After dessert, we moved to the drawing room for brandy and cigars.After dessert, we moved to the drawing room for brandy and cigars. Marta was still absent. Victoria stood and waited for me to light her holdered cigarette. She leaned against the fireplace looking very much like the flapper girl she said she had been. "Simon, I want the castle back," she stated. Simon choked on his brandy. "I want the souvenir stands out of the courtyard, especially that damned vampire hunter kit one. Everything else is -- _negotiable_." "Victoria, I am sorry. There is no area for negotiation. The state and the surrounding area are starving for money right now. The castle brings in a good deal of money," Simon said firmly. "I do not have the power to close the castle," he apologetically added. "I will make it up to the town, as far as the money," Victoria resumed. She paused for a moment, thinking. "We would not live here permanently, but we would like to be able to come home. |