In a low, flat, cold no-nonsense voice he said “You both know enough to be killed now. How many times must I say that? You act as if you just saw some cheap parlor trick instead of what you’ve both seen! For shame, both of you!”
Celeste sat briefly, and then tears brimmed in her eyes. She stood and wrapped her arms around his waist and tearfully laid her head on his chest. “Please don’t be angry with me. I can’t bear that.” Alyssa stood too and hugged him saying “I’m sorry too, Ian. Please forgive me too.”
He relented then, saying “Very well. Please now, no tears. Oh girls! Now, now…no crying, please. Please girls! Let’s sit here a bit and I’ll tell you… mmm… enough for now. And that is all, do you understand?”
In unison both of them contritely said “Yes.”
“Very well, you’ll be told more later on. To begin with, I’m not human, although I was once. I was infected and one of them saved my life.”
“Cosette, Ian?”
“Yes, Cosette.” Ian heard Alyssa draw in a sharp breath.
Alyssa said “And Caryn?”
He looked somberly at each of them and said “She doesn’t know about us, nor does she need to.”
He looked at Alyssa and then softened his expression and said “I fell in love with Cosette and we were married, Alyssa. She was killed trying to save a child. Some of the others of our kind were involved. I’ve since killed them all. The last one was that one at Mauritarius’ house who had a wooden foot. I cut his foot off the night Cosette died. Later I saw him and followed him to that house. That’s how I found you. I didn’t know it would be you, but I knew that they were bringing someone to that house soon to be brought over or killed.” His eyes took on the icy look once again and even began to glow a bit as his hatred of them came to the surface.
“Brought over?”
Ian took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes. There is a process to properly do that. It’s not to be taken lightly. It’s very painful and permanent. And there are important things lost as well as some unique things gained. For one thing, if you choose to live among humans, you’ll have to live a lie every day you’re with them. Cosette and I lied to every human friend and I lie to my own family in Scotland, just as I lied to you, Alyssa. It’s the price we pay to keep our human friends and loved ones safe.”
Alyssa nodded, looking to Ian and then to Celeste who nodded in agreement.
Ian continued “Some of our kind don’t associate with humans at all. Some don’t like always pretending to be human. Some of our kind will kill humans for no reason. Those are the kind that I kill, and I’ve killed more than my share of them.” At this he stopped and fastened his icy stare on them both. Alyssa and Celeste both shrank inwardly as Alyssa thought I’m sure of that!
His unique eyes softened then as he continued “I didn’t choose to be this way. It happened to me because I defended a young boy from a bully. He had a friend among the others who attacked me later that night. That is as much, no, more than you need know for now.”
“But there were six of them. Did you know that?”
“Yes. I spied on them the night before it happened. No matter, I wasn’t going to let that happen to anyone. I didn’t know it was you until I entered that room, Alyssa.”
“But that mask, you looked like…. like…. an apparition.”
“I did that in case one escaped so that he wouldn’t recognize me some day somewhere. I also didn’t want the human there to see my face.”
Alyssa put both arms around his neck and kissed him then, saying “I owe you my life, Cheri.”
Returning her kiss affectionately he pulled back with a bright smile and said “What you both owe me is to honor what you’ve promised me. God, I couldn’t bear it if either of you were killed because of knowing about me! Just please keep your promise. Is that clear?”
Both nodded and said “Yes.”
“Good.” He stood then and gave both of them another big smile, his eyes now merry, a sparkling turquoise blue. Then he said “Now let’s go and see that gown your aunt has made for you, little one. And later we’ll dine at whatever place you two choose. Did I forget to tell you that we others have very good hearing? I’ve heard both of your stomachs growling for over a half hour now.”
Both Alyssa and Celeste looked at each other wide-eyed and then burst out giggling like two little girls.
Chapter 63
The young man thanked the carriage driver after paying him. He took his two bags and began to walk up the winding driveway toward the Villa overlooking the city of Barcelona. Walking to the servant’s entrance he knocked and a servant answered. He asked for Celita.
“She is at Barcelona House with Alandra, senor. They will return later this evening.”
“Can you tell me how to find that place, please, senora?”
The servant said yes, and gave the man directions.
Alandra had just arrived from being at court that day. She had changed from her black dress and hat into pantaloons and a long-sleeved blouse and riding boots. Inspecting a repair of the front staircase, she was going to look for a broom to clean up after the workers. She turned around to see a man silhouetted in the doorway, his tri-corner hat in hand.
“May I help you?”
“Senorita Vasquez?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure you remember me. I’m Tom McBride. We sailed together on Elsie’s Cloud and on Tico.”
***
Ian, Caryn, and Alyssa sat in the very front row in the center. Ian had noticed several times that he felt the prickly feeling very briefly. So I’m still not the only vampire in Paris who goes to the opera. The buzz of conversation quieted as the curtain rose. Standing in a stark white formal gown was Celeste. She was poised and smiling radiantly. The applause rose to a crescendo as the conductor turned and introduced her as The French Nightingale. She gave a brief talk, describing her life as an orphaned child taken in by Marie Lafayette’s institution. She told the audience that her gowns were all made by Caryn’s Fashions and reminded them that she was supported by Banque de Lafayette.
After a stellar performance the audience demanded an encore song which she agreed to.
At the end she bowed her head and stood humbly while the audience showered praise on her and flowers were strewn on the stage by those close enough to throw them. Ian and Alyssa stood applauding with the rest of them, radiant smiles on both of their faces. She raised her head then and blew them a kiss again. This was unheard of behavior at that time, and the audience was in love with it. Each seemed to think she was blowing a kiss to them. They were captivated by her style as well as her technique.
Afterward, Ian and Alyssa met her backstage. She was excited and animated. Running to Ian she threw herself into his arms laughing for joy. He hugged her to himself and picking her up, he whirled around while holding her, then set her down, both of them laughing. “That was wonderful, Celeste, just wonderful!” Alyssa praised her too, flushed in excitement herself, as they embraced and exchanged kisses.
They went out to dine and celebrate Celeste’s success and popularity then, and Ian asked Caryn to think about allowing Celeste to come to Britain with Marie, Henri, and him. He also asked if Alyssa could get away long enough to accompany them. Caryn started to protest Alyssa’s leaving, but when she saw how happy she was to be included she relented. “You’ve worked very hard Alyssa, and you deserve to have some time off. We’ll make do while you’re gone.”
Turning to Ian she said “I’m selling these new sun glasses to more people than I thought possible. I’ve been surprised by that.” Ian laughed while thinking maybe you are, but as many vampires as there are in Paris, I’m not surprised at all.
The next day, a bank courier brought a note to Ian from his old shipmate, Lorn. He was coming to France and was on the way now. He had sold everything and was going to go to Marseille and marry his girlfriend from the
Blue Oyster inn. She’d given birth to a son by him and he was going to try to make a go of it with her.
This was news to Ian and he resolved to help them as much as possible. He would request Marie and Henri to investigate to see if LeBlanc’s estate would sell the Red Dolphin. Suspecting that it might not bring a very good price, he thought it would be a place that the new couple could operate and make a good living. He thought to make it a wedding gift to them so he sent a reply via the bank’s courier that Lorn could come to the chateau or that Ian would stop by the Blue Oyster. He gave no certain date because they were going to England.
***
They met Henri and Marie in two more days and departed for Calais the day after. Some five days later they sailed for Dover on a large packet. Ian was amused to hear Celeste launch into a narrative to Alyssa about the great chalk cliffs since she had only seen them for her first time not that long ago. They disembarked in Dover and then took another packet south to London the next day. They were staying in a large place nearer to the northern limits of London proper. It was the home of an Adept vampire friend of Robert Milliken, the Judge of the Supreme Council for the territory of Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. The owner was gone and often lived in the southern Netherlands and northern France as well. After hearing of them coming to Britain via courier, Robert had summoned the staff to prepare the place for a short occupancy.
Ian went to see Sir Haversham, a cousin of his Uncle Angus who had paid for Ian to receive swordsmanship instruction some six years earlier. He was asked to give an account of the pirate affair in the Mediterranean involving the ambassador’s daughter. Haversham was keen on learning if the oversized rudder he had recommended had worked and was most keen on learning at how well the bow-rudders had worked. He was delighted to hear how they had been able to turn so fast on the smaller pirate craft and to successfully lay down a full broadside fire against them. Regretfully he couldn’t visit them while they were there, but he also arranged to have them meet with the head of the royal symphony orchestra the next day.
The next day they met with the head of the royal symphony and introduced him to Celeste. The upshot of it was that he determined that she could sing two numbers for the Royal Family in a week, and was enthusiastic about her performing.
They left him to tour London for the rest of that day. Marie liked that the sunlight was not as harsh as it was in Southern France on the Mediterranean. Ian had felt six prickly sensations during the day and concluded that it was likely that there were as many vampires in London as there were in Paris. He knew that he had been asked by no fewer than six Adepts within that week about his sun glasses.
***
Assistant deputy to the chief of King’s Gendarmes Claude Rousseau surveyed his new office in Paris. It was easily three times bigger than the office he had as head of the Marseille King’s Gendarmerie. He had a large window with a nice view of the Seine and could see Notre Dame Cathedral. Louise and he had just moved into a nice home not a mile from his office in a very nice district, near to where some embassies were. Louise was expecting a child soon, their second, and he hoped for a boy this time. Every year a congratulations letter with some money came to them near the time of their wedding anniversary and each member of the family received a birthday gift a bit before their birthday each year as well. He had no doubt that when their baby was born, he would start to receive a gift for him or her as well every year. By now, he had gotten used to it.
He had a driver who picked him up each day and took him home each evening. The driver had been assigned by the Chief of the Ministry of King’s Gendarmerie himself. Rousseau didn’t know it, but that driver was a former orphan who had grown up in the Angels’ Care orphanage near Paris. He’d been selected by Henri Lafayette and had been groomed for such a position several years before he got the job. He reported to a man whose name he didn’t know, and his reports consisted mostly of where Assistant Deputy Inspector Rousseau went and with whom. The extra pay for doing that on top of his salary was a welcome source of revenue. He was more than happy to have the extra income for such a simple task, and considered himself to be fortunate to have a stable job with extra income.
He could even do a bit of extra work on Sundays and holidays taking wealthy people from place to place on those days. He had saved his extra money and had bought a single horse carriage and his own horse. He leased his rig out for five days a week and then used it himself on Sundays for extra income. The only thing he had to remember is that he never could reveal that he had been raised at Angels’ Care or that he reported the whereabouts, travels and companions of Monsieur Claude Rousseau.
The man whom he reported to was from the Angels’ Care orphanage in Strasbourg. He too was never allowed to reveal where he was raised, and he always had to use an assumed name when with any of the nine men whom he took reports from each month. His job was one that he really liked. It involved traveling, but was easy. He only had to take the reports from eight other men like this driver who he was now finished with. He was assistant manager of production of toothbrushes and sun glasses at the Lafayette facility in Dijon, and he made his monthly trip to Paris to collect the reports from the nine men like this carriage driver. The reports had to be taken to Banque de Lafayette and given to one who worked in the rear of the bank in a room that was always locked. It was the nerve center of the Lafayette’s communication system. The reports were put in a specific pouch to deliver via a bank courier. The assistant manager was paid extra for this easy assignment and he didn’t mind at all dallying at the apartment of a certain young prostitute while he was away from his wife and family on his monthly trip. He had a standing appointment and thought that no one knew about it. Thinking himself clever, he never knew that he would never rise above his current position at Dijon because of his wandering eye. He thought life was good, and to him it was.
But his dalliance was known to another who had dutifully relayed it along to another. It became known to Henri and Marie finally. He would never run the newer ceramics business that Henri had bought near Versailles not too long ago. He would never make near the money in his lifetime as he could have had he only been faithful to his wife. The Lafayette’s reasoned that if his own wife couldn’t trust him out of her sight then they couldn’t either. He would never know that.
Chapter 64
The day of the performance arrived and Celeste was at the palace early as was requested, along with the entire group. She dressed for the performance and then just spent time with Marie at their spacious guest quarters.
Before the performance the wife of King George III, Charlotte of Mecklenburg, came to see them and visited for a while with Celeste and the rest of them. She remembered the name of McCloud from somewhere and asked him who he was. The whole pirate story again had to be told. She hung on every word of it and said she would relay it all to her husband the King. Ian fervently hoped he wouldn’t have to tell it again. Alyssa got to talk to her for a bit and was able to communicate fairly well since Celeste had been teaching her some English for years. For her part, Queen Charlotte was a charming host.
When the time came for the performance they were all ushered by uniformed royal staff to the central hall where all such things were held. They took their places and waited for the Royal couple to arrive. When they entered, all stood while they took their seats, being raised thrones side-by-side. All then sat down and the conductor bowed to the couple and they signed for him to proceed. Celeste was introduced as the Swiss Nightingale. She sang ‘God Save the King’ to begin with and then concluded with a heart-stopping French song. She was stupendous and the King himself stood to lead the applause for her. Even though the British were more staid as audiences go, nonetheless there were a fair number of them in tears while she was singing.
She was summoned to the throne by the King himself and shortly the entire entourage was also summoned to approach. They visited with the royal couple for s
everal minutes during which time Queen Charlotte whispered to the King and he extracted a promise from Ian to tell him all about the pirate incident.
The King then signed for the concert to continue so they returned to their places. Ian was amused and thought three vampires were standing a scant few feet from the British Royal family this day. History was made. Then again though, this may not be the first time vampires have been near the British Royal Family after all. I’ll ask Henri about that.
After the performance was over, the King did call them over again and he still wanted to know more about the pirate battle so Ian told him a condensed version. He gave credit for Sir Haversham’s suggestion for the oversized rudder he’d suggested for Elsie’s Cloud before she was built.
They were all favorably received by the Royal Couple and that made impressions on those who were always at the court. The trip was a success for both the British banking effort and for Celeste who was now considered to be an international prodigy.
An unexpected thing happened when Henri and Ian went to meet the two London bankers. The junior partner of Edwards & Milliken was none other than the vampire Supreme Council judge Robert Milliken. He winked at Ian as they shook hands while pretending to be meeting each other for the first time ever. The bank partnership with draft honoring and fee sharing was as good as done. Lafayette had expanded successfully into England, albeit not one of the larger banks, but a noted one nonetheless. Ian shook his head afterward and said “Henri, you could have at least told me before we met them”. Henri had laughed and said “Now Ian, what would be the fun in that?”
Before they departed, Alyssa received four requests for private showings and fittings for the more daring of the ladies of the court who would want to come to Paris later for some new wardrobe items. Alyssa was thrilled beyond her ability to express it. She had thought of herself as just tagging along until then. All returned to Paris and celebrated their success.