REVISED: Thank you iceprincess141414
I went over the story - added some things, deleted others. If anyone finds a particular grammatical or spelling error that I missed (and it doesn't seem to be a result of creativity or rhetorical syntax) please let me know. It's hard to notice your own mistakes.
Sorry - this chapter took a while to write (It's a little longer though ). Readers will have to bear with me, I'm afraid in order to get to the good parts we will have to include some substantiating material (I will try my best to elucidate any hazy parts - especially about the upcoming twists. They will take time to develop). I wanted to have this available as soon as possible. I will apologize in advance for any grammatical or spelling errors that may be present.
Chapter 16: Delay
Beaux was at the door before Cecilia could stop him, but she caught up with him quickly and formed slender manacles around his wrists with her trembling hands.
"Beaux, please," she begged, "Let's rational about this!"
"Rational?!" Beaux nearly yelled in disbelief. "Rational is when someone accidentally spills their beverage on your favorite shoes. No, rational is NOT when you realize that you've transfigured your woman into a freak!"
"Give it up, Beaux!" She tugged roughly at his arm.
"Let go, Cecilia," Beaux commanded in his most austere tone. He twisted the lock and pulled the door open with his cousin still clinging unto the arm of his sleeve and pleading him to stop.
Beaux came to abrupt halt when he recognized a familiar figure, whose head was bent over a small scrap of paper in his hand. The man straightened up when he heard the two of them bickering. His metallic eyes were wide but somewhat relieved when they caught sight of Beaux.
"Beaux, go back inside!" Cecilia ordered breathlessly. She fell silent upon seeing the boy.
"Mr. Beaux," Andante said, "I apologize if this is a bad time." He bowed respectfully to the two of them.
"And you are?" Cecilia asked with her fair eyes narrowed.
"Andante, Miss." He tensed as she gauged him from his sleek, dark hair to his worn footwear. In his hurry, he had completely forgotten about how untidy he was. The von Chatillons dominated a vast majority of the wealthiest families in the entire region. As proud as he was, Andante could not help but feel embarrassed, standing outside the grandeur of the chateau in nothing more than his working clothes.
Unexpectedly, Cecilia flashed him a gorgeous smile and tossed back her long, chesnut-colored hair. She held out a hand, to which Andante hesitantly pressed his lips. His expression did not betray his confusion. The boy had no idea whether or not he was expected to treat her kindly or indifferently.
"Cecilia Mansart, Beaux's cousin" she enunciated as she eyed his throat with a look that bordered lust. Andante tried to smile, but his endeavor produced a twisted grimace. Cecilia suggestively leaned back and curled a lock of her hair with a gyrating motion of her fingers. This did not go unnoticed by Beaux who subtly elbowed her in the ribs. She defiantly stuck out her glowing lower lip.
Andante's gaze, however, shifted to Beaux quickly. "Mr. Beaux, this is kind of urgent. It's about Meliah-"
Cecilia's smile evaporated, and a concerned frown appeared in its stead. "Meliah?" she interrupted incredulously, "You mean, you're-?"
"Will you excuse us?" Beaux inquired Cecilia in mock courtesy as he pushed her rather forcefully into the house and slammed the door shut.
It was a habit. Beaux subconsciously began to comb his pale hair with his fingers. He smoothed out the wrinkles on his shirt and looked at Andante for a brief comparison. Beaux's body began to relax as he noted the messy stains on the hem of Andante's pants and the disheveled look of his hair.
"What happened?" Beaux asked. Despite his boldest attempts to keep his voice even, Beaux found that his trepidation was blatant.
Andante wrung his hands together and desperately tried to verbalize his stance in the perfect way. He began slowly, "Did Meliah see you yesterday?"
For a moment, Beaux was at a loss. Yesterday? He looked at the sky, which blinked back at him in its cerulean splendor. It was late morning. Saturday!
"Yes," Beaux answered slowly, "As matter of fact, she did."
Andante's face crumpled a bit, but he pressed on. "Did something…bad happen?"
Now it was Beaux's turn to look uneasy, and his mind worked furiously to concoct a scenario. What am I supposed to say? He thought desperately. Well, sir, nothing noteworthy. Unless you would consider being bitten by a vampire to be serious… Oh, and did I mention, there's a high possibility that the victim's psyche has been addled?
Beaux formed his words carefully, "We, that is, Miss Meliah and I, had a...a disagreement." Beaux scowled. The last thing he wanted to do was encourage Andante.
"I see," Andante murmured. He did not seem as delighted about the news as Beaux expected. The soft muffled shuffles of Andante's sole-clad feet reached its climax before he finally spoke again. "Mr. Beaux, Mel- excuse me, Miss Meliah has decided she would like to delay the, er…marriage."
The consternation on Beaux's face must have been noticeable because Andante asked him if he was all right. Beaux nodded speechlessly.
Meliah told him to delay their plans to elope?
"Is she at home?" Beaux asked. He sighed dispiritedly as Andante began shaking his head.
"Mr. and Mrs. Lavoirsier have been working on a charity project for an insane asylum. Meliah has gone with them today, but she will be back by Monday."
"I suppose I shall have to wait," Beaux said. He looked at his watch and heaved another heavy sigh. It was only 11:00 in the morning. How was he to spend the agonizing hours until Monday?
"The real reason I came to see you Mr. Beaux was because Meliah was behaving very peculiarly," Andante blurted.
"What do you mean by peculiar?" Beaux cut in sharply. Andante glanced anxiously at Beaux's furrowed brow and shifted his weight cautiously to his other foot.
"Well, when she came home, she was a wretched mess. She was walking in a slow, dazed way – like a sleepwalker mumbling in her dreams. When I approached her, she was humming to herself in a low, whisper. She didn't appear to see me. So I stopped her, and she looked at me with eyes, glassy, vacant, and red. Then…" Andante stopped. He seemed to searching Beaux's countenance for some sign of recognition. He only found horror.
"Then what?" Beaux breathed.
"Suddenly, she went ballistic, clutching unto me like some drowning animal. She kept repeating your name, Mr. Beaux. She was back to normal a minute later, but her presence gives off an aura of madness. Mr. Beaux, I fear something traumatic has – to say it in euphemism – affected her."
"Oh." Beaux could say nothing more profound.
"I am, sir, in no way accusing you," Andante corrected, but his voice was already growing bitter. "I am only putting two and two together. Meliah visits you and returns in less-than-perfect condition. Mr. Beaux, let us be perfectly honest to one another."
Beaux returned an uneasy glance, but nodded mildly. Despite what he had claimed, Andante sounded extremely accusatory.
"I may not be a wealthy aristocrat as you are, sir, but I am no simpleton. I know that you, er, care about her in a way that is not so different from my own feelings for her. So-"
"-so you would think that I would help you in her best interest?" Beaux finished.
Andante's eyes, which had been nervous and timid moments before, hardened, and his lips curved into a thin, somewhat scornful smile. "Yes," he answered. "As you may already know, there would be little that would force me into your presence."
"Does that make us rivals?" Beaux asked casually. He was not interested in whether Andante saw their relationship as a competitive one, but he wanted to make things undoubtedly obvious.
A still silence hung in the air before Andante spoke again. His voice was glacial, "Yes."
"Mr. Andante, you are very observant – I have never doubted that," Beaux began. He nonchalantly stripped the gloves off his hands and tucked them into his pocket. "But perhaps it has never occurred to you that Miss Meliah never wanted to marry you."
Beaux reveled in the defeated haze that permeated Andante's pointed face. He was sure his opponent was busily trying to think of something to say that would be equally as hurtful. Andante failed miserably.
"No, it has," Andante irrevocably admitted, "But I wanted to convince her that it was she wanted. For herself. For the both of us." His expression then became unfathomable. Beaux kept trying to guess whether Andante was subtly waving the white flag.
"You should have never forced her to make that choice," Beaux snapped. "I would have never-"
Andante interrupted and his voice was shaking with an emotion that was not reflected in his reserved countenance, "You don't have to. You don't have to force her to make any choice because with you, the choices are clear! Painstakingly clear! Meliah is the only solid part of my life. I don't have any parents or relatives that will accept me. She is the only person who has ever noticed me and returned my feelings. Mr. Beaux, you have everything and I have nothing. Even I wouldn't choose myself over you. How could you expect one silly, confused girl to make that choice?"
"So you are willing to make her life a living hell just as long as you get what you want?" Beaux asked. His temper was steadily rising.
"I never said that-" Andante stammered.
"Yes, but you did say that you had nothing," Beaux pointed out. "How can you guarantee Meliah's happiness? How can I possibly back off, knowing full well that you can't give her what she wants?"
"Money isn't the only thing that matters!" Andante retorted. His eyes were incredibly dark as he glowered at Beaux's white face.
"Then love? Do you think you can love her more than I can?" Beaux asked softly.
This time, Andante did not hesitate, "Yes. I can."
"Oh, don't fool yourself!" Beaux barked. "You have no idea-"
"I have an idea Mr. Beaux! This is the one thing that I've ever truly wanted! This is the one thing that I feel is worth something – for a damn change! I don't want to lose her!"
Beaux had had enough. He angrily resisted the urge to strike Andante by slamming his fist into the marble pillar that adorned the facade of the chateau. Andante took a wary step back as a rather large piece of stone crashed unto the steps. It was foolish of Beaux to flaunt his inhuman strength, but at the moment, only rage and irritation dictated his actions.
"Selfish! Selfish desires!" Beaux bellowed.
For the briefest moment, there was understanding etched in every feature of Andante's face. But there was also fear, and it appeared to be boiling within his body.
When Andante spoke, his voice was a mere whisper, "I guess I should not have come to you for help."
"No, I have no intention of helping you," Beaux said; his voice was sour.
And Andante left without another retort.
Beaux wandered back into the chateau. The guilt was bubbling in his chest like a fresh spring. It was true Andante had pushed a few nerves, but there was never any need to lose his temper. Stupid fool! Beaux lamented. He should have thought about what was more important: Meliah.
His mind was muddled in a thick fog of confusion. He had little understanding of the side-effects of a vampire bite on a dead person. He had less knowledge of how a vampire bite may affect a live human. These problems had never hindered him before. Then again, had he ever been in love before? Had he ever been more susceptible to emotional deterioration?
But there were other forces at work. He was completely oblivious to the power and authority of the Coven. All Beaux knew for sure, was that everything, the Coven, the bite, and Meliah were now connected. Once again, thanks to him.
Cecilia was waiting patiently in his bedroom with a glass of water on a tray. She handed him the water as he sat next to her. Beaux found himself repeating what Andante had told her, even before she asked him. He had grown so accustomed to sharing his thoughts with her that it seemed only natural to disclose the details. Thankfully, Cecilia did not interrupt the flow of his memory.
When he finished with a disheartened note, he found her at the doorway, slipping on her coat and placing a lavishly decorated hat on her head.
First she was jocular, "I can't believe that Meliah-girl! I swear it's always the plainest girls that actually get the men! You and that catch?"
"Are you referring to Andante?" Beaux asked wearily.
"Yes, ugh! Most delightful creature! I bet he tastes wonderful!" Cecilia rolled her eyes in frustration.
"I'm just as eager to have him dead-" Beaux interjected menacingly.
"No, no, he's off limits now."
Beaux shrugged, but Cecilia looked at him seriously.
She spoke firmly, "Beaux, keep a close eye on that girl. No matter what! Do you hear?"
"Where are you going?" Beaux asked in bewilderment, following her as she walked into the room next door to reclaim her baggage. Cecilia pulled out a notebook from the large front pouch of a leather trunk and handed it to him.
"I'm going to the Coven House. It's on the other side of the country. I will be gone for a while. Give me some time to sort these hmm – dilemmas."
"And this?" Beaux lifted the notebook to her eyes. She hit it once with a lacquered index finger.
"I have a few addresses in there. Other "nocturnal" families, if you get my drift, that you might find help from."
Everything was happening so quickly. Beaux could hear the urgency in Cecilia's normally mellow tone. He could only nod.
"That's my boy!" Cecilia complimented. She kissed him tenderly on the forehead. "Stay incognito. Good luck!"
Ugh, fillers are terribly inconvenient! But I can guarantee that the next update will be a little more exciting!