Hidden (Marchwood Vampire Series #1) (8 page)

‘
Of course it’s not,’ Leonora Swinton interjected. ‘It is all
local folklore and mumbo jumbo. You do not want to take any notice
of that.’

‘
Do not worry, Belle,’ Jacques said in a fake pirate accent.
‘Alex, Freddie and I will save you from the terrible ghosts in the
accursed underground cavern.’ He made a ghoulish face and pretended
to strangle himself. Freddie laughed, but Isobel did not look
amused.

‘
Very funny, Jacques. But it does not sound at all pleasant to
me.’

‘
Leonora is right. It is all superstitious nonsense,’ Victoria
said and put a reassuring hand on her arm. ‘But really, it will be
very interesting to see what is down there. Some of the local
people are afraid of the unknown, that is all.’

Alexandre listened with growing anticipation. He could not
wait to enter the cavern and see what was to be found. Visions of
tombs, ancient mummies, jewels and gold scorched his mind. He had
never paid much attention to his parents’ profession before. It was
just something they had always done. He had wanted to accompany
them for the
travel
more than for the actual work itself. But underground caverns
sounded exciting and the fact it was all such a secret, made it
doubly so.

‘
Will I actually have to go into the cavern?’ Isobel
asked.

‘
That is the general idea.’ Jacques rolled his
eyes.

‘
Not if you do not wish to,’ Papa said, giving Jacques a
reproving stare. ‘But it would be an exciting and interesting
experience for you if you did decide to have a look.’

Alexandre took
a stealthy look at Leonora. She was beautiful, but just as
outspoken and bristly as he remembered from years ago when they
were young children. Freddie seemed to be quite straightforward. A
little like Jacques really. He wondered how they would all get
along in the coming months.

That evening,
the Chevaliers and the Swintons reconvened in the sumptuous
dark-wood-panelled dining room. A myriad of white stars twinkled in
the ocean sky through a hexagonal glass roof. Carved columns,
Persian carpets and tropical potted palms added to the feeling of
splendour.

The two
families had just enjoyed a delicious leisurely dinner.

‘
Mmmm, this chocolate orange mousse is absolute heaven,’
Freddie said. He closed his eyes and savoured the taste of his
dessert.

Alexandre
tried again to talk to Leonora who sat on his left. She looked
stunning in a pale blue satin gown the exact same shade as her
eyes, which contrasted beautifully with her milky white skin and
raven hair.

‘
And are you also a fan of chocolate orange mousse?’ he asked
with a half smile that usually made any female within a twenty yard
radius turn weak at the knees.

‘
I like it well enough,’ she said, shrugging her pretty
shoulders. Then she deliberately turned to her left and began to
engage his Papa in conversation, leaving him staring at the back of
her perfect head.

Alexandre was
dumfounded. Had he offended her in some way? All evening he had
tried to strike up conversations with her, but she had merely
nodded or smiled politely. He could not recall saying anything out
of order. Isobel sat on his right and she too gave him the cold
shoulder. It was just too bad, to be sitting between two females
who would not talk to him.

He caught his mother’s eye. She sat across from him and threw
him a sympathetic glance, tilting her head and raising her eyebrows
as if to say,
what is to be
done?

The entire
crossing stayed mainly calm and they only experienced the odd
moment of mild sea-sickness. Midway on the crossing they stopped at
Valetta, the large dockyard in Malta, to disgorge a few passengers
and take on a few more, but soon they steamed back out to sea.

The air felt
noticeably warmer and the atmosphere on ship became more light
hearted and fun. But Alexandre’s growing excitement was tinged with
confusion. The arrival of Leonora Swinton had greatly unsettled him
and he did not know why.

She was
undoubtedly beautiful, sophisticated and interesting, but he had
met many other women with these attributes and they had not made
him as nervous. She obviously did not care for him greatly – she
either ignored him, or made cutting remarks which he did not know
how to deal with.

But why should this trouble him so much? He hardly knew the
girl. Could it just be the fact she had not fallen for him?
This
was
the
first time Alexandre had been rejected in such a way, but surely he
was not so arrogant as to think every female on the planet would
instantly worship and adore him? Was he? Actually, he realised he
probably was.

He grinned to
himself. Over the past month his record with women had been
absolutely abysmal. First, the Lily incident which had led to
uproar and instant banishment, followed by his sister’s disgust
with him and now the beautiful Leonora Swinton had failed to be won
over. Well, he sincerely hoped his bad luck would stop here.

The shame of
it was, they could have passed a very pleasant time conversing with
one another instead of all this cold-shoulder nonsense. But she had
taken against him for some unknown reason, so he should probably
forget any thoughts he might once have entertained.

Maybe it was all a question of balance. His life had become
more exciting and interesting, but his charms had fallen by the
wayside. Well alright, he would take the adventure for now and try
to work on his relationships. Or maybe he could try a little
reverse psychology and ignore both his sister
and
Leonora. At least this would
spare him the constant humiliation of being snubbed. Yes – he would
concentrate all his efforts and attention on the trip and ignore
these temperamental women.

*

There was an
excited buzz aboard the Mistral. They would reach their destination
today and everyone was out on deck trying to be the first to spot
land.

Out of
nothing, a haze of coastline gradually shaped itself into a blurred
outline, taking on more definition to finally appear solidly in
front of them like an astonishing magic trick.

Alexandre felt
his heart rate speed up as they steamed purposefully forward on the
undulating blue Aegean Sea and up the Gulf of Smyrna. As the ship
drew closer to port, he enjoyed the un-European sight of red tiled
chimneyless roofs and painted balconies, interspersed with the
smooth domes and white minarets of a multitude of mosques. Fruit
trees and tall cypresses grew everywhere, and behind the city, on
top of a craggy mountain, stood the dark walls of a dilapidated
ancient fortress.

‘
Well, children,’ Papa announced. ‘At last we are in Turkey.
Let us try to enjoy every minute.’

‘
Papa,’ Jacques said. ‘May we ride on a camel to get to our
hotel?’

‘
I shouldn’t think so,’ Isobel replied.

‘
Do not worry, Jacques, the camels will still be here
tomorrow,’ Papa replied. ‘We will all need a good rest tonight
before we undertake the next part of the journey.’

Alexandre
imagined the exotic sights and sounds he would soon be
experiencing. He could not wait to soak up the foreign atmosphere.
To start living his dreams.

Chapter
Five

*

Mr Vasey-Smith
continued talking. ‘I’m afraid the terms of the will are very
clear, if you do not actually reside in the property, you will not
receive a penny of the inheritance. It will remain in trust,
however, for another four years, in case you change your mind,
after which time it will pass to the next beneficiary, your
brother, Ben, when he reaches sixteen years of age.’

‘
Well it looks like we’re moving to Gloucestershire, Maddy,’
Trevor interrupted. He turned to Mr Vasey-Smith. ‘What’s this house
like? Is it big? Is it in a nice place?’

Mr Vasey-Smith
ignored him. ‘Madison, the decision rests with you and I understand
it is a lot to take in. Perhaps you would like time to think about
it? Here are the details of the property we have put together for
you to look at today.’ He handed her a glossy-looking brochure,
which she took without looking at. ‘Would you care to sit in our
private lounge and examine it at your leisure? As you will see, the
property has continued to be well cared for and maintained during
the last century.

‘
Mr and Mrs Johnson, Ben, I have arranged for a car to take
you to lunch in Covent Garden followed by a top West End show of
your choice. Perhaps we should give Madison some space to reflect.
We can meet back here at 6pm.’ He put an envelope in Trevor’s
hand.

Trevor looked
at the contents - some theatre tickets and a thick wad of crisp
twenty pound notes.

Mr Vasey-Smith
continued, ‘Madison, is this agreeable with you?’

Maddy’s mind whirled and span. She
would
appreciate some time to
herself, where no one was talking to her or telling her what to
do.

‘
Yeah … Some space.’

‘
Fine. Mr Johnson?’ Mr Vasey-Smith rose from his chair and
indicated for him to do the same. Trevor didn’t speak. He just
waved the envelope in front of Angie’s eyes so she could glimpse
the cash inside.

‘
Oh, a show!’ she said. ‘What a treat. Ben, would you like to
see a show? I’ve always wanted to see Billy Elliot.’

‘
That’s about dancing.’ He didn’t look too impressed. ‘What
other ones are there?’

‘
Should we be leaving Madison here on her own? This is an
important day for her.’ Trevor said. He paused and then nodded his
head once, as if reaching a decision. ‘Now, Maddy, don’t go
deciding anything till we get back. Just do like Mr Vasey-Smith
says and have a little time to yourself. We’ll all have a think and
then we can sort out what we’re going to do later, once we get
back.’

Maddy gritted her teeth and tried to ignore his patronising,
overly friendly tone. He was seriously getting on her nerves.
Hadn’t Mr Vasey-Smith told them it was
her
decision; nothing to do
with
them
. She
couldn’t wait for them to leave, so she could think
straight.

‘
Yeah, Trevor. See you later.’

He looked at
her, trying to spot any attitude in her words. But she plastered on
a smile and he seemed satisfied.

‘
Bye, Benny Boy. Have fun watching the
dancing
.’

‘
Shut up, Mads. Gonna see something cool aren’t we,
Angie?’

‘
There’s a list here, Ben. We’ll have a look on the way. You
be alright, Maddy?’

‘
Yes, yes.’

‘
Alright! Only asking. See you later, love.’

Mr Vasey-Smith
buzzed the receptionist to come and show the Johnsons and Ben out
to their car, leaving him and Madison alone in the room. It was
only eleven fifteen, but Madison felt like she’d been there for
hours. The wall clock ticked faintly.

‘
Will the house and everything really be mine?’

‘
Yes.’

‘
And living there - that’s my decision too? No one else can
decide. I mean, Trevor, he can’t tell me what to do and make me
move there or anything?’

‘
Madison, all of this is about you. Nobody else is involved.
Nobody else can make the decision. You are the sole beneficiary ...
that is, if you
want
to be.’

‘
Right,’ she exhaled.

‘
If you’ll allow me to suggest something …’

She
nodded.

‘
Why don’t you take me up on my offer of sitting in the
private lounge to look at the details of the house, maybe before
you rip them to shreds?’

She looked
down and realised she had twisted the details around in her hands
until they were nearly torn in two. She gasped. ‘I’m sorry, I
didn’t even realise ...’

‘
It’s not a problem, don’t worry about it.’ He smiled. ‘Follow
me.’

He led her
through another door to a beautifully furnished sitting room with a
cream chaise longue, two tan leather armchairs and an oversized
flowery sofa. Soft landscapes sat in gilt frames and a huge ornate
mirror hung decadently over a carved wooden fireplace. The faint
scent of vanilla hung in the air and shafts of diffuse sunlight
warmed the room. Heavy pale blue silk curtains billowed in the
breeze which floated in from an open sash window above a
wrought-iron Juliet balcony.

It was like no
room Madison had ever been in before and she felt an urge to fall
into the sofa and close her eyes.

‘
Please make yourself comfortable. I’ll ask Marilyn to bring
you some lunch in about an hour. If you need me, just pick up the
phone.’ He pointed to a telephone which sat discreetly on the lower
shelf of one of the side tables. There’s a bathroom outside, first
door on the right.’

With that, he
deposited the family tree scroll on the table and left the room,
closing the door with a soft click.

Madison put
the screwed up details on the table along with her glass of
lemonade. She walked over to the open window and looked out. Busy
weekend traffic sounds filtered up from the thoroughfare below.
Immediately opposite, stood similar buildings to this one:
large-windowed stately edifices reeking of power and money. Was she
now part of that world?