The Secret World of Ophelia Fontaine

Part Thirteen - Beyond Comprehension

Alone at last in the confines of her home, Ophelia began to slowly strip of her confining gown. She was down to her emerald satin corset and black bustled petticoat when there was a knock on the door. Sure that it was Theo, she forewent fetching a dressing gown, and went straight for the door. Once she had opened the front door several inches, it was evident that she had erred in her judgment.

Leaning against the door jam, Darien languidly took in his fill of her state of undress. Though she currently wore more than the average modern woman, his gaze raking down her form made her wish for several more layers of clothing. She carefully constructed a demeanor of annoyance, though deep in her belly something hot and tempting unfurled.

"Did you get lost?" she asked with more decorum than she felt.

Wickedness spread across his handsome face in the form of a lopsided grin. "I am exactly where I want to be. I still have more questions."

"And this could not wait for a more adequate hour? Its is nearly five in the morning!" she rebutted in a huff, desperate to hide the heated response his words had ignited within her.

"Tomorrow is Sunday, so I am sure you have no pressing engagements," he parried smugly.

"What about church?"

He crooked his brow in an expression of disbelief. "Knowing what I know about you, do you truly wish to play that card?"

"Ugh, you are impossible! Close the door on your way in," she tossed over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of much desired coffee. Darien made himself comfortable at the bar top that divided her kitchen from the dining room. To distract her mind, she set to work grinding coffee beans and setting out the coffee press. "Sugar, cream, or black?"

"Black," he replied, sifting through the paperwork cluttering her countertop. "These are all about the history of different buildings. Do you go to other places besides the Copper Station? I am sure you mentioned something about it in your grand speech before whisking us off to 1876."

Ophelia put the fresh coffee grinds into the press and added hot water. It was not until she was handing him a steaming cup that she dared to meet his gaze and reply. "As much as it is a curse, I have come to realize the gift of my ability." 

"Meaning what exactly?" he asked between sips. His tone gave the impression of detachment, but his pale gaze over the rim of her ceramic mug expressed volumes of intent.

She dislodged her gaze and feigned preoccupation as she pushed through the scattered pile of print outs. When she found the sheet that she needed, she was careful to keep her focus on the paper. "Like this one. This building is on Prince Street and it was built in 1877. Though it has been modernized, its original frame is still intact. So, if we go there on February 19th, we could all whip down the street to watch the play around the world in eighty days performed by the great terpsichorean ensemble at Niblo's Gardens. To be able to witness such a thing is impossible, except for when I place my hand on a wall."

"And what about this location that you plan on visiting next week?"

"Ah, that is a must see only," she grinned, excitement bubbling within her. "A mass text will go out to all of our friends with a location on the day of the event. Once the time arrives, I shall put on a show as never before seen."

"Is that so? And what of Aurelie?" he asked, putting down his cup with a loud thunk. "What is to be done about her?"

A sadness quelled within her that brought on the sting of tears. She stared into her mug as if its take liquid contents could sooth her aching heart. "She is lost to us. To me," she whispered.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Ophelia? How could you just abandon her? It is not like she is hidden in some crappy hotel in the Bronx. She is in a different time period for Christ sake!"

"You do not understand what I did when I left her, but in truth there was no other way to save her from her father!" Ophelia shouted back defensively, the war she continually fought within herself simmering close to boiling point.

He came around the counter and faced her toe to toe. "You all speak in riddles, confusing those around you to preserve the exclusivity of your secrets, but unfortunately for you I see past the riddles and I see right through you, Ophelia Fontaine! You are nothing but a frightened little girl. A girl with an exquisite gift, but a human girl nonetheless. You feel just like the rest of us. You cry, you bleed, and you mourn just like the rest of us. And if you are not careful, you will destroy this world as we know it today!" 

Always so keen, and something clawing its way from the recesses of her subconscious warned her that there was more to this man then any of them thought, possibly even Aurelie.

But Ophelia could not blame him for being angry. In spite of what she felt, and how perceptive he may be, he still did not comprehend everything that had transpired this evening. Hell, it had taken Theo weeks to come to terms with who and what she was. How could she expect anything less from someone whose sense of normalcy had been challenged. But one thing that Aurelie had said to her stuck with her. The day will come when you must choose, my dearest friend, to live this fantastic life in utter loneliness or exist in a normal world beside a man that will show you peace and belonging. He will be your knight, your savior, your Saint Clare.

Darien St. Clare would one day be her undoing, but according to Aurelie, he would be the catalyst of her rebirth.

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