Read Online Catherine (Echoes of Ossiria #1) by Vivian Lane - Free Book Online Page A

pins holding it all together.   Her eyes were defined in black with smoky shades of charcoal and
lavender blended up toward her brows.   Plum-pink color graced her lips with a touch of gloss in the center for dimension.  
    She was handed the
beaded earrings that match her dress.
    Back behind the
screen to discard her robe, she adjusted her bustier, then stepped into the
gown.   The ribbons were cinched a bit
tighter this time, prompting her to glare at the assistant.
    “Your shoes,
miss?”
    Catherine lifted
the hem of her dress and stepped into one, then the other stiletto sandal.   Simple black satin.  
    Once fastened, she
walked out to face the crowd.   “Well?”
she asked, turning for the assembly.
    “You’ll stop
traffic,” Alicia said.
    “Alicia! What are
you doing here?”
    “Making sure
you’re on time. William was anxious, not that he’ll admit to it. Ready?”
    “Just have to grab
my cloak and my bag,” she said.  
    The long black
velvet cloak hid her dress from view until the perfect moment as well as
providing warmth on this chilly evening.
    They rode down in
the elevator alone.
    “You know, I
haven’t even asked what we’re seeing,” Catherine mused.
    “Probably
something morbid and dull. I prefer the American Halloween with its bow to capitalist
gain. The children really do make out with an excellent deal, except for the
potential razor blades and poison in the candy.”
    “My parents took
me trick-or-treating every year when I was a kid. It was fun.”   The limousine was waiting out front.   “Is he in there?” she asked.
    “Oh, just go! You
have to see him sometime tonight. Really, you humans and your petty arguments…”
Alicia groused.   She pushed Catherine
through the door first.
    The chauffeur
opened the door as they came out.  
    William stood,
wearing a wool coat over a black tuxedo.   “Miss Mitchell. You look lovely this evening.”
    She nodded in
acknowledgement.   “Thank you, sir.”   She handed her satchel to the chauffeur who
placed it in the trunk, and offered her gloved hand to William.   He kissed it, then helped her into the
car.  
    “Play nice, you
two,” Alicia said cheerfully, then vanished.
    Once inside the
car and moving along, neither knew what to say first.   Catherine finally swallowed her pride and
asked what they were seeing.
    “’Classical Music
for Halloween’. I kid you not. They’ve put together a ghost story to scary
music, or something.”
    “Well, there are
several works that fit in tone. Was Faust too expensive to produce? I’d
think it would be perfect for Halloween. A moral tale warning against deals
with the devil?”
    “I think
Mephistopheles gets a bum rap in that one. Soddin’ humans screwed it up for
themselves.”
    She rolled her
eyes.   “I take it you saw it after you
were turned?”
    “Not the first
time. Took my mum one year while I was still in university.”
    “Well, it’ll be
nice to listen to music. I used to play the violin.”
    “Did you, now?”
    She nodded.   “In elementary school. I was… competent . Always struggled with the
fingering. I didn’t get very far with piano for the same reason.”
    “Your parents pushed
you in the Arts?”
    “I wouldn’t say
‘pushed’. They encouraged us in all subjects. They both worked in education.”
    “Us? I thought you
were an only child.”
    “Me and my foster
brother. They placed him with another family when my parents were killed. My
grandmother was willing to take him in, but Child Services thought two
teenagers would be too much for her,” she said.   “Did you have any siblings?”
    “One.”
    “Oh. What
happened?”
    “She was
kidnapped.”
    “That must have
been hard for your family.”
    He shrugged.   “I got you something.”   He fished into his pocket, pulling out a
velvet box.   “Alicia told me the color of
your dress, so I thought these would suit it well.”   He opened the jewelry box to reveal a choker
of South Sea