In case I got peckish? Yes, I knew what the British meant when they said peckish. It meant a little hungry. "Do you mean I can walk through the house? I'm not going to be locked up?" My face must have indicated my shock because Charles came and hugged me, rocking me gently for a moment or two before pulling away a little.
"You just can't try to escape," his eyes peered into mine. "And Wlodek will want to see you, sometime before dawn. He'll tell you that you can't attempt to hurt anyone in this house, but that's standard." He let me go. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so friendly. It's just what I am. They tell me you're from Oklahoma. Do they still have Indians there?" I stared, dumbfounded for a few seconds over Charles' question before I found my voice and my sense—enough to answer him, anyway.
"Of course there are. In this day and age, you can look up just about anything on the internet, including what's going on in Oklahoma. I saw you tapping away on that computer. Don't tell me you haven't done some surfing."
Charles' cell phone rang. He answered and I did my best not to listen in. "Your clothes are here," he said, leading me out of the kitchen. "Actually I do surf, whenever I have time," he said. "That's how I found out about you. Some kid who was buying drugs said he saw his dealer get bitten by a female vampire." Charles sounded a little guilty over that admission.
"Oh lord," I sighed. "First crack out of the bag and I get caught."
Charles grinned suddenly, transforming his face. Honestly, I was glad somebody was able to smile. Those other vampires were just too serious. Rolfe had my suitcase in the entryway when we walked in. "Where can I take this?" I asked, lifting my bag. I really wanted a shower; I just didn't know how to tell Charles that.
"Come with me, I think there's a room on the second floor," Charles said as we walked down the hall until we came to a hidden set of stairs. These were much narrower than the grand staircase that split and went down each side of the huge entryway.
"This set of steps is closer," Charles said as we walked up. We reached the second floor and came out a door at the top of the steps. The hall ran the length of the manor and was wide, with occasional mirrors and tables interspersed down its length. The dark blue carpet underfoot was so soft and deep I sank into it. At that point, I was hoping not to spread Edward and Sergio on Wlodek's rugs. I ventured to say that to Charles and he had to stop, he was laughing so hard. His cell phone rang and I could hear, as plain as day, Wlodek asking Charles what the unholy racket was.
"Lissa's spreading Edward and Sergio on your carpets." Charles was still snickering. Wlodek's communication was cut off and I heard laughter from one floor above us.
"He needed a good laugh," Charles said and led me forward a little farther. "You get this room," he said, opening a door to a suite.
It was period and quite beautiful. The walls were a sky blue with white trim, but the bathroom and closet off to the side were very modern. Walking into the bathroom, I sat down on the tiled edge of the Garden tub and sighed.
"Go ahead and clean up, I'll come back when Wlodek wants you," Charles said, closing the bathroom door behind him.
I didn't take long to shower, although the huge tub looked like a good place to soak. I had no idea how long I'd be staying, so there might not be enough time. Cursing Gavin's packing skills later, I pulled out my blue top and black slacks. They'd been wadded up and tossed inside, along with half my other things. I had to settle for wearing jeans again with the plum top; it wasn't horribly wrinkled. I was hanging up some of my things, hoping the wrinkles would come out of them when Charles knocked. At least this time my hair was braided and looked nice. I'd caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror before I cleaned up and I'd looked like hell.
"Well, this is an improvement," Charles said, looking me over. "Follow me. The boss is waiting." I thought it must be nice to be able to call Wlodek the boss. For me, he'd held my life in his hands. He could have just as easily crushed it out of existence with a flick of his fingers.
"Sit down," Wlodek said as Charles ushered me inside his study. The man had money, that's all there was to it. I wasn't up on antique rugs or desks or furniture, for that matter, but everything in that room had a huge, invisible price tag. There was a wall of bookcases stuffed with books of all kinds and an authentic Monet hanging on the opposite wall. "A gift, from Russell," Wlodek caught me staring at the painting. "It belonged to his sire and when Xavier was killed, Russell gave the painting to me. I'd often admired it in Xavier's study. Russell is using the room for something else, now."
"Do you want me to stay, Honored One?" Charles asked politely. I guess he didn't call him boss to his face.
"You may stay, Charles. I will require your help with the transfers anyway." Charles sat down in the chair next to mine, pulling a pad of paper and a pen out of his suit coat pocket.
"Ms. Workman, your official sire is deceased, now," Wlodek began. I knew that. I'd seen Gavin off him myself and the image was still burned in my brain. Nodding seemed to be a good idea so I did.
"Sergio's sire is also deceased." Well, I hadn't thought of that possibility before. I nodded again. "Normally, if a vampire is brought up on charges and sentenced to death by the Council, their assets are liquidated and handed over to the Council unless they have legitimate issue."
Oh, lord, legal terms. Sergio didn't have any legitimate children. I wasn't legitimate by any stretch of the imagination. Winkler said that the child had to be registered with the Council. I wasn't registered. I wondered if my surrogate sire would have to do that. "And I'm not legitimate." The words were flat.
"That is no longer specifically true. When the Council decided to spare your life tonight, you gained a bit of legitimacy. Your new sire, whomever that may be, will then petition the Council on your behalf to get you fully registered. Mind you, do not step out of line or that will all be revoked in an instant."
"Yes, sir."
"And since your legitimacy and registration are now only a matter of time, Sergio's assets will pass to you. Your surrogate sire will advise you on its use and in what manner it may be invested."
"Like a trust," I said. Hey, I used to work for a judge.
"Exactly. When your five year period of learning is up, the funds will be yours to control."
"Funds?" I started to shiver.
"You look frightened, Ms. Workman," Wlodek observed. Only because I was. Funds sounded like money. Lots of it. "Charles has pulled up the records on Sergio's holdings." Wlodek held a piece of paper in his hands. "They include a home in Spain, a building in London and cash, investments and other holdings in excess of four hundred million pounds."