Deception (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 3) (8 page)

~ Chapter Ten ~

Crystal and Angelica were long gone by the time I ventured downstairs for breakfast. Ben and Henry had finished eating, but were still sitting at the table, waiting for Ceylona. She finished a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice under protest and then dashed out the back with her older brothers, barely able to contain her excitement. She was getting her dogs today.

After the three of them had disappeared out the door, Mladen joined me for a coffee. It was unusual for us to be alone together for any length of time, and he seemed almost as uneasy as I felt.

‘And what time will your Aunt Debra arrive, Lili?’ he asked, as he sat down across from me at the large table.

‘Her flight arrives around mid-day, but by the time she organises a car and drives out here, I suspect it will be sometime after three.’

‘Yes, I see. I am looking forward to meeting her—this grand-daughter of my dear friend.’

‘She’s pretty excited about meeting you too. She’s dying to hear anything about Francis that you can tell her. And so am I. She saw him once, had I told you that?’

‘No, you hadn’t. What was the occasion?’

‘It was when her grandmother was dying, at the hospital. She didn’t actually know who he was at the time. It was many years later that her mother finally told her about Francis and Caroline.’

‘I see. Well, her mother no doubt felt it was easier not to speak of it.’

‘Yeah, I suppose so. And did you know that this was possible, Mladen … I mean, does this happen often? You know … relations … between a dhampir and a human woman … and offspring?’

‘Yes, I knew it was possible, but I daresay it doesn’t happen often. We discourage fraternisation, if you like, between ourselves and humans. It poses … problems … when an immortal falls in love with a mortal.’

‘That’s for sure,’ I said, with a dry laugh.

‘Yes, I’m sure you understand, my dear. Unfortunately, love does not always obey the rules,’ he said, with such sadness in his tone that I wondered if he was speaking from experience.

We both took sips of our coffee, and then just sat quietly for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and low.

‘Most people would never know if they were related to a dhampir. As you know, our kind live very private lives, and we do not take many humans into our confidence. But when you hear of a human living well beyond what would be considered a normal age, they could well be a descendant of a dhampir.’

‘Mladen, do you think I might … you know, live extra-long too?’

‘It is certainly possible; you are exceptionally healthy in any case, what with all the running you do,’ he answered, a slight smile just touching his lips.

‘Oh, yeah sure. But
I meant being a great-granddaughter of a dhampir.’

‘Yes, I knew what you meant—but only time will tell.’

There was a tap on the door, and one of the teachers came in and whispered something in Mladen’s ear. He nodded, and the teacher left the room.

‘I’m afraid I must go. Will I see you at lunch? I suspect the conversation at the table will be all about dogs … as you will recall, I promised Ceylona we would go to the shelter this afternoon.’

‘Yes, I’ll see you then,’ I laughed, as Mladen stood to leave the room.

Just as he reached the door, he stopped and turned around. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but then he frowned and seemed to change his mind. Instead he simply shook his head and mumbled what sounded like, ‘Oh, never mind,’ then he turned and left the room.

~~***~~

Mladen had been right about lunch. Ceylona was so excited she could barely eat, and all she could do was talk about possible names for the dogs. In the end, I convinced her to wait until she selected them, suggesting they might already have names and she might like to leave them as they are. She agreed that this was a good idea, so her chatter changed to how she hoped they had big Labradors just like Ted and Alice.

When it was time for Mladen and Ceylona to leave, I walked with them to the door. But instead of Mladen’s large sedan out the front, there was an old farm truck. I hadn’t even realised Mladen had a truck. Mladen saw the look on my face, and mentioned that Ben and Henry had found it out in a shed and had started working on it, and now it was running perfectly. It would work a trick for getting the dogs as there was room in the back for the kennels. Staring at the old truck, I felt a rush of pride—my boys, mechanics. That would surely help to keep them occupied over the years.

Ben and Henry had followed us out, and asked Mladen if they could take his car and go into Northam to see a movie.

With all of them gone, I had a couple of hours to myself before Debs would arrive, so I tiptoed up into Mark’s room where he was sleeping soundly. He was still so small, and had that wonderful baby smell about him. As I stood over his cot, careful not to make a sound, I couldn’t help but smile and wonder if it might be my destiny to have many more babies; more dhampirs, or even perhaps dhampiras?

I must have made some sound, as Mark opened his eyes and yawned, then flashed me a gorgeous smile. He raised his little arms up toward me, and blinked his big brown eyes. I took this to mean he wanted a cuddle, so I lifted him out of his cot, and held him close to me as I walked around his room, humming a little tune that just popped into my mind. He seemed to like it as he cooed and giggled and reached up with his tiny little hand to touch my mouth.

We kept this up for several minutes, but then I noticed that one of the teachers was standing in the doorway, waiting patiently. Embarrassed at getting caught, I apologised as I handed Mark over to the teacher.

‘It’s no problem, really. You can visit with Mark anytime you like. I didn’t mean to startle you; it was just such a pleasure to watch you with him, that’s all.’

‘Oh, well, I’m sure he needs to be fed or something,’ I mumbled, as I excused myself. It was silly, but I really did feel like I’d been caught doing something wrong. But it wasn’t because I’d been cuddling Mark that I felt so embarrassed. It was because I’d been caught thinking about making future babies; with Sam.

As I made my way downstairs and out the front door into the fresh air, I started humming again. I couldn’t quite place the melody at first, but then it hit me. I was humming the tune that Elizabeth often hummed. Elizabeth. I hadn’t thought about her for ages, but I’d see her soon. And everything was going to go back to how it was, and be just perfect.

~~***~~

Debs arrived in the early afternoon, pulling up at the gates in a big white car. I’d been watching for her, so I dashed to open the gates as soon as I saw the car pull up. She drove through and stopped the car to wait for me, indicating she’d give me a lift back to the front.

‘Where should I park this monster?’ she asked, as soon as I sat down.

‘Oh, just to the right of the main building, there’s a small visitor parking lot. Just there, do you see it?’

‘Yes, thanks. So, how are you? You look … hmmm, how can I put it, healthy?’

‘Uh, thanks, I guess. You look lovely yourself, as always.’

‘Thank you. I do try, you know, which is more than I can say for some people. So, I was thinking that since I’m here for a whole week, we might take a trip into Perth one day—stay the night. We could do some shopping, and have a bit of a make-over. How does that sound?’

‘A make-over? You mean for me, obviously.’

‘Yes, well, Sam hasn’t seen you for … has it been nearly three years? You’ll want to make a good impression. I’m thinking we’ll get your hair cut, maybe even have your eyebrows shaped. You’re a beautiful girl, Lili, but even the beautiful ones can do with a little help from time to time. When’s the last time you had your hair cut, anyway?’

Typical Debs; she barely even took a breath between sentences. So, she thought I needed to spruce myself up before seeing Sam. Well, maybe she was right.

‘Hmmm… haircut. Well, to be honest, I don’t recall. So I’d say it’s been a while.’

‘My point exactly. So, day after tomorrow, Perth it is. Okay?’

‘Sure, why not. But I won’t let them do anything more than a trim; you know that, don’t you?’

‘Yes, Lili, I know. So … where’s this little girl of yours? I expected her to be here with you, to greet me.’

‘Oh, Mladen has taken her to town. She’s getting dogs today. Sorry, it’s not that she isn’t excited about seeing you; it’s just … well… I’ve told you how she is with dogs haven’t I?’

Debs laughed, and then just shook her head.

She parked the car and I grabbed her suitcase out of the back and showed her inside to the room that had been made up for her. I left her to unpack and freshen up, while I went down and made some afternoon tea.

Twenty minutes later, she came downstairs and we sat at the dining room table to have tea and scones. I didn’t make the scones, of course, but I put them out with jam and cream, and a pot of fresh coffee for Debs.

It was a beautiful afternoon, and we were just contemplating going for a walk around the grounds when we heard a car pull up out front. Could Mladen and Ceylona be back already? Or were Ben and Henry home from their movie? I looked up to see Sebastian heading to the door, so I just watched to see who would come in. But well before I could see anything I heard her. The sound of excited laughter came through the open door first, followed by Ceylona, who in the space of a matter of weeks seemed to have already aged at least a year.

‘Mommy, Mommy!! Come quickly. You have to meet Jackie and Zane! Mommy? Mommy, can you hear me?’

I laughed and went to the door of the dining room, and called out to her, ‘Ceylona, yes, we can hear you. Your Aunty Debs is here. Come say hello.’

She ran in the direction of my voice, and stood in the doorway and smiled at Debs and said a polite hello, but then grabbed my hand and started tugging me toward the front door.

‘You must come see them, Mommy—Jackie and Zane,’ she pleaded.

‘Okay, okay. We’ll both come. Debs? Have you finished?’

‘I suppose I have,’ she laughed, standing up from the table.

Ceylona kept tugging at my hand, so I turned and called to Debs to follow us, and let my daughter drag me out the front door. Mladen stood beside the truck, holding the leashes of two very well behaved dogs that sat beside him.

‘This is Jackie,’ said Ceylona as she threw her arms around the neck of the slightly smaller dog—a jet black dog that was somewhat smaller than a Labrador, but appeared to be fully grown. ‘And this is Zane,’ she said as she turned and put her arms around the neck of the second dog. This one was slightly taller than the other, and was a deep reddish-brown, with tan highlights—similar to a red Doberman, but slightly longer hair and perhaps not as big.

‘Ceylona, they are lovely. What breed are they, do you know?’

‘Kelpies, of course’ she replied excitedly.

I looked at Mladen and he nodded.

‘Well, they certainly look like lovely dogs, Ceylona. You’ve chosen well.’

‘They chose me, Mommy. When I got there, the two of them were standing together and they looked at me and I knew it had to be them.’

I looked up at Mladen and smiled, then said, ‘Oh, how rude of me. Mladen, this is my aunt, Debra. Debs, this is Mladen.’

Debs smiled and stepped forward to shake Mladen’s hand, then realised he was still holding the dog leashes. She sort of clapped her hands together and chuckled, saying, ‘Mladen, it is such a pleasure to meet you. I’ve been so looking forward to this visit. Oh, and please, just call me Debs.’

Mladen handed the leashes to Ceylona, and smiled at Debs as he reached out to shake her hand, gently placing his left hand over the top or hers and holding it there for a moment as he stared deeply into her eyes.

‘The pleasure is all mine. To meet a relation of my dear friend Francis … well, I must say this is a pleasure I had not expected, but one that I certainly cherish.’

Debs blushed slightly at this attention and seemed to be, for the first time since I’d known her, at a loss for words.

‘I can see him in you, you know,’ Mladen continued, ‘you have his eyes, and his colouring. And although I must admit I’d never really stopped to think about it before, I suppose he was a handsome man, and that has carried through to you as well.’

Debs blushed even further, looking down at the ground and sort of shuffling her feet a little. Mladen released her hand and took a small step back. Then he turned to Ceylona.

‘Ceylona, if you would like to take Jackie and Zane out the back, Sebastian can bring the truck around and help you set up their kennels.’ Then he turned to me. ‘Lili, would you like to help them? I wouldn’t mind having a quiet talk to your aunt, before dinner.’

‘Oh, yes … of course. I’ll see you a bit later then, Debs?’ I asked, trying to keep the disappointment from my voice. I had thought the three of us could sit and talk.

‘Yes, dear. You run along with Ceylona, and I’ll see you at dinner.’

As I turned, I could just see Ceylona disappearing around the side of the building, with the two dogs obediently walking at her side, not even pulling on their leashes. Sebastian had started the truck and was looking at me, asking if I wanted to jump in, but I just smiled and waved him on. When I turned back to say goodbye to Debs and Mladen they’d already gone up the steps and had vanished inside the building.

I stood there by myself in the driveway, and for just a moment it was as if I was in a dream. Then I ran my fingers through my hair and shook my head and told myself to snap out of it. I turned, and walked off in the direction Ceylona had gone, but I couldn’t seem to shake the odd feeling that something was wrong. And for the first time since I’d been back in Australia, I wondered if bringing her here had been the right thing to do.

~ Chapter Eleven ~

The sensation that something was wrong didn’t exactly disappear, but I came to the conclusion that I was simply feeling anxious. After all, my life was about to change dramatically—again. I was losing Ceylona more and more each day as she settled into her new world. And although I was excited that I’d get to be with Sam, I was dreading leaving here without Ceylona.

But at least Debs being here made it a little easier. She kept me so busy that I didn’t have time to think about leaving Ceylona … not yet anyway. The weather was excellent so we were able to go for long walks every day, and even though it was technically winter, we even went for a swim one afternoon.

We had our overnight trip to Perth, where Debs insisted I have several inches cut off my hair, my legs waxed, a manicure, and a facial. It was, in a word, torture. But Debs swore I looked better, and did her best to convince me it was all worth it. At least the shopping, to expand my meagre wardrobe, had been fun. I couldn’t remember when I’d last gone shopping for clothes for myself. Could it have been with Debs? If so, that would that have been four years ago.

I also spoke to Sam every day. Hearing his voice gave me strength, and faith that everything would work out just fine. And although he admitted that he hadn’t taken the time to look at any houses yet, he promised that as soon as I arrived we could go look together. We agreed that I would stay with Debs and Ian at first. He claimed to be embarrassed about it, but to me it sounded like he was almost relieved.

Ceylona was over the moon with Jackie and Zane, and spent as much time with them as she was allowed. And each evening after dinner Debs and I got the full rundown of the progress she’d made with her training. Debs was really good with her, patiently sitting while Ceylona explained in great detail everything she’d taught them that day. By the sounds of it, Ceylona had the same uncanny way of communicating with them that she’d had with Ted and Alice, although thinking about the way she always talked to Archie, I did wonder how much of it might be put down to childhood imagination.

Debs and Mladen appeared to have developed a strong friendship, and on several occasions I found them talking alone together—either in the sitting room or out on the back terrace. I knew they often discussed Francis, and Mladen preferred to keep these conversations private; it was not something that he wanted discussed at the dinner table. Debs did fill me in on some of what she learned, the most important of which was that Mladen had agreed to send one of his teachers in search of Francis. Since Ben and Henry had decided to stay on to help with Mark, Mladen felt he could spare one of the teachers that had expressed a desire to take a break. He would leave within the week. Mladen was confident he would locate Francis, but couldn’t say how long it might take.

Mark was growing rapidly, as all dhampirs do. He was already sitting up and communicating in his own baby way, and I knew he would soon be good company for Ceylona. Mind you, Ceylona had grown at incredible speed over the past month as well, and I could only assume her body was making up for lost time. I’d swear she’d grown at least an inch taller since we’d arrived at Mladen’s. She was as mature as a child who had been in school for quite some time, and perhaps due to the influence of her older brothers, her vocabulary seemed to have quadrupled.

On the morning Debs and I were to leave, it was a sombre mood at the breakfast table.

‘I’ll write you a letter as soon as I arrive in Melbourne. When you get it, you are to sit down and write me a letter in return. Mladen will be able to mail it for you. Then, when I get your letter, I will write one back to you. And the letters can go back and forth like that. How does that sound?’

‘Okay, Mommy. I will tell you all about Jackie and Zane and what I’m learning. And if we go anywhere I can tell you about that too.’

‘That will be very nice, Ceylona. I’m so looking forward to getting regular letters.’

I’d discussed this with Mladen before raising it with Ceylona. Mladen wasn’t particularly keen on technology, and although he did have a mobile phone, he hadn’t yet embraced the concept of the internet and emails. He was also very protective of what information went in and out of the school. He would allow the letters, but only so long as they were of a very personal nature. He would filter the letters going out and coming in. But that was fine with me. I simply wanted to keep in touch with my daughter, for as long as she was prepared to do so.

‘Will you come say goodbye to Jackie and Zane, Mommy?’ she asked in a hopeful tone.

‘Of course I will. I’m ready, if you are,’ I replied, taking her hand in mine.

‘Yes, ready, let’s go now,’ she said as she stood up and tugged on my hand.

I excused us from the table, and let Ceylona lead the way out the back door to the kennels. It was a large area, enclosed with a fence so that while Ceylona was studying she wouldn’t need to worry about her dogs straying.

As we approached, both dogs sat up and faced us, tails wagging so hard they sent the dirt flying in both directions. When she opened the gate, they walked up to her and licked her face and hands, tails going as fast as propellers.

‘Sit,’ she said to them, and they instantly sat next to her, facing me.

I walked up and stroked their beautiful faces; first Jackie, then Zane.

‘You look after this little girl of mine, you hear?’ I ordered Zane.

As I spoke he blinked, and turned to look at Ceylona, then back to me. I could have sworn he understood me perfectly.

‘Don’t worry, Mommy. They will always protect me.’

‘I’m sure they will, sweetheart. Just as you’ll protect them, and look after them every day.’

‘Of course I will, Mommy. They are my family now, just like you, and Grandma, and Raye, and Aunty Debs, and Ben and Henry.’

As she said this, I felt a jab of pain. She hadn’t mentioned ‘Daddy’ in this family scenario. For all intents and purposes, I suppose she didn’t have a Daddy, or at least not one that she knew. The boys didn’t either, but it was different with them. They were living the only life they knew, and hadn’t seen ‘family’ like Ceylona had when we were at Mom’s house.

I’d make this up to her somehow—this lack of a father in her life. I’d have to work on having her come over to stay with us, for a visit if nothing else. She needed to spend time with Sam, to have a chance to get to know him. Surely she’d be allowed to come for a visit; perhaps at Christmas. Sam and I would have a home by then.

My spirits lifted at this thought, and I reached over and stroked her hair. She turned to me, and gave me a smile that melted my heart. I sniffed back a tear and swallowed hard, then turned to Zane again, and rubbed the top of his head. He closed his eyes, and rested his head against my leg, and I would swear he was trying to comfort me.

~~***~~

An hour later Debs and I stood in the foyer, saying goodbye to Ben and Henry, Mladen, Sebastian and a few of the other teachers who had come out to bid us farewell. Ceylona was beside me, holding my hand tightly. She suddenly looked so fragile and innocent—my little girl, who had only recently turned three but looked so much older. It was hard for me to believe I was actually going to leave her, but it was time to go.

‘I’ll go start the car, while you say goodbye,’ said Debs with a knowing look.

‘I’ll write you a letter as soon as I get home,’ I said to Ceylona, kneeling down to her level, and pushing her beautiful golden hair back from her face. I so wanted to say that I’d see her at Christmas, but I hadn’t cleared that with Mladen yet, and didn’t want to make promises I couldn’t keep.

‘I have something for you, Mommy. Wait here,’ she said, pulling free of my hand and racing back up the stairs toward her bedroom.

In a moment she returned holding something behind her back. She stopped directly in front of me.

‘Ah-chee can go with you Mommy. You need him now. I have Jackie and Zane. You take Ah-chee with you,’ she said as she brought the stuffed dog out from behind her back.

‘Oh, Ceylona,’ I said, swallowing hard and trying desperately not to cry. The lump in my throat was hard to ignore, but I had to be strong for her—after all, my little girl was being strong for me. ‘Are you sure you want me to take him?’

‘Yes, Mommy, you take Ah-chee. He can be your doggy now,’ she replied, smiling sweetly as she handed him over to me.

I took the stuffed dog in my left hand, then reached forward and pulled Ceylona to me tightly in a hug that would have to last for quite some time. But I knew that I would come back here with Sam for a visit, or that we’d have her come to us; she was never going to be far from my thoughts, and she would always be my little girl. I stroked her hair, and told her how much I loved her and then, somehow, I found the strength to let go.

~~***~~

I’d known that leaving Ceylona would be difficult, and had dreaded this moment since the day at Coyote Point Beach. But the feeling of emptiness was worse than I’d ever imagined; I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.

Debs must have sensed my need for silence, as unlike our drive earlier in the week, she didn’t say a word as we made our way toward Perth. I just stared out the window at the barren landscape. The ground was dry and dusty from what had been a long hot summer and autumn. Winter had not yet brought any rain, and there seemed to be nothing growing, nothing alive.

I had to keep reminding myself that Ceylona no longer belonged in my world. I had to let her be what she was born to be, with those that she was destined to be with. She would make a difference. And for now, at least, she had her brothers, and Mladen. She would be safe, and happy.

And I was going home to Sam. He wouldn’t be able to make me forget Ceylona, but he would help me heal; help me feel that there was a reason to go on living. I kept reminding myself of this as the car sped along the deserted stretch of road. While I was speeding away from Ceylona, I was speeding toward Sam. Everything would be fine.

A familiar sound broke the silence and I jumped, startled. My phone had beeped; a text message. I pulled it out of my handbag and pressed the button and saw that it was from Sam. My immediate thought was just how wonderful he was—that he must have figured out that I’d have left for the airport by now. He would be sending me a message to cheer me up. That was what I hoped anyway. Then I read his message.

‘Lili, I’m sorry but I can’t meet you at the airport. Can you take a taxi? I’ll ring you tonight. Sam.’