Hey! Finally postng! i was in cali. and away from my computer! hat is torture. lol. and now i'm leaving for NY so i figured i'd better give you all something to read while i'm gone!! lol I love the end of this chapter!! so i would love to know what you all think about it!!
Victor’s life was in shambles. The entire town thought him a coward. Faith has been missing for over a month now and the winter had come in strong. No one could survive a winter alone in the woods. And if she never comes back, everyone will think me a murderer, Victor thought sourly. Why had he wasted so much time on her? But she was so stubborn and enticing. She was everything he wanted, a challenge. Unlike her sister Patience, who was still hanging on his arm every moment she could. She was useful for one thing however. She kept Martin away. Martin was the worst of the all town’s folk. He has always despised Victor, ever since the… incident with his sister.
“Victor! You have been out of it lately. Not still thinking about the missing sister are you? You have such a pretty lady already. Why bother worrying about one that never cared for you?” Albert slurred. They were sitting in the pub and Albert had drunk more then he could stomach.
“I have not been out of it!” Victor objected. Albert spared him a glance before gulping down another tankard and passing a full one to Victor. Without a second thought, Victor took the mug and guzzled it down. The drink stung his throat as it went down and settled with a familiar burn. It did not take long for the drink to take affect as he kept drinking them, one after another.
Victor woke up with a splitting headache. He let out a groan as he sat up. “Margie! Bring me some food!” He hollered. It did not take long for his maid to come running in with a platter for him. He took it and she scurried off again. Unfortunately his peace was not long lasting when the door was torn open and Martin stormed in.
“I’m going to say this once. Stay away from Patience. You already ruined my sister’s reputation. I will not let you do the same to her.” Victor let out a scoff.
“I am not afraid of you. I will do as I please.” Victor knew how stupid it was to challenge Martin but he was not about to be threatened in his own home. How dare he think he could waltz into my home and push me about? I will not tolerate this! It is not as if he could best me in a fight. That last thought had Victor scoffing.
“Do not push me, Victor. Patience will soon be a part of my family and you are out of your mind if you think I will stand by idly this time.” Martin’s voice was laced with poison and had Victor cringing ever so slightly. With one last toxic glare, Martin stormed out the same as he had come in. When he heard the front door slam closed, Victor called up his maid.
“Y-y-yes, milord?” She stammered. She knew exactly what was coming and Victor could see her bracing herself for the blow to come. As she expected, Victor delivered a slap that had her stumbling backward.
“How could you allow him, anyone for that matter, come barging into my home and disrupting my solitude?!? If that ever happens again…” He bellowed.
“It will never happen again!” She rushed out, keeping her head low. The fear in her voice satisfied him that this would not be a reoccurring event and he sent the girl on her way. She is a homely girl, not nearly attractive enough to get a husband. All the better, I suppose, no one will be trying to steal away my help then, he mused as he watched her flee his presence as fast as she could. She is not as comely as Patience but at least a night with her will not subject me to all the mindless chatter and a headache. Victor knew this road would only invite more of Martin’s wrath but at the moment Victor did not mind. All the women have been avoiding him like the plague, ever since Faith’s disappearance. The only one to think him innocent of any wrong doing was Patience and he only entertained her to gain an opportunity to coax Faith into his arms finally. Of course, with Faith, things were never that simple. She is far too stubborn. If she had not continuously pushed aside my advances then I would not have been so intrigued with her and we never would have been in that cursed forest! She has ruined me! Everyone is beginning to think me a killer! But if I dared speak of that… that… thing that attacked us then I really will be in trouble. They would either think me a liar or a lunatic.
Patience let out a sigh. Victor, this was the only thing she could think about for over the past month. And, finally, Faith is out of my way. She is no longer attempting to steal him away, she thought with a sense of satisfaction. She felt only a small amount of guilt about that.
“Patience, will you please finish up the dishes. I just brought in a tub of water for you,” Charity called out. Her father had arrived home three days after Faith’s disappearance and he was beside himself when he had learned what had happened. Even a mention of Victor had been banned from the house, much to Patience’s displeasure.
“I do not want to wash dishes. Why should I? I need to get ready to meet Victor in town,” she pouted.
“You are not meeting Victor! He is dangerous! You know what happened with Martin’s sister and now with Faith. Do not be foolish,” Charity warned.
“What happened to Faith was not Victor’s fault! She was the one falling all over him while he was with me. It was the same with Martin’s sister! Why is everyone accusing him of such horrible things?” Patience cried out, becoming more and more upset. “Victor did nothing wrong! It was Faith! She is the ‘loose’ one around here. She was just always so desperate for attention!” Patience yelled.
“Patience! Do not speak about Faith in such a way! She is your sister and has never done anything to earn your censure. While Victor has,” she said the last with a pointed look and stormed out of the room. Patience was shocked. Never had Charity spoken to her that way and she had never defended Faith that way either. After their mother and sister died, they had banded together. Faith had shut everyone out, escaping into that cursed forest. Their father had built up a wall as well. So, Charity and Patience had hid their feelings same as the rest of them. They hid behind their beauty and expensive things. They only let each other close, well until Martin came along. Now Charity is insistent on bringing the family together again, as if mother and Hope had not… She is the fool not me! Martin can not care for her like Victor can for me. He loves me, like no one has since mother. The thought of her mother brought tears to her eyes. Mother had not cared much for Victor even when he was a child, what would she think now? She would support me, would she not? That was what bothered Patience the most. She knew, deep down, her mother would never had given her blessing over Victor and herself and Hope would have slammed the door in Victor’s face had she been alive.
Glancing back to check that Charity was gone, Patience donned her cloak and was off to the village center. I should not be doing this.
Faith awoke to golden light flittering on her bed and across her face through the glass doors leading to the veranda. Excitement ran through her as she hurriedly dressed in a long, winter gown of emerald velvet. Sunshine was scarce with the continuous snowstorms and she was weary of staying locked up in the castle.
“Faith, is everything alright?” ‘Lewis’ asked when she flew through the huge wooden doors to the throne room. She frowned when she looked around the dark room. It felt so dismal.
“If you did not insist on living in gloom,” she threw open the heavy curtains hiding the yellow rays from sight and went to the next set of windows, “you would have noticed the radiant light shining outside for once and I have no intention of letting it go to waste!” She exclaimed, dancing around the now lit room. ‘Lewis’ laughed at her antics. Faith gave him a mischievous smile and ran up to him. Grabbing his paws she said, “Dance with me.”
Faith loved the closeness acquired between them over the past two months. She no longer had any hesitation about living here. She had learned to read him, even though his furry face gave nothing away his eyes did. The bottomless depths of them were now as easy for her to read as any book. However, she noticed he would only open up to her. With his servants, he turned cold, though he was never cruel to them.
“Faith, I have not danced in… a long time.”
“It is easy. However, I promise I will not tell a soul if you are bad.” Laughter was clear in her voice. But, he shook his head and pulled away. Disappointment swept away the earlier glee but she refused to show it. “Very well, suit yourself but you will come enjoy the sunlight with me.” With that command, she turned and ran to the door. Lenora was at the ready with her shawl.
“I thought you might want to escape while the sun was out,” she teased. Her voice twinkled, just like her. A smile lit Faith’s face once again. She wrapped herself in the warm fabric and stepped out into the biting cold. The sun shone bright above her but the frigid wind stung any exposed skin.
“Faith, promise you will say something the moment you begin to get cold,” ‘Lewis’ implored. Faith just nodded aimlessly. After she had gotten trapped in that storm when she ran away, she had fallen sick. Now ‘Lewis’ is constantly on alert. Since he does not get cold with all his fur, he never realizes when Faith gets a chill.
Faith strolled to the garden, empty and barren. “This is the greatest disappointment of winter,” she said, gesturing to the bushes stripped of leaves. “I miss the flowers, the roses, which colored the vast green of the forest.” She looked out at the snow covered pine needles and the frozen glass surface of the lake.
A warm, fuzzy arm snaked around her waist and pulled her backward. She turned and saw ‘Lewis’ a lot closer then expected. Black orbs stared at her. She was entranced and could not look away until his gaze drifted to the rose bush they stood beside. She followed his eyes and let out a gasp. The dead limbs were growing before her very eyes and leaves were sprouting. As she watched, three red buds blossomed into full roses of crimson.
‘Lewis’ reached out and plucked one of the flowers. Turning to her, he presented it with a flourish. Faith let out a small laugh and stepped in closer, wrapping her arms around his waist in a big hug. “Thank you,” she murmured softly, burying her face in his warm chest.
EEK!! you guys wanted more 'Lewis' and Faith moments so there you go!! i have another one coming sometime soon so keep in touch!! i'm making this mostly up as i go so if any of you have an idea you want to see happen tell me and i'll see if it works!! THanks so so much! comment and vote please!!! :) thanks again