Chapter Five

London, England 1811

Giacomo adjusted his waistcoat as he walked into his father's den and quietly closed the doors. The large stone fireplace faced him as he looked up at the family portrait hanging over the fireplace and the fire crackled. The portrait included his sister, Antonia, and his two, younger brothers, Marcus and Roberto. Antonia had gotten married to the son of a shipping baron when she was sixteen and had three children and Roberto was still in university, study law. Marcus, no one knew what happened to him. Marcus disappeared four years ago and his father and mother refused to talk about what happened to him.

His father sat in the high back chair to his left and his mother sat in the high back chair to his right. Giacomo slowly walked toward them when he stood in the space between the high back chairs and placed his hands behind his back.

"Father, may I have words with you?" he asked when his father glanced up at him and the firelight flickered in the glass of the wire rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Giacomo thought it was time to confess to his nighttime activities as he felt his heart racing and flexed his fingers behind his back, waiting for his father to say something.

"Speak," he father suddenly said as he placed the book he was reading on his lap and his mother placed her book on her lap.

"First off," Giacomo said as he made a little cough and rocked slightly side to side. "I would like to squelch any thoughts of my sexual preference."

"Oh God…" his father sighed and his mother clenched her fingers into a fist.

"I have heard the rumors that I…that I prefer the company of men," Giacomo said then started pacing back and forth then stood next to the high back chair that his mother was sitting in and knelt down next to the high back chair, looking at her. "Mother, do you remember Lord Duncan's daughter?"

"Yes," she said with a nod of her head.

"Where did you find her during that gala Father through that summer?"

"I found her in…I found…." she said then blushed and looked at her hands. "She was in your bed with you, your friend, Gregory and one of the maids."

"What?" his father blustered and Giacomo softly smiled.

"Gregory and I had a foursome, Father. Well, it was more like two threesomes because Greg and I didn't like the idea of touching each other," Giacomo said and his mother softly giggled.

"My little Casanova," she whispered and Giacomo arched his eyebrow then patted her hand, standing up.

"Then why haven't you gotten married until now?" his father asked and Giacomo sighed. He was nearly forty and a man that wasn't married by then was either thought as diseased, ugly or of a different sexual preference and Giacomo walked to the high back chair and sat on the footstool, facing his father.

"I guess I wasn't ready. I had to grow up first and it's taken until now for me to feel like I was finally a grown man," Giacomo said and his father removed the wire rimmed glasses and looked at him.

"I see, but that doesn't explain your nightly activities."

"Yes. I agree, but there was a reason why I couldn't tell either of you about them," Giacomo said and his mother looked at him with concern in her eyes.

"Is it something illegal?" she asked.

"What? Oh, no, it's not. Then again, some people might think it is," Giacomo said as his parents became confused.

"Explain," his father said and Giacomo sighed, looking down at his hands.

"Well…." Giacomo said then scratched the back of his neck. "I go hunting."

"You go hunting at night?" his mother asked and he nodded. He looked at his father when the color went out of his father's face and Giacomo titled his head to one side.

"Father, are you alright?" he asked, placing his hand on top of his father's hand.

"Oh shit," his father said then got up and walked to the fireplace. The fire crackled while they looked at him when he slowly looked up at the family portrait and Giacomo noticed he was looking at Marcus. "No. Not again."

His father walked to him when Giacomo stood up and his father back handed him, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Roberto!" she shouted as she got up then half ran to Giacomo, knelt down and held him.

"You are NEVER to go hunting again!" his father shouted as he stormed out of the den and Giacomo looked up at his mother, who was kissing the top of his head.

"Mother, what just happened?" he asked as she sighed and looked at the portrait then at him.

"Oh, God, I never thought I would be the one to tell you," she said and he gave her a confused look.

"I don't understand. Why did he assault me?" he asked and she stroked his hair.

"Well, you have to imagine my surprise when I learned that the man I married led a double life. You see, all first born sons of the Vincenzi family have been trained to…to…." she said then stopped and Giacomo softly smiled.

"They are trained to fight things of shadow and nightmare?" he teased and she nodded.

"But your father broke with tradition. He didn't want you to become a part of what he considered insanity. He wanted you to live a normal life. That is why we would have been happy if you were…" she said then paused and he softly smiled again.

"Well, it wasn't like I wanted to. It just happened," he said and she stroked his hair.

"When was the first time you went hunting?" she asked while he thought for a few seconds and lightly smiled.

"It was when I was away at university. A few friends and I were exploring this cave in the forest surrounding the campus and we found what we thought was a body. A couple of us ran off for help when the "body" woke up and attacked us. We ran but this thing was fast. I remembering breaking off a branch from a tree and charged at the thing. I knew it was foolish, but I plunged the stick into the thing's chest and it turned into dust. We swore never to speak of it after we had returned to campus, but I would go out into the forest in search of more of them."

"And that is what you do at night? You go looking for these things?" she asked as he sighed and nodded his head. He saw the pain in her eyes as she kissed the top of his head and he looked up at the portrait.

"Mother, what happened to Marcus?" he asked and sat up, sitting in front of her. She thought for a few minutes then lowered her head and he lifted her chin. "Please, tell me."

"It was the last time your father hunted. You were away at that wedding. Your father had gotten word that there was a nest of vampires just outside of Essex and he went to handle them. What he didn't expect was Marcus wanted to go with him. He refused, but Marcus had made a fuss and your father agreed to let him come with him. It was a few days later that your father returned without him and told me that the vampires had taken Marcus. They had gotten away but he found Marcus and…and he had to destroy him," she said as the tears rolled down her cheeks and he wiped the tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "He swore he would never hunt again."

"Oh," Giacomo whispered then held her in his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"Please, Darling, promise me that you will never hunt again! I can't lose another son!" she sobbed as he rocked her and looked at the fire.

"I promise," he whispered as a piece of his soul crumbled because he knew, deep down, that he couldn't keep his promise. She sadly smiled at him as he hushed her and gently rocked her back and forth.

"Peter," was what his mind heard as he slowly opened his eyes and saw Jane standing next to the bed. He had decided to take a kip before the show as he softly smiled at her and sat up, wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"What time is it?" he mumbled and she looked at the alarm clock.

"It's six fifteen," she said as Peter sighed, moved the duvet back and got out of bed. He wanted to get up at five thirty so he could get something to eat and he shrugged at her, heading for the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later to find a tray with a turkey and cheese sandwich, some coleslaw and a glass of Midori sitting on the bed as he laughed and shook his head. After eating, he walked back to the bathroom to brush his teeth again and closed the door behind him.

The door opened to the ladies' dressing room as Cassandra walked inside and placed the cage down next to the door. The walls, floors and ceiling were painted red with black Chinese dragons and symbols and the light from the paper covered lamps on the ceiling cast a soft glow in the room. To the left of the room was where the long dressing table was with several mirrors surrounded by small light bulbs and several metal and leather chairs sat in front of the dressing table. At the back of the room was the door leading to the bathroom. A leather couch sat next door to the bathroom and two more couches sat to the right of the room. There was a table in the back corner and some plates with fresh fruit, cheese and some crackers sat on top of the table. Two metal racks with costumes were next to the couches and the matching shoes sat on the shelf under the metal racks. The other young women looked at her as she smiled at Darcy and Darcy walked closer, folding her arms over her chest.

"So, you ready?" she asked and Cassandra nodded. "Well, go get dressed for the first act."

Cassandra walked to the metal rack where the costumes the young women wore were hanging on metal hangers and Cassandra picked up the hanger, looking at the costume. It was leotard made of a red material with what appeared to be a tail sewn on the back and was strapless. The front was cut almost to the crotch and she looked down, seeing that there were no shoes on the tray under the costumes.

"You have to be kidding me!" she said loudly as she held the costume against her body then folded the costume over her arm and headed for the door. They watched as she stormed out of the dressing room and Darcy smiled, titling her head to one side.

"Kick him in the balls for me, Sweetie," she said then walked to the dressing table and sat down.