It had started quite simply, really. First, Juliet's cousin Lydia had come over and told of the circus in town. They had gone to call on their mutual friend Kate, and then all three of the ladies had gone down toward the edge of town. The circus only came through once a year, and it was a thrilling place of twisted freaks and daring acrobats. The animals were amazing to look at, fierce African lions and wild Amazonian monkeys. The three ladies clustered close together, but it was clear from the way they interacted that Juliet was the fearless one. She was the one who convinced the other two to walk through the funhouse, and though Lydia and Kate had wanted to skip the hall of mirrors, Juliet had linked arms with them and merrily danced down the avenue of twisted, misshapen reflections. Nothing could scare her, not even the craziness of the circus.
As the night wore on, Kate and Lydia and even Juliet found themselves tiring, each one carrying a small packet of popcorn, and rotund Lydia also carrying a cone of cotton candy. All three of them pulled little pieces from the spun sugar cone, though Lydia would probably get the lion's share. Exhausted but laughing, the three ladies turned their backs on the circus and began to head home once more. The torches were being lit in the streets and it was much later than a lady of decent repute should be out, but the circus was also in town, and that made these things forgivable in the minds of the three young ladies. Their excited chatter and happy laughter rang out down the cobblestoned streets along with their bootfalls.
The evening brought with it its own brand of twisted freaks and daring souls that prayed on the likes of good gentry women. The circus was in town and that meant easy targets, marks that could be picked off and forgotten and their captors and tormentors could melt back into the shadows from whence they came. The bizarre and the unique brought goodly folk from all around the county, to gaze upon earthly wonders that they would never see from the safe, comfortable confines of their locked and guarded havens. As the excitement seemed to turn all common sense on its head and dumb down the populace, one particular man found three easy little targets walking down his cobblestone street, linked arm and arm without a care in the world and no worries floating through their pretty little heads.
A pity that they weren't paying more attention.
Alexander stood on the corner of the street, dressed finely for a man who was walking alone in such a part of the town. Nightfall had come and from the gold gilding on his cane to the silken, tailored cut of his gentleman's coat, he certainly looked out of place but not at all disrespectful. It was all part of the ruse, the stalking of his prey and the luring of them into his clutches. With the right apparel, a fresh shave to his otherwise handsome, youthful face, he could convince even the most stalwart and decent women to do his bidding.
Having money and a small revolver on hand also helped the job.
Tonight, he was going to enjoy himself and start things off simply, a quick flash of a few pounds, an easy offering, and see which of the three little women took him up on it.
He waved to them and whistled low, approaching them slowly, seeming no threat at all. He did look like a gentleman after all, just out from enjoying the circus no doubt.
"My dear ladies, a fine evening if I may say so. I am Alexander Du Manuc and you pretty little ladies have the fortune of hearing a deal, a game, that I am playing. Would any of you care to play?"
All three of them were surprised when the strange man hailed them and approached, though none were frightened. There was safety in numbers, and they weren't overly worried. It was golden-haired Juliet who answered him, however, returning his greeting with a smile on her ruby lips. "Good evening, sir," she greeted in dulcet tones. "I'm Juliet Windfar. This is my cousin Lydia and my friend Kate... we've just finished with the circus so I'm not certain how much luck we'll have with games." She laughed merrily, her green eyes twinkling. The other women were not quite so forthcoming, not quite so interested in meeting a strange man on a desolate street in the middle of the evening. But Juliet, Juliet didn't worry that much. This man seemed reputable, after all, clean and well groomed and courteous.
His smile showed a mouth full of perfectly white teeth, his eyes gleaming like those of a serpent in the glow of the torchlight overhead. He bowed politely at the waist to the trio of young ladies and took up Juliet's hand, kissing it with warm lips. He released her hand and leaned back on his cane, giving the ladies a quick once over. The straight forward and brashness of the golden haired Juliet was certainly peaking his interest but he would make the offer to all three ladies, to see which one was the easiest target. They all had something to offer, even if it was just a few moments of awkwardness and a chuckle on their behalf.
He pulled from his coat pocket a ten pound mark, holding it up between both of his hands so that they could all see it in the fiery light of the street lamps. It looked genuine enough.
"Well you see, my dears, I am a man who practices the boundaries of our polite society and seeks to test it in you. Ten pounds is a handsome sum, is it not? I have ten pounds here for the first lady who is willing to take off her gloves for me. Who will it be?"
Juliet blushed a little as he kissed her hand, perhaps just on cue. She watched the other two out of the corner of her eyes. They seemed just a little more hesitant than she felt. 'Meek little doves,' she sighed mentally. Of course, they thought her foolhardy as well, quite so. It was a point of ribbing between the three of them. Of course, if anyone had asked Juliet whether it was wise to converse with strangers in a dark street as the lamps were being lit and the circus was emptying, she certainly would have told the asker that no, it would be quite foolish. Even more foolish would be to start stripping articles of clothing off in that street, at the behest of said stranger.
However, certain things seem more permissible when caught in the moment, and the game caught Juliet's fancy just then. Perhaps she was a bit punch-drunk from being up so late, or perhaps she felt a little adventurous after being exposed to so many strange things. Whatever the case, she grinned at the man, this Mister du Manuc, and reached for the buttons at her wrists. "Well, that's hardly a game 'tall," she chuckled. "More like a fleecing. Do you take an especial interest in hands, sir, or is there a catch here?" Carefully, she slid the fitted cloth from each dainty finger, the calfskin of her gloves tight enough that it contracted as it slid from her flesh. Once both of the gloves were off, she draped them nicely across one hand, then quirked one arched eyebrow at the gentleman.
"Oh no, my dear, it is merely the testing of the boundaries of society that I am interested in. There is no harm or foul in paying a lovely lady for her time and troubles, is there?"
