Evaline | L. Lioncourt ✔

[20] Confession

When Theresa returned and found Eva sick in bed, she was outraged. She had feared something would go wrong in her absence and seeing Eva nearly passed out from alcohol poisoning was the last straw.

Eva's rosy skin had gone pale and she was burning in fever, her body was limp from fatigue and her breathing was irregular. Theresa got quite worried seeing her as such and quickly made her sit up by propping pillows behind her, fingers closing around her waist to check her pulse. Her pulse rate was extremely low at which Theresa's anger towards Rob increased further.

After making sure that Eva was slightly better, she went off to confront Rob but as usual it had been of no use for all she received were threats and half of her pay was cut off for that month. The whole day she refused to go to the tavern and nursed Evaline back to health.

Her hand rested gently on Eva's forehead while she had clasped the other hand tightly. She knew Eva had had a rough time and she wanted to do all in her power to relieve her. She had placed cold wipes to lessen the fever but even then Eva was too fatigued and worn out.

When she gained consciousness at last, she was still not in the position to go back to her duties at the tavern so Theresa locked the door to their room, warning all to stay out and threatened that if anyone came to take her or Theresa back, she would do something they would all regret afterwards.

Her threat seemed to have worked because Rob and the other tavern maids left them at last. So Theresa reverted her full attention to her friend, trying her best to make her come back to her normal state.

Though she had woken up and was gradually recovering, her blue eyes had dimmed and she spoke very seldom. It seemed as if she was deeply troubled inside but was refraining to voice it out.

"Evaline, my dear, what did they do to you?" Theresa asked at last, the concern clawing at her heart, "please tell me what is bothering you. I can not see you like this."

Her blue eyes locked with her hazel ones and she mumbled, "I... I do not know..."

"But you are troubled."

"Yes. Because... I did something terrible," her voice broke and she sat up, features evident of anguish.

"What happened?" She asked yet again in a beseeching tone, pulling her frail form closer to her, "pray do not give yourself so much pain. Share your worries with me, Eva."

Her breathing was still erratic and her heartbeat too was much faint than usual, an aftereffect of drinking too much, "Monsieur Lestat was there last night. He saw everything... He got enraged."

She gently ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to comfort her, "but he knows you were not at fault, right? He knew you were influenced by the alcohol."

Eva nodded but the fear had not subsided, "yes but... But... He will not spare them."

"Who? Who are you talking about?" Theresa too was shocked at the statement.

Evaline shook her head, "those men he had seen me with. And Rob too. He will not spare them."

Hazel irises widened in alarm, "Eva, tell me truthfully, do you think he will kill them?"

"Worse," she breathed, her voice getting stuck in her throat as the scene of Lestat draining the life from the man he had first preyed upon after so many years of starvation flashed in front of her eyes and she shuddered, holding tightly on to Theresa.

But she prevented herself from saying more for she did not intend to expose his secret.

"Who is he, Eva? What is he?"