Page 25 of Fragile Wicked Things

Twelve

O ver the following weeks, I saw little of my guardian and spent most of my time with Giovanni and Mathilda, my governess.

I hated Mathilda. Her German accent was hard, and every word she spoke sounded crude, even something as simple as "time for bed.

" She also had the ability to end most of her sentences with a question mark.

Every answer she said to me was "nicht" "May I go?

" "Nicht." "May I have a break?" "Nicht," I swear Edward hired her for her meanness. He worried I would become spoiled under his care. However, I did love her way of slathering butter on everything. I didn’t know where Giovanni came from other than he didn’t sound like me.

He had dark, wavy hair, olive skin and an odd way of cursing to himself when he thought I wasn't within hearing.

I learned he was Italian, from Sicily, or as he liked to put it, "the ball the rest of Italy kicks. "

Days were busy with school work, painting, piano and singing lessons.

Play was reserved for the evenings, and after some time had passed, Edward made himself available and would teach me games and children's songs I had never heard before.

Sometimes, we created our games with rules that suited us, and, on occasion, when we had Mathilda or Giovanni join us, we would leave them out of the rules that were beneficial to us alone.

Giovanni stomped off once after losing his handful of nuts to me.

One evening, we played hide-and-seek, and I sought shelter behind the grandfather clock on the upper story of the drawing room. Edward would never look for me there, knowing I feared being alone in that darkened corner. Edward’s boot hit the wooden floor as he entered the room below.

"Catherine," he said. "I know you're in here somewhere."

He pulled at the heavy curtain but found no one hiding there.

He then stepped aside to check behind the piano—still nothing.

I put my hand up over my mouth to stifle a giggle.

Edward stood quiet for a moment, took a deep breath and appeared uneasy.

Then I felt that cold sensation I had felt the first night I arrived at the estate.

"I said never to return here," Edward said to no one in that empty room. The flame in the fireplace cast a most gruesome image on him. He was darker than I was used to, menacing, and it frightened me.

"Please."

I heard a woman's voice from somewhere in the room beneath. I shifted myself from behind the grandfather clock to get a better look. Finally, I saw the red-haired woman as she flung herself on the floor before Edward, hands clasped together, pleading.

"Please do not send me back out there. They will kill me!" she said.

"Who?"

"These men, they followed me. They'll be here soon."

"You are a murderous fiend, and if those men have come for justice, then that is what they shall have," said Edward.

"No! I did as you had asked. I left you alone.

I fed off animals, some forest ones, but when I became too weary to hunt, I killed farm animals which brought me too close to them.

Someone saw me, and they set their dogs after me.

I have no place to turn. Please, I beg of you.

For months now, I've been living as you wanted, have taken no human life, living a repentant existence.

I ask for mercy," she said, her voice strained.

"Mercy?" The request seemed to be a heavy burden on Edward that it brought him down to his knees. He reached out to her, hands clasping her shoulders. "Do you speak the truth? Are you repentant?"

"I am," she said.

He shook his head. "How can I believe you?"

"Look at me, Edward. My eyes reveal my true nature."

Edward wiped away wisps of her hair that had fallen forward, masking her face.

"Your true nature," he said, almost in a whisper, his anger diminishing.

"Much of the darkness has subsided. I am as you once found me—your angel by the water’s edge."

"My angel, yes, I remember now. You were an innocent before you met with the unfortunate circumstance of crossing paths with me.

" After hesitating, he continued, "This is all my doing.

It should be I who asks for forgiveness, Blanche.

" Edward stood, raising her alongside him until she stood too.

"Go to the west side of my property. There, you will find a small creek, cross it, travel two hundred meters, and you will come to a cave.

Hide there, and once they are gone, I will come for you. "

"We mustn't stay here any longer. Flee this place with me. We can make a new beginning in Prague, hide amongst them. No one will be the wiser."

Barking dogs sounded in the distance.

"Go now," he said, opening one of the windows and pushing her out. She turned to him.

"You give me your word. You will come for me?"

"You have my word," he said.

With the red-haired woman gone, Edward called out for Giovanni, who quickly responded.

"Yes, sir," Giovanni said upon entering the room.

"Ready a trunk for myself and Catherine straight away. Arrange for us to go abroad."

My heart was heavy with the anguish of living in Prague with this murderess.

"To where, sir?"

Edward hesitated, then said, "America."

The dogs were close, sniffing at the front door of the estate. Someone knocked.

"See to the arrangements. I will take care of whoever is at the door," Edward told Giovanni.

I slipped out from my hiding place and tiptoed to the other side of the grandfather clock, where I stood by the railing overlooking the front entrance. Three men entered, visibly upset.

"Lord Rochester," a tall man with a rather long moustache said. "I would like to introduce you to Charles Merrill and Lewis Channing."

"Why this unexpected visit, gentlemen?" Edward said.

The tall man leaned towards Edward. "This matter requires your urgent attention.

Several farmers in the surrounding villages have found their animals dead.

At first, they believed it a wolf attack, but as of late, there have been many unexplained and gruesome deaths of farmers and others in isolation.

" Here, he paused for good measure before continuing.

"The other day, a young boy witnessed something.

He claims to have seen not an animal, but a creature rip apart his father and drain him of his blood. "

"A Vampyre," Charles explained in a hushed tone.

Edward stood there in silence, staring at them. A smile appeared on his face as a burst of laughter escaped him. "Is this why you've come? To make me into a fool with your ridiculous story?"

"It's true, Lord Rochester. I've seen her myself," said Lewis. Outside, I could hear the dogs bark and scratch at the front door. "Shut those dogs up!" Lewis yelled to someone outside.

"Her? The creature is a woman?" said Edward.

"Yes, a red-haired she-devil. We've been tracking her from a few villages over until our hunting dogs lost her scent on your property. We've come to warn you and ask for permission to scour your home. It will take a moment for our dogs..."

"Gentlemen!" Edward said harshly. "This game of yours has gone on long enough and I'm afraid I've no tolerance left for such ridiculous matters."

"I thought so, too, Lord Rochester, when these men first approached me with such stories.

Stuart Cunningham and I accompanied them one evening to entertain ourselves, and what we saw was not folklore.

We came upon her one evening, expecting to uncover the truth about this astonishing story.

We were ill-prepared, unaware of the possible danger and in our negligence, Stuart lost his life, another victim of hers.

Had I not seen it with my own eyes, well, even seeing it remains unbelievable.

She tore into him with her bare hands and ripped open his neck with sharp teeth.

Next, she turned on us and had Lewis and Charles not been armed with crosses and holy water, we would have become victims ourselves. "

"She is wreaking havoc from village to village. I had heard rumors of this sort happening in other parts of Europe, but of course, I suspected it had more to do with ancient folklore that keeps such a strong hold on uneducated peasants. I never imagined..." Lewis trailed off.

"She is alone, this red-haired Vampyre?" Edward asked.

"We have witnessed no other. Do you think it possible there are others like her?"

"Dear God," Charles said.

"Then we must act at once. Destroy her," the tall one said.

"How do you mean to kill her?" said Edward.

"We were approached by a holy order originating from Romania.

They are centuries old, call themselves The Men Of Psalms, and they have enlightened us.

Mr. Merrill and Mr. Channing have recently joined the order with me.

We have in our possession wooden stakes, crosses, holy water and guns.

The hunting dogs can pick up the demon's scent again. "

"Yes, I'm sure the scent of the demon is strong here, and the dogs will no doubt pick it up.

You say you chased her here? She must be afraid then if she's running, hiding out.

Yes, go ahead, check my home, check my premises, but if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have a young ward to consider, and it is best we leave the home at once until this creature is destroyed. "

"Thank you, Lord Rochester."

The men were almost out the door when Edward stopped them.

"Gentlemen, it just occurred to me where you should look first. A small creek runs along the west side of my acreage.

If she crossed the water, that may explain why the dogs lost her scent.

There is a cave nearby with one entrance.

If she did seek shelter, you could trap her in there, light her on fire. ..for all I care."

The men nodded at this news and set out, yelling at the dogs as they struggled to get inside.