Dhampir Love (9 page)

     “I haven’t a clue.  Father hasn’t said.”

      Tony and I went to the dining room on the first floor.  Jennifer patiently waited for us.  Before we sat down, Jason came to the door.  “Mr. Mureaux would like to speak with Tony,” he said, and then left.

     Tony kissed me and left the kitchen.

     “Jess, is a date set for the wedding?”

     “June twenty-fifth.”

     “You’re more than welcome to have the honeymoon here if you’d like.”

     “Tony and I haven’t discussed the honeymoon.  We have too much going on with the blood bank to even think about a honeymoon.”

     “The third floor is always open to you and Tony,” Jennifer said, taking her plate to the sink.

     “Thank you.”

     “Let’s go to the living room.  I have something to show you.”

     Setting my plate in the sink, Jennifer and I retreated to the living room.  Open on the Victorian coffee table was a
book of fabrics.   “I’m going to remove the wall dividing the third floor.”  Jennifer said, and then pointed to a red and a maroon fabric. “I like these colors, but I can’t decide which one I like the best.”

      Looking over the colors, I pointed to the maroon color.  “I like this one.”

     “I do too,” she said, and closed the book.  “Will you help me?”

     “You don’t have to ask, Jennifer.  You know I will.”

     “When Victor and Tony leave in the morning, we’ll get started.”

     Tony came back to find us in the living room.  He walked over to me and said, “Father and I have urgent business at the blood bank.  I’ll see you later.”

     “I’ll see you later.”

     Tony gave me a kiss on
the cheek and left with Victor.

     “Jess, I have some phone calls to make.  Please, make yourself at home,” Jennifer told me. 

        I went back to the third floor and unpacked my suitcase.  Thirsty, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a soda.  Sitting at the dining room table looking at the lake, I decided to go for a walk along the shore.  The morning fog had lifted and the rain was slowly coming to an end.  Stopping at the boat house, I turned back to face the house. The window where I first saw William had its curtain drawn shut. He had tried his best to keep Charlotte away from me, and I was saddened by his absence.  Turning back to the boat house, I opened the door and stepped inside.  Not sure if I could get the boat started, I found the oars hanging on the wall.  Getting the oars and putting them in the boat, I opened the doors facing the lake.  Tony would go to the cemetery to think or read, so I decided I would do the same.  Rowing across the lake, I glanced back periodically to make sure I was headed in the right direction of the cemetery.  Remembering where Tony had docked the boat before, I found the rope and tied the boat to the ramp.  Getting out, I walked to the gazebo looking the headstones over.

     Looking out across the lake, I thought about our wedding.  Mrs. Tony Mureaux brought a wide smile. Tony and I were going to have the best life together forever.

I couldn’t let Tony buy a wedding dress.  I would make my own.

     Thinking about Tony in Italy for a few days had me wondering how far he would be away from me.  Getting my cell phone from my back pocket, I looked up Italy.   I didn’t know exactly where Tony and Victor would be staying and Italy wasn’t too far from England.   I would look later when I knew where they were staying.  Closing my cell phone it started ringing.  Looking at caller ID, it was Tony.  “Hello honey.”

     “Hello sweetie.  I’m at the house and I can’t find you.  Where are you?”

     “I’m at the cemetery.  I’ll head back,” I said, jogging to the boat.

     Rowing as fast as I could to get to him I saw Tony standing by the boat house when I rounded the bend in the lake.  Instead of putting the boat in the house, I drifted to shore. Tony helped me get it docked in the boat house.  “Father and I are done with business at the blood bank and we leave in the morning.”

     “It doesn’t give us much time together.”

      “We have the rest of the day to ourselves.”

      Tony and I went back up to our floor and he didn’t waste any time going straight for my neck.  I wasn’t
going to see him for three days.  My clothes were flung on the floor and I was on the bed before I even blinked.  Tony was at the end of the bed with the biggest grin on his face.  I went to say that he was going to have to stop ripping my clothes, but he was kissing me before I opened my mouth.  I gave him my undivided attention.

     T
ony was snoring lightly beside me.  Looking toward the wall, I thought of Charlotte and William.  William touching me, leaving my scent causing Charlotte to hunt me, and the conversation’s I heard behind the wall.  In the morning, I would be tearing down the wall where it all began. 

    
Tony rolled over toward me, smiled his half smile going for my neck again.  I laughed and went for his neck.  He responded immediately.  Our love making was wild and passionate.  I knew I was going to be extremely bruised and sore tomorrow, but I didn’t care.  I enjoyed every part of Tony.  He made sure that there was no part of me left unloved.  It was early in the morning when we finally rolled apart.  We showered and dressed.  I ate then we went down stairs.

    
Victor was waiting for Tony in the limo to drive them to the airport.  “Jess, I love you and I’ll see you in a few days,” Tony said, hugging me.

    “I love you,” I said, hugging him tight.

     “I’ll call as soon as we land in Italy,” he said, before closing the door to the limo.

     Standing on the porch, I watched the limo head down the driveway and disappear into the trees.  Tears pricked my eyes, I didn’t want him away from me, but he had to attend this meeting.  Sure that Victor would look out for him I wiped the tears away and went to find Jennifer.  She was coming from the back of the house with a couple of sledge hammers. 

    
“Are we ready to start?” she asked.

     Nodding my head I looked back at the double doors hoping tearing down the wall and cleaning would help keep me from missing Tony. 

     Starting in the kitchen we took the latch off the door leading to the third floor.

     “Jason,” Jennifer called.

     Jason appeared in the doorway.  “Yes ma’am.”

     “Would you please carry the door to the shed and help us with the coffin?”

     “Yes ma’am.”  Jason picked up the door and carried it out of the house.

     Making our way to the third floor, I remembered the musty smell and eerie feeling I had had the last time I was up here.  Our work was defiantly cut out for us.

    Entering the first room on the right, I looked at the coffin and glad the lid was closed.  Opening the coffin, I wanted to see what was left of Charlotte.  A black silk cover was lying along the side of a blood red mattress and pillow.  A crease embedded in the pillow where Charlotte’s head used to lay.  Closing the lid, I was glad the ordeal was over.  Jennifer came into the room. 

     “Where are you going to put the coffin?” I asked.

     “Jason will take it to the basement.  First, let’s get this wall down, so we can use the elevator.  I don’t think we want to haul the debris down the stairs.”

     Jennifer handed me a sledge hammer.  Starting at the top of the wall, we hit it with all our strength until it gave way and started falling.  We spent all morning tearing down the wall.  Jason had brought up a wheelbarrow
, leaving it on the other side of the wall. 

     “The carpet layers will arrive tomorrow,” Jennifer said.

    I started to answer her when my cell phone rang in my pocket.  I knew it had to be Tony.   “Hello”

     “Hello sweetie.  Father and I arrived a few minutes ago.”

     “How was the flight?”

     “It’s a flight.  We are in Firenze.  We’ll drive to Parma tomorrow for the meeting.”

      “Have you checked in with Thorment?” I asked.

     “Father called him to inform him we were here.  He has a dinner planned tonight, and we are required to attend.” Tony paused.  “I have to go now Sweetie, Thorment has a limo waiting for us.  I love and miss you.”

     “I love and miss you.”

     “Call you when I can.  Goodbye Jess.”

     “Be safe, Tony.  Goodbye.”  Hanging up the phone my eyes were starting to water.  Before I let a tear form, I took in a deep breath and hit the wall with the sledge hammer.  Now I was glad Jennifer decided to open up the third floor.  It helped to occupy my mind.

     Jennifer and I worked all morning getting the wall torn down and cleaning up the mess.  After the wall was down, Jennifer started emptying and cleaning the first two rooms.  I took the end rooms. 

     Jason brought up a dolly to put the coffin on.  As soon as it was out of the room, I dusted and cleaned.  Going to the door where William first touched me, I looked around to make sure no one was here.   Opening the door, I saw a double bed sitting along the north wall.  A nightstand beside the bed held a small lamp with a picture of William and Catherine.  In the closet were men’s clothes, assuming they were Williams, and several pairs of shoes.  Taking everything out of the room, I scrubbed and cleaned.  Before evening, Jennifer and I were finished with the rooms.  This was the first time in a while I had done so much work.  Too exhausted to eat, I went to my bedroom and lay down. Jennifer stopped in the doorway leading to my bedroom.  “Jess, if you get hungry come down and I’ll have Jason fix you a plate,” she stated and went to the elevator.

     “Thank you.”

      No sooner had my head hit the pillow, I was out.

     Making my way through thick brush and trees, a black cloak stepped in front

of me and stopped.  Turning to run, a hand grabbed my shoulder stopping me.   “Come with me,” a rumbling voice said from under the hood.  I froze in place looking the black cloak from head to toe.  To dark to see the face in the hood the voice blared, “Now!”   I started walking not knowing where I was going. “Follow the path.”  A few yards into the forest the trees were beginning to thin.  In the clearing, I saw a man tied between two poles on his knees with his head down and his arms were stretched up above his head.  As the man raised his head, two black cloaks took my arms and lead me to a hut behind the tied man.  When the man’s head was turning toward me a black cloak stepped between us.  I couldn’t see who it was.  They led me into the hut and pushed me to a pile of pillows in the middle of the floor.  They stepped aside and a beautiful woman entered the h
ut.   Her hair was black as midnight with eyes red as blood and she wore a ceremonial gown made of silk and beads.   Not saying a word she stopped in front of me and smiled.  One of the black cloaks’ picked up a whip from a small table sitting just inside the opening of the hut carrying it outside.  Hearing it strike, a scream sent chills up my spine.  When the scream stopped the man said my name.

     My eyes opened.  Blinking several times, I realized I was in my bed.  Not wanting to go back to sleep, I got up, put on my robe and went to the kitchen.  Getting a glass from the cupboard, I poured myself some milk.  Sitting at the dining room table, the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon emitting its rays over the countryside.  Today, Tony would attend the meeting. 

     Going back to the bedroom, I noticed a book lying on the end table.   ‘History in the Making’ was the title.  It was the book Tony was reading the last time we were here.  Picking it up, I carried it to the living room and started reading where Tony had it bookmarked.   The book was organized as a record book with dates, pictures and captions of all the things made in history.

     The elevator dinged to let me know someone had arrived.  Jennifer stepped off the elevator with several men.  “Aah Jess, you’re awake.  The carpet layers are here to start.”

     Sitting the book down on the
end table, I went to my bedroom, showered and dressed.  I went to the first floor to find Jennifer sitting in the den going through some papers.  “Jennifer,” I softly said at the door.

     “Come in
, dear.”

     “I’d like to visit the blood bank today?  If you aren’t busy would you come with me?”

     “Sure.  I’ll call for the limo to pick us up.” 

     Jennifer called for the limo and I went to wait on the porch.  Waiting for the limo my cell phone rang.  “Hello.”

     “Hello sweetie,” Tony whispered in the phone.

     “Why are you whispering?”

     “I have one bar on my phone.   We are heading to the meeting.  I love you and I’ll call you soon.” 

     “Tony,” I said, but the phone went dead.

     I didn’t get a chance to tell him I loved him and to be careful and pay attention to the rules.  Looking at the phone, I wanted to call him back because it wasn’t like him to hang up suddenly without an explanation.  Maybe, his phone was out of reach of a cell tower.  Jennifer stepped out on the porch when the limo pulled up in front of the house.  “Any particular reason you want to visit the blood bank?” Jennifer asked as we were getting in the limo.