Mirror Mirror

Nora Jeanne St. Hillaire stared at the large, flat, wrapped gift that leaned against the wall in her dressing chamber. It was completely encased in stiff brown paper and twine, nothing fancy or cheery about it, certainly nothing festive to indicate the holiday season or her birthday, as she had been told it was for. In fact, she would have thought it was misdelivered, something more suited for a business or moving company than for a young woman celebrating her twenty-first birthday or the Christmas season.
She eyed it uncertainly, her lady’s maid standing next to her wringing her hands. “Are you positive they said it was for me?”
“Your mother asked the same question, Miss Nora. The delivery men said it was for you and so she directed them to bring it here. It’s very heavy.”
Nora arched her eyebrow at Maddie, the young woman who had been with her for the past few years, since Nora had entered society. They had become more than mistress and servant, though their societal differences wouldn’t allow them to be genuine friends—something Nora hated. She liked Maddie more than the catty girls she had to deal with at the society parties her family made her attend, the girls who were too focused on finding the right husband, from the right family, with the right amount of money.
Nora wanted adventure, longed for it. And things were opening up for women, with the right to vote, motor cars, speakeasies, cabarets. How could those girls be satisfied with sitting around a drawing room sipping weak tea and gossiping about each other when there was life ready to be lived?
Not that her parents cared what Nora wanted. She was destined for the same life as those other girls, especially now that she had turned twenty-one. They were getting antsy for her to settle on a suitor.
She walked over to the package, where it leaned against the wall, and pressed on the paper. Under the stiff wrapping, she could feel hard wood carved into swirls and patterning. The item itself was taller than her by about a foot, making it exceed six feet.
“Was there a card with it?”
Maddie handed over an envelope. Nora opened it, noting the flowing script on the outside and the return address. France. Who did she know in France?

Dear Nora,
You don’t know me, but we are distant cousins on your mother’s side. This mirror is an heirloom of our family, gifted to the eldest unmarried daughter in the family. The mirror has special powers and can help you see the man you will marry. It only works on midwinter’s eve and only if you’re open to the possibilities. I pray it reaches you safely and in time for the ritual. You must meditate and be respectful of the power of the mirror or it may not show you anything. Keep it safe and pass it on to the next unmarried daughter when she comes of age.
Suzanne Rochefort
 
Maddie’s eyes got wider as Nora read the letter. “You have to open it now. Midwinter is in two days!”
Nora scoffed. “It’s a mirror. Magic doesn’t exist, Maddie. They probably drink a lot of wine or something and just imagine they’re seeing someone in the mirror.”
But she found the seam in the paper and ripped it open anyway, tugging the paper and twine until the wrappings were shredded at the base of the mirror, revealing it in all its glory. It was beautiful. A large rectangular mirror, over six feet in height, and three feet wide. Large enough to provide a nice image of a couple, if the legend was to be believed. It was wood, as Nora had suspected, but gilded gold leaf, elaborately carved with a cornice at the top, and a couple of cherubs on either corner. The body of the mirror also was carved and gilded to make for a heavy and gorgeous piece, in the Louis XVI style. The mirror itself was stunningly beautiful, crystal clear and unbroken, not damaged by the journey from France or through time.
Nora stood in front of it and peered into it, waiting for her mystery man to appear. But all she saw was herself in her beaded, midnight-blue, fringed dress that she’d just gotten in preparation for the neighbor’s holiday party. Maddie gasped next to her, her hand covering her mouth.
“What is it?”
Maddie’s eyes were wide and her hand trembled as she stared into the mirror, pointing at what she was seeing. “Don’t you see that, Miss Nora?”
Nora peered into the mirror, squinting in a vain attempt to see what her maid was pointing out. “See what?”
“Right there. It’s Albert, miss. Albert Thompson.”
Nora frowned. “Albert. The underbutler?”
Maddie nodded. “We’ve been seeing each other for a while, but I never thought. He must be the one!”
Nora turned back to the mirror and, in that moment, something flashed behind her reflection—or rather someone. A tall man, in a white bow tie, white vest, and black suit stared back at her, a solemn look on his face. His eyes danced with a roguish look in them, as if saying he wasn’t as buttoned up as he appeared, despite the formal trappings of the men of her acquaintance. The firm, square jaw, the dark eyes, the strong set of his shoulders, all implied there was more to this man than met the eyes, more than he wanted anyone to know. He may have looked like the indolent men of her class, boring her with stories of their tame adventures, which amounted to nothing more than dinner at the club or sailing on the lake, but he had truly lived and could give her the excitement she craved.
A spark lit inside of her, and she wondered where and who he was.