Bella Notte (39 page)

“
I definitely
agree with you Dom, my darling Emma is beginning to look a bit on the
exhausted side,” Grandpa said with tenderness.

“
Oh, Emma,
dear, why didn't you say anything?” the sweet old woman across
from me asked, in a pitched voice that made me think of bird calls.

I blushed slightly.
“I'm sorry, madam, I was so interested in what everyone had to
say. The thought of missing something was far worse than missing some
sleep.” I beamed.

My grandparents were
obviously pleased with my answer and the other couple also were
happy.

“
Please, go to
bed, dear.” The man patted my hand.

“
I think I
shall. Please excuse me.” I nodded at the group and kissed my
grandparents goodnight.

Dominic escorted me
out of the dining area and up to my room.

It was difficult to
talk to him when I was so tired. My brain didn't want to work the way
it should. I kissed his cheek softly.

“
Thank you,”
I told him.

“
No problem,
there was no reason for you to have to sit there any longer. The
older we get the more prone we are to forget about the need for
sleep. It's very common for elder vampires to stay up at night, just
talking about nothing really.” His voice was calm and in my
state it became hypnotic.

“
I'm so tired.
When does everything get started tomorrow, eh, I mean today?”
The thought made me feel even more tired.

“
Some of the
guests are coming for breakfast in about four hours. You could
probably miss that fine. Everyone is doing something for lunch. And
then there are the activities of greeting and speaking with everyone
this evening. Then there will be the dancing, then eating, and then
your planned entertainment. All that should begin around four
o'clock.” He smiled at me encouragingly.

“
Good grief.”
I felt overwhelmed.

“
Go to bed.
I'll wake you when you need to get up.” He kissed my forehead
and then walked back downstairs.

I went inside and
was very thankful to see my bed. I pulled the clingy dress off and
found what I hoped was my pajamas.

When my head landed
on my pillow, I wasn't sure if I was still awake. It didn't matter
because soon the darkness took.

My dreams were vivid
and filled with voices … so many voices. They were all
spinning around me without faces. I woke several times only to be
pulled back under by the wave of exhaustion. I finally stopped having
my nightmare from when I was a little girl. I missed it. I would have
easily traded a few tears to have the familiar dream instead of the
strangeness that flooded my slumber.

Knock, knock.

Great now the
door is talking to me!
I really felt insane.

Emma. I told you
I would come and wake you
.
Dom was clearly amused.

Let's call it off
and go back to bed instead, okay?
I wanted real sleep.

Sorry,
Principessa. Your public will be awaiting you in about two hours.
Time to get up and start getting ready.
His amusement was like music in my head.

No, go away. I'm
sleeping …
“Wait,
did you say two hours?” I shot out of bed.

He smirked. “Yes,
I did say two hours. But do not fret, everything is in order. After
you shower, the lady from New York will be in to do your hair and
makeup.” He gently pushed me toward my bathroom.

“
I'm going,
I'm going. Jeeze!” I laughed.

The shower was hot,
too hot, but I didn't have time to adjust the settings to be perfect.
I
wish I had a bathroom like Dom's
.
I sighed at the memory of the awesome bathroom and my time in Italy.

It is always
yours,
mia
bella
.
Somehow it felt odd enough for me to feel embarrassed that I got
caught thinking of him in the shower.

Privacy!
I
finished washing the soap out of my hair and out of my left eye since
I'd opened it when I heard his voice. I could hear his laughter in my
head. All I could do was smile in response. I shook my head and got
out of the shower.

I grabbed my robe
and had enough time to get it tied before the lady from before came
barging in.

“
Emma,
darling, it's been ages. Not to mention that is how long you were in
the shower. Do you think masterpieces are created in a few snap
minutes?” Monique rambled on at me for a few minutes as she got
set up.

Please save me!
I listened to her talk about the current styles in New York, how hard
it was to book her, and how lucky we were. I decided that I liked her
better the last time.

“
So, I was
thinking that we would do the same thing with your hair as last time,
being that you have another hairpin? As for your makeup, I think that
since you are even lighter than last time, very minimum blush …
because we don't want you looking like a scarlet, do we? I have a red
lipstick that is the exact same color as that beautiful flower.
Gentle black eyeliner. Other than that, I don't think that we will
need anything else.” She beamed and gestured for me to sit down
on her magical traveling chair.

I sat and spaced out
as the process began. I could feel her pulling and willing my hair
into submission, but I wasn't aware of anything more than that. I sat
as still as a statue and closed my eyes.

Somewhere else in
the house Dominic was singing a song to himself. I only caught the
first part before he realized that I was listening. It was about
love, death, and compromise. I could only guess that he was thinking
about the prophecy.

What's wrong,
Emma?
I
could have smacked him for his tone.

Like you don't
know. I've been through this once before. I could've lived with just
the one experience
.
I was frustrated at being stuck sitting in my bathroom that was now
too bright, especially while Dom could roam free.

Don't
blame me,
mia
bella
.
I'd
take your place but it isn't my night. All I have to do is stand next
to the beautiful woman and smile and greet people.
I
could hear laughter in his voice.

Whatever
.
I spaced back into Monique and her work. She was almost done with my
hair.

“
So, how are
you liking it?” She smiled at her creation, clearly pleased as
she put the last bit of my hair into place. It was curly, cascading,
and perfect- just like last time.

“
It's lovely,
Monique.” I smiled. Clearly she didn't think it was a good
enough compliment.

“
Lovely. Ha.
It's perfect! And you will look absa-positive-lylutely perfect
tonight.” Her eyes got an odd gleam to them and then she began
on my makeup. I was once again lost in a cloud of powder.

Why so much
powder? What is the point?
Dominic's voice entered my head looking for a glimpse into the female
psyche.

Devil if I know.
I grumbled.

When the dust
cleared my makeup was done. I looked the same pale beauty I had been
before. The only difference was that I know had light eyeliner,
gentle blush, and fiery red gloss on.

Monique produced my
jeweled accessories and started to pin the flower into my hair. The
bright red ruby was a great contrast to my raven black hair, just as
it was on my ivory white skin. I turned this way and that and watched
the light catch on the gems. The reflection was something that I had
never seen before, but I greatly enjoyed. Somehow my new senses made
it all the more amazing.

“
C'est
fini
!
It's Perfect!” Monique purred at her masterpiece. I didn't want
to burst her bubble and tell her I could have done the same thing and
in less time.

“
Thank you
very much. It's wonderful.” The lie felt natural, something
that scared me deeply inside.

It is second
nature to us. We live in a nest of lies. It is how it must be,
mia
bella
.
Do not fret over things you have no control over
.
He sounded like he wanted to take my distress.

“
It was my
pleasure, dear. Now it is time to get you dressed and downstairs. The
maid is there to help you.” She gestured toward my room, but I
wanted nothing more than to tell her what I thought when she referred
to Mary as my
maid
.
Instead, I smiled, thanked her once more, and left the room.

“
Hey Mary. How
are you doing? I hope all this isn't too terrible for you?” I
wanted to be kind to her; she was born or very well trained into
knowing
her
place. To me, she was an equal.

“
Very well.
Thank you, Miss. I am enjoying the evening.” She blushed as she
caught herself calling me 'Miss' again. “Sorry, Emma.”

“
Don't worry
about it. You call me whatever you feel comfortable with. I
understand what it is like to be so familiar with one way and then
being told to do it another.” I smiled at her.

“
Thank you,
Miss Emma. Now please let me get you into your dress.” Her eyes
pleaded with me not to be difficult and allow her to do her job.

“
Yes, thank
you, Mary,” I conceded.

Mary gingerly
slipped my dress from the hanger on the mirror and unzipped it. It
piled on the floor in the nicest shape, and I wanted to stare at it
and figure it out- but duty called.

I stepped into the
hole, and Mary pulled it up. I felt her put her weight slightly
against me as she pulled to get the corset as tight as possible. The
effect was something a little bit too showy for my taste, but then
again, I didn't design the thing. I stuck my shoes on and Mary did
the straps easily. Clearly she was a pro at all this.

“
You look
lovely, Miss Emma.” Her voice was filled with emotion.

I only wished that I
could give her a moment, at least, to feel like this. “Thank
you, Mary. For everything.” I gave her a small hug, which
caused her to freeze in her motion.

I headed for the
door and took a deep breath.

When I opened it, I
found Dom waiting to escort me to my position as welcoming committee.

You look
beautiful, Emma
.
His voice was sultry.

Why, thank you.
You look quite dashing yourself, Dom.
I smiled at him. He wore a black tux with a black button-up shirt,
and a black tie.

We walked down the
stairs and into the foyer. My family was already standing at
attention. They all looked at me, but said nothing. I knew where I
was to stand- the order was Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Dominic, and
then me. We took our positions and almost instantaneously the door
was opened by a member of the staff. And so the greetings began.

It took about two
hours for everyone to arrive. I heard many voices in my head and knew
that if I was anyone else, I would desperately need some sort of
help. I was polite and gracious the entire time. I smiled and shook
hands with hundreds of people, and they were all some sort of
beautiful.

Once everyone had
been greeted, we allowed for about thirty minutes of mingling before
we started the dancing.

I was lucky because
tradition said that if the changed is betrothed she is to dance with
no one other than her destined partner. No one breaks tradition at an
event like this. So I was blessed to only have to dance with Dominic,
and we danced to
every
song.

When Dom and I
waltzed around the room, it was like we were floating on clouds. It
had never felt like this with Mike. Something was different.