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The first dreary day crept passed slowly. Mama and I remained in our turret apartment and unpacked our trunks. One by one, I hung my pastel-colored dresses in the vast wardrobe. The light cotton and dimity fabrics seemed out of place in the dank castle. Nevertheless, my mother optimistically believed the light shades would brighten our surroundings.
"I'm happy to put aside my widow's weeds," Mama announced cheerily. She swooped into the room wearing a pale lavender damask. Standing before the cheval glass, she adjusted the floral bonnet on her golden locks. "I feel sure the Baron intends to entertain now that we've arrived. He'll want to introduce us to the correct society."
I wondered at her optimism. From what we saw the previous night, it appeared as though no one had visited the castle in years. Our surroundings did not depict a possible social life. Nevertheless, Mama continued chatting about dinner parties and an introductory ball in our honor.
"Mama," I finally broke in, exasperated. "I don't believe Barons hold balls for newly arrived governesses. You're here to teach the children, not to socialize."
My mother shifted her eyes toward me momentarily, then dismissed me quickly. Wrapped up in her fantasy, she began rummaging through my wardrobe. Pulling out a pink chiffon, she held it against me.
"You were to wear this gown to Amity Barstow's coming out ball," she sighed, tossing the garment onto the bed. "How beautiful you would have looked with your hair piled high. I planned to give you Grandmama's Spanish comb on that special evening. Nevertheless, you can wear it when the Baron…"
"The Baron isn't going to present us, Mama," I snapped, grasping her arms. I captured her startled blue eyes with my own and held them. "You're the governess, Mama."
"Oh, yes, the governess," she murmured, returning to earth. "I must work on my lesson plan." Absently, she drifted from my room into her own.
I watched her departure for a moment, then lifted the chiffon from my bed. I hung it in the wardrobe and absently caressed the soft fabric. Squire Barstow's daughter, Amity, attended the parish school until her sixteenth birthday. Then, she attended finishing school in France for an additional two years. Somehow, Mama had wrangled an invitation for me to attend her coming out ball.
I closed the wardrobe door and leaned against it. Amity and I were never on friendly terms, although Mama constantly pushed us together. Haughty and spoiled, the older girl disdained my position as the Vicar's daughter. When she realized my parents intended marriage between the curate and me, she flirted unmercifully with Prentiss. I realized he didn't interest her, and she only intended to cause tension.
I refused to accept when the invitation arrived to attend the festivities announcing her coming of age. Mama insisted upon engaging the local seamstress to create the lovely gown. I realized I would never wear it now.
Deep in thought, I jumped in my skin when the door cracked open. Pushing it with her back, Helga entered carrying a luncheon tray. She set it on the table near the fire and turned to me.
"Sorry to startle you, Miss," the chambermaid stated, bobbing a curtsey. "It's your lunch, Miss."
"Ah, yes," I responded dismissively. Absently, I lifted the cover. I frowned at the stew and mashed potatoes.
"'Tis goulash, Miss," Helga softly stated. "Grandmama made it specially."
"Grandmama?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows.
"Mrs. Balan, Miss," the maid stated. "She's my grandmama."
"Is that so?" I asked, without interest.
"Oh, yes, Miss," the girl continued, rocking on her heels. "My Mama ran away with the Gypsies. She was pregnant with me, but my birth killed her. After, I came to live with Grandmama."
"Do you like living here, Helga?" I fired my question rapidly. "Don't you find it strange?"
"Strange?" my companion asked, backing toward the door. "Why no, Miss. Tisn't strange here at all. Perhaps you're the one who's strange, Miss."
Hastily, Helga scuttled through the door, slamming it behind her. I rushed after her, propelling myself onto the landing. Catching the railing, I presented myself from tumbling downward. Below, the echoing sound of fading footsteps clattered on the fieldstone passageway.
I shrugged and returned to my room. Tentatively, I tasted the goulash. Although the moldy taste remained, it did not appear as strongly as in the scones. I ate it along with a loaf of crusty bread. When I finished, I stepped into Mama's room.
Mama lay across her bed, drowsing. I tiptoed close and peered down upon her. Deciding to leave her to her rest, I moved away.
"Don't go, Norah," she called, rising.
"I wanted to leave you to your rest," I answered, turning to face her. "You have a long night ahead of you."
"Yes, I suppose…" she began uncertainly.
"Don't you find it strange to teach children after midnight?" I queried, perching on the bed's edge.
"Perhaps…" Mama hesitated again and worried her bottom lip with her front teeth. "But…Oh, perhaps that's the way they do it in Romania. Nevertheless, it's what the Baron wants, so we must comply."
"I don't like it here, Mama," I announced bluntly. "I want to go home."
"This job is essential to me, Norah," my mother stated, grasping my hands. "You must understand. Why, we've only just arrived. You must adjust to your new surroundings and accept that you are no longer in England. It's a different culture. It's an opportunity to learn about how people live in different parts of the world."
"I don't want to learn."
Swooping from the room, I slammed the door behind me. I re-entered my chamber and sat before the fire. Mama joined me, and we spoke of our outward journey. We boarded the Orient Express in Paris and journeyed through Strasburg, Munich, Vienna, and Budapest. Finally, we alighted at the Romanian capital of Bucharest. From there, we picked up a branch line to Bacova.
Our travel plans halted when we attempted to board the train that would eventually bring us to von Helfin castle. The conductor adamantly refused to stop at the village station. Nonplussed, Mama insisted upon calling the stationmaster.
"The Baron von Helfin awaits our arrival," my mother insisted. "My daughter and I have traveled from England to take up a post there. The Baron expects us."
"Yes, Madam, yes," the stationmaster agreed, nodding vigorously. "I have the order right here." Turning to the conductor, he commanded his compliance.
"But…"
"Never mind the buts," the conductor's supervisor exclaimed. "Stop the train at Helfin and let these ladies off. The order is final."
"Absolutely, sir," the ticket collector stated, clicking his heels.
In due course, the train halted at the small village, and we alighted. The one-eyed coachman greeted us solemnly and loaded our baggage onto his conveyance. We sped up the mountainous passage at a gallop, and the coachman unceremoniously dumped us within the gates.
"Why did everyone seem frightened when we asked to come here, Mama?" I eventually asked. "It's as though they feared something…or someone."
Before my parent could respond, Baron von Helfin appeared in the doorway suddenly. I gasped and sank back against my chair. Mama rose hastily and, taking his arm, bid me a pleasant goodnight. I shuddered as I watched her retreating back. I did not want her to leave with the ominous Baron.
Rising, I raced into the rotunda and clattered down the spiral staircase after her. She vanished as I reached the bottom, and the door slammed closed. The sound echoed through the round vestibule. I grasped the ornate brass handle and pushed.
"Locked," I muttered, aghast. Throughout the overnight hours, I would remain imprisoned within the castle turret. I sighed and began the climb upward to my bed chamber.
The feeling of being watched straightened my back as I reached the doorway. Furtively, I glanced about and searched for the unobserved figure. I squinted against the penetrating dark but did not see anyone lingering nearby.
"Hello," I called nervously. My voice trembled slightly. "Hello?"
No response. I looked about again. Then, gazing upward, I saw the bat. Its beady red eyes seemed to penetrate my skin as it hung upside down from the rafters. I swept open my door and entered hastily. Leaning against the thick oaken ingress, I gnawed my lower lip.
I cracked the door and looked up at the bat again. Something about those eyes seemed vaguely familiar. It appeared to wink at me. I re-slammed the door and moved away from it quickly.
The uneasy night crept past. Hour after hour, I awaited Mama's return. I would not feel comforted until she entered the chamber. Finally, I slept fitfully and awoke when the door creaked open in the morning.
Mama entered along with dawn's first fingers of sunlight. Ashen, she stood with her back pressed against the closed door. She quickly threw the locking bar in place and advanced toward the bed.
Hastily, I propped my pillows behind me and sat up. Mama perched at the edge of the bed and soothed my hair gently. I leaned my head against her shoulder and stared at her quizzically.
"Norah," she whispered my name tremulously.
"Whatever's the matter, Mama?" I asked, alarmed.
"You must promise me, my sweet, to never leave this chamber after dark," she adamantly insisted. "Never, never leave."
"Ye-yes, Mama," I conceded weakly.
"Lock the door and never allow anyone inside," she continued.
"Ye-yes, Mama."
I shuddered, imagining my mother teaching the Baron's children in that dreadful cellar nursery. If they roamed the castle during the overnight hours, I did not wish to encounter them. I had no intention of wandering into the eerie corridors after dark.
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