808 Broadway | The Alienist [Complete]

Chapter Seven | The Story of Mary Palmer

Aurora's POV:

A couple of days went by and I had the bedroom, I had been working on, finally looking in top condition. The only thing I hadn't dealt with was the dresses that were left behind by the previous occupant.

'I should bring the subject up to the doctor before I forget about it.' I thought inside of my head as I walked upstairs to give him his breakfast. After I sat the tray on the dinning table, I walked over to him and started buttoning his shoes.

"Doctor, as you know I've been cleaning out the bedroom you and I discussed a few days or so ago." I mentioned to get turned conversation started. "Yes, and? Is the room not satisfactory? Have you second thoughts?" He asked. I looked up at him to find him studying me with his beautifully dark eyes.

"Oh, no. The room is fine." I said. He leaned back slightly in the chair he was sitting in. I also noticed that some of the concern on his face had melted away and was replaced with worry. I paused briefly to finish buttoning up one of his boots.

"I was just wondering what you'd like me to do with the dresses and other garments that were left behind." I said, looking back up at him. "I thought you might put them to good use. Especially since I have every intention to take you to the opera again." He said.

The look in his eyes gave me butterflies, but I quickly recovered once I broke the eye contact and stared at his boots. "You aren't serious? ... about the... wearing dresses bit, are you?" I asked. A beautiful sounding chuckle escaped him, and when I looked up he was smiling adorably. "Well, not entirely. It's obvious that you hate wearing dresses. I noticed how uncomfortable you were during our interview." He said.

He paused as we looked at each other. His brown eyes sparkled with an amused warmth that coaxed a smile out of me. "I suppose I can let you borrow my clothes for now, but we will have to get you your own. Others seeing you wearing my suit while we're out together... people might start talking and spreading rumors." He said as I finished buttoning his boots. "People do little else." I replied with a shrug before looking up at him again. He let out a little airy laugh through his nose and nodded.

"True." He said with a small smile that quickly faded. We both stood up and told me to donate the dresses to a charity if I really didn't want to use them. I wished him a wonderful day before heading into the kitchen. Like always, Stevie and Cyrus were eating and drinking coffee. I mentioned that I'd need to be taken to one of the local charities to drop off the dresses.

"Why don't you just come along with Dr. Kreizler and I can take you there after dropping him off." Stevie said, which was a good idea. So I quickly gathered the dresses and Cyrus helped me load them into the carriage. Then I gathered the dishes from the dinning room before meeting the doctor outside. "Having a companion with me on my way to the institute will be a pleasant change.

I don't know why I hadn't suggested it earlier." Kreizler said with a small smile before we climbed inside the calash. The box of dresses were sitting next to me on the floor of the carriage. Stevie drove Fredrick onto the street and picked up the pace a little once he was in the clear of pedestrians. During the ride I couldn't help but notice the doctor's quick glances at the box of dresses.

His eyes were overflowing with sorrow and regret. I was tempted to cross the carriage and sit next to him in an attempt to show him comfort. But I didn't want to overstep any boundaries. "Who was she?" I said softly, yet loud enough to be heard over the traffic that was passing us. His head snapped up and I prepared to be shouted at from the dark look in his eyes, but what I was expecting never came.

"Her name was Mary Palmer. She was once a patient of mine. I took her in as a housekeeper, because I knew a life for her out in society would have been rough." He said just as softly as I had spoken. "How so?" I asked curiously. In all honesty I was surprised that he was telling me this at all.