The following morning, Ally walked into the kitchen to track down a much-needed coffee after her late-night stakeout. Her grandmother was in the process of brewing a fresh pot as she walked through the doorway.
“I thought I smelled something delightful,” Ally said with a yawn.
“Late night?”
“Yeah.” The morning was unusually bitter and cold. She was so glad for her favorite track pants and jacket, and comfy Ugg boots.
“Did you catch them?” Adele asked.
“Yeah, I think so,” she answered, feeling unexpectedly confused. She sank down in a chair at the table and ran her fingers through her hair, as Adele handed her a coffee.
Adele studied her for a minute and asked, “What do you mean you think so?”
Ally scrunched her eyebrows together thinking, and trying to remember last night, but after a certain point, she couldn’t.
“I remember seeing my mark, Sarah, come home. And then some guy was in her apartment, but that’s all I remember…”
Adele felt guilty seeing her granddaughter clearly distressed, but she told herself it was for Ally’s benefit not to remember just yet. She sat down at the table with Ally and put her hand on her arm. “You are obviously exhausted honey. Don’t worry too much about it.”
“Hmm…maybe.” She shook her head lightly trying to clear the fog. It was like the memories were there, but she couldn’t access them. How strange, she thought.
“It’s just a sign you’re getting old and senile,” Adele joked.
Ally looked at her over the cup of coffee in her hands and glared. “Gee, thanks, Grandma.”
“Have I ever told you I don’t know what I would do without you Ally?” Adele asked in a solemn tone.
“Is everything alright, Gran?” Ally looked at her, and thought she caught a flicker of something in her eyes. It was so quick that if she had blinked, it would have been missed.
Adele started fluttering about, trying to play it down. “Everything is fine, sweetie. I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me, and that I would be lost without you.”
Ally smiled warmly at her, then stood up, walked over and gave her a hug. Adele stood up and returned the hug.
In truth, it went both ways. Alessandra needed Adele, and Adele needed Alessandra. They had been the only ones left after the dearly departed had gone. They had relied on each other to get through a very difficult time and had become quite the successful duo in many aspects. Life would have been a lot harder if they hadn’t had each other during the last five years. There were tears, love and laughter, sometimes all at once. Grief was such a strange thing. Sometimes she wanted to cry her eyes out, other times she was as angry as hell, and sometimes she wanted to laugh hysterically at the situation. Ally had seriously considered she was going crazy until she saw her grandmother acting the same way.
Adele decided to change the subject before she confessed, out of guilt, to removing Ally’s memories, “You’re coming to the masquerade ball tonight, aren’t you?”
Ally cocked her head to the side and laughed. “It’s a bit hard not to, when it’s being held in the house.”
Adele shook her head and smiled. “So I'll take that as a yes, then?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
“Good. There’s someone I want you to meet.” Adele moved back to the table and sat down.
“Who?” Ally asked curiously.
“You’ve met him once before,” Adele said, as she looked at her granddaughter with a wicked twinkle in her eye.
Alessandra’s breath arrested in her chest as her mind whispered his name. Could it be James? She wondered with a hope that bordered on desperation.
Adele couldn’t hide the wide smile that crept over her face as she delivered the news. “James Carlisle.”
Ally froze in part fear, part excitement. The man she had been dreaming of for five years, was coming to the Masquerade Ball tonight.
“I think I remember him. He was here the morning that…well that morning.” Ally tried to play it down like he was nothing but a vague recollection, which was so far from the truth.
“He is back in town, so I thought it would be nice to catch up with him. The last time he was here…” Adele’s voice started to break. It was hard for either of them to talk about her parents, the pain still fresh in their minds.
“I know Gran. I miss them too.” Ally’s eyes started to water at the memory of that day.
“And you know I invited Kathryn,” Adele smiled changing the subject. “You girls haven’t seen each other in far too long.”
“Yeah it has been a while.” For a reason, she added silently.
Maybe it was time to see her again, put the past behind them, but then she realized that James was coming, and after Vincent last night, did she really feel like a reunion?
Would Kat remember his name? She had never told her that she met him that morning. It was something that she wanted to keep to herself.
“Well, I’d better get myself something to wear.” Alessandra stood up and started to head for her room. Abruptly, she stopped dead in her tracks at the full realization of what she had just thought.
“Vincent,” she whispered.
Pure terror started in her toes, then shot straight to the tips of her hair. She looked up at her grandmother. Adele stood perfectly still, looking straight at Ally with terror reflecting back at her.
“Who is Vincent?” Adele asked, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.
Ally looked to the ground, trying to understand why she felt so scared. “Someone I hope I never meet,” she whispered then paused and bit her lower lip. “I just thought the strangest thing, that doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.” She looked up at her grandmother. “I think you’re right, I really must be overtired.”
Ally began to tremble. She couldn’t remember all of last night, and she had the horrifying feeling that she really had met Vincent…But that wasn’t possible, was it? She wouldn’t forget meeting him, any more than she would forget meeting James.
Adele rushed over to hug her granddaughter. “I think you need to go back upstairs and spend the day relaxing.”
“Yeah,” she said, recovering slightly. “I must be overtired or something.” Turning to go back upstairs, she stopped again. “No, wait, I can’t,” she cried as she realized something important about tonight. “I don’t have a dress. I need to go buy one.”
Adele laughed softly. “Well, I was going to surprise you a bit later, but I have taken care of that for you. Go on upstairs and I will bring it up.”
Ally walked up the stairs and went into her bedroom. She went out onto the balcony for a breath of crisp fresh air, hoping it would jog her memory. She leaned on the balcony railing and lost herself in her thoughts as she waited for Adele to bring up the dress.
It was very sweet of her grandmother to organize a dress for her and to try to rekindle her friendship with Kat. They had been so close. Ally considered Kat the sister she never had.
As for James, if he had been an old family friend who was so important, he would have been spoken of at least once in the last five years. Then, there was the gleam in her Gran’s eye. She was up to something, and was clearly very proud of herself. It made Ally a little nervous.
The thought of James did strange things to her body that she had never experienced before. He’d been in her presence for all of five minutes, and he still haunted her to this day. Madame Isabella had been right about her parents, and she had met James, maybe there was something between them that was written in the stars. Oh God. I sound like Kat, and she isn’t even here yet.
Just then there was a knock at her bedroom door. “It’s just me, darling. Are you ready to see your dress?” Her grandmother sauntered into the room.
Ally smiled and nodded, and Adele held up the dress proudly.
Ally let out a small gasp and brought her hand up to her throat as she in awe. It was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen in her life. It had a stunning, simple elega
nce about it, made of deep scarlet satin that fell to the floor with a low square neckline and a slight gathering at the back. She knew she would feel like a princess in this dress.
“It was mine, and then your mothers," Adele whispered. “And now it’s yours.”
Ally was rendered speechless by the dress and the beautiful sentiment behind it. She felt her eyes well with tears of happiness. One escaped and rolled down her cheek.
Adele wiped it away with her thumb. “She would’ve loved nothing more than for you to have it and wear it tonight.”
“Thank you, Gran,” she whispered.
“I have accessories, too.” Adele pulled a pair of matching stilettos, and a half mask with a scarlet feather from behind her back. “These are all new, though.”
“Oh, my!” Ally sighed with contentment. “They are beautiful as well. Thank you so much.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“You deserve it, Ally.” She smiled and drew her into a hug. “Besides you need something bold to catch his eye,” she added with a wink.
“Whose eye?” Ally asked feigning innocence.
“The man of your dreams,” Adele said looking her square in the eye. “You are destined to be together, Ally.”
Ally was stunned. “What?” she asked. That was the second time she had been told that.
Adele chuckled. “I’ve decided you need someone like him, and he needs someone like you.”
“Doesn’t he get some say in this?”
“Yes and no.”
What a strange answer, Ally thought. “Let’s just see what happens. I might think he’s a total jerk.”
Adele laughed again. “You won’t.”
Ally focused her attention back on the dress and took it from her grandmother as if it was sacred. “This dress…” she let the words hang in the air.
“Was made for you darling. He won’t be able to resist you.”
“I don’t know, Gran. You’re still beautiful. He might lavish his attentions on you,” Ally joked.
But in all seriousness, Ally thought her grandmother was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen. Even though she was in her mid-sixties, if Ally didn’t know better she would say that Adele wasn’t a day over forty. Her long brown locks still reached half-way down her back. She refused to cut it saying, “Women are supposed to have long hair.” Her grandmother could be very old school sometimes. Her bright violet eyes still shined as if they belonged to a newborn babe, but had the intelligence of Einstein. Her ivory skin had very few wrinkles and appeared to be almost as smooth as Ally's was. Given the age difference, it was remarkable. Ally hoped she had inherited whatever gene was responsible for that.
“Oh pish posh girl!” Adele giggled, “I’m far too young for him.”
“Young? Don’t you mean old?” Ally asked a bit confused.
Adele looked at her mysteriously and then answered, “Young at heart, my girl. He is too serious for me.”
“He isn’t too serious is he?” Ally asked suddenly concerned. Perfect, he’s a bore.
“No, I just like my man to have an inner goof ball.”
“Hmm…Grandpa definitely fitted the bill then.”
“Yeah…Grandpa,” Adele answered distractedly.
“It’s been so long since I wore a dress.” Ally remarked as she stood in front of the full length mirror imagining what the dress would look like on her.
“Far too long if you ask me,” Adele huffed. “Tonight we shall change that.”
Ally looked at her grandmother and rolled her eyes, but Adele was taken aback by what she saw. Happiness, excitement and nervousness shone through Ally’s eyes. It had been so long since Adele had seen anything but sorrow, loneliness and confusion reflected back at her. James is already working his magic, and he doesn’t even know it yet, she thought smiling to herself.
“Now run along and relax before tonight. Go lose yourself in that book you’ve been dying to read.”
“Thanks Gran.”
“You’re very welcome sweetie. Go relax. I’ll bring up another coffee soon.”
Ally picked up the latest historical romance she had bought. She found that there was nothing more relaxing than losing herself in a good book. Some days she was convinced she had been born in the wrong century. She would have been more suited to the days when men were chivalrous, women wore beautiful dresses, and everybody rode horses everywhere. It sounded magical to Ally, who just happened to love all those things.
It was one of the reasons she had loved her grandmother’s annual Masquerade Balls. She always felt like she was transported back to another century for the evening. Adele shared Ally’s love of all things historical. She used to tell her the most romantic stories about a warrior and his love in Scotland. They were so real that if she didn’t know better, she would swear her Gran was telling her about something she had personally experienced.
“Hmm, reading in bed or the armchair?” Ally pondered aloud.
She lit the fireplace in her room and got snuggled into the armchair with a blanket, just as her grandmother brought her a cup of coffee and a melting moment.
Ally beamed at her Gran. “Aw thanks Gran! Melting moment and all.”
“Enjoy, sweetie.”
She got stuck into her book, coffee and biscuit.
A few hours later, Ally was feeling so relaxed she was in a state of bliss, and decided to move over to the bed to stretch out for a bit. Before she knew what had happened, she was sound asleep, dreaming of far-off lands, chivalrous men on horses, ball gowns and parties.
Adele crept into the room a couple of hours later, and sat beside her on the bed. It was tempting to leave her sleeping. Ally looked so peaceful and content, something she didn’t see very often in her granddaughter these days, but she knew Ally would want time to get ready.
The fact that Ally also remembered Vincent’s name troubled her. Maybe James was right and this was a bad idea, but what’s done is done, and she’s finding out the truth tonight anyway, Adele thought.
She gently nudged Ally, “Time to wake up, sweetheart.”
Ally opened her eyes slowly and stretched, “Gran?”
“Time to get up.”
“Oh, what time is it?”
“It’s just on four, so you have plenty of time.”
“Thanks,” Ally said still trying to fight of the fogginess of sleep.
“Go have a bath and take your time getting ready.”
“Thanks,” Ally paused. “When is Kat getting here?”
“She will be here in about an hour, so you girls have time to catch up before the party.”
Ally nodded and got up out of bed.
Adele was about to leave the room, when she turned around saying, “I’ve invited someone here tonight who I think Kat may be interested in. They would make a wonderful couple. Her life might even cease to exist as she knows it.”
Ally stopped dead in her tracks and looked right at her grandmother. “What did you say?”
“That I invited someone for Kat.”
“No, you said that her life might cease to exist as she knows it.”
Adele moved back towards Ally. “Is everything alright, sweetie?”
“Oh God, it’s happening again.”
“What’s happening again?”
“The predictions,” Ally said as she sank down onto the bed. “The predictions are starting again.”
“Predictions?” Adele’s eyes lit up as she realized Ally was talking about Madame Isabella’s predictions all those years ago.
“Yeah,” Ally answered distractedly.
“You never did tell me what was said.”
“To be honest, I just wanted to forget about it and pretend it never happened.” Ally felt the panic swelling within, threatening to consume her.
“If you want to tell me I will listen, but if not, I won’t push it.” She paused. “If there was something that I needed to know you would tell me though, wouldn’t you?”
Ally snapped out of hers
elf, aware that she was probably freaking her grandmother out. “Yeah, of course. I’m sorry Gran. I didn’t mean to worry you, I was just caught off guard.”
“That’s ok, sweetie. Just know I’m here for you.”
Ally didn’t know what she would do without her Gran, she was so accepting of everything. “Thank you.”
“Now, go have that bath and get ready.” Adele smiled and headed for the door calling over her shoulder, “And wear your hair down, curled at the bottom. I think it will complement the dress perfectly.”
“Oh, let me guess. He likes girls with long dark hair falling freely,” Ally quipped.
“Perhaps. Try it and see what happens,” Adele said mysteriously as she left.
Running her hands through her hair, she went to the bathroom and turned on the water. It’s just a coincidence, she thought, but look what happened last time I went with that theory…
Ally went back out to the bedroom and laid the dress on her bed then spotted Coco, her little cavalier, dozing away on her pillow. On seeing her puppy, she changed her mind and decided to hang the dress over the door. Ally loved her baby girl, but she could not be trusted with clothes. It seemed that dogs found clothes a wonderful sleeping place. The newer and cleaner, the more desirable it became for Coco.
Chapter Five