Heart of the Vampire (Vanderlind Castle) (21 page)

Chapter 32

I’m sure Jessie probably answered me, but I didn’t hear him. Sleep overcame me like a thick, pillowy fog, and I was not aware of a thing until I cracked open my eyes the next day. It took me a few minutes to remember where I was. I can’t say the light was streaming in because the opening in the side of the castle wasn’t that large, but the room was illuminated. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made out of a gray stone. There was a couch, which I had been sleeping on. It had no legs, which explained why it felt so low when I sat down. Jessie probably had to remove the legs to get the couch into the small opening. I also spied a large cooler, which I assumed contained the food Jessie had mentioned, a table, two chairs, a small bookshelf piled with books, a bureau piled with dishes, and a screen with a potted plant in front of it. Further investigation showed that there was a travel commode behind the screen, along with some toilet paper, all of which I greatly appreciated.

In the far corner of the room was a large box that at first threw me off
, and then I realized that Jessie was probably using it for the daylight hours. It wasn’t exactly a coffin, but the thought of him lying in there, not moving, not breathing, really gave me the creeps. I gathered the blanket around me and sat for a minute, wondering what to do next.

Thinking back, I counted the days since I’d left and came to the conclusion it was Saturday. My mom probably wasn’t worried yet. She hadn’t called my dad in a panic
; she hadn’t called the police in tears. The worst emotion she probably felt was annoyed with me for not calling on Thanksgiving. I had that excuse covered; I didn’t bring my phone charger with me, so my phone was out of juice. That was, if I ever got home again to make the excuse. Thinking about my mom missing me made me feel very, very sad.

I decided that if I didn’t do something
, I would get quite depressed, so I opened the cooler and perused the treats Jessie had stocked for me. Lots of fruit, a large slab of ham, bottled water, croissant in a zip-locked bag, chocolate, two bottles of white wine, and a bottle of champagne all packed in ice.

Grabbing a croissant, I wandered over to the bureau to see what it had to offer. On the top there were plates, utensils, a carving knife, a corkscrew, glassware, and linen napkins. The bureau itself had three large and two small drawers, the smallest
two being at the top and side-by-side, just like any other bureau. I decided to start at the bottom and opened the largest, lowest drawer first. On one side was a stack of pants and on the other was a set of flannel pajamas and a fleece robe. Next drawer up were sweaters, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. I guess Jessie wanted me to be warm and comfortable. The last of the larger drawers contained t-shirts, tops, and blouses. I opened the small top drawer on the left and found lacey underwear, camisoles, and bras. How did Jessie know my bra size? And why did he buy underwear with so much lace? I could feel myself blushing even with no one else around. I hesitated before pulling open the last drawer. What was possibly left? Hats? Scarves? Shoes? That seemed unlikely in one of the smaller drawers. I eased it open, peeped inside, and breathed in a sharp, “He didn’t.” Although, obviously, he did.

The drawer was filled with hinged velvet boxes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Did Jessie really think I needed a selection of jewelry to hang out in the ruins of a castle? Still, I was excited like a little kid at Christmas. I wanted to tear through the drawer, pawing at everything, but I forced myself to go slowly. I had most of the day to fill, so there was no rush beyond my anticipation.

The first box, which I thought was a ring box, contained a pair of diamond stud earrings. I had always wanted a pair of diamond stud earrings, so this pleased me to no end. I knew I couldn’t keep any of the jewelry, but I decided to just relax and enjoy playing with it for a while. The next box actually was a ring. A large, oval aquamarine set in white gold and surrounded by diamonds. It fit perfectly on my right hand ring finger. I went over to the hole in the wall to get a look at it in the sunlight. The stone danced and sparkled like the sun on the blue waters of the Caribbean. Or at least how I imagined the waters looked in the Caribbean.

Far below my little hideaway, I could see
a road with a few cars going up and down. It would be awfully hard to signal anyone’s attention way up here, I thought. Perhaps tourists came to the castle ruins and I could let them know I was trapped by shouting really loud. I didn’t want to think about it, so I went back to the jewelry.

Besides the ring, there was also a matching pair of aquamarine and diamond earrings, a bracelet, necklace, and most perplexing of all, a tiara. Did Jessie really think I was going to need a tiara? That didn’t stop me from trying it on, of course
, and waving to the imaginary people lining the streets to see the princess and her procession on their way to the cathedral for the royal wedding.

There was also a choker of black pearls, a half dozen diamond rings, a diamond
-encrusted compact, more earrings, a citrine brooch that was really more fitting for my great grandmother, a gold cigarette lighter, and a very perplexing tiny gold tube with a ball on one end and a loop for suspending it off a chain on the other. When I pulled gently on the ball, it slid open and small gold tendrils slowly extended dancing around it. When I pushed the ball back in, the tendrils retracted into the body of the tube again.

What the heck was it? I really couldn’t figure it out. I must have opened and closed it a hundred times and still was no closer to solving the mystery. I was half tempted to rap on Jessie’s box and make him shout the answer out to me.

After a while, I put everything away but the tiara and the tube. After all, how often does a girl get to wear a tiara? It was pretty chilly in the ruins, so I put on the robe, had more to eat, and then started browsing through the books. Jessie had selected a mixture of classics and modern. At first I tried the modern, but found I couldn’t concentrate from one page to the next, so I turned to the classics for something that was familiar.
Pride and Prejudice
fit the bill nicely. I’d already read it a few times, so I didn’t really have to concentrate too closely. I opened one of the bottles of wine, got cozy on the couch, and prepared to get lost in the world of balls, gowns, carriages, and arranged marriages.

After a while, I got up and started wandering around.
I somehow found my way out of the castle. I wasn’t trapped there after all. There was a set of stairs that were surprisingly intact given the state of the rest of the place. All I had to do was just stroll down and out into the countryside.

It really was a beautiful day. The sun was shining but not too hot. The birds were singing
, and butterflies were wafting about. I began to gather a small bouquet of wildflowers while the tall grasses pulled at the hem of my skirt. I was in a wonderful mood, made even better by the fact that he’d smiled at me. Mr. Vanderlind, the one they call Jessie, he had smiled at me and not just in friendly acknowledgement of a servant passing through a room. The smile went all the way to his eyes. He had definitely smiled
at
me.

I heard a chuckle
, and that rousted me enough that I realized I had fallen asleep. Jessie was standing over the couch, looking down at me and smiling. “I thought you might like the tiara, but I didn’t realize you’d be sleeping in it.”

“Oh,” I said groggily, my hands reaching up to remove the jewelry which had become pretty tangled in my hair. I had meant to put everything back before Jessie rose for the night, but I guess I had fallen asleep. “I’m sorry. I was just playing.”

“That’s why I got it for you,” he said, appearing rather pleased.

“Huh?” I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. It was pas
t sundown. I must have slept for a good chunk of the day. Hardly surprising, given the fact that my internal clock must have been ridiculously off.

“I was worried you’d be bored by yourself all day
, so I thought you’d like something to play with,” Jessie explained.

“Well, I did enjoy myself,” I had to admit. Playing with gorgeous jewelry was not a bad way to spend an afternoon. “But seriously, Jessie, I can’t keep any of it.”

“Why not?” he asked, sounding a little put out.

“Well, assuming I get to go home at some point, how would I explain a diamond encrusted brooch to my mom? A
nd what am I supposed to do with it, wear it on my jean jacket?”

“You’re no fun,” Jessie grumbled.

“Hey, wait a minute,” I said, realizing something. “How can I see you?” It was dark outside, but our hideout was illuminated. I quickly scanned the room and realized there was a small lantern in a far corner of the room giving off a faint glow. “Where did that come from?” I demanded.

“When I got up
, you were still asleep, so I took it from an obliging neighbor’s porch,” he admitted.

“You can’t go around stealing people’s lanterns.”

“I didn’t steal it,” Jessie told me. “Let’s just say the person involuntarily sold it to me.” Plunking down next to me on the couch, he asked, “Anything happen while I was resting?”

“What could happen?” I asked. When he only shrugged as his reply, I picked up the little gold wand and asked, “What is this?”

“What do you think it is?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with the anticipated pleasure of teasing me.

“Tell me or I’ll kill you,” I demanded. “It’s been making me nuts all day. I almost woke you up in
your little box to ask you, so spill it right now.”

After having another chuckle at my frustration, Jessie said, “It’s a champagne stirrer. Or a champagne swizzle, whichever you prefer. It’s for getting the bubbles out of champagne.”

“Why would you want to the get the bubbles out of champagne?” I asked. They were the best part.

“It used to be that the bubbles were more of an accident that happened during the fermentation process
, so people wanted to get rid of them. Later, after it was decided the bubbles were a good thing, ladies would sometimes stir their champagne so the bubbles wouldn’t leave marks on their face powder.”

“Oh,” I said, extending and collapsing the swizzle a few times. “But why did you bring it here? Did you think I’d be worried about my powder?”

“No, but I thought you’d enjoy the mystery. I wanted something to keep your brain occupied so you wouldn’t worry too much about the inquest,” he said, slaying me with his gorgeous amused smile.

I wanted to raise some kind of protest, but it really had worked. I’d pretty much enjoyed my day in the ruins when I wasn’t thinking about Jessie in the box or being trapped there if he flew off somewhere and never returned. “How do you know me so well?” I had to wonder.

He shrugged. “I just do. I don’t know if it’s a Colette thing or...”

I cut him off with, “But what if I’m not Colette?”

“What?” He looked confused for a moment before adding. “I know you're not Colette.”

“Yeah, but what if I’m not connected to Colette at all?” He looked even more confused
, so I added, “I know I look like Colette and we are related and everything, but what if that’s the end of it?”

Jessie shook his head. “I’m not sure what kind of answer you’re looking for.”

“I mean...” I paused. What did I mean? “Okay, you once told me that you first fell in love with Colette because she was kind. If you take away the fact that I look like Colette and sometimes have her memories, what do you like about me? Not as Colette, just as Aurora?”

“Well...” Jessie ran his hand through his hair a few times. “I’m not sure if anyone has ever told you this, but you’re pretty feisty. You’re brave and beautiful and determined. I can’t imagine you ever giving up without a fight. I
love all those things about you.”

I had never actually thought of myself as any of those things, but I like
d hearing them, especially from Jessie.

“You didn’t abandon your friend,” Jessie went on. “Not when she was unconscious at my maker’s day party, not when you thought Viktor was holding her hostage
, either. And did I mention you’re beautiful?”

I was beginning to feel all glowy and warm. Leaning up against him, I sighed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “It’s all the truth, just so you know.”

I took a deep breath and asked, “So,
do you think, even without all the Colette stuff, you’d still care about me?”

Jessie closed his eyes and nuzzled me a little before saying, “I know I would.”

My heart swelled in my chest. He loved me. And not just because of the whole Colette connection, but actually me. It felt so good. It felt so wonderful. It felt... Oh, crap.
Sleepless in Seattle
somehow crept into my brain. I knew I would probably hate myself the second I said it, but I had to ask. “Jessie, if you care about me the way I care about you, what do you think Colette’s reaction would be?”

“What?” Jessie pulled away from me slightly.