PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 111
Music Recommendation: Amelia y Enrique- Ivan Palomers
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Seeing the unwavering smile on Vincent’s lips, Eve wondered if this saviour would turn into her murderer one day. Last night, her foot had bled, and after pulling the glass piece from her leg, he had sucked every drop of her blood from it.
Eve said, “I thought you just finished your breakfast.”
“Just because one finishes breakfast doesn’t mean that you cannot make a little space for your favourite dessert, does it?” He took a step toward her, and Eve took a deep breath without attempting to step backwards. Because she knew there was no point running. If Vincent wanted to catch her, he could catch her even after she left the town; and this was his house.
When Eve took a deep breath, she smelt a musky scent that came from Vincent and at the same time, there was something very breezy as if he had taken a walk near the sea. The next moment, she stared into his coppery brown eyes that stared into her blue ones.
“I have tasted blood from many. Uncountable if you ask me, yet there is something very intoxicating about the taste of your blood,” there was a slight gleam with the way Vincent looked at her as if she was a delicious meal that he wanted to devour.
Eve looked around to ensure no one could listen to them in the corridor. She lowered her voice and asked him, “I have heard blood of my kind does that to vampires. Which is why people don’t see mermaids or merman’s walking on the land.”
“Seems like what happened in the ballroom has upset you, Ms. Barlow,” stated Vincent, his eyes keenly continuing to look at her.
Eve watched the vampire take a deep breath, and he closed his eyes as if recollecting the blood he had tasted and drank from her. This made her softly gulp.
“I saw the mermaid’s body yesterday,” her voice trembled when she remembered the mermaid’s half body being taken to the mansion’s kitchen. “You cannot expect me to be happy after seeing my kind being brutally killed. Would you be happy if you saw your kind being treated like that?”
“Do you want the truth?” Vincent drawled, getting a little closer and a smirk appeared on his face when he heard her heart hitch. “Everyone can go to hell.”
“It isn’t about the same kind, but one at least has a heart and conscience,” blurted Eve.
He said, “I didn’t know you thought so highly of me, Ms. Barlow. Or did something change?”
Eve’s lips set themselves in a thin line. After Vincent had saved her last night from being killed and torn into many halves by the vampires or werewolves, she believed there was some goodness in him, something she might have overlooked in the past few days. But here they were, back to where they had started.
She said, “Every life is to be valued, Master Vincent. Every life matters because they come here like any of us and they have family and dreams. I don’t know about you, but I am not someone who stands still and watches such horror as if it’s nothing.”
Vincent hummed as if he thought something deep and said, “And what if those dreams are one of evils? Let us say that the people who killed the mermaid were put under trials and were set to step up on the gallows of the town. Would you tell that their life matters too?”
“I believe people are capable of change if they try. I know it is something that needs to come from within. If a person is allowed to redeem, then why not?”
“And if they don’t? What then? Are you alright with them finding more of your kind and butchering them for their own pleasure, Ms. Barlow?” Vincent raised his eyebrows and continued, “Your words are noble, but they are impractical. Unless you are willing to bend rules but you don’t seem to be one who would do it.”
Eve’s jaws clenched, knowing Vincent’s words were true, but at the same time, she didn’t like how this world took the matters of others’ lives as if they weren’t worth it or worth saving. She retorted to his words,
“Not everyone shares the same interests as you, Mr. Moriarty.”
Vincent noticed how the mermaid changed how she addressed him during their conversations. It started with being obedient by calling him Master Vincent, and when she wanted to deliver her thoughts where he vexed her, it often turned to Mr. Moriarty.
He hadn’t seen a woman like her, one with an opinion. And for someone who belonged to the endangered species of their world and came from a town like Meadow, she had a firm opinion. Undoubtedly, the woman offered amusement in his mundane life, and Vincent enjoyed it. He wondered if it was because she was a governess, which had given her this much power and thoughts.
“It would be odd if everyone shared the same interests as me, Ms. Barlow,” Vincent replied to her words, and he leaned forward to hear her heart skip a beat. He said, “I can smell your blood. You know… foot isn’t exactly a part where I drink blood from. Next time we should find a better place for me to sink my fangs.”
In fact, he had a much better place which was enjoyable not just for him but also for the woman from whom he drank blood. But then, at the same time, this was only a governess, and if it weren’t that she was a mermaid, Vincent wouldn’t have allowed her to get this close to his breathing space.
“You didn’t treat your foot going home?” Vincent questioned her while taking one step backwards.
Eve frowned and said, “I redid the bandage.”
“Foolish little thing,” murmured Vincent, and Eve sent him a glare, “Easy there. I see more than necessary sometimes.”
Eve closed her eyes before looking away from him. She demanded, “Why do you always associate the word little girl with me?”
“Isn’t that because you are a small person?” When Eve parted her lips, ready to counter his words, Vincent elucidated it for her, “When I tell small it doesn’t mean by your mind, but your appearance. You look like an eighteen year old, but try to look like you are far older by dressing up, little girl.”
This time, Eve didn’t go to retort and decided there was no point arguing with him. After all, he did save her life.
“Let us go to the piano room,” stated Vincent, and he started to walk towards the piano room, where Miss Allie was waiting for her.
Eve looked back and forth in the corridor before following him.
When they reached the room, the little vampiress who had caught sight of her brother and her governess walked into the room, stood up from her chair and bowed her head in greeting.
“Hamster, go get your favourite box,” ordered Vincent, and Allie turned to look at Eve before she nodded and left the room.
“Box?” inquired Eve, and Vincent took a seat on the chair, where Allie had been sitting until now.
“Remove your shoe and sit,” his tone didn’t allow her to refuse him, and she did as she was told. Eve noticed her bandages were spotting with blood, but that was because it didn’t get enough time to heal and walking around didn’t make it easier.
“I was waiting for it to heal,” Eve said before he could tell anything.
“Waiting for a magical fairy? Like my sister?” Vincent questioned Eve, and his words held more meaning than what she could infer from them.
Once Allie returned to the room with a box in her hand, Vincent ordered her, “Lock the door, and play something for us.”
Allie nodded and sat on the bench in front of the pianoforte. The little girl soon started to play a song while Vincent pulled out a needle with a slimy thread.
Vincent cleaned the wound and applied something to her foot. He then started to stitch the wound on her foot, which was still open and hadn’t healed from last night. Eve bit her lip to stop herself from screaming as the needle going in and out of her skin wasn’t easy. He redid the bandage, and once done, she brought her foot down without slipping it back into her.
When Vincent found her staring at him, he raised one of his eyebrows, “What?”
“You have been helping me since yesterday…”
Vincent cleaned his hands with his handkerchief and got up from his seat. He said, “Don’t get dewy eyes. The last thing I need is someone finding out what you are and sinking their fangs in you.”
How could she forget that she had turned into his personal blood supplier now, thought Eve to herself.
Her and Vincent’s relationship had moved from employer-employee to predator-prey, with her mermaid blood binding her to this secret agreement. Her life had been sealed to a pureblooded vampire.
Even though Vincent had started his conversation with him, indicating to her that he wanted to drink her blood, as every minute passed by, Eve realised he didn’t make an attempt to take her blood.
With Allie, who continued playing the pianoforte, Vincent turned to look at the little vampiress.
Eve noticed Vincent’s gaze softened as he looked at his little sister. But within a second, whatever look was in there, it vanished making her wonder if she had only imagined it.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 112
With one hand resting on the table, Vincent asked her, “Did you enjoy having your breakfast with us, Ms. Barlow?”
“It was my second breakfast for the day,” replied Eve, and Vincent chuckled.
“Didn’t look like it,” he looked at her from the corner of his eyes.
On one side, Eve was happy to have the job, knowing she wouldn’t be kicked out from being Miss Allie’s governess. But the reason why Vincent had even discussed it with his father was that he had discovered her truth and keeping her close would make it easier for him to consume her blood whenever he wanted. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know why the decision had been made. Then another part of her mind told her that she was an efficient governess, and the family had seen her potential.
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Eve said to Vincent, “Thank you for your invitation today, Master Vincent, but I would be more grateful to stick to the piano room and teach Miss Allie, without any other extra benefits.”
“Liar,” Vincent remarked with a cunning smile, and Eve noticed his sharp fangs. “Why does it feel that the extra benefits felt more like a punishment for you? Women are often pleased on receiving flowers, unless one is allergic to prettiness.”
“They are pretty flowers,” replied Eve, because it seemed like the flowers had been plucked before Mr. Quintin came to Moriarty’s mansion. “What about you?” She asked him.
“I prefer a cactus. Low maintenance and if you leave them for two or three days, they will still be fine rather than fussing over prettiness, don’t you agree?” Vincent grinned.
Eve asked, “Don’t you have somewhere to be at work, Master Vincent?” She wanted to get on to continue teaching Allie. “We have been talking here like we are friends with free time on our hands.”
Vincent’s eyes moved to her, and he hummed. He replied, “That is interesting. I didn’t know you wanted to be my friend, Ms. Barlow.”
Eve quickly shook her head and corrected her words, “You are my employer and I am your employee, Master Vincent. I don’t think we are friends.”
“Rubbish,” Vincent brushed off her words, “A friend in need is a friend indeed. Did you already forget how I helped you yesterday and now? What do you think, hamster?”
Allie, playing the song, paused a little before turning and nodding. Seeing this, Eve believed that at this point, if Vincent asked Allie if he was a human, she would agree to it too without a single question.
A wicked smile appeared on Vincent’s lips, and he questioned, “What’s the matter, Miss Eve. Worried because you know that a male and a female cannot be friends?”
Eve felt as if someone had fed her a piece of garlic.
“I never said they cannot be friends, bu–”
“I don’t think I could ever be bored with you around,” stated Vincent, as if he was enjoying poking fun at her until now.
Eve gave him a hard glare, “If you have had your fill of amusement for the day, can I start my class with Miss Allie?”
Vincent chuckled at her reaction and started to make his way towards the door. Before he could step out of the room, Eve cleared her throat and said, “Thank you for what you did, Master Vincent. I appreciate it.”
Though the vampire had more than one screw loose in his head, it didn’t mean that she had forgotten her manners, and she thanked him. Vincent placed his hand on the door knob and turned,
“Make sure you don’t do anything foolish and watch where you are walking.” He meant wasting her blood and added, “Watch what you eat. I like my food with quality” and with that, he left the room.
As the day continued, Eve made sure to not move her leg much, giving it enough time to heal, while Allie was sweet enough to pull out the books from the racks. The little girl brought her lunchbox to the table when it was time for lunch so Eve wouldn’t have to walk back and forth.
When it was near the time of evening, Marceline had only returned from a soiree back to the mansion with her friend Stella Desford. They noticed flower bouquets placed at the side of the hallways. Marceline turned pleased and stepped forward, taking one of the bouquets, she started to read the card in there, which was written for her.
“Seems like many men have been trying to woo you, Marceline. Who is it from?” Questioned Stella, and Marceline didn’t bother to read the entire greeting as she placed the card back in the bouquet.
“By Mr. Lawson.”
“I don’t think I have heard the name before. Someone you know?” on Stella’s question, Marceline shrugged her shoulders.
“Never heard of the name, must be someone of no belonging to high family or status,” replied Marceline and she picked up another bouquet of flowers with a pleasant expression on her face. There were a couple more bouquets, and she went through them one by one before picking the cards.
At the same time, Eve who had finished her working hours, made her way through the hallways. She bowed at both women, where Stella Desford didn’t bother to acknowledge her, but Marceline did.
“Are you doing okay, Ms. Barlow? You seem to have trouble with your foot,” remarked Marceline with worry in her eyes.
It seemed like the glass piece had done the trick yesterday, thought Marceline. But not quick enough as it hadn’t stopped Mr. Quintin from bringing Eve flowers this morning to the mansion.
“I am doing better now, thank you for asking,” Eve smiled at Marceline, who nodded at her. Eve’s eyes then fell on the flowers that now decorated one corner of the hallways.
Ignoring the governess, Stella asked Marceline, “Who is that one from? The flowers look exquisite.”
Marceline lightly blushed before saying, “It is from a Duke. You must have heard the name of Noah Sullivan?”
“I think I saw him last evening at the ball. He is a very handsome man,” replied Stella.
“He is. I was hoping for him to write to me, but I didn’t expect him to write to me this soon,” smiled Marceline, closing the card in her hand before Stella could read what was written there.
Eve didn’t bother to stay there for long and bowed her head to them, “Have a good day.” She walked past them.
With a subtle smile on her lips, Marceline watched the human step out of the mansion.
“Isn’t she the one with whom your brother danced yesterday?” Questioned Stella, watching Eve disappear from their sight. “You should have her removed from the job, women like her are dangerous.”
Marceline smiled before saying, “Let us not tangle ourselves with others, Stella, when there are other things to do,” as if she was the last person in the town who would bring harm to anyone.
Eve walked through the gates, where Eugene had parked the carriage to the side and not in front of the mansion. He bowed his head in greeting, “Good evening, Miss Eve. How was work today?”
“It was alright,” an inaudible sigh escaped from Eve’s lips while Eugene took her lunchbox and umbrella from her. “How long have you been waiting for me?”
“I arrived half an hour ago, Miss,” replied Eugene.
The bleeding from her wound had stopped. But that didn’t mean the thread-like string that Vincent had used to close the wound didn’t hurt. Climbing inside the carriage, Eugene closed the door before driving the carriage from there.
On their way, when they had travelled almost half way, Eugene stopped the carriage. Noticing they were still in the forest, Eve pushed open the front window and asked,
“What happened?”
“The path has been blocked,” replied Eugene, and Eve pushed the window to the side and put her head out. A big log of wood had been placed in the path. In front of the log of wood stood two people with a guard. The guard came near their carriage and informed them,
“The bridge ahead has broken and needs to be repaired. It is better to take the other path.”
“Lucky that it didn’t break earlier. Thank you,” Eugene thanked the man and drove the carriage to move back in another direction.
Their carriage moved through the thick forest, taking the longer path by crossing around the other towns. Twenty minutes had passed. Eve turned away from the window, stretching her hands when the carriage shook in turbulence. She was about to hit her head because of the sudden impact if she didn’t quickly place her hands to support her body.
Suddenly the carriage lowered itself with a thud to the ground, and Eve jerked forward.
The carriage wheels came to a halt, and so did the horses. Eugene turned around and asked in worry, “Are you alright, Miss Eve?! My apologies, there was a deep puddle.”
He hopped from his seat, and Eve pushed open the carriage door before climbing out of the carriage. She noticed one of the four wheels broken.
“This will need to be fixed,” said Eve.
When they heard a tower bell ring, Eugene suggested,
“You should get on the local carriage if it comes by here and get home, miss. I will get this fixed and bring it back home,” Eugene suggested, but Eve shook her head. She wasn’t going to leave him here by himself. She said,
“The town isn’t too far. Let us see if we can get help.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 113
They walked through the forest. They turned back in hope to see if they could see a carriage coming in the same direction, but there was no carriage in view. Thankfully, the tower bell from the nearby town was loud enough to direct them toward it.
Eve walked one step ahead of Eugene, one hand holding the front of her dress and the other her umbrella. They came to pass through the two poles with a burning lantern, each hanging on the nail hammered to it. Small insects hovered around the lantern, trying to get closer to its flame.
“This is Brokengroves, isn’t it?” Eve asked as they stepped inside the almost deserted town.
Most of the townsfolk appeared to have returned home, and they could hear a distant sound of a blacksmith hammering hot iron. The tower bell eventually stopped ringing, leaving a silence in the atmosphere.
“It is, milady. As it comes on the other side, we rarely come to pass this side of the towns,” Eugene replied, turning his head left and right. “The place is eerily quiet, isn’t it, Miss?” His voice lowered into a whisper at the end.
“What are the other towns around here?” questioned Eve. She heard the slight tremor of the clouds in the sky as they clashed against each other.
A few people, who had got inside the house, came to the windows to take a peek at who were intruders in the town.
“There’s Crowbury next to this one, and a little far away from these two towns is the town of Woodlock,” Eugene explained as they continued walking. “This town isn’t used to having outsiders, considering the poor state it is in. Much poorer than Meadow.”
Eve had heard about Brokengroves and had probably only come to pass this place a couple of times in the local carriage, but she had never stepped foot in here. Following the hammering sound, they came in front of the blacksmith’s shop, where the door was left ajar.
They caught sight of an elderly man leaning forward and busy working on an iron rod.
Eugene tried to get the man’s attention by calling him, “Excuse me. Our carriage wheel broke. We are looking for an extra carriage wheel here?”
When the elderly man turned his head, Eve noticed the man’s eyes held dark circles, and he was lean, with a moustache on his upper lip. He gruffly answered, “It is going to cost one crown and one florin.”
Eve pulled out the coins from her dress pocket and handed them to the elderly man, who stared at her a little longer than necessary. He then looked at the coins and slipped them into his pocket.
The elderly man then walked to one side of the shed-like place and brought the spare carriage wheel to them. Eugene quickly took it from the man. The man stated,
“You are lucky. This was the last available wheel as I had two other customers who bought a wheel each from here today.”
“It looks like the carriage travelling through this path is getting stuck in the pit before breaking,” Eugene murmured.
“Thank you for your help,” Eve bowed, and so did Eugene, who had started to carry the wheel out of the shop. Before Eve could leave, the elderly man questioned,
“Where are you from?”
“Meadow,” replied Eve, and the man nodded while staring at her. There was something eerie with the way he looked at her.
“I thought you belonged to this town,” murmured the man. “I feel like I have seen you around.”
Eve offered the blacksmith a polite smile and replied, “Maybe out of this town. Did you visit the Meadow town?”
The blacksmith shook his head, the frown on his forehead deepened. He cynically said, “People like me don’t have the time to visit places. Not at this age.” He said, “For a moment I was sure I saw you yesterday.”
Hearing this, Eve and Eugene laughed, knowing that was impossible unless Eve had a look alike. Eve replied to the man, “That wouldn’t be possible. Yesterday I was busy travelling between Meadow and Skellington. You must have mistaken me for someone else.”
But the elderly man was stubborn, and he again shook his head. He said, “I am sure I saw you yesterday.”
When a crow perched at the nearest tree cawed, Eve turned in its direction before turning back to the blacksmith. She said, “Thank you again.” As Eve and Eugene stepped out, a woman stepped inside who was the blacksmith’s wife.
With the customers gone, the woman said, “This should be enough work for the day. Did something happen?” she asked, noticing her husband looking in the direction she had walked.
“Did you see that woman?” the elderly man questioned his wife, who nodded.
“Doesn’t look like someone who comes to this town. Why do you ask?”
The man frowned, “Do you remember that woman, who accompanied wealthy men and used to be picked and dropped in different carriages?”
“I do not know which woman you are talking about. I have prepared supper and it is going to get cold,” the woman urged her husband with a tired huff.
The man started to walk before he remembered, “The one who had bruises on her face. She used to live around the corner a few years ago before she disappeared.”
“That disgraceful woman,” the expression on the woman’s face turned sour when she realised whom her husband was talking about. “Since she left the town, this place has turned out much better. When she was here, so many young women wanted to be like her, thought to earn money like her. How terrible. Who knows where she disappeared to. Why did you suddenly remember her?”
“The young lady who just visited reminded me of her,” the blacksmith frowned as he said.
His wife waved her hand and said, “She looked nothing like her. Was that a decade or two old? Didn’t she have dark hair? She looked different. And this one looks like she comes from a decent family. You are getting ol–”
When the blacksmith and his wife stepped out of the shed, they found Eve standing outside. The elderly man asked, “Did you forget something?”
Walking halfway, Eve realised they would need bolts to fix the new wheel to the carriage. Sending Eugene ahead, she had returned and had ended up hearing half the conversation between the couple. Missing the ill words spoken about the ‘woman’.
For a moment, Eve forgot why she had returned and stood there frozen. Coming back to her senses, she asked, “Do you have bolts to fix the carriage wheel?”
“Give me a moment,” said the blacksmith and went back inside the shop. He then returned with them for her. “Here.”
Eve paid the man for the bolts. Before the elderly couple could leave, she stopped them politely,
“Forgive me, but I couldn’t help but overhear what you said, that I resemble someone you knew?”
The blacksmith’s wife was the one to reply, “The woman was of no importance. Just a woman, we are all glad that she disappeared in thin air. A woman of no values, someone who slept with men who belonged to high society. You shouldn’t bother yourself with that. She looked different than you in appearance.”
Eve held the iron bolts tighter and asked, “Do you remember her name?”
“It has been so many years, I don’t remember someone insignificant like her,” the elderly woman shook her head.
“I see,” replied Eve, and when they were about to part ways, the blacksmith suddenly seemed to recollect the name. He said,
“Becky. That was her name.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 114
For a moment, Eve couldn’t hear or see anything as if frozen. Becky could be a name… but it could also be short for Rebecca, which was her mother’s name. Yesterday at the ball wasn’t the first time she was told that she resembled someone faintly. There had been another time in the past when someone told her that she looked familiar but she had brushed it away.
Gathering her thoughts, she asked, “Becky?”
The woman frowned and repeated, “Becky? That wasn’t her name.”
The blacksmith shook his head, “That’s her name.” His wife gave him a look as if his memory was working well in remembering something so unwanted, and he explained to her, “A lot of men used to talk about her.”
“The whole town used to talk about her,” his wife rolled her eyes. “Anyways, a decent lady like yourself should not bother yourself with something like that.” The woman then took her husband along with her, and walked away from there while leaving Eve standing there alone.
From where she stood, Eve turned around and looked at the houses and poor buildings.
She clutched the iron bolts in her hand, and instead of walking toward the carriage, she walked on the deserted streets of Brokengroves town. Her blue eyes scanned the trees and the walls of the buildings. Lanterns burned outside the houses, some inside the house, where light glowed.
“I can’t remember anything,” Eve whispered.
She was too young to remember where she lived with her mother.
Did her mother… accompany the wealthy man and share bed with them? Eve questioned herself. No, that wasn’t possible. Her mother earned her livelihood as a maid, isn’t it? Now she wasn’t sur–
She suddenly heard a rustle behind her. Turning alert, she noticed the tall shadow behind her. She whirled with her good foot and used her umbrella to hit whoever was standing behind her with force.
But the person caught it before it could hit him and Eve’s eyes widened, “N-Noah?”
“Careful there,” Noah softly chuckled as he let go of her umbrella. “I think one of these days this umbrella is going to injure me.”
“What are you doing here?” Eve asked him confused.
“I was heading back to my mansion when I caught sight of your servant on the way. He told me you were here. Sorry for startling you. Earlier, I called your name, but it seemed like you didn’t hear me,” Noah apologised to her.
Eve turned embarrassed for having almost hit him with her umbrella and shook her head, “I should have been careful and heard you. Sorry for the…” she raised her umbrella.
Noah chuckled at her, without taking her action in a wrong way, “It’s totally fine. Did you get what you came for?” Eve nodded, and raised her hand to show the iron bolts. “Let me take it,” he stretched his hand forward and she didn’t protest but gave it to him without a word.
Eve dusted her hands against the sides of her dress. Her gaze turned back to look at the houses in here, and Noah noticed it before he asked her,
“I noticed you were walking in the opposite direction. Your coachman and the carriage are on the other side.”
“Ah, yes,” Eve smiled, looking straight into his eyes.
When they started to walk back, Eve’s eyes took in the streets before deciding she would come here some other day to verify. If she and her mother had lived here, thought Eve to herself. Maybe that way she would be able to track the person who had murdered her mother.
“You have to be careful on this side of the forest. The paths are slightly uneven because of the last few days of rain. It has caused the loose mud to come out of the ground and has left holes,” Noah explained to her as they walked next to each other.
Eve did her best to walk straight without wobbling her foot. She replied, “Thank you for the information. The bridge near Timberport was broken, and the officials said it would need to be fixed.”
“I did hear that the bridge had broken down. I am glad that you or no one else was caught in the middle when the bridge broke. That would have been terrible,” stated Noah, and Eve agreed.
They were lucky that the bridge didn’t break when she and Eugene crossed it. That would have been the worst. She then heard him say,
“It is good to see you are fine, Genevieve. I was a little worried on not seeing you last night before the ball ended.”
Eve was surprised by his words, and she turned to look at him while Noah looked in front of the path they were walking in. Somewhere, it made her happy and she said, “I thought you left the ball early too.”
“Is that so? I did leave the ballroom for some time as I had to talk to someone from work, but by the time I returned to the ballroom you had left. Seems like we missed each other,” said Noah, and Eve returned the smile he gave her.
The night was quiet, except for the distant voices coming from inside the houses. Eve could hear the breeze move around them and the crickets chirping amid the bushes. She felt a little shiver run down her body.
Even though the little awkwardness had taken place between them, Eve had behaved as if nothing had happened because Noah behaved the same. She wondered if perhaps he had only leaned forward by mistake. It didn’t mean she didn’t feel a little strange, as if seeds of thoughts and doubts had been sowed in her mind.
“How far is Woodlock from here?” Eve asked him.
“Probably an hour.”
“Oh.” That was far, thought Eve.
“You must be familiar to be able to find the town from where the carriage broke down,” said Noah and his eyes shifted to look at the young woman, who looked ahead of her.
“It was the tower bell that led us here. Else I doubt we would be able to take help from the blacksmith,” replied Eve, and Noah nodded. “People here return home early, don’t they? Even in Meadow they don’t get inside the house this quickly. If it weren’t for the lights, I would think it is an abandoned town.”
“Not many families live in Brokengroves now. Most of the families have moved to a better place, and the ones who live here are the people who have nowhere else to go. A few years ago, there was an attack, and the bloodshed scared those living here. The authorities believe it is for the best. To take shelter before the moon rises up in the sky,” Noah explained calmly.
Eve nodded without commenting on it. She had heard the name of some of the towns and villages that had experienced such gores, where the creatures out of control massacred the living.
“If I may advise, try to avoid walking into these places at night,” Noah advised her.
“I will keep it in my best,” replied Eve, offering him a smile.
Noah paused his footsteps, making Eve wonder what had happened. On turning to face each other, the Duke said,
“I want to apologise for yesterday.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 115
For a moment, Eve didn’t know why he was apologising. She noticed Noah’s face turn serious, and he said,
“I feel like I owe you an apology for what happened on the dance floor at the Moriarty mansion. Forgive me if my action misguided you.”
Eve quickly shook her head and said, “Not at all. I knew it was a mistake and you aren’t the kind of person who would do that when we are friends,” she nervously chuckled.
Eve didn’t express the slight prick of disappointment she had felt after he had pulled away as if he was crossing lines with her, but she realised something. As much as people from different statuses mingled, it was hard to forget where they belonged. And the world she and the Duke belonged to were opposite. They could be friends, but that was all there was to it.
A look of relief appeared on Noah’s face, and he said, “Thank you for honouring our friendship, Genevieve. I was worried that my action might have turned you uncomfortable.” Somewhere the man believed that was why Eve had left the ball early, and he felt guilty over it.
Eve only smiled at Noah’s words.
At the same time, his words made Eve wonder if perhaps Noah was trying to court Marceline, which was why he didn’t want to create any confusion. He was a man of honour, she thought to herself.
She smiled at Noah, getting rid of any doubts she earlier had. She was going to suggest to continue walking when he said,
“I won’t lie… for a moment I was also worried that something bad must have happened to you after not seeing you around. After all, a lot of guests there were vampires. On occasions as such, people from the high society pick men or women of the lower-class to drink blood directly rather than from the glass during.”
What Noah said wasn’t far from what had happened, as Vincent had licked and sucked the blood from her wound. When the Duke turned to her, she nervously laughed,
“Thankfully I wasn’t bitten by anyone,” replied Eve. She said, “To have protection by being part of the high society must be nice. I doubt vampires will try biting you.”
Hearing Eve’s words, Noah smiled before responding, “They wouldn’t. It would be… strange if they do.”
“True.” What Noah said and how Eve perceived it were two different things, and the man didn’t attempt to correct her thoughts. She said, “I wonder how long it would take for me to be part of the high society.”
The job she worked in was stagnant, and there could be no growth apart from opening a school for children one day. But even for that, she would need a lot of money, and right now, she didn’t have it.
She heard Noah say, “I am sure you know the fastest way to enter high society. But I doubt it is something you would choose. Many men who attended the ball seemed to be more than happy to get to know you. Is there anyone who caught your attention yesterday?”
Eve shook her head, “I wouldn’t want to marry someone just to be part of high society. My mother always told me that I should look for love, which will be worth everything. But I wonder if she wasn’t a practical person.”
“Your mother sounds to be someone nice,” stated Noah.
“She was,” Eve smiled, remembering her mother, who was a warm person. “She was everything. How about your mother?” She asked him.
The corner of Noah’s eyes crinkled, and Eve saw him smile. He said, “My mother is a dear person to me and my younger sister Valery. Though I wouldn’t say that she is a romantic,” he softly laughed, “My sister now lives in the East with her husband and her two year old daughter.”
“I see,” Eve nodded. Two minutes later, they reached the two poles that had two burning lanterns on them.
They walked to where Eugene was standing next to their carriage. Noah’s coachman helped Eugene in fixing the new wheel to the carriage. During that time, Eve watched the men work while Noah’s eyes moved to look at the young woman. He noticed her blue eyes held child-like curiosity, eager to know how things worked and a small smile appeared on his lips.
“Thank you for your help, Noah,” Eve offered her appreciation to the Duke.
“You thank me for nothing. I was only passing by at this hour,” replied Noah, turning to Eugene he said, “It would be better if you get the rim of the wheels covered with iron plates. It would cause less damage. Take the right route ahead and you will be able to reach Meadow sooner.”
“Yes, Sire,” Eugene responded and bowed his head.
Eve placed her umbrella inside the carriage, and when she struggled to get inside the carriage, Noah offered her his hand. She put her small hand in his before settling inside. He stepped back. She said,
“Have a goodnight, Noah.”
“Good night, Genevieve,” Noah slightly bowed and Eugene closed the carriage door.
Soon Eve’s carriage left, with Eugene driving it, while Noah’s coachman walked to the carriage that was parked behind where Eve’s carriage was earlier parked. The Duke of Woodlock turned and made his way back to his carriage. As he walked, his fingers brushed against his palm.
[Music Recommendation: This Quiet Violence- David Chappell]
When Sunday morning arrived, Eve returned to Brokengroves town by herself after returning Mrs. Russo’s dress in Hollow Valley. The sun shone brightly and there was no hint of rain.
And as good as the weather was, it didn’t stop Eve from carrying her purple umbrella. On reaching the town, she noticed the scarce number of people walking up and down the streets, and right now, it didn’t seem as deserted as it had appeared during her last visit.
When people started to stare at her, she opened her umbrella and placed it above her head to create a shadow on her face. There was a light chatter in the air and the horse’s hooves, which was being dragged by a man. When she continued to walk on the side of the road, her eyes fell on an old house, and she stopped walking.
Suddenly Eve felt the things around her change back to the past, and she saw a small girl with golden blonde hair run towards the door. The little girl’s dress had patches sewn in different places.
Seeing the small girl push the door and get inside, Eve’s feet followed her cautiously. She raised her hand, pushing the door before stepping inside the house.
Her eyes widened in bewilderment when she saw a woman standing in front of the mirror. The woman turned and said, “Where were you, Eve? I was worried.”
“Mother…” Eve whispered, seeing her mother smile at her.
She noticed bruises on her mother’s forehead, which looked like two or three days old.
Her mother looked tired as if it had been days since she had last slept properly. And though tired, her mother put a bright smile on her face and she sat on her heels while opening her arms. The small girl Eve had seen earlier ran towards her mother, hugging her.
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