Chapter 36
An interesting talk we had had. I rose from my seat silently, my face reddened in embarrassment and shame as I looked at the man opposite me. A patch covered one eye, giving his remaining one a look of pure anger, though he had expressed none as he spoke to me. On the contrary, he had been rather sympathetic and caring.
"Have the bandages on your wound changed." Boris Valerious had said as I looked down at him. He did not move from his spot, instead pulling out a cigar and cutting the end to smoke it.
"And my family?" I asked him. "How am I to tell them the sudden change in plan?" Boris looked up at me for a moment, before lighting his cigar and puffing on it thoughtfully.
"I will have a notice sent to them post haste." He said simply, through breaths. He never once looked up at me. "Go and rest. You have had quite a difficult time lately…rest." he ordered. I nodded silently and walked past him, my hand just barely brushing against his shoulder.
"Christine." he said suddenly, staying my hand as he felt it touch his arm. I turned my head back to look at him. He did not do the same for me, keeping his gaze on the faraway limbs of a tree.
"Yes?" I asked him. Slowly, his head turned and I noticed his eyes glistening slightly in thought.
"Be on your guard." He said simply. "The Count is not a man to be trifled with. I have learned that lesson all to well." My eyebrows furrowed in thought at his sudden revelation. What had happened to him that could have made him think in that way? But, before I could venture a question, he quietly released my hand, allowing me to leave him. I lingered by his side for a moment, wondering whether I should stay or go. But, in the end, I decided to leave.
I looked back only once to see his shoulders hunch over in defeat. He slowly dropped his cigar to the ground, crushing it beneath his foot. His hands he brought up to meet his face, wiping something away. Were they tears? What had happened to that man to make him seem so cold, and yet so defeated at the same time?
My heart seemed heavier now than before. It was almost as if when I had confessed everything to Boris Valerious, a dark shadow had begun to intrude even further upon my soul. The count had left an indelible impression upon me, whether I liked it or not.
As I hurried down the pathway, away from Velkan's father, my mind racked through the conversation we had. I realized only too late the slight bangs of pain he showed as I recounted every sordid detail of my dealings with the count. His eyes had clouded over with unshed tears, rekindling hurts that he had felt were now gone. The story was all too familiar to him…something had happened that he wished not to remember.
As I had sat there, telling my narrative, explaining to him family histories only recently revealed to me, I somehow, in my mind of minds, believed that I had caused him some sort of wrong by merely speaking to him. How could one hold so much guilt by merely explaining an event one had no control over? No. I would not feel guilt, no matter how much I felt the contrary.
Had the Count done something similar in his past? So hard it had been for me to tell him everything that had happened to me over this long period of time. And, when it was finished, I found it was even harder to walk away knowing that Boris Valerious would not tell me of his dealings with the count in return.
He would refuse to tell me, even if I were to ask. He was far too proud a Valerious to ever confess to the likes of me.
I walked silently down the hall pondering these thoughts over and over again in my mind, my hand reaching up and rubbing my temple in apprehension. Glancing up momentarily, I saw Velkan looking back at me, a concerned expression on his face. In his hand, I noticed a small package.
"Christine…" he whispered to me as I passed. I looked at him in surprise. "Come." He said silently. "I have something to show you."
I followed behind him into a room, closing the door silently behind me. It took a few moments before I finally realized that I had followed him into his own bedchamber. Unconsciously, I felt myself blush as I noticed his bed barely hidden from view through another doorway. As I pulled my gaze away from that sight, I felt them widen in confusion, noticing the curtains tightly drawn. It blocked out the view of the gardens. Only tiny shafts of light were able to penetrate through the curtains, giving his room an eerie glow.
"Why is it so dark in here?" I asked him as he approached me. In his hand he still held the small package. Silently, he reached out and took my hand, laying the small package in my hands. I looked down at it in confusion. When I looked back up to meet his gaze, he smiled.
"I was resting for a bit. It is much too bright outside to keep my eyes closed, so I had the curtains drawn." He responded simply. I felt my gaze drift from his face towards my hands.
"A gift for you." He said simply noticing my wandering gaze. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion for a few moments before I heard his laugh. "Open it." He ordered.
Carefully, I perused the packaging. A small ornately decorated wooden box housed whatever it was that he intended to give me. Unclasping the small latch that held the lid closed, I found the box lined in brilliant green velvet, cushioning a silver chain. I felt my cheeks flush in excitement.
"Where did you get this?" I asked him in bewilderment. For but a moment, I had forgotten the mystery of his father. Lifting the necklace carefully from its spot, I found a small diamond hanging on the end. As it hit a small shaft of light, it seemed to separate it into a rainbow of color. I looked up to see his amused face.
"It was my mother's." he said quietly to me. "My father gave it to Anna, but she did not want it."
"So Anna passed it onto you…" I said quietly to myself. "Why would she do that?" I asked him.
"She is not one who would be fond of diamonds. It reminds her to much of mother." Velkan replied. "By passing it onto me she was hoping I would find someone else to wear it." I looked up at him and smiled. A small pang of hurt graced his features for but a moment, the same look I had seen across Boris Valerious' face as I had spoken to him…
"And so you have…" I murmured quietly, all the while forming a new realization. It was Velkan's mother that had aroused so much emotion in Boris…
"Thank you."
"Try it on." He said after a moment. My eyes I kept on Velkan for some moments, hesitating as to whether I should accept this gift. Noticing his small insistent smile, I finally conceded and once again returned my gaze to the dazzling stone I held in my hand.
I turned away from him, wrapping the delicate chain about my neck. I hesitated for some moments, my hands never clasping the necklace on. Growing somewhat impatient, I felt Velkan approach me, his hands reaching out and finishing the job I had begun. He let the necklace drop, the cool metal hitting my bare flesh.
"It is beautiful…" I murmured quietly to myself, my hands reaching up to touch the diamond.
"Yes it is." He responded simply. His hands gently touched the nape of my neck, his fingers tracing a lazy line on my skin, following the path of the necklace. I stayed his hands just as he reached my collar. Chills of fire ignited on my skin as I once again began to long for him.
"Please don't." I said quietly, fighting the urge I had to take him in my arms. I could almost sense the disappointment in his voice as he replied. Just a hint of hesitation I detected.
"Alright." He answered. I felt him lean down, kissing my neck affectionately before backing away. I turned around to see him heading towards a small writing desk.
I looked down at my chest and noticed the necklace sparkling in the subdued lighting. It seemed to beg me to ask questions I would not dare ask. I had never seen his mother, why? Where had she gone? What had happened to her? Velkan had never told me…had never mentioned her name…
"Velkan," I called to him. I saw him look up in curiosity.
"Yes?" he asked me.
"Your father seemed really perturbed this afternoon when I spoke to him about what had happened to me. What was it that bothered him so?" I asked Velkan. He shrugged his shoulders in confusion.
"I do not know." He answered, avoiding my gaze. "My father keeps to himself. He hardly ever speaks to Anna….or even myself for that matter." I looked down at my necklace once again, attempting to try a more direct approach. This necklace seemed to instill in me more of a sense of confidence, every second I spoke. I glanced quickly towards Velkan, longing to find out the history of his family, but forcing myself to keep quiet, I turned and left the room.