The Beginning

by Angelica Dawson

  “Right, for Papa. We couldn’t have one. He isn’t even properly buried, just a shallow grave near the house. It’ll be good to move him to the churchyard.” Louise’s eyes fixed on her wringing hands.

  Sophia dipped a cloth in their washbasin and wiped away the paint on Louise’s face. “All will be well. And if you have trouble moving him, I’ll do it after everyone is asleep.

  Louise nodded. A tear slipping from the corner of her eye was lost in the cloth Sophia held. “He’s been buried so long, I shudder to think what remains.”

  “How long?” Sophia held Louise’s gaze while dabbing at her lips.

  “Over a year. Maybe two? Long enough for us to go through all the coin and most of the jewels.”

  Sophia nodded. “We’ll take care of that.” Taking Louise’s hands, she searched for some good news to life her spirits. “Oh! Daniel is looking for you. He’s been keeping track of everyone leaving in the hopes of finding you. He believes you’ll be there at dinner tonight.”

  “Really? Could I... No. If I show up at dinner, everyone will need to know who I am. What am I going to do?”

  “You are going to go and tend Nicole and Claudette, just as you have every day we’ve been here. Then tonight, after dinner, we can dress you up again and you can say goodbye, or explain who you are.”

  Louise’s shoulders slumped. “I can’t explain, and I don’t want to say goodbye. I might be able to see him again at Claudette’s wedding.”

  Sophia brushed Louise’s cheek and kissed her. “That is wise. Now, as much as I’d like to keep you in bed a while longer, you will be needed.”

  “Right.” Louise shook her skirt and straightened her back. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  Chapter Six

  Two more days and nights Louise remained a maid, until Nicole begged leave to return to her sick father. On the morning they were to leave, Sophia stumbled into Daniel on her way to wake Claudette.

  “Pardon me.” She sidestepped out of his path.

  “Wait. Can you help me?”

  Sophia gave a small curtsy. “Perhaps, my Lord. How?”

  “I’m looking for the woman I was dancing with at the wedding. I have to leave today and I haven’t found her. Did you see her? Do you know who I mean?”

  Sophia’s smile turned to a grin. “I do.”

  “When did she leave?”

  Sophia licked her lips. This would be his last chance. If Daniel didn’t find her today, he would wait until Claudette’s wedding. What if he didn’t attend that? Could she see Louise to her happy ending? If so, that would free her to chase her own. “Well, sir, she hasn’t left yet.”

  “I knew it! But who is she?”

  “Follow me.” She led him up the back stairs and past several doors to the one that hid Louise. “One moment.” She opened the door and stuck her head in. Louise was awake and dressed, so she threw the door wide. “Here you are.”

  “What joke is this? This is not my lady, she’s—” He cut off abruptly as Louise stood and turned.

  “Sophia? Who—oh my God. I’m sorry. I can explain.”

  The man turned, but Sophia caught his arm and dragged him back. He stared down at her hand, agape, probably at how easily she held him fast and moved him to her will. Before he could argue, she told him, “Can you see it? Imagine her hair up, wearing a gown. She isn’t who you think she is.”

  “Apparently not. I thought she was—”

  “She is the new duchess’ sister.”

  “Oh, Sophia, you’ve ruined everything.” Louise burst into tears and pushed past the pair into the hall.

  Scowling Sophia rounded on the young man. “If you are half as fascinated in her as you led me to believe, you won’t give up that easily.”

  “I thought her sister was fair haired.” Confusion seemed to have gotten the better of him and he sank onto the bed. “She’s betrothed to Jean-Pierre.”

  “That’s Claudette. This is Louise, the youngest sister.”

  “The one who stayed with their sick father.”

  “Yes.”

  He covered his face with his hands. “I don’t understand.”

  “Come, we’ll find Nicole, the Duchess, and she will explain. Louise might be with her right now.” She grabbed his hand and tried to pull him to his feet.

  “How did you do that? Before. You were stronger than any man I’ve come across.”

  Mentally chiding herself, she tried to mislead him. “A trick, using your own movement against you. Have you ever thrown another man down?”

  He squinted at her but didn’t argue. Eventually he sighed. “Okay, take me to the Duchess. Now I simply have to know so the mystery won’t haunt me.”

  Sophia grinned and tugged, launching the young man to his feet. “You won’t regret it.”

  They passed two parlors before finding Nicole sitting with Claudette and her mother-in-law. “Go,” Nicole hissed at Louise who had been sitting beside her.

  “No.” Sophia blocked Louise’s exit and took her by the arms, turning her back toward her sister and the man looking for her.

  “Prince Daniel? Is there a problem?” The older Duchess’ cheeks had grown pink. “This maid burst in just a moment ago. Did she wrong you in some way?”

  “Prince?” Louise’s voice came out as a squeak.

  “Perhaps. This woman claims that the maid is actually the Duchess’ sister.”

  Nicole cursed very quietly. “Pardon me, Mother. I had hoped to reveal this much later, or not at all. Louise is my sister. She isn’t at home with our father because he died many months ago. I’d hoped to return, mourn his loss and then start over with Charles. It seems, however, that Sophia has put that plan in array.” Nicole glared at the vampire, who stared back with contempt.

  The Duchess fanned herself. “Your father is already dead? Then who has right to your property?”

  “Charles,” Nicole insisted. “And our son. There is no male relative coming to claim the manor. He would have come long before now. However, I do need Charles’ presence to regain our income from the surrounding land.”

  “How does the prince fit in with this?”

  “He doesn’t.” Nicole turned to him and then focused on Sophia again. “Why have you brought him?”

  Sophia resisted crossing her arms and taking a haughty stance. If the elder Duchess wasn’t present, she wouldn’t hesitate. “Because he’s been looking for Louise the whole week. Because he spent the previous event with Louise as well. I can’t be sure why he seeks her, but I expect he is interested in keeping her close.”

  Prince Daniel cleared his throat before answering. “That is true. I wasn’t expecting a dressed up maid.”

  Nicole’s eyes lit up and she nodded in understanding. “She isn’t dressed up, but down. She poses as my maid because we only have Sophia for all three of us. Truly, she is my sister and a baroness in her own right. Despite our current status, you would not be out of line to pursue her. Your family might seek a better bride for you, though.”

  “Pardon me.” The prince found an empty chair and sank into it. “This is a bit much to take in.”

  “Agreed.” The Duchess connected her fingers into a steeple. “You are destitute?”

  “Not exactly. We have empty coffers, but the land is still valuable and productive. We have no way to collect it.”

  “Come here?” Prince Daniel extended a hand to Louise, still held in place by Sophia.

  The tension left her and Sophia let go. Louise took three steps toward the prince. She knelt in front of his chair, her hand on the arm of it. His hand cupped her cheek and she gasped. He smiled for the first time since Sophia agreed to help him find Louise.

  “It is you.” He looked to Nicole, who nodded again. “Then I will marry you. Unless you have a reason why I shouldn’t?”

  Louise, unable to answer, shook her head vigorously.

  “Good. I have to leave today and would like you to accompany me.”

  Wide-eyed, Louise gaped. Nicole’s e
xpression conveyed similar surprise.

  “I need to talk to Charles.” His mother rose. “He must return with you, Nicole. If your sister is playing maid, you must need staff. I have several you can take for now.”

  “Thank you, Mother.” Nicole sat back, shoulders dropping.

  Sophia moved to a corner, trying to escape notice. She partly succeeded.

  Claudette moved to her side, seeming to examine a painting. “Well done,” Claudette murmured.

  “Thank you.”

  “Sophia?” Nicole broke from her conversation with her mother-in-law to address her. “Will you return with us? Head the staff?”

  “I prefer not, Madame.”

  Claudette muttered, “Accept now and renege later.”

  Immediately recognizing the slight that would be perceived, she corrected herself. “I would be honored.” Who knew what Nicole might do if she threw a wrench in things now.

  “Sophia? Would you help me pack a trunk of my own?” Louise pulled away from the Prince reluctantly.

  “As you wish.” Once the door of the parlor closed behind them, Sophia hugged her friend. “I’m so happy it worked out.”

  “Me too, but how can I marry a Prince? I’m not good at being a Baroness.”

  “You’ll learn. Are we stealing a few gowns for you?”

  “Yes. I’m hoping to move Claudette’s and Nicole’s wardrobe into the larger and take the smaller. Oh, but what about you?”

  Sophia waved her off. “I’ll find a sack in the kitchen. Just as well since I won’t be going with either of you.”

  “No?” Louise stopped just inside the door to Nicole’s room, where the trunks waited. “I was hoping you’d be my maid.”

  “As enjoyable as it would be to work for you, I’ve had enough trouble keeping my nature secret here. A palace would be worse. I’m not following Nicole for the same reason. No, I’m on my own to find employ by night in the city. Selling myself to men will provide ample opportunities to feed. As soon as the sun draws low, I’ll leave the convoy and make my way through the dark.” They had emptied both trunks and were ready to repack.

  “So this is goodbye?” Louise’s voice cracked.

  “It will be.” She straightened and turned to Louise. “I’m happy for you.” She ran her fingers down Louise’s arm and took her hand. “I will miss you.”

  Louise seized her in a hug. “I don’t want to say goodbye.” Her tears moistened Sophia’s neck.

  “Shh. All will be well. You’ll have a new love to fill your heart.” Stroking her back, Sophia hoped the tears wouldn’t last long. She only barely kept the same from coursing her own cheeks.

  “Not like you.” Louise clumsily reached down to grasp Sophia’s buttock.

  They were interrupted by the opening door. Nicole strode straight toward them. “No time for that. You need to be ready to go on the hour, Louise. Do you need help?” Picking up her wedding dress, she shook it out, holding it up to Louise. “Take this one. It’s the best we have.”

  “I-I couldn’t. That’s yours.”

  Nicole ignored her, Laying it at the bottom of the smaller trunk. “That’s the one you’re taking, yes?”

  Louise nodded.

  “This one will fit you well.” Claudette chose a gown she had worn several times over their stay.

  “Thank you.”

  While the three divided their wardrobe, Sophia gathered her spare dress and folded it over her arm.

  “Sophia? Aren’t you putting that in here?” Nicole pointed to her trunk.

  “No. I’m afraid I cannot head your staff.”

  Nicole nodded. “I expected as much. You are going your own way from here?”

  “Yes. I might make it to Lyons before dawn.”

  Claudette’s brow furrowed. “What’s in Lyons?”

  “Brothels.”

  Louise didn’t react, but the other two hissed. “Why would you—”

  “It is the perfect place for me. I can feed from the men and work only at night. My fate goes in that direction. You have each found yours.”

  Claudette hugged Sophia. “Good luck. I hope you find some happiness, even if I can’t imagine it where you go.”

  “I hope Jean-Pierre continues to make you squeal and squirm.”

  She backed up, startled and then laughed. “I suppose I do as well.”

  Nicole’s scowl twisted further. “Enough, we all must be on our way, especially you, Louise.”

  Staying in the room with the trunks, Sophia watched the three go and waited for the men who would collect their belongings. Once they were carried away, she moved to the back of the house, to the room she had shared with Louise. There she closed her eyes and reviewed the last months, shed tears for the woman she had come to love, and prepared for the next stage of her existence.

  As soon as the sun set, she stole out the back and raced across pastures and fields, trying to cover as much ground as possible.

  The city barely whispered, only the earliest risers, mostly bakers, showing any signs of life. It didn’t take long to find the right neighborhood, but long enough for the sun to climb. Pounding, she nearly broke down the door when the sun crested the horizon.

  “Who the devil?”

  She pushed past the older woman holding the door. “I know this isn’t the best time, but I’m here to work, Madame.”

  The grey-haired woman blinked and rubbed her eyes. They widened. “Well, aren’t you a beauty? You want to earn coin for us?”

  “With you, I hope.”

  The madam clenched her jaw, looking Sophia over again. “You’ve never whored yourself, have you?”

  Sophia kept her back straight. “Not for money, no, but I have used my body to get what I need.”

  The woman tipped her head back and laughed. “That’s the heart of it. Very well, let’s find you a room for the day. I’ll introduce you to the other girls later.”

  “That sounds great. I’m Sophia.” She offered her hand.

  “Patience. Welcome to Iris House.” Under her breath, she added, “for as long as you manage to stay.”

  In her own room, Sophia tossed her dress to the side and stretched out on the bed, sighing. She would do well here. She could tell.

  THE END

  Author’s Note

  Thank you so much for joining me on this journey back through time. It isn’t the end for the vampires of Blue Moon House, but future stories will be set in the present and include all eight vampires (though they will probably focus on one or two).

  I hope you find Sophia’s beginning worthy of the woman she becomes.

  Read on for more from USA Today Bestselling Author Angelica Dawson...

  Excerpt from Winter's Embrace

  To put a stop to open war between Summer and Winter, Verte volunteers to marry one of Winter's princes. Trapped behind enemy lines, experimenting with new magic, she can't let this tenuous peace fail. She never thought love would enter into it.

  Grey didn't volunteer for this. He isn't happy about it, but the closer he gets to Verte, the less he wants to let her go.

  Verte stood among her brothers and sisters. Each held their power ready, regarding the enemies facing them. Between them and the monochromatic Winter fae were her father and Mab, Queen of Winter. Verte knew Bruno, wept for him when he was found, dead on Summer soil with a Winter dagger melting away in his back. Bruno wasn't one of her half-brothers, heir of Summer, but he was family.

  The attack Summer launched and the defence Winter mounted created the worst clash between the faeries in eternal memory. The two had never been friendly and tensions constantly rose and waned as season after season passed and power shifted between them. The Winter faerie's unexplained death ended the peaceful opposition. Winter sought retribution on Bruno, her mate, which led to this—Verte’s father and Mab brokering a truce.

  Rumors were that these grey fae were Mab's children, but how one fae could bear so many baffled her. They ranged from deep, dark soot color, much like the completely
black Mab, to one female who seemed pure white. The starkness of their line was so different from the riot of color in Summer. Verte had brilliant green hair with streaks of brown like branches. Her skin was the green-brown of a flush twig about to burst into full leaf. Her brothers ranged from Russo's red-brown skin and rusty hair to Aurum's brilliant yellow, rivalling Goldenrod, his sister, behind him. They were full siblings, as Verte was with Folio and Oliver. Both ignored her, focusing on their father and the Winter fae.

  Rushing murmurs came from both sides as the monarchs bowed their heads to one another before returning to their armies.

  “Done.” Tristan turned back toward his faeries. “I have need of volunteer from among my daughters.”

  Verte looked to Goldenrod, Rose, and Violet. She was the oldest of them. Seeing fear in their eyes, she stepped forward.

  “How can I be of use, Father?”

  “Verte, always true,” he said, his large hand, the color and texture of centuries old bark cupping her cheek. His hair curled like moss on a stump. “I need you to be the sign of our truce. They lost a daughter to one of our sons. In exchange for peace, you will wed one of theirs.”

  Her brothers clamored and argued with him, angry at this turn of events. Her stomach twisted in a knot. Marry one of those colorless fae? Embrace Winter? Unlike humans, unions among faeries were eternal. She couldn't put him aside when she tired of him, or vice versa. Her father asked the impossible. And yet, it seemed the impossible—peace—was exactly what they needed.

  Speaking loudly and clearly to be heard over her brothers, Verte said, “I can do this, but I can never be Winter.”

  Her brothers grumbled more quietly so she had no trouble hearing her father, his voice a breeze through leaves. “No, and you need only reside there every other season, bringing your husband here on the others.”

  It would be a lie to say the prospect didn't frighten her, but she was at least as strong as any Winter fae. If he could spend a season melting in Summer, she could endure a little freezing.

  “When?”