictated that they draw for it, but he knew well enough that she could differentiate which piece was in his hand by the scent of the red dye on the ivory. If she wanted the first move, she could take the advantage.

She dimpled at him, again. “The red is my favorite, but tonight I believe I’ll have the white.”

The board was set quickly, and play began. A few moves into the game, and Josef knew that his opponent had a talent for subterfuge, a devious enough mind that Josef was forced to re-think his original assessment of her. Her claims of aristocracy were probably valid.

Still, he’d learned chess from warriors, not courtiers, and had, he reflected, probably a century and a half more practice. She gave him a good game, her queen a formidable presence on the board, her bishops and knights providing support and protection. He found her a trifle careless of her pawns, however, and a bit impetuous in her decisions, and these little weaknesses at length allowed the red pieces to spread across the board, until at last Coraline gave a short nod and tipped her king.

“Checkmate,” Josef said.

She glanced over at the two humans leaning together on the bench in the corner. “I’m sure you’ll have great joy of them.”

Josef followed her gaze. In truth, he had no great desire for either of them, and under the circumstances, he really could not move them into the Waverly Place townhouse. Two wards might be acceptable, but four? People would talk, and it would not be to praise his philanthropy. He disliked the idea of drawing undue attention; it ran contrary to his experience that discretion was the better part of survival. Nevertheless, he had to make some sort of provision for them, he supposed. It would take a colder-hearted monster than himself to simply send them out defenseless into the streets of the city.

He rose, and made a polite bow. He might have won, but the need to make arrangements for his winnings neatly circumvented any opportunity to broach the subject he’d come for, and he suspected that his winsome opponent knew that. “My thanks for a challenging contest, Coraline.”

“Oh, you can’t be leaving so soon,” she pouted dark eyes sparkling with malice. “Aren’t you going to give me a chance to re-coup my losses?”

Josef looked at the two children drooping together in their seats. Carpe noctem, he thought. “Let me speak to them,” he said, gesturing, and she nodded.

It had been several years since he’d had need of it, but a few seconds thought brought back his German, and he addressed them in that tongue. “What are your names?”

“Karl Appel, mein Herr,” the boy answered. The girl, more timid, said only, “Liesel.”

“And where are you from?”

“Switzerland, the Canton Valais,” Karl replied.

“Austria. A village near Vienna.”

“Do you have people in the city? Relatives?” Josef made his tone as gentle and patient as he could.

The boy shook his head, but the girl nodded. “Not in the city,” she said, “but we meant to go to my Tante Gertrude in Albany.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “But Papa and Mama died during the crossing.”

Josef reached out and gave her cheek a feather-light caress as she blinked up at him, tears standing in her eyes. “I’ll get you to your Tante, Liebchen,” he said. “And we’ll find work for you, Karl, if you want it.”

Ja, mein Herr.”

Josef clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man.” A half turn and a quick gesture brought Cynthia Davis to his side. “Miss Davis, if you’d be so kind as to take these two down and put them in my driver’s care, I’d appreciate it.”

Cynthia checked wordlessly with Coraline before nodding assent.

“Not going to give me a chance to win them back?” Coraline asked. “That’s unsporting of you, Fitzgerald.”

Josef gave her a thin smile. “You set the stakes last time, Coraline. This time, I think we’ll risk a different hazard.”

The children were safely out the door, and within a few moments would be as safe as possible with his coachman, Fox. He hadn’t sent instructions to the man, but if Cynthia gave them into Fox’s keeping with the information that they belonged to Josef, he’d guard them. Of course, that meant he had to trust in the obedience of Cynthia Davis, but life was never without risks. He wrenched his mind back to the current challenge.

“And what—hazard—did you have in mind, Josef?” Coraline asked, her voice low and husky. She looked up at him through the sooty dark fringe of her lashes. It would have taken a far greater fool than he had ever been, not to realize what she thought the next bet would be.

Josef allowed himself a brief pang of regret. Another time, another situation, and he’d have been happy to oblige her. To their no doubt mutual satisfaction. He quirked one side of his mouth. “Cam Marshall,” he said. “I’ll play you for Cam Marshall.”

Coraline’s answering pout was prettily done, but Josef could see the steel underneath. “That’s not what I was expecting, Josef. Not from you.”

He shrugged. “What can I say? The unexpected is what keeps us young, my dear.”

“Indeed.” Her hands moved over the board, swiftly, and she held out closed fists to him. No polite deferral of tradition, this time, he was amused to see. And she’d held both sides of the set recently enough that his nose couldn’t tell which hand held which. “Choose your color.”

He hesitated a bare second, and then tapped her left hand, keeping his eyes on her face. She smiled and relaxed her fist, dropping the pawn into the hand that had blurred to move beneath hers. Without looking, he said, “Red again. You shouldn’t be so careless of your men.”

“Men can always be replaced,” she replied. “And I knew you’d make the catch.”

They were silent as they reset the board, and Josef leaned back in his seat to await her first move.
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by allegrita »

This wonderful chapter does so much to illuminate the relationship between Josef and Coraline. It makes sense that there was the potential for things to go a different way between them. I've always wondered why they never became lovers, since they both strike me as extraordinarily sexual creatures. So why didn't they?! This chapter gives the answer. Josef had more important things in mind that night. And I think that maybe that night was the tipping point for their relationship. It went from flirtation to fencing (or chess, actually) because of Cam.

Coraline is obviously playing a very deep game. I don't know what it is about Cam that has her intrigued, but she's definitely not willing to let him go without a very good reason. And now, maybe inexplicably for him, Josef is pushing her very hard to let Cam go. I see this as a bit of an epiphany for Josef. He must be wondering why he's bothering... but still, he does bother. Maybe it's partly his memory of Cam's mother in her salad days. Probably there are lots of reasons why he is sticking his neck out for Cam. But I think Coraline misjudged very badly here, in playing that nasty little game with the children who looked like Tessa and Ned. I think she played into Josef's hands, because he lost sympathy for her when she made such a blatantly obvious move. Josef is subtler than that.

And by the way, I love the way you portray Cynthia here. She's so much more than a servant, but she plays the role so well. And she has nothing but contempt for Josef (or, indeed, for any man who dares cross her mistress). She is an extremely loyal handmaiden to Coraline. I've always wondered, with her, if there's more to her antipathy for Coraline's suitors than meets the eye. She's amazingly protective... and maybe we'd better leave it there.
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by tucutecats »

Thank you again for your perfect and delicious Joseph, it gives me shivers, I always anxiously await your stories and am richly rewarded when they arrive; :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart: :heart:
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by darkstarrising »

Lucky, I had to wait until I got home to give this a proper read, and I wasn't disappointed.

While I love the intricacies of the story, the level of detail you give either the surroundings or the characters makes it all the more pleasurable to read. Cynthia is in her element here, protecting her mistress as always, yet challenges Josef in a way that makes him regard her more carefully.
Cynthia twitched her skirts, Josef thought, like an angry cat switching her tail. He was on the verge of liking the blonde vampire. She had an essential and pragmatic ruthlessness he could understand, far from Coraline Duvall’s aristocratic machinations. Now, she was almost hissing.
Even her attire tells you something...she may not be the mistress of the house, but she's no lowly servant either.
The dark grey merino was cut appropriately for an upper level servant or housekeeper, although the material of her dress was far finer than would be expected. The crisp white collar and cuffs gave her a modest, nunnish air.
Had to chuckle at the 'nunnish' aspect.

Yet the center point of this chapter is the challenge of two powerful vampires. Coraline failed earlier to get what she wanted from Josef using her feminine wiles, so she resorts to game of chess, which relies on wit and skills. Josef has won the first round, his prize something that really doesn't interest Coraline all that much. Yet the second round stakes are higher, and Coraline won't take losing Cam easily, should Josef best her. That's a game I'm looking forward to.
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by cassysj »

I love how you show Cynthia. I think you got her dead on. Coraline is her world and anyone that tries to upset that apple cart has Cynthia's contempt.

Coraline is so used to using her body and charms to get what she wants out of men this interaction with Josef must be driving her crazy.

I also think Coraline at this point is used to vampires being more impressed with her skills and take her "warnings".

I love that he has her off balance with the Cam wager and I look forward to that match.
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by librarian_7 »

Ah, thank you for the comments....I revel in your praise, as always. This is one of my most ambitious projects, and it's delightful to see that it's being well received, as slowly as I update.

Thank you, thank you!

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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by NightAir »

You've caught Cynthia's personality perfectly; acerbic, never just a servant, yet never an equal to Coraline either, always loyal, always deferring to Coraline's lead, and always jealous of others who attract her attention.
librarian_7 wrote:The board was set quickly, and play began. A few moves into the game, and Josef knew that his opponent had a talent for subterfuge, a devious enough mind that Josef was forced to re-think his original assessment of her. Her claims of aristocracy were probably valid.

Still, he’d learned chess from warriors, not courtiers, and had, he reflected, probably a century and a half more practice. She gave him a good game, her queen a formidable presence on the board, her bishops and knights providing support and protection. He found her a trifle careless of her pawns, however, and a bit impetuous in her decisions, and these little weaknesses at length allowed the red pieces to spread across the board, until at last Coraline gave a short nod and tipped her king.
This is a perfect description of Coraline's mode of behavior in all aspects of her life. To her everything is a calculated game.
Is Cam merely a pawn or does Coraline truly care for him in her own way? In any case, he has become the prize in the complicated game Coraline and Josef are playing. A role Mick occupies nearly a century later.

Thanks for another great chapter! :flowers:
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by moonlight_vixen »

You captured Cynthia perfectly in this chapter. I loved the conversation between Coraline and Josef showcased here. Coraline is so used to getting whatever she wants, whether through her charms or the use of her body, that she figures she has Josef cornered here. This has to be driving her absolutely crazy!

I can't wait to see what comes next...Great chapter Lucky! :twothumbs:
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by francis »

This is so fascinating. The chess, the description of the women, the wagers.
I really like your assessment (or rather Josef's) of Cynthia, and Coraline. And I wonder what motives Coraline has to get into this game. She must know that she's no match to Josef.

Waiting for more. :hearts:
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by librarian_7 »

Thanks, francis, m_v, and Nightair. It may be a little while before the next chapter appears--RL is being difficult at the moment, but I promise, it will continue. And :snicker: I do have plans...

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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by RangerCM »

So right! I did love this one. I would have loved to see more scenes between these two back in the day. So much potential for outstanding dialogue. <sigh> Good thing we have such talented writers to take up the challenge :yes:
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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by jen »

Lucky

This is amazing!

I totally agree about being surprised that there was no history of a relationship between Josef and Coraline. In ways, they seemed so much alike--both would probably seek the title of 'Consummate Vampire' with gusto and could perhaps be contenders for it.

Josef, however, exhibited more depth here.

Love it!

Thank you!

Jenna

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Re: A Game of Chess, Chapter 13 (PG-13)

Post by jen »

What a fabulous job of writing Josef!

Here they are--two vampires with nearly polar opposite views on humans. Josef protecting them, while Coraline using and discarding them with casual contempt.

Worried about the children, though. I don't trust Cynthia...
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