STOLEN HEARTS
Cyn Taylor
A Novelette Told Through Letters

14 February 1888
My dear Elizabeth,
We have not met in person, but since today is officially a day for lovers, I find that I must tell you of my affection for you. While I have encountered many women in my time there has never been one as beautiful and filled with a love for life as you. I have been watching you from a distance for some time and although our families have little, if anything, in common my greatest desire is to meet you in person before I must leave London. My imminent, required departure from the city allows us so few opportunities to become acquainted that I hope you will forgive me if I am being too forward.
Please say you will meet me or my poor heart will be forever broken. I will be pacing outside the Goosebill Tavern in Whitechapel this Saturday evening at 9 pm anxiously anticipating your arrival. My man has been instructed to await your response. You may think him tattered in his appearance but he has been a trusted advisor to me for most of my life and I could not function without him. I have charged him with your protection while you are in his company.
All my love,
JR

14 February 1888
Sir,
For a man unknown to me to take it upon himself to write such a letter tells me that our families would indeed have little in common. A formal introduction in public by a close friend or relative of us both is the least I must require. In response to your invitation, I must reply with an emphatic no. Break your heart? How could I possibly break the heart of a man I have never met and who does not know me other than by sight? Your man did indeed behave honorably and I was most comfortable in his company. Might I suggest you advise him to dress more appropriately for his station as your confidant?
With regrets, I must steadfastly decline your invitation.
ES

15 March 1888
My dear sweet Elizabeth,
It is true, you do not know me, but my fondness for you grows daily as I watch you come and go from the home of your uncle. Please do not think me wicked and immoral for giving in to my longing of gazing at your beautiful face as you greet the sun each morning from your bedroom window. Without your consent to meet, observing you undetected is my only recourse. I yearn for the day when we meet face to face. Again, my man will await your response.
Forever yours,
JR

15 March 1888
Dear Sir,
I am both shocked and intrigued, but for the most part shocked, to know that you have been espying on me through a window of my own home. Fear of you has taken hold of my thoughts and dissuades me from any desire to meet you in person. Please do not send your man to me again.
E

5 April 1888
My heart, my love,
I perish at the thought that my words may have caused you any anguish. Please accept my sincere apology. I do not believe I can continue to live if you do not give me your heart. There has never been another woman who has captured me so completely.
I know you think me forward with my words of love, but your beauty and elegance are beyond compare and I must have you for my own.
Please reconsider a meeting so that I may profess my devotion in person.
Yours now and always,
JR

5 April 1888
Dear Sir,
Your outpouring of love and devotion has taken me quite by surprise. While I do not wish to be rude, a man with any intelligence must be aware that a true lady does not meet with strangers, especially in these horrific times. As you know, the streets of London are not safe for anyone, especially those of the female persuasion.
A rendezvous such as you are suggesting is out of the question for a lady of my social standing and family origin. However, your compliments are equitable and I would not object to corresponding with you in the future.
Until next time,
Elizabeth

21 May 1888
Elizabeth, my one and only love,
I completely understand your concern, my love, and have no wish to place you in harm’s way. Although I am a man of great strength and stature, I often fear for my own life in these troubled times. Just last evening I barely escaped a perilous situation myself. As a pious man, I sometimes imagine hearing the screams of the victims who are being slaughtered in our streets ringing in my ears as I say prayers for their souls.
Nonetheless, I fear my own soul is bound for despair unless I can meet you in person and place a kiss on your palm. I am a man of excessive means and can offer you the world.
Again, I compel you to meet me at the location I noted in my previous letter. As always, my man will await your response.
My deepest desire is to be,
Yours always,
JR

21 May 1888
Dear JR,
Any man who writes so eloquently from his heart must have a fine education along with numerous outstanding qualities you have yet to disclose. It gives me no little comfort to hear that you are a man of faith and I must admit, I am becoming less fearful of you and your intentions. While your promise to grant me the world is a fabulous offer, what good is the world to any upstanding woman without marriage to a reputable man? I appreciate the length of time you have given me to assess your invitation, but it would cause tongues to wag were I to attend you unescorted.
So once again, I must refuse your invitation to meet face to face until a more opportune time when a promise from you may be forthcoming.
Elizabeth

18 June 1888
My love, my heart,
I think it strange that you should have thoughts about marriage to a man you have never met. I too have entertained thoughts of matrimony, but to compel a man to make such a vow, a woman must first be willing to spend time in his company. While it is true I have loved you from afar for some time now, and have made preparations to make you mine for the rest of your life, I must insist we meet before I can agree to the promise of such a permanent arrangement.
Regardless, I continue to be yours,
JR

18 June 1888
Sir,
I can assure you it was not my intent to wrest a proposal of marriage from you. I feel it is best we stop these musings before they go any further. Do not write to me again or I shall notify the constable, as he is a good friend of my family.
E

30 September 1888
My dear, dear, lovely Elizabeth,
It is my sincere hope that the past weeks with no word from me has afforded you time to ponder my invitation in a more favorable light. It has been the most difficult time of my life while I have held back from writing to you. It appeared I had injured your feelings and that was never my intention. Personal business required that I leave London for a time so I took the opportunity to try to empty my mind of your attributes and find solace in the company of other women. My findings are that there is none that can hold a candle to your loveliness and wit. My love for you continues to grow daily. It is my deepest desire to hold you in my arms and taste the sweetness of your lips. I know you wrote a threat to my well-being in your last missive, however it will take much more than that to dissuade me from pursuing you.
If a proffered betrothal to the point of nuptials is what you demand before I can hold your unblemished face in the palm of my hand, then so be it. Marriage was, after all, my intention from the start. I had only hoped we could become better acquainted before announcing our engagement.
From the first day my eyes caught sight of you across the park I knew we would be together, so I purchased a ring. The gem sparkles in the sunlight, much the same as your eyes, my love.
Again, I compel you. Meet me tonight at our appointed location so that I may take you in my arms and give you a proper proposal. I surmise that the thought of traveling alone to meet a man you do not know may frighten you. You have met my own man repeatedly when he brings my letters. I am grateful that you allowed him entry into your home while he awaited your return correspondence. My understanding from him is that the two of you have become fast friends during these past months. He states that you are a fine and generous woman who will make any man a wonderful wife. Perhaps having him accompany you will assuage any reservations you may have about meeting me. Pending your agreement, I will send him to you with my carriage so you may travel with a friend rather than a stranger. Feel free to ask him any questions you have about my character. He knows me as well as I know myself and is my most trusted companion. He is welcome to stay with us while we dine if that will bring you comfort.
Please say you will.
All my undying love forever,
JR

30 September 1888
My dear, dear JR,
I must confess that your lack of correspondence has caused me concern. I suppose I was becoming accustomed to hearing from you. My heart now flutters at the words penned so eloquently in your last letter. I had no inkling you were so completely serious about a future that includes myself, or that you considered me witty in my verbiage. Few men regard a woman’s thoughts of worthy account. A proposal of marriage seems a bit sudden, but I must admit I am intrigued by your persistence. No man has approached me with such vigor and aptitude for love, nor have any been so patient as you. I will make plans to meet you tonight as you have requested. I now find myself longing to see the face of the one who proclaims his love for me so voraciously. Please send your man and conveyance round for me as proposed. I look forward to knowing you better through his eyes as we travel together to meet you.
Until then, yours truly,
Elizabeth

30 September 1888
Oh my love, my life, my sweetness. I am beyond words.
Until tonight,
JR

1 October 1888 - London Times Headlines: The body of Elizabeth Stride was found late last evening in Whitechapel with her throat slashed. It is speculated that since Stride presented with such a specific, life-ending wound, she may well be the fifth victim of the man all London has christened, The Ripper. However, unlike the other four murders where ragged gashes lacerated the stomachs to remove kidneys and female organs, the only vital organ taken from Stride’s body was her heart. A few witnesses have come forward with a description of a well-dressed man frequently seen in the general area, but whose clothes were somewhat frayed. The police have no other leads at this time except to say that the nature of this particular crime would require a man of brute strength and some knowledge of the human anatomy, since the heart is well protected by the ribcage. This newspaper has also received word from the constable, a close friend of the Stride family, that what appears to be a grisly form of a love letter was found in the victim’s chest cavity where her heart once beat. This editor boldly states that only a man completely devoid of a soul could commit an atrocity such as this; the cold-blooded murder of a young and beautiful woman.
The police have released a copy of the letter, printed below, with hope that one of our readers may derive a clue to help the police catch this lunatic before he strikes again.

30 September 1888
Elizabeth, my forever love,
At long last, we meet face to face. I have yearned for this day since I first cast my eyes on your beautiful countenance. You have had my heart from the onset. Now, I finally have yours.
Always and forever,
Jack