Marie said “That settles it then. Ian and Cosette have to be here for at least another ten days or more before they can go to Paris, so you have plenty of time yet before you leave, Celeste. I’ll write to your aunt that Cosette and Ian will bring you to Paris no earlier than two weeks unless she wants to come here herself.” She then gave Celeste a bright smile and said “I can be persuasive.”
About then Henri said “That is for certain.” to which Marie responded by jumping up from her chair and plopping herself down into his lap and smothering him with kisses as all laughed heartily. Li noticed that Sophia laughed through eyes brimming with tears of emotion. He had been noticing a lot of things about her of late, and he genuinely liked everything he saw.
***
The sea had small whitecap waves that day and white puffy cumulus clouds dotted the sky from horizon to horizon. Alandra idly sat with Celita near the bow, watching Barcelona grow nearer, as she thought of the time she had spent at the Rodriguez home in Almeria. She had to admit that it had been fun. She had gotten to see so many new sights that her spirits had been lifted in spite of her sadness. Philippe’ had been so attentive and had proven not to be a boor at all, but was charming in his own way. She had gotten to know him somewhat and wasn’t repelled at all, but genuinely liked him and his family very much. Papa had been right. This trip had been good for her.
She knew that her father would soon want to have the Rodriguez family come to Barcelona and that would move her betrothal to Philippe’ that much closer. She sighed deeply. Celita hummed a tune from the night when the crew of Elsie’s Cloud had celebrated getting safely through the storm. They had both danced with Captain McCloud and a couple of the ships’ officers. Recalling that night was one of her warmest memories, but all of the time spent with Ian were her most cherished memories of all. Her mind produced a montage of pictures of him. It was more than she could stand though and for once, she was actually grateful when her little brother teased her, unknowingly breaking her reverie.
***
The idyllic days passed and both Ian and Li grew in strength. Ian’s blood fast had ended some time before, having gone five days. At the end of it, he had been quite weak and Cosette had persuaded him to end it.
Sophia for her part had let go of all reservations about these people, and had abandoned all of her carefully constructed neutrality and her fatalistic outlook. She bloomed like a flower in this environment, becoming a favorite of the children, playing games with them with the total abandonment of a child. Everyone including Li noticed this right away. More than once Li had caught Sophia watching him as well. She had gotten to where she would now smile anytime she met his eyes, rather than look away. She had joined in when the group would be singing in the evenings and had a good voice, easily carrying any melody once having heard it sung by the others. Secretly she dreaded the end of her assignment. The thought of returning to her former life was distasteful to her now, but she kept that to herself.
Ian’s tolerance to sunlight had been reduced but no Adept in the memory of either Marie or Henri could come close to taking the direct sunlight that he could take. Henri told him that he was a Sun Walker, and that there were no others that he knew of. It was phenomenal to say the least. Marie spent a half day teaching him how to appear to be more human. He practiced knocking over drinking glasses with an elbow or the cuff of a coat, dropping silverware, or even such things as bumping his head if bending to retrieve something. He had been taught to regulate his heartbeat and to control the glow of his eyes when surprised emotionally, all while imprinting. Marie told him that the time could come when he might need to make a vampire think that he was human.
While he was practicing she said “Ian, you must remember to breathe when around humans in cold weather. You would stand out immediately should you be the only one who didn’t have the steam clouds coming from your mouth that are normally seen in those conditions.” She also cautioned him about letting people know how many languages he could speak. “You would be amazed at the things people will let slip if they think they are in the presence of someone who doesn’t speak their tongue.”
“You’re the best one I’ve ever seen imprinted, and I’ve seen my share. It is time for you and Cosette to take Celeste to Paris and to see your family. Henri has some instructions for you to take care of things for him in Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. You’re to learn finance and business management when you return.”
“I’m ready to do my part.”
“We have to cover a lot of territory and Henri can use the help of someone he can trust. Cosette can accompany you or remain here at any time you’re needed by us. That is completely up to you two.”
“Have you noticed the change in Sophia?”
“Yes, and I’m impressed, as is Henri. We may be discussing some future for her with us soon.”
“I think that she is shaping up to be a good addition to our family, but you and Henri are far better judges of that. I suppose it would all depend on how she truly feels about Li and he about her.”
“We’ve been discussing that recently. After our evening gathering, Henri and I must speak to you and Cosette privately. But for now, take Celeste and the others for their last excursion together. You three leave for Paris tomorrow.”
Chapter 35
Aldric Moreau sat contemplating what he had learned to date. He knew that the Lafayettes had founded the orphanage where the four girls were abducted in the police report. He knew that there were supposed to be five. The one girl not accounted for was of no real consequence, yet he was thorough if nothing else. He couldn’t turn up anything else that had happened in Marseille regarding children, which might fit with what he was trying to learn. So he thought that these four had likely been four of the five expected by Francoise to have been delivered to him before now.
The death of LeBlanc looked to be coincidental and accidental. He had found no money though, and wondered about that. With a character the likes of LeBlanc, the King’s Gendarmes would not so much as blink if no money was found there. He associated with only the scum of Marseille anyway. It was not beyond reason that any associate of LeBlanc would rob his place if they found him dead. Could LeBlanc have been killed for his part in this thing by the Lafayettes? If so, they would never have taken any money afterward. He knew Henri well enough to know that.
That LeBlanc had enlisted the aid of a vampire or vampires was certain if the four girls taken from Angels’ Care were the ones to be delivered. That window high up on the very dormer where the girls slept was evidence enough of that. Nothing else would fit the act of abduction from that place. Earlier he had bluffed his way in by pretending to be an inspector from the government checking on the security since there had been two reports of girls missing from the place. The very idea of the government truly caring about security in an orphanage was laughable. He had seen then that the layout of the place precluded any possibility other than that window. It was the work of one or more vampires, no doubt.
He wondered if Marcel Francoise was aware of this or not. If so, that was a serious matter. He knew that Henri and Marie Lafayette were vampires and that Henri was one of the nine judges of the Supreme Council. After all, he, Moreau, was an Inquisitor. It would never do for an Inquisitor to be found to be doing investigative work for humans. He shuddered to think of the consequences of that and pondered whether to tell Francoise what he knew and walk away from it. Or should he find out more if possible? He weighed the possibility of earning a much higher fee as opposed to the risk. That was a dilemma, but he was Inquisitor wasn’t he? He was qualified to not only discover things that others couldn’t, but to know who would pay handsomely for that information as well, and he was again pleased at his own cleverness.
***
Henri and Marie sat with Cosette and Ian in the parlor late that night. Henri spoke saying “Let me begin by saying that what I say here doesn’t leave this room
without my express permission. Are we agreed upon that?”
Cosette and Ian nodded, saying “Yes.”
“Very well, I’m a member of an assembly of vampires. We’re called the High Council or the Supreme Council. We meet periodically to review happenings throughout Europe involving vampires. Our goal is to ensure that our existence never becomes widely known or accepted. To that end, we investigate incidents that we suspect have been the result of vampire activity. These incidents would include the murder of humans and incidents where vampires are working in league with certain factions of humans for their personal interests. There are nine of us and we meet in Liechtenstein. I was just attending a meeting there and we did review some happenings in Eastern Europe. We review these reports when we meet and decide what to do to maintain the secrecy of our existence.”
“How do you investigate one of these events then?”
“We send an Inquisitor to investigate and rely on his report. In more egregious cases, we send more than one Inquisitor to uncover all facts. Once we determine the damage and how best to contain it, we then determine the punishment to be meted out to the offender. Death is commonly voted for in these cases.”
“This incident involving LeClerc and LeBlanc is a serious matter to us. I’ll submit my report to my colleagues at our next meeting, and in it I will conclude that the matter has successfully been concealed from humans, and that it did involve a human-vampire conspiracy that could have had serious consequences had it become publicized. There were two reports made to the King’s Gendarmes. Involvement of human governments in vampire transgressions is a serious thing in our view. Have you any questions?”
“Yes. Do your colleagues share your views towards humans?”
“Yes and no. Some believe as Marie and I do and commonly interact with humans who don’t know that we’re vampires. Others mostly shun human contact but don’t feed on humans either. However, all members of the Council are committed to keeping our existence secret. We all know that a war without end would start if humanity learned of us.”
“Then the Supreme Council maintains a ……. stability of sorts?”
“Yes Cosette. In past centuries more humans believed in our existence. As time went on after the renaissance period; and civilizations spread and interconnected via treaties, embassies, commerce, and trade, we saw that measures needed to be taken to suppress knowledge of our kind. We have been careful, but have…… planted if you will…. opinions or attitudes that ridicule belief in our existence. We….. nourish, if you will, that belief in various ways. We have created common or maybe conventional wisdom that vampirism is a myth, a superstition indulged in by those who are….. who have shortcomings in their mental development.”
“In other words, people who believe in the existence of vampires are ridiculed and thought to be imbeciles by the vast majority of humanity, all by design?”
“Yes. We nourish and encourage the idea that vampirism doesn’t exist but in the imagination of those who are weak-minded, or is similar to the fears that children have of imaginary beings.”
It was silent for a while in the parlor where the four sat. Ian spoke at last, saying “I’m in agreement with this idea. I suspect you are too.”
Cosette looked at Ian and nodded her head “Yes. It prevents what could be massive bloodshed of humans, were enough vampires to feel threatened. It’s a good thing in my view.”
“Good then. Have you any other questions?”
“Yes. Exactly how is your sentence carried out?”
“The Inquisitor makes his report to us, and we vote on it. Then the Inquisitor takes as many Enforcers as is deemed to be needed to carry out the sentence. We all pool our efforts then to marginalize the damages…. the publicity. We use coercion if possible with government officials if they are involved or have knowledge. We do the same for any local newspaper that might be publicizing anything connected with an incident which we’re investigating. Bribery is common and quite effective in nearly all cases.”
“You said ‘Enforcers’ were sent?”
Yes.”
“Who are they?”
“We employ vampires known to be reliable to help carry out a sentence.”
“Reliable?”
“Yes; responsible ones, such as you and Li, Ian. You, Li, Cosette, Marie, and I all acted as both Inquisitors and Enforcers in a classic case of transgression, which certainly would have merited a sentence of death for all offenders.”
Cosette said “But we didn’t get all offenders.”
“No, but I’ll bring this case to the attention of the full assembly next time we meet. A solution will be sought, and the transgression has made enough impact with the involvement of the King’s Gendarmes to justify the harshest sentence for both any participating vampires and possibly for humans who are involved as well.”
“Will the Council be angered because we proceeded without their full approval?”
“No. They’ll be relieved that the situation was…… contained if you will, with such little damage outside of notification of the King’s Gendarmes. And don’t forget that I oversaw the entire thing and am myself a member of the Council.”
“Little damage? Those five girls were scared to death, and could yet talk.”
“This is a problem within my area Cosette, and I’m responsible to monitor it. Marie has done well in her instruction of the girls. They’re afraid to talk now. In the future, they’ll be older, but may be controlled through becoming preferred employees in one of our many business ventures. There are other means as well. Death is the very last sentence I would ever want to impose on any human.”
“One of those girls could be killed because of what they saw?”
“Well, yes, but only if they insisted on publicizing their experience and what they saw. This would be a last resort, but if necessary, I would reluctantly do it myself if all else failed. I’ve never had to resort to such a thing though. There are always other ways to ensure silence. Reward is the best method by far. I can tell you for a fact though that there have been cases where young humans, even children have been killed for fear of them talking. It has happened.”
“I’m concerned that the Council might find out about the abilities of Celeste.” said Ian, and Cosette nodded her agreement.
“Agreed. We must safeguard that she has that ability at all costs. If they knew of her abilities a majority of the Council might want for her to be brought over, to become an asset. She could be invaluable to us in that venue.”
Ian said “By Heaven that is an abomination! She’s a child. I won’t stand for it!”
“I agree. We must keep her abilities secret so that’s never a threat. We’ll rely on you two to convince her of that while you’re traveling with her.”
Cosette and Ian looked at each other, both nodding their mutual assent. Ian said “She’s a bright girl, brilliant really. I just know that she can be relied on the same as if she was an adult, if not more so. We’ll convince her.”
“And if she’s already sensed a difference in us from humans?”
Cosette said “That won’t matter. Her love of all of us is more than enough to ensure her silence on the subject. She is wise beyond her years, and loyal to a fault.”
“Then that’s the end of this part of our discussion. That is unless you have further questions?”
They both shook their heads.
“Then I need to go over these bank documents and that proposal for a partnership in the Netherlands with you two now.” He proceeded to fill both of them in on details and terminology that was needed for the transactions to be made. Much of it was a review for Ian. After that, they stood and hugged each other, and both Cosette and Ian kissed Marie good night.
Chapter 36
Newly-appointed Chief inspector Claude Rousseau finished a very long day. He had reviewed every single case in Marseille that was unsolved in order to see if there were any leads that
were overlooked. Having found four cases that merited being re-opened he would do that tomorrow. He had let his replacement go for the day several hours ago. It had been dark outside for a while now. Walking around his new office he viewed everything with a critical eye. Satisfied, he sat down in his large leather chair and put his feet up on his desk, thinking of how he had unexpectedly been recruited. The Laforges were right. Here I am; chief inspector of Marseille and I may not have made it to this place for a decade if then. I wonder where my former supervisor has been sent. He didn’t even say. He seemed uncertain, but said it was in Paris, and that it was not open for debate. My star is rising and it is tied to the Laforges. I have no doubt about them after this and how fast it has happened. We can move out of that cramped apartment and get a house of our own now. I’ll start looking tomorrow and surprise Louise. We’ve wanted to have more children. Now that is not only a blessing, but it will be affordable too. I’ve been blessed it seems. Life is good.
***
Their farewells said, Cosette, Ian, and Celeste departed in the sumptuous carriage. Ian resolved to make the best use of the time by teaching Celeste to speak English. She was happy and excited to see the sights move past. It was only her fourth ride in a carriage in her life.
Cosette noticed that Celeste was sounding a bit like a Scot now when she used English, but she thought it was quite endearing. The time passed pleasantly and before they knew it they were stopping for the night near Avignon.
The next two days were pretty much the same, and were uneventful. The fourth day they got off to a really early start and had gone miles before the sun even came up. Ian hoped to make Lyon in two more days. The driver assured him that there were three decent inns on their side of Lyon and that they could make them since they had started so early. Celeste again got to drive and again the driver got to take a nap. He had by now concluded that this was the most pleasant trip he had ever taken anywhere, even though it was going to be a long one. They continued until dusk and still no inn had been sighted. The driver was sure that they were not all that far. He was letting the horses go slower now with it being late. They had given them an hour to rest at a creek and had taken them out of their harnesses for that time.