ROSES FOR RACHEL: EPISODES 11-20
Episode 20
Secrets… So many secrets… Whispers…
Fern came back to my dreams, but this time, it was just her voice. I was in the dark and I was cold, and all around me I could hear her whispering to me about the secrets. I woke up a little disoriented. I stretched out in the cold bed and realized that I was all alone. I sighed, rolling over to stare at the empty side of the bed, reaching out my hand to touch his pillow.
“Sleeping beauty is back in the real world.” He said cheerfully as he opened his door and walked in, followed by Master Pedro and a maid.
Pedro had a strange smile as he glanced over to me. “I only slept here.” I said defensively and he and Calvin both chuckled.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Pedro smiled coyly. His usually perfectly styled hair seemed to be a little looser today, and his suit was wrinkled like he either had slept in it, or he had been wearing it all day because he hadn’t slept at all. “I just wanted to check on you.” He said softly, grief apparent in his deep brown eyes.
I nodded to him in understanding.
Calvin directed the little blonde maid to place the tray in her hands down on the desk and then he came to sit on the side of the bed, brushing my hair from my face. He was dressed very formally in his solid back suit and maroon tie. “I’ve got meetings today, but I will come right back here as soon as I’m finished. There won’t be any events tonight while there are investigations going on into Fern’s death.” He sighed. “You just stay here, if you need something, Maria here can get it for you.” He told me tilting his head over to the blonde girl. “There are extra guards outside.”
I placed my hand on top of his gently. “Will you have extra guards with you?” I asked.
He smiled. “Do you think I need them?”
“No, but I would feel better knowing someone was watching your back.” I admitted.
“Fine.” He said curtly. “I’ll take one.”
“One?”
“One.” He repeated.
“Fine.” I agreed after a moment.
He leaned over to kss me on the forehead and he squeezed my hand. “I’ll be back.” He promised then he excused himself from the room with a nod to Pedro and Maria.
“Shall I get you ready for a shower?” Maria asked me politely, keeping her eyes cast down.
“Your accent.” I commented. “It’s American?”
She smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
I smiled at her warmly when she finally let her emerald green eyes meet mine. “Me too.” I said although it was obvious. “I’ll have the bath in just a little while.” I told her. “I’m going to eat first.” My stomach was growling beneath the covers.
Maria went to grab my tray for me, but Master Pedro cut in, taking the tray from her grasp. “I’ve got it.” He smiled to her.
“I’ll go grab your things, ma’am.” She smiled and scurried from the room.
I narrowed my eyes at Pedro.
“Don’t give me that look.” He said with an eye roll and placed the tray with eggs and toast on the bed beside me. “I wanted to have some privacy to talk.” He explained as he sat down on the edge of the bed and crossed his legs.
I grabbed a piece of the toast and bit off a chunk. “About what?” I asked with my mouth full.
He sighed. “How lady like of you.”
“Hush.” I giggled around my food.
Despite his ridged expression he was trying to hold he smiled slightly. “I wanted to talk to you about Fern.”
“Ok.”
“What do you think happened?” He asked. I shrugged my shoulders. “Do you know why someone would try to kill you?”
I gave him a look. “I don’t know, you’re the one who is from here, not me.”
He shook his head, looking away from me. “No, it doesn’t make sense.” He mused to himself. “If you’d told me that someone had tried to kll you in those crypts I wouldn’t have any trouble believing that, but the fact that someone tried to trick you into getting yourself killed is what I find so confusing.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I mean, I guess I thought if I was going to get killed here, that it would be from someone ripping my throat out, or something like that.”
“Exactly.” He agreed. “A vampire would have killed you themselves, so that begs the question of who the hell it was. I smelled a human around your room. One I didn’t recognize.”
“How many humans are down here?” I asked.
He sighed, and leaned back on the bed, his head resting on top of my feet under the covers and he stared at the ceilings. “Not many.” He said. “You six girls, then maybe a handful of humans who will be turned soon. The only other humans that would be around are ones who are…well, here to keep company with someone else.”
“You mean…?”
He chuckled lightly. “You’re so naïve.” He told me. “Some vampires prefer to have a sexual relationship with a human. I suppose they like being able to feed off of a willing participant during the act.” He said. “So, anyway, sometimes there are a few of them around, but never just wandering through the corridors, and especially not down there.”
I sighed. “Pedro?” I asked, changing the subject a little. I was trying not to think of vampires having sex and feeding. Thinking of things like that only made me think of Calvin doing those things with other people, and I did not want to know anything else about that. “Were you and Fern very close?”
He sat up and turned to face me. “She was a dear friend.” He said lowly. “I’ve known her since the day she was turned, 22 years ago, we always worked closely together. She started out as one of my own maids, but she jumped at the opportunity to work more closely with the king and prince. She was enthralled by them.” He smiled, his mind someplace far away.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” I told him.
“And yours.” He replied.
I thought of my dreams and went back and forth in my mind whether or not I should mention them to him, but I decided I trusted Pedro enough. “I’ve been dreaming of her.”
“Me too.” He said quickly.
I brought my brows together. “What about?”
He titled his head. “Old memories.”
“Oh.” I said. “I meant, more like…nightmares.” He raised his brows at me. “I dreamt she keeps telling me about some kind of big secret.”
“A secret?” He repeated.
I nodded. “Yeah, or maybe secrets.” I explained. “I keep hearing her saying things about it. Secrets, lies, whispers, danger, all kinds of weird stuff.”
He made a strange face, like he was deep in thought. “She said whispers?”
I nodded my head. “Yeah, why? Does that mean something to you?”
He stroked his jaw with his hand. “I don’t know.” He said in a weird tone and I could sense that he was hiding something.
“Tell me.” I demanded.
He turned his head to me again, surprised. “You know missy, that little tone of yours reminds me.” He said. “You should not be speaking to the prince that way. He is royalty and you’d get in big trouble if anyone else heard you say anything to him the way you were last night.” He scolded. “Although, I will say, I can feel my promotion coming.” He chuckled. “I am amazed at the change I’ve seen in him.”
I knew he was trying to distract me, and I didn’t want to let him, but I couldn’t help but bite the bait. “What do you mean change?” I smiled.
He leaned back on the bed again. Propping his head up with his hands. “I would never speak ill of the prince, but if I am putting it bluntly, he used to have quite the reputation of being a…well, an ass.” He whispered. “He was always sulking and disinterested in everything. I don’t think I’d seen the prince smile since his mother died. He had been a happy child, but after she was gone, he changed. He was hardened.” He explained. “But just the short month you’ve been here, it’s like he’s a whole new man.”
“You think that has to do with me?” I asked.
He rolled his eyes. “Honey, I know it’s you.” He laughed. “He hasn’t showed anything more than politeness to the other girls, yet with you…I sense there is much more going on between the two of you.”
“I’m sure that doesn’t only have to do with me.” I said shoving some more eggs into my mouth with a smile. I had to admit, it made me feel special hearing that from Pedro.
“You know what I saw this morning?” He asked cheerfully.
“What?”
“He came to get me, and he asked for my recommendation on a new handmaiden for you.” He said smiling. “I suggested Maria, and then he went with me to find her. He introduced himself, asked her questions, made pleasant conversation with her the whole time she got your breakfast ready and then he personally escorted us both back here.”
“Ok?” I said a little confused.
Master Pedro leaned over to look at me. “That man has not been pleasant to anyone, especially not someone like a maid, in ages.”
I blushed a little. I had gotten a little freaked when Calvin had told me that he’d been with a lot of other girls before. I don’t know why I would have thought otherwise, he was so handsome and a prince, so of course he’s probably had girls throwing themselves at him forever, but I had stupidly hoped he hadn’t partaken in any of it. That sucked, but hearing that he really is trying to be better, just like he’d said last night, made me so infinitely happy that Master Pedro’s plan to throw me off almost worked.
I kicked my foot at him from underneath the blankets. “Nice try, trying to distract me.” I said seriously. “Why is it important to you that Fern said ‘whispers’ in my dreams?” I demanded.
Master Pedro sat up from the bed a huffed an exaggerated sigh.
“You should drop it.”
“No.” I said evenly.
“Very well, but I really think you shouldn’t know anything, someone has already tried to kill you, and sent you a message that they’ll try again.” He said. “But I know you’re stubborn as a mule, so fine.” He paused looking across the room to the door, then he scooted closer to me and spoke in a very low whisper. “The maids,” He said softly. “When they hear things, news or secrets, they call it ‘whispers’.” He smiled. “I can’t count how many times Fern used to come to see me and tell me she had new ‘whispers’ to tell me about.”
“Had she told you anything recently?” I asked urgently.
He shook his head. “I’ve been so busy with the planning for ceremonies and feast and balls that I just haven’t had the time to gossip.” He said sadly.
I thought about what he’d said, trying to make any sense of any of this. “Do you think my dreams are trying to warn me about something?” I asked. “I know it sounds silly, but…”
“No, I think it is strange too.” He said patting my leg. “I just don’t know who or why someone would be so determined to kill you.” He said standing from my bed quickly.
Immediately afterward, the door swung open and Maria walked in holding a big box. “I’ve got some clothes and things for you, ma’am.” She said as she shuffled in, her little pale blue dress swaying. “You ready for that shower now?”
“She is.” Pedro answered for me, then he leaned down to me. “I’ll keep an ear out.” He told me. “I’ve got some more friends that I will ask for you. Try not to worry about it.” He said before tapping his long finger on the tip of my nose.
Maria gasped from the corner of the room, making Pedro and I both jump. We turned and saw her standing with a little tablet in front of her face. “The king.” She said urgently, looking over to us. “The king is coming here in one hour to speak with you.” She informed me.
“With Calvin?” I asked anxiously.
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Master Pedro glanced at the watch on his wrist. “The prince is out of Castrum de Petra today, he has a council with the king scheduled for much later tonight, but he couldn’t possibly know about this, he would have said something.”
“So the king is about to just drop by for a little unplanned chat, then?” I asked with nerves building.
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“Get her ready.” Pedro demanded Maria. “I’ll try to contact the prince.” He told me, running his hands through his short hair. “Just relax, the king isn’t a bad guy, Rachel. I just find it odd.”
“Ok.” I said numbly as I got out of bed and let Maria rush me into the washroom.
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I guess this has been a long time coming. I haven’t spoken to the king directly since the first night when I met him very briefly. I crossed my fingers that Calvin would be on his way back in soon, or that he’d be able to convince his father to wait to speak with me until he got back, but I knew the odds were slim.
I told myself over and over that this wouldn’t be any big deal, and as I climbed into the shower, I prayed I’d be right.
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ROSES FOR RACHEL: EPISODES 11-20
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TO BE CONTINUED
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