Forever Young The Beginning (56 page)

Ian paid the barrister to
take the key and the letter he had drafted to the director of
Barcelona House, explaining that McBride worked there. The
Barrister knew the place and knew the director. He told Ian that a
young woman by the name of Senorita Vasquez was the director of the
place. Ian froze at hearing that, and then he was puzzled by the
title of senorita, believing her to have long since married and
moved away. This meant that Alandra was living here and was
director of
Barcelona House
where Tom worked and stayed. Ian pondered all of
this information.

Refusing the offer of a ride back to
his Inn, he asked around the courthouse for directions to the
Vasquez Villa and soon had the information. Everyone knew where the
Ambassador lived. Ian walked to the inn and changed into his monk’s
robe and put on his sun glasses. He pulled the hood up and walked
through the city toward the road that led southward to the Vasquez
home.

As he reached an
intersection, he spied a carriage coming from the direction of the
Vasquez home. At the intersection there were four benches. There
was an entrance to an old cemetery there. He just sat down for no
particular reason and was collecting his thoughts. Alandra was
still living here and was running a facility which cared for sick
children. As he looked around, a carriage went past him. He saw a
young woman driving it and suddenly his heart leaped within him. It
was Alandra! Nearly calling out to her, he caught himself at the
last instant, thinking
what would I say to
her? How wonderful to see you again and by the way, I am a
monster?

She drove past him and
entered the cemetery, and he noted that she was dressed in black,
but didn’t have on a mourning hat or veil. His curiosity piqued, he
walked into the cemetery and took a parallel route to the place
where she’d stopped her small carriage. She went to a well-kept
grave site within an ornate wrought-iron fence, carrying a small
bunch of flowers which she laid upon a grave. Then she sat a while
by the grave, seeming to stare at it intently. After a short while
she rose and drove away in her carriage, heading toward
Barcelona House
. Ian
walked around idly, but was really making his way to the grave site
where she’d been.

Reaching the site, he read the
inscription. It was for a man named Philippe’ Rodriquez. As he
thought about that he heard someone approaching him and just stood
waiting for the person to pass by.

Instead a man of around fifty years
age came to him and said “Father, do you know who is buried here?
Ian was momentarily surprised, and then realized that the man was
speaking to him. He replied “Other than the inscription,
no.”

The man went on saying “It is the son
of a fine family from Almeria. He was deceived and fought a duel
and was killed. It was a senseless tragedy.”

“
You’re familiar with what
happened then?”

“
Yes father. I have a flower
shop near the seashore at the market and bazaar. I was selling
flowers there the day that this poor man was challenged to a duel.
He had approached to buy a bouquet for Senorita Vasquez and another
man made as if poor Philippe’ had knocked him down. That wasn’t the
case at all. The man who acted as if he had been knocked down told
poor Philippe’ in a low voice that Senorita Vasquez was a whore,
and that Phillipe’ should send her to him for
satisfaction.”

Ian sucked in his breath and the man
paused. He looked closer at Ian briefly because of that unexpected
reaction; and then he continued “He taunted the man before anyone
else got close enough to hear what he’d said. Poor Philippe’ was so
angry that he struck him and afterward, couldn’t be dissuaded from
accepting the challenge to a duel.”

“
No one spoke up to stop
it?”

“
Senorita Vasquez seemed to
know the character of this other man and said that his challenge
was a deception to exact revenge on her for refusing his advances
and embarrassing him.”

“
So she’d been approached by
this one before?”

“
Yes. She said in front of
everyone that she would marry poor Philippe’ if he would just walk
away from the duel, but Philippe’ would have none of it. He was
killed by the man the next morning down at the market fountain. It
was a tragedy, father. She comes often to put flowers on his grave.
I fear that she’ll never get over the circumstances of his death.
I’m surprised that you didn’t know this story though. It is common
knowledge here.”

“
I’m from another place and
haven’t heard it. Who is this that did such a terrible
thing?”

‘
He is Senor Carlos Chavez,
father. He’s the son of the crown prosecutor.”

Marie heard a carriage approaching and
walked to the front veranda of the chateau. She thought she had
seen that carriage before, and then recognized it as it pulled up.
The driver stepped down and opened the door. Anna stepped out and
called to Marie “Hello, Marie.”

“
Hello, Anna. Please do come
in.”

“
I’ve brought Serge with me.
We’re traveling to my uncle’s place in Nice.” Serge stepped out of
the carriage then and approached Marie. He bowed and said “So glad
to see you again Madame Marie.”

“
It is I who is so glad to
see both of you. You are looking well, Anna. My, Serge, you are
even more handsome than I remember! Please do come in and have some
tea. You will stay with us at least for tonight I hope?”

“
Well, we’re not on a
schedule, Marie. Your offer is most kind.”

“
We’ll all dine together
this evening. Henri has returned and he’ll be glad you’re here.”
They entered the grand foyer as the driver put all bags on the
veranda. Mustafa was coming down the stairs and greeted them. Anna
complimented him on how he was becoming such a handsome young man.
He asked Serge if he would like to join him and Louis in some
target shooting. Serge was enthusiastic having done no shooting
since he was last at the chateau.

Soon Marie and Anna were alone having
tea in the parlor. They chatted about banking and other things for
a bit. She asked about Ian then as Marie knew she would.

“
Ian’s in Spain now. He went
to buy a house for a shipmate of his from his days as a sailor. It
is to be a surprise wedding present for him. He’s going to take a
draft-share proposal to Madrid for presentation to a new bank
there. Oh, by the way, we’ve expanded into Britain. There is a bank
there which has joined us. If this venture in Spain works out,
we’ll have partners in seven countries and we think that we’ll
expand into Prussia and Austria next year.”

The two engaged in a bit of small talk
about her trip and Celeste and then Anna fastened her eyes on
Maries’ and spoke.

“
Marie, I came here for a
reason. I’ve made a grave accusation against Ian.”

“
I know. He told me all
about it.

“
I… I… didn’t know what I
was seeing. The blood all over him… I… I couldn’t….”

“
Anna. Your reaction to such
a sight wasn’t abnormal at all. How many could dismiss such a
thing?”

“
So he didn’t deceive you
about his…. his… condition… what he… does? He didn’t deceive his
wife, Cosette?”

Marie got up from her chair across
from the sofa where Anna was seated. She came to her side and sat
down, silent for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. Then she
spoke “Anna. We’ve all deceived you. And worst of all, you’ve
deceived yourself. Ian didn’t choose to be the way he is. He was….
infected. Cosette found him and saved his life. She brought him
here to us and he recovered here. He’s been part of our family ever
since then. Henri and I think of Ian as our son.”

“
So you don’t mind that
he…drinks blood, Marie?”

“
Anna, come with me to the
kitchen. I have something that I want you to see.” They sat down at
one of the three large kitchen tables. Marie closed the doors to
the kitchen before sitting next to Anna. She put a small bowl of
water, a towel, and a kitchen knife on one of the tables. Picking
up the knife she turned her other arm upwards on the table.
Fastening her gaze on Anna she said “Watch this.” She delicately
made a cut an inch long in her arm and then laid the knife down.
Anna shrank back with her eyes wide.

“
Don’t be afraid. Just
watch.” She took the towel and dampened it and wiped the blood
away. As Anna watched the cut healed and left not a trace. Anna
gasped and looked up at Marie. Marie extended her arm to Anna to
inspect. She shrank back, and then looked again at Marie who nodded
to her. Leaning closer then she peered intently and exclaimed with
eyes wide in wonderment. “Why there isn’t a trace of a
cut!”

“
Ian didn’t deceive us, he’s
one of us.” There was silence in the kitchen then. Anna was aware
of the wind playing about the curtains a bit in the kitchen
window.

“
One of you,
Marie?”

“
Yes. Cosette was too. She
saved Ian by bringing him here. He was… infected and dying. We knew
how to… reverse that; to cure him… and we did so. Ian had a hard
time accepting what had happened to him. There was a period of
adjustment for him to go through. We had to keep him here because
he couldn’t go back to rejoin his shipmates. He fell in love with
Cosette over time and married her. They were as a son and daughter
to us.”

‘
Us?”

“
To Henri and I,
Anna.”

“
Henri is….?”

“
Yes.”

“
So you all
drink….”

“
Yes, Anna. We must drink a
little from time to time or die. We eat food like you do too, but
we must have blood from time to time.”

“
Do you drink human
blood?”

Her eyes widened and a frown came over
her face. “No! That is an abomination!”

“
Marie, I’m confused.
I…”

“
Anna, look…there is a
governing body among our kind. They monitor reports from all over
Europe, Russia, and some places in the mid-east. They won’t
hesitate to kill such a one, and they won’t hesitate to do what is
necessary to keep our existence secret. Ian told you that for your
own sake, and I’m telling you now. Disclose this information Anna,
and you and your household will all die. There would be no stopping
it. Our kind do live in your cities as well as hundreds of
others.”

“
Hundreds…Marie…. What? I…
I… understand, Marie. I’d never do that for any reason;
never.”

“
That’s good. I really like
you and your son. I’d hate it for anything to happen to either of
you, especially if it was because of us. I understand that the boy
Andre is healthy and doing well?”

“
Yes he is. I was worried
that he’d become… you know, what…?”

“
There is no danger of that
Anna. A simple transfer of blood is nowhere near what needs to be
done to become as we are. There is no small amount of pain and
mentoring that accompanies such a thing either. Regarding what Ian
did, none of us knew that it could be done. He’s the first one of
us to save a life that way”

“
We’re very grateful because
we all know that Andre was as good as dead.”

“
It’s likely that Andre will
never suffer an illness in his entire life now that Ian did that.
We’re very robust, very hard to kill. Ian is very sympathetic, and
especially to suffering children. He saved Celeste’s life along
with four others who’d been kidnapped to be sold to Satanists. He’s
since done that three more times to rescue children being sold for
heinous purposes. Celeste has become like another daughter to us.
She lived a while in one of our orphanages.”

“
I didn’t know all of that.
I can see that…caring in him. I remember it well. He has so many
wonderful qualities. I’m so sorry that I didn’t let him explain!
Celeste…she knows… about you?”

“
Yes, she does. She accepts
us as loving friends, and she worships Ian. We’re like family to
each other.”

She sat thinking, absorbing the
concept of a family of mixed humans and non-humans. “I want to
apologize to Ian. I do miss him so, Marie. I’ve cried myself to
sleep more times than I can count.”

“
I’ll tell him you were here
and what you’ve said, Anna. It might be best if you just moved on
with your life though. I won’t speak for him, but I’m not sure that
he could ever feel the same toward you.”

“
Oh Marie!”

“
He wouldn’t hold a grudge
though. It’s not in him to be that way. He was so sorrowful for how
badly he hurt you when he came home, and he only thought of the
pain he caused for you.”

“
That sounds so much like
him. What a fool I’ve been!”

“
Anna, he refused to return
to a girl he was in love with after his infection. He feared that
she’d view him as a monster. She was seventeen years of
age.”

“
So young…why do you think
he took up with me, other than that I did pursue him?”

“
You’re mature, Anna, and
have lived and had the opportunity to have children and live a full
human life, whereas this girl had hardly begun to be an adult. When
you reacted as you did, that reinforced to Ian that he
is
different and that
he’s better off being only involved romantically with our kind. He
has lost much and still seems to always find a way to give to
others. I worry about that and what it will do to him over time.
He’s never touched a violin or an artist’s brush once since you
sent him away.”