When she had gotten up this morning and asked Mrs. Noone about having someone come in to cut her hair, Mrs. Noone had called Mellisande first in order to consult about the matter. Mellisande and Mrs. Noone had been acquainted for years, as it turned out, which was not surprising since both of them had also known Cole's parents.
The two older women had agreed that if Annabel was determined to have her hair cut, the best man for the job would be Luigi. As she sat there with her eyes closed, listening to the snip-snip of the scissors, Annabel hoped they were right.
Luigi stopped cutting. Annabel heard him step back and say, "Hmmm." As she opened her eyes to see if anything was wrong, he swooped in again, the scissors darting out. A snip here, a cut there. Again Luigi stepped back and pondered. Again he moved in and cut some more. Finally, when he stepped back yet again, a broad smile broke out on his cherubic face. He turned to Mrs. Noone and Mellisande and asked, "The hair, she is beautiful, no?"
"Exquisite," Mellisande declared.
Mrs. Noone rolled forward and held out the large hand mirror she had been holding in her lap. "Why don't you take a look for yourself, my dear," she said to Annabel.
Annabel drew in a deep breath, then took the mirror from Mrs. Noone. She lifted it, holding it a good distance in front of her so that she could see a full view of her head and shoulders. Her head already felt lighter, and she could understand why when she looked in the mirror. Her brown hair was still thick and lustrous—there was just a whole lot less of it. It curled behind her ears now and barely reached the back of her neck. She had bangs for the first time in years, and she thought they made her look younger. The look was so different from what she was used to that for a moment, she had to struggle not to let out a cry of dismay.
Judging it objectively, however, she had to admit that it wasn't bad. And it would certainly serve the purpose for which it was intended. If she slicked it back, she could easily hide it under a San Francisco Fire Department helmet.
"Well?" Mellisande said. "What do you think?"
"It's fine," Annabel said. She summoned up a smile for Luigi. 'Thank you."
He held the scissors over his heart and bowed deeply to her. "It is I who should thank you, lady, for allowing me to work my magic on such beautiful hair."
Lucius had left the room a few minutes earlier. He came back in now, carrying a broom and a dustpan. Annabel stood up quickly, being careful not to look down. She wasn't sure she could stand seeing all her hair scattered on the floor around her chair. She was certain she didn't want to be there while Lucius was sweeping it up and carrying it out to the rubbish bin.
Mellisande took Annabel's arm and led her over to another mirror that was hung on the wall of the parlor. "Take a look at yourself. You're lovely, my dear. But then, surely you knew that already."
Annabel studied her reflection, cocking her head first one way and then the other, and she had to admit that the hairstyle really didn't look bad at all. In fact, she was beginning to like it.
Sire wondered, suddenly, how Cole would feel about it.
His reaction didn't matter in the slightest, she told herself sternly. What she was doing certainly wasn't being done to please him, not by a long shot.
Luigi came up behind her and looked over her shoulder into the mirror. "You are pleased?" he asked.
"Very much so."
"Grazia. I must go now." He gathered up a floppy-brimmed hat and a long black cloak with a red silk lining. He donned them, then swept out of the house dramatically, the same way he cut hair. Annabel had a feeling he did just about everything with dramatic flourishes.
As Annabel turned away from the mirror, Mrs. Noone commented, "You haven't really explained why you were so determined to do this, Annabel. I realize it's none of my business, but I do wish you'd indulge an old woman's curiosity. It has something to do with that fireman's contest, doesn't it?"
"The competition in Golden Gate Park?" Mellisande asked before Annabel could reply. "What in the world could that have to do with you, my dear?"
Annabel was glad to see that Lucius had finished sweeping up her hair and had already left the room with it. She smiled at the two older women and said, "It has to do with the competition, all right. You see, I plan to enter it whether Cole's lieutenant says it's all right or not."
"But how could you possibly—," Mellisande began before abruptly stopping in mid-question. Mrs. Noone was already beginning to smile.
"I think I know," Mrs. Noone said. "You're going to pose as one of the young men and take part secretly."
'That's right," Annabel told her.
Mrs. Noone clapped her gnarled hands together. "What a wonderful idea! I'm sure you'll show those pigheaded men what sort of stuff you're made of."
Mellisande understood now, though she was clearly having trouble accepting the idea. "But. . . it may be dangerous," she pointed out. "And you'll. . . you'll get dirty."