This chapter is dedicated to mz_merl 3

Music Recommendation: Emma is Bored- Isobel Waller

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In one of the mansions in Skellington town that stood proud along with the other buildings, inside it waited a fair maiden. The young woman was no more than twenty-two years old in appearance, but she was a few more years older than she appeared like the other vampires in the town.

She wore a spotless white gown which was mid-collar and had full sleeves. The dress had been ironed free of any wrinkles on it. The material had a sheerness above her bosom and a centrepiece pearl-embedded thread work which belonged to the creatures of the sea.

“Where is he?” Young Miss Rosetta Hooke demanded from the butler, who stood a few distances from her.

The butler was an old man and replied with eyes on the ground, “We received a message that said that Mr. Moriarty would be here by thirty past eleven, milady.” His eyes darted to look at the clock on the wall. It was eleven past twelve now.

Miss Rosetta wasn’t pleased with the tardiness, and her lips had a frown along with her eyebrows. She had decided to make the man wait by taking her time in getting ready. She had stepped out of the room fifteen minutes ago, only to know that her suitor had not arrived yet.

“Be patient, Rosetta,” said Lady Camille, who was Miss Rosetta’s paternal aunt. “Mr. Moriarty should be here any moment. He must be held up by important work. Make sure you are on your best behaviour.”

Miss Rosetta rolled her eyes. She had come to stay in her paternal aunt’s mansion for some time away from her parents, who were trying to make her meet suitors. But she should have known better that her father was intent on getting her married.

“I am always on my best behaviour,” Miss Rosetta rolled her eyes. “I do not like men who makes a woman wait for them. It is not very gentleman-like of them.”

The butler’s eyes moved to look at the young lady ever so slightly for her hypocritical words.

The young lady continued complaining, “The man better be worthy of my affections, as I am not someone who tolerates such an attitude. Men stand in line outside our mansion just to have a glimpse of me.”

“Do not worry about it, Rosetta. Vincent Moriarty is a handsome man, and his family is one of the few superior vampire families. You will like him just fine,” replied her aunt, to which Miss Rosetta softly harrumphed while crossing her arms across her chest. “The Moriartys are not only highly respectable family in our class and status, but they come from an old lineage of the pure-blooded vampires.”

Rosetta turned her eyes to look at her aunt, “How come I haven’t heard about them?” Lady Camille only stared at her niece because the younger vampire had been living in her own little world.

Hearing the sound of the carriage wheels and neighing of the horses, the butler quickly walked to the door and informed them, “The Moriarty’s carriage has arrived!”

“If he was one minute late, I would have gone to my room and changed my clothes for such lateness, hmph,” remarked Rosetta as she stepped out of the mansion. The butler quickly opened a delicate-looking umbrella that matched her dress and handed it to her.

When the young lady reached the carriage, she saw the coachman standing near the door. He took hold of her umbrellas and opened the door for her to step inside, and the young lady frowned. Where was this Mr. Moriarty? Wasn’t he supposed to greet her by standing outside the carriage?

Being stubborn, she stood outside the carriage without attempting to get inside. This had the coachman, her aunt, and the other people looking at them, wondering what was going on.

“Milady,” the coachman bowed his head as if to remind her to step inside the carriage rather than stand here. He offered his hand for support, but Rosetta continued to stay stubborn.

Outside the carriage’s open door, Rosetta could see the clean shoes and trousers of the man sitting inside. But because of the window and curtain drawn, a dark shadow hid the upper part of the man’s body.

A good two minutes passed, but this man had made no effort to spare even a word of greeting to her. Another two minutes passed, and by now, it wasn’t just her aunt or the butler or the coachman who looked at her and the carriage as some of the people who came to pass by whispered to each other.

Finally, the man sitting in the carriage spoke, “Briggs… close the carriage door. I cannot take a nap with the light.”

Miss Rosetta’s eyes went wide over this man’s audacity. She said, “I am standing right here. Did you not come here to pick me up?!”

To Vincent, meeting a lady like Rosetta wasn’t new, and he was used to dealing with women and men like this. It was because some resided in the same mansion as he did.

“What are you doing standing there then? Waiting to drive the carriage?” Vincent sarcastically questioned, and Rosetta turned bright red in embarrassment by his words.

The young lady quickly got inside the carriage.

Her parents would hear about this! How dare this man treat her as if she was someone worthless and make her stand outside the carriage? Rosetta gritted her teeth in anger.

And while Lady Rosetta rode the carriage with Vincent, not knowing that they weren’t going to have lunch in Hollow Valley, on the other side, Eve and the Duke had reached the town of Thresk Hills.

Eve stepped down from the carriage, staring at the humble one-storey inn.

“Are you sure this is where you want to have lunch?” Asked Noah because there were better inns than the one she had chosen. “You do not have to worry about the cost as it is my treat.”

Eve quickly shook her head, looking at him with a smile, “This is the place where I would like to eat.”

“If you have already made up your mind,” replied Noah, and he turned to look at his coachman, who silently bowed and got back on the driver’s seat to park the carriage. “Shall we go inside?” he asked Eve.

“Yes,” answered Eve, and they walked inside the inn.

A woman appeared at the front, offering a deeper bow after noticing the Duke’s clothes. She said, “Welcome to Lily’s Inn. Where would you like to sit? In the open area or a little more private?”

“In the open area, but where it is less crowded,” replied Noah, and the woman nodded.

“You couple should pick a private setting,” the woman chuckled, making Eve’s eyes turn wide. The woman presumed it to be so because the young lady didn’t have a chaperon.

“No. We aren’t a couple. Just friends who have come here to have a meal together,” Noah corrected the woman, smiling at the woman’s error, who quickly bowed her head.

“Forgive me for assuming it,” apologised the woman, and she started to walk to lead them to their table.