Eugenia's Embrace

"Shhh," Eugenia whispered. "Just follow close beside me. I only hope the tower rooms aren't locked."

Drew's heart faltered. He stopped and pulled Eugenia next to him. He turned her to face him. Even by the light of the moon, he could see her loveliness. But he was afraid that she was being a bit daring now. "What the hell do you mean?" he snapped. "You don't even know if those rooms are unlocked?"

Eugenia fluttered her lashes. Her emerald-colored eyes were like a cat's, penetrating through the darkness, seeing his face so close to hers, a face that she had held in her dreams so very often. How she wanted to touch it and never set her fingers free. "I told you, Drew," she whispered. "I've never been to the tower rooms. But I'm sure we can get in. Please don't worry."

Drew groaned noisily. "Don't worry? You get me in this German's house and you're not sure that you can really hide me? Don't you know what that could mean?"

Eugenia forgot once again her newly taught manner of speaking. She had found that when she got upset, this always happened. "I don't know what you're speakin' of, Drew," she snapped back. "But I know I'm a freezin' standin' here in the snow. Now will you jist come on? If the tower rooms ain't open, you can hide in my room for the night."

A low, hoarse laugh filled the night air as Drew's lips brushed by Eugenia's. "Now that sounds more like it, hon," he drawled.

"Oh, Drew," Eugenia said, pulling herself away from his hold. Right now she didn't need him disturbing her train of thought by teasing. She needed to get him to safety. And fast. She took him by the hand and pulled him up the stairs of the porch and through the back door. There was only a dim light burning in the hallway, a light always left on for Frederick's arrival back home. And this was light enough to guide Eugenia and Drew up the spiral staircase. At the top of the stairs Eugenia paused and listened. There were still no noises in the house.

"I've hidden a candle over here," she whispered, going to a table, opening the closed doors on the front. "We can't turn on any lights in the upper floors of the house or Frederick will see when he returns from the Opera House."

"Whatever you say," Drew said, looking around him. He could now see why Eugenia had agreed to live with Frederick. Drew had never seen such a magnificent house. He only wished he could afford to house Eugenia in such a manner. And maybe someday he could. But this was now. And it was too dangerous to let his thoughts wander to such things so far in the future.

The staircase leading to the tower rooms was dark and foreboding. It led straight upward at the end of the hall from where Eugenia and Frederick slept. When she reached the top, she turned the doorknob, barely breathing, afraid that she would find it locked. She just hadn't had time to check it out earlier. There had been too much activity in the house. Frederick had always looked so angrily in her direction whenever she had mentioned wanting to see the tower rooms. She had always known that if he had ever caught her disobeying his commands, she would more than likely be set free, out into the cold winds of the night. He had burned all her personal possessions. But she couldn't let things like this enter her mind now. She had Drew to think about. Only Drew. With trembling fingers, she breathed a deep sigh of relief when the door opened easily. "Come on, darling," she whispered, pulling Drew by the hand once again.

There were many closed doors lining the hallway stretched out before Eugenia and Drew. The flickering of the candle that Eugenia held before her danced in wavy shadows on the walls all around her, like ghosts warning her to not enter. With a pounding heart, she began to make her way down the hallway. "Which door shall we try first, Drew?" she asked.

"From what I've gathered, there are four towers. One on each corner of the roof," he answered. "Let's try to find one that is at the back of the house. That way I could feel more safe. The moonlight's so bright tonight, it might give way to shadows, shadows that Frederick could make out upon arrival home."

Eugenia flashed Drew a look of admiration. "You're right, you know," she whispered. "One of those rooms on each end of the hall on the left should be the safest place for the night. I'm sure they will be the ones at the back of the house."

Again, with trembling fingers, Eugenia turned a knob and entered. She held the candle before her and gasped loudly. The room was just as beautiful as any other room in the house. She held the candle up and moved it in front of her, then around her as she turned slowly.

"What the hell?" Drew snarled.

"It's a room mainly of pillows on the floor," she whispered. "Why would Frederick have such a room as this?" But her eyes could also see the red velveteen drapes pulled shut at the windows, and the rich texture of a lightly colored carpeting stretched out beneath her feet.

Walking on ahead of Eugenia, Drew's eyes widened in disbelief. "I'll be damned," he muttered, picking up a long length of tubing. "Your German friend has himself a hop joint here."

Eugenia went to Drew's side and lowered the candle to get a better look at what Drew was looking at. The tip of the tubing had what looked like the tip of a smoking pipe attached to it. She had seen many pipes that her Papa had made. And the tip looked the same as this. But why would this long tubing be attached to a bottle?

"What do you mean, Drew?" she finally asked.

"This is a most illegal opium den, my love," Drew said, handling more of the paraphernalia draped around, and across the floor.

"What is an opium den?"

"Opium is a powerful narcotic drug," Drew answered, reaching down, picking up a bottle. He twisted the lid off and sniffed. He handed this in Eugenia's direction.

"What that?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"My love, that's opium. In powder form. To be snuffed."

Eugenia could recall the many times she had seen Frederick put such a powder to his nose, then fall into a deep sleep shortly afterward. Now she knew what he had used to create such a sense of euphoria for himself.

"But why such a room as this?" Eugenia asked, her eyes sweeping all around her.

"Your German keeper is rich, hon," Drew said, placing the jar back down on a small table beside deeply piled cushions. "He entertains friends in here. I'm sure. Only the rich could get away with such actions. I'm sure he keeps the authorities well paid for secrecy."

"But I haven't seen any such friends," Eugenia said, remembering how quiet the house was most of the time and how alone Frederick always seemed.

"He probably just hasn't had any friends in since you've been a part of his household," Drew said. "But I'm sure he's enjoyed this pleasure, alone, many times."

"I bet you're right," Eugenia said remembering the mysterious disappearances of Frederick. "Some days I never see or hear him come or go. I bet he's been here all along."