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Louis chose to sit
out the cotillion. He watched Lestat as he danced with the
pretty octoroon, Mademoiselle Juilette.
Ah, he smiled, thinking, My father would have gently put down my
dear friend Lestat as a fop. A flashy ne'er-do-well. I still can't
help but think, if I were not well off, and I had not my plantation
Pointe du Lac, my Lestat would not bother with me."
Louis reflected quietly to himself, Lestat is uncultivated,
unsophisticated, rude, his manners too free and bold. He's
boastfully wicked. And childish. I'm not sure I can completely trust
him. Murderous, disdainful, haughty. Mais yet, he can be charming,
and entertaining when he is in a pleasant mood. He is intelligent
enough to carry on a conversation with. And of course who can deny
he is dashingly handsome with those arrogant gray eyes, his gorgeous
blond hair, and his slender physique? Handsome enough to be on a
stage, definitely he has a dramatic enough personality to be a
player.
Juliette's mother was rapidly fanning herself with ill concealed
indignation over the crude attentions Lestat was paying her
daughter.
Look at him! The knave! Libertine! He is trying to kiss
Juliette's cheek! How dare he! she fumed, ready to take her fan and
strike it firmly on Lestat's head for his crime of imprudenance. His
laugh! she thought to herself, putting her white knitted gloves to
her ears. Why it is so offensive! Grating to the ear! Common,
arrogant man. Without any sense of tact or manners!
After the dance, the young lady, Juliette, curtsied saying,
"Excuse me Monsieur de Loin Court, mais I see an acquaintance of
mine I must out of courtesy greet."
"Ah mademoiselle, mais we must continue with our dancing," Lestat
said, his sharp teeth grinning at his lovely little lamb. He threw
his arm around her waist, taking up her pretty gloved hand.
Juliette blushed, a shiver ran up her spine. His hold on her was
too suspiciously like an embrace, and everyone ought to know the
kind of speculation which would arise if they indulged in yet
another dance.
"Non, monsieur," she piped up in her very young voice. "I must
decline."
She found Lestat to be a fascinating man, but like her mama
wanted, she wanted to place a history to Lestat about his people,
his finances, and his property, She was not a silly damsel in a
novel waiting to be seduced. She was a practical woman-child, who
knew what the value of having a refined, virginal, reputation was to
her future. An excellent reputation meant far more to a woman's
prospects, sometimes than just simple beauty when trying to catch a
man to be a sponsor. She was not a whore, nor a woman who would ever
be married, her destiny was to have her mother sign a contract for
her to become the concubine of a planter who would someday choose
her. Until she was sure this blond animal had the means to support
her, she preferred to wait for another dance partner to come along.
She was well aware of her duty she had to find a well off man who
could care not only for her mother, but who would also interest
himself in the well being of her brothers and sisters.
Gifting Lestat with yet another charming curtsey, she left him
be.
Lestat laughed good naturedly at how neatly she put him in his
place.
Louis heard his laughter, and had to smile.
Lestat waved to Louis, then he disappeared.
Louis tried to search for him with his eyes in the crowd of
dancers.
Arms encircled Louis, lifting him up in the air.
Louis started to tremble. He felt a queasy sense of danger
penetrate into his body. What was happening was all too familiar. He
started to struggle in the vice like arms lifting him up high. His
sense of proprieties would not allow him yet to draw attention to
himself with a scream for help.
"Louis," Lestat cried mystified by his terror, "It's only I."
Lestat put him back on the wooden floor.
"You disappeared" Louis stuttered.
"Non, not really Louis," Lestat laughed, "I did not disappear. I
moved too fast for you to see. My dear Louis you could move as
equally as well if you were not on a diet which causes your powers
to be sluggish."
"Outside, a word with you," Louis said coldly his hand on the
hilt of his rapier.
"Outside?" Lestat cried hurt and astonished, "You monsieur can go
outside. Away with you. I am having a good time here, and your
unreasonable surliness is starting to ruin my evening. I apologize
if my playful behavior has given rise to offense."
"Outside you pathetic coward. It is time you, you murderer, you
ended this farce!" Louis hissed.
"Farce! How dare you! If it is a fight you want you villain a
fight you will get. Simply first make me an acquaintance of the
crime I have committed against you."
Louis slapped his face with all his strength.
Lestat put his hand up to his face. Turning on his heel, Louis
marched out of the ballroom to his carriage, Lestat bewildered
followed him out.
Rolland opened the carriage door for Louis.
Before Lestat could enter Louis slammed the door in his face. He
opened the door part way, saying, "find your own way to Pointe du
lac. The criminal always in his guilt and stupidly gives himself
away."
"Criminal! Guilt!" Lestat cried.
"You are more than aware of what you are guilty of. The gesture
you made of lifting me up in the air made me too well aware of what
you have done."
"Done?" I have done nothing but tease you!"
"Oui, arrogantly teasing me, unknowingly appraising me of your
misdeed. Disappearing, then lifting me up in the air as Paul was
lifted up too! A brag, monsieur. Your action was of a braggart, of a
murdering, duplicitous braggart."
"Oh Louis there are times I would love to pound some proper sense
into that suspicious mind of yours!"
"My brother's honor will be satisfied by your blood or by my
blood, How could I have been so blind to trust you? Meet me at the
clearing in Pointe du Lac where the mulberry grove is? There is
where once and for all you will finish your deed of killing me, or
you will be the one to die."
"What of your mother and your sister?"
"If they knew what I knew, they would demand I kill you for what
you did to Paul. You reenacted the crime scene perfectly! I have
made provisions for their care if something should happen to me.
Rolland to Pointe du Lac!"
The carriage sped away. Lestat stomped his boots in utter
frustration.
"Isn't this a duel I should fight, and not you?" Armand said with
a dangerous grin, stepping out from where he was hiding to confront
Lestat.
"Ah, you monster. I should wring your neck. The murder you
committed against that whelp Paul is forever coming between Louis
and I."
"Then leave the poor fool alone, and give him over to my devises.
He wants to fight a duel to honor his brother Paul, let me be the
one to help him with his cause."
"You caused enough trouble," Lestat swore.
"Should he know that you and I share a bed together nightly?"
"A bed, that's all we share, not love," Lestat said slowly, "Non,
not love Armand. All I can do is murder your heart. Lead you to
slaughter. I appreciated the bodily comfort you've given me. I am
sure you are grateful for the comfort I have given you. Meddling, we
must stop meddling with each other, and with each other's lives."
"Do you love him then?"
"Infuriating, stubborn, cold enough he is to freeze the depths of
hell! What is there to love about him?" Lestat laughed weakly, "Oui,
I love him."
Smacking Lestat in the face, Armand sent him falling to the
ground. "He will not love a devil like you," Armand said coldly "he
will never have the courage needed to love a devil like you. The
integrity to love you."
"Armand," Lestat pleaded, scrambling up onto his feet. "You do
not love me either, tell me the truth. Do not dissemble it. Do you
love me above simple passion?"
Armand willed the tears in his eyes to stand still, he would
prefer to leap onto the point of his sword, onto the embrace of a
bonfire than to humiliate himself by telling the truth to Lestat..
"Non, I do not love you. I only want to punish you for the
mocker, the disbeliever you are. And in my act of killing Paul, I
have succeeded. Hurt for a hurt Lestat. Louis will never have faith
in you any more than you can have faith in another. You meddled in
my life, and my bed long enough. It's over between us. Our
friendship, our acquaintance, everything done between us is over!"
"Armand leave not in such bitter unfairness," Lestat cried.
"Unfair, you monsieur, have never been anything but unfair to
me?" Armand screamed running away. He stopped to lean against an elm
tree The leaves shook as if they suffered from ague. He listened in
vain for Lestat's footsteps. After a while he knew he wasn't being
followed. His body slid down to the grassy ground. Burying his head
in his arms he sobbed out the heart he was reputed not to have. Oui,
I love you, he thought, his misery felt like it was tearing him to
shreds, I love you from the first day we met I wanted you.
Wiping his face with his sleeve, Armand felt a coldness surround
him. Paul's spirit surrounded him with the iciness of his embrace.
He tied to talk to Armand, to offer him, his murderer, some comfort.
Paul stepped away from Armand, his ghostly, invisible arms hiding
his young face. He could smell the rot of murder and revenge on
Armand's person.
Paul flew up into the sky, even if he could communicate to the
horrid red haired devil, nothing he could say would deter the plots
hatching in Armand's fevered brain against Louis and Lestat.
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