The Winebearer [FF] | Mary-Kate Olsen & Ashley Olsen

Chapter 5 - A 'Miss Mortimor'

So that's what Wilhelmina has been up to. - Magdalene thought. Her sister brought groceries, and some new appliances, and made the house appear more presentable. Familiars are humans subservient to vampire masters. Most of them are lulled under hypnosis to serve as both underlings and wantons, for both servitude and pleasure for their masters.

Both Wilhelmina and Magdalene had their fair share of entertainment during their first years as vampires - the early stages of unquenchable bloodlust, like teenagers who are just discovering their sexuality. They would hypnotize dashing bachelors and even elegant married men - if an elder vampire would've witnessed them he/she would describe both sisters as "careless & stupid."

Such supernatural power also bolsters their status up the corporate ladder. All the business acquisitions, they would hold the tycoons under a spell to sign the deals - this process reinforced their banking business in Manhattan, then it flourished further till they started to have branches of their banks in Geneva, Paris, and London.

When the phantasmic Mortimors reached their elder years (though they never age physically) they decided to not put any servant under hypnosis and instead promised them the dhampir (half-human / half-vampire) status in exchange for their servitude. They have a woman named, Mariotta - she was favourable at first, then they discovered that she was buccaneering paychecks out of their account and decided to drain her blood dry. They disposed of her body afterwards and made it look like she was killed by H.H. Holmes - since the serial killer was the rage back in the 1890s.

They never had another 'unmesmerized' servant after that incident. But times have changed. They have to be careful now with the advancement of smartphones around every corner: flashing and recording everything these mortals have laid their eyes on.

Wilhelmina's current plan of using a spy-bird is clever - within just a couple of days, the Mortimors already caught a glimpse of what this woman named, Dorian Amsel, really is, or at least what is present in her life: A mentally-frenzied mother, her father is already deceased, she was laid-off because of infirmity, and she lives in a ramshackle of an apartment block.

For now, all they have to do is wait for the woman's arrival.

~~~

Dorian Amsel opened the gates of the Parker Manor and parked her scooter under a nearby oak tree within the lot. She went to the front porch, she intended to knock but before she could even do the gesture - The massive door of the manor itself creaked open.

“Mr. Mortimor? Or... Mrs. Mortimor?” Dorian peered inside to see if there was someone behind the door. But no reply. She walked inside the foyer and is greeted with the sight of sheer grandeur: the high ceiling open up the space with a dangling glass chandelier, a black wrought iron staircase customized to look like grapevines snaking on the stairs - Dorian smiled at the sight it reminded her of her wine-steward profession.

There are a couple of wooden pieces; such as the piano, a coffee table, and a grandfather clock - but most of all the colour palette of the place is dominated by black and white, making the interior of the Mortimor Manor look timeless and chic, and the fireplace makes a great feature to elevate the design - It reminded her greatly, of the fancy hotels she uses to work in.

Her heeled boots clicked and echoed to the marble floor. Dorian then saw a piece of parchment on the coffee table - she pulls out the job ad and noticed immediately that they are the same type of paper. Dorian reads the note: it's a typical note about the chores that have to be done like cleaning and cooking but what's bizarre is that it says she has to be in her private quarters when 7 pm comes.

• Private Quarters at 7:00 Sharp.

The message is written in perfect cursive, Dorian traces her fingers on the handwriting - the ink smears at her fingertips suggesting the note has been written at least seconds before she arrives.

‘Who exactly is she working for?’ - Dorian Amsel wondered.

First, the job ad with no address. Second, the mysterious blackbird who led her to the house, which she hasn't seen since she moved here. And now this, despite being alone in the house she could feel that she was being watched.

Dorian unfolded the tip of the note in which it says:

“Rest for now, Start tomorrow.” - Ms. Mortimor

‘A Miss Mortimor... She's independent,’ Dorian smiled as she saw the last part of the note. Indeed her journey to the manor was exhausting.

Despite being heralded by one restaurant, as a sommelier, you still swing from one place to another. Restaurants and hotels have different nooks and crannies in them, and as a person who works for catering luxury, she has a short period to memorize the place before an event takes place. Since she's going to stay in the Manor House for an unforeseeable amount of time, Dorian decided to use the resting time to know the interiors of the house.

Within just an hour, she manages to venture into some rooms: the library, the ballroom hall, the study, the entertainment room, 4 bedrooms, and a Greenhouse. She next went into the kitchen, she checked the fridge and was surprised that it was fully stocked, the appliances used for preparing food are also brand new.

Dorian accidentally knocked a small lever on a wall, a false wall opened revealing the wine cellar. Dorian couldn't contain herself she had to go there it's been a while since she held a wine bottle not to drink, but to carry - she misses her old job so much. Dorian entered the cellar and closed the false wall, her eyes are used to venturing through the darkness of cellars, after all, she had to learn how to read wine labels in the absence of light.

“She's a sommelier,” Wilhelmina whispered. Beside her is Magdalene who is also observing Dorian in the darkness. As businesswomen who have a penchant for luxury they immediately recognized the woman's mannerisms that connects her to her profession: predominantly artistic and self-expressive and at the same time, curious and inquisitive.

“What do you think, Magdalene?” Wilhelmina said.

“She's not afraid of the dark,” Magdalene mused. The sight of Dorian unbothered by the pitch-black surroundings while pulling out wine bottles from shelves and polishing them amuses the sisters. She and Wilhemina had built hidden passageways around the house to spy on previous servants and have been travelling on them ever since.

“That's enough for today,” Dorian thought and went to her private room on the first floor.

Her room is comfy: it has a nice bed, one sofa chair, a coffee table with a lampshade, a closet, a drawer, a table, and a vanity with a mirror. She put her belongings inside the drawer and the closet, went to the shower to have a warm bath, put her pajamas on, and went to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day.