by Amy Cross
As Goddard got down onto his hands and knees, Estella looked over at another glass that was resting nearby on the bar. Focusing all her thoughts for a moment, she tried to imagine the glass moving to the edge and then falling. After a moment, she saw the glass trembling slightly, and sure enough it began to slowly shift, heading to the edge almost directly above where Goddard was working. Estella's smile grew as she realized she could torment the poor man, and she watched as the glass got closer and closer to the edge, until finally it -
“Whoops,” said Joshua Wood suddenly, reaching out and rescuing the glass before it could fall. “Close one.”
Scowling, she turned to him.
He smiled. “What's a nice woman like you -”
“Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to sneak up on a lady?” she asked.
“You see any ladies around here?” he replied, glancing around before taking a seat next to her. “Sorry, low blow, but...” He paused for a moment, examining the glass in his hands. “Funny. This thing looked like it was all set to fall of its own accord. I'm not expert on these things, but I wasn't under the impression that inanimate objects were able to just shift without someone touching them. It's almost as if...” He looked around again. “That's weird. I don't see any witches around.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Having my usual lunchtime drink. The one that helps me get through the day without telling my father to go screw himself. People are always so quick to judge, but sometimes a beer in the middle of the day is the only way to survive.” He paused for a moment. “And you?”
She looked back down at her glass of wine.
“Word is,” he continued, “that you've been cast out of paradise.”
“Do the gossips of Thaxos have nothing better to talk about?”
“Apparently not.”
“Then maybe I should give them something.”
“And how would you do that?” He set the glass down and signaled at Goddard to bring him his usual. “You're an interesting one, Estella Graves. People say that your time up at the Le Compte mansion has changed you, that there's something different in your eyes. Even stripping away the usual intrigue and paranoia of this place, I'm starting to wonder whether there might be some truth to those stories.”
“They're just jealous.”
He laughed.
“You think they're not?” she asked.
“Maybe they were when you were up there,” he replied, “but now? No offense, but why would they be jealous of you? I mean, anyone who comes and sits in this dark, miserable place alone in the middle of the day is clearly not exactly in the best of shape. Trust me, I know what it's like to have everyone talking about you, to have them pity and dislike you. They make themselves feel better by looking down on you. I bet half the women of this island were just waiting for you to lose everything.”
“I'm glad I could oblige,” she muttered, taking a sip of wine. “They must be enjoying every moment of my downfall. Just wait until...”
He waited for her to finish. “Until?”
“Until I get back on my feet.”
“And back up to Le Compte's mansion?”
“That's not the only definition of success,” she said darkly. “Frankly, my affairs are none of your business, so I'd thank you kindly to keep your nose out.”
“Strange things happen to a person when they spend time about Baron Le Compte,” Joshua continued, as Goddard placed a pint of beer in front of him. “They change in lots of little ways, don't they? A touch here, a touch there, and suddenly one day they're a new person.”
“I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”
“My brother's up there right now. He thinks he's in love with Lady Madeleine.”
“He...” Estella paused for a moment. “Benjamin is a good man. Better than she deserves.”
“He's a blind fool,” Joshua continued. “There's no way he can actually pursue a relationship with one of those... creatures. I mean, you yourself have seen that to be impossible, have you not? Humans and vampires don't mix, it'd be like a mouse trying to marry an elephant.”
“I...” She paused. “It was different in my case. There was outside interference.”
“In other words, Kate Langley got in the way.”
“Don't,” Estella whispered.
“Don't what?”
“Don't say that name.” She took another sip of wine. “I don't ever want to hear it again.”
“Everything was fine until she turned up, wasn't it?” Joshua continued. He smiled, fully aware that he was starting to get under her skin, which had been his plan all along. “I've kept my ear to the ground and listened to the gossip. People are starting to really wonder about her, you know. Who she is, where she came from, why she's here...”
“She's here to cause trouble,” Estella said darkly.
“And she caused the split between you and Le Compte?”
“As surely as I sit here with you now.”
“And you're just going to accept that, are you? You're going to let go of your dreams without putting up a fight?”
“I...” She paused, before taking another sip of wine. “There is nothing I can do.”
“Apart from making glasses move by themselves.”
“Parlor tricks,” she replied. “Nothing that could be of use when dealing with Edgar and his world.”
“And bringing the dead back to life.”
She froze for a moment, shocked that he knew what had happened.
“Oh yeah,” he continued. “I've seen her, walking around like that encounter with the noose never happened. It's not right, if you ask me. It's ungodly.”
“You don't know what you're talking about,” she muttered. “My powers are weak.”
“So what you're saying,” he replied, “is that if you were to try to win Edgar back, you'd need help.”
“No-one will help me. Nixon's too loyal to Edgar, and he's the only other person who could possibly do anything.”
Joshua smiled as he took a sip of beer. “There might,” he said finally, “be one other person.”
She turned to him.
“There might be a man on the island,” he continued, “who could, in the right circumstances, help you. Someone whose interests are aligned with yours.”
“You mean Quill?” she asked, horrified by the idea. “That man is a monster!”
“So?”
“So...” She paused. “He wants Edgar dead!”
“Where did you get that idea from?”
“Edgar told me! They're all talking about it up at the mansion!”
“Quill doesn't want Edgar dead,” Joshua continued. “My God, she's really manipulated you all, hasn't she?”
“She?”
“Kate Langley. She's obviously twisted the truth so much, none of you can tell what's real and what's fantasy. She's the one Quill wants to bring down, not Edgar. I mean, yes, Quill has some serious issues with the great Baron Le Compte, but if Kate Langley were to be brought down...” He paused. “All I'm saying, Estella, is that if Kate Langley were to be taken out of the picture, that might be enough for Quill. He might let Edgar live. He might let Edgar be yours.”
“No,” she replied, “Quill and Edgar are enemies, they -”
“It's Kate Langley,” Joshua said firmly, interrupting her. “Quill knows he can't touch Edgar. Edgar's too strong, too powerful, especially while he's on Thaxos. But Kate... Quill is willing to compromise his ambitions. If Kate Langlely dies, Quill will leave Thaxos. Does that idea interest you?”
She paused for a moment, telling herself that the whole conversation was a trap but still not quite able to tear herself away.
“Kate is more than she seems,” Joshua continued, finishing his beer before letting out a loud burp and getting to his feet. “Most of the idiots around here have been taken in by her, but you see the truth, don't you? You can tell that she's dangerous. I mean, look at how much damage she's already caused in the short time she'
d been here. People getting hurt, people dying, people needing to be helped. You can't deny that Thaxos was a happier place before she turned up out of the blue.”
She opened her mouth to argue with him, but she was starting to think that maybe he was right.
“I've got to get back to work,” he told her, “but if you ever feel like you want to discuss these matters further, I can put you in touch with Quill. There's no pressure, of course, but I know for a fact that he'd be very interested in talking to you. I think perhaps your interests might be rather well aligned after all.”
As Joshua headed to the door, Estella looked back down at her glass of wine. Her heart was racing and she knew, deep down, that she couldn't trust a word Joshua had said to her. At the same time, she'd been feeling hopeless all morning and now, for the first time since leaving the mansion, she was starting to wonder whether she might, after all, be able to put everything right. Sure, Edgar was mad at her, and she knew he maybe had a point about her recent behavior, but she supposed that perhaps she'd given up a little too easily. There might be a way back into his heart, so long as Kate was out of the picture.
“Another glass,” she said to Goddard as she finished her wine. “Just one more.”
“But -”
“I need to think,” she said firmly. “I need to decide what to do.”
***
“I did exactly what you asked,” Joshua told Quill a short while later, after arriving back at the lighthouse. “I think I definitely got her attention.”
“Of course you did,” Quill replied, his body still healing as he rested and sought new strength. “She'll believe any lie you tell her, so long as it gives her hope.”
“But she won't go so far as to actually side with you against Le Compte, will she?” he asked. “I mean, she loves the man. That much is clear.”
“She'll side with me against Kate Langley, though,” Quill continued, with a faint smile. “I'll be able to use her powers for my own purposes, and by the time she realizes the truth, it'll be too late. Just let poor, dear Estella stew for a little while. When her soul is sufficiently broken, she'll come to my door begging for help.”
IV
“Oh God,” Nixon muttered, standing in the doorway as Kate joined him to look at the vast, overflowing table in the main dining room, “it's worse than I imagined. A feast.”
“How much food is there?” Kate replied, taking a step forward and staring in shock at the banquet that had been prepared. There were plates filled with lobster, and bowls of caviar, and legs of lamb that were dripping with juices, along with various other types of meat. It was almost as if someone had decided to create a vast, luxurious feast, and had then ordered ten times more food than could ever be eaten. “Where did it all come from? There's enough here to feed an army!”
“Edgar has his ways,” Nixon said with a sigh, watching as Jacob brought more plates through. “It's not the how that concerns me, though. It's the why. Edgar's grand masked balls are one thing, but his feasts are another. This is a bad, bad sign.”
“A bad sign of what?”
“No idea, but mark my words. No good will come of this.”
“Dinner is at eight,” Jacob told them, with a hint of concern in his eyes. “His Lordship has requested formal attire from all guests.”
“Formal attire?” Kate replied.
“He had me arrange some dresses for you,” Jacob continued. “They're waiting in your room, M'am, for you to choose one. He said you would find them to be a perfect fit.”
“I bet he did,” she muttered, as Jacob headed back to the kitchen.
“He's brooding,” Nixon said after a moment. “Edgar always holds a feast when he's brooding. He's got some kind of bit between his teeth and now he's determined to get everyone all dressed up. Damn it, that man is completely out of control.”
“So he's going to have all those masked guests turn up again?” Kate asked, turning to him. “They always give me the chills. I mean, they're all dead, aren't they? They're just dead souls he's collected over the years.”
“They most certainly are,” Nixon replied, “but... No, they won't be here tonight. This will be even worse.” He swallowed hard, as if he was genuinely dreading something. “Kate, I'm afraid Edgar is planning a family meal. And if that's the case, then God help us all, because Le Compte family meals are usually a complete disaster.”
***
A short while later, once she reached her room, Kate saw three dresses laid out on the bed.
“Oh, Edgar,” she whispered, as she saw that all three were beautiful, each in their own right. One was bright red, another was dark blue, and the third was silver with threads of gold. Even before she picked the first up to take a look, she could tell that they were expensive, and that he'd gone to a great deal of trouble. Since money and even geography were no real barrier to his desires, Edgar had a tendency to go overboard whenever he got the chance, and she had no doubt that the three dresses were fit for royalty. In other words, she felt as if there was no way she could ever wear them.
Nearby, various items of jewelry had been laid out on the dressing table, along with a white box that had been topped by a large red bow. Heading over, she found a tag attached to the box, indicating that it was a gift. Taking a deep breath, she untied the bow and lifted the lid away,
“You're insane,” she muttered, “quite, quite -”
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Turning, she paused for a moment, running through the list of people who might have come to see her. Edgar was unlikely, Benjamin hadn't left Madeleine's side all day, and she'd been speaking to Nixon just a few minutes ago, while Jacob was busy in the kitchen, which left no-one else.
“Hello?” she asked finally.
As the door slowly creaked open, Kate was surprised to find that an old, hunched woman had arrived. Walking with the aid of a stick, and bent double as if her spine was unable to straighten, the woman smiled as she struggled forward, while letting out a series of pained, breathless gasps.
“Who are you?” Kate asked.
“His Lordship sent me to do your hair and make-up for tonight,” the woman replied, setting a small basket down. “He told me to make a special effort. No expenses spared, no short-cuts, just the absolute best work I can manage. I told him I'd see what I can do.”
“But... Are you from the town?”
“Me? Lord, no.”
“Then -”
“It's me,” she continued.
Kate stared at her.
“Grethe,” the woman added.
“I...” Pausing, Kate felt as if the woman expected her to already know her name.
“You haven't noticed me around?” Grethe asked. “Seriously? Granted, you and I have never actually spoken to one another, but we've passed in the corridors a few times.”
“I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed that,” Kate replied.
“It's fine,” the old woman continued, “I'm used to not being noticed. That's what happens around a place like this when you're not important. You tend to fade into the background.”
“I really don't think I could have just not noticed you at all,” Kate told her.
“Never mind,” the woman continued, reaching out a bony, swollen hand, and smiling to reveal a set of rotten teeth. “It's not often that His Lordship lets me come up from the basement. He must be very keen for you to look the part tonight. Even Lady Estella didn't get the benefit of my work very often.”
“The part?” Kate replied, wincing a little as she shook the old woman's hand and felt a series of rough, callous-like patches. “What part?”
“Let's get started,” Grethe continued. “We'll do your hair first. Have you chosen a dress yet?”
***
“This is the wrong wine,” Edgar snapped, thrusting the bottle back into Jacob's hands so fast that the old man almost dropped everything. “I told you to bring up the reserve from the casket at the back, not the one by the door.”
“I'm sorry, Sir,
” Jacob replied, “I'll go and -”
“These are the wrong glasses, too,” Edgar continued, “and you've set one place too many. The Graves woman won't be with us, remember. She's gone now. Can't you get anything right?”
“I'll see it it at once,” Jacob said, turning and heading to the door.
“And Jacob -”
The old man turned, clearly worried about the next complaint. There was a hint of fear in his eyes, almost as if he expected to be punished.
Edgar paused for a moment. “I'm sorry,” he said finally. “For my tone, I mean.”
“You're...” Jacob frowned. “I... I apologize, Sir, I think I misheard you just now.”
“I'm simply told you that I'm sorry,” Edgar said again. “I know you do your best.”
“Well...” Another pause, as if Jacob couldn't quite fathom what was happening. “I shall fetch the correct wine, Sir,” he added finally, before turning and hurrying to the door. At the last moment, he glanced back and watched for a moment as Edgar made his way to the head of the table. Realizing that his master had never before apologized to him for anything, Jacob turned and headed back to the cellar, shaking his head as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened.
Stopping for a moment, Edgar seemed lost in thought. He looked back along the table, trying to work out why he felt so uncomfortable, before realizing that the problem was the spare place that had been set for Estella. Although he hated to even think of her, he had to admit that he'd become accustomed to having Estella around, although he felt quite certain that banishing her from the house had been the right decision. Hearing footsteps nearby, he turned and saw Kate entering the room.
He froze for a moment, and all thoughts of Estella faded from his thoughts.
Having chosen the dark blue dress, Kate had reluctantly allowed Grethe to work on her hair and make-up. The result was astonishing, and in just a few minutes the old woman had performed just a few simple touches that had made Kate look and feel, for the first time in her life, as if maybe she could actually attend such a feast without feeling cripplingly out of place. She'd been reluctant to wear the clothes Edgar had set out for her, but now she actually felt comfortable.
