Deception (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 3) (7 page)

‘Oh, of course not. Why would anyone want to hurt them?’

‘I don’t know. But I wouldn’t let it happen. Some of the doggies at the park told me that sometimes people hurt them so they are scared of some people. But my doggies wouldn’t be scared.’

‘No, your doggies would never need to be afraid of anything, Ceylona. Come, let’s go find Mladen.’

Crystal took one of Ceylona’s hands, then Ceylona turned to me and I took her other hand, and the three of us went in search of Mladen. Poor Mladen, he didn’t stand a chance.

~~***~~

I was surprised that Mladen was so open to the idea of getting dogs for Ceylona. And not only did he embrace the idea, he even agreed to take Ceylona to pick them out. They’d go the next day to a shelter he knew of, and get the dogs and all the necessary extras while they were out. After all, you couldn’t bring two dogs home without the likes of kennels, bowls and food.

Ceylona could barely contain herself, she was so excited. And she insisted that she had to find Ben and Henry immediately so she could tell them the good news. We went with her in search of the boys, and when she spotted them she pulled free of my hand and ran the rest of the way to them. Although I couldn’t hear what she was saying, her body language was unmistakable as she told them all about the dogs and the trip they’d make the next day to get them.

‘They’re very good with her, aren’t they?’ asked Crystal, after a few moments.

‘Yes, they do seem to really love her. They’ve grown into such fine young men.’

‘Yes, Mladen is very proud of them. Have they told you they plan to stay on here, for a time anyway?’

‘No, they hadn’t mentioned it.’

‘No, they hadn’t said anything to me either. But Mladen told me. They are of an age where some dhampirs start making plans to leave, but they’ve requested to stay on to help with Mark and Ceylona. Mladen is very pleased to have the extra help.’

‘Well, that’s good news for Ceylona. I’ll miss her terribly, of course, but knowing Ben and Henry are here with her, well … that makes it a little easier.’

‘Yes, I thought it might.’

We stood there in silence for a few moments, just watching my three children in the distance. Eventually I took a deep breath and asked the question I’d been dreading.

‘Crystal, may I borrow your phone? I need to … make a few calls, and my battery has gone flat.’

‘Yes, certainly,’ she answered, pulling the phone out of her pocket and handing it to me. She looked at me a bit suspiciously, but she didn’t say anything.

‘I’ll give it back to you after lunch, if that’s alright?’

‘No rush. Actually, I’m taking Angelica into Northam to run some errands. We’ll be out most of the afternoon. Angelica will have her phone, so if you need to contact us, just call her—her number is in my phone.’

‘Oh, I’m sure I won’t … but thank you. I really appreciate it.’

I’d done it—I had a phone to use. Now I just had to dial Sam’s number, and speak to him.

~ Chapter Nine ~

I sat on the end of my bed and leaned over until I could just see the garage door. I was probably being silly, but I sat well back and left the sheer curtains hanging in place, hoping that no-one could see me watching.

It wasn’t long before I saw Crystal and Angelica go into the garage, and then Mladen’s car pulled out and they drove to the front gates. I continued watching until I saw Angelica get out of the car and open up the large gates, then close them behind the car and get back in. When they finally drove off I let out a huge sigh, then picked up my phone and Crystal’s, and went downstairs. I headed out the back door, toward the track that followed the perimeter of the grounds.

As I walked along, I watched over my shoulder for signs that anyone else might be out for a walk. Ben, Henry and Ceylona were inside watching a movie when I left and I was reasonably certain that none of the teachers would be out, but I kept watch just in case.

When I was as far away from the school as possible, and hopefully out of earshot of their very keen hearing, I found an old tree stump and sat down to make my call. My hands were shaking as I pulled the phone out of my pocket, and I had to take several deep breaths to try to settle myself. Why was I so nervous? I mean, really, it was just Sam. But it had been so long since we’d spoken and I feared my voice would betray my emotions, so I sat there for several minutes trying to calm my nerves.

As I sat staring at the phone, the same old thoughts started racing around and around my head. Why hadn’t he answered my calls? Or if he hadn’t heard the phone, why hadn’t he checked for missed calls? The more I thought about these questions, the angrier I got, until I’d worked up enough anger to overtake my nervousness.

I opened the contacts on Crystal’s phone, found Sam’s name, and then held my breath as I pushed the dial button. It only rang twice before I heard his voice.

‘Crystal.’

‘Sam,’ I said, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

‘Lili?’

‘Surprised?’ The sarcasm was dripping now.

‘Am I what! I can’t tell you how nice it is to hear your voice. But … this is Crystal’s number … I’m sure of it.’

‘Well, you didn’t seem to want to answer the calls I made from my own phone, so I thought I’d try this one. Which leads me to the question, why haven’t you answered my calls?’

‘What calls? You haven’t rung.’

‘Have you checked your missed calls?’

‘Yeah, sometimes. And your name has never been there.’

‘Well, it should be. I’ve called several times.’

‘Lili, trust me, your name hasn’t come up. I always answer my phone if it’s someone I know—that’s usually either Crystal, Michael or Tom … mostly Tom. But I don’t answer it otherwise because it’s just bloody marketing calls. The phone companies trying to get me to switch carriers and whatnot … I just don’t answer them anymore. But believe me, if you’re name had come up, I’d have answered. I always look … just in case.’

I struggled to believe him, but I wanted to, and he did sound genuine.

‘Well, that doesn’t make sense. You’re the one that put my number in your phone, and yours in mine. So, why doesn’t it come up?’

‘Don’t ask me, but I swear, of course I would have answered.’

‘Well then … maybe there’s something wrong with your phone. But you could have called me even so.’

‘I did think about it. But when Crystal said you’d phoned her about Ceylona, well, the fact that you hadn’t called me first … I just assumed you didn’t want to speak to me.’

I took a deep breath as the anger in me dissolved. He sounded so sad, surely he was genuine and this thing with the phones was just a mistake. I felt terrible for doubting him … but then there was also the way he’d stopped responding to my emails.

‘Oh Sam, of course I wanted to speak to you. But when you stopped replying to my emails … and then not answering my calls … and Claire, well, she came over and looked for you and Tom, at the market. You weren’t there, and he never answered his phone. And then you didn’t answer yours … well, my mind just starting racing with ideas as to what might be going on.’

‘Oh, uh … look, I’m really sorry about all that. When we packed up and shifted our things to Crystal and Michael’s place … I had told you that at least, hadn’t I?’

‘No. Crystal told me, and that was the first I’d heard of it.’

‘Oh, Lili, I’m so sorry. It just happened so fast, I suppose. We were being watched, so Michael found this house, and we all moved. Tom and I just never got the stupid computer set up again. I’m sorry about that. I should have let you know. And as for the market, we had to give that up. We simply didn’t have the time to be there.’

‘Yes, well, if I’d known that it might have saved me a lot of worrying.’

‘Look Lili, I thought you were getting on with your life. It had been so long without any suggestion that Ceylona … well, I just figured Ceylona wasn’t a dhampira, and you wouldn’t be coming back—or at least, not for a long time. I was trying to let you get on with your life. I thought I was doing the right thing.’

‘So, does that mean when I get back to Melbourne … you’ll want to see me?’

‘Of course I’ll want to see you. I’ll even pick you up at the airport if you want me to. I’ve missed you so much. I love you, and I’m sorry if you ever thought, even for a second, that I didn’t.’

‘Oh, Sam, l love you too, and I can’t wait to see you. Yes, pick us up at the airport. It’ll be me and Debs, if that’s okay?’

‘Not a worry in the world. Ring me before your flight leaves, and tell me when it’s landing, and I’ll be waiting for you at the gate.’

‘Ring you? But you won’t pick up!’

‘Oh … well, have you got your phone with you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then hang up now, and ring from your phone so I can see what comes up.’

‘Okay.’

I hung up Crystal’s phone, and rang him from mine. When he answered he said, ‘It just comes up with the number. I know you were in my contacts … I don’t know what happened, but I’ll put you back in now.’

We chatted for a few more minutes, and I began to feel all warm and fuzzy just from hearing his voice. After we hung up, I sat for several minutes feeling happier than I’d felt for ages. Sam still loved me. All my worrying had been for nothing. His phone had played up. It happens. And as for the emails, well, he’d moved, and they hadn’t set up the computer. I suppose it had happened quickly. And of course, he thought I’d moved on with my life. But that was all in the past now. He still loved me. And in a week, he’d be holding me, and everything would be fine again. We’d find a house somewhere, and life would return to some sort of ‘normal’. As far as normal could be, for us. But it didn’t really matter, so long as we had each other, and so long as he loved me.

~~***~~

At dinner that night there was a very different mood around the table. It occurred to me that everyone might have been on their best behaviour for Jenny’s sake, because while she’d been present, the conversation had been light and cheerful. Tonight, with her gone, the conversation hinted at the troubles that Crystal and Michael were having over in Melbourne. Several times I saw Mladen give Crystal a look that said, ‘enough’, without actually saying anything out loud. But I wasn’t sure for whose benefit it was; mine, or Ceylona’s, or even perhaps Ben’s and Henry’s. But after the third ‘look’, Crystal changed the subject and there was no more said about the rogue vampires that were plaguing the market and gardens.

After dinner, once Ceylona was asleep, I went back downstairs to look for Crystal to return her phone. I found her and Angelica together in one of the sitting rooms.

‘Crystal, here you are. I just wanted to return your phone. I’m sorry to interrupt.’

‘Don’t be silly, you’re not interrupting anything,’ she said, smiling as I walked up.

As I handed her the phone, I caught the look on Angelica’s face, and could have sworn her eyes narrowed slightly just before the beautiful smile touched her lips. I suddenly felt very relieved that I’d thought to clear the call history on Crystal’s phone before returning it.

‘I assume you didn’t have any trouble with it. Were you able to make all the calls you needed to?’

‘Yes, thanks. And mine’s been plugged in all day so the battery should be fully charged. Dumb of me to let it die like that.’

‘Think nothing of it,’ said Crystal, still smiling sweetly.

‘And so, Lili,’ said Angelica, in an overly sweet voice that sounded far from sincere, ‘how are you coping now that Jenny is gone? She was good company for you, was she not? I mean, being human like you.’

‘Yes, she was good company. But actually I think my being here made the whole experience less frightening for her—so it was more for her benefit than mine that I spent time with her.’

‘I see, well, that was very kind of you,’ she replied, and although I could have sworn I’d caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice, her face gave nothing away as she smiled sweetly.

Crystal raised a brow as she looked at Angelica, so perhaps she’d heard something too, but she didn’t comment. Then Crystal turned to me, ‘Well, I was just saying to Angelica what a nice little break this has been, our coming here. It was just so wonderful to see Ceylona again, and you know how much I love spending time here with Mladen and the others. It’s been rather stressful at home, what with everyone being on high alert all the time. Although when I spoke to Michael yesterday, he said things had been a little quieter this past week. Maybe we’ve turned the corner. Maybe you’ve chosen a good time to come home after all.’

I felt a warmth go through me when Crystal said those words, about me coming ‘home’. Melbourne was my home, and I was so looking forward to building a new home for Sam and myself. A fresh start, in a new home; it was exciting to think of it and I couldn’t help but smile.

‘I hope so, Crystal. But regardless, I won’t be leaving again. I’ve missed Sam so much, I can’t wait to go home and pick up where we left off.’

Crystal gave me a warm smile, and I could tell she was genuinely happy for me. The look on Angelica’s face was not so easy to read, however.

‘Yes, of course you will—pick up where you left off. That’s marvellous. So, when will you leave? Ceylona seems very settled … I think she’ll do very well here. Wouldn’t you agree?’ Crystal asked.

‘Debs arrives tomorrow, to stay for a week, so I thought we would stay, relax, spend some time with Ceylona and the boys, then leave together at the end of the week. Ceylona does seem quite settled, so I must admit the extra week is probably more for my benefit than hers. But she’ll be all grown up in no time—I want to enjoy this time while I can.’

‘Yes, I believe you’re right; her youth won’t last much longer. I can see changes in her every day now,’ Crystal replied. ‘But I’m afraid Angelica and I will miss Debs altogether—we head back to Melbourne tomorrow. It will be a bit like two ships passing in the night, I daresay. But perhaps we’ll catch up for a coffee or something, when we’re all back in Melbourne.’

‘Oh, well yes, that’d be great. I’m sure Debs would like that. She was looking forward to catching up and reminiscing. Anyway, I’ll let her explain when we catch up.’

Crystal looked at me quizzically, but then just smiled.

‘Well, I’ll let you get back to your conversation. Will I see you in the morning, before you go?’ I asked.

‘Oh, I don’t think so. Our flight is quiet early, so I suspect we’ll leave here well before you’re up. So, I’ll say farewell now, and look forward to seeing you in a week’s time.’

She stepped forward, and gave me a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek.

‘Take care of yourself, Lili, and do enjoy your last week here with Ceylona. You’re right—she’ll be grown up before you know it.’

I smiled at Angelica and said, ‘It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Angelica. No doubt we will see each other soon.’

‘Yes, of course, but the pleasure has been all mine,’ she said with what looked to be a genuine smile on her face.

She confused me, to put it mildly. Narrowed eyes and sarcasm one moment then warm smiles the next. Odd. But she was truly beautiful, and when she smiled, it made her even more so. I was glad they were leaving tomorrow—the sooner she was away from Ben, the better.

I turned, and left them and went up to the room to check on Ceylona. As I tiptoed in, I could see that she was fast asleep; she didn’t even stir.

It wasn’t late but I was exhausted. I put it down to all the worrying I’d done about ringing Sam. I got changed for bed, and thought I might read for a little while, but I couldn’t concentrate on the words—all I could think about was Sam. I replayed our conversation over and over, feeling all warm and fuzzy every time I got to the part where he’d said that he still loved me. Sam loved me. That was all that mattered now. Ceylona would be fine here. And I would go home to my husband. Everything was going to turn out as it should, like Crystal had said. How could I have ever doubted it?