by Gayla Twist
Suddenly I was beyond weary. Sleep wasn’t possible, but I desperately wanted to lose myself to the void that vampires aspired to achieve for their rest. “I need to lie down,’ I told Jessie, heading toward the bed and tugging him after me. I knew I wouldn’t feel safe unless I was in his arms.
Kicking off my shoes, I climbed up on the bed and tried to pull Jessie as well. “Just one minute, darling,” he said, disentangling himself from my grip. Then he grabbed a chair from the writing desk and wedged it under the doorknob to the mystery door.
“Why’d you do that?” I mumbled as he slid into bed next to me.
“Because I don’t know where that door leads and I suspect you were given this room for a reason.” He kissed me on the top of my head. “Promise me you’ll always put the chair there before you go to bed.”
“I promise,” I murmured.
I couldn’t tell if I’d drifted into the void for only a few minutes or for several hours, but the next thing I knew the door to my room was crashing open and several revelers from the party came staggering in.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jessie demanded, hoping off the bed.
A man in with a plentiful, dark mustache stepped forward. He wore a flowing gray robe that fell to his heels. It was lined with pale yellow and he wore a vest of deep yellow to match. “I am Charles Frederick Worth,” he said. “Perhaps you’ve heard of me.” I scrambled out of bed to stand at Jessie’s side, grateful that I had been too tired to undress.
When it was clear from our reaction that neither of recognized his name, the man elaborated with, “I am the father haute couture,” while thrusting his finger into the air to emphasize his point with flourish.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Jessie said. “And, of course, I am an admirer of your work; it’s just I am a bit confused as to why you have burst into my fiancée’s bedroom at the crack of dusk.”
“I must apologize,” the father of haute couture said with a formal bow. “It’s just that Lord Vagnar has informed me that I am to design the Mademoiselle’s wedding gown and I am very excited to get started.”
Chapter 13
“But he was just joking,” I insisted. There was no way Lord Vagnar was serious about hosting our wedding.
“I believe he was rather serious,” Worth said. His accent sounded like he was originally from England.
“But that’s impossible,” I told him. “Why would he even want us to have our wedding here?”
The fashion designer shrugged. “To be honest, I’m sure it has very little to do with you. He’s probably just looking for another excuse for a party, and a wedding is a wonderful reason.”
Someone was pushing through the small crowd that had formed in my room. Yvette appeared. “I apologize for the disruption to your sleep,” she said. “Lord Vagnar seems to be rather excited about your nuptials.”
“But I don’t want to get married here,” I flat out said. I hadn’t thought a ton about what kind of wedding I wanted, but I knew that anything Lord Vagnar could think up wasn’t it. “I want to get married in my home town with my family and friends,” I told her.
“Don’t be ridiculous, girl,” Worth said, interrupting. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Did I not explain that I would be designing your gown?”
“I appreciate that very much,” I told him, not wanting to appear rude. He obviously took great pride in his reputation. “But even the most beautiful dress in the world can’t replace having my mother at my wedding.”
The man sighed, smoothing his mustache for a moment. “I suppose not. But once you see yourself in one of my gowns, you’ll realize that it comes awfully close.”
I didn’t even know what to say to that.
Yvette drew closer and in a soft voice said, “I know this must seem all rather sudden, but I really must urge you to accept Lord Vagnar’s hospitality. It would be…” She thought over what she wanted to say. “It would displease him if you were to say no.” I just stared at her, really not comprehending what she was trying to tell me. So she added in an even lower voice, “He is a judge, you know. He carries an immense amount of influence.”
I was trapped and I knew it. And the worst part was, suddenly I knew exactly what kind of wedding I wanted. An intimate backyard ceremony with twinkle lights hanging from the trees. There could be a small gazebo where we would say our vows and share our first kiss as a married couple in front of our families and closest friends. Jessie would wear a tailored suit and I would wear a tea length dress with a blue crinoline underneath. I’d always loved the silhouette of dresses from the 1950s, but never had any reason to wear one. I look into Yvette’s eyes and saw the half-pleading that was there. She was genuinely concerned that we would offend Lord Vagnar and then he would turn against us. I had to give up on the dreams of my quaint little wedding. I had to say goodbye to the backyard and twinkle lights. But maybe if I was lucky, and the father of haute couture was willing, I could still have my dress.
I glanced at Jessie and he gave me a small nod. Then, turning to Yvette, and the crowd in general, I screwed a smile on my face and said, “I think a wedding in Lord Vagnar’s castle sounds wonderful.”
The crowd let out a raucous cheer. Worth rushed forward and took me by both hands. “I’m so delighted,” he said in his crisp accent.
“I’m so glad,” I told him. “And I already know my dream dress.”
“No, no,” Worth said and then he made a tsking noise with his tongue. “Do not tell me. I do not want any interference with my creation. I will assess your figure, your hair and your coloring and create a dress that is perfect for you.”
I was a flabbergasted. My wedding was being hijacked by vampires and I wasn’t even going to be able to choose my own dress. I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I fought them back. I was sick of crying and I was definitely not going to let a bunch of strangers see that I was upset.
But Worth noticed my struggle. He gave a modest smile and then patted my hand. “There, there, dear. It’s alright for you to feel overwhelmed.” And then he cocked his head to one side, still looking at me. “Has anyone ever told you that you bear a striking resemblance to Empress Elisabeth, the poor child?” He turned so that he could narrate his thoughts to the whole room. “Lovely creature. I simply adored dressing her.” He turned back to look me over some more. “I must say the resemblance is very strong. Dressed in one of my gowns, with your hair done the right way, and you would be the spitting image of her.”
There was a mild commotion near the door and the small crowd parted, making way for Lord Vagnar. “I see you’ve heard the good news,” he said, beaming at me. He was so attractive it was almost startling. I had to assume he had been someone famous when he was a mortal because it just seemed impossible that he could be so attractive and not be known.
“I was just too excited to wait,” Worth said by way of explanation, his voice apologetic. Vagnar gave him a dry look. “I suppose I understand.”
“Is she not the spitting image of Empress Elisabeth?” Worth asked, gesturing toward me.
Vagnar’s look became even drier, if that was possible. “I wouldn’t know.”
“Oh.” Worth looked startled. “Of course not.”
“Lord Vagnar,” Jessie said, stepping forward. “Your generosity is too much. While we greatly appreciate the offer…”
Lord Vagnar put his hand in the air to silence my fiancé. “I wouldn’t dream of letting you get married anywhere else.” His voice carried a certain edge to it and I thought Jessie might offend him if he pushed the point any further.
“We’re very excited,” I assured him. “I’m just a little disappointed that my mother won’t be able to attend.”
“Why not?”
“Well…” I wondered that I really had to explain this to him. “She’s mortal, for one thing.”
“Oh.” Vagnar waved away my words. “We can always turn her for the wedding. There’s still time.”
“No, no, tha
t’s okay,” I said very quickly, in case one of his lackeys got an idea about executing his suggestion. “I can just show her the…” I was going to say pictures, but then I remembered that the undead didn’t show up very well in film.
“I’d like to send for my mother,” Jessie said, covering for me. “I know she’d love to attend.”
“Are you sure?” Lord Vagnar asked, giving Jessie a penetrating look. “You have just recently killed off a good portion of your family. She might be afraid to get closer than fifty miles of you.”
The room roared with laughter and I felt horrible for Jessie.
“But, of course, your mother must attend,” Lord Vagnar said, once everyone had quieted down.
“I’ll show him to the house phone,” Yvette said, stepping forward.
“That’s alright,” Jessie told her. “I have a cell in my bags.”
“It won’t work here,” she explained. “There’s no reception.”
“By design, actually,” Vagnar added. “So many mortals have their faces glued to their phones that they might not even notice that they’ve stumbled into a house of the undead. This way they actually have to look up and take in their surroundings.”
A shiver ran up my spine as I thought about all the poor mortals who might have unwittingly stumbled into the castle.
“I’ll take you to the phone now,” Yvette said to Jessie.
“I’ll go with you,” I piped up. I definitely did not want to be alone with Lord Vagnar and his band of toadies.
“Nonsense,” Vagnar said. “I’m sure your fiancé can easily call his mummy without you standing at his side. And besides, one of the most famous dress designers in history wants to get started on your bridal frock.” He dragged an assessing eye over my body from head to toe. “I’m sure he wants to familiarize himself with your figure.”
My stomach felt funny again. I never enjoyed being “checked out” by guys and it felt particularly odd when someone so excessively good looking, even by vampire standards, was giving me the once over.
“Everyone, let’s give Charles time to get to know his next masterpiece,” Vagnar said, doing his best to herd the people out of my bedroom. He gave me a slight bow and said, “You are in good hands. I know you are going to be a stunning bride.”
I couldn’t quite tell if I was charmed or repulsed by Lord Vagnar. He was so ridiculously good looking, and I did appreciate his taking us in and keeping the Bishops at bay, but I felt like Jessie and I were being railroaded into getting married, and that part was a little hard to swallow.
Still, I wanted to marry Jessie — the sooner the better — so I wasn’t suffering all that much. We could still do a wedding back in Tiburon, once I was a little older. I was pretty sure that in America, I wasn’t allowed to get married without a parent’s consent before I was eighteen.
“Let’s get started, my dear,” Charles Worth said. Two women and a man had stayed in the room with us. He clapped his hands and the man produced a small stool. “If you would, please,” he said, leading me to stand on the stool. Then, he pinched his lower lip and looked me over. “Yes,” he murmured to himself once or twice. “A man could go a long way before seeing a figure like yours,” he told me and I felt my cheeks grow warm. As a mortal, I had been considered too curvy to be all that desirable by high school boys. My figure was out of style. The boys in my school wanted petite blondes who were, preferably, cheerleaders or the homecoming queen. I was not that type of girl.
But since I’d been turned into a vampire, my looks had changed a little. My hair, which had always been a raucous tangle of dark curls, had become more manageable. Yes, my mane was still curly, but it obeyed me in a way that it never had when I was just a mortal. Suddenly, every day was a good hair day. My skin was pale and flawless. Goodbye to freak-outs over a pimple on the eve of a dance. My figure was still curvy, but firmer in some places; my stomach was flatter, my hips more smoothly rounded, my breasts were higher and a smidge fuller, from what I could tell. It was like I’d had a makeover from the most talented plastic surgeon in the world. And, apparently, the father of haute couture approved. Not in a sexual way; I didn’t get any kind of pervy vibe off of him, but as an artist, my figure appeared to suit his aesthetic.
“If you wouldn’t mind standing there while I do a few, quick sketches,” Charles said. One of the women produced a sketch pad and a variety of pencils. I stood on the stool, feeling awkward with my hands hanging limply at my sides. I wondered when Jessie would return. It was okay for him to be gone, if he had things to do. I felt perfectly safe with Worth and his assistance. I didn’t necessarily feel at ease, but I did feel safe from any immediate threat.
“There,” Worth said after about twenty minutes. He smiled at his sketchbook with satisfaction.
His minions gathered around him to take a peek. “Oh,” the man exclaimed. “So you are going to take the resemblance to its logical conclusion?’
“Yes, I can’t help myself,” the designer admitted. “It’s the perfect gown for her figure and…” His eyes grew misty for a moment. “And, in a way, it’s a chance to see that dear lady again.”
I knew they must have been talking about whatever Empress that Worth thought I resembled. I was used to people thinking that I looked like my great grandmother’s sister, but to be compared to a different young woman felt strange. Yet somewhere in the back of my mind there was a memory; it was a cloudy memory so it was hard for me to focus, but I did remember being compared to an Empress before. It wasn’t me, exactly. I had learned to accept these vague impressions as memories that existed through Colette, my great, grand aunt. I knew that someone had compared her to the Empress of Austria. The name Elisabeth came to me, and not just because Worth had said it. Sometime during Colette’s short life, an older woman had felt she closely resembled Elisabeth of Austria. I felt sure of it.
The assistants were still exclaiming over Worth’s sketch. “It’s the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen,” one of the women was saying, her voice beyond enthusiastic.
“May I see?” I asked, stepping down from the stool.
“No!” they all exclaimed in unison while Worth quickly slammed the book shut.
“No, you may not see it,” the designer said in a kinder voice. “I’m afraid I never permit interference from anyone. Not the bride, not the groom, not the mother; no one. Clients are always trying to insert their vulgar personal tastes into the artistic process and I won’t allow it. I wouldn’t allow notes from the Empress Eugénie herself, and she was my best customer.” He walked over to me, took my hand in his and said in a softer voice, “All you need to know is that I am designing you the perfect gown for your wedding.”
The assistants all gave me brilliant smiles and the male of the trio said, “You’re a very lucky girl.”
Chapter 14
“I’m so sorry this is happening to you,” Yvette said. When it was time to dress for dinner, she had come to chase the designer and his entourage out of my room. She brought up three gowns for me to try on and I was more than surprised to realize that I found them all very pretty. Yvette had been very good at assessing my tastes. And I could tell — with quite a bit of surprise — that there was a strong chance that all three of them might actually fit me.
“It’s okay,” I told her while I slipped the first gown over my head. “We were going to get married anyway, and this way I get to wear the world’s most beautiful dress.” I was lying, of course. I hated that I was being forced to have my wedding in front of a bunch of strangers.
“I suppose,” Yvette said. “But are you really all that eager to tie yourself to one man? I mean, you’ve just been turned. Don’t you want to enjoy your death a little before settling down for eternity?”
“No,” I assured her. “With Jessie and me it’s… different.” I didn’t want to exactly launch into an extended history about our star-crossed relationship. “Let’s just say that we have a history.”
“Oh.” Yvette’s eyebrows pricked u
p on her forehead. “I take your meaning. You’re saying he’s very skilled and you want to keep those skills all to yourself.”
“Well… That’s not it, exactly,” I told her, feeling my cheeks go up in flames. “I mean… It’s just different with us.”
“So you haven’t been together?” Yvette said. “He’s a traditional kind of man and you can’t wait any longer. That’s why you’re so keen on tying the knot.”
“It’s not like that either,” I insisted, even though she had come pretty darn close to guessing at least part of the truth. “Sort of, but not really.”
“It’s a shame you were turned while still a virgin,” she said with a sigh. “I mean, that’s fine for men, but for us women, it’s a complete nuisance.”
“Oh… well… Jessie and I dodged that bullet,” I admitted. “I mean, just one time, when we thought we’d never see each other again…”
She gave me a surprised look. “And he won’t come across with the goods now that you’re immortal?”
“I know!” I couldn’t help but exclaim, and that made us both laugh.
After a moment, Yvette said, “Forgive me for saying this, but I feel like we’re friends already, so I’m just going to come out with it. Jessie Vanderlind is an extremely handsome man, and I’m sure he’s quite charming, but do you really, seriously want to be with one man forever? I mean, eternity is a very long time.”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“Why?”
“We’re…” I thought over everything Jessie and I had been through. “We’re connected in a way that’s hard to define. I can’t even imagine being with another man. That’s why we’re getting married; because we can’t fathom being apart from each other.”
“Oh…” Yvette’s eyebrows rose very high on her forehead. Then they lowered and she frowned. “I’ve never known a love like that. Nothing even close.”