After dinner, once Ceylona was asleep, I went back downstairs to look for Crystal to return her phone. I found her and Angelica together in one of the sitting rooms.
‘Crystal, here you are. I just wanted to return your phone. I’m sorry to interrupt.’
‘Don’t be silly, you’re not interrupting anything,’ she said, smiling as I walked up.
As I handed her the phone, I caught the look on Angelica’s face, and could have sworn her eyes narrowed slightly just before the beautiful smile touched her lips. I suddenly felt very relieved that I’d thought to clear the call history on Crystal’s phone before returning it.
‘I assume you didn’t have any trouble with it. Were you able to make all the calls you needed to?’
‘Yes, thanks. And mine’s been plugged in all day so the battery should be fully charged. Dumb of me to let it die like that.’
‘Think nothing of it,’ said Crystal, still smiling sweetly.
‘And so, Lili,’ said Angelica, in an overly sweet voice that sounded far from sincere, ‘how are you coping now that Jenny is gone? She was good company for you, was she not? I mean, being human like you.’
‘Yes, she was good company. But actually I think my being here made the whole experience less frightening for her—so it was more for her benefit than mine that I spent time with her.’
‘I see, well, that was very kind of you,’ she replied, and although I could have sworn I’d caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice, her face gave nothing away as she smiled sweetly.
Crystal raised a brow as she looked at Angelica, so perhaps she’d heard something too, but she didn’t comment. Then Crystal turned to me, ‘Well, I was just saying to Angelica what a nice little break this has been, our coming here. It was just so wonderful to see Ceylona again, and you know how much I love spending time here with Mladen and the others. It’s been rather stressful at home, what with everyone being on high alert all the time. Although when I spoke to Michael yesterday, he said things had been a little quieter this past week. Maybe we’ve turned the corner. Maybe you’ve chosen a good time to come home after all.’
I felt a warmth go through me when Crystal said those words, about me coming ‘home’. Melbourne was my home, and I was so looking forward to building a new home for Sam and myself. A fresh start, in a new home; it was exciting to think of it and I couldn’t help but smile.
‘I hope so, Crystal. But regardless, I won’t be leaving again. I’ve missed Sam so much, I can’t wait to go home and pick up where we left off.’
Crystal gave me a warm smile, and I could tell she was genuinely happy for me. The look on Angelica’s face was not so easy to read, however.
‘Yes, of course you will—pick up where you left off. That’s marvellous. So, when will you leave? Ceylona seems very settled … I think she’ll do very well here. Wouldn’t you agree?’ Crystal asked.
‘Debs arrives tomorrow, to stay for a week, so I thought we would stay, relax, spend some time with Ceylona and the boys, then leave together at the end of the week. Ceylona does seem quite settled, so I must admit the extra week is probably more for my benefit than hers. But she’ll be all grown up in no time—I want to enjoy this time while I can.’
‘Yes, I believe you’re right; her youth won’t last much longer. I can see changes in her every day now,’ Crystal replied. ‘But I’m afraid Angelica and I will miss Debs altogether—we head back to Melbourne tomorrow. It will be a bit like two ships passing in the night, I daresay. But perhaps we’ll catch up for a coffee or something, when we’re all back in Melbourne.’
‘Oh, well yes, that’d be great. I’m sure Debs would like that. She was looking forward to catching up and reminiscing. Anyway, I’ll let her explain when we catch up.’
Crystal looked at me quizzically, but then just smiled.
‘Well, I’ll let you get back to your conversation. Will I see you in the morning, before you go?’ I asked.
‘Oh, I don’t think so. Our flight is quiet early, so I suspect we’ll leave here well before you’re up. So, I’ll say farewell now, and look forward to seeing you in a week’s time.’
She stepped forward, and gave me a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek.
‘Take care of yourself, Lili, and do enjoy your last week here with Ceylona. You’re right—she’ll be grown up before you know it.’
I smiled at Angelica and said, ‘It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Angelica. No doubt we will see each other soon.’
‘Yes, of course, but the pleasure has been all mine,’ she said with what looked to be a genuine smile on her face.
She confused me, to put it mildly. Narrowed eyes and sarcasm one moment then warm smiles the next. Odd. But she was truly beautiful, and when she smiled, it made her even more so. I was glad they were leaving tomorrow—the sooner she was away from Ben, the better.
I turned, and left them and went up to the room to check on Ceylona. As I tiptoed in, I could see that she was fast asleep; she didn’t even stir.
It wasn’t late but I was exhausted. I put it down to all the worrying I’d done about ringing Sam. I got changed for bed, and thought I might read for a little while, but I couldn’t concentrate on the words—all I could think about was Sam. I replayed our conversation over and over, feeling all warm and fuzzy every time I got to the part where he’d said that he still loved me. Sam loved me. That was all that mattered now. Ceylona would be fine here. And I would go home to my husband. Everything was going to turn out as it should, like Crystal had said. How could I have ever doubted it?
~ Chapter Ten ~
Crystal and Angelica were long gone by the time I ventured downstairs for breakfast. Ben and Henry had finished eating, but were still sitting at the table, waiting for Ceylona. She finished a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice under protest and then dashed out the back with her older brothers, barely able to contain her excitement. She was getting her dogs today.
After the three of them had disappeared out the door, Mladen joined me for a coffee. It was unusual for us to be alone together for any length of time, and he seemed almost as uneasy as I felt.
‘And what time will your Aunt Debra arrive, Lili?’ he asked, as he sat down across from me at the large table.
‘Her flight arrives around mid-day, but by the time she organises a car and drives out here, I suspect it will be sometime after three.’
‘Yes, I see. I am looking forward to meeting her—this grand-daughter of my dear friend.’
‘She’s pretty excited about meeting you too. She’s dying to hear anything about Francis that you can tell her. And so am I. She saw him once, had I told you that?’
‘No, you hadn’t. What was the occasion?’
‘It was when her grandmother was dying, at the hospital. She didn’t actually know who he was at the time. It was many years later that her mother finally told her about Francis and Caroline.’
‘I see. Well, her mother no doubt felt it was easier not to speak of it.’
‘Yeah, I suppose so. And did you know that this was possible, Mladen … I mean, does this happen often? You know … relations … between a dhampir and a human woman … and offspring?’
‘Yes, I knew it was possible, but I daresay it doesn’t happen often. We discourage fraternisation, if you like, between ourselves and humans. It poses … problems … when an immortal falls in love with a mortal.’
‘That’s for sure,’ I said, with a dry laugh.
‘Yes, I’m sure you understand, my dear. Unfortunately, love does not always obey the rules,’ he said, with such sadness in his tone that I wondered if he was speaking from experience.
We both took sips of our coffee, and then just sat quietly for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and low.
‘Most people would never know if they were related to a dhampir. As you know, our kind live very private lives, and we do not take many humans into our confidence. But when you hear of a human living well beyond what would be considered a normal
age, they could well be a descendant of a dhampir.’
‘Mladen, do you think I might … you know, live extra-long too?’
‘It is certainly possible; you are exceptionally healthy in any case, what with all the running you do,’ he answered, a slight smile just touching his lips.
‘Oh, yeah sure. But I meant being a great-granddaughter of a dhampir.’
‘Yes, I knew what you meant—but only time will tell.’
There was a tap on the door, and one of the teachers came in and whispered something in Mladen’s ear. He nodded, and the teacher left the room.
‘I’m afraid I must go. Will I see you at lunch? I suspect the conversation at the table will be all about dogs … as you will recall, I promised Ceylona we would go to the shelter this afternoon.’
‘Yes, I’ll see you then,’ I laughed, as Mladen stood to leave the room.
Just as he reached the door, he stopped and turned around. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then he frowned and seemed to change his mind. Instead he simply shook his head and mumbled what sounded like, ‘Oh, never mind,’ then he turned and left the room.
~~***~~
Mladen had been right about lunch. Ceylona was so excited she could barely eat, and all she could do was talk about possible names for the dogs. In the end, I convinced her to wait until she selected them, suggesting they might already have names and she might like to leave them as they are. She agreed that this was a good idea, so her chatter changed to how she hoped they had big Labradors just like Ted and Alice.
When it was time for Mladen and Ceylona to leave, I walked with them to the door. But instead of Mladen’s large sedan out the front, there was an old farm truck. I hadn’t even realised Mladen had a truck. Mladen saw the look on my face, and mentioned that Ben and Henry had found it out in a shed and had started working on it, and now it was running perfectly. It would work a trick for getting the dogs as there was room in the back for the kennels. Staring at the old truck, I felt a rush of pride—my boys, mechanics. That would surely help to keep them occupied over the years.
Ben and Henry had followed us out, and asked Mladen if they could take his car and go into Northam to see a movie.
With all of them gone, I had a couple of hours to myself before Debs would arrive, so I tiptoed up into Mark’s room where he was sleeping soundly. He was still so small, and had that wonderful baby smell about him. As I stood over his cot, careful not to make a sound, I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if it might be my destiny to have many more babies; more dhampirs, or even perhaps dhampiras?
I must have made some sound, as Mark opened his eyes and yawned, then flashed me a gorgeous smile. He raised his little arms up toward me, and blinked his big brown eyes. I took this to mean he wanted a cuddle, so I lifted him out of his cot, and held him close to me as I walked around his room, humming a little tune that just popped into my mind. He seemed to like it as he cooed and giggled and reached up with his tiny little hand to touch my mouth.
We kept this up for several minutes, but then I noticed that one of the teachers was standing in the doorway, waiting patiently. Embarrassed at getting caught, I apologised as I handed Mark over to the teacher.
‘It’s no problem, really. You can visit with Mark anytime you like. I didn’t mean to startle you; it was just such a pleasure to watch you with him, that’s all.’
‘Oh, well, I’m sure he needs to be fed or something,’ I mumbled, as I excused myself. It was silly, but I really did feel like I’d been caught doing something wrong. But it wasn’t because I’d been cuddling Mark that I felt so embarrassed. It was because I’d been caught thinking about making future babies; with Sam.
As I made my way downstairs and out the front door into the fresh air, I started humming again. I couldn’t quite place the melody at first, but then it hit me. I was humming the tune that Elizabeth often hummed. Elizabeth. I hadn’t thought about her for ages, but I’d see her soon. And everything was going to go back to how it was, and be just perfect.
~~***~~
Debs arrived in the early afternoon, pulling up at the gates in a big white car. I’d been watching for her, so I dashed to open the gates as soon as I saw the car pull up. She drove through and stopped the car to wait for me, indicating she’d give me a lift back to the front.
‘Where should I park this monster?’ she asked, as soon as I sat down.
‘Oh, just to the right of the main building, there’s a small visitor parking lot. Just there, do you see it?’
‘Yes, thanks. So, how are you? You look … hmmm, how can I put it, healthy?’
‘Uh, thanks, I guess. You look lovely yourself, as always.’
‘Thank you. I do try, you know, which is more than I can say for some people. So, I was thinking that since I’m here for a whole week, we might take a trip into Perth one day—stay the night. We could do some shopping, and have a bit of a make-over. How does that sound?’
‘A make-over? You mean for me, obviously.’
‘Yes, well, Sam hasn’t seen you for … has it been nearly three years? You’ll want to make a good impression. I’m thinking we’ll get your hair cut, maybe even have your eyebrows shaped. You’re a beautiful girl, Lili, but even the beautiful ones can do with a little help from time to time. When’s the last time you had your hair cut, anyway?’
Typical Debs; she barely even took a breath between sentences. So, she thought I needed to spruce myself up before seeing Sam. Well, maybe she was right.
‘Hmmm… haircut. Well, to be honest, I don’t recall. So I’d say it’s been a while.’
‘My point exactly. So, day after tomorrow, Perth it is. Okay?’
‘Sure, why not. But I won’t let them do anything more than a trim; you know that, don’t you?’
‘Yes, Lili, I know. So … where’s this little girl of yours? I expected her to be here with you, to greet me.’
‘Oh, Mladen has taken her to town. She’s getting dogs today. Sorry, it’s not that she isn’t excited about seeing you; it’s just … well… I’ve told you how she is with dogs haven’t I?’
Debs laughed, and then just shook her head.
She parked the car and I grabbed her suitcase out of the back and showed her inside to the room that had been made up for her. I left her to unpack and freshen up, while I went down and made some afternoon tea.
Twenty minutes later, she came downstairs and we sat at the dining room table to have tea and scones. I didn’t make the scones, of course, but I put them out with jam and cream, and a pot of fresh coffee for Debs.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and we were just contemplating going for a walk around the grounds when we heard a car pull up out front. Could Mladen and Ceylona be back already? Or were Ben and Henry home from their movie? I looked up to see Sebastian heading to the door, so I just watched to see who would come in. But well before I could see anything I heard her. The sound of excited laughter came through the open door first, followed by Ceylona, who in the space of a matter of weeks seemed to have already aged at least a year.
‘Mommy, Mommy!! Come quickly. You have to meet Jackie and Zane! Mommy? Mommy, can you hear me?’
I laughed and went to the door of the dining room, and called out to her, ‘Ceylona, yes, we can hear you. Your Aunty Debs is here. Come say hello.’
She ran in the direction of my voice, and stood in the doorway and smiled at Debs and said a polite hello, but then grabbed my hand and started tugging me toward the front door.
‘You must come see them, Mommy—Jackie and Zane,’ she pleaded.
‘Okay, okay. We’ll both come. Debs? Have you finished?’
‘I suppose I have,’ she laughed, standing up from the table.
Ceylona kept tugging at my hand, so I turned and called to Debs to follow us, and let my daughter drag me out the front door. Mladen stood beside the truck, holding the leashes of two very well behaved dogs that sat beside him.
‘This is Jackie,’ said Ceylona as she threw her arms a
round the neck of the slightly smaller dog—a jet black dog that was somewhat smaller than a Labrador, but appeared to be fully grown. ‘And this is Zane,’ she said as she turned and put her arms around the neck of the second dog. This one was slightly taller than the other, and was a deep reddish-brown, with tan highlights—similar to a red Doberman, but slightly longer hair and perhaps not as big.
‘Ceylona, they are lovely. What breed are they, do you know?’
‘Kelpies, of course’ she replied excitedly.
I looked at Mladen and he nodded.
‘Well, they certainly look like lovely dogs, Ceylona. You’ve chosen well.’
‘They chose me, Mommy. When I got there, the two of them were standing together and they looked at me and I knew it had to be them.’
I looked up at Mladen and smiled, then said, ‘Oh, how rude of me. Mladen, this is my aunt, Debra. Debs, this is Mladen.’
Debs smiled and stepped forward to shake Mladen’s hand, then realised he was still holding the dog leashes. She sort of clapped her hands together and chuckled, saying, ‘Mladen, it is such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve been so looking forward to this visit. Oh, and please, just call me Debs.’
Mladen handed the leashes to Ceylona, and smiled at Debs as he reached out to shake her hand, gently placing his left hand over the top or hers and holding it there for a moment as he stared deeply into her eyes.
‘The pleasure is all mine. To meet a relation of my dear friend Francis … well, I must say this is a pleasure I had not expected, but one that I certainly cherish.’
Debs blushed slightly at this attention and seemed to be, for the first time since I’d known her, at a loss for words.
‘I can see him in you, you know,’ Mladen continued, ‘you have his eyes, and his colouring. And although I must admit I’d never really stopped to think about it before, I suppose he was a handsome man, and that has carried through to you as well.’
Deception (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 3) Page 8
