A Million Reasons [ S. SALVATORE ]

CHAPTER SEVEN

The halls of the Salvatore house are familiar to her, perhaps more so than her husband's home. Their laughter had echoed throughout the rooms as children; it had seemed a brighter place then. She remembers Mrs. Salvatore as being a kind woman, much like her own mother. But Mrs. Salvatore died, her children grew up, and time changed all things.

          It's quiet now, her memories feeling more vibrantly real than the walls around her. The parlor is empty when she enters it, but her eyes look towards the large portrait hanging over the mantle. A young couple and their two young boys face the viewer, their faces solemn. It's a close likeness, but Stefan's eyes are all wrong in the copy. The color is never quite right, and the light in them is missing.

Giuseppe Salvatore's likeness is more believable. He's always been a cold man and while Adelaide has rarely witnessed his cruelty first hand, Stefan has told her stories. With their mother gone, the brothers were given little kindness throughout their youth. Damon, the oldest and the heir, was more often the victim of their father's derision.

          Adelaide is still studying the old portrait when Katherine walks in. She looks lovely as always, wearing a satin evening gown of deep green, sleeves resting on her arms and revealing her shoulders. It's a bit scandalous - ladies never wear such gowns during the day. Surely, Katherine knows this. She's only showing off. She exists outside the bounds of normal convention, she wears what she likes when she likes. Adelaide looks so simple in comparison, in her white blouse and cotton skirt. She attempts to smooth out the obvious wrinkles in the fabric.

"Mrs. Hughes," Katherine greets warmly as she sweeps into the room. "What a pleasant surprise, please sit!" Adelaide is ushered into a ladies' chair and Katherine sits beside her, eyes wide with curiosity. It's difficult to hold her gaze with the constant worry that she might fall into it, might forget every will of her own as they are replaced by Katherine's. It would be as simple as a single moment's glance and Adelaide could become Katherine's puppet. The vervain tucked into her corset seems to burn through her shift. Can Katherine smell it? Does she know that Adelaide knows? It wouldn't matter. If she doesn't understand after their meeting, she might not be as intelligent as Adelaide fears.

"Sorry to arrive so suddenly," Adelaide says, hands still nervously pressing into her skirts. "It was a matter of urgency."

          Katherine's brow quirks and she pauses. "I see," she says. "Nothing we can't discuss over a bit of tea, hm?" The maid ushers in with a tray, but when she places the tea before them, it remains untouched. Steam rises from the kettle and the aroma smells nice, but Adelaide isn't sure she can stomach anything at the moment.

          Adelaide doesn't know how to begin and her words are stuck in her throat. It takes Katherine's coaxing, a gentle what's troubling you? before she can continue.

"Stefan loves you," Adelaide says suddenly and the truth of it breaks her heart. At first, she had believed (perhaps hopes) that he had been under supernatural influence. But she knows him and she knows how real it is. The pure devotion he has for Katherine no longer surprises her as it once had. Adelaide believes it may finally be time to admit to herself that Stefan was never hers to lose.

Katherine watches her warily as she takes a deep breath. "He truly does," Adelaide continues, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her voice sounds so incredibly loud to her own ears. "I can see it in the way he looks at you, hear it in the way he speaks of you. I've known Stefan for a long time, Miss Pierce, and he is my dearest friend. And if he sees something in you than so do I."

Perhaps it's not the entire truth. Adelaide can hardly say she trusts Katherine, no matter how much she believes in Stefan and his heart. But that hardly matters now. What matters is making Katherine understand. Stefan's safety, and Damon's, is what matters. It's something she hopes they can both agree on.