Erik

Gi looked effervescent. Her presence livened the room as she basked in one conversation after another. My few discussions of the night wore me out, and I no longer wished to put on a face. Ha.

Vasilyev's hand rested low on a ballerina's back. Too low. And his forwardness with Gi earlier... Anything- anything more, and I would have...but such dark thoughts breed dark outcomes.

He entranced the girl. She leaned forward, and he towered over her, grinning like a fox. I almost lost my dinner. I fisted a glass of wine from someone and downed it, comforted by the warm dullness inebriation brought. These people disgusted me. And to have Gi around them… I wanted to get her as far away as possible. But that would ruin her beloved birthday, and I struggled to tear her away. I grabbed another glass- a Bordeaux, this time. I grew tired of Italian wines. Thank God someone had the sense to order French.

I spotted a man rushing down the stairs. Someone in the lady of the houses' chambers? My attention piqued. He fixed his cravat and fumbled with his shirtsleeves, rumpled-looking and wrinkled. A little rendezvous with the hostess? What delicious information. At least this party brought about mild entertainment other than amateur instrumentation.

"You shall never guess who this is, my love." The woman I identified as Laurent leaned into the man.

"Ha, who is that? One of your friends?"

"No, someone from your crowd." Her arms were crossed, and she had an amused look pasted across her face.

"My crowd. You mistake me. As if I would commune with that ruckus."

All my eavesdropping blinded me to the sight of Gi, rising atop a side table, drinking something clear—not water. A few men cheered. We needed to leave. I made to move, but the conversation drew me back.

"She told me she was looking for her uncle. He was supposed to meet her en route to Rome, and she is seeking him out with her brother."

"Brother? No, he would have told me. Though who knows, with him?"

"Who knows with you!"

"Yes, but do I pretend to be something I am not?" They kissed. I turned away.

"You are distracting me!"

"But you are so pretty when you are distracted."

"You fiend- her name is Gianna."

"Common enough." He rebuffed. No lines wrinkled his face, unlike his clothes. A lock of brown hair hung over his forehead. His cologne wafted so intense I almost sneezed.

Gi stumbled off the table, winding through the crowd.

"She is from America." He studied her for a moment. His entire demeanor morphed, his shoulders hunching, his brow furrowing. He charged into the crowd.

I sprung into motion, following his path, but a skinny arm shot across my chest.

"Where are you going, brother?" She eyed me up and down, her gaze practiced.

"Let go, you tart."

"Ha! I think you are the tart—traveling under the guise of family. As a masked boy with a young girl. Who does that?" Her tone was teasing, her voice annoying and sing-song.

"You know nothing."

"I know Gi is a young girl on her own. I am all for you two having fun. But her uncle? He will not like that. Take this as a warning. He is on a tight leash with her."

"Then why did he leave her all alone?"

"She had a guardian; where is he? I doubt her father hired you."

"He is dead. Did you know? Murdered when I found them." Her face dropped. "I would not be in the picture if your idiot beau had a sense of responsibility."

"He does."

I looked down at her. "Maybe to your evening rendevous. Your legs a bit sore tonight, Prima?"

Her lips tightened, and she fidgeted her hand as if she wanted to strike me. I looked over her shoulder to see the man from earlier leaning over Gi, her head down. Her expression was somber, and the hallway had no warmth compared to the crowded parlor. Without thinking, I strode over.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Erik!"

"Who are you?" The man demanded.

"She just said my name, you idiot."

He scoffed, and I sneered. What a pompous fool! He did not know her. I knew Gi better than him. Better than most.

"Uncle!" Her hands were out in a placating gesture. "This is Erik! There was a carriage accident, a robbery, and I could not! Oh, poor man! These thieves…they killed him! And I-Erik helped me get here!"

Dear uncle looked suspicious. Not that I was surprised.

"Slow down, child." He skirted the edges of adulthood himself. The style of his suit was too fashionable to be worn by anyone older than 30. A fop too. How grand. He glanced around, twitching. "We need to leave here and go to my home."

My heart rate rose. In this state? I reviled his suggestion despite it being our goal for the past month. She would be gone forever. "Absolutely not," I said.

The uncle glared at me like some street urchin—a pompous piece of shit.

"Whatever you may have done to aid my niece, I thank you for it. But her time with you is over."

"But-!"

"Dear niece, it is not the time for argument. We must away immediately."

"No!" Gianna threw his hand away like a brat. I grinned under my mask. "Erik deserves more than this. He helped me get here. He kept me safe."

"You are not even supposed to be here!"

"What was I supposed to do, lay around all alone? There was no food in that house!"

"I left you some flour…" he trailed off.

They argued like a family who grew up together. It shocked me that they had just met. The argument grew tiresome, however.

Laurent approached. "You two are too loud. The air is becoming stale, mi amore." Her eyes trailed over me, then back at Gi's uncle. "Perhaps I will meet you later?"

I knew an eviction anywhere.

"Yes, yes." He said. Gi wavered, stumbling into me. "You will come with us and explain everything. Yes. That is the right thing to do." The last phrase was aimed more at himself than me. We shuffled out the large doors onto the cobblestones and into a rickety old boat.

"Erik-" Gi's eyes fluttered, and she grasped the railing. I watched her vomit into the river. Her uncle covered his mouth and glanced away.

Before she could fall into the water, I grabbed her waist, hoisting her back to her seat. The ferryman glared at us.

"What? It is not as if you must clean it."

A maidservant whisked her upstairs when we arrived at what I assumed was her Uncle's home. The gaudiness of the previous estate was not present here. Someone with skill had placed portraits and selected furnishings with great care.

"Much kinder accommodations than your niece's lodgings this month," I said.

To my surprise, he offered me a coffee.

I had no intentions of sleeping anytime soon. I inclined my head.

We sat sequestered in some cozy alcove. Soft leather greeted my palms. He offered me a flask, but I declined. He poured the amber liquid into his cup. Someone had tended to the fire, and by my judgment, the man paid a full staff. Why keep Gi in such a humble condition? She had mentioned she worked throughout her childhood.

Such wealth engendered hoarding, it seemed.

"You are not my nephew." He opened.

"No."

"Pity. I heard you were quite the act tonight. And I suppose that ridiculous commotion was my niece before the performance?"

"What do you want?"

"I simply wish to know why you traipsed across the country with my charge, that is all."

"It is difficult to be a guardian from so far away. But to answer your question, she asked me to."

"You blindly followed the whims of a young girl?"

"Her escort was murdered-"

"And I assume his body was sent back to my brother-in-law?"

The man was shrewder than I anticipated. The fire danced along the coals. I wished to hear the pleasant crack of wood. I always preferred it over the ugly black coals.

"I hardly had an address."

"How unfortunate. We must say a mass for him." The coals shifted. "You must understand, Erik- it is all very- strange."

For some reason, I wanted this sap to trust me. "I wear a mask." He permitted himself to examine me. I lifted my chin. "It makes speaking with authorities- difficult. She was attacked on a well-traveled road. He had a Christian burial, I am sure."

"And Gi did nothing?"

"Of course, she protested!"

"At least not like her father, then." He muttered, leaning back.

"She refused to stay. After her attack, she was especially loathe to travel alone." He nodded. "More importantly, where were you?"

He blanched, his features dropping. "You are the one who has acted suspiciously."

"Leaving a young girl alone in a strange country. At a designated meeting point? Hardly a familial gesture." I commented.

"You know not of what you speak."

"I know enough. Camille Laurent? Aiming for the stars, I see."

"Shut up." His quick manner silenced me, going from foppish to militant. He inhaled. "It seems I owe you a sign of gratitude. I apologize for my behavior earlier. You can imagine my surprise at our…reunion."

The bitter drink calmed me a bit. "You two had not met, I had heard."

"No- well, yes. She was very young." He sipped the glass, his eyes darting to the fire. "So- the carriage?"

"Gone. Took the jewelry and a horse. The other is boarding here in the city."

"Ah- how unfortunate." He winced. "So- you and her?"

What was he talking about? I stayed silent; perhaps he would explain himself.

At the long pause, he added. "You two- I mean, met on the road?"

"Yes- I suppose you could say that."

"I see." He shifted in the clean leather chair. It squeaked. "And you can assure me you are in good faith?"

"In good faith?"

"To marry?"

Marry? Marriage. I never assumed, much less envisioned…

"She is to marry someone…" I trailed off.

"Yes. Someday. I had hoped not so soon; her mother would not have wanted this." He waved his hand. "But you cannot do my niece the disrespect."

What did I do? I never once… perhaps I was rude at times. But never could I have… would I have…

"Nothing happened." I snapped.

"You cannot expect to disguise what I know all too well among adolescents. I am not so far removed."

"Says the man who showcases his lover like a prized mare!"

"You need to watch your mouth, young man." He coughed, the threat lacking. "This is a matter of reputation. Weeks, you two traveled. You must see she is compromised!"

"Your logic is outdated, sir." I cringed at the honorific. Why was I kowtowing to this man? As if Gi would ever agree. She would hate me forever for forcing her into such an arrangement. I detested contracts of any kind. Javert had forced my hand those years ago in a rickety tent. The only escape had been death. A document forged under such circumstances would flourish resentments. I knew all too well.

Her life was ahead of her. Some handsome duke, she wanted. She did not deserve a freak.

"Tell that to her father."

"As if he needs to know."

He stalled as if he had never considered such a move. Idiot.

"I cannot think tonight. Too much vodka. That dreaded stuff. You will remain here- until everything is…sorted out. I have a few extra rooms near the servants' stairs." He pointed through the doors and explained the plans for the large villa in detail. Despite my discomfort with residing in a stranger's home, my chest rose at the prospect of an actual mattress and some privacy. I nodded, rising. "And Erik?"

"Yes?"

"Stay downstairs. I hope to avoid any more scandal tonight."