Bury a Friend
At first, Bela Dimitrescu thinks she's seen a ghost when the figure in black all but floats up the stairs behind her mother. Lady Dimitrescu notices her, and motions for her to move on. Bela pouts. She wanders away far enough to be out of sight, until she returns to the main foyer and camps on one of the armchairs.
There she waits.
It is some time before the woman and her mother leave the upper floors, and Lady Dimitrescu shakes her head when she spies her daughter. When they are downstairs, Bela stands up and makes a beeline for the woman.
"I haven't seen you here before," she says, "You're not another maid, are you?"
"Bela, dear," Lady Dimitrescu answers, "Do, please, try to show some sort of decorum."
Bela clasps her hands behind her back, looking the woman up and down. "You don't look like any of the other maids."
Lady Dimitrescu sighs. "That's because she's not a maid. This is Donna Beneviento, Mother Miranda's adopted daughter."
Bela mouths the name silently, before she gives a nod. "Italian, yes?"
"I...yes," the woman, Donna, answers. Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper. Were she mortal, Bela would've had trouble hearing her.
Before Bela can ask any further questions, Donna scurries out of the castle, while Lady Dimitrescu ushers her into one of the corridors. They hear the main doors open and close, then Lady Dimitrescu takes Bela out of the corridor. They return to the foyer, Lady Dimitrescu making her way upstairs, Bela at her heels. They arrive at the wine room, and Bela waits outside while her mother retrieves one of the bottles. She nods her head for Bela to follow. She does so.
"Why so interested, daughter?" Lady Dimitrescu asks, once they reach the library.
Bela settles in her favourite chair, after fetching the wine glasses. "She's mysterious, Mother. How can I not express an interest, particularly one of Miranda's own?"
"Am I not worth expressing an interest in?"
Though there is the hint of teasing in her voice, Bela has the decency to blush, and avert her gaze. She's about to answer when she sees the small smile on her mother's face. "Apologies, mother."
"No need, my dear. You do raise a point, the other lords seldom visit, as does Mother Miranda herself." Lady Dimitrescu takes a sip of wine, resting it against her chin for a moment. "I believe that is the first time Donna has made the journey here."
Bela nods. "It is. The longer Lord Heisenberg stays away, however, the better."
Lady Dimitrescu looks as if she's stepped in something. "Indeed, daughter."
Her mother stands up from the chair, and Bela is about to do the same, her wine glass in hand. Lady Dimitrescu shakes her head, Bela returning to her chair. Her mother leaves the library. As soon as she's left, there is a faint buzzing from the corners of the room.
"I can hear you there, Daniela," Bela calls to her sister.
The swarm of flies cluster into the middle of the room and converge into the figure of her sister. Daniela has fresh blood smeared around her mouth, her sickle sheathed at her side instead of her back. She's been down in the dungeon, either feeding on the latest maid to upset them or acquiring more blood for the wine.
"Well? Did you find out who she was?" Daniela asks, already settling into one of the chairs.
"She's one of the lords, like Mother," Bela answers, also sitting down. "She's a very timid thing, all but ran away when I tried to talk to her."
"That's no fun."
Bela fixes her with a stern look. "If you torment her, then Mother will have your head."
Daniela rolls her eyes. "Perish the thought, dear sister. I'm simply curious about her arrival here."
Bela doesn't answer, instead taking a sip of her own wine. Daniela loses interest and busts into a cloud of flies. She can guess where her sister is going even without asking. She's taken a liking to providing their mother with more than enough blood to create casks of their house wine. Bela stays in the library, wandering over to one of the shelves, finding her favourite book.
One way or another, she'll figure out a way to speak to the quiet Lord of the village.
Over the next few days, Donna Beneviento makes several more visits to Castle Dimitrescu. Each time, Bela tries to talk to her, and much to her frustration, receives very little in the way of answers or conversation. Lady Dimitrescu is usually on hand to rescue Donna from Bela, and she is shooed away.
It is during one of the Duke's visits that an idea hits her.
She is lounging across the desk, the typewriter having been moved to the floor to allow this. To the Duke, she laments the distinct lack of conversation Donna provides, and just how very unfair it is. The Duke, as he always does, listens.
"Miss Beneviento is rather anxious, she's spent a lot of her time isolated in her manor I'm given to understand," the Duke tells her.
Bela sits up. "That's it!" She turns to the Duke. "Do you have parchment with you?"
The Duke turns to one of the drawers, pulls out an entire letter set and hands them to her. Bela opens her pouch, counting out lei to pay for it. He holds up a hand and shakes his head. "Save your coin, my dear. This is on the house."
"You're very gracious, Duke. What would we do without you?"
The Duke smiles. "Perish the thought of my absence from here."
Bela grins at him, leaving the room to find one of the desks. She picks up a quill, spreads out the parchment, anchoring it down at either end. She dips the quill into the pot of ink, and pens a letter. When she is finished, she rolls up the parchment once more, sealing it with wax and stamps it with the House Dimitrescu crest. She stands to give the letter to one of the maids to deliver, only to realise she does not know where Donna Beneviento resides.
Once more she is on her way to the Duke's room. She pokes her head around the door. "Do you visit Donna Beneviento too, Duke?"
The Duke nods. "Indeed. If you'll give me but a moment." He turns to his alcove, fishing out his own paper and scribbles something down. He holds it out to Bela. "Directions to Miss Beneviento's. I believe writing is her preferred method of correspondence."
Bela grins at him. "You are a wonder, Duke."
She takes the paper offered, hunts down one of the castle's staff and thrusts the items at the bewildered maid. "Take this letter to the manor at these directions."
The maid nods, quickly fetching her cape and hood, hurrying out of the castle.
The Duke is indeed correct, Donna Beneviento does prefer letter writing as compared with dealing with others directly. She still makes her visits to Lady Dimitrescu, however she at least acknowledges Bela's presence when she is there.
Bela's heart leaps for joy when she receives a nod from Donna as Lady Dimitrescu leads her up the stairs.
From there, she makes plans for some kind of gesture, an invitation for wine or dinner. Something that requires Donna to be at the castle for an extended amount of time, and enough time for Bela to learn more about her.
She rushes to the Duke's room, buying ingredients and items from him, then heads to the kitchen afterward. She has a list that she hands one of the maids, as well as a pouch of lei. She leaves the kitchen, heading back to the foyer just in time to catch her mother and Donna before Donna leaves.
"Mother, may I have a word with Miss Beneviento?" she says.
Lady Dimitrescu glances to Donna, who waves her onward. She too goes to the Duke's room to wait for Bela to release Donna from her audience.
"I have a request," Bela tells her. "Have wine with me. And possibly food, if the staff can fulfill the list."
Donna's entire body stiffens and Bela thinks she's said completely the wrong thing.
"Just, if you want to."
Donna manages to shake herself from her stupor and nods. "I think I'd like that."
Bela's face brightens once more. "Truly?"
Donna nods once more.
Lady Dimitrescu swoops in at this point, her hand on Bela's shoulder. Bela moves away and into one of the other rooms nearby. She waits there until she's heard the door open and close before she leaves. Her mother is waiting for her in the foyer.
"You've taken quite the shine to the dollmaker," Lady Dimitrescu remarks.
"As I told you before, Mother," Bela answers. "She is a mystery, one I intend to unravel."
"Have a care daughter, I would not see you hurt."
"I'll be fine, Mother."
"Be sure that you are." Lady Dimitrescu reaches down and gives Bela's shoulder a squeeze. Bela reaches up and holds her mother's hand for a moment, before letting her go to continue with her day.
It takes the staff several days to gather all the items on the list Bela has given them. Nonetheless they manage, something Bela is quietly impressed with. She does not say as much to them, merely refrains from sending them to the dungeon, at least for a few days.
Donna arrives, being shown in by the staff. One of the maids is sent to fetch Bela as she gets ready. She leaves her room, heading down to the foyer. She has made a point of wearing one of the pairs of earrings she bought from the Duke, pulling her hood down to show them off.
Donna is accompanied by a doll, wearing a white wedding gown, her face split into two different colours. The doll is moving, running on the spot, clapping her hands together.
"We get to meet her now?" the doll asks.
Donna nods.
"Oh goody, goody, goody!"
Bela approaches, waving to Donna. "You didn't tell me we'd be entertaining a third guest," she says.
Donna shakes her head. She takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. "This is Angie, a doll my father made for me," she tells Bela.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Angie." She reaches down to shake Angie's small hand, the former thrusting it out to her.
Bela gestures for them to follow, and she leads them to the dining room. The food has been set out, the wine in the middle of the long table, glasses placed at the chairs. Bela halts Donna from sitting down, rushing around the table and pulls the chair out for her.
"Oh! There's really no need to…" Donna begins.
"Indulge me," Bela answers.
Donna sits down on the chair and Bela pushes it back in. She picks up Angie and places her next to Donna. The maid waits for her to return to her own chair before this is pulled out for her.
"I gave the staff a list of items to get while shopping," Bela explains. "I was told this was Italian food, I thought it would…" She stops, waving her hand. She's not quite sure what it would do, remind Donna of her home country? Her family? Or simply to make her comfortable?
The staff ferry out the food, placing plates in front of them, filling the wine glasses. Bela spends a few minutes watching Donna as she tries the food, all the while keeping her veil over her face. Angie notices Bela watching them.
"Didn't your mother teach you it's rude to stare?" she says.
Donna places a hand on Angie's head.
"Why were you so desperate to have us over?"
"I wanted to get to know Donna better," Bela answers, "It's the first I've ever seen you here."
"Mother Miranda is putting plans into place, making preparations for a ritual," Donna tells her. "She's setting up a ceremony site near the village. We're all to be involved."
Bela cocks her head to the side. "A ritual?"
"She won't tell us why yet, only when the time is right, she says."
Bela does not pry further and changes the subject. "Is the food good?"
Donna nods. "It's close to what my father made."
Bela smiles. "I'm glad."
From here, dinner is peppered with questions, everything from Donna's upbringing, to her family, to Angie. The doll takes the opportunity to tell the story herself of how she came to be, experiments with the Cadou then splitting it between the rest of the dolls. Bela rests her head on her hands, leaning forward as Donna speaks. Not once does she interrupt, letting Donna speak as much or as little as she chooses.
When dinner is over, Bela accompanies Donna as far as the foyer.
"That was most enjoyable," Bela tells her.
"It was," Donna answers. "Thank you for inviting us."
"You must come back again, I'm sure I can get the staff to find the same food."
Donna nods and lifts Angie from the floor. Bela retreats to one of the rooms and Donna is shown out by one of the staff.
With the ice broken, Bela's invitations to Donna Beneviento become far more frequent, to the point Donna is more likely to be found at Castle Dimitrescu than her own home. It comes to the point where even the Duke begins to bring the items she requests to Castle Dimitrescu.
Donna, on the other hand, brings her dolls, inserting the Cadou into them or spends her time repairing them. Bela hovers around the sidelines, either passing tools to her or simply watching her work. Angie too sits on the desk, watching Donna.
It is the middle of winter, with few flowers in bloom. The staff manage to find some to pretty up the castle. Bela collects a few of them, sending the staff to find more for her. She gathers them in her room, laying them out on her desk, a pair of scissors nearby along with ribbon.
Cassandra pokes her head around the door, spying the flowers. She swoops into the room, swiping a handful from the desk.
"Cassandra! Give them back!" Bela yells.
"Who's the pretty flowers for?" Cassandra teases, holding them out of the way.
Bela grabs them from Cassandra's hand, putting them back on the desk. "Let me be."
"Are they for Donna?"
Bela sighs. "Yes. Did you want something?"
"I was going to ask if you wished to help me get more blood for the wine. There's new maids waiting in the dungeon." She looks back to the desk. "But I see you're otherwise occupied."
"Indeed, sister."
Cassandra steals one of the smaller flowers then leaves the room.
Bela remains consumed with her task, snipping the stems of flowers, matching up the colours before she ties them together with a ribbon. She seeks out one of the staff, handing her the flowers and the directions to the Beneviento manor. The last maid to traverse the route had been taken to the dungeon several weeks before, and so this new one must learn it.
After the flowers are delivered, Donna arrives at the castle. She too carries a bunch of flowers, wrapped in paper. She holds them out to Bela, swallowing hard.
Bela takes them, running her fingers over the petals.
"These are from the Beneviento estate, the gardener has been tending to them all winter," Donna tells her. She averts her gaze, looking down at her feet.
"They're beautiful, Donna," Bela answers, still running her fingers over them. An idea strikes her, and she reaches out to the veil. "May I?"
It takes several minutes for Donna to answer, and she does so with the slightest of nods. Bela lifts the veil to reveal Donna's face. Immediately, Donna turns her face away. Bela puts her hand under Donna's chin, and gently lifts her face. The Cadou Miranda used on her caused the scar Donna was so ashamed of to further mutate and disfigure her. Bela does not care. She plucks one of the flowers from the bouquet Donna has given her and places it behind her ear. On an impulse, Bela gives her a peck on the cheek, below the mutation.
Donna turns a shade of scarlet Bela has only seen on the carpets of Castle Dimitrescu.
Donna comes and goes once more, bringing dolls to work on and attending dinners with Bela Dimitrescu. Her sisters invite themselves to these dinners, where they mercilessly tease Bela. Lady Dimitrescu watches from the sidelines, letting things play out between her daughter and Donna Beneviento.
On this particular day, Bela lounges on the chaise sofa while Donna puts together another doll. She fits arms and legs into the slots, then attaches hands and feet. From here, she takes a paintbrush, carefully adding blush to the cheeks, colour to the eyelids and painting highlights into the sculpted hair. When finished, she sets the doll on the table.
Bela turns over to face Donna. She looks over to the doll and smiles at it. "She's very pretty," she tells Donna. An idea occurs to her. "Oh! Would you allow me to apply make-up to you?"
Donna raises her head slowly. Hesitantly, she lifts the veil.
Bela gets up from the chaise. "Give me a moment."
She leaves the room, hurrying up the stairs and into her mother's room. She finds what she is looking for, a stick of bright red lipstick. She searches through the drawers for powder and blush. When she finds them, she returns to Donna.
She grabs a chair, puts it in front of Donna and sits down. Bela lifts the veil, stroking Donna's cheek. Once more Donna turns a shade of scarlet.
Bela takes the pot of powder, opens it and dabs it onto Donna's cheek. From there she applies more powder, blush and finally the lipstick. She sits back, admiring her work. Donna stands up and they go to the foyer. The Duke arrives not long after with items for Donna, and he too compliments her, surprised to find her without her veil.
Donna gets ready to leave, and Bela walks her to the door. When they reach the door, Donna takes Bela's hand and squeezes it lightly. She smiles at Bela, then bids her farewell.
A doll is sent to Castle Dimitrescu, with written apologies that Donna cannot present Bela with the doll herself. Proceedings are moving quickly in terms of Mother Miranda's ritual, and all the pieces are falling into place.
Lady Dimitrescu finds herself increasingly preoccupied with Miranda's instructions, leaving her daughters to roam the halls.
Bela puts the doll in her room, sitting next to the flowers. She takes some parchment to draft a letter when a scream from below grabs her attention. She sighs. It is time to make more wine to sell on.
A few days later, Lady Dimitrescu gathers all of the staff together and murders them. When asked, she simply says it is for the ritual. Bela suspects Donna has received similar instructions. She returns to her room, drafting the letter she intended to write.
Bela does not get the chance to send the letter. In it, she writes of her growing feelings for Donna, asking if Donna shares them. The letter sits upon the desk, unopened and unsent, entirely ignored by Ethan when he storms the castle.
The line of Dimitrescu falls to him, with Donna none the wiser.
When she notices the sudden silence in correspondence, Donna leaves the safety of her manor and finds the Duke outside of the village.
"Have you been to the castle, Duke?" she asks.
The Duke nods. "Indeed I have. It is eerie without the presence of the Lady Dimitrescu or her daughters."
Donna feels a lump grow in her throat, a tear running down her cheek.
"Thank you for telling me."
Donna Beneviento retreats back to her manor to make preparations to bury her first friend in such a long time.
