《Winter Fire [ Book 1 ] ✔》Chapter Seventeen

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As they stepped through the arching, ornate gates into the city proper, Claire felt suddenly overwhelmed by all the activity and the noise after spending days in the quiet wilderness. Lights hung suspended from elaborate wrought iron posts, but they weren't powered by electricity or fueled by flames. Instead each etched glass and metal lantern housed dozens of tiny glowing orbs in varying shades of yellow and orange. They pulsated slowly, their brightness fading in and out, and Claire felt a twinge of homesickness.

Without warning her thoughts drifted to memories of fireflies. She used to catch them in jars on warm summer nights behind the old farmhouse her grandparents called home. It had been her home once too, a long time ago.

Would she ever see that farmhouse again? She hadn't wanted to when she'd run off to 'find herself' in New York, but now she felt an odd yearning burning in her chest. Shoving the feelings aside, Claire focused instead on the present rather than the past, or even the future.

The once quiet evening had come alive with activity. People were bustling up and down cobblestone streets lined with a variety of shops and businesses. Some buildings had signs with scrawling letters to indicate a service they provided, others had large plate glass windows which gave potential shoppers a way to view the wares without having to go inside.

In the street flowed a mixture of horse drawn carriages and vehicles resembling old fashioned automobiles. The similarities to the congested streets of her home were once again unsettling. It was like being caught out of time rather than out of place. Alek flagged down a passing carriage and the driver, who was perched atop a seat fixated to the front of the carriage, brought the horse-drawn conveyance to a stop.

"Can you take us to 5878 Viridian Street?" Alek asked.

"I can take you anywhere you'd like to go, if you can afford it," the driver declared with a casual shrug. Alek nodded and reached into the pocket of his coat. He produced a single gold coin and offered it up to the driver. The driver's eyes grew wide at the sight of the coin caught between Alek's slender fingers. He took it and turned it over in his hands as though it were his first time seeing such a thing.

"I think this should suffice," Alek stated impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, this will do fine," the driver replied absently, his eyes fixated on the coin which glimmered in the light of the street lamps.

Alek shook his head and stepped forward to open the door of the carriage. "Ladies first," he said, motioning with his hand for Claire to climb in. Claire braced her hands on either side of the door and pulled herself up into the carriage.

The interior was small and quite opulent. The walls were lined with dark, polished wood and the seats covered with forest green velvet cushions. She settled on the opposite side by the window and let out a soft, contented sigh. After spending days in the basket, the seats felt soft as clouds. Claire worried that once she got comfortable, she might never want to stand up again.

Alek climbed in next, taking the space beside Claire despite Draz's childish attempt to elbow him out of the way, Alek banged the roof of the carriage. It jerked forward quite suddenly causing Claire to let out a startled squeak of surprise. Draz tried in vain to stifle a laugh.

As the carriage eased into the flow of traffic, Claire found herself mesmerized by the city as it moved past. In some ways it was very similar to New York. People crowded the sidewalks on either side of the street, some moving with long, purposeful strides and others meandering along enjoying the sights.

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Occasionally they'd pass a street corner where a performer was entertaining anyone who'd stop long enough to watch. Had Claire been back home, she could easily have been one of the awestruck faces in the crowd watching some feat of strength, or magic trick.

Tempting as it was, Claire was neither home, nor in any position to make such demands. Her body was worn down physically and all she wanted to do was bathe and sleep.

Soon the carriage turned off what Claire had concluded to be the main thoroughfare and started down a road that was much quieter and clearly residential.

Tall, narrow houses lined either side of the street and were built so close together that it was hard in the growing darkness to make out where one ended and the other began. Here the people that walked down the sidewalks did so in elegant evening gowns and finely tailored suits. Some were walking dogs and others simply seemed to be enjoying an early evening stroll.

Claire looked towards Alek, all sorts of questions dancing through her mind. She hesitated when she saw his eyes were closed and his arms were crossed resolutely over his chest. When she shifted her gaze to Draz it became apparent that he was caught up in his own little world as well. His gaze was fixed on the window and the darkness beyond.

Deciding she could be patient, Claire turned her attention back to the street just as the carriage turned again. She caught a glimpse of an elaborate street sign painted blue with scrawling letters penned in gold, illuminated by the pulsating glow of a street lamp.

Viridian Street.

The houses here were just as extravagant, if not more so, than the ones they'd passed coming in and Claire couldn't help but recall what Draz had said about Alek. He comes from a noble family. The carriage rolled to a stop in front of a house made of brick, most of which was overgrown with thick green ivy. Tall windows trimmed in white stood dark and there was nothing else to suggest that anyone was home.

"Welcome to my home," Alek said quietly. His voice, so close and unexpected, startled Claire and caused her to jump. He chuckled and leaned back. "Shall we go in? I'm certain you're all ready for some real food and a chance to clean up."

"Well," he glanced towards Draz, "I can't speak for everyone I suppose. Have your bathing habits changed since we were younger?" He smirked and Draz kicked at him. Alek was already exiting the carriage and managed to barely escape the blow to his shin. Claire followed and stretched her arms over her head as she regarded their new surroundings. Alek wasn't wrong, Claire was quite hungry and a hot shower sounded like a dream come true.

This thought caused her to pause. Did they have showers here? Was there even indoor plumbing? Hot water? Please let there be hot water. She thought desperately as the carriage pulled away and Alek lead them up a neat stone path towards the front door of his home.

As they approached, a light sprang on in the foyer spilling through the window and onto the steps to illuminate the darkness. Before they had even reached the steps leading up to the porch, the door it swung open and a short, plump woman greeted them with arms spread wide.

"Master Alek! I was beginning to worry about you! It's been days, where in the world have you been?" the woman paused and blinked, staring past Alek as though she only just realized he was not alone, "Who are these young people? Your friends? I didn't know you would be bringing company with you!"

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Alek climbed the stairs two at a time and placed both his hands on the woman's shoulders.

"It's nice to see you too, Ms. Avery," he smiled before pulling her into a tight hug. "How you manage to ask so many questions without taking a breath never ceases to amaze me. I'm terribly sorry I am late in returning. I ran into a bit trouble."

He released her and Claire saw the older woman frown, suddenly looking anxious. "Trouble? What sort of trouble? Some men were snooping around the back garden the other day..."

"It's nothing to concern yourself with," Alek replied, glancing towards them and then turning his attention back to the housekeeper. "I'm sorry to bring so many guests without warning. There wasn't exactly time to send word."

Ms. Avery looked them over and when her eyes settled on Claire a huge smile blossomed across her face. "Who might you be dear? Oh Alek, she's quite lovely! Far prettier than that Asher girl, Daniella is it? Such a sour puss that one, she's-"

"This is Claire. She's visiting from out of town. Is there enough food in the house to make a proper meal?" Alek interrupted and Claire swore his cheeks were turning pink.

"Aleksandr Drosselmeyer, in all my thirty years of tending to this household and its needs, has there ever been a shortage of food in the larders?"

Claire couldn't help but smile at the woman's indignation and Alek's sudden embarrassment.

"No ma'am, I apologize again," Alek replied, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It's quite cold and we've been traveling all day. Shall we go inside?"

"Oh, heavens, yes of course, come in, come in," Ms. Avery exclaimed. She quickly ushered the group through the front door and into an elegant foyer. The first thing Claire noticed was the heady aroma of freshly cut roses mingling with the sweet scent of cinnamon. In the center of the foyer set on the smooth, polished surface of a small table were dozens of roses in varying shades of pink and white. They were arranged expertly in a clear crystal vase which sparkled in the warm yellow glow of the chandelier overhead.

"I've got some cinnamon bread baking," that explained the strong, warming scent of cinnamon, "but I can whip up some stew if you are looking for more hearty fare," Ms. Avery offered.

Alek was about to speak when another voice interrupted.

"Drazenko Haval, is that you?"

They all turned to see a young woman standing at the top of the stairs which lead from the foyer to the second floor of the house. Claire couldn't help but notice how pretty she was with her soft auburn curls, or how dainty she looked with her china doll face. The gown of pale blue she wore seemed to float around her like cloud as she hurried down the stairs towards them.

"Arabella? Is that you?" Draz replied sounding genuinely surprised to see her. He scooped her up into a swirling hug and then set her back down on her feet again. By the time Draz released her, Arabella was laughing breathlessly. Claire glanced towards Alek, he did not look pleased. Claire, however, found herself wondering just how close the two had been.

"You're all grown up!" Draz declared.

"Thank you for noticing," Arabella replied, casting sideways glance towards Alek. "I wish my brother would take the time to do the same."

"Believe me, I've notice and haven't had a peaceful night's rest since. But that isn't important right now. Why are you here, Ara?" Alek asked impatiently. He glanced towards Ms. Avery who could only offer a sigh and quietly shake her head. "Where are mother and father? Why aren't you with them?"

"Is that anyway to greet your only baby sister?" Arabella said with a pout. It was clear to Claire that the young woman was avoiding the question. It seemed evasiveness ran in the Drosselmeyer family. "Can't I come visit my big brother without needing a reason?"

"You never do anything without a reason, Arabella," Alek reminded her.

"Fine, you're right, as usual," Arabella said with a heavy sigh. "I've run away from home."

Alek sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "Again? What is it this time? Did father refuse to let you buy something?"

"No," Ara protested, not seeming to be bothered by the accusation. "He wishes me to marry."

"I thought you wanted to marry?" Alek said. Claire could tell he was growing irritated. His tone had taken on that thin, strained quality she had grown quite accustomed to dealing with over the past few days.

"I do, of course I do," Arabella declared, her own frustration far more obvious than Alek who rarely let his emotions get the better of him. "Just not to Elian Jonas."

"You have to go home, Arabella," Alek said at last, clearly reaching the end of patience.

"But Alek!"

"No buts, I do not have time to get involved in these petty arguments," Alek declared.

"You never have time," Arabella cried, stomping her foot and clenching her fits into tight balls. The serene beauty Claire had taken note of earlier had been replaced by that of a petulant child. "Not since you started working with father. Neither of you have time! All you do is work, work, work! Do you even care about your family anymore, Alek?"

"Ara-"

"Alek," Claire interrupted, placing a hand on his arm. He looked down at her in surprise and she could see the exhaustion in his eyes. Claire knew she was likely sticking her nose where it didn't belong, but she also knew this was a fight Alek was not likely to win. "Don't you think it'd be silly to send her home now? It's late and we're all tired. Perhaps just one more night wouldn't hurt?"

"Yes, yes! Exactly! What she said!" Ara exclaimed, her anger gone in the blink of an eye. Claire could only imagine how exhausting it must be to cycle through emotions at such a rapid pace. She shifted her attention back to Alek.

Claire could see the struggle in his eyes. She knew he was not up for dealing with whatever whirlwind his sister would bring crashing down on him by remaining here, but tonight was also not the night to try to contain it.

"Fine," Alek said with a sigh. He looked towards Arabella and held up a single finger. "One more night, Ara, and then you have to go home."

"Alright, I promise," Arabella said, a grin stealing over her features. She turned sharply on her heel, her attention now fixated on Draz. "You are staying as well?"

"Yeah," Draz replied, glancing towards Alek. His face was passive, but his eyes seemed to burn like hot coals. "I have something I need to finish up with your brother." Arabella clapped excitedly and rushed towards the stairs, her chiffon and taffeta skirts flouncing around her.

"I need to change before dinner," she announced, practically leaping from step to step. No one protested her departure, and as quickly as the girl had appeared, she was gone again. The silence that resulted in the wake of Arabella's passing was a welcomed relief. Even Ms. Avery, who hadn't stopped speaking since they'd first arrived, seemed to be at a loss for words.

Alek heaved a sigh.

"I suppose the lot of you will want to get cleaned up before we eat," Alek said as he strolled towards the staircase and motioned for them to follow with a flick of his wrist. "All of you, follow me, I will show you to your rooms."

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