A Velvety Abyss Of Scarlett

Chapter 1, 1957: Countess Alcina Dimitrescu

"Her name is Alcina Dimitrescu, the only child of Cesare Dimitrescu. She is 43 years old and lately lost her three daughters. The cause of their deaths is unknown, but it must have been very hurtful for her. I visited her in disguise and told her about her castle in romania. It seems that the old Count had not told her anything. She has a pure and deep hatred against men as they have violated and suppressed her her whole life. She is strong, but now that she has lost her daughters she is vulnerable which is why I wanted you to convince her as soon as possible before she can recover her full strength. She is a very beautiful woman. Don't fall for her. She can be very seductive at times. Make her trust you and you shall get anything your heart desires."
Miranda's words rushed through her head as the Marquesa carefully stepped out of her beautiful carriage. It was a carriage of silver, with a frame made of mahogany and floral ornaments. In every flower a ruby was located and the seats of the carriage were of wine-red damask. The carriage was pulled by four deep black horses and each of them had a harness made of exquisite white leather.
The servant who had helped her out of the carriage closed the door and bowed as she passed. She looked back at the file Miranda had given her, laying in the carriage. No, she would not need it.

To her surprise the young man did not follow her up the stairs. He stayed at the end of the stairs and watched her. He seemed to notice that she was slightly confused and answered her not asked question:" The Lady herself has forbidden every man to enter the castle. We are only allowed in the stables, my Lady." She let out a small laugh before she turned around. "I like her.", she whispered and stepped near the door which immediately was opened by two maidens, who bowed as soon as she entered. A woman in a black dress was waiting for her, her dark brown hair was in a strict bun and she had a big key ring on her waistband. She was obviously the housekeeper.
"Welcome, Marquesa. We are honored to have you as a guest at Castle Dimitrescu", she said with a clearly fake smile and made a stiff curtsey. "Indeed." She answered, taking out her fan, still admiring the beauty of the castle's entrance hall and ignoring the behavior of the woman in front of her. "You may follow me, Marquesa, the Countess is awaiting you."

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining peacefully, it was snowing lightly. The whole scenery looked like a painting. The Countess would have loved to show this beauty to her beloved daughters, but unfortunately weren't they here anymore. Alcina looked up to the ceiling to prevent her tears from falling. She was a Countess, she should not show any weakness. With a light sight she rose from her chair. She was dressed in a black dress with red roses on her chest. Three in total, each of them representing one of her daughters. Her neck was adorned by a pearl necklace with the family crest. Her raven-black hair was covered with a black veil with black lace.
The voice of her housekeeper interrupted the storm of her thoughts. "My Lady, may I introduce you to the Marquesa Veira Dragamar."

The Countess turned around and looked at a woman, dressed in a deep red dress with white floral lace around her square neckline, showing her beautiful décolleté and a collier of pearls with a little silver cross. She wore a ring on her index finger, which showed Alcina that this woman too was head of her house which was much to her liking. Lady Dragamar had copper-red hair that was pinned up in a complex, but elegant style. You could still see how curly her hair was although she too wore a veil, but a white one, complementing the blue of her eyes and her beautiful white skin.
Alcina looked up and down at her, noticing the natural red of her lips and cheeks and how wonderful the pearls suited her.

Veira too needed a moment to look at the woman standing at the window. She immediately noticed what Miranda meant when she said, the Countess Alcina Dimitrescu was a woman one could fall for. With her flawless skin, this elegant long neck, that red lips, that black hair and that look that could make you melt before her made her more beautiful than any woman she had met so far. Even the red of her eyes, that bore witness of her sadness, underlined her beauty magnificently.

Alcina was the first one to move, making a little curtsey without dropping her head an inch and without losing eye contact with the Marquesa. "It is a pleasure to welcome you to my home, Marquesa Dragamar.", said the Countess, her crimson lips forming into a light smile. Her voice was powerful, smooth and just like expensive silk. "The pleasure is mine, Lady Dimitrescu", answered the Marquesa. She could feel the power that the Lady held, her aura was filled with dominance as well as sadness. 'What an interesting combination', Veira thought.
They observed each other for a few more moments before Lady Dimitrescu made a gesture with her ringed finger, allowing the Marquesa to step closer. It was a strange atmosphere between the two. Normally Veira should have been the one allowing the Countess to step closer as the title Marquesa was of higher status than the title of an Countess, but in her presents she felt strangely small. She covered this feeling with her smile.
"What is it you want from me, Marquesa?", the Lady asked with her chin high, showing strength and power. "I want to express my deepest and most truthful sympathy to you. My servants informed me of your loss, my Lady, and I could not bear leaving you alone with your sadness.", she spoke with such calmness, Alcina nearly lost control over her fasade. "How kind of you." She continued smiling, placing her right hand on the back of a chair standing nearby. "I know how you must feel as I lost a beloved daughter myself." Veiras confession made Alcinas smile a little dull, suddenly she felt connected to this strange woman, who seemed like she had been created in some sort of fairy tale. The Countesses grib on the chair losend. "How?", was all she could ask, pointing at a chair with a flowing movement of her hand. Both women sat down as a maiden came in and gave each of them a glass filled with thick, sweet, red wine.
Veira took a sip of the wine, enjoying the sweet taste, closing her eyes. "A good wine is hard to come by these days. Especially a sweet one." The Countess smiled. "How right you are, Marquesa. I intend to take over my family winery, making the best vintage of our age." Veira licked over her lips to remove a bit of wine. "I trust you will achieve this goal in no time, Lady Dimitrescu." They giggled before turning serious again.

"My daughter died one year ago. She was 25 years old.", she began. "Just as my oldest",the Countess explained, whispering, looking into the thin air, seemingly daydreaming,"Bela was 25 as well."

"I found her at the bottom of the stairs...She had fallen and..." Veira took a deep breath, it was harder than expected. "There was blood everywhere. There was no hope." Tears formed in her eyes. She was surprised by her body's reaction and tried to blink them away. "I am sorry, Countess.", she said, but Aclina just smiled understandingly and handed her a white handkerchief with her initials stitched onto it. "It's okay, dear. I understand you so well", she paused for a moment,"We have a lot in common it seems." Veira laughed again, taking the handkerchief. "We will be great friends, my dear Lady Dimitrescu." "No need for formalities'', the Countess reached out her hand," Alcina, my dear." Her voice sounded a bit seductive which made Veira's heart skip a beat. The Marquesa took the Countesses hand lightly. She had warm smooth skin. "Veira."

The door opened and the housekeeper came in. Seeing the two women holding hands and smiling at one another, she seemed to lose her good mannerisms. "With all due respect, my Lady, this woman is no good company for you! She has no good reputation in the village and there are rumors about her that..." She talked on and on. Veira just smiled, drinking her wine as she watched red dots appear on Alcinas beautiful long neck and cleavage as well as on her pale cheeks. Even with those hints of anger she looked astonishing. After a little moment the Lady slammed her wrists onto the table, standing to her full height.
"Enough! I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my castle! Who do you think you are talking to?! I am the Countess of this castle and you shall not speak unless I allow you to and you shall not give me your opinion on my guest unless I ask you to do so! Besides, isn't it a hint of good manners to knock before entering? Get out of my sight and never allow yourself ever again to talk like that in front of me! Otherwise you will learn to follow my demants with pain and disgrace!" Her chest moved up and down in a fast motion and she watched her housekeeper bow deeply before leaving. She sighed deeply, her beautiful face still distorted from her anger.
Veira smiled up at the Lady, astonished how graceful she looked even when she was furious. This woman had a bad temper, but Veira liked how commanding she was, how strong and overwhelmingly dominant. She understood why Miranda could not deal with her herself. This woman was too strong for her mind games.

"I am sorry you had such an inconvenience during your first visit here", the Lady apologized with her calm angelic voice. Veira shook her head lightly. "No need to apologize. I know so perfectly well how bratty servants can get. They don't respect us enough, because we are women." Alcina rolled her eyes. "It is indeed perfetic." She grabbed her cigarette holder and a cigarette, before looking at Veira. "Do you smoke, dear?" Veira laughed and leaned forward as Alcina handed her a cigarette. "I do, my sweet."

Oh yes, she ideed liked this woman.