Eternal Symphony

29. Eternal Silence of the Sea

Her heart thumped hard against her chest, ready to explode at the sheer thought of Lady Victoria delivering on her promise; she was ignorant of when Luna parted her way through the pell-mell crowd and jumped up on the table, purring and chittering in delight from seeing Alice again. Still stuck in a daze, Alice eventually stroked Luna's head, surprisingly happy to see her. 

"What have you done with the soul gem?" Luna's ice-blue eyes fixated on her as she chittered. Alice sighed as she was filled with regret once more. Yet, her eyes scanned the crowd frantically for Elijah, but she didn't see him among the dancing party inside. Where did Scarlett take you?

When Lady Victoria was out of sight, Lord Frederick unexpectedly appeared with Miles, Emil, and Sophie-Anne from the sea of people drunk with the festive spirit—all donning hoods save for Miles—approaching the conflicted Alice while she considered the matriarch's sudden act of charity.

Like Sophie-Anne, Emil was decorated in an eighteenth-century French costume suited for nobility; he sported a white waistcoat with oversized lapels and a thin violet coat with a high collar. A long white linen scarf wrapped around his neck, knotting over a folded jabot and opening like a fan on his chest. It had been a while since Alice last saw the twins dressed in attire appropriate to their period, which made her face flush for some reason.

Lord Frederick gandered at the blitz while the twins asked Alice what their mother wanted, but they paused and asked about her neckcloth. Alice looked up at Miles, for he was the only one who knew that Elijah had bitten her, and instead of explaining, she unwrapped it and showed them.

The twins gasped, but Lord Frederick remained indifferent. He was the one who understood the delicate situation after putting up with such a wife for all these years; as he excused himself from the stunned party, he parted with "selfishness and love come at a high price. Elijah needed to start thinking about the future and becoming head of the Tonnerre family. I suggest that both of you really consider what you two want before the opportunity is lost." He excused himself, leaving Alice at a crossroads.

I know what I want. I don't give a damn about my curse anymore. My future is incomplete if Elijah is not a part of it.

Emil urged Alice to follow him back to the room while Sophie-Anne went to grab her makeup—which she had used to add a splash of color to her face for social events. Luna happily trailed them as the trio watched her intently, but Alice was apathetic to the cat joining their company; she jumped on the bed while Sophie-Anne dressed up Alice's puncture marks. Alice's ears suddenly filled with a ringing noise that drowned out the twins' voices, and she glanced out the window to see if she could spot Elijah and Scarlett, disheartened to see that the pair were nowhere in sight.

She noted the sun's position in the sky; it took all her strength to keep from screaming out in agony when realizing it was almost sunset. I'm sure Scarlett whisked him away so they could leave for the airport. Just thinking this made her heart shatter, leaving her to drown as she had done in her previous life, knowing she couldn't save him.

When the barrage of sound returned to her, Alice looked up as the twins repeated her name to catch her attention. "Are you feeling all right?"

As terrible of a question that was to ask, Alice couldn't bring herself to answer. "I hardly know," she trembled, looking at the puncture marks in the vanity mirror, "I don't know what Elijah was thinking. Even if I somehow survive today—Oh, dammit, this wasn't how I wanted it to happen."

Sophie-Anne finished applying the foundation and powder, satisfied with her handiwork as no one would notice. Meanwhile, Miles came in after knocking, asking Alice how the meeting went with the matriarch. As she recounted their interaction, the twins were in disbelief as to what made their mother change her mind while exhibiting relief over her fate. While Emil and Sophie-Anne shared their concerns, Alice asked Miles, "Did Her Ladyship mention anything to you about the soul gem or this?" She pointed to her neck.