The Devil's Mistress

Chapter 2

Calysta wore her black dress with lace flowers on it, the only proper dress she had which also she had kept for the purpose of mourning. And to the irony of buying it, the first time she was wearing it was for her own father’s funeral. She boarded the flight at noon time from Palermo Airport and her destination was in Greece.

Calysta searched for her seat and sat down after placing it inside the luggage compartment. She had an eerie feeling that someone was watching her and she looked around but found nothing unusual. She took her seat and closed her eyes not wanting to face anything or have conversation with anyone.

She was asleep by the time the flight took off. Calysta had thought that the flight would be uneventful and peaceful but someone had some other plans. The first vision that struck her was when she was in her nursery hiding behind her nanny and her Headmistress was saying that she could not read and for that reason it would be better to not send her to school from the next day. Her father was a reputed businessman who loved his repute and prestige; he could not tolerate this that his daughter was a fool. That was the night she saw his rage and in order to protect her from that her mother almost died. Calysta again woke up with a start thinking that her father was belting her mother mercilesslessly.

After a few days her mother asked one of her academic friends from the university who came and tested Calysta. He said that Calysta’s brain was not made for conventional studies, she was specifically hardwired for reading the lost languages and this is the reason why she could not read English or Greek. And she was a savant in music which was something she was gifted with. She was six years old that time, and her mother bought her the first violin of her life.

She descended at Malemo Airport and found that Frederick himself was waiting for her at the airport. She did not have much luggage with her, of which Frederick relieved her immediately. They went to their car in silence, but Calysta was immediately hounded by reporters from all angles who started clicking her pictures as she tried to get into the limousine.

“How did your father die, Miss?”

“Why do you not live with him?”

“Did you come back just for the funeral or are you here to stay?”

“Do you know if there was any conspiracy behind him dying?”

The questions kept on coming and it was not that she did not have answers, it was rather that she herself did not know what the next moment was going to bring for her. The rest of the drive to her estate was spent in silence. When they reached the estate compound, the first thing that she saw was the grave digged up on the ground and her father standing in front of it with expressionless eyes. Calysta blinked once more and looked up but found that there was a willow tree standing it its place. The tree which she had planted on her mother’s grave, and the headstone was still lying there.

Calysta asked Frederick,” When is the funeral scheduled?”

“It has been scheduled tomorrow morning Miss, as requested by Master,” replied Frederick.

“And where is his body going to be laid?” asked Calysta.

“Why Miss Callie, it is going to be laid in your family’s ancestral burial ground where all your family has been buried since times immemorial. This is not something that you need to ask,” said Frederick in a smug voice.

“No actually I wanted to know that in order to gauge if my mother’s grave was to be desecrate with his vile presence after death also. Well since you said that is not to happen I am quite satisfied. So what are the plans for today?”

Frederick took some time in order to pause fuming from the words spoken by his present mistress and replied,” Mr. Vincent would be coming today afternoon at tea in order to read out your father’s will and decide whatever is to be done next. Also there is a letter which he had left with his lawyer for you only, that needs to be handed over as well.”

Calysta just listened to whatever Frederick was saying and understood that Frederick was concerned about his own future in this house that is the reason why he was so interested regarding the lawyer coming in the afternoon. It was a well known fact that Frederick was very loyal to her father and would be so, would remain loyal to his memories as well. Calysta had no interest in all these worldly matters but she was not going to run away losing this battle with her father’s memories in this house.

By the time she entered the foyer of the house, she did not find any change in décor of the house from the time she had left this house at sixteen because she had got a chance to learn music from the world’s greatest school of music and that too a scholarship but she never agreed to any public shows ever.

“I have your room cleaned up and your bags will be put up there only. Well if you want to take some other room then we can make amends, Miss,” said Frederick in a manner that it was not his job but he was doing her a great deal of service by doing everything.

“You can make the first amend by starting to call me Mistress. The next amend will be I shall be staying in the grand bedroom of my mother. Third I will want the old music room to be cleaned up for my practice and I do not want anyone to disturb me while doing so,” said Calysta in a voice of authority, which she did not know she had in her.

“I am sorry Mistress. It will be done as per your wishes, “said Frederick sounding contrite. Calysta did not know if he was pretending or he was really contrite but it did not matter anymore.

Calysta went up to her mother’s room and found that the only thing that was a reminder of her mother’s memory was her life-size portrait over the mantel piece. Gemma was looking as beautiful as ever and Calysta started weeping looking at her mother who was still smiling down at her.

Sometime later there was a soft knock on her door and the door opened revealing her nanny who was now working as a maid in this house and coming inside she saw the tear streaked face of Calysta and said,” Don’t cry, My Lady. You are not to cry anymore because you are the one who has to be responsible for anything and everything in this house. Madame did not want you to come back in this house but she left a legacy for you in case you were forced to return.”

While Nina was saying this she looked around and checked if the door was locked and no one was snooping on them. The gesture did escape Calysta’s eyes and she asked,” Are you sure that you can say this here? Is it not being too risky?”

“Yes My Lady, I am being too reckless in saying you all this things now at the moment when you are grieving but trust me I would not have mentioned all these to you if was not entirely necessary,”said Nina, she was the woman who had cared for her like a second mother in her mother’s absence. This meant that if she was saying this now it was really serious.

“Please continue Nina. I want to hear whatever you have to say,” said Calysta.

“My Lady, your mother had left behind one ornate key which is meant for you only and it has to be opened tonight itself because the compartment which it opens will leave this house tomorrow morning,” said Nina.

With the mention of ornate key, Calysta remembered that when she took the letter from her mother’s hand that morning from inside her grave she was wearing a key and she had mentioned her father. Were these both things related? Did it mean that she had a premonition today morning at dawn about her father’s death and her mother’s legacy!!!!!!

“Would you know by any chance that where the key will be? The one about which you are speaking about now?” asked Calysta.

“My Lady I do not know how to explain this to you but I did not get this information when our Madame was alive in this home. I came to know this a fortnight earlier when Madame had come to my dreams and said all that I am telling you now. I tried contacting you several times but none of my letters were posted even and you know that the servants are not allowed to use the telephone in this house,” said Nina looking up at Calysta’ s face expecting her to not believe and laugh out loud but to her surprise nothing of that sort happened.

“I trust you Nina. I understand what you are saying but at the same time I also want to know that if you know what has to opened and with which key it has to be opened and how to do that,” said Calysta.

“Madame mentioned that you will be in possession of the key My Lady. And I know what has to be opened, but it has to be done at night only and that too in the darkness. We can’t risk to get caught because here in this family the dead are worshipped like our Gods itself,” replied Nina.

“I have heard all these things before from the servants when I was little but I have never believed all these, but truly Nina after today morning I do not know what to trust and what not to trust. I have forgotten that logic does not work in all these places but you did not answer my question completely. What needs to be opened?” said Calysta.

“The coffin of your father where his body lies at this moment needs to be opened. In that coffin lies the secrets of this family which your father wants to take along with him to his grave. But our dear Madame won’t let that happen,” said Nina with a sinister conviction.

“Nina I get what you are saying but do you understand that what you are asking me to perform is considered to be a crime in this soil. It doesn’t matter that if he was my father or anyone else. How come my dead mother come to know about all these years before my father’s death?” asked Calysta.

“My Lady you are forgetting that you yourself said a few moments earlier that some things defy logic. Well this was the reason that your mother shot herself to death at the prime of her life, she knew and she had come to know several more vicious things that had been planned and did not want to be alive in order to witness them but now she does not want you to be oblivious of all the things which are happening and have already happened,” said Nina.

“What you are saying is true and we must act fast but it means that I need to get hold of that key first. And I need some time for that. Nina please keep the study prepared for Mr. Vincent’s arrival in sometime, I shall be there shortly and I need some moments alone..” instructed Calysta.

“Yes My Lady I shall leave you in peace. I know that I should not have intruded in your grief at this moment but believe me I would not have done this if it was not absolutely necessary,” reasoned Nina.

“You don’t need to clarify this to me at all Nina, I understand why you have done and what motivated you to do this. Please there is nothing to feel guilty about,” said Calysta holding her hands.