As he drove back toward Paris he was lost in thought. What in hell happened back there? Did they fight among themselves or did another coven attack them?
***
After making their way back to the larger of the two carriages, Ian and his companions discussed what to do next. Li took the smaller carriage to the back and let the horses into the corral there and he left the carriage near the barn. Marie thought she might take the four girls to Angels’ Care in Paris. Henri had more banking business coming due there, and Li wanted to return because of Sophia. Everyone knew that Celeste had to be told about Cosette, but no one wanted to do that. Ian was torn between Celeste and Cosette’s little brother, Louis. Someone had to tell him, and besides, Louis hadn’t seen Ian or Cosette for some two months.
He decided to return to the chateau and tell Louis and Mustafa and to spend some time with the two boys. The others would go to Paris and tell Celeste together and would give her Ian’s love. He reminded them to be sure to tell her that he was comforting Louis, and that he wouldn’t fail to visit her.
Needing the time to grieve, he wanted for a while just be what he was, and to not have to always be on guard against detection by humans. He actually looked forward to just running, hunting, and seeing more of the sights as he traveled south towards Marseille, being as that would keep his mind occupied so as not to entertain darker thoughts. His rucksack had a change of more civilized clothing, boots and socks. It also held his copper bowl and flasks, flint stone for making fire, saber, pistols, powder and shot. He still had his sizeable bag of gold coins, as did the others. Coming to Marie wordlessly he opened his arms wide as she came and laid her head upon his chest and wept with him. After several minutes, he separated from Marie and hugged Henri and Li as well. There was none of the usual bear-hug back-slapping that was so common between them. Li and Henri’s eyes brimmed with tears too.
“I’ll wait with the boys for all of you at the chateau then. Give my love to Celeste. Good bye.” He turned and trotted into the trees and they got a glimpse of him as he gave a great bound and rocketed out of sight, angling southward.
As the day wore on, he felt a bit of healing. Were it not for Cosette’s death, he could be really enjoying himself. He loved to run in the wilds and the anticipation of seeing what was over the next mountain or hilltop, or what was around the next bend in a stream. There was something about it that appealed to his inner being.
He had a really sad moment when he made a kill at midday, as he remembered how Cosette had shown him how to drain a kill properly. By using his copper bowl and flasks that sad memory was driven home as if it was a painful barb. He hung his head and wept freely for several minutes even as he wondered how many times he would repeat this in the future.
It was nearing evening when he chanced to come across the road to Arles. He was somewhere south of Avignon when he spied a coach that had lost a wheel. The coachman was unloading the carriage, presumably to lighten it so as to make it easier to put the wheel back on if help came along before dark. He watched a bit, wanting to go on; but seeing that it would be dark soon, he reluctantly decided to go help them instead. Sighing deeply, he changed his clothing at vampire speed and put on his boots as well. He circled north and then went to the road and walked toward them.
As he approached the driver had gotten the last of the bags off of the top and was now unpacking the trunk. There were two passengers standing alongside the coach. One was an elderly man and the other was a woman of around forty year’s age. Ian walked up to the group and greeted them “Bon jour. It seems that you could use some help here.”
“Bon jour, monsieur; indeed we could.” said the driver.
Ian walked to the side that the wheel had fallen from. The wheel was intact, but the retaining pin was missing, likely having worked its way loose over the miles and having not been noticed.
Ian said “I’ll cut a pole to lift it.” He leaped lightly across a large ditch and ran quickly into the trees. The three noted that he floated effortlessly across a twenty foot span and a drop of ten feet like it was nothing. He ran until just out of their site, and then selected a young oak tree of about three inches diameter. Drawing his sabre out of the bag he chopped it down quickly and trimmed it. Shortly he came back to the ditch with the pole and his rucksack on his back. He ran up to the gulley and just stuck the pole down in to the bottom of it and vaulted, swinging himself up effortlessly to land alongside the road. Placing the thickest part of the pole under the coach he waited for the driver to get the wheel. In seconds the driver had slid the wheel onto the axle. Ian said “I’ll get something to make a retaining pin for it. Have any of you any twine, or rope?”
The lady stepped forward saying “I have some tied around one of my boxes. I can find it.”
Ian nodded and again and picked up the pole and vaulted the ditch with it and landed running. Within a half minute he returned with three small maple branches. He took out his knife and quickly struck off the excess length from each of the three branches, putting them into his pocket after putting away his knife. Picking up the pole he took two steps back, and vaulted up and across easily once more.
He whittled one peg, going just slow enough not to be vampire speed, but faster than any one there had ever seen anyone handle a knife. Then he cut a notch around the circumference of it at each end and drove it into the hole with the butt of his knife. The coachman had a small utility hammer in hand and he drove it in tighter. Ian turned to the lady who handed him the twine with a warm smile. He nodded in return and his fingers flew as he tied the peg into place.
“That will hold it until you can get to a blacksmith and get it done properly. It’s getting dark, so let’s get these bags loaded while we can still see.” he said. Quickly he handed the bags for the boot to the driver. While he was stowing those, Ian picked up the others one by one and tossed them effortlessly to the luggage platform atop the carriage. Quickly he was atop the carriage and he rearranged the bags as best he could, asking if there were any more.
“No sir. No more bags, thank you.” said the driver. Ian lashed down the luggage and leapt down from the carriage top and picked up his rucksack and turned to go.
“Wait monsieur!” said the lady. “I insist that you ride with us.”
“Yes! Yes monsieur, please!” said the driver and the elderly gentleman.
Ian turned and tilted his head a bit, seeing them all smiling. Smiling in return he said “I’m Ian McCloud.”
“I’m Annaliese Fellman.” Ian looked at her then for the first time. She was about Cosette’s height, maybe five feet seven inches tall, beautiful, and of a fair complexion. She wore her sandy colored hair pulled up in a tight bun and had clear blue eyes.
“I’m Jacques Beauchamps.” said the elderly gentleman.
The driver said “I’m Pierre. We should be going. We can try to make Arles tonight. “
Ian drew both loaded pistols out of his bag before stowing it on the seat beside him. He stuck them in his waistband beneath his coat in the dark as the carriage moved along in the darkness.
Annaliese spoke “We’re both grateful and fortunate that you came along Monsieur McCloud.”
“Please call me Ian. It is I who am fortunate, getting a ride this late in the day.”
“Please call me Anna. Why were you walking if I may ask, Ian?”
“I was on horseback in the hills angling towards this road when my mount broke his leg. I had to shoot him.”
“Oh. How awful! Did you have to walk far?”
“No; only three miles.”
Jacques spoke then “You sure knew how to fix that wheel, Ian, and I never saw a more nimble or agile man, or one quicker with a knife.”
“Nor have I.”
“I used to be a sailor and I was around knives and rope a lot.”
“A sailor you say?” said Annaliese.
“Yes.”
“I read a story in
the newspaper in Lausanne about a merchant ship from England, no…from Scotland; that took two pirate ships and rescued two girls. One was related to some government official. I thought the captains’ name was McCloud. Are you him?”
“No, that was my uncle Angus. I was there.”
“Really?” Oh Ian, do tell us about it.”
Ian sighed and related a sketchy version of the incident as they drove along.
“Was that around the time of that bad storm?” said Jacques.
“Yes.”
“How bad was it?”
“It was the worst I’ve seen, I suppose.”
After being asked, he related how he had to pilot the prize ship and about being separated from Elsie because of the violence of the storm. Concluding with the repairs in Marseille and the subsequent reunion with his ship mates, he left out all of the far more interesting and bizarre happenings.
Suddenly the coach slowed to a stop. Ian saw two horsemen approaching. In a low voice he said “We may be about to be robbed. When they ask for your valuables, drop them as you hand them over.”
“What? Are you sure?”
“Yes, there are two of them.”
The highwaymen shouted “Stand and deliver! You, driver; get off of the coach and on your knees! The rest of you get out now with your hands in the air!”
Leaning towards Anna and Jacques Ian said “All right monsieur’s. We’re coming out. Don’t shoot us.” He whispered “When we get out, stand a bit behind me to each side. When they go to take your purses, drop them.” His vampire’s eyes easily saw them nod their understanding in the darkness.
They stood outside of the coach, Ian a bit to the front of the other two, his hands raised.
“You two men, get down on your knees!” “Woman, we may take you with us. It gets lonely doing this for a living.” He laughed at his joke, and the other joined in.
“Now hand over your purses you two and we’re going to search you for valuables too. We’ll be sure to search the lady very slowly.” Both laughed at their crude joke and then one said “Snap to it!”
Ian and Jacques kneeled and made ready to hand their purses to the one while the other sat astride his mount, covering them with his pistol. Just as the highwayman came to take Ian’s purse, he fumbled it and dropped it to the ground. The other one grunted and cursed, stooping to pick it up.
Like lightning Ian drew both pistols as he sprung to his feet in a blink of an eye and shot the horseman between his eyes a split second before shooting the nearer one between his eyes.
He trotted after the one horse that had spooked and edged away, bringing it back and tying both to the carriage in a matter of fact way. Then he said “Is anyone hurt?”
All three stood there stunned as they replied “No.”
Ian went to one corpse and cut his purse cord and took his knife and pistol. He went to the other one and did the same. He quickly searched and found a pocket watch in one’s pocket, handing that to the driver with a pistol saying “Here, Pierre; a souvenier.”
He handed Jacques the other pistol saying “And a souvenier for you Jacques.”
Handing the two purses of the highwaymen to Anna he said “And a souvenier for you, Anna.”
He then checked the reins of the two horses, to ensure that they were securely tied to the carriage.
“Ian, how did you do that?” said Anna.
“I shoot a lot.”
“But it looked like you got both of them in the head. And you did it from your knees in moonlight!” said Jacques.
“I have good eyesight at night.”
He stooped and picked up the nearest highwayman as if he was a rag doll and tossed him over his shoulder. Trotting to the woods, he returned less than a minute later to take the other one to the same place. He returned to see the three still standing together in the bright moonlight, staring at him in total astonishment.
“What? You heard what he said. Being a highwayman is a lonely occupation.” He shrugged then, saying “I left them together to keep each other company.”
Chapter 50
Li, Marie, and Henri had made it to Dijon in four days by carriage. Marie had taken the four girls to a shop and was getting them and herself some presentable clothing.
That evening they all strolled around Lyon before it got dark seeing the sights. The girls were all excited and happy to be with the three. They ate at a sidewalk café and the girls all got a pastry treat for dessert. Slowly the horror of the events of that night was receding from their memories, being replaced by happy memories. Marie knew from her years of caring for orphans how important that type of healing is to such a child for the rest of their life.
After talking it over they decided that justice for the men who had furnished the horses for Francoises’ kidnapping ring would have to wait because of having the children with them. They figured to be in Paris in seven or eight more days.
***
Anna and her uncle Jacques had been guests at the chateau for three days now. Ian had summoned three more of the staff to come help out with the guests, and those all stayed in the caretakers’ house. She and Uncle Jacques stayed away from the boys after being introduced to them the first day. Ian had said that he had to tell both of them about Cosette. He had told Jacques and Anna that Cosette was his wife, and that she had been killed in an accident while trying to save the life of a child. They had all gotten acquainted while on the road, but Ian didn’t talk much that first night after the highwaymen tried to rob them. They had camped not too far from there and he had disappeared for a short time that night. He talked a bit the next day and later that day is when they had learned of his wife’s death. He had invited them to stay overnight at the chateau and told them that he would consider it a favor.
The chateau was very near to the road to Nice where she was going with her Uncle. They would have stayed at an inn anyway, so they had accepted the invitation.
Louis had tried to be brave when Ian had told him that Cosette had died. He still wept though as Ian held him and Mustafa wept as well. Anna noticed how he tried his very best to comfort them, especially Cosette’s brother, Louis. He tried to divide his time that first day between the boys and his guests and had insisted they stay until Henri, Marie and Li returned.
Anna’s heart went out to Ian even as her esteem for him began to grow. It was plain to see that he was trying to keep the boys busy at things to occupy their minds even while he was hurting so himself.
Anna noticed that he sometimes was not at the chateau when she and Uncle Jacques came from their rooms for breakfast. He would return within the hour, often with his pants a bit damp. She thought he went swimming somewhere close by because he was never riding a horse when he returned. He never wore boots at times like that either but was always barefoot and wearing only short seaman’s pants.
She thought that he would look like a handsome dashing pirate if only he had a red bandanna tied atop his head and a sword buckled on his waist. She imagined herself as his helpless hostage, and the thought was almost naughty in a delicious way even as she thought herself a fool for looking at a younger man in that way.
In the evenings they would gather in the parlor and Ian would play the harpsichord. He played quite well and at times she and her uncle would dance a minuet if it was a song for a dance that they both knew. One evening when they were just listening to Ian play music Jacques had gone to bed. Most of his musical selections were on the melancholy side.
She told Ian that she was a widow now for some seven years. Her husband’s name had been Johannes and her son’s name was Serge. He was now nineteen years old and attending college in Bern. Ian told her about his family in Scotland and some of his childhood. She learned how much he loved the sea and how much he just now was beginning to miss it. She thought that he was trying to hold on to what he loved to ward off depression. At times like this she only listened patiently and offered occasional positiv
e comments. It seemed to help him cope with the void in his life and Anna truly liked talking with him.
***
Marie walked to the carriage having just escorted the four new girls into the headmaster’s office and gotten them settled at Angels’ Care.
Henri said “We’d best check in on Monsieur Pelleau now.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“We’ll try to get a better look at the place while he fixes our carriage.”
“What’s wrong with the carriage?”
Winking at her he said “Nothing, yet.”
They then drove to the blacksmith shop that Pelleau owned, and when they got close, Henri just pulled out the axle pin with his bare hand. Then they drove the short distance up to his door and stopped.
Henri got out and Li got out too, assisting Marie as she climbed out. Henri walked in to see if he could find Pelleau and met him as he was entering through the rear door. He seemed startled and a bit ill at ease. Henri noted that Pelleau was a big powerfully built man, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. He just launched into his story and soon Pelleau relaxed somewhat, going with Henri to look at the axle himself.
“I can fix that right now. It only will cost you ten sous.”
Henri nodded agreement and Pelleau went to get the part, his hammer, and his pliers. Marie and Li had been walking around the corner trying to look as if they were casually waiting for a repair while they looked at the place as best they could without seeming to. It was a sizeable place, a lot bigger than a blacksmith shop would need to be even if one lived behind it. They noted the tall wooden fence all around the property and that it had some five outbuildings behind the main building. The next street back behind the place had two businesses that backed up to the property. They didn’t have the Pelleau name on either one.
Henri picked them up a little distance from where he had been parked. “He seemed to be nervous about something when I caught him coming from the back yard area.” said Henri as the two nodded.