The Inherited Series Book 1: The Inherited

by Lily Burlington

  "Where are we?" I asked, staring amazed out the window of the limo.

  "At the Opera of the Sirens, the old opera house and concert hall. We are here for the opening of their new production. As patrons of the arts, members of my family are expected to show up, but I thought you may enjoy it."

  "It's amazing," I assured him.

  We joined the others on the red carpet, having our photos taken, waving and shaking hands. People were pointing again, smiling brightly at us.

  "They do stare at you an awful lot," I whispered to Leopold. He laughed deeply, making a round of camera flashes go off. I blushed.

  His mismatched eyes bore into mine affectionately. "Cat," he said, "They are staring at you."

  He placed his hand on my lower back and led me up the steps and into the opera house. An usher greeted us at the top. "M. DuMont, Mlle. Sinclaire, welcome. If you follow me, I will take you to your seats."

  He took us up an ornately carved staircase which curved up towards the scene of the heavens which had been painted on the ceiling. We walked across Persian rugs, passing more statues that were carved into the walls forever immortalized, acting out scenes of death, and heroics, love and quests. We arrived at the door of a private balcony that overlooked the right side of the stage.

  "Let me know if you need anything else," said the user smoothly before leaving us alone. Mr. Arsnault stayed in the booth with us, near the wall on the left of the door. M. Lefevre followed the usher out.

  "What will we be seeing?" I asked Leopold once we were seated in the black velvet armchairs.

  "Gluck's Orphee et Eurydice," replied Leopold then leaned closer, his hand resting on my leg. "Have I told you how absolutely exquisite you look tonight?"

  "N-no," I stuttered, a blush creeping across my cheeks. "Thank you."

  I was saved luckily, by a loud crescendo of music. The lights suddenly dimmed and the curtains rose revealing a man, standing in golden armor in front of a beautiful wooded landscape. The music quieted, and he started to sing.

  "He is mourning the death of his wife," Leopold whispered, his thumb massaging soothing circles on my knee. "That is cupid," he continued to explain as a winged figure floated down onto the stage. "He is telling Orphee that he can go to Hades and get his wife on the condition that he does not look at her until they are back on earth."

  I watched the figures dance around the stage, completely entranced. The only thing that was keeping me in the balcony was Leopold's hand on my knee; otherwise I felt as though I could have floated down onto the stage and joined them.

  I rose to my feet clapping wildly when the curtains finally closed at the end of the show. I had never seen anything so beautiful. I had even cried, much to Leopold's amusement, when Eurydice had been sent back to Hades after getting so close to the surface.

  With my arm linked through his, Leopold led me back to the car, and with my head on his shoulder, we drove through the night back to our castle.

  I slept deeply that night, perfectly calm and content for the first time in weeks. It was heavenly lying buried in my downy blankets and mounds of pillows. The smell of Leopold swirled around me, lingering on the sheet from when he had laid on my bed. I slipped in and out of dreams, peacefully drifting.

  I frowned as cool air hit me briefly and then hummed as a soft pressure pressed me into the mattress, and the warmth enveloped me once again.

  "Catherine," said a voice in my ear, "My Princess."

  I smiled. Fingertips danced up my ribs.

  "Ma belle," It murmured, calling me. I opened my eyes to find two different eyes staring back at me; one gold and one green.

  "Good morning," Leopold said, his lips tracing up my jaw. He placed a kiss on my neck.

  "Good morning," I replied, my voice thick with sleep.

  "I have a proposition for you," he said, continuing to trail his lips across my throat.

  "Mmhmm?" I managed, quite distracted. He could ask me anything right now and I would probably say yes.

  Leopold's hand ran down my side and curled around my calf. He pulled it up, hitching my leg on his hip, wrapping around him until my foot rested on the inside of his thigh. Slowly, he pressed his lips to mine, gently sucking on my bottom lip. My hands slid up his back, knotting in his copper hair. It was strange how forwardly affectionate he was being lately, so unlike him. I couldn't say I was about to complain though.

  He flipped us suddenly so that I was sitting above him straddling his hips. His hands rested on my thighs as he stared up at me through dark eyes.

  "Come to the Canette field with me?" he said, voice thick, as he wrapped a strand of my hair around his fingers.

  I nodded from where I was perched on top of him, my hands resting on his chest.

  Leopold pushed himself upright, leaning back on one hand, his other cupping my neck, and kissed me again, harder this time, full of want.

  "Get dressed then, I will wait for you in the hall," he said, pulling away too soon. He flicked on my lights on the way out the door.

  I fell back onto my mattress; my heart was racing in my chest. Good way to wake up I thought. After a minute, I pushed my way out of my fortress of textiles and threw back the heavy drapery. A faint white light streamed into the room. The sun wasn't even up yet. I smiled and went to my closet quickly, pulling on the first things I could grab.

  I examined myself in the mirror on my way out of the room. I didn't look half bad in the cream sweater, dark jeans and black ankle boots I had pulled on.

  I hit the lights and followed Leopold into the hall. It was pitch black. Apparently, the castle wasn't awake yet, too early for even the maids and butlers to be working. I could barely see to the other side of the hall where Leopold was leaning against the wall.

  "Pret?" he asked, reaching for my hand.

  I wound my fingers through his. "Let’s go."

  Leopold led me through the dark halls and staircases by memory until we arrived outside. The moon was still out, high in the sky, stars sparkling brightly in the clear night.

  Leopold's motorcycle was parked at the end of the staircase. I paused on the last step. "We are going alone?"

  "Yes, the field is one of the only places I can go without guards. Is that okay?" he said, looking up at me a little guiltily.

  "Are you kidding me?" I said, throwing my arms around his neck. "That's fantastic!"

  He passed me one of his leather jackets, a pair of aviators and a helmet before we climbed onto the waiting bike. I pulled myself close to him, hands holding onto his belt buckle, thighs on either side of his hips, and then, with a rev of the engine, we were off, kicking up the gravel from the path. I closed my eyes and leaned into Leopold's back, just enjoying the feeling of having him close. We darted along the empty roads, wind zipping by as we passed shops and houses and flew along the edge of cliffs until the Canette Clubhouse came into view.

  Leopold parked right beside the door and quickly pulled me inside and down the spiral staircase towards the changing rooms. The entire place was empty, not a person in sight.

  "Follow the hall through to the other side," he told me, indicating the door with the woman on it. "I just have to get changed and I will meet you there."

  I did as he said and found myself in a hall epic enough to rival some of the hallways in the castle. The walls were lined on both sides from floor to ceiling with photographs, trophies, awards and plaques. It was a timeline, the first part of the hall with pieces and artifacts that were dated hundreds of years old. They were fascinating. There were pictures of women playing Canette in long dresses and corsets all the way to modern players in uniforms very similar to the one I had seen Leopold in.

  A knock at the door broke me out of my daydreaming. I quickly made my way down the rest of the hall, peeking around corners into the empty dressing rooms, bathrooms and showers and then pushed through the door.

  "Everything all right?" asked Leopold. He was dressed in white chaps and polo shirt now.

  "Sorry, I got distra
cted by the photos on the wall. I didn't realize the history behind the sport," I said blushing.

  "It’s alright. Come on, we have to go to the stables next."

  The stables were essentially a barn. There were about a million aisles sectioned off into rows of cubicles, each holding a horse.

  "They keep the Canette horses here, as well as boarded horses and horses used for trail riding, racing and jumping," explained Leopold when he saw my incredulous expression. I stepped closer to him, hoping that he would be able to keep me safe. I wasn't completely sure that one of the horses wouldn't just climb out of its cubicle and start chasing me. We came to a stop in front of a huge black horse with a white patch on his forehead.

  "This is Dave," Leopold told me, as he entered the stall. "He is my Canette horse. I trained him."

  "You named this giant horse Dave?" I asked. I mean honestly, who names a monster Dave?

  "Yes. It's alright, Cat, he won't hurt you." Leopold reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of white cubes. He put one in his hand and offered it to Dave. The horse lipped and licked at his hand, eating the cube and leaving a trail of goober on Leopold's fingers.

  "They are sugar cubes," he told me, and placed a few in my hand. "Try it. Dave loves them. Just hold your hand out flat."

  I shook my head, "I'm good."

  "He won't bite. Here," Leopold took my hand in his and held out the sugar for Dave. I squeaked as the horse came over, but started to laugh as soon as Dave's soft lips lapped at my palm. It kind of tickled.

  Leopold walked around to Dave's side and used his arms to pull himself up onto the horse’s back.

  "Coming?" he asked, holding his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up behind him. There was no way I was staying here in the stables alone.

  We began riding Dave out to the field but a problem soon arose. Riding a horse bareback was much harder than riding one with a saddle. My legs weren't strong enough to hold me in place, so I kept sliding off.

  "I didn't think of this," said Leopold with a sigh. "Wrap your legs around my waist."

  "Why?" I asked curiously, but did as directed.

  A scream caught in my throat as Leopold let go of Dave's mane and used his arms to swing me around his body until we were face to face, my legs over the top of his. I buried my face in Leopold's chest, my legs and arms wrapped around him, clinging for dear life.

  He laughed, running his hand soothingly down my back, "It's okay, Cat. I've got you."

  I relaxed slightly, looking around. I was sitting on the horse backwards, facing Leopold who had one hand on my back, and the other wrapped in Dave's mane. I had to admit, this was easier, but I imagined it must look strange. We were trotting across the field. It was different seeing things from down here, you felt so much smaller in the middle of the huge lawn, surrounded by hundreds of seats.

  Eventually, we made it to the stands and Leopold gracefully jumped off of Dave and helped pull me to the ground. "You can watch from here if you like, or walk around the field. I won't be too long, I promise," he said, and then placed a chaste kiss on my forehead and mounted Dave once more. I smiled, as the pair rushed off towards the far end of the field. I pulled myself over the barrier and sat in one of the chairs, watching them in fascination.

  I felt whole again, nothing like the ghost I had been for the last few days before Leopold's return. Everything was right when he was around. I had no second guesses about why I was here or what I was doing because it felt so natural. I was dreading his departure on Monday. Luckily, I knew he would be back again soon; the hoop skirt dinner was next weekend.

  The sun slowly rose above us, casting the field in a gold light. The dew glistened, slowly evaporating under the heat. Suddenly, I heard a soft click coming from somewhere behind me. I frowned, confused by the strange sound, then I heard it again a second later. I looked over my shoulder and my blood ran cold. There were at least five photographers crouched down in the stands above me.

  I vaulted the barrier and started sprinting across the field. "Leopold!" I called, rushing towards him. He turned and looked at me, his head cocked to the side, and then an expression of pure fury crossed his features as he saw the men behind me.

  He and Dave charged towards me instantly. Leopold held out his hand and pulled me up in front of him as before, in one swift motion, without stopping. We traveled at top speed across the length of the field to the stables. I looked again to the stands where the photographers were, their flashes going off faster than strobe lights as they took frame after frame of us.

  I glanced over my shoulder quickly, to see where we were heading, and my eyes grew wide in fear as I took in the eight foot tall fence we were heading straight for. Suddenly, we were on the other side of it, racing along the cliffs, towards the edge of the forest. Dave, the monster horse, had jumped the fence.

  We made it to the woods, Leopold and Dave weaving expertly between the trunks of the trees. Dappled light from the sun trickled down through the canopy, lighting our way. When we broke through to the other side, Castle DuMont came into view.

  Dave skidded to a stop on the gravel at the back door of the castle as two stunned butlers came rushing forward to help us. Leopold dismounted, his boots crunching on the stone, and then helped me down before roughly taking me by the hand into the castle.

  I pulled my hand from his, stopping in the center of the foyer. Leopold turned and looked at me, nostrils flared, anger rippling through his frame.

  "What was that?" I demanded.

  "The photographers," he spat as an explanation.

  "Yes?" I urged.

  "I don't know how they got in, they shouldn't have been there." He swore under his breath, pacing back and forth across the floor.

  "But why did you charge out of there on Dave the Warhorse?"

  "Because there were photographers there, trying to get pictures of us, Cat," he ran his hand through his hair agitatedly.

  "Just as there were at the Opera last night. You didn't run then."

  "I could have," he mumbled darkly. "I was trying to protect you. You ran towards me!"

  "Because I was frightened to be with them by myself. I didn't mean for you to react like that. They just wanted photos! You can't kidnap me every time someone wants to take a picture of me. I am not saying I like it, but that’s my life now, Leopold. Our life. I've accepted that."

  Leopold stopped pacing, and stood, chest heaving, staring at me. Slowly, I made my way over to him and placed my hand on his cheek. He sighed heavily and leaned into my palm, eyes fluttering shut.

  "I am sorry for scaring you," I said gently.

  "I am sorry for over-reacting. You are right, of course. I need to go and speak with Felip." Leopold kissed my forehead, "I will come and get you shortly.

  Chapter Eleven

  I went up to my room, my heart still racing from our getaway. I didn't know whether I should be happy that Leopold was so protective of me or angry that he had over-reacted again. Everything had been going so well up until now. Last night had been magical, and I thought that Leopold had actually been making some progress adjusting to me, us, his new role, our life, until earlier this morning. I took a deep breath. It was still progress. I couldn't really blame him anyway, I was just as skittish as he was about everything.

  "Come, Mademoiselle," Angelique encouraged as I stepped into my bedroom. "You have to get ready for the opening."

  I plopped down in my desk chair and yawned as my maid tried to make some sense of my windblown and tangled hair. I was tired; the clock only read eight in the morning, but I had already been awake for three hours. Maybe I'd have to take a nap later.

  My mind drifted to my wakeup call this morning, and I smiled. I definitely hoped more of that would happen. Angelique finished pinning my hair back and then pointed over to my bed where she had laid out the outfit I was supposed to wear.

  "Please hurry and put that on Mademoiselle, then you must meet Prince Leopold at the front entrance," she curtsied, and th
en slipped out of my room.

  I frowned as I slipped on the pale gray sundress that had been laid out for me. I found it strange that Leopold wasn't going to get me from my room as usual, but I tried to shrug it off; maybe he had got held up with Felip. That thought wasn't too encouraging; maybe this morning's events had been more detrimental than I had thought. I bit my lip, frowning as I stepped into the strappy gunmetal heels at the foot of my bed, deciding that I would have to wait and see.

  I slid into the back seat of the hearse a few minutes later. Leopold was already there, dressed in a suit, aviators on, fully closed off from the world. He seemed distracted. I reached out and put my hand on the back of his neck, playing with the stands of copper hair. "You alright?"

  Leopold exhaled deeply, relaxing slightly, and nodded.

  "How was Felip?" I asked, prodding for some information, or at the very least a verbal response.

  "Fine," replied Leopold, and took hold of my hand, taking it off of him then lacing his fingers through mine, resting them on the seat between us. He quirked one side of his mouth up apologetically.

  "What do we have to do at the opening?" I queried.

  "We will shake a lot of hands, cut the official ribbon, and then be given a brief tour. Hopefully it won't take too long, we have to be somewhere else by two."

  "Okay, sounds doable," I said with a smirk. "But Leopold?"

  "Yeah?"

  "We are going to be inside. I don't think you will need these," I told him, reaching up and pulling off his glasses. I folded their arms and tucked them into his breast pocket.

  He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair, his mismatched eyes, staring into mine, "Do you plan on taking away all of my defenses?" The question was serious, but his tone was light.

  "You weren't meant to hide," I replied, as I raised my free hand, resting it on his cheek.