Chapter 4

Without waiting for my reaction, he beckons me to follow him. "Come on, I'll show you your apartments.”

I pull my suitcase up to the staircase. Draven rushes towards me. "Leave it, I'll take care of it.”

I thanked him politely. He lifts my luggage without any difficulty and climbs the stairs. I hurry after him.

Once at the top. I glance over my shoulder: the hall is even more impressive seen from here. Menu

“Celeste, this way…”

I follow him again. The sound of melancholy music seems to be coming from far off through one of the doors.

“Where's that music coming from? "It's a little sad, but pretty!”

"Oh, it's Peter. He loves to play this type of tune.”

Melodies, music, what!

“Is it him playing?”

That's wonderful!

Draven carries on until the end of the corridor without answering. Decidedly. he's very mysterious too …

I don't ask anything further and rush to catch up with him before I get lost.

Given the size of the manor, that could very quickly happen. At last, he stops and opens one of the doors. "Here we are! Welcome to your new home!”

He stands back to let me pass. The first thing I notice is the size of the room.

It is so big!

I love the huge window overlooking the garden and all the mirrors that make it look bigger.

I spot the rest of my luggage, stacked in the corner of the room. Draven hurries to put down the suitcase I brought with me.

"The rest of your things arrived yesterday, as expected... I'll let you settle in while I see what we can get you for dinner.”

He walks away down the corridor, then quickly retraces his steps. "I'll introduce Laura to you tomorrow morning. By this time, she'll be asleep and I don't want to wake her up.”

"Of course, let her sleep. I don't mind meeting her later.”

"Very well ... welcome to our home.”

I don't have the time to answer before he's gone. It's a real gift they have, the way they come and go without me noticing.

I begin to empty my suitcases, as Draven advised. 

I collapse on the bed to recover from my emotions. Now that I'm here, I might just as well settle in comfortably. I take a look around.

I open a first suitcase and start unpacking my belongings. As I put my clothes in the closet, I think of the two brothers that I've just met.

Draven is undoubtedly more charming than Lucian. He immediately put me at ease. His chivalrous manner is surprising. I didn't know men like that still existed.

Anyway, the least we can say is that he's not like his brother. I don't know what Lucian's problem is and I prefer not to know.

But…. I almost want to see him again, in spite of his cold attitude. I must admit that he moves and intrigues me…

His hypnotic gaze almost makes me forget his rudeness. 

On opening my second suitcase I stop still for few seconds. I lift out one of my most precious possessions. It's a snowglobe.

I unpack it cautiously and shake it up and down smiling sadly. I have a whole collection. This one is my favourite: the one my parents brought me from Paris. 

They travelled constantly with their work. Each time they brought me back a souvenir of the town they'd just visited.

London, Madrid, New York, Toronto, Rio, Beijing, Tunis, Rome, among others... There are still a lot missing, but they will never complete the collection. They were both killed in a car crash while they were coming home.

Looking at these objects can still be painful, but I'm incapable of leaving it behind. These relics are my only link to my family. The only thing left to me, along with my memories.

I remain sad for a few minutes, lost in thought... Then I go back to unpacking. I take out my books and CDs, which I lay carefully on the shelves.

I then tackle the last bag which contains my toiletries. As I go into the ensuite bathroom, I stop short. 

It is super luxurious. I love the marble basin and bathtub from another age. At least I won't have to worry about my comfort. 

After putting everything away, I go back into the bedroom and look around to get the feel of the room.

It's my home now!

I put a framed picture of my parents on the bedside table and sit on the bed. I stare at it for a moment.

Everything will be alright…

I stroke the frame with my fingertips, smiling sadly. I listen, but nothing breaks the silence. Everything is so calm. A little too calm.

I lay down and stare up at the ceiling for a long time. I'm knackered, but happy to be finally settled in.

All of a sudden, I sense a presence. A creaking sound adds to the impression. The feeling of fear forces me to move.

Lucian is leaning against the wall, in the far corner of the room. He's watching me in silence.

I meet his gaze, which shines with a disturbing gleam. He's still standing in the door frame, which throws me off balance.

How long has he been there?

I try to get up, but Lucian is suddenly next to me, looking threatening. He is so close that I can make out the changing colour of his irises, the shape of his eyebrows, his lips are parted…

I didn't even hear him approach. How could he move so fast? It's as if he'd slid over the ground in a thousandth of a second! Nobody can move that fast!

Impossible to take my eyes from him. I feel invaded by his presence. It's as if an invisible force were overpowering me. 

The air is electric. My body stiffens.

I try to say something but no words come out. I don't want to or I can't... I don't know. I feel enchanted ... Has he cast a spell on me? He's so close... and his complexion is so pale! He looks like an apparition.

Am I dreaming?