The Devil In Me

Chapter 4

"Is this your mother?" she asked, stopping in front of the painting. Rebekah stilled beside her, quiet for a moment.

"Yes. Though, I scarcely remember her face, so I cannot know for sure." she sounded a little defensive again, and Caroline decided to share with her how similar they were in this respect also

"My parents are also dead. In an accident, when I was a child." she finished simply, hearing it out loud, sending little daggers of hurt into her heart.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know" Rebekah said, and surprised Caroline by slipping her hand inside hers and squeezing it. Turning she started to pull Caroline down the hall again, and they had reached her door before Caroline realised something missing from the portraits.

"Why isn't there a portrait of Lord Niklaus?" Caroline asked, seeing sadness fall over his sisters features for a moment, before she replied breezily.

"Oh, he does not care to sit for such things. And father does not care to make him" she said, in a tone that discouraged further questions, opened a door and pulled Caroline inside. It was beautiful, full of feminine things, papered in delicate paper, with hand drawn birds and butterflies on it. A large canopy bed sat in the centre, and off it see could see a dressing room, which looked fit to bursting with clothes. There was a divan in the window and a ornate dressing table, with gilt edge glass and hundreds of perfumes, brushes and pots.

Rebekah threw herself on to the divan and stared out at the city, her face relaxed.

"Your room is lovely" Caroline remarked as she walked around it, before sitting on the divan with Rebekah.

"Yes, a lovely cage for a flightless bird." she muttered softly, and Caroline was alarmed by the sadness in her expression.

"Rebekah, you cannot mean that. You have a beautiful home and a loving family." she watched how the shadows of the window panes cast dark bars against Rebekah's face.

"I have an expensive prison and a broken family, held in place by a tyrant." she muttered, then looked down guiltily.

"Do you mean your father?" Caroline asked.

"He is a hard man. He sees his family as possessions, to do what he wishes with." she lamented.

"I overheard at dinner, your father and Lord Niklaus seem to have a difficult relationship."

"Difficult is too slight a term to describe their relationship." Rebekah said, then seeming to shake herself out of melancholy, she turned and smiled,

"Wait here, I want to show you something" and she went the door.

"I'll be just a moment. Please, make yourself comfortable" and slipped out, leaving Caroline alone in the huge room. Standing she went over to the window and looked out over the city, much as Rebekah had been, kneeling up on the divan to get a better look at the city spread out below, it was breathtaking, even in the dark. Hearing the door open softly behind her and click shut, she remarked over her shoulder,

"I do not think I should mind living in a cage if I was able to see the world laid before my feet" Silence greeted her confession, and she heard Rebekah walk closer. Suddenly warm hands touched her shoulders gently, warm, large hands... unmistakable masculine. She froze in panic.

"Who would dare to cage you?" his voice was a caress and she held on hard to the back of the divan.

"Lord Niklaus - " She started,

"Please call me Klaus." he said, resisting the urge to lean into her back and bury his face in the nape of neck, almost losing the fight, until he felt the slightest tremble under his hands. She was afraid.