The shop was packed. Louisa, a new worker, had come in to help, since Hal was so strangely out-of sorts. A few hours ago, however, Tom had called Hal to tell him that there was a vampire asking around for him. The woman was still there, feet propped up on a table, reading The Scarlet Letter. Hal had asked, quite urgently, if she had reddish-blonde hair. When they replied she had, he had practically had a heart attack. The woman had left, then reappeared a few minutes ago, and now they were watching from around a corner as a few boys tumbled in, staring unabashedly at the woman.
"Who do you think she is?" Louisa whispered, a bit freaked out.
"Isobel." She called out. "My name is Isobel, and that's with one O and one L." She smirked over at them and winked. "I'm guessing Hal didn't tell you about me?" They shook their heads. "Ah. So like him, in denial." She went back to her book.
"But, er, who are you?" Asked Tom bluntly and a bit timidly. Louisa elbowed him.
"I'm Hal's... What do you call it these days... Ex-girlfriend? Ex-wife? To be fair, there weren't exactly marriage licenses back then. Or were there?" She didn't seem particularly worried about this particular dilemma. She instead switched her attention over to the boys in the corner, waving and smiling lightly at them. Louisa pursed her lips, and wondered what she had meant by 'back then'.
"Cor, lookit that one." One boy said, pointing discretely at Isobel. "She could be a model."
"I tried modeling once." Isobel raised her voice so they could hear her. She turned a bit and smiled wickedly. They started, scrambling out of the shop, and she smiled even more widely, sadistically, almost. "The look on his face when the pictures came out blank. Oh, priceless."
"Seriously, this lady and Hal?" Tom asked confusedly. Louisa nodded blankly.
"Mm. This is going to be sooo much fun." Isobel purred. Louisa turned around and left suddenly, leaving Tom alone with Isobel. He suddenly looked quite unsettled. "Aaw." She leaned forward again, taking her feet off the table. "Don't worry sweetheart." She stood, and Tom was suddenly quite struck at how close to him she was. She smiled, sharp and inviting, inches away from his face. "I'm not going to hurt you." One of her hands reached up to caress his cheek. "Much."
He could practically feel his blood on her hands.
)!)!)!)!))!Derife, France, 1535!)!)!)!)
"Le rouge dans vos cheveux sont comme les feuilles d'automne. Maintenant, en anglais."
"The red of your hair is like the autumn leaves."
"Tres bon. Maintenant: vos cheveux sont rouges comme les feuilles qui tombent."
"Your hair is as red as the falling leaves." The tutor smiled.
"Maveilleux travail. You are making excellent progress, milady." His pupil blushed demurely, eyes coming to rest on her clasped hands, which were resting in her lap. "Would you like to continue in English?" She nodded, smiling softly.
"Milady!" A messenger came running, out of breath and touseled by the wind beneath the blossoming pear trees. "Milady, il est un visiteur anglais et votre p re vous demande votre pr sence lors d'une c r monie pour le saluer!"
"En anglais, s'il vous plait, monsieur." The noblewoman requested, tone commanding, but softly so.
"Milady, there is an English visitor and your father requests your presence at a ceremony to greet him." The messenger seemed miffed at this newly-required bilingualism. It had been spreading across the entire town lately. Ever since the noblewoman's father had commissioned her an English teacher, she had been manic about the language. It was, quite frankly, insulting.
"Oui, I'll be there right one moment." She smiled.
"In right one moment." Corrected the tutor fondly. She just kept smiling.
)!)!)!)!)!)!)TIMEPASSES!)!)!)!)!))!
"Milady." The servants murmured as one as she passed. She was resplendent as she always was, in a faded green that complemented her pink lips and pale complexion. Copper-gold hair was twisted softly up into a knot, and her smile practically glowed. As she swept up to the dais in the middle of the room, she subtly observed the young man by her father's side. He was obviously important, and from the way he stood, he was soldier. The two usually didn't interconnect in her mind, but the lady found they both suited this mystery man she was to meet.
"Ah, my daughter is here. She will be delighted to know you speak English and French. She has been quite besotted with learing your language." She simply rolled her eyes affctionately at her father's teasing words.
"Lord Henry York." The young man introduced himself, stepping down to her and kissing her hand. "And this wonderfully bright young woman is?"
"Lady Isobel Montfille, of the Derife* Court."
)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!1956)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!)
"Hal! Hal York, you get down here right bloody now!" The currently irate voice scratching up the iron steps was not particularly encouraging to Hal. Although, stuck in an attic and tied to a chair, nothing was particularly encouraging.
"Christ." He muttered. "I can't, remember?" He called, gritting his teeth.
"Hmmmm," Came the reply, and Hal could practically hear Pearl pursing her lips. "Aren't you done detoxing?" SHe called back shrilly.
"Apparently not." He stated, miffed. "Gah- Pearl!" She had appeared suddenly behind him, and between the sudden feeling of being watched nad the strange noise she had made at seeing him, he was sufficiently freaked out.
"Oh Hal." She breathed, her hands over her mouth. He had struggled so much that the ropes around his wrists had cut in deeply and ripped his skin away. The blood was dripping down the back of the chair he was tied to. Hal looked confused for a few moments before Pearl realized he didn't know. Perhaps there was so much blood in his hallucinations he couldn't tell if what he smelled was the real thing or not. Pain and sympathy spasmed across her face for a second.
"Please leave, Pearl." Hal's voice was softer than before, defeated and tired. So tired. She left.
!)!))!))!))!))!)!))!))!))!)BACKTOTHEFUTURE!))!)!)!)!)!)!)!)!
"Didja know there's a new bookstore 'round the corner?" Tom asked, setting a new set of teacups down on the table. After the last homicidal vampire attack, they had been forced to systematically replace all sorts of things.
"No, I didn't. Do you think they're any good?" Annie asked, rocking Eve. She seemed much calmer when Annie held her, for whatever reason.
"Oh yeah. Plenty good." Tom snatched a biscuit from the tin sitting on the counter. "They've been bringing in loads of books. Oh, and didja hear about Hal's, whatsit, ex-girlfriend?" Annie suddenly seemed a bit less at ease.
"Yes. Hal told me her name is Isobel, and that we should all be very careful not to go near her." Annie stood up and began walking around with eve.
"Yeah. She came into the shop today. Just sat there and freaked everyone out. She didn't do nowt, though. Just sat there na d talked a bit. She did get a bit close to me, but I don't think she did anything there, either."
"Who didn't do anything where?" Hal asked wearily, coming down the stairs.
"Isobel didn't do anything in the shop." Filled in Tom. At the sound of the name Isobel, Hal made a face and tripped.
"Are you alright Hal? My, that's unprecedented. I don't think I've ever seen you this clumsy!" Annie began to mother both hal and Eve simultaneously, and neither seemed to like it much.
Tom sighed. Just another day, then.
A/N: *Okay, so I chose Derife because I couldn't find any information online about 1535 Paris. If anyone happens to know of an actual city near Paris that existed back then that I could research, I'd be very grateful. Also, I'm sorry it took so long to post, I had to reedit when I found out I'd gotten something majorly wrong.
** Also, I used the whole 'learning English' thing to reduce the amount of French in the flashbacks. Sue me. *shrug*
