Chapter 13 - Raised By Wolves

Chapter 13
 Raised by Wolves
After Aleister had dropped his news'bomb', all was quiet in the room.
No one wanted to break the silence at first. Then Emmeline said softly, 'How...how did you know?'
Al leaned forward, elbows on knees. 'My dear girl. I apologize for what must seem to be a rather abrupt assault on propriety, and your privacy as well. But, as you have no doubt surmised by now, we are, all of us, in desperate circumstances lately!' He paused and looked down at the carpet a moment, gathering his thoughts. 'We do rather have the advantage of you, as you would say, but here in this our sanctuary for the moment, we are hoping that we may all become better acquainted and hopefully, more at ease with one another.'
Jack spoke up then. 'Emmeline, if it's any comfort to you, Aleister seems to have the advantage of myself as well, when it comes to certain pertinent information.'He sat, arms folded across himself,long legs stretched out and crossed before him, looking rather dour.
Aleister cleared his throat, taking a sip of cognac. '...ah,hemmm, well. Time and place for everything, Jack!'
'How about here and now?' Emmeline challenged.
'Very well, then!' Aleister turned to Alice: 'My dear  Alice, did your late husband leave any of his notes at your house by any chance?'
'He did,  Aleister,' Alice seemed more herself now. 'But with his instructions to keep them in a safe deposit box at the bank, should anything  happen...'she trailed off...
Aleister reached over and took her hand a moment: 'Of course, my dear!
This isn't easy for either of you ladies, I quite understand. But, for your own safety, we must determine certain knowledge is still safe as well.'
He then turned to Emmeline, 'And Emmeline, had your late father left any of his files behind, that may have escaped the fire at the lab?'
Em started a bit then. 'I, I'm not sure. I kept some of his things that were at the house then, before it was sold, and I moved into Alice's. There wasn't much, really, he was practically living at the lab by then.'she sighed.'There may be a trunk, but I can't recall what all it contains. It's in Alice's attic now.' She looked up then. Aleister noted that she seemed calm enough, and hoped it wasn't shock, still. He hoped that the sedative he'd administered in her tea was  working.
'I see. We shall have to make a thorough search for and inside that trunk when we return. I do not think however that there is any problem with it where it is. Although perhaps...we can discuss it later with Yeats, eh Jack?' Jack nodded.
'Well, it has been a long, weary day. I think we would benefit by abit of rest before we apply ourselves to this line of inquiry further.'Aleister drained his glass,and setting it down, addressed the company:'We shall need our wits about us in the next few days. And Emmeline, you especially require some easy, natural sleep!'
'I'll try, doctor. So much has crowded my mind! I can't make head or tail of it at all!'she shook her head slowly.
'We understand, dear girl. Know that we shall endeavor to enlighten
you regarding all, on the morrow!' He looked at her intently. 'Would you care for a sedative, my dear?'
'...you mean, another one?' she asked archly.
Aleister smiled a small crooked grin then. 'Well, as your physician, I took it upon myself to administer a very small quantity of quite natural and very gentle soothing potion in your tea, yes. I would do so only in such an emergency as this! But, now, I am asking, will you be able to sleep do you think?'
'Oh, yes, doctor, I do believe so...although confused in the extreme, I'm also quite numb from it all!' Alice set Em's feet to the ground, and took her hand. 'Come on then, luv! Up you go and I'll show you upstairs to your cozy bed! Gentlemen...on the morrow then?'
Jack and Aleister stood as well. 'Goodnight, ladies. And pleasant dreams. Fear nothing, and sleep deep. We are safe as houses here,' Aleister took Alice's other hand and bussed a kiss upon it, to Emmeline's surprise.
Jack stepped over to Emmeline's side,'If you should need anything, anything at all, Emmeline, don't hesitate to let me, or Aleister know! Alice will show you where our rooms are, just down the hall from your own.' He took Em's hand and held it a moment, then with a hand on her shoulder, escorted the ladies to the stairway. 'We shall have a long talk come tomorrow.'
                               . . . . .
Morning burst with a blustering storm which increased with time. The cold sea winds blew in from the coast, blasting the landscape and shaking trees as with blows by a Norse god's hammer.
Jack was in the kitchen making himself an espresso. He liked a straight shot or 2 w/a wee bit of ice. He would then add Almond Milk. He liked that...as if one could milk a bloody almond!
 'Oh! Hullo Jack!' Emmeline nearly stumbled into him, so intent was she on her own internal musings. 'Good morning! You did say I should make myself at home. I'm up early, I guess. Although I did sleep abit, I fell out early and woke early as well.'
 'You, too?' Jack smiled that lopsided grin.
 'Abit on my mind. Alice, Aleister, my own...peregrinations! and you.It's all rather abit much all at once.' Em stared out the French doors, as if longing to flee though them. She was, in a way, she thought.
 And in a way, she wasn't.
 'Do you like strong coffee?' Jack enquired.
Em stared down into the black pit of his cup. 'Hmmm. Ja, actually!
...being Swedish and all.'
'Try this." he handed her a demitasse with chunks of ice and the juices of almonds freshly milked, along with a nice strong albeit defaf coffee. He didn't need her to hit the ceiling.
Yet!
 Gods!he thought: it had been an incredible past few days, but they had all made it through!
_-he was just relieved that they'd arrived on the other side and
all had made it safely. Thus far.
'It's delicious!' Em savored the taste. ' I've only had it this good in Italy.'
...'Indeed?' Jack grinned at her, entranced.
 The morning sun suddenly peeked through a break in the dark grey stormclouds and was alighting the sky with a pink'nd glow. Emmeline's hair, and freckles glowed like the desert, he thought. He had ever loved the desert, Arizona's red rock country, and in the Eastern Hemisphere as well.
A trial by fire, indeed. He became more respectful of mother nature and a crusader for clear water. The desert is a great sensei. Beautiful and utterly alien and unforgiving as the moon.
                             . . . . .
'Just sip it slowly,'Jack cautioned. 'How about some corn muffins?' he asked, 'I was just going to whip up a dozen...'
Em laughed, she couldn't help it. 'You cook?'
'Naturally!' Jack seemed offended. Although he knew that, 19th century-speaking, aside from professional chefs, women did the lionesse's share of cooking. Hm, actually, thoughout history and into present day, he had to admit. Still...
'Actually, I'm quite a good cook! Have to be, as a bachelor on my own all these years...' Jack seemed to know what he was doing, she had to admit.
'May I assist at all?' she offered.
'Not a bit. Have a perch up here,' he drew a high stool over for her, and handed her a satsuma. 'Have some vitamin C and keep me company.'
Em watched his kitchen manoeuvres as she slowly sipped the slightly bitter but somehow buttery, nutty tasting coffee and eyed her surroundings.
'Did you grow up in this house, Jack?' she enquired.
He seemed startled.'Ah, no, actually. I never met my Uncle Daryl or even knew he existed, until rather recently. Actually, about oh, 7 years ago now.'He sighed. 'He had rather a reputation by then, hereabouts...'
Em waited. She wasn't sure if she should press on about such topics as one's uncle's 'reputation.'
Jack began to beat the life out of his muffin batter. 'Yes, I found that my dear uncle was a bit of a rake, and well, could be a rather
detestable sort.' He banged the spoon on the side of the bowl, loosening the clinging batter. 'He also had an equal and opposite side, as in physics...'he grinned at her,'He could be very charming.
And had it in him to do good. But, an ego the size of Jupiter. And, that was his downfall.' He began spooning the mixture into muffin tins. 'But, he did leave all this to me. I suppose I am to be grateful.'
'...but you're not?' Em perceived this was so.
Jack shoved the muffins into the hot oven. 'I've never been inclined to the job of householder. And it is a job, believe me!' He looked around at the huge mansion surrounding them. 'Mostly, I pay caretakers to do it for me. As soon as I can, I'll offload this monstrosity from my back and wipe my boots of it!'
'If it's such an onerous burden, can't you simply sell out now?' Em had to ask.
Jack sighed, and sipped his coffee. 'Would that I could!' He smiled and pulled up a stool next to her at the counter, taking a satsuma for himself and peeling it thoughtfully. 'Certain...details,keep me from going that route just yet.' He took a bite of the sweet, juicy fruit.
'But, now that you, and Alice are here with us, we may be getting closer to ah,  closure, shall we say?' He ended enigmatically.
Em had no idea what all that could mean.
'But enough of me! Tell me about yourself, Emmeline! We have had so little time to really speak together, like this.' He seemed more approachable now, just sitting on a high stool with his long legs  perched up on the rungs, elbows on the countertop, hair falling over his eyes abit mussed from his baking exploits...he seemed less dour and serious.
'Oh, me!'She hadn't expected that. 'Well, not much to tell, really. Lost mum early, it was just my Absent-Minded Professor father and myself mostly...he was rarely home though, his work kept him at the lab. What he did there, I've no idea. We rarely spoke.' Em finished the last of her coffee, and made a face at the bitter dregs.
'Brothers, sisters?' Jack asked.
'My younger sister, Amelie whom you met at Solstice, and an older brother who was about 17 years my senior! He was off and had joined the Navy when he was still an adolescent. We see him rarely.' She sighed, 'But I realize now that I did, in fact, have mentors. Back then though, I didn't really know it.'
Jack rose to check his muffins.'How's that?' he asked, as he poured  more coffee for them both.
Em smiled into her cup. 'Well, teachers at school for one! I had a wonderful art teacher, and a rather, em...unconventional English teacher! His pupils adored him, but well, his unorthodox methods were not appreciated by the school board.'
'Ah!, how well I understand! I've known such professors in my college days! But, say on, Em!'
Em smiled. He'd never called her 'Em' before. Where was she...? Oh, yes, Mr. Burroughs... 'Well, this was rather before college. I was, oh, 16 at the time, I think! she sipped her coffee slowly,lost in a rare reverie. 'But,the strange and wonderful worlds he introduced to us all! I had always been a book-lover, even as a child. But to find someone, an adult, who could also become so carried away by 'fantasy' worlds! Well! That was something!
He inspired us all...to discover the works of Verne, and Wells,
the mysteries behind Shakespeare and Lewis Carroll, theories of Pythagoras, the enviable madness of Poe, Coleridge, Rimbaud...and the decadence of de Sade...' Em stared off through the French doors, out into the grounds surrounding the house, left to grow wild now, she saw.
'...your English teacher, ah, introduced you to de Sade?' Jack querried, eyebrows raised.
'Oh, yes. 'Justine' it was. I found it, most intriguing, as you may imagine!'Em smiled a feral little smile. 'For a small town girl, it was quite an eye-opener.'
'I can imagine...'Jack stirred his coffee, not quite knowing what to think.
'I remember stopping at our favorite tea room after school, with my young man, and our friends who had formed a small Burroughs Admiration Society! And over tea we'd discuss our mad theories and delve the secrets of the universe and sometimes, Mr. Burroughs would join us. Those were some of my best memories, growing up.' She looked at Jack. 'I was raised by wolves, you see.'
'Indeed? How so, Em?' Jack rested his head on one hand, and sipped his espresso with a thoughtful expression.
'Well, as I'd no real parents waiting for me at home, I was free to do as I pleased. And I did.'Em looked at him, daring him to admonish her.
Which he did not. She continued. 'Oh, I was always 'proper' enough, outwardly, a model student, always rated high marks...but, I was a gregarious girl. And I was attracted to loners and rebels.'
'...like yourself?' Jack asked, grinning.
'I suppose. Well, it seemed I always had some boyfriend or other. We never were 'serious' though, I wasn't promiscuous. We were, Orphans of the Storm, Jack. Lost Children, looking to each other for companionship. It was, I now realize, my young men who taught me many of the things I'd need to know in life, practical things:how to ride a horse, shoot a gun or bow and arrow and throw a knife, how to deal with mechanical mysteries, plumbing basics, how to build things, and to fish...identify herbs in the woods, pick mushrooms...'she trailed off, remembering.
Just then a small bell sounded, and Jack jumped up to retrieve his muffins. 'Ah, here we are then! 'he set the tin on the wooden cutting board and put out butter and honey and a jar of ginger spread, she noted, delightedly.
'Ummm, they smell wonderful, Jack! Thank you!' Emmeline put a bit of ginger spread on hers and took a bite. 'Oh, my! You CAN cook!'she laughed lightly. 'Alice will be jealous, you know!'
Jack grinned at her, savoring her delight. Just then, they heard voices coming down the hallway. 'Alice will be jealous of what?'
inquired Alice as she and Aleister hove into view from around the kitchen corner.'Ooooh! What is that lovely smell?' she bent over the still steamy muffins. 'Wonderful! Just what I was dreaming of...'
As Alice and Aleister bustled about making more coffee and helping themselves to muffins, Jack and Em smiled companionably at one another, happy to have had a moment to become better acquainted.
 Orphans of the Storm, thought Jack. As now so are we all.
                             . . . . . .
After breakfast, the company gathered together in the parlor, and reprised the setting of the night before. The fire burned in the massive fireplace and the wind could be heard howling ghostlike down the chimney as it tossed the flames about. A large Grandfather clock ticked in one corner adding an echoing accompaniment to the sound of the wind raging outside.
Although it was only late morning, the slate grey day made it seem rather later. Unless it cleared, dusk would come early this day.
Just then, Yeats entered from the back of the house. He looked to Aleister and Jack and nodded once, then went out.
'Ah, Yeats is back, with the item now safely retrieved...' Aleister
stood and beckoned them to follow, '...shall we?'
'...curiouser and curiouser...'whispered Emmeline to Alice, as they
followed together with Jack in  Aleister's wake to a small door just off the kitchen. Jack then took the lead and producing a key ring,
and a largish brass key, inserted it into the lock and opened the door which led to a stairway heading to floors below. 'Ladies? Mind your step, do.' he cautioned as he went first , Em and Alice followed then with Aleister trailing.
The passage downward was well lighted although Emmeline couldn't tell from whence the light source came. It smelled of timber here, and slightly of wine. Indeed as they neared the bottom of the stairs, she could see a couple of oaken casks, as well as rows of wine bottles in storage. Jack led them on past the wine cellar, and rounded a corner to another locked door,a rather formidable one made of some slate grey metal, with odd blinking lights upon a small panel to one side. After Jack keyed this open, they then entered into a rather large vaulted hall, only dimly lit by that same odd, recessed light in sconces along the walls.
It was an open, rather cavernous area with the strangest apparatus
that Emmeline had ever viewed. Even her father's laboratory had nothing to match the exotic appurtenances which now baffled Emmeline
as she glanced about in wonder. Tables, and gurneys, what appeared to be microscopes, and physician's  steel instruments were somewhat familiar. The rest set her back firmly Through the Looking  Glass: Large flat screens lined an entire wall which registered odd colored numbers and mathematical formulae, and altogether too many other things that she couldn't possibly fathom the  usage of stunned her senses.
Two things she did recognize, however: An old chalkboard in one corner, now erased clean, and next to it, an old trunk. Her father's trunk, in fact.
'How did...? Jack! This, this IS my father's trunk! It has to be!' she exclaimed, going over to examine it.
Alice spoke up then. 'I gave them my permission to go fetch it, Em. I hope you'll forgive me. We spoke about it after you had gone to bed, and well, we all felt that it would be safer to have it here. We didn't wish to wake you...'Alice looked abit pained. She felt torn between what she felt she had to do, and her sisterly feelings for Emmeline. Ah, what the poor girl must be thinking! It's never an easy thing to have one's entire world dissolve to be replaced with something not nearly so secure. Well, her Druid training would stand her in good stead here soon, she decided.
Em was kneeling next to the old trunk and running her hands over the wooden edges and old leather bindings and  brass clasps with the lock seemingly unopened as yet. She said nothing but looked up at them all, her mouth set tight and a dead serious look that betrayed an iron resolve inherent within her.
'This trunk...came here, the same way that I came here, did it not?
The same way we all came here!'she demanded.
Jack knelt at her side, one hand on the battered old trunk. He looked at her with a clear, blue, open gaze and answered, 'Yes.'
Em sat hard upon the floor then, gazing at nothing, thinking of
nothing but: Orphans of the Storm,--again!
                               . . . . .