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A sharp rapping awoke me from a sound sleep. I sat up and wearily gazed at the mantlepiece clock. Its hands stood at exactly midnight. Wrapping my dressing gown around me, I trudged toward the door. I flung it open, and Ranulf Zamfir strutted in. I gaped at him as though he were an apparition.
Tall and lean, Ranulf bore a slight resemblance to his uncle. His sleek black hair glistened in the dim moonlight. A slim smile upturned his sanguine lips, and his penetrating brown eyes softened as they traveled over my body.
"What do you want?" I snapped, clutching my robe closed at the neck. "A lady's bed chamber is a private…"
"Your mother requires your presence in the schoolroom," von Helfin's ward tersely cut off my diatribe.
"The schoolroom?" I queried, perplexed. His statement took me aback wholly.
"The Baron ordered you to join the children," Ranulf curtly remarked. Clicking his heels together, he bowed slightly and offered his arm.
The previous night's dream became a sudden reality. My mind whirled. Indeed, Baron von Helfin intended that I join his offspring in their horrid nursery. I clenched and unclenched my fists nervously. I could not imagine Mama as my governess and the pallid children as my classmates. I shivered involuntarily.
"We must hurry," Ranulf urged, again offering his arm.
I glared at him disdainfully and swept past him. The Baron's nephew followed me down the spiral stairway. At the rotunda, he gracefully opened the door and bowed again. I held my head high and exited. I marched down the swooping main staircase with Ranulf pacing at my side. At the bottom, he grasped my sleeve, halting me.
"Norah," my companion whispered when I turned upon him. Smiling, he took my shoulders and bent me backward. His canines peeked over his lips, but he swiftly closed them. "I…I…" He seemed to lose his thoughts because he uttered, "Never mind," and proceeded toward the cellar door.
Our footsteps echoed hollowly on the flagstone steps. Cobwebs clung to my dressing gown, and my carpet slippers slid along the moss-grown floor. Warily, I peered through the murk into a labyrinth of corridors.
"Do not penetrate further than the schoolroom chamber," my guide cautioned. "You can easily get lost down here."
Deep within the cellar, a growl arose. A colossal dog emerged from the mist and lunged at the iron grate. It bared its fierce teeth and gnashed the barrier violently. I shuddered and inadvertently grabbed Ranulf's arm. He gazed down upon me condescendingly, then his eyes softened.
"Take my advice, and no one will harm you," the nephew gently stated. "The Baron's dogs reside in the kennels further along this corridor. They are hunters and unfriendly toward newcomers. You do not wish to provoke them…or Uncle Nicolai."
"What kind of dogs?" I tentatively asked. I shot my eyes toward the beast hunched behind the bars. I could not make out the breed.
"Bullmastiffs," Ranulf replied, "specially trained to kill at the Baron's orders. Diabolus, Dybbuk, Moloch, Incubus, and Belial by name."
I paused, running the names through my brain. Horrorstruck, I gasped.
"Satan!" I exclaimed, my voice wavering with recognition. "They are alternate names for Satan."
"Naturally," my companion remarked, rolling his shoulders.
"But…" I began. For a terrorized moment, I believed I stood at the portals of hell. Taking an uneasy step backward, I bumped into my companion. His hands encircled my shoulders, drawing me close.
"Beyond the grate, one of the dogs always roams freely. Today it is Moloch—the fiercest of the five. Uncle favors him particularly," Ranulf curtly explained. "However, he will not hesitate to release all the dogs if he discovers a stranger in his private chambers. Do not enter; I cannot save you."
"Save me?" I questioned, startled. Why would the Baron's nephew offer to save me? I gazed up at him and found his brown eyes surveying me wistfully.
Ranulf did not respond. Instead, he pushed open the schoolroom door and stepped aside. Bowing at the waist, he waved me inside with an elaborate gesture. I brushed past and entered. Vlad hunched over his desk and bent over an arithmetic book. Deep in thought, he gnawed on the tip of his pencil. He looked up at me momentarily, then quickly dismissed my presence.
Mama sat on the faded divan with Vanda on her lap. Luiza sat on a low stool at her side. The older girl held the Brothers Grimm book and read from it out loud. Squinting at the page, she stumbled on the words. I listened intently and recognized the story of Rumpelstiltskin.
"Thank you for delivering my daughter," Mama stated absently.
Ranulf clicked his heels, bowed at the waist, and swiftly departed. When the door closed, I shifted my attention to my mother. Immediately, I noticed her sunken eyes within her skull-like face. Her pallid cheeks held no color whatsoever. Sinking to my knees, I grasped her icy hand.
"Mama!" I exclaimed desperately. Her entire appearance alarmed me. "You…you look exhausted. Why don't you take the night off, get some rest?"
"I expect you to appear properly dressed for our next session," my parent briskly cautioned, ignoring my comments.
"Ranulf awoke me from a sound sleep, Mama," I responded pertly. "I did not know…I thought I had a nightmare and…"
"Nevertheless, the Baron insisted you join us for lessons," she firmly continued. "You will appear here at midnight from henceforth and dress accordingly."
"Why midnight?" I demanded indignantly.
"The children awaken at the witching hour, my dear," Mama explained, normalizing the time. "We must not disturb their schedule."
"Disturb their schedule!" I exclaimed hotly. "Since when do children wake up at midnight? Since when do they study during the overnight hours? It's unheard of, Mama! Children require a good night's sleep. Isn't that what you always said?"
"We must do as the Baron requires, Norah," Mama chided half-heartedly. "We are here at his will. I am his wife, and I must obey his orders."
"Obey his orders!" I shouted, my indignation growing. "Obey! Mama! NO! NO! NO!"
A firm believer in the feminist movement, I strongly protested against men's dominance over women. I believed Mama agreed with my stance. Never did I see her bowing to Papa's will. They lived together in harmony. They often composed the weekly sermon together. Once, when Papa suffered from influenza, Mama stood in the pulpit to recite it. She claimed that women would become ordained the same as men in the future.
"Please, Mama, listen to me." I tightened my grasp upon her hand. "Do not allow the Baron to dominate you. He's crushing your spirit. You deserve better than this."
My mother's grey eyes deadened and seemed to sink further into their sockets. I reached to stroke her ashen locks. The dry strands crackled beneath my fingertips and disintegrated into dust. Aghast, I opened my palm, and the particles drifted to the floor. Her life seemed to drain from her veins before my eyes. Mama lived but barely.
Covering my face with my palms, I sobbed bitterly. How much longer could Mama sustain life? I wondered frantically. Railing against fate, I cursed the one-eyed coachman for not appearing on the night of our planned escape. If our luck had held out, we would have returned to London and forgotten about Romania and von Helfin Castle.
Mama called my name gently, and I turned toward her. She remained on the divan with the two girls close to her side. Deftly, she removed the book of fairy tales from Luiza's hands and pushed it toward me. I stared down at it, dumbfounded.
"Join us and continue to read," Mama prompted, a solemn smile playing on her lips. "You may select a story of your choosing."
Absently, I flipped the pages, considering each story intently. Finally, I chose 'Snow White and Rose Red.' Luiza and Vanda turned their attention to me as I began to read. Mama sat back and observed intently. Finishing, I closed the heavy book and held it on my lap.
"Read another one," Vanda prompted eagerly.
Although the child's face remained solemn, I caught an eagerness in her voice. Her upturned face brightened slightly with a soft rose tint. I reopened the tome and scanned the table of contents. However, Mama removed the book from my grasp and snapped it closed.
"I believe that is enough for one night," she announced sharply. "You may return to your desks and open your grammar."
"Aw," the youngsters cried in unison.
"Come now, girls." Mama clapped her hands together briskly. "You must work on your English grammar. Then, we'll move on to mathematics."
The children groaned but moved to their desks and began their assignments. At a loss, I remained seated close to Mama. Finally, she turned to me and asked that I assist Luiza. I squatted beside the younger girl and glanced at her slanted handwriting. She struggled to copy the phrases Mama assigned her.
"Can I help you?" I asked, smiling gently.
Luiza edged over, making room for me beside her. In whispered voices, we discussed our task. My limited ability to speak her language and her mind caused complications. Nevertheless, we pressed forward until we began to understand each other. Finally, Mama dismissed us, and I returned to my bedroom to sleep the day away.
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