XVIII
I sprawled in my bed, staring at the emerald hangings above me. I expected Ranulf's rap on the door at any moment. Night after night, he appeared to escort me to the cellar nursery. I did not require his assistance; I knew my way alone after several nights. Nevertheless, the Baron's ward made a point to appear precisely at midnight.
My thoughts lingered on my encounters with Ranulf. Previously, I viewed him as an enemy. However, as time passed, I began to regard him as my friend. Suddenly, he seemed to care about my well-being and set himself as my protector.
At midnight, I entered the nursery and sat with the other children at my desk. At first, Luiza dismissed me with a disdainful glare. A quiet, intense girl, she made me feel like an outsider. Her pale skin and grim expression sent shivers down my spine. Then, one night, her sanguine lips turned upwards in a half-smile.
"Hello." Luiza's voice rose to barely above a whisper. However, she raised her hand in an awkward wave.
"Hello," I answered in the same soft tone. I twinkled my fingers at the younger girl, causing her to giggle.
"Ranulf likes you," she remarked, inching her desk closer to mine. "He never likes anyone."
"Really?" I sang out, causing Mama to glance sharply in my direction. "Really?" I repeated in a lower tenor.
"Yes," my companion responded, bending her dark head toward mine. Eagerly, I leaned in to share confidences.
"Girls!" Mama reprimanded, sharply banging her pencil against her desktop.
Wordlessly, I opened my grammar book. Luiza copied my action. Silence prevailed in the schoolroom as we bent over our assignments. Then, Vanda let out an unearthly wail. Mama swiftly rose and hustled to the younger von Helfin sister. Angrily, she yanked on the long dagger that pinned the child's braids to her desk. I gaped incredulously at the ancient iron weapon with its bat-shaped hilt.
"How many times must I scold you for tormenting your sisters?" Mama exclaimed, looming over Vlad's desk.
The boy ogled her contemptuously, his dark eyes narrow slits. Vlad's upper lip lifted sardonically, and his pointed canines appeared. A low guttural hiss rose from his throat, and he lunged toward Mama. She recoiled instantly, and he removed the blade from her slack fist.
Mama pivoted slowly and returned to her seat. She folded her trembling hands before her and stared across our heads at a point above the door. I stood to approach her, but she waved me back to my desk. Finally, we settled into our books but could not concentrate.
"Class dismissed," my mother abruptly announced. Rising, she floated toward the door and vanished into the corridor.
Vlad swiftly followed her, abandoning his open history book. I raced after them, expecting a confrontation. However, they had moved beyond the iron barrier before I could reach them. I clutched at the grating and yanked on it with all my strength. Against the wall, I glimpsed two shadows, one bent backward and the other menacing above.
"Mama!" I screamed, my voice echoing throughout the chamber.
"Come away, Norah," Ranulf breathed into my neck. Gently, he drew me away and pinned me against the murky wall.
"I must…" I began, straining for release. "Mama needs me. I…"
"There is nothing you can do," the Baron's ward stated. "If you penetrate beyond the gate, the dogs will shred you in no time. You cannot cross the barricade."
"But…"
"I will escort you to your room," Ranulf gently stated, drawing me along the corridor. "I assure you, no harm will come to your mother. Uncle will not permit it."
Reluctantly, I followed the nephew to the ground floor and then up into the turret. We paused at the door momentarily. When he leaned forward as though to kiss me, I caught a whiff of his repugnant odor. Swiftly, I recoiled and pushed open the door. Stepping inside, I hesitated and caught the stark expression of disappointment across Ranulf's face. Sighing, I closed the barrier between us and pressed my back against it. After a while, I heard his retreating footsteps.
I breathed deeply, and the putrid odor I detected lingered in my nostrils. Hurriedly, I poured water from the ewer into the basin and scrubbed my hands and face. The sweet lavender scent flushed away the obnoxious smells quickly. Drying myself with a fresh towel, I felt my body relax.
"What is that lovely scent?" Luiza asked from behind me. Surreptitiously, she lifted the bar and breathed in deeply.
"Lavender," I answered, rummaging in a dresser drawer. I handed my companion an unopened bar. Although I only had two left, I unselfishly gifted it to her.
"For me?" Luiza inquired, clasping the small round package against her undeveloped bosom.
"Yes, for you." I smiled and enfolded her pallid fingers inside my hands. I flinched briefly at their icy, flexile texture. Then, recovering, I patted them convivially.
Luiza's lips quivered, then broadened into a wide grin. The unique expression appeared awkward at first. However, the girl quickly loosened up and fell backward onto the bed, still clutching my gift. Her tangled black hair spread across the emerald comforter, and she stared into the canopy. I lay down beside her and followed her gaze.
How different we looked, I reflected. Luiza's faded woolen dress hung limply on her small frame. It appeared centuries old in design. She wore black and white striped stockings and heavily scuffed black boots. On the other hand, my rose-sprigged poplin contrasted with her dark gothic aspect. Beneath my dress, I wore lacy petticoats and white pantaloons. My white silk stockings were clocked from ankle to knee with embroidered crimson roses. Pink slippers adorned my feet.
"You're pretty," Luiza breathed. Inadvertently she twined a strand of my soft brown hair around her finger. "It's no wonder Ranulf likes you."
I closed my eyes and pictured the Baron's handsome ward. His mass of black hair framed an aquiline nose, red lips, and penetrating brown eyes to perfection. A high alabaster forehead and smooth rounded chin finished the picture. I imagined him standing in the doorway, his pale hand outstretched to beckon me. As though in a trance, I rose and drew him inside. I swung the door closed, and we embraced.
My trembling fingers combed into Ranulf's silky hair. My head fell backward, and my lips parted in expectation. Gently, my lover bent over me and lowered his face to mine. Then, instead of capturing my mouth with his, he bared his fangs and plunged toward my exposed neck. I gasped and sat up, my dream fleeing into oblivion.
"Norah!" Luiza screamed, grabbing me by the shoulders. Her frightened expression startled me.
Our eyes locked for a moment, then shifted toward the door. Slowly, it creaked open. I stared incredulously, expecting Ranulf's entrance. Instead, Vanda stood shadowed in the aperture. Then, running inside, she plunged onto the bed.
35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpOg8WDK68K
******
"Tell me about Ranulf," I asked Luiza. Arm-in-arm, we strolled through the castle garden.
The yellow crescent moon smiled down upon us. Wistfully, I regarded the nightly grin. Papa called it 'The Cheshire Cat' moon. Night after night, we gathered in the parlor to hear him read from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.' He enjoyed imitating Lewis Carroll's magnificently imaginative characters. He developed a different voice for each one. I enjoyed the White Rabbit, the Dodo, and the Tweedle Twins, but the mischievous disappearing feline remained my favorite.
The novel and its accompanying sequel, "Through the Looking Glass," remained in the bottom of my trunk. I cherished the few books I brought with me to Romania. Perhaps, Mama would allow me to read them aloud in the schoolroom. I made a mental note to ask her. In the meantime, I eagerly wished to know more about Ranulf.
"Aunt Lavinia eloped with the stableboy at age sixteen," Luiza confided late one night as we strolled in the garden. "Grandpapa and Papa chased after them and discovered them at an inn on the road to Bucharest. They had already married, and Auntie Vin revealed her pregnancy. Grandpapa brought them back, and they lived in the hunting lodge on the other side of the forest.
"Grandpapa died shortly after Ranulf's birth, and Papa married. Vlad and I were born eighteen months apart. Then, Mama died giving birth to Vanda," Luiza paused, a sorrowful expression crossing her pale face. "Papa fell into a deep depression. Day after day, month upon month, he sat before the fire without moving. No one laughed or smiled. We no longer played games or rode our ponies. Mrs. Balan took charge of Vanda—Papa wouldn't look at her."
Tenderly, I drew Luiza into my embrace. The girl stared into the middle distance for a long time, tears forming on her lower lids.
"Finally, Ranulf appeared, demanding to see Papa. He claimed Uncle Claudiu had gone insane. If Papa didn't act swiftly, Uncle would kill Aunt Lavinia," Luiza flatly stated. "Papa and Ranulf rode off together. Auntie Vin died before they arrived, and Papa fought with Uncle Claudiu. Papa destroyed Uncle, but he and Ranulf both received terrible injuries. The encounter changed Papa's life forever…and ours too."
Luiza cozied against my side, and I hugged her closely. Her young body trembled against mine. Soothingly, I whispered tender words until she calmed.
"Ranulf came home with Papa," the girl finally continued. "He mopes around, and sometimes he flares out violently. Our cousin never softened to anyone except you. I've seen him watching you, and his eyes sparkle. He smiles at you…and Ranulf never smiles."
I sat against the wall and gazed at the Cheshire Cat moon. The mellow grin cut the forbidding starless sky, providing a safe haven. Perhaps, in my arms, Ranulf could find a little warmth in the Baron's cold castle. I dreamed of melting his icy heart and filling the void his lost family created.
Ranulf required love and attention to lift him from his deep depression. Determinedly, I decided to provide it. In my loneliness, I yearned for love. Prentiss Wills slipped from my life and my dreams. I no longer fantasized about returning to England and marriage to the curate. My life led me in a new direction.
I began to question Luiza further about Ranulf. However, Helga Balan appeared in the garden. The chambermaid hesitated a moment. Then, she pointed toward the east. Dim light filtered through the dead woods, brightening the sky. Rising, my young companion fled into the castle, her hasty footsteps beating a staccato on the cobblestones.
35Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRISNOCZuQ
