Chapter 8

Old House

Barnabas and Vicki's bedroom

He had her attention, "What do you mean?" He pushed her up against the door putting a hand over her head he leaned into her and smiled, something which made Vicki want to slap the smile from his face.

"I mean if you wish to have a friend at court, you will need to learn to trust me. Without me, you could anger the wrong person and that would be very bad for you, your mother, your sister, and your dear friend Lady Margaret." Vicki felt her heart beating a rapid tattoo against her breast; she took a deep breath and let it out.

"I am listening."

Radu smiled and backed away from her. "Before you join Prince Vlad, you will need to be prepared for your arrival, your hair and your dress will need to be attended by a maid I brought back with me. You will conduct yourself in a manner that will show him you are happy to be there."

Vicki swallowed hard, "And if I don't?"

Radu turned with narrowed eyes and frowned, "Then your precious Collins will pay a price that will be more horrible than even you could imagine."

Vicki stepped forward, "What do you mean?"

He smiled as he listened to Barnabas calling to Vicki, "Just know that without me you will be in danger of hurting yourself and your precious Barnabas, now run along like the dutiful wife you are. We will talk more tomorrow."

Vicki turned hearing the door open watching Barnabas step into the room. "Oh good, you are dressed, we were worried you had fallen asleep in your bath. Come along my dear, dinner is ready."

Vicki turned back and noticed the room was empty. Radu had successfully and quietly disappeared into the secret passage.

"I am coming my dear, I just need my sweater, I was feeling chilled." She walked to her closet pulling out the beige sweater.

Turning she walked with Barnabas out of the room, he noted she was trembling. "My dear, here let me help you with that sweater. You really must be chilled, to be shivering so."

She smiled at her husband and allowed him to help her with the sweater. "Thank you love. So what is for dinner tonight?"

Barnabas drew her close to him smiling he leaned into her ear and spoke softly, "Something special, Yankee pot roast and clam chowder."

Vicki sighed, "Sounds lovely, I am hungry."

He chuckled, "I dare say so, we worked up quiet an appetite earlier." She chuckled and blushed while they walked down the stairs into the dining room. The pot roast was succulent; the potatoes cooked to perfection, along with the carrots, asparagus, corn. She really enjoyed the homemade clam chowder taking her time to relish the taste with each bite.

"I think we lucked out with our cook. She is very talented." Barnabas watched as his wife devoured her food. Smiling he dabbed his napkin to his lips, rising he moved down the table to her right side. Sitting down he lifted the silver cover from a desert tray.

"I asked her to prepare you a chocolate mousse. I hope you like it." She laid her spoon down and looked at the delectable concoction in front of her. "Oh Barnabas, how did you know I was craving chocolate?" She took her fork and scooped a bite from the plate into her mouth. Closing her eyes she let the taste melt against her taste buds. Sighing she smiled and then swallowed the bite. "Oh my goodness that is lovely, you really must try it."

She scooped another bite onto her fork, and then supporting a hand under the fork she guided the bite to his lips. Barnabas took a bite, swallowed then smiled. "Yes, it is delicious." He took the lead by scooping a desert plate full of mousse then handing it over to her, he dished him some desert and watched her relish the dessert. "I don't know what I like more, eating the dessert or watching you eat your dessert."

She chuckled softly, "My favorite dessert is you my love." For a moment she was selfishly hoarding her time with her husband. Glancing up at the clock, the clicking of that clock now paced her joy and she knew she would soon loose what precious time she had left with her beloved. Pushing those melancholy thoughts aside she focused on the now. She knew that was what would get her though the next few days. Finally, as supper grew to an end she stood gathering the plates to take to the kitchen. "Barnabas, is father coming over tonight?"

He watched her gather his empty plates, "I believe he was coming by after he went to check on your brothers and sister."

Stacking the plates she nodded; balancing the plates she turned to walk towards the kitchen entrance. "Then I should prepare a room for him, or will he be going back to the safe house?"

Barnabas reached for another stack of dirty plates and helped her take the plates into the kitchen. When they entered the kitchen with the plates, cook clucked her tongue. "Now you two go and have a good evening and leave this clean up to me. Scoot, off with you now." Cook took the plates from them and waved them away, "Now go."

Barnabas led his wife into the drawing room to one of the fireside chairs. A knock at the door brought their attention to the arrival of visitors. Vicki stood and walked to the front windows, "Oh, its Julia and the Professor." Barnabas let Julia and Stokes in escorting them to the drawing room. "Hello you two, so glad you could come by, have you eaten?"

Julia pulled her gloves off putting them over her purse. Elliott smiled, "We just came from the High Point, not as good, as I am sure as your cook could provide. However, I could use some of your excellent sherry."

Barnabas took their coats hanging them up, and then returned to pour a round of sherry for everyone in the room. The sound of the door opening and closing followed by George Patterson entering the room allowed the group to divide up into male and female, Elliott, George and Barnabas went to his study and Julia sat with Vicki in the drawing room. "How are things going for you Julia?" Vicki barely touched her sherry she sat watching the other woman. She appeared somewhat distracted.

"Oh, as well as I could expect. I think someone is trying to gaslight me." Julia was always forthright and to the point and this was startling to hear her announce that she was being set up by someone trying to harm her.

Vicki cocked her head and thought a moment. "Gaslight?"

Julia smiled and nodded, "It's a saying used when someone is trying to make you think you are going insane." Vicki looked concerned. She knew Vlad was back in the picture and wondered if that nasty man Radu was attacking her through her friends.

"Really, how so?" She cautiously asked because it could be anyone not necessarily something contrived by Radu or Vlad.

Julia sighed and looked around the room. "Remember at Thanksgiving, when I got dizzy and felt my vision was blurring?"

Vicki stood and motioned Julia to follow her; she glanced around the room and then stepped over to the secret room off the drawing room and opened the secret panel to reveal the room behind the bookshelves. "Oh, this is interesting." Julia muttered softly.

Vicki put a fingertip to her lips in a quiet motion. Closing the door behind them she looked around and sighed. "I don't trust our house. I am afraid someone might over hear and I don't want you to be in danger."

Julia nodded and glanced around feeling a bit paranoid. "Good thinking. Well today, while I was at work, I had another one of those spells. Where my vision blurred and I got dizzy, then I had a file, I laid it down on my desk, and it was gone."

"Could your secretary have been the one to move it?" Vicki folded her arms over her chest.

"No, she was off today and it's the type of file she would know better not remove it from my desk. Not only that, the office was locked when I left it and it was locked when I came back. I found the file lying in the lab refrigerator."

It was the thought of such a thing really showing the extent of her aggravation with the situation. "Now, I know I would not have put it in there no matter how distracted I get. Then I did some blood tests on myself and found I had been given a drug with a masking agent to hide what components it had. I sent my blood sample off to a lab in Boston to have them do a more in depth screening. I am hoping they will come up with something for me."

Vicki paced over to the wall giving Julia a concerned look. "Who do you think is doing this to you?"

Julia shrugged, "If I had to guess I would think it would be someone working for Vlad Tepes, he has the biggest problem with me and a grudge."

Vicki involuntarily shivered. "Oh Julia, I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" She was so tempted to tell Julia about Radu and how she was going to be going away, but knew that might escalate what was happening to Julia.

"No, Elliott is going to take care of it. I know George and Barnabas wanted to talk to Elliott and he wanted to talk to them. I think Quentin and Daphne were suppose to come over tonight as well."

Vicki nodded, "Then we had better go back into the drawing room." Vicki opened the door leading Julia back into the main part of the house when a knock came on the door. Vicki started for the door and stopped. "I am not suppose to answer the door, Julia would you mind?"

Julia stepped to the door and called, "Who is it?"

A familiar and jovial sounding voice came from the other side, "The pass word is open saysame, Or, how about it's Quentin and Daph, wanna let us in?"

Julia opened the door letting them in. The wind was blowing crisp and cold the hint of snow was in the air. Vicki smiled when they entered the room. "Quentin, Barnabas and the other gentlemen are in his study. Daphne, won't you please join Julia and me by the fire, I am sure the night air has a bite to it."

Old House Library

Quentin knocked lightly on the door, opened it and stepped into the room. "Hello gentlemen. So how goes the evening?" He entered sitting in one of the unoccupied chairs.

Barnabas poured him a brandy and handed it over. "We have been discussing what has or rather who has been tormenting Julia."

Quentin quirked an eyebrow, "Really, what is going on with Julia?"

Elliott began to lie out the odd occurrences that had occurred since Thanksgiving. "Sounds like someone is trying to gaslight her."

Elliott nodded, "My thoughts exactly, they appear to know when she is alone and they either get her to ingest a drug of some kind or they move things on her, hoping to make her doubt her mental faculties."

Quentin stood with his glass and studied the color of the liquid then he walked to Barnabas' desk. "Sounds like she needs to have someone watching out for her. Leave that to me Elliott, we will find out soon enough who is behind this attack on our favorite doctor."

Elliott smiled, "Thank you dear boy, that would be most appreciated. Now as to how we are going to rescue our dear Elizabeth, Carolyn, and Maggie. Do we have any plans on this?"

George looked at Barnabas who looked around at everyone in the room. "I fear we are at a stand still and must wait for Vlad's next move." Barnabas turned back to his desk and sat. Picking up a pin he wrote out, "We must take care of what we discuss, and we may be overheard. I will explain more tomorrow perhaps at the Blue Whale.'

Quentin frowned, "Gentlemen, may I extend an invitation to you to come to my cottage by the sea? I have found a most excellent new wine that I would love to share with good friends."

He had leaned over and began to write out something on the paper Barnabas had just written his message. 'I trust my cottage, its small and there is no way anyone will over hear us there.'

They all nodded, "Oh thank you dear boy, I would really love to try that wine. What about the ladies?"

Quentin smiled and shrugged, "They are welcome to come as well. However, I believe the talk of wine and the market may bore them."

Quentin wrote, 'It might be a good idea to bring Julia, but leave Daphne with Vicki here.'

Again, all heads nodded, George sighed, "I will have Chris posted outside the house and get Mark to come into the house and sit with her."

Barnabas smiled at his father in law. "Thank you George, that is most appreciated. Well now that we have decided to wait, should we all go join our ladies?" The men rose and ensemble walked out the door to the drawing room.

Vicki stood. "Oh Dad, glad you came out. I had a room made up for you." The sound of the wind blowing ice against the windows a indicated that the sound of the impending ice storm had arrived with a vengeance.

"Oh dear, perhaps you all should stay, I understand from the weather reports that we very well may be in for a pretty nasty ice storm."

Quentin quirked an eyebrow and looked at Daphne, "Well my dear I leave it entirely up to you." As if in answer to his question a particularly nasty gust of wind blew hard ice against the window.

"Oh, from the sounds of it, being on the road tonight might be risky." Daphne looked anxiously at the window.

Vicki nodded, "Ok, I will get more rooms ready, Elliott, and Julia, I will give you Naomi's old room, and its made up and ready. If you need nightgowns or pajamas, I am sure we can find some for you."

Julia smiled and stood, "Elliott, do you think we could make it home in this?"

Elliott stepped over to look out the window and saw the ground was already covered in ice. "No, my dear, I do believe Vicki is right to have us stay. It will give road crews time to put salt out and with the sunlight may even melt the ice on the roadways."

Vicki nodded, "Ok, then, give me a few minutes and I will put tooth brushes, tooth paste, and nightgowns and pajamas in your rooms."

Vicki disappeared up the stairs to get the rooms ready. Preparing the rooms, she put Daphne in Josette's room, Julia and Elliott in Naomi's room and then turned to get Jeremiah's room ready for Quentin. Barnabas' old room had become the room for her father.

She moved about to lay out night gowns for the ladies and checking the bathrooms for guest tooth brushes and tooth paste, she laid out clean towels for everyone. Barnabas donated his own pajamas for the men, finding some pajamas to fit Elliott would be problematic until he found an old nightshirt of his fathers.

Meeting Vicki in the hallway he smiled and kissed her cheek, "You are the prefect hostess my dear. Here these are for Quentin and Elliott. Your father left his own things here when he stayed the last time. Did you find gowns for the ladies?"

She nodded and took the pajamas going to each bedroom and laid them on the beds for their guests. Vicki shifted about quickly to make ready the rooms and as she walked along from room to room down the hallway with Barnabas following close behind helping her with anything she needed.

In tandem they worked like a well oiled machine and could anticipate what the other might be thinking.. Distracted she remembered his question and smiled, "I was rather rude, I did not properly answer your question."

Barnabas had already forgotten he had asked her if she found gowns for everyone. When she reminded him he smiled, "Well did you?"

"Oh yes dear, I did. I thought we could put Daphne in Josette's room, Julia and Elliott in Naomi's room Quentin could have Jeremiah's old room and of course father had the original Barnabas' room."

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on her lips. "That is perfect my dear. We are all close together yet far enough apart so we could have our privacy."

Vicki smiled then walked downstairs to get everyone together so they knew where they would be sleeping. "Its so nice to have the house so alive with company." She escorted her guests to their respective rooms and left them to prepare for the night. Walking back to her and Barnabas' room, she went to her bathroom and decided the night made it a good idea to take a long hot bath. Barnabas smiled watching his wife prepare for the night. Sighing as she disappeared into their bathroom, he stepped over to look out the front window to the ice covered front lawn.

The outside world was encased in ice and appeared to be an enchanted world; the ice covering the trees crystalized everything it touched. The light glistening through the ice gave the whole area a fairy tale affect. He could easily imagine a fairy princess dancing through the landscape followed by her enamored lover filled with hope and bright tomorrows. As quickly he could see the area covered in ice and the frozen part of his life that had been his past. It could deceptively reek of death and the loss of hope. Those thoughts were quickly dispelled by the appearance of the moon. With the appearance of the moon's soft light; had once again like the wave of a magic wand being waved over the land turned the outside into the enchanting realm of love and happiness.

Vicki came up behind him, dressed in her yellow gown, "Its really kind of beautiful isn't it?" She put her chin on his shoulder as she stared at the ice covered lawn and trees. The crack of a limb breaking off reminded them to the true dangers of an ice storm.

"It is until nature turns on itself and does so much destruction. I am so glad our friends stayed tonight."

Vicki kissed his cheek, "The bathroom is all yours now my love."

He smiled and turned into her and drew her close for a deeper more passionate and promising kiss. "I won't be long my dear." He released her and walked to their bathroom. Vicki turned to peer out the window when she felt a hand come over her mouth and she was physically picked up and carried back to the secret passage way.

Radu carried her down the passageway into a small room that must have been serving as his place to rest. "Now, I am going to remove my hand and when I do, I want you to promise me you will not call out. Do you understand?"

She shook her head. He removed his hand and she spun around to face him and backed up until she was flat against the wall. "Now, what? She hissed her anger, her eyes flashing with her irritation.

"I missed you Elizabeta, I wanted a little time with you. Please sit." He extended his hand to a nearby chair.

"My husband will be coming back looking for me in a short time. Do you really want to have him looking for me all over this house? He does know the secret passages as well as the rest of the house."

Radu clinched his teeth reached forward to her grab her by the arms and shoved her forcefully into the chair he had offered earlier. "I said sit, you make it very hard for me to be nice sometimes my dear Elizabeta."

Vicki shuddered crossing her arms she glared at him, then muttered, "Don't call me that. In this house I am Vicki." He waved off her request and stepped to a trunk.

"When we leave here, I want you to come to this room. In this trunk is a gown, " he lifted the lid to show her a 15th century gown. "You will put on the gown and wait for me here. I will have a housemaid here to help you dress. Then I will come for you and we will leave and go to the private airport. Once there, Alia will be there to prepare your hair and to finish your dressing for you."

Vicki sighed and felt her stomach clinch down. She was feeling sick as she thought about how little time she had left with her beloved Barnabas. "Do you understand?" Vicki nodded, "I said do you understand. I want to hear you say it."

Vicki glared at him with daggers of hate, "Yes, I understand. Now may I go?"

She stood and suddenly felt herself thrust against the wall, and her lips were roughly covered by a kiss, a demanding rough kiss from Radu. She had gasped with the sudden roughness of her captor. However, it was the kiss that had thrown her for the proverbial loop. Was he crazy? She just went limp in his arms and her sudden submission caught him by surprise. "Well, now that is more friendly." He lifted her chin and captured her lips one more time, she did not resist, nor did she respond. "You would do good to remember Miss Winters, that I may be your only hope of ever getting away from Prince Vlad."

Vicki searched his eyes and found she was frozen with shear terror at what she read in his eyes. He was a ruthless heartless man that had no conscious and she was nothing more than a pawn for him to manipulate. There was that smile she had come to hate and resent. He cupped her chin and nodded, "Good, now you know what I expect and what I will do in return for small favors from you.. Now you can go back to that cold fish you dote on as your husband."

She was not sure if she was going to be able to walk away, her legs were threatening to give way. Taking a deep shuddering breath that cleansed her from head to toe, she stepped around him and stiffly walked down the passageway coming back in the room and closing the door just as Barnabas exited their on suite bathroom.

Vicki tried to still her trembling by standing in front of the fireplace. Barnabas stepped over to take her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "Darling, you are shaking, come to bed. We will warm each other." He scooped her up and carried her to the bed. Setting her on the bed, he pulled back the blankets and pulled her over to him covering her.

Vicki held to him and closed her eyes. Barnabas began to cover her face and neck with feathery light kisses. "Do. . you. . know . how. . much . . I love. . you?" He spoke and kissed her, and then gathering her even closer, he smiled into her gaze. Her eyes were filled with love as she looked into his gaze.

He whispered softly against her cheek, "Do you know every time I look in your eyes, I see our children in them? " Vicki's heart melted with that statement

"That is amazing because every time I look into your eyes, I see our children in them too?"

"Then perhaps together we can see our children for real." He slowly began to make love to her and the rest of their night was filled with passion and promises. It was early when Vicki finally fell asleep in her husband's arms and she curled into his body seeking his warmth and security. The last thing she remembered as she fell asleep was a light kiss on her forehead and his words of love being whispered in her ear. She awoke to the feeling of loving arms wrapped around her body, the feel of a chin as it rested on the top of her head. Opening her eyes she was stunned to view Radu's face as he held her in her bed.

Pushing against him, she tumbled out of the bed and stood back glaring at him. "Sir, you take liberties you are not entitled to take."