Hector perked up, rushed forward and scooped up the bag. “I’ll take it to her right away!” he told the shopkeeper and rocketed toward the door, Simon and Penny in tow. As he pushed his way out into the brilliant sunlight Penny stopped him.
“What are you doing?! She’s long gone!” she cried.
Hector flashed an exhilarated grin. “Get Humphrey, I’ve got a plan.”
Hector, Penny, and Simon left Silk and Spools in a mad rush, chasing Annette Deveaux’s gold and ivory carriage through the Business District to a part of Iverton Penny had never been to. Situated at the northern-most point of Iverton, between the Business and Royal districts, was a tiny suburb that appeared to house the richest, most posh citizens of Iverton. The houses were tall and skinny, each towering around four stories high, with crystal windows and well-tended foliage creeping up the pale blue, blossom pink, creamy yellow, or daisy white homes. Each house was ringed by a lovely garden, some with tiny wishing wells, gazebos, and trellises. Trees lined the immaculate sidewalks at exactly ten foot intervals, each the same height and pruned to perfection.
They watched from a distance as Annette’s carriage pulled up alongside one of the largest houses and over to a circular stone patio. The actress dismounted, her long blonde locks hiding her expression. Greeted by a short, bonnet-wearing maid, Annette collapsed against the girl’s shoulder as she was led indoors.
The manor was like a masterfully crafted, overgrown dollhouse: picturesque and charming up to the very last roof shingle. The garden boasted several flowering trees, marble fountains that whispered and bubbled in the tranquil atmosphere, and a deep pond with floating lotus plants. Penny, Hector and Simon approached the door with hesitation, Hector refusing to tell them his plan until they were mere footsteps away.
“Now, take this.” Hector shoved the shopping bag holding Annette’s things into Penny’s hands. “You pretend you merely followed after her to return it. Once you’ve got her alone, try and warn her, yes?”
Penny opened her mouth to refuse, but Hector was already yanking the rope that rang the doorbell. He rushed off with Simon, leaving Penny standing alone on the doorstep, feeling frantic.
“Come back! I don’t know what to say! Hey! You guys―” Penny hissed, stopping as the sounds of somebody fumbling with the door latch became audible. The door eased open a crack and an unfamiliar person leaned into view, looking tepid and raising a sculpted eyebrow.
There was a second’s worth of studying the stranger while Penny tried to figure out if a man or a woman stood before her. The individual’s body was built strong with broad shoulders, a thin waist, and skinny, flat hips. He was very tall; Penny guessed about six-foot-two. His face was beautifully proportioned and done up with lipstick and delicate hints of makeup around his gray eyes, which were shaped like Annette’s. He wore his ashy brown hair long and silky, secured with a lacy bow as it ended in an elegant wisp near the middle of his back. A pair of silver earrings dangled and flashed in the bright sunlight. He looked graceful in a long silk jacket set with lacy cuffs, myriad opulent jewels on his white fingers, and a fancy skirt; the picture of radiant, if not overdressed, beauty.
“Can I….help you?” he asked, looking Penny up and down, towering over her measly five feet and two odd inches.
She swallowed, not knowing what to say. She held the small shopping bag up like a shield between her and the tall man. “Um, um―I…” murmured Penny, and the man sighed and rolled his eyes.
“I don’t know how you found this house, but she is not giving autographs right now. Run along, now. Shoo.” The man waved his polished fingers as if to sweep Penny away as he began to close the door. Mustering her courage at last, she stuck her foot in the way. The man shot a ruffled glance back.
“Erm, sorry but…is there a blonde girl who lives here? I think she dropped this. I saw her shopping and she got into some sort of fight with this other woman, and she left this at the shop. I’d―” Penny’s stammering was cut off by the sound of another voice.
“Who’s there, Gavin?”
Gavin looked over his shoulder as Annette approached the door like a mouse poking its head out of a hiding place. Penny noted with a pang of sorrow that her eyes were red and she looked exhausted. Gavin made an effort to shut the door again, but Penny kept her face in view of the actress.
“Oh, it’s no one! Just a girl who’s found something of yours, don’t worry yourself. You shouldn’t―” Gavin said in a coddling tone, but Annette wasn’t listening. She moved past Gavin and took hold of the door herself, her blue eyes curious as they looked Penny over. Annette spied the bag that Penny clenched like a crucifix and gasped, putting her hands to her porcelain face.
“Oh, my goodness! I was so upset that I forgot this!” She removed the bag from Penny’s hands, gratitude in her eyes. Gavin looked down on the scene in vague concern. “You brought it back to me―how kind. What’s your name?”
“Um, it’s Penny Fairfax,” she answered, feeling entirely out of her element. Annette smiled, and Penny could not think of what else to say, so she burst out with the next thing that popped into her mind. “Wh-what’s yours?”
Gavin strangled back an incredulous laugh which he attempted to transform into an unconvincing cough.
Annette looked shocked, then smiled. “Just call me Annette,” she said with satisfaction.
Penny already regretted her words; there would be no hope of warning her now. The actress shared a meaningful look with Gavin before turning her attention back to Penny. “You’ve gone through so much trouble to bring me this, I must thank you! Please, would you like to come in and have some tea?”
“Nettie!” Gavin exclaimed, sounding scandalized. “You’ve got to get yourself cleaned up and start practicing for your show tomor―”
“Hush, Gavin!” she snapped. Gavin fell silent. Annette gave Penny an apologetic look. “Please excuse my cousin, he’s just a bit of a worrywart. Come in, come in!” She yanked Penny inside by the wrist and shut the door behind her. “Gavin, ask Auntie to make us some tea and snacks. Millie can bring it to us in the Sun Garden.”
“Nettie―is this really the best ide―”
“It’s my day off!” she said, her smile firm. He sighed and shuffled off down the hall.
Penny looked around, taking in the huge staircase that wound up three floors to a dizzying height. Rich wood, silk wall panels and original oil paintings decorated the halls. Expensive furniture dotted the room and the smell of jasmine hung on the air.
“You live here?” Penny asked Annette, breathless. “It’s beautiful!”
“I’m glad you like it,” Annette replied. She led Penny into the cavernous house, stopping only to hand off the shopping bag to Millie, the cheerful maid Penny had spotted outside earlier.
Annette led Penny through a few sitting rooms and down a long corridor lined with frosted lamps to a hexagonal greenhouse, with a roof and walls made of glass panels and crowded with a veritable forest of house plants. The room was warm and so filled with flora it felt alive, almost as if it were growing and breathing around them.
Annette led Penny over to a garden table and chairs. The sense of being inside a very large dollhouse grew more intense as Penny sat down across from Annette at the table. Delicate white lilies grew nearby and the noise of running water splashed, creating a tranquil ambience. Penny tried to peer out of the windows and see if Hector and Simon were watching her.
“This is the Sun Garden,” Annette explained with pride. “It’s a product of my own design…I hope you find it to your liking.”
Penny grasped at a conversation topic, feeling more than a little awkward. “Is this your aunt’s house?”
Annette looked shocked for the second time and giggled, the sound tinkling like silver. “No, no! This is my house, Gavin and his mother live here to keep me company, that’s all―it wouldn’t do at all to live here all alone. My parents and sisters are out traveling as usual, so it can get a bit lonely.”
“
You bought this house all on your own? That’s amazing!”
Annette leaned on her thin white wrist, studying Penny. The silence stretched on for a little longer than Penny liked and she averted her gaze, embarrassed.
“You’ve really never heard of me, have you?” Annette prodded in a contemplative, yet pleased tone. It struck Penny as odd that the actress seemed happy about being unknown, but she could only shake her head.
Millie bustled in, pushing a cart laden with a collection of treats and a dainty tea set. She set the steaming tea pot between them, adding two splendid teacups and saucers, followed by sugar, cream, and a silver spoon each. Penny’s mouth watered when Millie set up a tiered arrangement of delectable-looking food: tiny tea sandwiches of every variety, crumbly scones, miniature tarts overflowing with sun-ripe berries that sparkled in a sugary glaze, tiny cakes frosted in springtime colors with spun-sugar flowers decorating the tops, and powdered cookies, glistening with jam. Annette clapped her hands together.
“Ooh, Auntie has outdone herself! Wonderful! Please, don’t be shy, Penny, have as much as you like!” Annette coaxed as Millie poured a cup of tea for each of them before disappearing back into the hall.
Surprised by Annette’s amiability, Penny found she was quite enjoying their time together. Each dessert was its own sensory experience and Penny felt almost sad as she took the last few bites of tart, knowing it might be a long time before she got to taste anything half as wonderful again. She wished that Hector could have tasted them, knowing how much he loved sweets.
Penny inquired about the different plants in the Sun Garden, surprised to discover that gardening, embroidery, and sewing were just a few of Annette’s many beloved pastimes. She seemed happy to discuss her hobbies and interests with Penny, but avoided more personal and direct questions with surprising tact.
Her open nature confused Penny at first, until it dawned on her that everyone in Iverton must know everything about Annette, and it had probably been a long time since Annette had been able to share herself as a person and not a celebrity. Penny listened intently, genuinely interested in what Annette had to say despite the alarm building in her chest. The whole ordeal was very much like the kind of dream she wished she would never wake from.
Annette’s stream of conversation halted. “My goodness, listen to me! I’ve gone on and on, how rude of me. Please, tell me a bit about yourself. I’m guessing you’re not from around here?” Annette prompted, her eyes sparkling.
Penny scratched at the back of her head, trying to think of ways to lie as little as possible. “That’s true, I came from Oreg…a very distant place and I’m here visiting with my two friends, but other than that I’m really not very interesting,” she told Annette, offering a mental apology for her plainness. It was becoming harder to deceive Annette. Penny liked her. She did not know what she had expected the actress to be like in person, but this certainly wasn’t it. It was almost impossible to imagine why anyone would want Annette to suffer.
“I’m sorry, what was it that you said you did? I must’ve missed it,” Penny said, congratulating herself for sounding so convincing.
Annette’s expression dampened. “I was afraid you’d ask that,” she said in a small voice, her gaze moving from the tea set to the lilies that surrounded them. “In truth, I’m an actress and a singer. Actually, it might sound bad―but half the reason I invited you in here was because you don’t know who I am. You don’t know how tiresome it can get…being stopped on the street all the time, keeping up an image, entertaining everyone all the time, not knowing who wants to be my friend just because I’m famous…”
Penny did her best to look shocked as Annette’s head drooped, a bittersweet smile on the actress’s face. A rush of emotion hit her knowing that her assumptions about Annette’s loneliness had been quite correct, and the spike of guilt buried itself deeper in her chest.
“Just now, in the store―I mean, where you dropped your things,” Penny began, having every intention to tell the truth, but Annette interrupted, pouting.
“So you saw that, huh? That was Valentine Frost,” she scowled, an undercurrent of deep anger in her voice. “She―”
“She’s awful,” Penny said at once, losing her courage to tell Annette what she needed to. Annette flashed a mischievous grin.
“She is awful, isn’t she? Just a bitter, old has-been with an inflated ego,” Annette snickered, then added, “Oh, would you like to see to the rest of the house?”
Against her better judgment Penny nodded and Annette led her back down the hall, opening doors and showing off a few guest rooms that would have sufficed as master bedrooms most anywhere in Penny’s hometown. Annette showed her a few sitting rooms, telling Penny amusing stories of incidences that had occurred in each one of them as if they were old friends. They explored the kitchens, which were well-equipped and large enough to supply food for a restaurant.
“Auntie spends a lot of time in here―she loves to cook,” Annette said, skipping around the stove. “Come on, let’s go see the dining room. The king even came to eat here one time!”
Annette swept her through the rest of the three-story house, and after some careful consideration invited Penny to see her bedroom. With light footsteps, Penny entered Annette’s private sanctum, wondering how many people in Iverton would give everything just to be in her place right now.
A huge closet set against the back wall overflowed with dresses, each of them designed with lace, ruffles, bows, and charming prints. Annette’s four-poster bed was carved of white wood and draped in sheer pink curtains, an assortment of stuffed animals and pillows spilling over the sides and onto the floor. Toys and sparkling trinkets lay all over the room, some cluttered on a regal-looking desk, and the vanity was so covered with makeup products Penny couldn’t see the surface. A jar of tiny translucent stones cut into the shape of stars sat on the center of the desk beside a hand-painted music box, a miniature carousel, and a collection of fancy dolls.
“Come see the view!” Annette rushed over to her curtain-framed window and looked out at Iverton stretching before them. Penny joined her at the window and smiled as Annette looked at her. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
Penny laughed, feeling self-conscious. “No…not really. Truth be told, I don’t have many friends,” Penny admitted.
Annette gave her an understanding smile, which said more than any verbal sentiment could have communicated. Gavin called for Annette then, and they left Annette’s sanctum to see what he wanted.
Entering a chamber on the floor below, Penny was once again dumbfounded. Wide, tall windows lined the back wall, offering another panoramic view of the city. In the center of the room was a large instrument that bore a striking resemblance to a piano, made of the same white and gold carvings that seemed to be a central theme in the house. Several other musical instruments, some stringed and some made of bronzy metals, were displayed on their respective stands. Bookshelves packed top to bottom with musical scores and compositions were pushed up against the walls. Gavin was digging around in one of them, searching for a score that Annette helped him find in under a minute.
“This room―it’s amazing,” Penny choked, stepping up to the keyed instrument in the center and trying a few of the keys, enjoying the sound that filled the air as she did. “Can you play all these instruments?”
“Oh, no! I can sing, but I’m miserable when it comes to these things. Gavin’s the real genius between us,” Annette laughed, her china blue eyes filled with affection for her cousin. He smiled at her compliment and tossed his wispy hair.
“Go on, Gavin dear, play something for her,” Annette urged.
Gavin sighed, a light smile still playing on his lips. “Well, if you insist,” he conceded, sliding down onto the bench. His strong, wide hands positioned themselves expertly above the keys.
Everything was quiet for a split second before Gavin’s fingers came to life over the keys, filling the room with an exquisite song. Annette had not been flatter
ing him when she called him a genius; he played the complex, romping melody with confident ease. The music swelled and spun over their heads, and Penny’s heart danced. When Annette’s voice sang out clear and pure, Penny closed her eyes and let the music envelope her.
Annette and Gavin were perfectly in time and tune with one another, working together as if they could read each other’s minds. Annette was everything Penny had always wanted to be, and seeing her stand so carefree and perfect made Penny realize how mismatched she felt in their world. The guilt at having not conveyed her warning to Annette deepened with a painful ache. When the song was over, Penny erupted into excited applause. Annette laughed and Gavin took a sweeping bow.
“That was wonderful!” Penny exclaimed.
“Well, thank you. All credit to Gavin, though―I’d be nothing without him. He taught me everything I know.”
Gavin smiled and excused himself. Penny’s stomach squirmed. It was past time to explain.
“Annette,” she started, feeling her voice tremble, “Listen, it’s been really fun visiting with you today. I feel so honored to have met you―”
“I know, I’m so glad we met! Maybe―maybe you could visit me again? I wish I could come out and meet you and your friends somewhere, but…you know…”
“I’d―I’d really like that, but—I feel terrible…I’ve been meaning to tell you something―” Penny stammered, feeling her voice crash into a diminuendo.
Annette picked up on her remorseful nature and drew back. “Huh?” she breathed.
“I haven’t been completely honest with you, and before I say anything I want you to know I’m extremely sorry for it,” Penny said, staring at her feet in misery.
“What are you talking about?” an ashen Annette demanded.
Penny balled up her fists and prayed for strength. “Listen, I know how this sounds―but that Valentine woman is―she’s trying to hurt you. Someone is going to kidnap you, and she’s helping them. It’s all going to―”
The Angel of Elydria (The Dawn Mirror Chronicles Book 1) Page 19
