Heinrich said “I like that well enough, but only if we can get good assets and not sloppy killers. I move we table it until and if it flares up again. We can all contribute to a list of possible assets for this thing and that way if it again becomes a problem we will at least have a pool to draw from. For my money though, if he should become available, I would want Ian McCloud to lead the thing. I’m not going to quibble about paying him whatever he wants either for my part of it. That gang of wild Balkan blood suckers is on my bad side from now on, and I mean that! If Ian leads a raid on that bunch, I’ll be a part of it myself, so help me!” Most of the other judges knocked repeatedly on the table top and said “Hear-hear!”
They adjourned then and Wilhelm came over to Henri and handed him a package. Henri raised his eyebrows questioningly. “There are shares here for you and Ian from a lucrative thing in Prussia that Heini revealed to me. I took the liberty of buying in for you and Ian as well as myself.”
“Why thank you, Willy. I’ll settle with you before we part company. I know that there was talk of an industrial improvement at the seaports, but I thought it was far from settled.”
“Heini was the one who brought me in on it and he asked that you and Ian be brought in too.” Henri nodded his understanding as Willy continued. “It is settled as to who is doing it and who will be doing the lion’s share of improvements for the Prussian Navy as well. This is a really good opportunity and I would hold it for a while. In no more than three months there will be a rush of investors wanting to be involved in this. That will be a good time for two or three foreigners to sell out.” he said with a wink.
***
Celeste had just finished a performance at Paris and all were standing and applauding including little Aimee. She was thrilled at the singing and at being allowed to accompany her new family to this event. She’d never been in a place with so many people present. The time since her imprinting had passed in a seeming whirlwind of new activities and sights.
Marie had shown her how to catch small game animals and how to drain them for nourishment. She also had taught her how to use her sense of smell as she identified the rabbit scent, and then sniffed about for it in the forest until she could find it on the ground. Aimee settled in to her place in her new family with joy at the love, praise, and acceptance she received.
Soaking up the accumulated knowledge of her family like a sponge she became acquainted with terms of finance, government, politics, and a host of other subjects. She’d learned to speak five languages and to read three of them. Marie had told her to expect to be tutored on a regular schedule when they returned to the chateau.
When she did get to speak around adult humans, they were always impressed with her ability to carry on a conversation if included and impressed with her manners if she was not included. She had learned when to remain silent and to take her cue from her family on that. The only thing she had not been allowed to do yet was to interact with other children. Marie had told her that would be the hardest thing for her to master. She relished the thought of doing well at that too and being praised for it. The horrors of her previous life had begun to fade.
After saying their goodbyes, including an especially long and tender goodbye to Aimee, Ian and Alandra had departed for Barcelona.
Chapter 88
Upon arriving, Ian and Alandra caught up with all of the news in Barcelona. Barcelona House had added more cattle and a barn, and had now become known as a school for orphaned children as well as a hospital for them.
There were stories of how merciful and generous the chief prosecutor for the Crown had become. It seemed he had come with a generous gift for Barcelona House when he came to visit his son’s grave. People talked of the man as if he had undergone a miraculous change in his person and behavior. The king’s prisons now had fewer people in them than anyone could remember. Many who had languished in them for years were released. There was speculation about the cause for it, but no one seemed to really know why he was such a changed man
At last, the family arrived. Word had come that Celeste could come to Madrid to perform when she wanted to. Aimee loved the playground that Ian had installed there near the stream and spent a lot of time there when they weren’t all out sightseeing. He taught her to swim in that place and it only took a part of one day. She was shown that she didn’t need to breathe and could stay underwater as long as she wanted to. By day’s end, she could swim like a little dolphin and was jumping from the top of the waterfall. She had begun to be instructed how to play Ian’s violin too.
She was introduced to some of the children at Barcelona House. With Marie and Sophia watching, she played with them without incident. Afterward when they were alone, Aimee was greatly praised by all including Ian for how well she did with the children. She basked in the praise and it made her want to please her family all the more. After seeing all of the sick children she was actually grateful that she wasn’t human and could never be sick or hurt.
The mayor of Barcelona was persuaded by Alandra’s mother to arrange for an outdoor concert featuring Celeste and Aimee. He ordered a very small raised stage built just for the purpose and within four days there was an evening performance scheduled. By then she was quite good at playing Ian’s violin.
The two performed their four songs and were warmly applauded. Little Aimee tucked the violin under one arm and held hands with Celeste and they both bowed to the audience and both blew kisses to the exuberant crowd. They had succeeded in winning the hearts of the people of Barcelona, and while they were at it, they had polished their performance. They were ready to go to Madrid.
***
Arnaud Moreau sat in the outer office, waiting to see Clifford Edwards, senior partner of Edwards and Milliken Bank of London. He was patient, waiting for two hours. Shortly before lunch time, he was given five minutes. He introduced himself as a journalist who wanted to write about banking partnerships and the newer development of international honoring of drafts by member banks. Edwards knew of it, but said that his junior partner was handling all of that, and that his bank was partnering with the Lafayette banks to do that at Edwards & Milliken. He gave the name of the junior partner as Robert Milliken and said for Moreau to make an appointment with the assistant to see him.
Moreau did that before leaving, and learned that Milliken was out of the country at that time. He later followed Clifford Edwards and saw him meet with a younger man who looked like him. They went to dine and eventually Moreau got to where he could hear them speaking. He learned that this younger man was Clifford Edwards’ younger brother, and that his name was Miles. With nothing else to do, he followed Miles after he left the inn that night. Clifford had left with a sizeable group so he would be impossible to approach privately.
He noticed that the man became furtive later on, waiting outside of a local playhouse in a dark place. His curiosity was aroused then so he waited to see what Edwards would do.
A group of people came out the side doors later after the performance was over. They spoke briefly and separated. Miles began to follow one then and Moreau followed him. When the woman he was following got near to an underpass, Miles ran into the darkened place and shortly emerged, carrying the struggling woman. He carried her easily to a cemetery a block away and there he raped her as Moreau watched. Afterward he left her lying there, beaten and violated.
Moreau followed him to his home then, and within minutes was inside of the place with Edwards. He walked into the parlor as Edwards was pouring a drink.
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?”
“Someone who knows when a man needs help to get what he wants.”
Miles sized up the man and saw that he was seemingly evenly matched. But this was his home, so he moved aggressively toward the stranger. He was suddenly thrown down and found himself in an iron grip, the stranger’s face inches from his own.
The stranger spoke then, saying “I
saw you rape a woman tonight, Miles. I could go and tell the Constables what you’ve done. Or, I could easily kill you.” he said as he began to tighten his grip on Edwards’ throat. Just as Edwards thought he had breathed his last, the vampire relented. Edwards coughed and sucked air in noisily. Moreau waited until he was composed somewhat and then helped him to stand up.
“I’ve decided not to kill you, Edwards. If you’re co-operative with me, I’ll keep your secret.”
“What…what do you want?”
“Information is what I want, and you are going to get it for me, or you are going to prison for rape.”
“Prison? Rape in England is a capital crime.”
“All the more reason to cooperate, don’t you agree?” Then he bit him on the neck, faster than a viper could strike, easily holding him down in spite of his vigorous efforts to free himself.
***
The journey to Madrid was punctuated by two wild days for Aimee. The group all agreed that she needed that time to relieve the pressure of appearing always as the perfect child
The night of the performance in Madrid, Ian and the others sat in the box reserved for them by Roberto Rodriguez, owner of El Banco de Rodriguez. Marie and Sophia were back stage with Celeste and Aimee, both of whom were eager to perform. As always, this was a prelude to the scheduled opera. Once again Marie warned Aimee about controlling her eyes so that they wouldn’t glow. Little Aimee smiled and said “I’ll keep my eye-lights off.”
They performed and took the place by storm, blowing kisses to the audience as the curtain came down. The theater had to raise the curtain twice because the audience wouldn’t stop applauding.
Afterward, they all dined at a well-favored Inn. Roberto Rodriguez had come to the performance with his wife and met them there and paid for everything. While they were there, a king’s messenger came and delivered a message to Celeste herself. It was a request to come perform for King Charles III and his family before departing from Madrid. Celeste’s hands flew to her cheeks as she smiled broadly. She turned to Aimee and told her. Aimee’s eyes widened and her hands flew to her cheeks as she squirmed in her chair and said “Oh my! Oh my! May we Aunt Marie? May we Ian?”
Ian and Marie both chuckled, looking at each other and at Henri. Then they nodded to each other and Ian said “Of course you may, little one. If not, I should fear that the King might throw us all in jail.”
Within two days they were in the private residence quarters of the palace itself, assembled to hear the two perform. Ian remembered the room well, having passed through it late one night while stealing two paintings. The two girls completely captivated the royal family and their retinue. During the performance Ian was thinking here we’ve made history again, this time with seven vampires being in the presence of the Royal Family of Spain.
Afterward they were invited to stay and dine with the royal family. The King’s wife Maria had died years before of tuberculosis. His eldest daughter, Esmeralda, was most friendly and chatted a long time with both girls and with the ladies. The king wanted to hear all about the encounter with the Pirates so Ian gave them a mostly accurate version of it and he did add that he had fallen in love with Alandra and that the incident had begun the chain of events that resulted in their eventual marriage. The King was hanging on every detail of the pirate episode while Esmeralda was hanging on every part of the developing romance between the tall Scot and his beautiful wife.
Esmeralda had married and then was widowed so she listened carefully to every word of the budding romance between the two over the days at sea. Both were interested in the storm because they’d heard of how bad it was and remembered it even though it was years ago. The king commented that he also heard of an astute lady in Barcelona who knew tax law so well that she had helped seamen and merchants in Barcelona successfully press prior claims for tax relief. He winked at Alandra when he said that, and she blushed prettily. Ian concluded that the King of Spain was a far warmer, more approachable monarch than Louis of France or George of England. He knew from talking with Henri that he’d initiated far-reaching reforms in Spain already.
It didn’t hurt at all that Alandra was known to the Royal Family as the daughter of their Ambassador to France as well as director of Barcelona House. Esmeralda desired for a niece of theirs to be sent there to be examined by the doctors in Barcelona. Alandra obliged and said that the girl would be examined when she arrived, and that she would stay with them or with her own Father and Mother while in Barcelona.
After speaking with Princess Esmeralda, Alandra came to Ian and said “The princess compliments you on your excellent command of the Spanish language.”
Leaning close to Alandra Ian spoke softly saying “She should have seen and heard my Spanish when I was a bald-headed drunken man in Barcelona one day, fighting a duel with Carlos Chavez.”
Alandra snapped open her fan to conceal her laughter then, shaking her head in disbelief. “Whatever am I going to do with you, Mr. McCloud?”
“I have a few ideas, but we can’t discuss them now.” he said as he allowed his eyes to glow slightly. Both of them laughed then as she blushed a bit.
Before they departed from the palace, they were introduced to several ministers. Alandra greeted her two uncles and embraced them warmly and introduced each to her husband and to everyone in her party. No sooner had they done that then the chief prosecutor for the crown, Enrique Chavez approached. Ian was anxious then, wondering if somehow the prosecutor would recognize him from their one encounter. His fears were unfounded as Chavez fawned on all of them equally and was most pleasant. Ian and Alandra exchanged glances and smiles after he had met Ian and had not recognized him. She nodded knowingly and smiled at Ian in response to him winking at her.
After the Chavez had gone away Alandra had turned to Ian and said in a low voice “Did you notice that he had a part of the little finger of one hand missing?” Ian replied “Why yes, Lady McCloud. In fact, I was there when he lost it.” She snapped open her fan immediately to conceal her laughter and only the widening of her beautiful eyes, her raised eyebrows, and her shaking shoulders gave away that she was laughing so very hard. In a low voice she leaned toward him a bit and laughingly said “Ian, you devil! You could have at least told me about that before now!”
“What? And miss seeing you react this way? You should have seen your face just now!” He said with a bright smile as he allowed his eyes to glow just a tiny bit, winking at her once more. She blushed and letting her fan down she threw her head back and laughed out loud. Across the room Princess Esmeralda saw the two of them and thought I’ve never seen two people more in love than those two.
Chapter 89
The newly-appointed Chief Deputy of King’s Gendarmes Claude Rousseau looked around his spacious office. It had a large bay window with as good a view as his former office when he was one of three Assistant Deputies. He had to admit that the Laforges had made good their promise to see to his regular promotions. Here he was now living in Paris and only one office lower than the head of all of the King’s Gendarmerie of France. He now had two daughters and a son. Congratulatory birthday letters with gifts arrived on their birthdays each year. He had no doubt that the Laforges were well aware of much of his personal life.
He’d been contacted by the same Monsieur Laforge a few times since. No appointment was made or needed. They just seemed to meet by chance when dining both times. He had also received some queries by letter, always with the distinctive emblem on it. As promised, no seditious or unlawful act had ever been proposed. It was mostly information that the Laforges wanted, or an occasional recommendation to, or request from another branch of government about some obscure thing or other.
It was easy and so far as he could tell, it was harmless. He was most happy with the arrangement. His wife and he now had a comfortable and spacious home in a posh district of Paris which he had bought after he came to Paris as Assistant Deputy. It was n
o mansion, but it was a far cry from how they had lived in Marseille nonetheless. He had to conclude that it had been his very great fortune to come to the attention of the Laforges. They were getting to be known a little bit, it seemed.
They sponsored a large orphanage near Luxembourg it was rumored, and employed no small number of people at a ceramics plant that they owned a piece of, and in fact was a business that he had investigated at their request before they bought a share of it. They were seemingly as well respected and thought of as the Lafayettes of old. He had heard less of the Lafayettes in recent years it seemed, but he remembered that he had once met Henri himself after that incident at their orphanage. He had been a most pleasant fellow, and had even gone out of his way to let him know that some girls thought abducted had merely ran away as children will sometimes do. That was a nice thing for such a busy and well-known man to do, and he sometimes wondered what the Lafayettes were doing these days since he rarely heard of them anymore. He would have never dreamt that the Lafayettes and Laforges were one and the same couple.
***
The entire entourage left the guest quarters of the palace in Madrid and the same day had departed for Portugal. They had arrived unannounced but soon Henri secured an appointment with the banker whom Roberto had told Ian about. One thing led to another and after an evening at his home as guests, the man’s wife was so taken by Celeste’s singing and Aimee’s violin playing that within a week, they had gotten permission for the two to perform there.
The performance at the Lisbon opera was received very well indeed. At long last Portugal had the distinction of hosting the European Nightingale and her child prodigy pianist. It was a memorable occasion and Ian did get a few prickly alarms indicating that vampires in Lisbon liked the opera as much as they did in other capitols of Europe. Aimee sang because she already knew the Portuguese language. Being as she could play the violin and sing so well she was easily as big a hit that night as was Celeste. Being a vampire had given her voice a strength that had made her a very strong singer, surprising every audience that heard her.
Forever Young The Beginning Page 50