Wedding of the Dead

Chapter 2: Meeting the In-Laws

Gaiana Manor was much larger than Celeste had imagined - the rooftops slanted and pointed, reaching toward the skies like a hand of darkness. The stones that made up the exterior of the manor were white and gray, roughed from storms that swept the area every so often - surrounding tall windows of glass - with ivy that crawled up the sides, thick enough for one to grasp and scale the side of the manor like the sailors on the Castiel ships. The front door, which sat atop several stairs, was guarded by two ornate metal figures - one a man and the other a woman -  both turned toward their guests as if they were the real masters of the house.

“The house is beautiful, Celeste,” Verity came to stand beside her sister as the two women admired the building, “Can you imagine how many rooms must be in this place?”

“The Gaiana manor once was called Sergius Hall,” Myles spoke up from behind, “From what I’ve been told, there are at least fifty different rooms in the manor - though, most of them have been closed off due to financial reasons.”

“So now I know why you wanted me to marry Septimus,” Celeste muttered under her breath.

“Come, they’ll be waiting for us,” Myles ignored Celeste’s comment and led the way up the grand staircase before stopping at the ornate door.

It was carved maple with a wrought-iron knocker, shaped in the head of a lion. When Myles touched it, a heavy echoing boom surrounded the area. Footsteps followed from behind the door before it was opened to reveal a tall man with a round belly and long pointed nose. He reminded Celeste of a rooster with the way he held himself, nose tilted up toward the sky and looking down upon them like they were worms wiggling in the dirt.

“You must be Mr. Myles Castiel?” the man asked.

“Yes sir,” Myles nodded, “and my daughters, Celeste and Verity, are here as well.”

“Come in, Lady Gaiana is expecting you.”
The man - most likely the butler - stepped to the side and allowed the group into the manor.

The entrance hall was dark and cold, with few candles scattered in the chandeliers above their heads and holders that were located on either side of a never-ending stairwell.  A deep maroon colored rug was the only thing of color in the room, leaving the front door and running across the floor and up the stairwell before being divided into two separate directions. The walls of the entrance hall were covered with portraits, though several were covered with rich velvet curtains, and antlers scattered among the paintings - hunting trophies from another life. A family crest hung over a fireplace on the left side of the entrance - carved of marble. The design of the crest was that of a shield - four interlocking pieces that were surrounded by thorns and flowers with a dignified ‘S’ shape in the center.

“That’s not the Gaiana family crest, is it?” Celeste as the butler as two maids appeared, taking their bonnets and cloaks away.

“You’re very perspective,” the butler answered, “The crest there was that of the Sergius family, the previous masters of this house.”

“Were they an influential family?” Myles asked.

“They had some say, but I’m afraid the family is no more,” the butler answered, twitching his nose, “Lord Serigus was the only son of his father and was tragically taken from us some several years ago - thus Lady Gaiana became the new mistress of the home, along with her son.”

“I’m so sorry,” Celeste spoke, clasping her hands in front of her, bowing her head to show respect to the man.

The butler made a soft noise, making Celeste wonder if anyone had apologized to the man on the behalf of his deceased master. When her mother died, everyone they knew had offered condolences to them and their staff - even though the staff wasn’t particularly close with her father or her mother. It didn’t seem right to not offer condolences - especially if the man had worked for the Serigus family for years. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t catch him muttering, “... You would’ve been better suited for the master.”