The Scent Of Roses

Chapter Thirteen- London, England: 1865

London,

England, 1586

                The heels of the shoes I wore tapped against the wooden floors. My eyes skimmed the many portraits that hung from the wooden paneled walls. Candles hung every two feet down the hall.

                I stopped when I reached the dining room. A large oak wood table was in the middle of the room. Large tallow candles ran down the center of the great table. They gave off a magical yet sinister glow.

                Charles sat on the far side at the head. That was where the host would sit if it were a dinner party. I took a seat next to him, my eyes skimming the table. Food had already been put out and glasses of wine and water sat in front of the place setting. A bouquet of roses completed as the centerpiece.

                The servants scattered out of the room as I took my seat. Probably under Charles’ command, I thought bitterly.

                “I saw the marks on the girl,” I confessed, looking to see his reaction.

                “And I bet you’re wondering if she’s a vampire, correct?” he asked, as if he read my mind. I was rather surprised to see he didn’t even try to act innocent. I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not.

                “Well of course I am,” I replied watching as he stabbed the beef onto his fork.

                “The answer to that answer is no,” he answered.

                “How is that?” I questioned, “It only took one bite from you and I became a monster!” I exclaimed.

                Charles shrugged, “It is all something I will explain in the future, love,” he said simply.

                I stared at him bitterly, but he only grinned back and went back to eating. I looked down at the food and glared. I scooped the food into my mouth. Even with my anger I could admit, his cooks were wonderful.

                “Roanoke?” I asked looking Charles in the eye.

                “Yes, the Roanoke Colony,” the brown haired man confirmed.

                “How exactly did you pull this off, if I may ask?” I looked at him in question.

                We sat across from each other in the parlor. The small room had wooden panels lining each wall and a fireplace to light the room.

                “Well they were practically down on their knees for me to sponsor the voyage so in return I am able to come aboard and travel to the New World,” he explained.

                “That is interesting,” I muttered wondering if that was the truth.

                “Do not fret, love. I will make sure you get your key to freedom,” he assured, turning to smile at me. I grimaced and turned to watch the fire.

                Bright orange embers fell away from the logs. Red flames danced among each other, twirling and swaying like a ballroom couple.

                If only I had stayed inside with my parents, I thought. If I hadn’t gone outside I wouldn’t have been in this position. I wouldn’t have to be running away from my homeland. I would probably be married to a rich lord, running a house of servants.

                Boring? Yes, but at least I would be able to live a normal life with a family. Also I wouldn’t have been a killer.

I looked up at Charles and felt a fire in the pit of my stomach. I clenched my fists and unclenched them to hopefully relieve some of the hate I felt within myself.

“This is our fault!” I spatted, looking at the brown haired man lounging in his seat. He opened his eyes surprised.

“What is my fault?” he questioned.

“If you had stayed away from me we wouldn’t be in this position! You wouldn’t have to a homeless girl across the ocean!” I yelled, standing to my feet.

“It wasn’t my choice,” he murmured standing up too.

“What are you talking about? Tell me!” I demanded.

“If you can’t see this then you surely are clueless,” he whispered in my ear, a sad look on his face.

I took a step back, offended. I raised my hand and hit him across the face. The skin-to-skin contact made a stinging noise and I could see a red mark forming on his face. A pained look twisted his beautiful features.

I stormed out of the room and ran to my room. I leaned against the door waiting to hear the sound of footsteps coming after me, but they never came. And maybe that is what hurt me most.