‘That’s not nice, dear.’
‘I’m only teasing, but over three thousand years old?’
‘Daralis was never good with dates, it’s over four thousand,’ said Luella, smiling at him. ‘Does it bother you?’
‘Amazed would be the word, and no I’m just happy you’re here at last.’
Luella sat on the bed. ‘There’s something I want to tell you though . . . it’s about your brother.’
‘Thomas isn’t your son?’
‘He is, sort of,’ said Luella, looking at the floor.
Alex stood in front of her with his arms folded. ‘Sort of?’
‘I missed you when you grew up. I know I was just your guardian, but I felt like your mother, and I’d never had the feeling before and wanted it back.’
‘You adopted him?’
‘I did Sort of.’
‘The same way you adopted me?’
Luella shook her head. ‘No, a man turned up one night with you.’
‘And you just accepted me without question?’
‘Yes, I fell in love with you straight away, only eight years old and looked so helpless.’
Alex sat next to her. ‘I could never imagine having a better mother, and I loved my childhood after that.’
‘Thank you, it means a lot to hear you say that. Thomas really believes I’m his mother.’
‘But you’re not.’
‘No, I went walking one night along the river I used to take you. I stopped when I came to a bridge. I looked up and saw a man with a baby in his arms, and he jumped.’ Luella paused as she looked at Alex, as if she was working out his mood. ‘I dived in but could only find the child, I did look for the father but he had gone. The baby needed medical care, and quickly.’
Alex’s eyes grew big. ‘I never expected that.’
‘He nearly died, the water was freezing, and it took everything I had to save him.’
‘Did you find anything out about him?’
‘From the newspapers. His mother had suffered from depression and killed herself. His father took it bad, and some nights he took to drink. It was one of these nights he decided to join his wife, and took the baby. The newspaper said the police had found his body, but there was no hope of finding the son with the water so high.’
‘So you kept him?’
‘When I found out he had no other family. Do you think it was wrong of me?’
‘No, he’s a very lucky little boy to have you as his mother. The fact you were there at the exact time it happened makes it sound right to me.’
‘Why do you say that about time?’
‘You know I have seven daughters now. Four of them I adopted, the other three I had to save, and the timing was essential.’
It was Luella’s turn to look surprised. ‘I go for two sons, and you have seven daughters.’
‘It felt like a good idea at the time.’
‘I don’t remember you being a father to the other three, I think there’s something you need to tell me.’
Alex shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, but have no explanations at the moment.’
’I want to meet them.’
Alex took his mother downstairs, where everyone was in the main hall.
‘Papa, is this lady my grandmother?’ said Sarin.
‘Yes, sweetheart,’ Alex replied, and picked her up before he passed her to Luella, as Carrie joined them carrying Shaula.
‘Grandmother,’ said Sarin.
‘I think nanny or nan is much nicer,’ said Carrie.
‘Are you their mother?’ said Luella.
‘No,’ said Carrie sadly.
Alex was slow when it came to a woman’s emotions, and took it as embarrassment. ‘Don’t worry, she thought it was you because the children are so beautiful,’ he whispered in her ear.
Carrie looked bewildered as she passed Shaula to Luella.
‘Can I call her nan, too?’ said Livvy.
‘Yeah, or Luella, she won't mind,’ said Alex, and introduced his mother and Thomas to everyone.
‘I thought you were taking me to the cinema before I went on holiday,’ said Thomas.
Alex smiled. ‘When would you like to go?’
Thomas grinned. ‘Now would be good.’
‘OK, but we need our other friends here first.’
‘What friends?’
‘Kaeya,’ Alex called, and the pixie as always was on his shoulder in seconds.
‘Hello,’ she said.
‘Hello,’ said Thomas, with his eyes going big.
‘You don't need to hide as they are family,’ said Alex, and all the pixies came out of hiding as did the pucas who had still been in the library, and ran to Luella as if they had known her all their life.
‘Mother,’ said both Gort and Flax.
Luella put the children down who wanted to run around with the pixies, and picked up the pucas. ’Daralis you only saved three of the pixies.’
‘I did, it was the ones who live here that saved all the others.’
‘We’ll chat later,’ said Alex. ‘Right now I’m taking Thomas and the girls to the cinema, and anyone else who wants to come is welcome.’
‘I’ll give it a miss,’ said James sarcastically.
‘What about you?’ Alex asked Carrie, who looked like she was in a trance, he took her arm worried it might be an infection.
‘What?’ she said, with a beaming smile.
‘We’re going to the cinema, are you coming?’
‘Oh yeah, that’s a wonderful idea.’
‘I’ll make you some popcorn,’ said Summer.
Luella looked confused. ‘I would have thought you could afford to buy popcorn when you get to the cinema.’
‘We’re already there,’ said Alex, and looked at Sarin. ‘Will you go and choose a film for Thomas?’
‘I already have,’ she said. ‘I chose one Thomas will like.’
‘Oh, and how do you know what he likes?’
‘We already asked him. He likes the ones with the toys, but has only seen one and two, so I put number three on for him,’ said Sarin, somewhat proudly.
‘Come on then let’s go watch your film,’ said Alex, as they walked down the hall.
‘Wow, you’ve got your own one,’ said Thomas, when they entered the cinema.
‘Yeah, you can watch a film anytime.’ He put the boy on a chair at the front, and noticed James taking a seat.
‘I haven't seen number three either.’
* * *
Alex walked out of the cinema two hours later, with Carrie attached to his arm and Kaeya on his shoulder.
‘Did you really believe they were all servants when you first came here?’ Luella asked her sister.
Daralis nodded. ‘That’s how I thought all big houses were run.’
‘I guess if this was a normal mansion, we’d have a lot more work to do,’ Claire added.
‘There are a few here who do work hard, Summer for instance.’
‘Yeah, but she loves her job, and we do help when she lets us.’
Luella looked up at Alex. ‘Where’s Thomas?’
‘Watching another film. Has anyone given you a guided tour?’
‘Yes, and I love the place.’
‘More secrets, Alex?’ said Claire, somewhat accusingly.
He sat next to her. ‘You’ve lost me.’
‘Your mother doesn’t look any older than you.’
‘Yeah, but you found out before I did, so why don’t you tell us?’
‘Paige wanted to go and see your mother, and I was curious to meet her after what you told us.’
‘We thought it would be a nice idea to go and get your mother and Thomas for you,’ said Paige. ‘And I was quite shocked when Luella opened the door looking like she did twenty years ago.’
Luella nodded. ‘And how shocked was I Paige could see beneath my veil?’
Alex raised an eyebrow. ‘Your veil?’
‘It makes people see me differently to how I really look.’
‘For some reason I could see through it,’ said Paige.
‘Your psychic powers have grown,’ said Joseph. ‘You’ll see things normal people can’t.’
Alex glanced at his mother. ‘Isn’t it the same as what Daralis did to make herself look like the wicked witch?’
‘No,’ said Luella. ‘A veil is not a spell so to speak, and can only be created by someone with great power.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Whatever the magic or power which created it has to be running for many years in intricate detail.’
‘And Paige and Claire saw through it?’
‘Yes, or it had run its course,’ said Luella. ‘After they told me what you’d been up to, I told them what I was and packed my bags.’
Joseph leant forward with elbows on knees. ‘May I ask why you and your sister went separate ways?’
‘Feel free to ask anything,’ said Daralis. ‘We had a vision that one of us would have to leave as there was other work to do. Luella decided it would be best if she was the one to go.’
Luella took a sip of her drink. ‘It was the hardest thing I ever did, but it came with its own rewards in the end.’
‘How long ago was that?’ said Alex.
‘The other work about three hundred years ago, the reward was about thirty-two years ago,’ she said, smiling at him.
Joseph sat back. ‘What kind of work?’
‘Not the kind I was expecting, I travelled north where I met a man who had a few tasks for me.’
‘Could you trust him?’ said Alex.
‘Of course, he was in the vision. For the most part I became a carer for old dying men, and they left a lot of money to the man who got me the work.’
James sat opposite. ‘No offence, but that doesn’t sound like nice work when you think about it.’
‘No offence taken,’ said Luella. ‘I did think about it a lot, but I found out it was the man’s money to start with. He helped a lot of people out who had lost almost everything through no fault of their own, and they always paid him back with interest.’
Alex rubbed his chin. ‘Why did he need you as a carer for them?’
‘A lot of them at the time were still influential, and I managed to prolong their lives for a few more years.’
‘Did you ever find out his name or anything about him?’ said Joseph.
‘Not really, I just called him the man. He was more than just a man, as I could sense he had great power.’
‘He was extremely wealthy then?’ said George. ‘But didn’t want people or should I say certain people to know, so he had others look after it.’
‘Yes, there were many wars over the years, and governments needed money to help pay for them.’
‘Didn’t he want to help?’ said Alex.
Luella shook her head. ‘No, he hated wars, and the death brought to the soldiers, many of whom didn’t want to be there.’
‘Weren’t they just defending their country?’ said James.
‘Defending ones country is one thing, but invading other countries over the centuries is another. They were the stupid wars he called them, trying to conquer others at the cost of lives.’
‘He was very humane?’ said Joseph.
‘From what I knew of him.’
‘Did he own this mansion?’ said Alex.
Luella shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t know, but he sold a lot of properties and assets. He also had some magical items, one was a vase.’
Alex put his hands behind his head, and leant back to the annoyance of Claire. ‘A vase?’
‘Yes, he told me when you touch it you could go anywhere you want in an instant, if you can believe that.’
‘Oh yeah, and it works.’
Luella looked surprised. ‘You have it?’
‘It’s in the study, I’ll show it you later.’
‘You could have shown it me last night,’ she said, and Alex turned red as he realised he could have gotten his mother sooner.
‘How long did he carry on moving the money around for?’ said George.
‘He stopped over a hundred years ago,’ said Luella. ‘He started putting money into banks around the world, and exchanged some for gold, after that I’ve no idea.’
‘Could he have put it into trust funds?’
‘Maybe, but I don’t know anything about those, he had others helping him when it came to that.’
‘Gentlemen,’ said Blaze, ‘are you going to question Luella all day?’
George lifted his glasses. ‘You’re quite right, but it’s so fascinating.’
‘Thank you, Blaze,’ said Luella. ‘But I don’t mind, my story is almost at an end, and they’re going to tell me theirs.’
‘How much longer did he need you for?’ Alex asked.
‘He told me he had one more task for me to do, but it wouldn’t be for a long time, so I could go home to my sister until he came for me.’
‘Did he come for you?’
Luella nodded. ‘Yes, just over forty years ago, he had documents for me with a new identity, and a new house already furnished. He told me that when I look in the mirror I’ll still look the same as I always do, but to anyone else I’d look like I’m in my early twenties, and will age to the outside world. That’s where I got my veil from.’
Alex turned to his mother. ‘You’ve always looked like you’re in your early twenties to me.’
‘You’re very sweet, dear, but the illusion never worked on you. I’ve always looked the same as I do now, which I guess is mid-forties.’
‘Younger actually, and I never questioned it?’
‘Not that I recall. The man told me his time was almost over, and in eight year’s someone will come with my final task, and there’ll be a reward for me. I waited, and another man did come with a small boy and asked if I would care for him.’
George put a finger to his lips. ‘Was that about thirty two-years ago?’
Luella nodded. ‘That’s correct.’
George looked at Luella then at Alex. ‘That was me.’
James grinned. ‘My money was on it being Alex.’
‘No, I meant I was the one who took him to Luella . . . I thought I recognised you from somewhere.’
Luella raised an eyebrow. ‘How could you have recognised me, I’d have looked like I was in my twenties.’
‘No, you look the same as you do now,’ said George.
‘How strange you could see beneath the veil.’
‘Not really,’ said Alex. ‘There’s more to our George than you might think, he can talk to the wolves, too. Where are they today?’
‘They took the cubs out for a run,’ said Blaze. ‘Chi believes they’re overweight.’
Luella smiled. ‘You know the rest of my story, so now you need to tell me yours.’
Alex told his story from when he started hearing the voices and meeting the wolf. He told of the night he saved the girls and of his inheritance. He talked of the difficulty in finding the right people for the mansion, and how the problem solved itself when he met a few of the women. He talked for over an hour with the others chipping in.
Luella raised a brow. ‘Are you saying all those years I helped collect the money, and it was just for you?’
Alex grinned. ‘It would appear so, and thank you, it’s much appreciated.’
‘That’s OK you can spend some of it on Thomas while I’m gone.’
‘You’re going somewhere?’
‘When you eventually get rid of the warlock, my sister and I will leave Thomas and the pixies with you, and with our shackles off we are going to have some fun.’
‘Shackles . . . fun . . .?’ said Alex, a little taken aback.
‘Don’t be cruel, Lu,’ said Daralis. ‘What my sister means is when you finally destroy the warlock for good; we are going to cleanse the forests and woods from all the demon stench they’ve left behind.’
Luella smiled. ‘But that is fun, dear Sister.’
‘To us yes, but it’s not to everyone�
��s taste.’
Livvy sat on the arm of a sofa, as she put her long dark hair into a band. ‘It sounds wonderful to me, and I’d love to come with you.’
‘Donna grinned. ‘That does sound like fun.’
Daralis smiled at them. ‘Maybe one day we’ll take you, and show you how we care for plants.’
‘We do take care of plants,’ said Livvy. ‘It’s our job, and yesterday we grew our first flowers from seed.’
Blaze looked confused. ‘You’ve grown many flowers from seed in the past.’
Livvy gave her a coy smile. ‘The normal way yes, but this is another way we found.’
‘And what way would that be?’ said Luella.
‘We cast a spell over it,’ said Donna nonchalantly.
Luella looked quizzically at both girls. ‘Please start from the beginning.’
‘Well,’ said Livvy. ‘Yesterday I filled a plant pot with soil, put the seed in and lots of water, then read out the spell and it grew . . . but it didn’t flower until this morning.’
‘I did the same,’ said Donna.
‘What flowers?’ Daralis asked.
‘Marigolds,’ said Livvy smiling.
‘They don’t flower until summer.’
‘I know, and they smell lovely, too.’
‘Where are they?’ said Luella.
Livvy stood, now excited. ‘In our bedroom, I can fetch ‘em if you want.’
‘Yes, please, dear.’
‘This could be serious,’ said Daralis, as Livvy and Donna disappeared upstairs.
It worried Alex. ‘What’s wrong?’
Luella looked up. ‘I’ll tell you when I’ve seen it.’
Livvy and Donna came back down with a plant pot each, which had yellow flowers sticking out the top, and a small wooden box.
Luella stood to inspect the plants. ‘This is serious?’
‘Have we done something wrong?’ said Livvy, now looking a little worried as she passed the plant over.
‘No, it looks perfect to me . . . I didn’t do my first one until I was almost sixty.’
‘I was going to put some in the garden,’ said Donna. ‘But I thought they might look a little odd for this time of year.’
‘It would also upset the other plants,’ said Luella. ‘And confuse them to what time of the year it is.’
‘Where did you get the spell from?’ Daralis asked.
Vesta Mansion: Book One - The Power Inside Page 35