Devil's
eyes; the thought leapt unbidden to Aurea's mind.
They had such a look to them as could make young girls
surrender up their very souls, as well as other things...
Peter
stopped some paces away from her.
For long moments, they just stared at each other.
The silence seemed to buzz it was so loud.
She
could bear the suspense no longer.
"What are thee, demon, or ghost?"
Although Aurea's voice echoed loud throughout the empty
chamber, it carried a tremulous note.
"And who sent thee?
Are you just earthbound, oh spirit, and denied heaven's
blessed entry, or of hellish origin?"
A
slow smile creased the man's face.
His eyes glittered with a sudden humor.
"I could ask the same of you."
His voice was low, husky.
"But to me you appear as an angel from above and certainly
no demon. You're
very beautiful. Did
you know that?"
This
gave Aurea pause. Was
one supposed to be able to converse with a ghost, especially so
charming a one? Demons
most assuredly could talk for they tempted and enticed, but could
ghosts speak? They
wailed and moaned perhaps, but surely, they didn't carry on such
flattering conversations?
"Stop
your blandishments and name yourself, as well as your place of
origin." Aurea's voice
still quavered as she said this, disproving her brave words.
"Who and what are you?
Spirit, I demand to know."
"I'm
Peter, Peter Vincent. And
I'm a man who's come far to find you.
Look." He
fumbled for the jewelry box in the pocket of his coat.
He pulled it out and opened the lid.
Peter held it out for her to view.
"See
this? It's what brought
me to you. I've crossed
an ocean and I don't know what all else to find you.
I just thank God, I did.
You're every bit as wonderful as your painting showed you
to be."
Just
then, a faint waver passed over him, causing his image to shimmer,
but then the effect faded.
Aurea ignored the phenomenon and concentrated instead on
what the spirit held. She
gasped. Her right
hand flew to her alabaster throat in surprise.
There could be no doubt.
The little painting was a portrait of her!
"Now
see here, Sir Ghost." It
came out as more of a croak.
"Where did you obtain this?
What dark arts did you use to conjure this thing, evil
one?"
The
young demon who called himself Peter threw his head back and laughed.
It was a melodious sound and pleasing to Aurea.
Extra pleasing, she felt, when one considered it came from
a dead person, or something of similar ilk.
A
most charming demon, this one, she thought, but then Aurea had
no prior experience of what to expect from such as he.
Maybe all demons were this way.
Or maybe, he was better at it then most.
She'd have to be on her guard.
"Don't
you feel something special, Aurea?" he asked.
"Don't you feel something marvelous?
I do just looking at you."
She
flushed. This was
getting out of hand. Aurea
decided to go on the offensive.
"You know my name, Sir Ghost, or whatever creature you
are. How is this
possible? Is it one
bandied about in the pits of Hell?
Am I so already fallen?"
He
laughed again, revealing the whitest teeth she had ever seen and
then said, "I guess you could call the Twenty-First Century hell.
Some do and in some ways, the name does fit.
But from what I've read of your period, it isn't any better.
Probably, it's worse in fact.
Aren't your people always chopping off each other's heads?
Even your royalty does it to each other a lot, don't they?"
"How
dare you? It isn't
fit for a lowly spirit to speak ill of our monarch.
Even for such a handsome and comely ghost as you!"
"Oh-ho,
so you think I'm good looking?
You do come right out with it, don't you?"
Peter's gaze traveled over her body, as if he was now making
his own appraisal.
Aurea
bit her lower lip and flushed again, this time a much deeper red.
She shouldn't have said that.
What had possessed her to say such a thing?
Somehow, it had just slipped out.
This demon was indeed a devious one to make her speak her
mind so plainly and so quickly, too!