Flower of the Night
Chapter One: "The Visitor"
The arrival of Pascale alerted me to the air of anxiousness and fear that resided in the Delacour Manor. My grandmamma, who preferred being called Pascale by even her own daughter and granddaughters, rarely ever left Paris to visit us in Toulouse unless it was a necessity. Maman claims she arrived for my birth, and I remember her being there when Gabrielle was born. When Louie, my grandpapa, died, Pascale stayed for a week to mourn with us before moving along to Italy to visit Aunt Nichole and her Italian husband. I also vaguely remembered her presence when Maman and Papa had had a fight and Maman was in desperate need of Pascale's advice. Otherwise, we only saw her on those rare visits we made to Paris to visit her at Christmas.
Therefore, I was a bit suspicious when Maman told Gabrielle and I to prepare for a visit from Pascale. She warned us to act as properly as we could manage and to present ourselves as ladies, which was mostly directed at Gabrielle, who enjoyed playing in dirt with boys of our neighborhood. For the rest of the week, we waited for Pascale, watching as our house elf, Eppin, cleaned and straightened our home as best as she could, making certain it was completely spotless. Papa was the most nervous of all, as Pascale never seemed to like him all that well.
It was the first day of summer when Pascale finally arrived. Eppin had been scrubbing the silver with more vigor than ever and Gabrielle had been complaining that she had had to come into the house and bathe earlier than usual. I was seated on the cream colored sofa, reading a rather large romance novel, trying to block out Gabrielle's whines and Eppin's grunting when there was a loud knock on the door. It sent a chill through me, as I had been waiting for this with some apprehension. I wasn't sure yet if her visit would prove to be good or bad, though no matter what, it was a serious matter for her to come to Toulouse.
Slowly, I set my novel down and rose to a standing position. Papa's feet could be heard
pounding quickly down the stairs until he stood at the foot, sweat running down the side of his plump face that he quickly wiped away with a shaking hand. He straightened out the wrinkles in his navy blue robes as Maman rushed to his side, nervously raking her fingers through her hair, gesturing for Eppin to leave the silver and answer the door. Maman clutched Papa's arm, staring wide eyed at the doorway, while Gabrielle came to my side, linking her arm through mine, the most relaxed of us all.
Eppin moved gracefully over to the door and carefully turned the knob. As soon as she began pulling open the door, Pascale pushed it all the way, slamming Eppin into the wall. Pascale marched into the foyer, holding two suitcases in her hands, followed closely by her own two house elves, Gobbit and Mosh.
Pascale looked young for her age, due mainly to the fact that Veela normally do age gracefully. There was not one gray hair in her mane of silvery-blonde curls, and her wide blue eyes were still bright and beautiful. Her body was slender; her skin was pale and flawless. Maman, Gabrielle, and I all looked exactly like her and not at all like our fathers, though we all differed visibly in ages. The greatest difference between us all was the constant stern expression on Pascale's face that I never remembered Maman ever having.
"Apolline," Pascale said, addressing Maman with a nod. She glared at Papa, "Benoit." She then turned her gaze to Gabrielle and I, her eyes softening, though the rest of her oval face didn't. "And my beautiful granddaughters: Fleur Helene and Gabrielle Dominique. You both look stunning…and young."
"Grandmamma?" asked Gabrielle, who was too young to remember anything of Pascale.
She frowned grimly. "It's Pascale, dear, and yes. I've come to stay with your family for a while."
"Pascale," repeated Gabrielle softly, nodding.
"Eppin, take Madame Prejean's luggage up to the guest bedroom," ordered Maman, nodding to Eppin. Eppin took the two bags from Pascale's hands and led Gobbin and Mosh upstairs to the room where Pascale would be staying. The room was placed right next to mine, unfortunately, so I expected many unwelcome visits from her during the days, probably to criticize me and how I spent my free time. This was a warning Maman told me of during the time we spent preparing for Pascale's arrival.
"Very good," said Pascale, smoothing down the front of her salmon pink robes. "Not jittery, like most house elves."
"Of course not," Maman said. "So, Pascale-"
Maman seemed both
wary and excited, eyes wide with fear, but her heel tapped the
hardwood floor like she often did when she was excited about
something, and impatient for it to happen. It was odd behavior
for my mother to act in such a peculiar manner.
"Not now, Apolline," cut in Pascale. "I should like to rest before we discuss things. We will act tomorrow."
With this statement, she climbed up the staircase gracefully, following the house elves' trail. Once she was out of sight, both Maman and Papa let out a breath and parted, Papa moving to the library while Maman walked to the kitchen. Gabrielle yanked her arm from mine and ran outside. Displeased, I sat back on the couch. I had hoped to discover Pascale's reasons for being there relatively soon, and I did not like waiting.
And from everyone's behavior during the time she spent in our foyer before retiring to the guest room assured me that whatever her reasons were for coming, they couldn't be pleasant.
TBC