Wow thank you for all the reviews and favorites and follows. 169 views but only a few reviews can we change that? Please! Um Guest, I'm not sure what you meant in your review if you could review again and explain that would be great. By the way Adrian is four years older not five sorry. Suck at math. And it's an AU.
Once inside the town hall, they were bombarded by servants, and three other girls. One was short, even shorter than Rose with blond hair arranged in ringlets and blue eyes. Another could have been Lissa's sister. She had pale skin mush like Adrian, Lissa, and Christian, blonde hair and green eyes. Her face structure and the way she carried herself is what made Dimitri think they were sisters. The last had shoulder length blonde hair and hazel eyes that had a twinkle in them that Dimitri knew meant knowledge, both the possession of and the desire to obtain.
The one that resembled a doll introduced herself as Mia gave Dimitri a brisk nod and started conversing animatedly with Lissa and Rose. The one that, Dimitri thought, was Lissa's sister looked at Dimitri, blushed and stuttered out "I'm Jillian but everyone calls me Jill kind of like how Lissa's actual name is Vasilissa but everyone calls her Lissa –"
Adrian smirked and interrupted Jill. "It's okay Jailbait. No need to start rambling." Everyone laughed and Jill blushed even harder. The last one shook her head at Adrian, turned toward Dimitri and stuck out her hand.
"Hello, I'm Sydney Sage. And you are."
"Dimitri Belikov ma'am." Dimitri answered briskly.
"Oh. Russian. Have you seen other parts of the world?"
"Yes I have. I have gone to Italy."
"How beautiful is it? What does the Parthenon look like? How beautiful is St. Peter's Basilica? How much is the Leaning Tower of Pisa leaning?" Sydney questioned him without pause for an answer.
Adrian smiled indulgently at Sydney and said, "Don't worry Sage. I'll take one day."
Sydney rolled her eyes and started arguing with Adrian, allowing Dimitri to take in his surroundings.
The group stood at the front of an extremely long hallway with two giant doors at the end of it. To his left was a grand sitting room with a fireplace, three chairs, and two couches. The sitting room was very well decorated, it's color scheme being neutral colors. The walls were a light brown, the couches sky blue, the chairs a dark green that reminded Dimitri of a bush near his house in Russia that he enjoyed hiding in.
To his right was a sweeping staircase so tall he could not see past the first landing. Just then the two giant doors at the end of the hallway slammed open. Out stepped a man dressed as though he was in a circus with a scarf, a suit of varying shades of red and a hat. The woman that accompanied him had a look of murder on her face and wore a dress much like Lissa's and Rose's. Actually, Dimitri noticed, Mia, Jill, and Sydney were all wearing dresses like Rose and Lissa. His companions froze for a second when they caught sight of the woman, then started trying to run up the stairs.
As Rose ran past Dimitri, she caught hold of his hand and tried to drag him up the stairs with her.
"ROSEMARIE HATHAWAY MAZUR!" the woman shouted and Rose cringed.
She turned around and said deceptively innocently, "Yes Mother?"
Rose's mother immediately started chastising her for going outside in a new dress. "And the others. You're not safe up there. Come down now." Dimitri hadn't noticed that Rose had managed to drag him up three steps before her mother reached them. He now looked up and noticed the group on the first landing, which he could now see past. Or well a bit further past, not much.
Lissa grimaced but trudged down the stairs dragging Christian who was dragging Jill who was dragging Eddie who was dragging Mason who was dragging Mia who was dragging Sydney who was dragging Adrian. Rose's mother gave them all stern looks and began inquiring as to why everyone had gone outside in their new clothes. Sydney piped up and stated that only the men and Rose and Lissa had gone outside not everyone.
"Thank you Sydney but that still doesn't tell me why you went outside."
"Oh. Well. Mother", Rose said excitedly waving Dimitri forward for he had moved around behind Rose's mother. "We heard the train stop and wondered why. So went to investigate and apparently they were dropping someone off. This is Dimitri Belikov Mother. He needs a job and housing and I told him he could stay here. Christian was going to talk to Daddy to see if we can make him the sheriff. Isn't that extraordinary?" Rose said all of that in one breath.
"Easy there, Rosie. You're starting to sound like Jailbait." Christian snickered. Rose's mother rolled her eyes and ignored the bickering that had started between Rose and Christian. She turned toward Dimitri and stuck out her hand.
"I apologize for my daughter and her friends. I'm Janine Hathaway." She said.
"Mazur." The circus man interceded. Janine turned toward him and inquired "what?"
The man said simply "Janine Hathaway Mazur."
"You know that's an argument that you are going to lose, Old man." Rose laughed.
"We'll see, little girl." The man stuck his hand out as well and introduced himself as Abe Mazur. Then Abe and Janine turned suddenly toward Rose and exclaimed at the same time: "What do you mean you told him he could stay here?"
"Well he can't very well stay at the inn."
"And why ever not?" asked Abe.
"Because the innkeeper left a month ago. Don't you remember?" Rose answered giving her parents a meaningful glare.
"Oh. That's right. Very well. Dimitri you can stay in the empty room across from Rose." Janine decided after several moments of awkward silence. Adrian immediately objected. Janine shushed him, gave everyone stern glares and told them all to report back to the tailor.
"Except for you Rose. You are to show Dimitri his rooms. He is your guest. After that report back to the tailor."
"Yes, Mother." Rose said demurely but when she turned toward Dimitri her eyes twinkled with a mischievous light. She grabbed Dimitri's hand again and as she pulled him up the stairs Dimitri tried not to notice how soft her hand felt and how right it felt in his hand.
Rose was pointing things out as they went up and he tried to listen.
"The first floor contains the sitting room, the kitchen, the parlor, and my father's study. The second floor has the servant's rooms and the tailor's room. The third floor is where Christian and his Aunt Tasha, Lissa and Jill, Mia, Sydney and Adrian live. Mason and Eddie live with their families. Mia's parents work here but she doesn't really live with them. My parents' room is on that floor as well." Rose described. Dimitri noticed that the entire house seemed to follow the same color scheme as the sitting room but it didn't seem overdone.
He realized that she had yet to say where her room, and consequently his, was and they were nearly to the end of the stairs.
"And your room?" questioned Dimitri.
"Our rooms are at the top. With the best views." Rose exclaimed squeezing his hand. He squeezed back reflexively. When they reached the top of the stairs they encountered a closed door. Rose put her hand on the doorknob, turned back, smiled at him and opened the door.
Immediately light hit Dimitri. There was a great big circular window at the end of a very short hallway. There were only two doors on this floor. The walls were sky blue paired with the dark wood floor and the light streaming through the window, one could imagine they were flying but that's ridiculous of course. Humans don't fly.
The walls underneath the window were commanded by a chair in the middle of gigantic bookshelves teeming with books. Dimitri gasped at the sight and Rose gave a shy laugh. "I know. I don't look like I like to read but I do. I adore it. The ability to leave the country without ever leaving my room. The ability to fall in love without any problems. The fact that you could get completely lost in those worlds…Sorry I was rambling." Rose sighed and ducked her head as she blushed.
Dimitri decided right then and there that Rose blushing was his favorite sight in the world. Dimitri assured her that it was alright. "Besides I like to read as well."
Rose smiled at him and he smiled back. "What did you mean though when you said 'best view'?" Dimitri asked.
"You're going to have to wait for that. Come on." Rose said, pulling him toward the door on the left. "This is your room."
She opened the door and led him in. Dimitri looked around. It was a nice room. It had a canopy bed with two chairs gathered around a table in the middle. There was a closet on one side and a changing screen on the other. The door shut behind him with a bang Dimitri whirled around and saw that Rose was leaning against it.
"Soooo Dimitri, what brings you here?"
"I told all outside."
"Right okay. So tell me about your family."
"Well we live right on the outskirts. My mom Olena is amazing. She does everything for everyone and never expects a thank you. My grandmother Yeva is as amazing but stranger and not as warm as my mother. But she is still the only one I can really talk to and get advice. I have three sisters: Sonya, Karolina, and Viktoria. Sonya and Karolina are both pregnant but Sonya's was unplanned. Karolina has one other child. A son. Paul, he is the sweetest thing ever. Viktoria is a hotheaded, rebellious teenager. She is only six and ten years old but she already has more than half of the boys wrapped around her little finger. Karolina is set to marry Paul's father and Sonya doesn't know yet if she is going to get married or not.. Sonya and Karolina are both older than me and never let me forget it. When I left Karo was about to give birth, Sonya was not far behind and Vika had a date."
"what about your father?" Rose inquired.
Dimitri sighed. "My father left after I beat him up when I was three and ten years old. He was beating my mother."
"Wow. You really are a god." Rose said to herself.
"What was that?" Dimitri questioned.
"I said: 'Wow'", Rose sighed, "You really love them."
"Yes", Dimitri chuckled, "I really do. Tell me about you."
At this point they were sitting in the chairs in the middle of the room and Rose looked around. She sighed forlornly. "There's not much to tell, I'm afraid. My parents only ever had one child. Lissa's parents and brother died in carriage accident when we were only ten and two. She has stayed with us ever since. Christian's parents left to travel the world when he was very young and left him with his Aunt Tasha.
They never came back.
Tasha had a slight run-in with a rabid dog when Christian was about ten and two protecting him and has a scar on the right side of her face because of it but the scar only enhances her beauty. Adrian stays with us every once in a while. Adrian and Lissa are cousins. Jill is Lissa's sister and I know you are wondering why we all call her Jailbait. Well around here there is a law that a lady under twenty cannot marry and a girl under ten and six cannot be courted. Jill is ten and five. She admitted to having a crush on Eddie and Father granted permission for Eddie and Jill to go out together.
Mason has been with us for as long as I can remember. I like him well enough and I am aware of his feelings towards me but he also knows that I view him as my brother, nothing else. Adrian is a big flirt and nothing else." Rose finally took a breath and stared at Dimitri.
And he back. Several moments passed in silence between the two. Finally she mentally shook herself and started to get up. "I must be taking my leave dear sir. I must go and get ready for dinner. You can use the washcloth and basin behind the changing screen, if you need more water or fresh water just ring this bell." She said, extending her hand to show him a little bell.
"But Roza didn't your mother tell you to report back to the tailor after showing me around?" Dimitri inquired.
"Well yes but it's much too late for the tailor to still be here." They looked out the window together and saw the sun kissing the horizon.
Dimitri exclaimed, "I am sorry Roza. I have kept you here. Let me explain it to your mother. I am sure she will understand."
Rose put a hand on Dimitri's arm and assured that it would be alright. He didn't have to do such a thing. Dimitri insisted and Rose caved. They said their goodbyes and Dimitri closed the door behind her. Rose crossed the hallway, went into her room and leaned against the closed door. She stared in amazement at her hand. She felt like it was tingling. Like she had stuck it into a fire and yanked it back right before it could burn her. She closed her eyes, sighed, smiled, and wondered what was happening across the hall.
While across the hall much the same was happening, with one change. Rose didn't know what the tingling in her hand meant but Dimitri knew what the tingling in his arm meant. Karo had talked about it happening with Paul's father. Dimitri realized that he had to be careful or what Adrian had warned him about would indeed happen.
But not without Rose's consent.
Of that he would make sure of.