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The Strange Case of Miss Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Chapter 3

The night drew near, and Gabriel Utterson had settled comfortably in his lounge. He'd brewed himself a strong cup of lavender tea - the scent had always helped him sleep better - and he placed it down on the table beside his chair, a cushion resting gently on his lap.

His mind kept returning to that morning. The walk he'd had with Henrietta had both raised his spirits and confused him. He had always wanted to support her in her endeavours - but why only now? How long had this idea of change and transformation been considered? He would never know.

He only hoped it had been a recent revelation. After all, he shared everything with her, and he believed she'd do the same.

He was abruptly awoken back to reality by the sound of his front door closing.

He thought this to be incredibly odd - he was sure he had locked up before settling - then followed the sound of heeled boots, and a voice he recognised yet bemoaned the sound of.

"Gabriel, my dear chap, are you in?"

Without so much as a moment to reply, Mr Hastie Lanyon had entered his lounge. The man constantly carried himself with an air of importance, his hair immaculately swept back and his moustache well combed. He practically breezed past his friend, taking off his coat and hanging it up as if the place was his own.

"I hope you don't mind- I let myself in."

Like he would have cared if Gabriel did mind. He stood up from his chair to greet him, setting down his cushion and smiling politely. He was already in his nightwear.

"Good evening, Hastie-"

His words were half interrupted as a waistcoat was thrown at him, and he let out a quiet gasp, fumbling to catch the thing. Hastie called over his shoulder as he went to one of the cabinets, taking out a bottle of whisky and nonchalantly pouring himself a glass.

"Hang that up for me, won't you?"

Gabriel begrudgingly did as he was told, hanging the waistcoat up beside his friend's coat. This behaviour wasn't anything new, and as disrespected as he felt, he didn't have the energy to challenge it. The hour was late, and he figured if he humoured Hastie's antics he could get back to enjoying his evening.

He turned around to see his friend having settled in his chair - still warm - his cushion strewn to the floor, and the other man's legs propped up on the table dangerously close to his cup of tea. He quickly rescued the thing, blowing on it gently and sitting on the small stool across from Hastie, considerably lower than him.

The man sighed comfortably, loosening the collar of his shirt and taking a drink from his glass of whisky, "So- how are

you keeping?"

"Fairly well, thank you." He answered as honestly as he could, "And yourself?"

Gabriel knew in an instant this would be where the conversation derailed. It was never truly about how he was doing - Lanyon came to him when he had something new in his life to complain or boast about. This evening it seemed to be a combination of the two.

"Oh, dreadfully busy, dreadfully."

He swilled his drink around in his glass, his other hand pinching the bridge of his nose in abject drama. "The press is a nightmare, Gabriel, you wouldn't believe it. The attention is simply unbearable at times."

He nodded along, desperately pretending that he was invested in his friend's arbitrary woes, "I see-"

"Chemistry is far too important to the public. Now- entomology-"

He swept his feet down from the table, leaning forward with both a condescending and bored look, "That is a fussy buisness. You truly do have it easy, Gabriel. I mean- heavens above, who would read about those dreadful little creatures over their morning tea?"

He quietened considerably at that, practically whispering the words into his cup, "I would-"

Hastie erupted into haughty laughter, as if he'd told some marvellous joke and not insulted Gabriel's line of work. But he seemed to wave the notion away, setting down his drink.

"Oh pish posh- I'm only jesting. I'll never understand your studies myself- though I am surprised you haven't been scooped up by the papers."

"Well..." He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, debating for a moment whether he had the gall to one up him. He at least wanted to try.

'..I was nominated for an award."

The look on Hastie's face was perfect. He leaned forward, eyes wide in shock, "What? You were?"

Gabriel sipped his quickly cooling tea, enjoying leaving the man in suspense. He did all he could to hide the gleeful joy he felt, remaining composed as he explained.

"Yes- the London Academy of Sciences listed me in the 'Upcoming Innovators' category for my findings on the satin lutestring moth."

Hastie did little to hide his jealousy. His teeth were gritted in distain as he looked down at his drink, "Oh...that is quite the accomplishment."

His eyes then snapped up to Gabriel's, his eyebrows raised, "Have you informed Henrietta?"

"Not yet, no."

He gave a quick answer, fearing she would have been brought into the conversation eventually. Hastie was insistent on the two's coupling - and that made him more uncomfortable than any pathetic jab he made at his pride. Nevertheless, he did nothing as his friend grinned, nudging him with his leg.

"Why not, lad? A fine woman like herself- she deserves to know of your accomplishments."

'Well- I didn't have the chance to say this morning-"

"You met her today?"

Gabriel realised his mistake far too late. His friend's enthusiasm was more apparent than ever, and he sighed, forced to continue to indulge him.

"Indeed. We took a walk around Saint James' Park- she told me some grand fancy of hers." His tone seemed to soften into something more genuine, "It was quite remarkable, Hastie-"

The man simply laughed - the notion of women having any ideas of their own was entirely foreign to him. His trailed off laughter gave a condescending hum to his words.

"What a curious creature." He tilted his drink in Gabriel's direction, "Let us toast to less 'grand fancies' and more enthusiasm for your eventual marriage."

"But-"

An abrupt knock cut him off from his feeble defences. Before he could go himself, Hastie quickly rose and went to the door, opening it to see none other than Henrietta Jekyll stood at the foot of the steps. They locked eyes for an uncomfortably long moment as Hastie leaned against the doorframe. Though neither said a word, he looked down on her with a hint of almost superiority, before Gabriel called out from behind him.

"Oh- Henrietta! Come in, come in-"

Hastie only moved a little to the side, so when she entered she still had to brush past him. Gabriel hardly noticed, simply overwhelmed and relieved that a genuine, familiar face could occupy him instead of his other friend.

"To what do I owe the pleasure? Its quite a late hour-"

"Do you have any pinned moth pupae?"

The question took him off guard and he blinked a little in confusion, but seemed to perk up anyhow.

"Yes- plenty. Right this way-"

He took off in the direction of his study, hearing Hastie mutter something about it being a 'strange request' - he paid him no mind. He opened one of his draws without a single thought, delicately taking out one of the dried pupae husks with a small pin. He dropped it gently into Henrietta's hand.

"Take it, I have dozens more." He hummed, wanting to press the matter only a little. He was curious, "What do you need it for?"

His own expression was soft, and he watched her's shift from dull politeness to a quiet sort of awe. Her voice dared not be louder than a whisper.

"Gabriel- I'm on the brink of something truly remarkable. My thoughts from this morning-" Her words caught in her throat, her hand trembling as her fingers closed around the pupae, "I might have found a way to bring them forth into reality.'

He couldn't help but gasp. Her theories had escalated in such a short time - her dedication was truly remarkable. He was near ecstatic.

"Oh my- truly?"

"What sort of thoughts?"

Hastie, ever the skeptic, leaned against the doorframe with his eyes narrowed. He hadn't said a word until then, simply observing the interaction with a keen eye. Gabriel was happy to indulge his question, regardless of whether the research was his own or not. He took a quick step towards his friend, taking his hands excitedly.

"Change, Hastie. Rehabilitation for the mentally deranged- for criminals."

He merely frowned, "And she's completing this research herself?"

"Yes?"

The mood of every individual in the room was dampened when Hastie sighed. He took his hands away from Gabriel's, folding them against his chest in a dramatic sort of manner. As if he was mocking him.

"In that case, it's not bound to get very far. Its a known fact women fail to succeed when they stray from their duties."

"What do you mean?"

His voice was quiet - and his friend was intent on making him understand. Not before treating him like a fool first. He tutted condescendingly, "Oh come now, Gabriel- don't be naive."

A part of him was beginning to grow angry. He remained quiet, but emotion slipped into his tone when he locked eyes with him.

"This is her work. Her ideas."

"Well someone ought to take over."

He was absolutely appalled by his attitude, but found himself stammering to keep up with his harsh remarks. Though he was angry, terribly so, losing his patience only succeeded in making it harder to express, "Now, Hastie-"

The man scoffed, shaking his head as if he spoke the gospel itself.

"I'm only being truthful. The pursuit of science is a mans responsibility- surely you must know that."

"Well-"

"Think about it, Gabriel" He suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him when he needed to empasise his point, "How many women were on that awards list you were nominated for, hm?"

He simply stared at him in shock "None, but-"

"Precisely."

His words were ice and his eyes were steel, locked down on Gabriel's with an unending grip - and the man knew he believed each and every word he was saying. It almost saddened him to think how society had corrupted him so, but he didn't silence him. He only allowed him to continue.

"They don't think like us. They don't have our intellect, our skill. Its not any particular fault of their own- the poor things. Its just nature."

"May I be excused?"

The voice cut through the incessant rambling like a knife, and Gabriel turned with abject horror to see that Henrietta had been stood with the two for the entire time. It wasn't as if he thought she'd left - more that he'd forgotten her presence entirely.

He cleared his throat, removing himself from Hastie's grasp and turning to face his friend, doing little to hide his shock and embarrassment.

"I- Yes, of course-"

She left the room before he could finish his sentence, and he quickly followed her to the door. His expression resembled that of a wilted flower, or a wounded dog, and he lowered his voice to try and offer an apology, "I'm truly, deeply sorry. Hastie- he's very misguided-"

"Thank you for the pupae, Gabriel. I'll be leaving now."

There was no distinguishable emotion to her voice, and he couldn't so much as catch a glimpse of her expression when she opened his door. His heart ached.

"Henrietta-"

"Goodnight."

The door shut, and Gabriel was left in his nightgown, staring emptily down at the floor.

[first chapter]

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#the strange case of miss jekyll and mr hyde #CHAPTER THREE WHOOOO #dr jekyll and mr hyde #jekyll and hyde #henry jekyll #j&h #edward hyde #gabriel utterson #hastie lanyon #writers on tumblr #misogyny

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