The Painted Woman

Prologue:

January 24, 1865 (Patient log: Alice Pleasance Liddell): Patient Alice Liddell will be arriving today to Clover Tower Psychiatric Center, from Oxford. It has been brought to my knowledge that Miss Liddell was appointed my way by her father, Henry Liddell, through a mutual contact. The young woman suffers from memory loss, or forgets whatever is not currently important in her mind. I have dealt with this before and shock therapy seems to do the trick. I will be evaluating her today before I make any drastic moves. (End: Log One)

"But, papa. I want to live with you and my sisters." Alice was on the verge of tears, but her dainty hands crossed over her lap while she stares aimlessly out of the carriage window; she dares not to look at her age stricken father who only sighs in defeat.

"My dear girl, this is for your own good. And I promise once this is over, you will be able to come back home." Henry Liddell speaks solemnly; he was never good at comforting his children and always assumed the duty fell upon the lines of a wife. Though, the good Mrs. Liddell caught scarlet fever and was already sent to Heaven – God bless her soul. Henry did try his best, sent the best doctors his way on the countryside and lived his life under a stack of documents that still needed to be notarized, but he made his living on the foundation of his girls and lived the remainder of his life by his girls alone.

"But how long will this take, papa?" Alice speaks stern and she finally gathers all the courage to stare at her father; her eyes are glazed with the promise of new tears that were soon to stain her pale cheeks. Alice's gloved fingers curl about her long dress; there was a certain look of distain that kissed her face. "I do not like London! The people are rude and the town is filthy."

"And it is something for you to endure, my child. The time that you stay here will be determined on you. Now – cheer up my daughter. I've told you how ugly a woman looks when she cries." Henry is not the best man to approach when it comes to the subject of comfort; he was military before he was a father, and he took the change in strive.

Alice nods regardless and wipes the sides of her face with her wrist, "Yes, papa, I know." Alice pulls her false smile that tinges her delicate lips; young Alice was always good at hiding her emotions under the veil of a smile – most women were masters in the arts of hiding.

"Now that's my girl!"

-x-

Doctor Julius Monrey waited outside the carriage with an umbrella in hand and his paperwork in the other. The door of the carriage opened to reveal the young woman on the inside of the vessel; he waited patiently for her to gather her stuff and extended the umbrella out so the woman wouldn't touch downpour. "Excuse London weather, Miss Liddell." The doctor spoke smoothly, almost stern in his approach and it made Alice cringe. "The name is Doctor Julius Monrey. Mister Monrey will do just fine. No need to exchange pleasantries when I already know your name."

"Doctor Monrey." Henry stepped out from the buggy, holding the rest of Alice's personals within the tan briefcase. The men shook hands and were persuaded to move faster by the doctor.

"My check made it in I hope? I did address the check to your foundation." Henry Liddell helped his daughter from her coat, shaking the rain from it. After Mister Liddell dealt with his daughter's needs, he attended to his own by tapping the loose rain from his top-hat.

"No need to worry, Mister Liddell. Your check made it in before the deadline to pay." Julius extended his hand out to take Alice's coat so he could round it with the rest of her stuff; the floorboards from under Julius' weight creaked with every step he partook in. Shoes began to scuff through the dimly lit halls of the building, noise was almost nonexistence – besides the creaky floorboards from underneath them.

"Clover Tower was founded in 1834, by my grandfather. You can say that dissecting the human cerebellum is a family trade." Doctor Monrey went on, "Normally, it's rare that we accept females, but studies have shown that a woman has the mentality to break down before a man. From what I've gathered from past colleagues – and their notes, I feel that is debatable, women are stronger then what society leads on. "

"– Are you implying that my Alice will be the only female within this building?" Henry Liddell inquired, his' brows pinching together to gather his own thoughts, stringing together whatever the good doctor spoke.

"No. We have another; her case is stranger than Alice's I'm afraid." There was a pregnant pause and this allowed Julius to study the fair-haired woman that returned his stare with soft doe-eyes. "Right this way, your room is down the hall, Miss Liddell. Please remember the number twenty-four, this is your room number if you happen to become lost." The doctor helped Mister Liddell carry the rest of Alice's luggage through the ample walls and twisting darkness from where the lights didn't catch.

"Doctor, correct?" Henry goes on. Julius slowly nods his head in acknowledgement, "You're not from London?"

"No, no I am not." Julius' shoulder nudges Alice's door open and he begins to unload his arms from the bags, Julius guides Alice within the room, hanging her damp coat upon the coatrack that erected proudly by the door. Alice waited patiently upon her new bed, watching the bickering that her father unraveled the doctor with.

The doctor, oddly, must not be the one to hold conversation. It would be Alice's father, Mister Liddell, to gander his questions about Julius' ancestry. "You have an interesting accent, doctor. I've only noticed it once you started talking, but you mask it fairly well. Background tells a lot about a person, wouldn't you agree doctor?"

"To some extent you may be right, Mister Liddell. Yes, I am not from London, even if I have family here, but I was raised in Germany for the majority of my life." Julius crossed his arms and analyzed the older male within the room, his longer hair casted behind his shoulders, his glasses just about to fall off the tip of his nose when his eyes narrowed at Alice's father.

"Would you mind telling me what your immediate family use to do?" Mister Liddell spoke with inquisitive interest.

"I do mind, Mister Liddell. I do not intend to be rude, and please forgive me in doing so, but the matter of my family's welfare is not the manner of our business – nor will it cause conflict in your daughter's rehabilitation. I promise to take care of Alice, no harm will befall upon her under my care." Alice's eyes lingered from her father to the doctor that held bitter intentions upon his thin lips.

-x-

Dearest Lorina,

I do not like it here, nor do I understand my purpose of being moved to London and placed within a mad house. Furthermore, and do forgive me for not biting my tongue upon the matter, I am rather upset with father with the change. This occurred, and you were there upon a Sunday morning, that father belittled my piano performance; he marked that I was not as skilled as you and would never obtain a husband before he dies.

The private matters of my life do not conflict his interest. And he bluntly proclaimed that I have brought shame among the family with my performance and my life choices. He believes that I live in a storybook, that I am a silly dreamer. I do believe he is intimated by me. By you, me, and mother. (God bless her heart.) Edith is too young to understand, but he will probably treat her the same. Men of this world do not understand that women are smarter and not a frailty to be reckoned with.

Dearest sister, I miss you and wish you the best; don't get married without me.

Your little sister, Alice

Alice held the folded letter to her chest; making time while she pondered the old halls of the building. If she was going to lodge, she figured she might as well map out her surroundings. The halls were lit with complete darkness and not a sound was misplaced upon the atmosphere. The tower smelt of thick dust and was proven so when Alice mindlessly swiped her delicate fingers across furniture surfaces to test out her environment.

The doctor, Mister Monrey, was a rather peculiar man. He deemed his title when he glared at Alice's father with his menacing blue fixation, testing the boundaries before Alice figured she had to intervene. Alice's father never fancied foreigners that took business from British settlements, and he hated a man that talked back. Male ego was an interesting topic, how they'd go from gentle to frustrated baffled Alice greatly.

Alice loved her father, loved him with all her heart and mind, but her father was a judgmental man that lost his wife far too early. Alice would understand that loneliness festered the right-of-mind and questioned their everyday life; Henry Liddell began to shut his life away from his children and ended up dismissing any form of conversation that resulted to his late wife, Alice's mother.

Alice finally descends the flight of stairs that connected to the front of the building, then she turned for a right before making it to her final destination. Alice truly worried that the doctor has finally turned in for the night, but she noticed a single candle flicker against the pane of glass from his door. Alice, clutched the letter tight to her chest, mostly out of fear of how the doctor would react about her intrusion, but she waited and pondered till she finally built enough courage to tap the door with her thin knuckle.

Alice held her breath when she heard a chair squeak from behind the confines of the door, then footsteps waltz upon the old wood finish, and the door finally turned to reveal the rather tall doctor. He was quiet for a moment, holding out his candle to take in his visitor. "Miss Liddell," Julius Monrey whispered, his voice harmonized and it made Alice bite her tongue; she prayed not to say anything foolish.

"Doctor Monrey." Alice gave into a tilt of her head, but the doctor's expression never changed. He, too, showed her the same amount of respect in bowing his head to her.

"You do know what time it is, Miss Liddell? I advise you to return to your bed. Are you lost, perhaps? I can instruct my assistant or the house doctor to take you back to your room." His voice rolled monotone, patient in every aspect. His attitude was daunting, but at the same time - admirable.

"No, sir, I came looking for you upon a favor. A request actually." Julius waited for the girl to unfold the crumbed paper from her chest and placed it within his larger hand, "It's a letter – addressed to my sister."

It almost surprised Alice when Julius spoke back, questioning her motive, "And which sister is this?" The question was baffling, and she had no idea why this man would ask such a redundant question.

Alice answered, nonetheless, "My older sister, Lorina."

"I see." Julius folded the letter back up and tucked it behind his jacket and into the extra pocket of his vest, "I will see what I can do, Miss Liddell."

"It means a lot, doctor, thank you." Alice gave into another bow, and her hands smoothed out her nightgown.

"Of course, but if you are to be giving me letters – please seek me in the mornings during our evaluations. It is not safe wandering the halls at night - not with your neighbors."

"Of course, doctor." Alice's voice is meek, it is almost like being scolded by a soft spoken parent.

"Do you need any help in returning to your room?"

"No thank you." Alice faintly smiled, but she doubted that the good doctor could see it through the darkness.

"Then sleep well, Miss Liddell and remember to lock your doors at night."