Ch 11
When Caroline woke, the room was entirely empty of a certain girl from Bulgaria. The resounding groan from her lips a statement of her annoyance. The 'lords' should have asked for another to chaperone her friend. She would hardly be able to do her duties justice.
With Mary's help, she dressed quickly in a simple kirtle of pale green before making her way to the great hall in hopes of finding Katerina.
The hour was much later than she would have liked to wake. But as the party went into the early hours of the morning it was a wonder she even woke when she did. The midday light shown through the windows as she walked through the halls and down the stairs leading into the great hall.
Katerina's tinkling laughter swept past the stone walls of the hall much to Caroline's relief. As she entered the room, a piercing disappointment surged through her chest. Her usual seat was occupied...by Katerina.
Though she was sure her friend could not have known that she usually sat in that precise seat, the effect was all the same. She had been replaced, or so that was what it looked and felt like. The flood of everything that had happened last night came back to her. Caroline fought the overwhelming emotions wrecking havoc in her chest.
Managing to school her features, thankful that it had only been Elijah and Katerina at the table, she walked further into the room.
Really, how ridiculous can you be, Caroline? She chastised herself as she took a seat beside Katerina, noting Elijah's lapse of manners. His attentions were swallowed up by Kat's story.
You don't even want to be here!
Or do you? A traitorous voice in her head countered.
She shook her head, thankful that she was all but invisible to her neighbors at the table. As she loaded her plate with meats and fruits, approaching footsteps caught her attention. Her heart picked up its pace as she anticipated who they belonged to only for it to drop just as fast at the sight of Trevor.
The man did not dress as well as the brothers but he was almost as handsome as them. Her initial impression of him was not much to hope for. He barely spoke to her the night before. He would likely ignore her as well.
So it came as quite the surprise when he sat next to Caroline. Why did he not sit next to Elijah? She hardly knew him. Now the table was oddly seated, which annoyed her greatly. She enjoyed order and appearances immensely and now... Her day felt utterly ruined and it was only just beginning.
Trevor to his credit did not notice her pursed lips. He offered her a charming smile, at least that was his intent. It did not quite suit his face though and came across like he was mocking her, an insider on a little joke, or the product of knowing her thoughts and finding them amusing.
She resolved to simply ignore him.
Trevor did not catch that particular thought, however. "How long have you been a guest of Lord Elijah and his brother?" He grabbed an apple, taking an obnoxiously, big bite.
"My father owes a favor, I am here in his place." There, no little details but close enough to get the job done.
"Oh, I thought you were here against your will." He rounded his eyes, the picture of faux innocence.
That was it, he was banished to the 'never shall I dare to hold you in high graces' corner of her mind. She bit back her retort and smiled serenely, "Be it a favor or against my will, I am here, am I not?"
"I must say I am glad for it, there is little in the way of conversation when I visit." He beamed and took another bite, "Do you play or sing?"
"Not for an audience, Trevor." Klaus' sudden arrival sent her heart first into her throat and then into the pit of her stomach. His steps were light as he made his way to his usual seat, a sour look on his face. Trevor shrank back finally, suddenly quite concerned with his plate.
Kat left no time in switching her attention from one brother to the other, quickly assaulting Klaus with questions about himself and the castle. To which he passed her attempts off to his brother.
Caroline cast her gaze firmly downward. The gaze at the end of the table burned holes into her. Leaving her room was a mistake. She tried to focus on her plate and feeding herself instead of the noise that seemed to surround her, Kat with her need to be the center of attention and Trevor with his renewed attempts at conversation. She cursed her manners, wanting to shoo away his words with a careless wave of her hand. Instead, with a clenched fist, she attempted civility. He may have given her a less than pleasant start to this acquaintance, but she would at least attempt to salvage it with conversation. A difficult feat.
By the time their little party finished their meals, she had realized she had only spoken to Trevor. Perhaps that was for the best.
Each person rose to go about their chosen activities for the day, Katerina begging to see the garden.
"The day is perfect for a tour of it, would you show me, my lord?" Katerina's melodious voice implored Klaus. To try and seal the deal, she looped her arm through his, batting her lashes.
Klaus at first looked put off by the idea. His eyes glanced up to catch Caroline's.
Before he could answer Trevor looped her arm through his, "A tour's a great idea, I heard you know the library like the back of your hand, I'm in need of a recommendation for the duration of my visit."
Caroline barely had time to react to his quite rude and unfounded assumption that she would be at his beck and call when Klaus slid a dimpled smile on his face and replied to Kat in the affirmative.
"It would be an honor, I think you'll find the roses to be the best part, love." Without further delay, they departed the room altogether. Elijah followed a few feet behind and she was lead away to play entertainer to this new and unwelcome stranger.
The tightness in her chest returned, binding her up. It appeared that she had been replaced fully, and it hurt more than she would have liked. She should be used to this feeling. The overlooked, the last to be noticed, the first to be blamed. She was inconsequential to those around her. The two brothers were the first since her mother to actually see her. To see her as a being all her own, no attachments. She was not the youngest of five, the less pretty friend of the Bulgarian girl, the unfortunate girl who would 'work herself to death-where are her siblings?'. Caroline was….well, Caroline.
He noticed you. The cruel little voice said.
So did the Earl of Lennox, she thought bitterly.
If she had to answer another question to this insufferable man she would surely scream. She had shown him the entirety of the castle, the parts they were allowed to wander that is.
The library was first, he asked about her favorite books. At her recommendation, he promptly rejected it and picked up another book entirely. With clenched teeth, she showed him the various smaller rooms they were allowed to occupy. The kitchen next at his request, where he proceeded to make awful jokes about drinking from the staff. She was thankful she had never had to see that. If she were to bet on which brother she had to thank for that, her money would go on Elijah.
Part of her was curious, how did it all work? Was it painful? Do they compel them to forget? Little pieces of information were given to her during her stay, either directly or indirectly. Some she could only make an educated guess.
"Do you miss your family?" Trevor's voice cut into her musings.
Trying her best to stay polite and engaged with her companion, she replied, "Quite. I know they are well without me. One less mouth to feed among 6 members will be a great help."
"My only family is a woman named Rose. I wish I could introduce you, maybe one day the two of you will meet." He smiled a toothy grin before walking toward a painting on the wall.
What an odd man… she thought. In an apologetic tone, one she truly did not feel, Caroline cut their tour short, "I must be going, Trevor. There are things I need to do."
"Anything I can help with?" He quickly walked back to her. His close proximity unnerved her, she took a step back.
"No," she replied far too quickly, "I thank you, though." With that, she left the room quickly without a backward glance.
She almost made it to her room without anymore incidence, almost. She caught sight of Klaus at the other end of the hall walking towards her. Squaring her shoulders she greeted him, "Did you have a pleasant walk?"
As he got closer, the dark smile on his face sent a chill down her spine, "Yes, Katerina loved the flowers. I told her she should thank you for them."
Caroline bristled at the remark. Now she would have to deal with Kat's comments about her gardening. Brushing it off, she countered, "If that is all, I would like to read in peace."
Before her hand could grab the doorknob, his hand came up to play with a piece of her hair. Pausing, her eyes flitted up to his much darker ones.
"Are you angry, Caroline?"
Her heart beat a little faster. Was she? Yes, yes she was. But at so many things she could not pinpoint which caused the most rage in her blood.
"Or are you jealous of your friend?" He continued pushing. Searching for an answer she could not give.
Refusing to answer, to bend to his probing questions, she pushed past him to enter her room. The door between them providing little comfort to her as she heard his fading laughter.
"You must tell the story of the falling ladies!" Katerina all but wailed next to him, causing an involuntary twitch to his jaw.
He ground his teeth to prevent himself from lashing out, cursing his brother for the promise he was bound to keep. No harm to her till the sacrifice and be as kind as he could lest she somehow runs away. 'We need not scare her off, or cause any concern that could seep outside these walls.' A month ago, he would have thought it an easy feat. Now…his doppelganger drove a stake through the middle of his life. An unpleasant, loud, annoying stake. What did he care for appearances? He had already compelled her to return to the castle if she ever wandered too far from its walls.
It intrigued him, only a little, at her attempt to entrap the both of them. He would rather take a white oak stake to the heart than be ensnared by a doppelganger. Anyone with eyes could tell his brother was enamored, however. Why? He could not say. Maybe she reminded him of their human years, in more ways than her appearance. Fancy Elijah in love with her then, but come the night of the sacrifice she will be dead. He would be as civil to the brat as his dark heart could handle. If he happened to leave her in the care of his older brother more often than his own…well. He would gladly give Elijah this small walking daydream of something they could never have.
Klaus' eyes slid across the table to capture Caroline's face. Her brows slanted down in protest at her friend's demand, mouth screwed into a tight-lipped grimace. Her cheeks held that blush of rose to them. Even in barely concealed annoyed embarrassment, she looked regal and beautiful. Captivating him endlessly.
"Kat." Caroline admonished.
Without even acknowledging her friend, the doppelgänger pressed on, "The funniest sight, truly. Caroline had spilled her glass and mere moments later a lady at Court slipped and fell into another lady who then fell into another, 'til there were quite a few sprawled out on the floor. I never laughed so hard in my life!"
The rose on her cheeks deepened, he could just make out her ears turning a softer shade of her cheeks.
Trevor, the ever-persistent guest, laughed a touch too loud at the story, causing Klaus' teeth to suffer once more at their constant grinding. The nuisance sat to Caroline's left, closer than he'd like. He could already see him in a circle of fire, pleading for his immortal life. Constantly asking her questions, any fool could see how uncomfortable she was. He wondered at the reasoning behind Trevor's fondness for that side. No doubt the obnoxious fly had been drawn into the light Caroline held in her very being.
Why on Earth does she have such a hold on me?
He focused his attention back to the doppelgänger who by now had switched to a different topic altogether, one he was soon finding quite fascinating. "Oh Caroline, do forgive my leaving when I did. I could not help the timing." As she spoke, Caroline's face grew paler, her blue eyes rounded. "I wanted to be there for you, truly, your mother was-"
Caroline shot up from her seat. "Thank you," her voice loudly interrupting her friend, "for the meal, I will retire early for the night." He watched her retreating form.
"Perhaps, we should talk about something else." Elijah, ever the one to save face, chimed in.
He logged this new information in his mind. He felt closer to the truth of this little mystery Caroline was hiding.
AN: sorry for the delay- October is the busiest month for me. Hope you enjoy!