I am REALLY sorry about how long it has taken to get this next part up online. I know so many people have mailed me, asking for more, but things have really been tough recently (life's like that sometimes) and I've not had much time on my hands for anything, let alone writing. Still, here it is, I hope you like it and I will try and be a little quicker with Part 4, as from the responses I have had so far, I think people want me to continue. Anyway, cheers to all my readers for being patient and supportive. This is for you :D
LTS xx
Walking round The Winterthorn Estate was not a job for the fainthearted, but while Aenerin was away I felt that it was somewhat my duty to familiarise myself with the place, as well as reassure those who had loved ones off fighting that everything would be alright. I had a lot of faith in my new lover and knew that he would protect his followers just as fiercely as they would fight for him. Everyone that I had met so far had been pleasant and polite, maybe a little too polite, as being called 'My Lady' and being bowed at every five minutes was a little strange, but it didn't seem forced in any way, and I got the feeling these people were generally pleased that I was here. Now I just had to make sure all this business of being a lady didn't go to my head.
I had seen Ladies before- at the tavern where I used to work. Some of them travelled with their husbands and generally kept very quiet, watching the girls like me with utmost disdain- Whether it was our social standing or our youth they didn't approve of I wasn't sure, but the older ones especially were always quick to make a scathing comment to our master which would get us whipped later. Maybe it was because they knew that when their husbands travelled alone, it was usually a girl like me they would end up with. We were ordered to dress provocatively to attract the clientele into purchasing a little more than just food and lodging for the night. It honestly wasn't anything against these prim and proper women with their silk handkerchiefs, fur trimmed coats and expensive perfumes. If I had my way, I would have gone about my daily duties in something a lot more practical than tight laced corsets and high cut skirts, but back then I had very little say in the matter. They didn't seem to understand though, and I still bore the scratch mark from where once such 'lady' had thought I had been paying too much attention to her husband while I worked one of the late shifts. My job had been to pay attention to men, but it didn't mean I wanted any of them, and that evening I had never had any intention of doing more than serving the pair and getting off to an early nights' rest.
I sighed, watching as Risha guided me through yet another set of corridors that all looked the same. Aenerin's estate was huge- I had heard tales about it- but never known nor expected there to be any truth to the stories. I knew it would take me a long time to remember my way around, and would probably end up getting lost a fair few times, especially when my mind was hardly focussing on remembering directions. I missed Aenerin, and as much as I liked my dear maidservant, I wished it was my lover that was actually showing me around my new home, just like he had promised. To be torn away from him had been the worst pain I had experienced in a long time- probably because I had not allowed myself to love that deeply and so quickly before. I longed for him to return to me, to press his hard, cool, body against mine and take me where I stood. When he had possessed me, turned me into one of his own, I had never felt so complete, but now, it was almost as if something was missing from my soul itself.
"And there are the kitchens...I doubt you'll really be interested though."
I glanced across at Risha, who had probably noticed my daydreaming, and had all the subtlety of a brick. She stood gesturing across the courtyard at a longish building which had many tall chimneys from out of which soft grey smoke poured; the smell of cooking meat and wood-smoke filling the air.
Normally I would have been drooling at such a smell, but I felt nothing inside me that even hinted at that kind of hunger now. Instead it had been replaced by a different kind of craving, but luckily that was hardly even a flicker after feeding earlier, but if Aenerin didn't return, I wondered what I was supposed to do. We hadn't quite discussed the whole 'drinking blood' thing, and I doubted asking Risha would be advisable. She wasn't scared of me at the moment and I wanted it to stay that way.
"I suppose you're right..." I murmured, still feeling a little bitter about never being able to eat anything ever again. Yet I didn't have the heart to admonish Risha, even though I suppose I should have done for being disrespectful, but then I had been ignoring her, thinking of Aenerin's lips caressing my-
"Err, let's continue onwards shall we? I imagine there is a lot more still to see," I said, a little hastily, trying to wipe all thoughts of my lover from my mind -for now- as we walked past the kitchen and out into the yard at the back of the estate, near to where the animals were kept.
"Lady Caroline?"
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry," Risha apologised, looking over at me with her large girlish eyes. "I didn't mean to say what I did. You are...suffering just as much as any of us, if not more."
"No, it's alright," I smiled gently. "I understand. I imagine you are worried about your own young man, am I not correct?"
Risha went a bright shade of crimson. "He's not MY young man," she uttered through gritted teeth.
"That wasn't the impression you were giving me earlier," I smiled, teasingly, making the poor girl blush all the more.
"No one really knows about us," she whispered back rather harshly. "If my parents knew what you did, I would probably get thrown out of our home. They think that a young woman shouldn't...you know what...until they're married."
"They would probably hate me then," I admitted, telling Risha quite freely about my past life. She listened intently, quite fascinated by my story. She couldn't believe that there were people like my old master who would subject a young woman to such a depraved way of living.
"Some enjoyed it," I said, remembering some of my old colleagues. I called them thus, as friends was far too strong a word for the other women who worked alongside me, some of which who shared the same small section of floor which we slept on by the kitchen hearth and had called home since most of us could recall.
"Lord Aenerin would never allow that kind of thing to happen here. He believes women should be respected and treated well. All the men here have to go to him to ask for permission before they are allowed to marry. He knows every single person here on this estate. I guess he's a bit like a father to us all. He could probably be our grandfather, he is very old."
I found this funny and laughed a little, Risha not quite sure what she had said to cause my reaction, but seemed glad it was a humourous one in any case.
"Your young man-"
Risha glared at me.
"Alright, Caith," I corrected. "He seems to be good friends with Aenerin," I then continued, remembering back to when all the troops were gathered in the main courtyard and the man on the horse had ridden in, a very urgent air about him as he had dismounted and strode off to find Aenerin. He had also been very cute, in a rather dishevelled way. It was easy to see why Risha liked him- and I was a hard woman to please. Heck, it had taken a vampire Lord with a very nice body to make me happy.
