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| Georgina attacked on the back steps of Tirymôr |
On a fog shrouded night, nothing but sea air and mist filled the air around the two small islands in Frenchman Bay. The tops of all the trees of Tirymôr Forest on Welshport Island seemed to be submerged in murky white sky of milky plumes of ocean fog.
At Tirymôr House the lush greenery became black under the night sky. The glowing oil lamps in the windows reflected out causing a patchwork of frames to be cast on the lawn. Hiding in the shadows of shrubs and bushes was a shivering Mary Goode and the vampire Lord son Sebastian.
Sebastian stared at his old home, the towering mansion stared down at him like a giant gazing at its former inhabitant unhappily gloomy in the fog. They were there for Georgina. They needed her. They were desperate for her face and body to switch with that of Mary.
“What are we waiting for?” Mary asked, her hands tangled together in two shivering fists under a small rolled up scarf.
“It’s almost 9 o’clock.” Sebastian coldly replied without looking at his cousin.
“Sebastian we can’t be out here all night. We have to take Georgina and take her back to my mother. You know the plan.” Mary replied frustrated with the slow move of Sebastian’s creep.
He slowly turned to her and narrowed his eyes annoyed with her voice constantly in his ear. The two newly found relatives were tied together in a horrible fait not to his amusement: he her victim and supernatural project, she his murderer & resurrector. But there was no love loss.
“Let’s go.” He growled.
As silently as possible, Sebastian and Mary slinked their way across the thick forest of trees that lead to a small path they’d follow through until it opened up into a hedge maze that they’d then follow to a large swath of green lawn. They went up the lawn allowing the night air to cool their anxious warm skin and when they arrived to a back porch Sebastian snapped his fingers signaling for Mary to hide behind two large potter trees.
Sebastian then quietly went up the long stone steps of the porch and walked up to the prestige French doors. He looked inside to see his grandmother’s sitting room just as he had remembered it the night he killed Gaspar DuBois. It was wall papered with chocolate brown wallpaper that has the tiniest details of small white flowers going down it from ceiling to floor. On the walls lanterns and family paintings of people Sebastian only heard stories of. And in her chair sipping her 9pm tea was his grandmother Rebecca.
“Ma’am.” Georgina said entering with a silver tray.
Rebecca smirked and placed the empty tea cup on the tray as Georgina curtsied in the glow of the fire place.
Sebastian, his eyes almost glowing with a deep orange tone felt the heat from the room on his face, but it wasn’t from the fire in the hearth it was the blood bumping in his grandmother and Rebecca’s bodies. He could feel their life force, the blood, the power of the heart pumping the blood. He licked his lips as his canines slowly began to morph into two fangs and he slowly turned the door knob open one of the French doors.
The door was left slightly opened, just 3 or 4 inches. He closed his eyes and sent a powerful telepathic wave of energy into the room that caught the attention of BeeBee, the small white dog on Rebecca’s lap.
BeeBee lift his his little head and peeled around the chair back towards the open door of the porch. He wined a little unsure or what sent him the call. Then Sebastian did it again, this time stronger. BeeBee stood up in his mistresses lap and growled.
“Down BeeBee.” Rebecca said to her dog but didn’t listen.
The curious dog jumped from his warm perch on Rebecca’s lap. She extends her arm to grab him by the tail but the small dog was too fast ans he went sniffing towards the porch where he sensed a familiar smell, Sebastian.
The dog poked his nose out of the porch seeing Sebastian. He wagged his tail happily but did not go out.
“Come on boy. Come out.” Sebastian said softly from the bottom of the stone stairway.
The dog only made a nervous sound but didn’t go.
“Sebastian…. Hurry.” Mary said in a whisper from her hiding spot.
“BeeBee…come… come BeeBee.” Sebastian said squatting down.
The dog turned its head back to Rebecca still watching the fire in her chair. He seemed to weigh the option in his little mine on going out in the cold night or returning to his mistress in the warmth of house.
He chose the cold and dashed down the stairway to meet Sebastian.
“BeeBee? Where are you? Come!” Rebecca said as she whistled.
Sebastian held the small dog in his arms. It squirmed with delight as he squeezed it tighter and tighter in his hands. The little white dog wiggled and wined as Sebastian could feel his little heart pound under its ribs. In that little body the blood was rushing. Warm red liquid that Sebastian needed.
But he BeeBee was only bait.
Rebecca looked back at the open French door as a cold ocean breeze sucked the sheer curtain out into it. She signed and clasped her hands in her lap.
“Georgie! Georgie!” She called.
“Yes ma’am?” Georgina said rendered the room with the silver tray and fresh tea.
“BeeBee seems to have escaped though an open door. He’s out there in the cold, would you fetch her for me please.” Rebecca requested.
“‘Course ma’am.” Georgina replied as she grabbed a lit candle.
Georgina wrapped herself in a thick black shawl that covered her shoulders but as she walked out the cool breeze pulled the shawl down from one shoulder. Sebastian hid in the shadows still holding the squirming BeeBee in his arms, they both watched as Georgian slowly made her way out to the top of the porch. She felt uneasy. The night was darker than usual with a moon covered by the fog casting a sort of dark green glow around the entire lawn in front of her.
“BeeBee… where are you BeeBee. BeeBee, come back BeeBee.” She said as she lifted the candle close to her face to feel the warm flame near her cheek.
Sebastian and Mary both watched her for a minute. Mary took a deep breath when she realized that she was looking at her future body. Georgina was her freedom—escape from all her troubles and crimes and the only way back into the Lord household was to switch with Georgina just as Eliza has explained.
“BeeBee!!” Georgina said straining in the fog to find the little dog.
From the shadows Sebastian lowered the dog down to the wet grass. His eyes changed and turned completely white as he held on to the little dog so that he could take control of its mind. When the control was complete he let go and little BeeBee slowly made his way from the shadows where he was held to last step or the stone stairs and stayed there.
“Oh there you are! Come on! Come back up.” Georgina called.
Under Sebastian’s control BeeBee stayed put.
“BeeBee! What’s gotten into you? Come on, it’s cold, come up!” Georgina said again.
The dog didn’t move.
“UGH!!!” Georgina groaned as she began her descent down the long staircase of stone to fetch the little dog. She got to the last step and Sebastian leapt from the shadows and pounced on Georgian twisting her ankle in the processe. She screamed as Sebastian pulled at her neck from behind. The dog barked and jumped around at their feet finally released from Sebastian’s control.
Sebastian and Georgina scuffled on the grass as Mary panicked behind the trees. Her shivering now from fear rather than the cold air frosting her skin. Mary feared Sebastian would kill Georgina when he was only supposed to bite her but not drink from her.
His vampire bite would render Georgina unconscious and give them the ability to transport her to Goode Island for the switch, but in the scuffle Mary worried the bite would accidental be fatal and Mary’s chance at freedom would be dashed.
The two continued to struggle for power over each other. He much stronger than she. He put his hand over her mouth to hush her screams. Inside he wanted to let her go, seeing her terrified. Smelling the fear ooze from every pour of his skin; it was an awful feeling that came over him but at the same time exhilarating and freeing all in one.
As one of Sebastian’s arms held Georgina and the other covered her mouth her head tilted slightly exposing a perfect peach toned area of her neck. Sebastian was unafraid to bite but terrified he’d kill her, took a chance and slowly pierced her neck careful not to sip the tempting blood now seeping from the two holes on her neck. He needed her alive for Mary’s sake and the switch of bodies.
Georgina, shocked at the sensation of the bite, stiffened with pain and bit his hand. He too winced with pain and ripped his now sore hand from her mouth, the signet ring on his pinky finger with his initial S chiseled in the center in gold slipper off into Georgina’s hand.
Her mouth free Georgina screamed
“HELP! HELP ME!!!”
BeeBee barked incessantly.
Sebastian darted back into the shadows with his blood stained mouth.
“What the devil?” Rebecca said as she got up from her tea and made her way to the French doors. The screaming got louder, the barking got louder and when Rebecca pulled back the curtains and pushed open the French doors, she saw her maid passed out on the steps from the oozing of blood with BeeBee licking her wounds gushing blood from her neck.
“GEORGINA!!! My god!!” Rebecca said as she swooped down in her long black dress to help her maid up. “Are you ok? What happened? Georgina say something?” Rebecca added holding the open wounds on Georgina’s neck with her hand as she watched the flow of blood squeeze out between her fingers.
Georgina only moaned, her head fell backwards in Rebecca’s arms revealing the bite mark on her neck in the pale blue moonlight and her arm slowly slumping down onto one of the very last marble steps.
Georgina’s hand opened revealing a golden ring from Sebastian’s hand that slipped off… the S initial on it sparkled in the dim light of the night and caught Rebecca’s eye shockingly.
Rebecca gasped recognizing the ring and plucked it from the fainted Georgina’s palm. Then Rebecca saw the wounds in her maid’s neck and realized they were the same as the ones that tore through Gaspar’s neck but less severe as Sebastian had no intention in killing this victim.
Rebecca screamed something no woman would have ever recognized come from her throat when she began to slowly connect the dots and her eyes watered as dark thoughts flooded her mind on her assumptions of who the assailant was. But how could it be Sebastian? She wondered?
Rebecca’s head spun around searching for signs of… or like Sebastian while more servants came out of help.
Could he really be out there? The grandson she thought was dead and buried? She opened her own hand and looked down at the ring again as Hamstead, her butler, and another house mais frantically tried to revive Georgina.
“Sebastian.” Rebecca whispered.
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| Sebastian’s Signet ring |
Hiding in the shadows of the thickets of trees that surrounded the mansion and watching it all unfold was a disappointed Mary and an embarrassed Sebastian, his heart filled of failure.
“You got greedy cousin.” Mary said with a lifted brow. “The blood would have been there from another source, you didn't have to bite her.” Mary whispered.
“Her blood was was so warm and it felt so good. Different.” He replied about Georgina’s neck.
“Different? How?” Mary asked.
“Gaspar’s felt cold…and all the animals feel sweet… but Mary’s…human blood from a good decent person. It’s delicious.” He added staring down at his hand.
Mary felt sick to her stomach but managed to push the whole idea out of her head. The task was to grab Georgina and take her to Goode island and switch bodies with her but they failed.
“This is not good. Not good at all, if Georgina identifies you we can lose everything.” Mary whispered.
Sebastian then noticed his ring gone from his blood stained hand.
“Mary!…my ring.” he said gesturing to his bare pinky. “It must have fallen off during the struggle with Georgina. Now what do we do?” He added.
Mary rolled her eyes realizing the job just got even more complicated with the missing ring and what would happened should anyone find it. It was supposed to have been buried with Sebastian in his coffin.
“We try again tomorrow,” she answered calmly despite her anxiety. “that is if Georgina doesn’t remember anything. If she tells them she was attacked by a person who just happened to have the ring you were buried with it’ll be that much harder to get her. And we need her.” Mary said.
“You mean you need her.” Sebastian said reminding her living inside a Georgina was the only way Mary could evade prosecution for Sebastian murder.
Mary snarled at his snarky comment and rebutted with her own.
“No Georgina, No Evie. The only way I can help you get her back is if we get Georgina first. Do you understand? Tomorrow night we don’t fail.
Sebastian knew she was right. They were all tied together now. And as Mary said, they would not fail when the next night came.
****
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| Filipe & Celeste in their village cottage |
At a small cottage in town, Celeste DeViana did her needle point by candle light. She preferred the glow of the candle then of the oil lamp. It reminder her if her doing needle point with her grandmother.
Each thread so carefully poking through into the fabric. Colors intertwined, inside outside, inside outside and once done a beautiful image would appear. It was cathartic for Celeste. If she’d prick herself and draw blood it was even that more important for her to finish the project, the glory of finishing such a laboring creation always outweighed the pain it took to make it.
Her grandmother, a woman who practically raised Celeste on her own in Welshport in the very house she was in, taught her to push through all the pain no matter what. Do your task. Do your work and in the end beauty will arise.
This needle point a beautiful yellow and green parakeet floating in a cage with its door opened, the bird seeming ready to fly free of its cell.
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| Celeste’s needlepoint |
“Celeste.” A voice said from the doorway.
Celeste looked up, it was her partner, the love of her life Filipe standing in the shadows of the room. She smiled and welcomed him home offering him coffee she had made only a half hour ago.
“There’s something I need to tell you that I’ve been keeping from you.” Filipe said sitting next to his beautiful partner as he took the needle point from her and placed it on the sofa next to her.
“What is it?”
“It’s about where I was and what I saw all those days when I had been on Goode Island. It’s about what I know and I think this information may terrify you if I come forward with it.” He explained in a soft voice unable to keep what he new a secret any longer.
“Filipe what is it? You told me that when you were on the island you just got turned around and slipped and hit your head, roamed around for a while then came back when you got your bearings about you. I took that as truth.” Celeste said as the fire from the candle flickered next to her arm.
“I didn’t know how to explain to you what happened when I came back... and I still don’t know how, but I saw Mary and Eliza, they…” Filipe before she interrupted.
“MARY!! You saw her? Did you tell Christian? He has to know she was on the island Filipe, he has to arrest her for what she did to Sebastian. Poor Evie, when I think of her locked away at the hospital I cringe.”
“Celeste please. Listen to me, I need to tell someone what else I saw there. If I don’t it will eat away at me as all of this has eaten away at Christian. I fear for his mind. I fear for mine too.” Filipe explained.
Celeste’s eyes softened. She could obviously tell something awful was haunting him. Every since he returned from Goode island she could sense something was different about him, he lost his spark. He lost his sweet kindness that would light up any room he was in. She did not poke at him to pry, she knew better than that but she worried. For days and days and days she worried for him as he sat and stared out of the window into the street.
She sighed and placed her warm hands on his cold ones. She flipped his over and tightened his hands around hers. They looked lovingly into each other’s eyes and just about the time he was going to reveal to Celeste that Sebastian was alive and now a man out for the blood of humans a knock came at their front door.
“Who could that be at this time of night?” She wondered release his hands from hears as she peeper at the small golden watch around her wrist.
“Wait!!!” Filipe worried that it could be someone. Someone evil. Someone hungry. Someone monstrous.
“Filipe, wait for what?” Celeste asked confused.
Then more knocking came.
“Don’t answer it, whomever it is will leave a note or come back when it’s day time. Please don’t answer the door.” Filipe said now beginning to sound like the panicked Christian.
Celeste looked at Filipe who was sweating. He was truly afraid Sebastian or perhaps something worse was waiting to kill them on the other side of their front door. Christian’s worries, Christian’s odd behavior got to Filipe who was not too feeling the terror of the few nights he stayed in the cage on Goode island finally bubble up in his system.
“It’ll be fine. Just relax.” Celeste said as she slowly made her way to the door.
“Yes?” She asked.
“Miss DeViana, it’s Hamstead.” The voice said from the other side of the door.
“Ohh!! Mr. Hamstead!” Celeste replied in relief.
Hamstead was Jacob Lord’s Paige and the family butler. The man Jacob trusted to run around town sending his messages, retrieving his correspondence for the publishing company, driving him, running errands. Doing all the normal things normal people so who aren’t billionaire heirs.
“Good evening, I apologize for coming so late. Mr. Lord insisted.” Hamstead said as the door opened.
“Not at all, what can I do for you? Or for Mr. Lord.” Celeste asked as Filipe came up behind her curious too.
“He sent me here with this letter for you. It’s seems you’ll have a new job.” Hamstead said with a grin. “Filipe.” He added nodding his head to his predecessor.
“What kind of job?” Filipe asked.
While the two men made their small talk Celeste had opened the letter and read it to herself. It was short. Handwritten by Jacob himself.
She gulped.
“I’m to be Charlotte’s new governess now that my work with Evie is done.” Celeste said softly.
“Charlotte.” Filipe repeated unhappily.
“She’s a perfect doll, you won’t have a care in the world working with that Angel. Alright then, tomorrow morning I’ll pick you up. First thing. 7am. Night now!” Hamstead replied unaware of Filipe & Celeste's mutual trepidation.
“That means Jacob is now you’re employer. You will report only to him. You’ll deal only with him. You’ll answer only to him.” Filipe said looking down at the hand of his that was mangled in the car accident Jacob caused when Filipe was his Paige all those years ago.
“There must be some mistake. Mrs. Lord would just allow Jacob to pull me from her household to his. I’ll straighten it out tomorrow.” Celeste answered.
They both wanted nothing to do with Jacob. They knew his cold and calculating ways. They both knew him since childhood and knew that once caught in that web — along would come a spider.
Celeste went back to her needle point and the subject of Goode island seemed to fly off into the distant corners of their minds now that something else more pressing like Celeste working directly under the monster Jacob Lord came up.
Filipe looked at his beautiful partner in life Celeste and saw how hard she was trying to conceal how nervous she was about working for a ye man who hurt him so much. She was doing all she could to push those feelings down so that he would not worry. But her hand in needle point shook and exposed her worry.
He wanted to make her feel better. He’d help her, he thought. He knew Jacob wouldn’t just let her go. Filipe then rushed over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her deeply and passionately in the glow of the fireplace as if to show how much he loved her for trying to spare him her own worries knowing how many bad memories Jacob brought back.
“My!!! What was that for?” She wondered happily.
“I love you. I just love you so much.”
She smiled and kiss him back while the letter with Jacob’s scribbled signature stared at them both from the small side table.
****
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| Nikolas arrives at the Village Inn |
As the sun in the morning sky burned through the light wispy clouds over New England, the lobby in the Village Inn started to ready it’s self for the busy hour as new guests from the mainland began to check in for a long weekend on the quaint Frenchman Bay island of Welshport.
Up in his 5th story room in a slick black jacket and tie, his hair neatly combed in a thick lush black side part Evie’s brother Nikolas Jordan wrote in his most perfect writing a letter back to his parents in London.
His was in town to find his sister whom had not returned correspondence to the family in almost a year. It was incredibly uncommon for her and the family relationship and what Nikolas has already leaned from some of the locals about Evie’s ill fated marriage seemed to be a topic he did not want to mention to his parents in the letter…yet
“The people I have met so far have been helpful indeed. I was taken to where Evie had been living when she married but I was not yet ready to introduce myself as their in-law. The family here contain an almost royal taste to the locals. It would be inappropriate for me to just arrive unannounced even if one of their own is one of my own. As soon as I meet with Evie, I will write again.
All my love—Nik”
Nikolas looked at the letter. Saw how his hand smudged some of the ink on letters in the right margin. He crinkled his nose in disappointment but folded the letter in three and placed it into the addressed and stamped envelope and grabbed his overcoat and quickly made his way down to the Hotel concierge to mail it to England.
The lobby was still a bustle with new guests. The chandeliers had been polished, all six, and glittered in the golden leafed shining ceilings that had paintings of cherub filled skies in between each of the six lobby chandeliers.
Nikolas bounded down the enormously wide cycle shaped main staircase with its marble banister and red carpeted steps and slipped the concierge a $5 bill for a speedy delivery to the post.
“Thank you sir.” The concierge said quickly folding the bill in his side pocket.
“You can guarantee this to be mailed today then?” Nikolas asked.
“Of course sir. Of course.” The concierge replied handing Nikolas a receipt with payment information and address information.
“Good man!” Nikolas replied, his perfect smile lighting the room like one of the chandeliers
For Nikolas it felt good to have even the smallest amounts of power like this. To feel as if he was back in the old days before his family became destitute and broke. Before he has to go work in a London factory 18 hours a day. This trip to America was given to him by his mother against his father’s wishes. His father Richard felt Evie was fine and they should butt out of her new life, if she wanted to send them money to help she would in time, but his Nikolas’ mother Aurora could sense something horrible. She, they all believed, had a sixth sense. Not just with her children with all the world. Everyone. She was gifted and could sense pain and sorry and loss and fear and happiness — life and death. She could tap into her subconscious, she once explained, to feel and see like no one else could.
She sensed horror when she thought of Evie. Darkness. Terror.
There was no money for all of them to come look for Evie, only enough for one. Aurora feared the long travel on the sea, Richard wanted nothing to do with the idea, so Nikolas was chosen.
“Find our girl, make sure she knows we love her and if she wants to return… bring her home.” Aurora’s voice echoed in Nikolas’ mind.
But Nik, as his family called him, had no idea where to start.
Carrying the receipt from the concierge Nik made his way out of the busy hotel and info the freshly swept pavement on Village Street where he would start his search for answers as to how to contact his sister.
As Nik’s mind was clouded in thoughts of Evie he bumped into a man in a light brown coat. The receipt flew from Niko’s hand and attached itself to the front of the man’s Patton leather shoe. The man bent down and pealed it off his shoe and saw the names of the letter’s recipients:
RICHARD & AURORA JORDAN 16 CHURCHILL ROW, BETHNAL GREEN, E1 LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
“Oh Excuse me!” The man said coming up with the paper.
“Apologies are mine sir.” Nik replied in his English accent.
The man came back up from getting the receipt and took off his hat. It was Constable Christian Evans making his daily rounds in town. His face was worn from lack of sleep. His clothes wrinkled and unkept but he was still out there, doing what he thought was right for his community. Christian looked at the paper and noticed the London address and the Jordan last name.
Christian knew this could be no coincidence.
“Jordan? This can’t be.” Christian whispered.
“I’m sorry?”
“I know someone who was a Jordan from England. But… I just can’t believe that they’d be related to you by chance. I mean, if you are then…” Christian said before being interrupted.
“Perhaps we do know the same person. I’m here in search if my sister. Evangeline Lord… né Jordan. Sir if you know her or know how I am get into contact with her that would help me so very much. My family has grown exceptionally worried for her as we haven’t heard from her in letter or even telegraphs in a very long time.” Nik explained.
“There’s good reason for that.” Christian answered cryptically finally handing back the receipt.
“I should hope you can explain.”
“When was the last time you hear from her?” Christian asked.
“I can’t remember. Months. The Lords haven’t been any help either. I assume you know my sister by the sound of it.” Nik replied.
Christian looked at Nikolas and was unsure how to respond. Should he tell him everything about what happened in all those missing months? Every gory detail of murder and death and insanity? Should he tell him he had fallen in love with her and that she was now in an asylum far away on the mainland?
He had to.
“I think you need to know that Mrs. Lord was widowed very shortly after being married,” Christian began to a shocked Nikolas. “Then a few months later she was taken to an asylum for the mentally infirm. Her family said that she has suffered some sort of delirium. She was seeing and hearing things that … well could not be explained. It was a horrible shock to us all.” Christian concluded.
“But this makes no sense? My sister is a very clear minded person. She is steady in her thoughts and would never crumble so suddenly like this. She’s the strongest of our family that’s why my parents saw her fit to marry so far from us. This… this is not making sense.”
Christian agreed. He knew Evie had been questioning the validity of what she was being shown. The ghostly apparitions and oddly placed items all meant to drive her mad had done the opposite, they had made her even more suspicious of her new family.
“How do you know her?” Nik asked.
Christian gulped.
“We became friendly. Her husband and I were very good friends as we grew and I helped her through the darkness times soon after he died. At least I tried, but perhaps I made things worse.” The Constable admitted.
“How so?”
“As the Constable of this town I should have stuck to the investigation of your late brother in law’s death. But I perhaps over stepped my ground in relation to your sister and the Lords did not take kindly to it. Soon after Evie and I became ….close, she was deemed mad by her family and sent to the asylum.” Christian explained.
Nikolas could read through the vailed explanation, he didn’t approve either, after all from Christian’s own account she had been widowed only a while, but there was no time for talk of social morals. He had to find his sister.
“Constable…?..” Nik began.
“Evans. Constable Christian Evans.”
“Constable Evans it seems as if you had a hand in my sister’s downfall so, without over explaining one could say you should also have a hand in lifting her back up. I need to find her, Constable. I need to get her out of that place and you’re going to help me.”
Christian looked at the young man in front of him. He could see in his eyes his disappointment and even a flame of anger that his poor sister had been subjected to such a mess. She wasn’t insane. Nikolas knew it. Christian knew it. Christian nodded his head.
“Absolutely. Of course. We’ll have to go to the mainland.”
Nikolas took a deep breath and smiled. Finding his sister was now closer than ever.
****
Looking out onto an overcast late afternoon from his third story study, Jacob Lord stewed in deep thought as the smoke from his cigarette swirled around him and his deep maroon smoking jacket. The lights in the room were a dim orange. Fluttering flames kissed his tan face making him look sun kissed and tan in the spring sunlight.
He scanned the room for any sign of disturbance: a moved booked from the large collection, a mission trinket, Brady glass missing. But nothing satisfied his paranoia.
He had a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. His closest ally Gaspar had been brutally murderer in his very own house. His throat ripped open in a bloody and violet attack, and just the other night another attack on the grounds of Tirymôr.
Needless to say, Gaspar’s murder and Georgina’s attack had Jacob in a fowl and, in truth, cautious mood. There was a clear message being sent to the Lord family but it’s clarity was so far a mix back of violence that Jacob could only sit and wait to see who was next.
There was no doubt in Jacob’s diabolical mind, he knew somehow and some way that Mary was connected to both crimes. And Jacob wouldn’t be Jacob if he didn’t have a plan.
“Sir?” A voice said from the door way.
It was Celeste DeViana returning Jacob’s call by letter.
“Oh! Miss DeViana! Please come in! Come in!”
“Please call me Celeste, we’ve known each other long enough.” Celeste noted.
“Of course, Celeste.” He smirked noticing her lovely face in the sim light of his study. “You’ll have to excuse my skittishness. I’m sure you’ve heard about my mother’s dear maid Miss Kent. Awful thing to have happened.” He added.
“No! Georgina—what’s happened?”
“Well not to frighten you but last night she was attacked by some animal in the night. But not to fret she’s fine. We have our private doctor looking after her and our security detail has been kept abreast and is searching for the animal responsible. But as you know that is not the reason I asked you here. Please sit.” Jacob said as a nervous Celeste sat across from Jacob on a leather chair.
As Jacob began detailing his request for Celeste to be Charlotte’s new governess, the young woman in question came to the study’s door to listen. She was curious to see what her father was planning, and like any respectful member of the Lord family she chose to do this in secret.
“But why me? Mr Lord I’ve never been the governess to a child before. Wouldn’t you want someone for Charlotte that can be better suited for her?” Celeste asked as Jacob handed her a glass of the prettiest amber toned brandy.
“You’re really underestimating yourself.” He said smirking trying to his his continued worry about the strange attacks at Tirymôr.
“No I don’t think I am. I would hate for you, or worse Mrs. Lord, become unhappy with the job and then release me.”
“We — I — would never let that happen.” Jacob said moving himself closer to Celeste on the sofa and looking deep into his eyes as Charlotte watched from the door hiding herself.
Charlotte felt sick to her stomach as she watched her father shamelessly flirt with Celeste who was now visibly uncomfortable and got up from the sofa.
“I’ll do what I can of course. I always appreciate the work this family has given me.” Celeste added as she put down the Brady she did not drink.
“You didn’t touch your brandy.” He said standing up.
“It’s not my favorite.” Celeste said moving herself out of Jacob’s way.
Inside Charlotte’s mind she could sense the ghost of her aunt burning with anger. The two of them, linked together by Eliza’s spell, felt the disgust for Jacob and knew that had to help poor Celeste.
“Celeste… we are friends aren’t we?” Jacob said moving closer again to Celeste could almost feel the heat from his body waft over to her like a warm breeze from a tropical island.
“We are.” She said nervously.
“Good. That’s good. So you will work with Charlotte and … with me?” He said in a tone of voice that made Celeste’s skin crawl.
Celeste wanted to take the bottle of brandy from the shining glass wet bar right next to her and smash it over his face to free herself from his leering, but just as her stomach turned for the tenth time Charlotte skipped in saving her.
“Daddy!” The young Lord heiress said smiling trying to take the pressure off of her new Governess. And thankfully it worked.
“Oh!! Well princess! Just who we were talking about. You remember Celeste, don’t you?” He asked kissing her on the cheek as she pretended to like his attention.
“Yes, hello Ms. Celeste. Good evening.” The girl said with a curtsy in her white dress.
“It’s good to see you again Miss Charlotte.” Celeste replied with a bow.
Jacob smiled at how kind his going girl was. He looked at the two of them and how beautiful Celeste was and the idea of Celeste helping him raise his daughter felt right. It felt as if it fit. And the idea of perhaps Jacob rehabilitating his image with perhaps a love connection with Celeste filled his mind. But that step would be last.
“I want you to know that Celeste has kindly agreed to be your new governess and I couldn’t be happier. What do you say to that?” Jacob asked.
“Will you? Will you really?” Charlotte asked excitedly as she turning to Celeste for an answer flipping her long blonde hair in her father’s face as she turned.
“Well….” Celeste thought for a second about putting herself in Jacob’s crosshairs and Filipe’s apprehension of the position. But she also thought of they money and the prestige she would gain being the governess to a Lord. “yes! I will be!”
Charlotte leaped into Celeste’s arms and hugged her tightly as if she wanted to put enough space between Celeste and her monstrous father.
Bored with the interactions, Jacob looked at his pocket watch and realized he had other things to do. More plotting.
“Why don’t I let you two get reacquainted while I attended to some family business. Charlotte, my love, I will see you at dinner. Celeste, goodnight.” He said with a sick tone of lust in his voice.
Celeste did not reply.
Once alone Charlotte carefully closed the door to the study making sure she and Celeste were safe to speak.
“I do hope I can fill your last governess’ shoes. And perhaps we can be fast friends.” Celeste said sitting back down on the leather sofa not noticing Charlotte’s face turned serious.
“I want to tell you something and I hope you can keep it a secret.” The little girl said.
“Secrets already! Well Charlotte you can tell me anything.”
“I think you should know that daddy is not a nice man. Something is…aunt Sabrina says darkness. He’s surrounded in darkness. I want to stop his darkness but I can’t do it alone. I’m too scared to do it alone.” Charlotte said to a shocked Celeste.
“Your aunt Sabrina use to say that about your father? But why?” Celeste asked knowing Sabrina was right but not knowing how Sabrina was able to tell that to Charlotte.
“Aunt Sabrina always tells me the truth.” Charlotte replied in a matter fact way.
“You mean she used to say this to you. When she was alive. You were so little when she died how could you possibly remember the things she told you?” Celeste asked.
“No. She tells me now.” Charlotte answered.
“Charlotte, I don’t understand how could she tell you things now?”
“If I tell you will you help me stop daddy’s meanness?” Charlotte asked.
Celeste looked into Charlotte’s eyes, there was a seriousness in them. An air of truth. A wisdom about things Charlotte knew at 10 years old that she nor any other 10 year old girl should never know. And now that they would be close, close in all ways Celeste agreed to help and keep Charlotte’s secret.
Charlotte smiled and walked over and grabbed a silver shining tray from the wet bar. The edges were carefully carved with silver roses and silver lilies. The bottom of the tray was a shiny as a mirror. So clear it could have been glass.
Charlotte put the tray to the side of her face so that her reflection could be seen to both her and Celeste and then in the reflection Charlotte’s face morphed into Sabrina’s.
Celeste looked at Charlotte then looked at Sabrina, then looked at Charlotte and gasped.
Then the oxygen in the room seemed to thin and Celeste began to see spots — then there was darkness. Celeste fainted in the sofa.
Only seconds passed when Celeste came too thanks to Charlotte slapping her awake. The new governess couldn’t say a word so Charlotte handed her a cool glass of water.
“Now you know.” Charlotte said.
“How? How is this possible?” Celeste asked cooling her body from the inside with the water.
“I don’t really know.” Charlotte said truthfully. “But aunt Sabrina has shown me so many things daddy has done and I can’t let him continue to do this to our family. Will you help me? Will you help me free our family from daddy’s meanness?” The possessed girl asked.
Celeste gulped more water she looked at Charlotte desperate for help in front of her and then the tray that showed Sabrina’s reflection sitting on the side of the sofa. As bizarre and frightening as seeing the ghost of Sabrina Lord in a silver tray was she knew that Jacob was a monster and to help Charlotte, to help Sabrina, to help even Filipe and Evie Celeste agreed.
“I’ll do it, we’ll all do it.” Celeste said to Charlotte’s happy squeal as she jumped in to Celeste’s lap and hugged her again.
Together now they could take down Jacob—but it would be a challenge.
