Serendipity: Jovana And The Duke

"I respect the direct honesty of the soldier, Lord Stafford, so I will spare you the mind games. I wanted to talk about Serendipity without the sharp ears of the King's servant eavesdropping on us." Caspian said, and Jovana's heart raced with fear as she thought, 'Damn, am I already in his custody?' he continued, "I couldn't help but notice that you are one of the few nobles in the reign that is not interested in the substance, Lord Stafford. Am I right?" 

"You are," Elijah answered.

"May I ask you why?" The Duke asked.

'Wait a minute. Is he suspecting my brother? That's absurd.' Jovana mused, as she listened to the conversation between the two men. 

"Serendipity is all about chance, every vial is a surprise, isn't this what they all say? Well, if I think about my life, Lord Clifford, I can't recall any good surprises. The unexpected was never kind to me." Elijah said, and Jovana's shoulders slumped together as she thought, 'I can see why Eli thinks like that, but it's pretty depressing having him dismiss all my work.' 

"So I don't like Serendipity." Elijah confessed, and Jovana frowned as she looked at her brother and thought, 'You will, Eli. As soon as I get the formula ready.' 

"It's an interesting and unique point of view, Lady Stafford." The Duke said,

"Thank you, I really appreciate your support. And, to show you my gratitude, I will spare you the hustle of the other questions." Elijah said, and Jovana nodded her head.

"It's true, Lord Clifford," Jovana said, 

"My lack of interest is not a cover-up. I have nothing to do with the trade of that substance. I'm wealthy enough to live without the inconvenience of covering up all the extra money a horse-trade operation involves." Elijah explained, and the Duke gave him a nod.

"I see. Thank you for being openhearted, Lord Stafford." 

"Were my answers good enough to fulfill your curiosity?" Elijah asked, 

"Absolutely. I'm afraid I will have to proceed with my research among other gentlemen." The Duke said while Jovana mused to herself, 'Gentlemen? They're looking for the creator of Serendipity, but it hasn't even crossed their minds that it might be a woman.'

"I can't say I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lord Clifford," Elijah said with a grin on his face.

"I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression. I'm glad to remove you from my list." Caspian said, while Jovana thought with glee, 'If they're looking for a man and Eli is off the hook, our family is in the clear. All I have to do is to make sure not to expose myself.' 

"Well, wasn't this a wonderful day? First that charming dinner about dead fathers, husbands and children, and now this beautiful interrogation." Jovana quipped while shooting the Duke a subtle glare. 

"Jovana, you can't say this kind of thing when we are guests at." Elijah trailed off when Caspian interrupted him.

"She's right, Lord Stafford. I'm the first one to hate this setup, but I hope you will understand my duties." 

"I do, Lord Clifford. I have the greatest admiration for the way you fulfill your responsibilities." Elijah said, and Jovana scoffed, almost rolling her eyes at both men.

Then she sighed, "Fine. You are both men of great honor, but why don't we do something actually pleasant to conclude the night?" Jovana said, and the Duke cocked his brows.

"Do you have any suggestions, Lady Stafford?" Caspian said, and Jovana's eyes glanced around the room, sitting on the carved grand piano standing in front of the broad window. 

"Do you mind if I play your piano?" she asked, and Elijah massaged his temples.

"The piano? I thought you said it was supposed to be something pleasant." Elijah said, while Caspian raised his brows at his words.

"Aren't you a little unfair to your sister? I heard her cello skills. She has an incredible talent for music." Caspian said, and Elijah scoffed as he waved the Duke off.

"Oh, Jovana's talent with the cello is unmatched. But believe me, it doesn't translate well on other instruments." Elijah said, and Jovana shot a glaring look at Elijah as she stood up from the sofa and went to sit at the piano.

"Well, listen up, and translate this, if you can." Jovana said, and made a snorting sound as she brushed the keys with the point of her fingers. Truly speaking, Jovana isn't a good piano player, but she loved the composition she was about to play, and she had poured her heart and soul into learning it. She started playing, and the notes filled up the air as her fingers moved, key after key. Her hands knew the melody, and her heart dictated the tempo. Elijah was surprised by the level of the way Jovana had played the piano, while the Duke seemed truly impressed by it.

Caspian looked at her with intense eyes, and when she glanced at him Jovana had the impression that the melody could have been written for someone just like him. 'But how could someone like him have a sensitive heart?' Jovana mused, as she ended the performance and bowed to her audience. The Duke rewarded her with an impressed smile and a heartfelt slow clap while Elijah, still incredulous, followed his lead.

"I can't believe it. That was incredible." Elijah said, 

"I agree with you, Lord Stafford. Should I reconsider your judgment?" Caspian said,

"I don't know what to say, Lord Clifford. Maybe you should." Elijah answered.

"There's nothing wrong with my brother's judgment, Lord Clifford. I believe the last time he heard me playing the piano was five years ago." Jovana said, as she went back to her seat, while Elijah nodded in agreement and began talking about their childhood with the Duke, who seemed interested in knowing more about Jovana.

'That's exactly what I needed to divert attention from me and the whole serendipity business.' Jovana said in her mind, as she watched both men talking with each other.

Several hours later, Caspian chuckled as he said, "I can't believe you did something like that and survived to tell the tale. What made you decide to charge six fully armed men with just a pistol and a sword?"

"Because it was the last thing they were expecting. And I was also pretty sure that none of them wanted to die after winning the battle, so." Elijah trailed off when a rumbling thunder stopped the conversation while the Duke glanced out the window.

A heavy, hard-hitting rain started pouring from the sky while Elijah stood up. "I hope you will excuse us, Lord Clifford, but you're right. A hell of a storm is coming up, and we had better go. Hurry up, Jovana." he said, and the Duke stood up as well.

"Please, Lord Stafford, I think you should stay for the night. Weather like this can easily cost the leg of a horse or worse," Caspian suggested, but Elijah shook his head.

"Thank you for your concern, but it's just rain. I'm sure we'll be fine." Elijah said, as the wind started howling outside the Duke's palace.

"I understand you charged six men without a flinch, but in all conscience I can't let you charge through a storm, Lord Stafford. I feel responsible for the safety of my guests." Caspian said, and just by looking at her brother, Jovana could tell that he was going to say no, but she could see the pain behind his social mask.

'He can't travel on a night like this, even if he's too stubborn to accept it.' Jovana said in her mind, as she stepped forward and grabbed Elijah's arm. "Eli, maybe we should listen to the Duke?" Jovana said, looking at him with puppy eyes.

Elijah sighed as he looked at Jovana, then at the Duke, then back at Jovana. "Fine. I'll surrender to both of you." He said, as he looked at his sister with restrained emotion and thought, 'Thank God I have you, Jovana. You have no idea how much pain you just spared me.' 

"Well, Lord Clifford, I can't thank you enough for your hospitality. I really appreciate your concern for our well-being." Elijah said, as the Duke called a servant to lead him upstairs.

"It's the least I can do for such honorable guests. My servant will show you to your rooms." Caspian said, 

As Elijah climbed the stairs, his bones felt like boiling lead, heavy and agonizing. And yet, he walked with a clear face and rigid straight military posture. 'I can't show any signs of weakness. I can't give away anything. If people knew that I was a dead man walking. Jovana's future will be gone.' Elijah thought sadly, as he stopped halfway along the stairs, pretending to look at one of the paintings, but Jovana could see the slight shake of his hands. 'I don't want to see her married off to some second nephew of the king's or worse. She deserved to be happy.' Elijah said in his mind, as he turned and smiled at Jovana.

'I really hope you will find a good husband soon. I don't know how long I can hang on. But I'll spare you the burden of this news for as long as I can.' Elijah mused with tears gathered in his eyes before glancing away from his sister and headed to the room.