“Oh, but she will be back before the wedding, right?”
“Oh yes, definitely. Way before the wedding.”
What am I saying?
“ Alright then, about tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? What?”
“You’re meeting Claire and I in Baton Rouge, Silly. We’re shopping for wedding supplies. Remember?”
“Sure, I’ll be there,” I said, thankful that she didn’t ask any more questions about my mother. “I could use a little normalcy.”
She laughed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh,” I brushed my hair back nervously over my shoulders. “I don’t know why I said that. Don’t pay any attention to me. I‘ve just had a crazy few months, that’s all.”
“I know.”
“Really?”
“Well yes, geez, Alixia. I’ve tried to get hold of you several times but they said you were either out, or on a trip somewhere. I remember I even called over Mardi Gras and they said you were ill.”
“Oh, yeah.”
I can’t believe they said I was sick. Think fast.
“It was a touch of flu. I wasn’t feeling good at all.”
”Well, you missed a great party.”
“Yes , the Mardi Gras Ball. Tell me all about it.”
She smiled.
I listened as she enthused about everything that had happened at the Ball – the dresses, the dinner, dancing and even down to her and Claire getting a little tipsy with their first tastes of champagne. That part made me laugh aloud, to hear how crazy they got.
“You really went skinny dipping?”
“Sure did!” She put her finger to her lips, hushing me and looking toward the door. Anna walked in with refreshments. She put them on the coffee table.
“Thanks, Anna.”
“Pastries! Yummy,” Libby said. “I’ll just have one though, as I’m watching my figure for the wedding.”
She took a bite.
“These are so good, Anna.”
“Thank you, Miss Libby.”
“So, Libby,” I said when she left. “Are Claire and Robert getting to be an item?”
She swallowed her bite and licked her lips delicately.
“I think so. Besides the Ball, they have been seeing each other off and on. But with him being in that boot camp, it’s been a little harder for them to get together. They write back and forth and call each other all the time. So, I’ll be surprised if there’s not another wedding.”
“But is she still going to go up north to college?”
“No, now she has decided to go to school here. In fact, she got a job at the grocery store here in town as a cashier.“
“That’s great. We’ll all be together again. I’ll be here for the summer and…”
She jumped up excitingly, wrapping her arms around me.
“Oh, Alixia, you’re moving back?”
“Yes,” I said, gasping for breath as I told yet another lie. “I decided that, since my mother’s gone, I’d be more comfortable here at home.”
She let go of me.
“Well, I’m ecstatic that we’re all together again. Wait until Claire hears!”
She went on for a half hour or so, planning every moment of our summer and, of course, her wedding. I was going to be involved in it, like it or not. In the midst of her monolog, I sensed Phillip.
Alixia, I need to talk to you.
Where are you?
In the garden.
I can’t talk now. I have company.
I know, get rid of her.
I’m not doing that! Geez, she just got here.
Alixia…!
I blocked him.
“So, Libby,” I said. “What flowers did you pick out for the wedding?”
“Oh, red roses, with baby’s breath for the garnish, and for my bouquet…”
“Alixia!”
Phillip barged in. I sensed his annoyance.
Phillip, be nice!
I’m always nice.
“Libby, you remember Phillip, don’t you?”
She put her glass of tea down.
”Oh, yes. Hello, Phillip.”
“It’s nice to see you again, Libby.”
He took her hand and she stared at him, mesmerized. I watched her cheeks go pink, and I smiled to myself.
She’s still captivated by him, as she was at her engagement party.
“Libby, are you okay?” I asked, amused to see her face redden even more.
“Oh, it’s just a little warm in here.” She took a sip of her tea and looked at me with that oh-my-god look.
“So, Phillip, what bring you all the way out here?”
He sat down, eyeing Libby.
“Oh, there’s some family business that we need to go over urgently.”
Libby jumped to her feet.
“You know what, why don’t I leave you two alone?”
“No,” I interrupted. “You don’t have to do that, Libby. Whatever Phillip has to say can wait. Right, Phillip?”
“Sure, I don’t want to chase you away.”
“No, that’s okay,” she said, moving toward the door. “We’ll see each other tomorrow, Alixia .”
“Okay, but let me walk out with you.”
“It was nice seeing you again, Phillip.”
He stood up.
“It was nice seeing you again too, Libby.”
Walking her to the car, we made plans to meet for lunch and, of course, shopping. I stood there watching her drive down the road.
You can come out. She’s gone.
Irritated, he walked down the steps.
“I thought she’d never leave.”
“Well, you didn’t have to chase her off.”
“Hey, I didn’t. I can’t help if she gets all flustered around me.” He smirked.
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
I took his hand and we went toward the orchard.
“So, what did you find out?”
“Well, the first thing I found out is that you really ticked off Angel.”
“I don’t care.”
“I’m just saying that maybe you should try to make some kind of effort to patch things up with her.”
“We’ll see.” I stopped and looked up into the trees, enjoying the pink blossoms. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the sweet smells all around me. Closing my eyes, I remembered the peacefulness I had always enjoyed out here when I was a little girl.
“Alixia,” he said as he took my arm.
“Yes?”
“First, where is Marcus?”
“Why do you want to know that?”
“I need to know if you are keeping him safe?”
“No. In fact, I don’t know where he is.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I was never told where they were going.”
I jumped into his head, wondering what was going on.
“Alixia, get out of my thoughts!”
“Fine! Then tell me why you want to know where he is.”
“He does have his own Family, and if you’re hiding him, he has put you in danger.”
“Marcus would never do that.”
“I hope not, because both realms are looking for him now.”
“What do you mean, both realms? Marcel can’t be involved. Marcus was gived the choice, so he can’t touch him.”
“This has nothing to with him being given the choice. The Dominions ordered it, and if Marcel chooses to go after him, they won’t stop him. Marcus sealed his own death when he went against the Families, bringing in a new Family to change the order of things. I can’t help you anymore. You have to let Marcus know that both realms will come for him now.”
“First, the Ambrosines and now Marcel! No, I’m not going to let this happen. I need to find Marguerite. She will help us. ”
I headed for the house.
How can Marcel go after him?
“Alixia, you knew this would happen. And as for Marguerite, Angel was righ
t. She didn’t have a say. They went against her and voted to destroy him, and now she has disappeared. Nobody has seen her since the vote.”
“She disappeared?“ I turned around to face him. ”Why would she do that? They didn’t…”
“No, that would be unacceptable. The Families would never hurt her. The Pure Ones die a natural death, as the Outsiders do. They are our overseers. They were around long before the Change happened, and nobody goes against them. They practice powerful magic and if anyone did, it would be an ill-fated move.”
I closed my eyes.
Where is she then?
“So, nobody’s heard from her at all?”
“Not at all, why?’
“Then she has to be with them.”
“Them?”
“ Yes, Marcus and the others. She promised to help them.” He stared at me as if I had lost my mind.
“How can she help?”
“I don’t know, but she will.”
“Alixia, you’re not making sense. What’s going on?”
“I’m not exactly sure either. I have to talk to Marguerite.”
“Be careful, it could be a trick!”
“It’s not. She wants to protect them, I know that.”
“I don’t know how you can trust any of them.”
It’s a lot easier than trusting you right now.
“Alixia,” he looked at me disappointedly. “You don’t trust me?”
“Phillip, stay out of my thoughts!”
“Hey,” he put up his hands. “Don’t get defensive. You do that to me without permission all the time. Anyway, stop avoiding the question and answer it. Do you trust me?”
“Yes, I trust you with my life. But not with Marcus’s life.”
He mumbled under his breath.
“Phillip, I heard that. I’m not leaving Marcus.”
“You have no idea what you started here, defying everyone for him.”
“I don’t care, after learning how my father died.“
He grimaced.
“That’s another reason why I am here. Dominions are coming here to see you. They’re getting tired of your defiance. You need to go to Madame Cecilia’s.”
“I’m not going back there.”
“Alixia…”
“There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. I will never forgive them for killing my Father!”
“It had to be done.”
“What?” I said furiously. “It had to be done! Don’t you dare justify what they did!”
“He threatened the Family and Uncle Charles told me…”
“Stop it!” I interrupted angrily. “I don’t want to hear any more of what your uncle has to say! I am going back to the house!”
“Great. You wanted the truth and now you don’t want to hear it.”
“Fine, then.” I glared at him.
“You go ahead and explain to me how they all thought they were warranted in killing my Father.”
He moved his hand through his hair nervously, and now there was a heavier tone to his voice.
“Okay, but listen to everything, please.”
“I said I would.”
“The year your father died…”
“You mean, the year he was killed?”
“Okay, killed. Can I continue?” I nodded.
“Thank you, this is what I was told. That year, your mother started having visions of the Change getting closer to you. She tried to make your father understand what was going to happen to you, and that you needed the Family’s protection now. He told her that he would never let them take you away from him. Angered, he went to see Madame Cecilia. He barged his way through the staff into her home, yelling ‘You will not take my daughter!’ She warned him not to interfere with your destiny, or he would lose more than you.”
“So, she’s the one who ordered my father’s death?”
“No, Alixia.” He moved toward me anxiously. “She didn’t. In fact, nobody was going to anything but send your father home that night, until he threatened to expose them all. That’s when she had him restrained until your mother arrived, to calm the situation.”
“Did she?”
“Not really. When she arrived, the Council members were all there. She was told that he had threatened the Family, and if she didn’t get control of him, the Dominions would take action. This would be her only warning. She went home with him that night, begging him not to go against the Families. But he didn’t care. He told her when he returned from his business trip at the end of that week that she had to make a choice, and of course she told him she would never leave the Family. That’s when your father sealed his own fate. He said he would take you far away from her, and if she tried to stop him he would unmask her whole Family for what they really were.”
I dropped to the ground, devastated. Philip sat beside me, saying softly: “Do you want to hear the rest?”
“Yes. I want to know it all.”
“After he left for that business trip, the Dominions met to debate his punishment. The Pure Ones were called in too, so that Marcel could help in the punishment. They decided to give your father a taste of real malevolence.”
I closed my eyes in disbelief.
“They used Marcel to get their revenge, and made my father suffer by becoming one of the Dark Ones before they destroyed him?”
He lowered his eyes, not wanting to look at me.
“Yes.”
I sat there covering my mouth, trying to hold back my screams.
“Alixia,” he asked, touching my hand. “Do you want to know anything else?”
“One thing. Was he in the coffin at his funeral?”
He picked up a twig and broke it in two.
“No.”
I got up, wiping the tears from my eyes.
“Phillip, I want you to take a message back to Madame Cecilia. Tell her I will meet with her, but it will be here in Baton Rouge.”
He stood up, taking me in his arms. I sensed his empathy for me as he kissed me tenderly.
“Yes, I’ll tell her.”
We stood there holding on to each other for a moment. The sensation of his body next to mine made me feel safe and protected.
“Phillip,” I said quietly. “I have one more question to ask you, and I want a honest answer.”
“What is it?”
”How long was he a Dark One until the Ambrosines destroyed him?”
His arms went around me and held on tighter.
“Until that night in the den, the one that you told me about.”
Justification
Her car was in our driveway.
She was sitting on the porch in one of the white wicker chairs, smiling and waving.
“Hello, girls.”
She kissed my cheek.
“How’s my favorite niece?” she asked, playing to the deception that she was my aunt.
“Aunt Cecilia, what a nice surprise. What brings you out here.” I already knew.
“I had some business in Baton Rouge, so I decided to come out here and check on you while your mother is away.”
“I’m doing fine, and Anna is here to watch over me, too.”
“Yes, I know,” she said with a slight smirk. “It’s always good to have somebody to watch over you, isn’t it?” She turned her attention to my friends.
“Libby and Claire, it’s nice to see you both again.”
“Hello, Madame Ambrosine,” they said simultaneously.
“Well, come on in girls,” she said opening the screen door for us. “Anna has made some refreshments for us.”
Claire went through the door first.
“I’m certainly up for Anna’s homemade pastries!”
I followed Libby as she reminded both us in a scolding tone not to overindulge because we had to fit into our dresses for her wedding. Claire scoffed at her silliness as she shoved the first pastry in her mouth.
We sat around visiting. Most of the conversation was about Libby’s wedding, which I didn’t
mind. It was a nice diversion from the conversation I would be having with Madame Cecilia later. They visited for an hour or so, and then decided that they had better get going. They were having dinner with Libby’s parents that evening. I walked them out.
“Don’t forget that we’re getting together this Saturday night,” Claire said.
“I won’t. Is Robert going to be able to join us? It would be nice to see him again. I’d like to ask him how Marcus is doing.”
She smiled teasingly.
“You still like Marcus?”
“Yeah, a little. (If she only knew!) Mostly, I just want to know how he’s doing.”
She got in the car and started it up.
“Robert has furlough this weekend, so he’ll probably come.” Libby leaned over, looking at me.
“I’ll ask Davis, too. Maybe you can ask Phillip?”
They both looked at me, salivating for my answer.
“I’ll ask him.”
“Good,” Libby said. “Saturday, then. And we’ll make a night of it. Dinner and dancing.”
“It sounds great. I can’t wait.”
I stepped away from the car as they waved goodbye and headed down the drive.
Yes, I can’t wait for Marcus to find out that I went on a date with Phillip. That should be interesting.
Madame Cecilia was waiting for me. She put her arm around me.
“Let’s talk in the living room,” I said.
“Fine.”
“How’s Millie? And the baby?”
“They’re good. Millie and Henry went back to the townhouse today.”
“They did? I’ll have to go see them.”
“Yes you should do that. Millie was upset about you leaving so abruptly.”
“Well, there was a reason for that.” I stopped at the doorway, letting her go in first.
“I know, Angel told me. But I’m not here to talk to you about that.”
She sat down in my mother’s chair.
“I’m here to talk about what Charles told you.”
“So, you’re here to tell me why you and my mother lied to me about my father’s death?”
A brief emotion flashed in her eyes. Discomfort?
“Yes, and I have no excuse for hiding it from you, either. We did what we had to do, to make sure you were brought forward into the Family. And if you need a reason as to why we didn’t tell you, it was simply because we wanted to protect you.”
The Legacy (Ambrosine Book 2) Page 10
