Page 13 of Potion of Deception (Potion of Deception #1)
From all the words he could say, Violette didn't expect that.
“I am not a troublemaker.” She glared at him.
“That better be true,” he replied, his voice sharp and unyielding..
The silence filled the space between them for a moment. And then as Dante opened the door Violette clumsily let out, “ Goodnight.”
He glanced at her from the side and without any unnecessary emotions responded in kind.
The doors shut.
Violette heaved a deep sigh as she finally was alone and had time to think every thought that invaded her mind since the start of all of this trip.
Her eyes moved around the room – simple but warm.
The big window in the opposite direction let in the light of the street lantern before she lit up the lamp on the wall.
A pretty big bed with bedposts under the wall seemed soft and a perfect place to lay in after a long day, but the first thing Violette decided to do was to take a bath.
She sniffed the flower soap on the bathtub – the pleasant smell of it filled the room in minutes.
She was more than happy being able to change her clothes after almost two days of traveling and she was prudent enough to bring herself a few more dresses, including the nightgown in her magically spacious bag.
She was absolutely convinced it was the greatest invention which always came in handy.
It could contain twenty things of different sizes which didn't make it heavy, however to be honest she wished for a bag which could hold more stuff.
Unfortunately, more spacious bags were truly rare and therefore extremely expensive.
She took a few possibly useful things for this trip as well, trying to be prepared for whatever happens – three bottles of potions, a longer cloak with a cape, gloves, pocket size manual of plants, spellbook and another pair of boots, just in case .
Smelling like a burst of flowers and feeling absolutely clean she lay down in the warm bed and knocked out faster than she expected.
All night Violette had strange dreams, she was wandering in circles in the forest and every time ended up at the cemetery.
The crows were flying over her head, snow covering her hair.
The field of purple clematis had flown over all her dreams and then somehow she'd ended up in the little town she’d stopped in with Dante before and an angry seller had tried to sell her a little sparkling Laevitins.
She opened her eyes long past noon.
Clouds covered the sky with gray and black colors, muffled noise from the street faintly slid into the room through the window as Violette was sitting on the bed half sleepy. She rubbed her eyes and her mouth let out a yawn as her lashes fluttered.
Her legs led her to the dining room.
She stepped in and crossed the room to the long table filled with snacks. The fluffy little cakes with heavy cream garnished with raspberries on top were calling out her name and who was she to resist them?
One bite and she let out a satisfied burble.
The berry layer between the biscuits melted in her mouth.
Her eyes didn't notice the teapot on a silver tray straight away but soon she was pouring the hot water in a porcelain teacup.
And white cookies with blueberry jam covered with chocolate topping suited her mood that day perfectly.
The warmth spread through her body with every sip of hot tea and she didn't realize she’d emptied a whole plate of cookies alone.
Shortly, her curiosity led her to the living room – a spacious room with a large window, two velvet chairs, one couch and a little coffee table.
Her eyes brushed a pile of books on the table, a crystal vase with fresh white flowers in it, then she gazed at the windows.
The sky remained overcast with the gray clouds.
Opening a window, Violette stuck her head outside, inhaling fresh air – the cool wind brushed her cheeks. Her nose smelled the rainy scent.
“Gloomy weather, isn't it?” The cracked, aged voice behind her Violette whip around.
The woman with gray hair styled in a low bun was whipping the dust from the table with a cloth.
Her white linen shirt with long sleeves was neatly tucked into a brown long skirt with colorful flower tracery along the hem.
A reserved but sincere smile lit up her face as her eyes met Violette's.
“A little,” Violette confirmed by closing the window. “I quite enjoy the freshness the rain brings.” Her legs drew a few steps forward in the direction of the woman, the same who met her and Dante at night when they needed rooms.
“Uhh,” she sang peacefully. “Me either. But I thought you had plans and the rain might ruin it.”
Violette glanced at the window again .
“I wanted to walk around the town a bit,” she admitted.
“I advise you to hurry up if you don't want to get your feet wet,” the woman said softly, touching up the flowers on the table.
She was right, it wouldn't be nice to catch a cold in the middle of their trip. Violette didn't have much planned but she wanted to go outside and look around, however her mind was still wondering about Dante. She hasn't seen him since they wished each other a good night.
Nearly at the threshold from the living room she turned her head around to the old lady. “Excuse me. My companion…The guy who was with me, did you see him today?”
The woman raised her eyes. “No, miss. I believe he didn't leave his room.”
Violette nodded meaningfully and thanked her before returning to her room to grab her cloak.
Her eyes lingered on the next door. The idea to knock on Dante's door was tempting but all she did was turn back and go down the stairs and to the door leading to the world outside.