Dying in Wine

I had no idea where I was headed. I sure as hell wasn’t going back to the ballroom where I could see his face again. With no doubt in my mind, I knew things would spiral out of control after what they would presume was assault on him, break off the engagement, and plunge my family further into bankruptcy. Knowing my mother, she would be on her hands and knees, kissing their feet in order to reconsider. They probably wouldn’t even believe me when I would say I was the one assaulted.

Taking an immediate right, I ran down the hallway and stopped for a quick breath. I was surprised that I could run in these four inch heels. Normally, I would have fallen flat on my face, but adrenaline kept me upright. Then I heard shuffling behind me and noticed Isaac was running towards me. I swore under my breath and kept running.

The overall layout of the building was a maze. I’d be lucky if I found my way to the main entrance. I took a few sharp turns, hoping I could lose him, but I could hear him panting behind me. Damn, he’s persistent, I thought. I turned to my right and entered the first door I could see. I slammed the door behind me and leaned against the door, hoping to hear him pass.

“Come out, come out wherever you are,” he sang menacingly. This guy was completely psychotic. I heard his footsteps fade as he passed by.

Somebody coughed behind me.

I looked behind me to see a figure sitting in an armchair. A light was illuminated by the chair, leaving the rest of the room dark. Apologies were streaming out of my mouth before the person spoke my name.

“Adrian?” I asked. The figure clapped his hands illuminating the entire room. It was a small, windowless library filled with numerous books. And behind the armchair was a large, mahogany desk topped with papers and more books. Few portraits adorned the walls with electric candelabras. I looked at the figure and saw Adrian’s familiar face. He put down a glass of wine and a book on an end table and acknowledged me.

“I didn’t know I would be entertaining visitors in my study.” There was a smile on his lips, but not his eyes.

“I sincerely apologize, but would it be okay if I hid here for a few minutes.”

“Of course. But may I ask who’re you hiding from? I thought you were a little old for that game.” He smirked, the amusement now showing in his eyes.

“I’m not playing a game.” I almost growled, irritated by his assumption. “I’m hiding from my fiancé.” I almost gagged on the last word.

Adrian raised an eyebrow. “I thought the purpose of having a fiancé was to come together, not stay apart. Unless your fiancé is into playing games.” I noted the slight irritation in his voice when he mentioned “fiancé.”

“I don’t like what you’re insinuating.” I crossed my arms over my chest to show how much I was not amused. “The fact is that he did something – “ I paused, thinking of the correct verbiage without actually confessing what Isaac did. “- incredibly inappropriate, and I did not like it.” The weight of my confession and the stress over the past few weeks were suffocating me to the point where I felt tears running down my cheeks.

“Oh, my dear.” Adrian got up from his chair and came to me in one fluid motion that made him seem so graceful. He brought his hand up and wiped away a tear. The other hand brushed the curl away from my eyes. Without thinking, I fell into his arms and started to bawl. Adrian wrapped his arms around me, and we stayed like that for what felt like hours. But after a few minutes, I was dry from crying too much and I pulled away.

“I’m very sorry,” I said while wiping and excess tears. “I didn’t mean to stain your suit. I must look a mess right now.”

“No worries. You are pretty when you cry. But you are much prettier when you’re not crying.” His wording, though not exactly the same, made me remember the stranger at the graveyard at my grandmother’s funeral. Thinking about it now, the voice sounded familiar. I looked up into his dark eyes, now seeing their color. They were a muted brown color, with gray specks circling his iris.

“I apologize, but I need to take my leave,” he said, snapping me out of his gaze.

“Um, okay,” I replied, trying not to be mesmerized by his eyes. I looked away towards a random shelf of books.

“Feel free to stay as long as you’d like. My library is your library. Just let Henrik know when you’re going to leave so he can lock up after you’re gone.”

My eyes travel over to the stranger standing in the corner. Why haven’t I noticed him before?

“Allow me to introduce. This is Henrik, my chauffeur. Henrik, this is Valerie.” I moved an inch as if to extend my hand in greeting, but when I noticed he wasn’t going to move, I stayed still. The stranger was taller than Adrian, almost six foot and five inches. He had a hooded expression, and his hair was copper colored from what was left. He was balding in the front but still had pronounced mutton chops. He nodded as a greeting and gave a soft grunt. So this was the guy who drives the Excalibur.

“He’s not very talkative,” Adrian smiled next to me.

“Wine?” Henrik offered, with a tray that materialized out of nowhere. On the tray was a single glass of a crimson-colored wine. “Romane Conti.” For a split second, I assumed he said something inappropriate, but then I realized he was naming the drink.

“Ah, no thank you. I don’t drink.”

“You must have a high tolerance, Miss Stone. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have a nice glass of Merlot in the evening. Now, if you’ll excuse, I have an appointment.” Adrian wrapped both hands in mine and gazed into my eyes. “Until we meet again, Valerie.” I nodded, struck speechless at his touch. He brought my hand up to his lips and gave a slight peck. When he let go, my hands suddenly felt cold. Adrian left the study and I finally noticed that I was holding my breath.