Chapter 575
The sun was well down when Jorick shook Katelina awake. She held back a yawn as the memories of the day slotted into place. The locked room. The mysterious scarred vampire child. The whole thing was surreal. She needed to visit the room again, see if Estrilda was just a dream.
"She's real enough," Jorick said softly. "And we're going to talk to Annabelle about it."
Katelina cringed. "Can't we leave it alone?"
"For all we know she looks that way because they've hurt her."
She thought about the child's reluctance to speak to them in person. She liked Sarah when she was asleep and safe. Maybe Jorick was on to something.
Katelina dressed and knocked on Sarah's door. Again there was no answer. With a last look she and her grumbling stomach surrendered.
Breakfast was already over, so they got food from the kitchen, then went in search of their hostess. They ran into Jamie on his way up from the basement bowling alley. He gave Jorick a curious look. "A late good morning to you. I handled the check-ins alone. Verchiel has already started the interrogations."
Jorick cut him off. "We're looking for Annabelle."
The curiosity in Jamie's eyes doubled. "She and her ladies are upstairs in their sewing room, working on costume alterations for the masquerade on Saturday."
Jorick nodded his thanks. As they wound through the second floor Katelina asked, "You're sure we need to do this?"
He nodded, and knocked on the sewing room door. A flurry of sound came from inside, and Marna peered out. "Yes? Oh, Katelina. Come in."
She followed Jorick through the door, praying things didn't go as badly as she feared.
Marna smiled. "Have you decided on a costume for the ball?"
"Um, no." She swept her eyes over the occupants. Trivila was on the sofa, buried under a pile of taffeta, her mouth full of straight pins. Hannah stood on a stool, a giant tail of feathers held on by leather straps around her waist. An unfamiliar vampiress stood next to her, a feather in one hand and needle and thread in the other. Two vampiresses Katelina didn't know were working on masks at the table, surrounded by glue and copious amounts of glitter. But Annabelle wasn't there.
When Jorick asked for her, Trivila dumped her hemming and stood. "She stepped out. I can take a message, or if it's about the party you can look for Andrei."
"No, it's something personal," Jorick replied.
"I guess you can wait." Marna motioned them to the sofa.
Katelina forced a smile that faded once they were seated. This wasn't necessary. If they needed answers, Jorick could ask Estrilda herself. The two whisperers should get along.
Except she's not a whisperer. She's an imparter. Like Andrei.
Minutes passed. The ladies went back to work. Marna tried to make small talk, but it felt stilted on both sides. Then a piece of the back wall slid away and Annabelle stumbled in, clutching a piece of paper in one hand, her eyes wide.
Trivila leapt to her feet. "Annabelle, we have guests."
The masked vampiress' face turned as white as the paper. Katelina felt the thrum of her terror and choked.
Jorick stood. "If we could have a private conversation?"
Trivila laid a hand on her mistress' shoulder. "You can speak in front of us."
"No," Annabelle said weakly, the paper wadded in her hand. "It's all right."
She motioned them to follow, then walked back through the secret door, her head held high and her spine straight. Despite the outward show of strength, her overwhelming fear made it hard for Katelina to follow up the narrow stairs.
Jorick squeezed Katelina's hand. "It will be fine."
The stairs went up two floors. At the top was a door with a heavy lock. Annabelle lifted the chain from around her neck, at the end, normally hidden in her dress, was a key. The door unlocked with a click and the vampiress pushed it open.
The room inside was the same pink as Estrilda's. An overstuffed couch, table, chairs, and a television filled the space. A door in the far wall had a crayon colored picture of a flower taped to it. Katelina guessed it led to the little girl's bedroom.
As if summoned, the door opened and the child popped out, dressed in lavender. She broke into a wide, lipless smile, but stopped when she saw Jorick. With a squeak she cringed behind the table.
Annabelle took a ragged breath. "It's all right, sweetling." She murmured something in a foreign language. The child nodded and hurried back to her room.
The masked vampiress perched carefully on the edge of the sofa. She trained her eyes on the wrinkled paper in her hand. "What will you do?"
Jorick's tone was stern. "That depends on how you answer my questions." Annabelle continued to stare at the paper and Jorick said, "She told you about Katelina's visit already."
"Yes."
Jorick nodded to the paper. "It's a letter. The same as you were reading last week."
"Yes. She-she writes one every day."
"So your explanation to Katelina about an old letter and the anniversary of a tragedy was a lie?"
Annabelle pursed her lips. "Not entirely. It was the anniversary."
"Of when your daughter was burned in an accident."
Daughter?
The vampiress' voice turned bitter. "It was no accident. He meant to kill her." Her hand unconsciously drifted to her mask.
"Andrei?"
Annabelle looked up sharply. "Never! When the infections wouldn't heal, Andrei saved her with his blood. It was her father. He was the monster."
"Your mortal husband."
"Yes. My father married me to The Baron. Estrilda was born feeble minded. At ten years she had the ways of a child of five. He hated her, looked at her as a curse from God."
"He tried to kill her," Jorick finished. "She was burned nearly to death and you were injured putting out the flames."
She rubbed her hands together, as if trying to remove the scars from her palms.
When no more came, Jorick said, "Andrei turned her to save her."
"Yes. And me. He wished to marry me," she said fiercely. "Once he killed the Baron there was nothing to stop him."
"You know that to turn a child"
"Is wrong because they can never grow up, but don't you see?" She folded her hands together, as if in prayer. "Estrilda would never have grown up. Had she been left mortal until age twenty or thirty, still she would have a child's mind. Time would have made her no better, only allowed the infection to destroy her. She is no more trapped than she would have been had fate been kind and allowed her to grow first." As she spoke, she slid off her seat and knelt before him. "Please. She has suffered enough. We have all suffered."
"And the life she lives now isn't suffering? Closeted in a secret room, hidden from all but your most trusted?"
"Surely that's better than death?"
"Is it? Has she mentioned her daylight activities?" Annabelle didn't answer and he pressed, "Why Sarah?"
"She feels a kinship with her. Their pasts are similar."
"In what way?"
"Their fathers. He was cruel to her from the moment she was born." Annabelle turned tear filled eyes up to him. "Please. Don't take her away. She is not hurting anyonewouldn't hurt anyone."
Katelina's chest caught and she felt moisture building in her eyes. "Jorick."
He crossed his arms. "I won't report this, but it doesn't mean they won't find out eventually. I've seen it more times than I care to count and I suggest you think about whether it's worth the inevitable consequences." He turned for the door, then stopped to look over his shoulder. "I understand Andrei's parties are a tradition that spans centuries, even before he knew you, but so long as you harbor such a secret, I suggest you don't willingly invite The Guild into your home for another one. The next Executioners may not be as forgiving."
