The Vampire's Maid

Part 17. The Vampire's Maid

Regardless of the lingering threat of vampires and the lack of progress I'd made with my escape plan, I settled into a comfortable routine. Each morning I was greeted by the steamy water of the showers before clambering through the trapdoor and eating the breakfast cooked by Abriella. June was spending increasingly less time by the oven and more time laughing and flirting with Joe. There was little complaint though as Abriella's Italian cuisine and the stunning smile that accompanied it were faultless.

Afterwards, we departed to complete our various jobs. Callum's smile that sometimes made an appearance in the kitchen disappeared swiftly as he took his box of matches to light the lanterns and replace the candles. Joe grudgingly left the kitchen to either work on the cars or in the room across the hall which I privately referred to as 'Elizabeth Sancruor's room'. Daniel and Mark trailed away to do general maintenance work and Olive dashed into the kitchen, grabbed some food and then scurried away again without saying a word.

In fact, I seemed to be the only person who was openly excited about leaving the warm kitchen to go to work. My relationship with Ashley was as comfortable as it had ever been although every time I saw him I couldn't stop a thrill running through my body. Every time he touched me I had to prevent myself from blushing. But I felt that I was doing a fair job of hiding my feelings.

So it was with a light heart and excited walk that I entered Ashley's room a week after our first self defence lesson. I was greeted by the same dazzling smile and the same rush of exhilaration that flooded through my body at the sight of him. He was lounging on his bed with a book in his hands which he dropped carelessly onto his bed.

"Good morning Elizabeth."

Those were the three simple words that he said to me each morning. Nothing every changed in his greeting or his velvety tone but every time he said them I couldn't help but break into a smile.

I nudged him off the bed and began to fold the sheets and plump the pillows. Ashley's eyes followed my every movement with a look of deep concentration. Housework was something that he had never had reason to do which had resulted in him being incapable of the simplest tasks. His incompetence was cuter than it was irksome.

"I was thinking..." I said when the bed was made.

"That I should teach you some more self defence? Yes, I was thinking the same thing."

I frowned. It was irritating how he sometimes knew what I was going to say when he was so unpredictable.

"Yes," I admitted unwillingly.

"Is now a good time?"

"Now's perfect." I said, wishing that I had some time to prepare myself for the army of emotions that were about to scale the imaginary walls in my mind.

Ashley smiled and took my hand. My hand slipped inside his easily and perfectly. I blushed but thankfully he was too busy guiding me out of the room to notice. I realised, as he led me down the silent hall, that I'd only ever seen Ashley outside of his room once. The occasion had been very memorable. It shouldn't have surprised me how he was walking with such confidence in his own house but it did because it was not a place I was used to seeing him in. His bedroom was the only environment I associated him with.

He opened a door on the first floor that I'd only ever seen closed. It revealed a spacious ballroom, the chandeliers glittering from the high ceiling. Spindly chairs and glassy mirrors were attached to the walls. Ashley turned towards me and smiled.

"Why do you never spend time with your father?"

Just as I had never seen Ashley out of his room, I had never seen him in the same room as Goliath. I had never questioned it before but now it had been brought to my attention, it struck me as odd.