The Mirror Mage | ONC2022

4. The Portrait

(Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Nyhterides and her paranormal M/M romance, Heaven, one of TWO stories she is writing for the ONC. Full of pain and poetry.)

When Ben made his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast early the next morning, he found a woman already there, busy in front of the stove. From the tantalizing smell, she was frying mushrooms in butter. Her dark hair was cut short, and she was dressed in brown corduroy pants with a yellow shirt on top. From the back, she could have been any age from thirty to sixty.

Was this the housekeeper Luke had mentioned, or his mother?

Ben cleared his throat, feeling self-conscious, and the woman turned around. She smiled. She had a lovely face and Ben could see the resemblance immediately.

"Hello, you must be Ben. I'm Melissa, Luke's mother. I'm sorry I wasn't able to welcome you last night."

"I'm pleased to meet you," said Ben, politely. "Thank you for inviting me to your home."

"You're welcome. I don't think Luke is up yet, I haven't seen him. During the week, everyone gets their own breakfast but it's Saturday and I'm making mushroom omelettes. Would you like one?"

Ben hesitated. Should he wait for Luke? He didn't want to be any trouble.

As if she had read his mind, Melissa added, "It's no trouble. Otherwise, there's fruit or toast if you prefer."

He hesitated another moment, but then the tempting aroma overcame his scruples.

"I'd love an omelette, if you're sure it's no trouble. Thank you. Is there anything I can do to help?" Ben felt awkward about seating himself while Luke's mother was still standing at the stove. It wasn't her job to wait on him.

"Not at the moment, though you and Luke can do the dishes afterwards if you like. Do you prefer coffee or tea?"

When Luke came into the kitchen about twenty minutes later, it was to find his mother and Ben chatting animatedly over cups of tea at the kitchen table.

"You didn't tell me Ben was an actor, darling!" His mother looked up at him, her expression one of mock reproach. "How exciting!"

Ben blushed. "I've only had a few small parts, so far."

"But I thought you were a bartender," Luke sounded surprised. After all, that's where he had met Ben, working behind the bar at the Empress.

Ben laughed good naturedly. "I am. That's how I make a living in between jobs. But acting is my real passion."

"Stage or screen?" asked Melissa.

"Either, really. You can't afford to be fussy in this business."

"So, have you been in anything we would have seen?"

"I don't think so. Unless you count the fight scene in Gladiator II. I was the fifteenth soldier from the left." Melissa and Ben both laughed. Luke smiled, still feeling a little ruffled by the revelation.

"I actually did some training as a stuntman," continued Ben. "I thought it might help me get a part in an action film or even a comedy for that matter. It hasn't paid off so far, but it's early days. On the plus side, it keeps me fit and active."

"Sounds exciting," Melissa sighed. "I would have loved to have done something like that, but when I was young, there were hardly any female action stars. Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hamilton excepted, of course."

"Well, it's a growth industry now," said Ben.

Luke was still hovering at the end of the table.

"Can I make you an omelette, Luke?" Melissa asked, getting to her feet. "We've had ours already."

"No, that's fine, Mum. I'll grab some toast and then I want to show Ben around. I rang The Livery. They can have horses ready for us this afternoon at 2pm, so this morning is free."

After Luke had eaten and Ben had washed the dishes, Luke led him over the house, proudly showing off the intricately decorated ceilings and wood panelling. He stopped before a collection of portraits, mounted on the wall at the top of the staircase.

Ben's first thought was that they could all do with a bit of a clean as they appeared dark and dusty.

"The earliest one is from the 18th Century," Luke announced, pointing to a serious looking gentleman in a grey wig. "Thomas Wentworth. My great, great, great, something or other, grandfather. And then the last one is my father. It was done when he was twenty-one, in 1979, though you wouldn't know it. I was hoping for something a bit more modern, but it looks just the same as the others."

Ben looked dutifully at the last portrait and saw the head and shoulders of a young man with a solemn expression. There was only a slight resemblance to Luke, who took more after his mother, in Ben's opinion.

"Who's that?" asked Ben, pointing to a portrait at the top. The painting showed the full-length figure of a young man in Regency dress, his copper tinged curls were swept back from a white brow, and blue eyes seemed to follow the onlooker around the room.

"That's Lucian, the family mystery. He disappeared one night and was never seen again. It was all very strange. His manservant told some crazy story about him disappearing into a mirror, and for a while the authorities suspected he had murdered Lucian and hidden the body. But the body was never found so they had to let that one go. Eventually the consensus was that Lucian had run away to escape an unwanted marriage."

"How fascinating! Sounds like something out of a novel, doesn't it?"

"It surely does. Luckily, he had a much younger sister who was able to succeed to the property. I understand it was a condition of her marriage that her husband change his name to Wentworth, to keep the line unbroken."

"Fascinating," repeated Ben, staring at the portrait. "I imagine that would have been an interesting conversation back then, wouldn't it!"

"Yes. Women are expected to change their names all the time, but men, not so much!"

"So, what do you think happened to Lucian?"

"I agree with the general verdict. I think he disappeared to get out of a marriage that was never going to work. I think he was gay."

"I guess that's possible. It must have been so hard in those times. Not that it's easy now, but still... they were risking the death penalty! Just for falling in love with the wrong person. Though, disappearing into a mirror was a pretty bizarre explanation!"

"I know! When I was a child, I used to think it must be magic. Like Alice Through the Looking Glass. But when I was a bit older, I wondered whether there was a door into a secret passage or something. Maybe the mirror disguised it. But I never found one."

"I don't suppose you still have that mirror somewhere?"

"I think it's in the attic. Do you want to see it?"

Ben stared at Luke as if he were crazy. "Are you kidding? Of course, I want to see it!"

The attic was full of junk. Boxes of old clothes, broken pieces of furniture that one day someone was going to fix, or not, and cartons of old papers. Leaning against one wall was a tall mirror, the glass foxed with age and the bronze frame tarnished and dusty.

"Is that it?" asked Ben, going toward the mirror.

"Yep, as far as we know. I spent hours as a kid trying to get inside it." Luke sighed at his own foolishness.

Ben ran his fingers lightly over the surface. "It doesn't feel any different. Just like ordinary glass." He breathed gently on the mirror then rubbed the mist with his sleeve. "I wonder what really happened to Lucian? I suppose we'll never know."

He leant closer. "Did you see that? I could have sworn there was a flash of light!"

"Probably just a reflection." Luke shrugged.

"I suppose so." Ben continued to peer into the glass. The cold came out to meet him, wrapping itself around his head and shoulders. Ben yelped in surprise and jerked backward. But he was held fast. Frantic, Ben struggled wildly, only to find his arms seized as strange hands pulled him forward, into the dark. The last thing he heard, was Luke shouting.

"Ben!"