The Silver Thread (35 page)

The entire walk was filled with silence until they reached their destination. Finn opened the door to a place with a different name than what was on the business card, but the address was the same. They found themselves in a very modern art gallery, with high unfinished ceilings, and exposed brick above the white drywall where a few large abstract paintings hung.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” whispered Annika.

“Yes,” Finn whispered back, avoiding her eyes.

“
Bienvenue
,” welcomed a very thin older woman in a simple black dress who was sitting at a desk. She proceeded to tell them about a new exhibit that had just gone up, and led them to a larger room full of nudes in various styles. Some were abstract, some were impressionistic, some were done in broad, splashy strokes, and some in tiny, organized ones like Van Gogh. The only thing they had in common was that they were all of an elegant blonde woman lying on a chaise lounge, painted in the same tasteful pose from different angles. Some were marked as sold, and a few were marked as not for sale. The ones that were still available gave Annika a wallop of sticker shock, but then, these were not mass produced street vendor souvenirs. They were high class works of art.

“
Excusez moi
,” Finn said to the woman, taking out his wallet, “but we’re here for the
other
exhibit.” He surprised Annika by handing the woman a black card that looked identical to the one given to her by the waiter, only Finn’s was made of metal and looked very, very old.

“This one’s on me,” he said to Annika, and handed the woman a credit card as well.

“
S’il vous plait, suivre moi
,” the woman said, still holding the card. She brought them to a room at the back of the gallery. She unlocked the door to reveal countless Venetian masks on display, and instructed them to choose one. They ranged in all different colors, some were made to cover an entire face, but most were made to cover half. There were feathers and sequins and ribbon everywhere Annika looked. Some were over the top and some were plain and simple. Some featured giant ostrich plumes, some had smatterings of butterflies or dragonflies running up one side. There were human faces, cat and dog faces, ones with bird beaks, and ones with elephant trunks.

Finn chose a black satin mask with silver scrolls on the edges, and Annika selected a white one overlaid with blue stones and delicate feathers on the sides. They stepped out of the room and the woman locked the door, and pulled back a curtain beside it to reveal an old freight elevator, which she opened for the two of them.

“So why did that woman tell us that we’re supposed to wear these at all times except when we’re alone in our room?” Annika murmured as they headed down, tying the ribbon on her mask.

“Because they have a strict policy that what happens here stays here,” Finn said, tying on his own mask. “And I couldn’t agree more.”

The elevator stopped and when it opened, they were greeted by a slender young woman in an elaborate black mask. Her blonde hair was held up in an elaborate knot covered in shimmering stones, and her black halter dress defined the word ‘sexy’.

“My name is Nicolette. I’ll be your attendant during your stay,” she said in a breathy French accent, and beckoned them to follow her to a long row of private rooms. Her black stiletto heels clicked along in perfect timing, until she stopped by an open door, motioning for them to enter. The floor was covered in plush, ornate rugs and velvet cushions in different shapes, sizes, and colors. There was a low table and sofa full of blankets on one end of the room, but the piles of cushions on the floor looked much more appealing. A tin lamp hung in one corner, with tiny stars cut out of it, casting larger stars around the room. On one of the brick walls was a pair of wooden shutters, and around the other walls hung old ornate mirrors draped in various different fabrics. The thick, heavy scent of incense rose up from the fabric as Annika sank onto one of the cushions, looking around their starry surroundings. Nicolette handed Finn a menu of sorts.

“If zere is anything you desire zat is not on ze menu, don’t hesitate to ask,” she said, leaning forward to make sure Annika heard her. “I am very resourceful.”

She gave an elegant nod to both of them before handing Finn a golden key and sliding their heavy door shut.

He stood in silence, looking over the list for a long time. He checked off a couple boxes at the top, and then sighed as he checked a third toward the bottom with a deliberate stroke of the pen. Then he set it in the hall and left the door partially open, leaning against the wall right beside it.

“It’s so pretty in here,” Annika said, looking up and around the room. “It’s like a cozy little nest. I would never believe that it’s actually the middle of the day. I feel like we’re in a dream.” She started to take off her mask, but Finn shook his head.

“You can take that off when our door is locked,” he instructed her. “Why don’t you have a look at the films playing?”

“Huh?” she asked, and followed Finn’s outstretched finger, which was pointed at the coffee table. She walked over and knelt down to find a sheet of cardstock with different titles and corresponding numbers. She recognized a couple of the films, one of which was on her never-seen-but-must-see list.

“
It
Came From Outer Space
,” she announced to him. Finn tilted his head and folded his arms across his chest.

“What did?”

“No, that’s the name of the movie I want to watch
.
It
Came From Outer
Space
.”

“Very well. Cue it up.”

“It’s a
cult
classic film,” she sang playfully, trying to cheer him up. “Not a classic like
Casa
blanca
.”

“I’ll watch whatever you like. I don’t care.”

“Why are you so grouchy?” she pouted. Finn narrowed his eyes at her, not smiling.

“I still can’t believe what you said back at the hotel to my brother,” he said. “I know I heard you say it…I just can’t believe that you did. It was so cruel, yet it seemed to give you such pleasure. Do you think I’m happy about being placed in this situation? I feel this is all simply a game in your eyes, and I am a hopeless pawn.”

“I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I guess I have a warped sense of humor,” she said, shrugging as she adjusted her mask. “I know Talvi was lying to me when he said he was busy doing paperwork. I think he’s busy doing somebody else. He was acting sneaky on the phone, like he didn’t want to get caught talking to me.”

“Of course he didn’t want to get caught speaking to you,” Finn pointed out. “He’s not allowed to have any outside contact when he’s working.”

“So then he
has
to be a spy!” Annika announced. “Seriously, who the hell gets called away out of the blue to spend all summer doing paperwork with another woman? If his job is honestly working on mergers and acquisitions, then I’m a friggin’ rock star. His story reeks of bullshit, and I don’t think you’re buying it either.”

“And what good would it do for me to share what I know?” he asked. “It’s only going to upset you.”

Annika stood up slowly and sauntered over to him, crossing her arms as well.

“It’s really cute how you want to protect me from what I already know, but why don’t you let me be the judge?”

Finn shook his head again, but his irritated expression faded away as a compassionate one entered his brown eyes.

“Annika, I don’t want to hurt you. I hate seeing you cry. I’m not going to sit here and recite every wicked thing that my brother has ever done, especially not when it’s taking every ounce of my willpower not to…”

Stiletto heels approached, and Nicolette appeared in the doorway holding a large tray with different items set upon it. There was an ornately carved wooden box, a small jade jar, and a short brass lantern with a pattern of crickets cut into the metal. Beside that rested a long wooden pipe, a box of long matches, and a long, thin rod. It was exotic and enticing all at once. Annika took the tray from Nicolette, waiting while Finn thanked her and locked the door with the golden key. He slipped off his mask and hung it on a hook in the ceiling, then slipped off his shoes and socks, setting them neatly by the door. He motioned for her to sit down on the cushions, before sitting across from her with the tray between them. He lifted the ornate wooden box with both hands and buried it in the pile of cushions behind him, casting it out of sight.

“What did you just hide?” she asked, eyeing him curiously.

“Pandora’s box. I don’t wish to open it.”

“Then why did you get it?” she asked, grinning as she pulled off her white peep-toe heels and tossed them carelessly by his shoes. “What’s in it?”

Finn pursed his lips as he lit the brass cricket lantern.

“The initials M.N. stand for Merriweather Narayanaswamy,” he said abruptly, and removed the lid from the jade jar. An earthy, sweet smell rose up and Annika glimpsed inside to see a dark paste. “She and Talvi used to be partners, but now she is his director. They have an unconventional work relationship, but it works well enough for them, and so it continues. No one else can handle him except her, so you ought to be grateful that she keeps him employed. It’s what has allowed us to have such a lovely time in Paris so far. It’s what bought you that expensive dress you’re wearing.”

Using the long, thin rod, he formed a portion of the paste into a little sphere. He placed the tarry ball onto the bowl of the pipe, and rested the bowl on top of the cricket lantern, then stretched out on his side, propping up his head up with some of the pillows.

“So she’s his boss then? She tells him to jump and he asks ‘how high’? She has that much control over him, even though I’m his
wife
?”

Although she had been dying to know what the initials were on the handkerchief her husband kept in his pocket, she found herself instantly hating the name Merriweather. It was such a happy, sunshiny name, too. She wondered if vampires like Konstantin hated beautiful, sunny days as much as she hated Merriweather.

“Most of us have at least one person in our lives like that, if not more,” said Finn. “It’s typically the ones who hold the purse strings or the heart strings. They’re not always the same person. You’ll be more comfortable if you lie on your side as I am.”

“Is this just how it’s going to be, then?” Annika asked, bunching up some of the pillows as Finn had done and lying on her side across from him. “I’ll always be second fiddle to Merriweather?

“I would never say second fiddle,” explained Finn. “I don’t wish to insinuate that I question his loyalty to you, because he is very loyal to those that he loves the most. Loyal to a fault, sometimes. I was always curious to see what kind of woman he would end up with, since the ones he bothered to bring around were very…”

“Skanky?”

“Forgettable,” Finn said, glancing at her briefly before resuming his watch over the lantern. “When he brought you home, I saw quickly enough that you were anything but forgettable. You have a spark that can’t be snuffed, and it has nothing to do with your beloved red hair that you miss so much. I mean an inner strength, a fire that burns so hot that it could forge steel. That’s why your interwoven rings are so symbolic. I don’t believe anyone else would have the fortitude to be my brother’s wife. I do believe that he’s not ready to be married to you. And you’re not ready to be married to him. I understand the reasons why—it happened so fast, and you don’t really know him very well. You can’t trust him because you’re not ready to. And he isn’t ready to openly share himself with you either. But being in a relationship with someone means that you need to grant one another certain allowances. I can’t tell you what those allowances are to be regarding you and my brother. The two of you will have to decide that for yourselves. All I can tell you is that jealousy tries to control love, which only tears it apart. It’s trust that builds love, setting it free.”

Annika took a moment to think about the thoughtful things that Finn had said. They seemed to make perfect sense, though it struck her as strange that he could harbor such wisdom about relationships when he had said something so terrible to Hilda that they had broken up over it. She glanced at his bare wrist, wondering if she ought to try asking him about it again, but she didn’t want to upset him, either. It was so pleasant, lying there in the cushions with him, letting his soothing energy calm down her anger at Merriweather. Ooh, there was that happy, cheerful, evil name again.

“It’s hard not to be jealous when Merriweather can call him with no notice and leave me hanging indefinitely,” Annika muttered.

“She does try to accommodate him,” he explained patiently, still watching the pipe and the lantern attentively. “That’s why Talvi’s nearly always home over the winter time. It’s one of their more unusual arrangements. But yes, it’s quite common for him to have little to no notice. I can’t tell you how many mornings I woke up and discovered him gone. I remember when he received his summons to travel to Spain…he left right in the middle of dinner. He wouldn’t even stay for dessert, and Anthea made lemon meringue pie, his favorite.”