Authors: Heather C. Hudak
“Thank you,” I said sincerely.
“For what?”
“Everything. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
As he walked toward the stairwell, I wondered what he meant by that. Would I see him again on this trip? I had no doubt that he would leave France just as soon as he possibly could, and, I hoped this would be the last time he needed to intervene on my European dream trip. Some dream…
Chapter 23 - Truce
“Wow,” I whispered as I walked into my room. I spun around quickly, as if looking for someone who might have heard me. “Amazing.”
The walls and windows were covered with a periwinkle fleur-de-lis patterned fabric, golden tassels were holding back the drapes so that the mid-day light could shine into the room. A solid oak, four-poster bed, complete with canopy, sat smack in the center of the room. Winter white fabrics and cushions covered every inch of the bed, and an elaborate crystal chandelier glistened in the sunlight.
I ran to the ornately embellished wardrobe on one side of the room and pulled open its doors. To my great dismay, not one item of clothing dangled from the hangers inside. There was a plush terry robe and a pair of matching slippers, however. Immediately, I slipped out of the scant sundress I had been forced to wear all day and wrapped myself in the robe.
The room had no radio or television, and I couldn’t see any other obvious forms of entertainment, such as books or magazines, so I decided to take a nap. I plunked my body down on the bed, and closed my eyes. Mere moments passed in the deafening silence when I heard a light rapping on the door.
“Cordelia? May I come inside?”
Sylvie. Just what I needed. I lay perfectly still as I heard the door creak open, hoping that she would take the hint, but I could tell that she was still standing there.
“You forget, dear girl. I can hear your heartbeat, and by no means has it slowed enough for you to truly be asleep.”
“Ugh. What do you want to torment me about now?” I asked, sitting up and staring at her.
“I want to call a truce,” she said, extending her hand to formally shake on it. “I have been horrible to you, and I want to make amends.”
We shook hands, and she sat down beside me. I was skeptical at best--why the sudden change of heart? But, I decided to take the optimistic approach and assume she meant no harm.
“I see you have taken my advice,” she said pointing at the robe. “That dress was awful.”
“Finally, something we agree on,” I said.
“Yes. That, and our taste in men.”
I couldn’t help but smile, and she returned the gesture.
“Come, I want to give you something,” she said, standing up and walking toward the doorway. “I said come.”
“Okay, okay.”
I followed Sylvie to her room, which was at least three times the size of my own. And, it was at oozing with luxury. Sylvie walked across the room to a armoire that spanned the length of an entire wall, and as she opened the doors, I tried to keep my jaw from dropping. The entire interior was filled with silks, cottons, laces, and other fabrics comprising a couture wardrobe in all makes and colors.
“Is all of this yours?” I asked, my expression taking on one of a kid in a candy store.
She nodded in reply.
I had never been one to follow the fashion trends too closely, but what girl couldn’t appreciate the finest in designer apparel? If I hadn’t already been insanely jealous of the woman, this would have thrown me over the edge, but the fact that she had been more intimate with my boyfriend than I had...well, that had already done me in.
“Take whatever you want,” she said, waving a hand past each item.
“What? You can’t be serious.”
“But, I am,” she said. “It would please me very much if you would accept this gift from me. Besides, these are just some of the items I travel with. I will hardly miss them at all.”
Some of the items…I could only imagine what her complete wardrobe entailed. She pulled a few items from the rack and handed them to me. I noticed names like Prada and Pucci on the tags.
“Here,” she said, handing them to me and pointing to a dressing screen across the room. “Try them on over there.”
Given how kind she was being, I decided it was in my best interest to heed her command. She demanded that I model every piece, while she scrutinized each one. Compliments and criticisms ran rampant, but in the end, she settled on two summer dresses, one skirt, three blouses, a pair of jeans, one jacket, and five t-shirts. How I was going to fit this all in my backpack was beyond me.
“Don’t be foolish,” she exclaimed. “It will all be waiting for you at school when you arrive in August. I will add a few more pieces from my personal collection, as well.”
After that, she made me change out of the robe and into a pair of city shorts and a modal tank that draped loosely on my lean frame. Just as I had taken a seat across from her at a bistro table on the balcony adjacent her suite, Giles appeared with a tray of tea and biscuits.
“Can I bring you anything more, my lady?”
“This will do, Giles. Thank you,” she replied.
I watched while Sylvie fixed herself a cup of tea before I made my own. Having grown up in a middle-class Colorado community, upscale etiquette wasn’t my strong suit, and I wanted to be sure I made all the right moves. Once I was certain I knew which pot to pour from and how to swirl my spoon, I poured my own cup. I thought Sylvie was going to choke when she saw how much sugar I added, but she managed to make due with a hard swallow.
“Mmmm…Tea is one of the few human delicacies I still enjoy--even after all these years,” she said to break the silence. We had been sitting there some time, and aside from our foray into fashion, we had said very few words to one another. “I want to apologize to you for my rude behavior.’
“It’s okay,” I said.
“No. It was unacceptable,” she said. “It just took me by surprise to meet you, and I forgot my manners. In exchange for your forgiveness, I want to do something for you.”
“Oh, you’ve done plenty already,” I said, nodding at the clothes spread across her bed.
“That was nothing. It was purely material. I want to give you something no one else can,” she said.
I tensed at the thought. Was she going to try to turn me? Maybe, she had been working with the Soldiers--or worse, Alexei--all this time. Or, maybe she was going to kill me so that she could have Chaseyn to herself. With me out of the picture, she could take my place. That was it. I was sure. No wonder she had showered me with gifts. She had no intention of actually parting with them. It was just a bit of fun for her--like I was her plaything.
My heart skipped a beat, and my throat closed. The heat of panic coursed through me as I considered my options. I glanced around the room for the nearest exit, but I knew it was no use. If she wanted to bring me harm, I had no chance of escape.
No. Other vampires could had the ability to turn me, and she had said that she wanted to give me something that only she had. And, for the life of me, I couldn’t think what that might be.
“Dear girl, calm down,” she pleaded, obviously noting my terror. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that. I want to give you something meaningful. I want to tell you about Chaseyn as a young man.”
Relief washed over me at the realization that I would live to see another day. However, at the thought of hearing about my boyfriend through the eyes of his former lover caused me a different kind of anxiety.
“I know you mean well, Sylvie, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Of course it is,” she replied. And, I knew I had no choice.
Chapter 24 - Arrival
It was after dinner when Addie, Eli, and Chip finally arrived at the chateau. The sound of Addie’s voice bouncing off the walls as she ran from room to room in search of me was like music to my ears. I couldn’t wait to throw my arms around her and tell her…well, there wasn’t much I could tell her about the past 24 hours. In fact, I would have to wait to hear from her what she “thought” had happened. Still, I had missed her terribly, and I could tell from the tone of her voice that she had missed me too.
In the meantime, I had spent what had, at first, seemed like it would be a painful afternoon hearing about Chaseyn’s tryst with Sylvie, but what actually turned out to be an enlightening look at his younger years. Despite the years he spent indulging his whims, Chaseyn had done a lot of good, as well. He had been charitable to those in need, his quest for knowledge rivaled his need to fulfill his lustful cravings, and, beneath it all, he had a good heart.
“I asked him to do something I knew would destroy him, and he could not because he knew in his heart it was not right,” she said--her closing words to me before I went in search of my friends. “And, he was right. Lucinda was never…well, she didn’t take well to her new
lifestyle
.”
“Was that the girl? He told me a bit about her.”
“Yes. Lucinda was her name,” Sylvie said, her eyes focused on her hands. Shame tinged her voice. “She was never like the rest of us. She was young and uncontrollable. I will never forgive myself for that. I should have listened to Chaseyn.”
“What happened to her?”
“The others…they had to end her life--for good. It was terrible,” she said breaking into a sob.
“Thank you, Sylvie,” I said, taking her hand in my own. “You didn’t have to do that…tell me those things, I mean.”
“I know,” she said. “But, I wanted to. You should go. That girl--Allie, I believe her name is--she loves you. Go be with her.”
I petted her back and turned to go, gathering up my new clothes in my arms as I passed by the bed. I smiled at Sylvie as I walked through the door. I knew by morning the clothes would be packaged up for their overseas journey, but Addie would have my head if I didn’t model them for her first.
By the time I reached my room, Addie had made herself at home. I should have known. There were only four rooms in the chateau, so two of us would have to share. It only made sense for her and I to be together. Her toiletries were spread out across the vanity, and her bags littered the floor. But, she was no place to be seen. And, that’s when I felt it--the slam of a warm body against my back, forehead pressed against my shoulder, long arms wrapped around my front in a massive bear hug.
“I missed you so much,” she said, as I spun around to face her. “I was so worried about you. Are you okay now? I can’t believe you had to go to the hospital.”
I had no idea what she was talking about, but I knew from experience that if I waited long enough, she would ramble out the entire story in no time. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long. Eli was hot on her heels, and he took over.
“Whoa, you should let Lia rest a bit, Addie. I’m sure she’s still a little woozy,” he said, winking at me subtly. “Sounds like you had a pretty nasty reaction to that glass of wine you had at dinner last night.”
“Oh, that, right,” I stammered. So that’s what they had told Addie. “Yeah, I had to go to the clinic for an intravenous drip.”
“I still don’t understand why you couldn’t travel with us, though. You seem fine to me,” Addie said.
“I told you, Addie, we didn’t want to take any chances that she might get sick again,” Chip said, pushing her way past Eli and Addie and plunking herself down on the floor near the foot of the bed. “You wouldn’t want her to vomit on the train, would you?”
Addie gave me a knowing look and another hug before joining Chip on the floor. Eli put his arm around me and guided me to the bed. I had to hand it to the guy, he never missed an opportunity to try to get me in bed.
“Hey,” I whispered when the other two were deep in conversation about some bauble or pair of shoes. “What’s you score on the SATs?”
“Why?”
“Just tell me.”
“1400,” he mumbled.
“I knew it,” I said, hitting him playfully. “Why do you try to hide it?”
“I don’t.”
“Liar.”
“Forget about it,” he said, laying back on the pillows and pressing my head against his chest. “We can talk about it another time. Right now, I’m more worried about you. How are you taking all of this? Should we go home? I wanted to call Chaseyn, but Chip said it was better if he didn’t know.”
“She’s right,” I said. “Look, I got to know Sylvie pretty well today, and she knows things about Chaseyn I don’t. Some things will take me time to get over, but others are really great. One of the things she told me, though, is that he’s prone to rash behavior when he reacts out of passion.”
“So what do you want to do?”
“I think we should leave him out of it for now. Balty and Sylvie seem to have things under control for now. We’ll hide out for a few days, and then we’ll adjust our route a bit. We should be fine,” I explained.
“Good idea,” Eli said. “Chip told me they’ve set up a network of the vampires they trust the most across the continent, and we can go to them at any time if we’re in danger. Not to mention, they’ll be keeping their eyes and ears open for any trouble so they can warn us in advance.”
“I feel good about it,” I said truthfully. “And, I’m not ready to go home yet.”
Eli looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“I called Chaseyn after we first met Sylvie,” I explained. “It didn’t go well. I’m not ready to face him yet.”
He gave me a squeeze, and I eased into his embrace. I let the tears spill from my eyes--I’d been holding them back for days--and it felt good to let him wipe them away, along with all they symbolized.
Chapter 25 - A New Day