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"Ah that drunken voice can only belong to one man," Louis said tensely.
"You be leaving Jamie alone now Monsieur, he is entertaining his man in there! Off with you now, "
Jamie and Louis heard Old Sally scream shrilly on the other side of the door. "Now lookie here," Old Sally wheedled, "I have a more likely lad for your tastes. Pretty as a saint! A young white boy. He' be pretty enough for you to make a jackanapes out of yourself with. He's fresh from the country. He needs a bit of guidance from an older boy like yourself."
"Don't want a country lad, he probably practiced his charms on the back sides of his papa's sheep. I want you, Jamie," he yelled at the door. " And if you knew the nobility to be found in the heart you are breaking here tonight you would weep like the kind angel you are!" Frenere shouted.
"Frenere," Jamie moaned.
The door flew open from one hard kick of Freniere's boot.
"You'll pay for that door, damn you straight to hell. You're straight from off of your Mother Satan's tit you are" Old Sally raged, running into the room, relieved Louis and Jamie had their clothes on.
"So you met my mother," Freniere said charmingly taking a bow to her.
"Oh Monsieur," she cried mortified to Louis, "Please forgive me!" She turned on Frenere, "I run a proper establishment here. Why can't you be a gentleman like your friend here, Monsieur de Pointe du Lac!"
"I'm a gentleman, well a man at least. Check between my legs if you doubt it Sally. As for your establishment being proper, so I do readily agree with you. It's properly dreadful," Freniere laughed, taking a leap on top of the bed, picking up a pillow, he tossed it high, running his rapier right through it, sending feathers blizarding about the room.
"Take that, and and that," he laughed at Louis while he murdered yet another pillow, "How dare you Louis take my beautiful Jamie away from me with your saucy lures and big green eyes!"
He grabbed up another pillow, "Ah this reeks. This reeks of horse piss, not surprising considering Old Sally your girls are the ugliest rides in all of New Orleans."
"You, you villain!" Old Sally screeched, ready to claw Freniere's eyes out.
Ah, but Madam, I forgive you for your wretched taste in wretched girls," he cried jumping off the bed, rushing to kiss her hand, "For you have working for you the most beautiful dusky angel which ever graced the earth. Jamie!" he yelled, jumping on top of a hapless Jamie, pinning him down. "now let me have my wicked ways with you, ' he laughed, struggling to pull up Jamie's shirt.
"I am never your angel!" Jamie yelled, struggling equally hard to keep his shirt on, slapping at Freniere's hands when they tried to tug his breeches down.
"Then be my little wanton devil." Freniere panted. "Stay still you lovely Adonis."
"I am only the piano player," Jamie pleaded, fighting off the larger Freniere's assault.
"That's what they all say. Than pray tell me my little piece of piano playing chocolate what are you doing here, locked in a room, with the biggest despoiler of boys who ever lived! God Louis, do get out more in the sun. You looks as pale a a brat's behind. Speaking of a brats behind," Freniere said merrily, throwing his arms around an angry Jamie who wasn't quick enough to escape him.
Jamie held himself stuff, tuning his head away from Freniere's determined kisses, "Monsieur, I have told you before, I do not prefer the company of men."
"Oh, do tell him Louis to not be afraid of me. For Jamie I am quite helplessly in your power. I'm yours to do with as you command. My cock dreams of your pretty nice ass, bursting it open, your splendid mouth. Poor cock it dreams so hard it cries white, milky tears. Here take it out of my breeches and pet it, kiss it, suck it down, make it cry for you. I swear the poor thing is intent to have only you. Tell him Louis, tell him I am enamored of him. Tell him I'm not the type who would have a colored boy whipped on a trumped up charge of disrespect."
Frenere saw the look on Jamie's face turn to one of fear, "Oh now I have gone and done it. Tell him Louis I'm a good sort," Freniere cried.
"Frenere would not hurt you," Louis assured Jamie. Louis felt strangely as if he were watching a play. None of what he was seeing quite registered with him. It was as if he had nothing really to do with the activity happening between the two mortal boys.
"If you're so benevolent. Then let me go!" Jamie yelled, pushing Freniere away. He raced from the room, Freniere's hooting laughter savaging Jamie's ears.
Damn, must they all fall in love with you, Louis?" Freniere teased.
Frenere put back his hat back on at a dashing angle. He had merry tar black eyes, and a beautiful white complexion. Surprisingly huge bursts of laughter and profanity were know to come out from his dainty small mouth. His hair was a rich black combed back from his elegant, noble forehead. His physiognomy was one of a kingly mien. He had eagle's eyes which defied the rays of the sun. He could well be called kingly looking, if only he didn't assault his haughty good looks with whisky and malt.
"Jamie is not my lover," Louis assured Freniere, disapproving of Freniere's actions, "This is not common knowledge. Jamie is my uncle's son."
"This is amazing news. Quite a trick of nature. A dead man, dead for ages, sires a grown boy. Your family must have celestial potency! My hat is off to your uncle's potency, monsieur."
"I'm serious Frenere!"
"So am I! Pity Jamie isn't your lover. He could use with one. Oh well, come on unless you have sporting to do with one of your handsome planters' sons tonight. Too bad abut Jean marrying himself off. The two of you made a good couple. Now, if you do not have a pretty boy waiting for you in the wings, let's you and I join a card game. There's one downstairs going on now, hasten then. I feel lucky tonight."
"What? When your luck has been already been proven to be wretched?" Louis teased.
"Unlucky in love; lucky in cards," Frenere swore, taking large strides down the hall, "Are you coming then?'
Louis hesitated, he had never gambled with cards before, never. His father made his opinion quite clear on this subject Just as it was a given one used their best manners at the dinner table; it was also a given one did not buckle to peer pressure concerning card playing, Money was too precious to be fretted away. Many of Valmount's acquaintances found his bias against the gentlemanly sport of cards to be mean spirited. Valmount did encourage Louis to race his horses, as horse racing was the sport of kings. And racing horses was what Valmount considered to be a masculine sport. Nothing could convince Louis' father through of the value of foppish card playing.
Louis felt ashamed of himself for his childish desire to sit at a whist table. It was entirely unbecoming to the memory of his stern father. The very idea of himself, a person who was no longer human, holding cards in his hands, made Louis blush even harder.
"Perhaps," Louis said in a small voice, "For only a little bit."
"Then off with us," Freniere cheered trotting down the stairs, singing a naughty limerick about nuns in the habit of taking off their habits.
Freniere paid his fee to be included in Old Sally's whist game. Louis paid too. The other three occupants at the table were practiced hardened sharks. Once Louis sat down and played a few hands he could tell one, a roughened scoundrel with hands smooth as ice. and a face filthy with a condescending smile, was making signals to his partner, a burly barrel of a man with porcine hands.
Louis smiled gulling the two, reading their signals easily, foiling their stradegies in Freniere's favor. Louis himself purposely lost to Freinere. A pile of cheap ivory chips were soon growing under Freniere's hands. To Louis' surprise Freniere started deliberately playing sloppier, pretending to be drunker than he already was, deliberately throwing away good cards.
Jamie busied himself playing the piano. Paul invisible to them all sat cross legged on a stool, watching the five play cards.
"Ah sirs, you finally have cleaned me out," Freniere said, "And as I am such a clean fellow, I must bid you all a goodnight."
"Frenier let me ride home with you," Louis said in a voice which left no room for no argument. He helped Freniere out of his chair.
"First, before I leave a kiss from my beloved moor," Frenier laughed, stumbling to Jamie.
Paul would have watched but he was being drawn away once again. A current of air enclosed around his spirit sending him drifting up through the ceiling, over the roof, and out into the night.
Jamie unaware of Paul being taken away from him once again, grimaced at the kiss Freniere planted on to him. He brushed away the hand which this time was being bold enough to actually rub him between the legs. Freniere insultingly snorted in Jamie's face, stumbling away.
Louis helped Freniere to his horse.
As they rode towards Freniere's plantation, Louis said gently, but firmly, "I must ask you not to bother Jamie any longer, he and my brother were close."
"How close?" Freniere breathed, "Non. do not answer that. I am being disrespectful to the dead. I see the anger in Jamie's face when I play my pranks on him. I hope my teasing will cause him to put me in my place. I want him to lose control of himself and give me the thrashing, or worse I deserve. Jamie may kill me for all I care!"
"What can Jamie do to protect himself?' Louis said with feeling, "Would you have him hung for your death? You're being selfish."
"What can any of us do to protect ourselves? You're right Louis, I should leave Jamie alone I should leave them all alone," Freneire said moodily.
Freniere's mood abruptly changed, he reared up on his fine gray stallion "You like to race. Come on race me home. Damn it all Louis, put some color in your cheeks you look like a dead man."
"Non, go on ahead," Louis laughed.
He watched Freniere leave till he was but a small dot.
Silently, he watched, he could see far into the night, into a window of Freniere's home. With a stab of sadness Louis realized just how lonely he was for his family.
Now that he was transformed he sent the his mother and sister away to take up lodgings in a town house in the most fashionable district in New Orleans. His mother .Marie, in particular was enjoying the whirl of new friends she was making. Therese was enjoying the attention of the society women's sons in a fashion proper to a lady well born-- gentle, respectful flirtations. Louis supposed Therese would marry soon. The shopping the balls were keeping the two women in his life healthily occupied. Louis knew his father would have taken exception concerning Therese and Marie making themselves so freely exposed to the salons of New Orleans. Louis saw an independence which had never seen displayed before in his mother's and sister's personalities. And he felt all the more lonelier for this feminine desertion he himself had initiated.
He watched the Freniere women lovingly take control of the only man in their lives.
He missed that feminine regard. He he had a dreadful longing for Paul. He couldn't help but feel if he had confided more in Paul about how much he loved him, and his mother and sister, perhaps none of this would've happened. The emotional distance between himself and mortals seemed to widen by the minute and it frightened Louis. He couldn't describe the way he often felt he was only barely pretending to care about mortals and their lives. He regretted every belittling word he ever said to Paul. Fisting his gloved hands in frustration, Louis felt an urge to curse God, if there was a God.
Instead he cursed at Lestat.
"Damn your soul, what are you doing here?' Louis said shortly.
Taken aback, still in mourning over Nicky's death, Lestat jeeringly laughed at him, only making Louis more furious at having his privacy invaded.
Collecting himself, Louis said, in a more measured tone. "Excuse me for my unpleasant outburst. You took me by surprise. Now tell me, what are you doing here? I trust you are not spying on me are you?"
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