Soul Snatcher (3 page)

“Oh, that was Eli. I just
met him in the markets,” she answered not realising her friend’s
jealous tone.

“Maybe I should come into
the markets with you next time?” Micah suggested. Annie could be
naïve at times but only when it came to men. The reason simply
being, she really didn’t have much to do with them. Micah was the
only man she interacted with on a daily basis and he was vastly
different to most men she might come across.

“You are so silly, Micah,”
Annie said through half a laugh. She spied some muck on the
vegetables and went to work immediately, trying to brush off left
over dirt from them as they bounced along the path on their
horse.

“And you are too darling,”
he complimented, holding back the urge to touch her face. Annie and
Micah were always open with each other, showing their affection
easily. But recently it had turned into something a little more
than friendship, for Micah at least. He just wasn’t sure how she
felt.

Back at the manor Annie
hurried inside as Micah followed close behind. The manor was large
and lavish. It housed the servant’s quarters at the back, where the
kitchen was. The upstairs had six bedrooms and two other rooms that
were converted into a bathroom of sorts. Huge baths had been
imported from France and sat right in the middle of the rooms, with
partitions for dressing and basins just to wash your face. Huge
ornamental mirrors hung in all the rooms. The downstairs had a
library, dining room, two parlors, and a sun room. The floors had
expensive rugs in every room but they matched the dark wood on the
floor so visually they were almost useless.

The banisters were the
same dark, lustrous wood as the floor. The walls were a dark, murky
green, which Annie thought was quite ugly. The curtains were heavy
and imposing in the rooms, which were overcrowded with overgenerous
furniture. They framed the huge windows in every room and their
red-brown colour matched that of the skirting that lined the
doorframes, ceilings and floors throughout the house. The furniture
was of course the most sophisticated of the time, keeping to the
dark greens and brown colour scheme.

Needless to say, the only
rooms that weren’t over decorated were the servant’s. They sat off
near the kitchen, housing a room for the gardener, chamber maid,
cleaners, butler, Micah, Rosemary and herself (who were both the
cooks).

Annie and Micah came
rushing through the kitchen door, half expecting to be scolded for
their lateness.

“Oh, Annie. We must pull
your hair up. Her guest will be here any moment and you are set to
serve,” Rosemary said as she flustered about the kitchen when Annie
walked in.

Rosemary was an older
woman who had welcomed Annie into the manor. She was head of the
help and organised them daily but she preferred to stay in the
kitchen with Annie most of the time. Her dark hair was peppered
with grey and she had smile lines at the edge of her brown eyes and
soft mouth, even when she wasn’t smiling. It made her look
altogether friendly and charming.

“I am sorry. I was caught
up by a man at the market,” Annie explained as she pulled her hair
back as best she could whilst Rosemary tied an apron around her.
Rosemary was much shorter than her and it always made Annie smile,
thinking how sweet her friend was.

“We may need to send Micah
in next time, it could well be faster,” she joked, knowing the
effect Annie had on men. What made it more amusing was that Annie
never seemed to notice or care what men thought of her. She wasn’t
interested in a relationship, she was more than happy to be single.
“No matter, you serve in ten minutes.” With enough said Rosemary
went to organise the rest of the help as Annie finished up in the
kitchen.

“Annie, you do need to be
more careful in the future when it comes to men,” Micah warned.
Annie fluttered about setting out the tray for Martha Danes and her
guest. His remark brought back memories of her father but she
pushed them away immediately.

When Annie was sixteen
Miss Danes had taken her in after her father had run away with
another woman and her mother had passed away from tuberculosis not
long after. Her past was something that she tried to forget because
she was someone who liked to look at the bright side of life. In
most people she looked at the good and could easily look past a
person’s flaws to see their value but that was much more difficult
when it came to her father. She would do almost anything to have
her mother back but that wasn’t possible so she never entertained
the idea. Instead she had latched onto her new life and her new
friends, picking up the broken pieces of her soul and moving
forward.

Annie’s lack of interest
in a relationship was spurred on from the fact that her father had
abandoned them when they needed him most. Her mother had fallen ill
and he had decided to leave without so much as a warning. He had
snuck away during the night, like a coward but was kind enough to
leave a letter telling them of his infidelities. Her mother had
died a few weeks later.

Two days after her
mother’s death, Annie was walking into town to try and find work to
support herself. She had bumped into Micah along the way and was
very wary of him. But he won over her trust with his kindness and
they had soon got to talking as friends. When he found out that she
was after work because her mother had passed, that very day he took
her back to the manor and she had been there ever since.

Annie had been home every
day taking care of her mother before she started working at the
manor and though she knew what it felt like to lose someone, she
was still rather sheltered because her life had involved very few
people. But something altogether lovely about Annie was that she
was strong. Her mother had always taught her to value others but
also to know her own value and Annie had latched onto that belief.
She couldn’t complain about anything in her life at the moment but
there were things that she found trying. One of those things was
the lady of the manor.

Miss Danes had accepted
Annie into her home so easily because they were apparently
distantly related somehow but whenever she queried for specifics,
Miss Danes became vague and unwilling to talk. Her excuse almost
seemed like a fabrication but why would you lie to try and add
another person to your employ? It would end up costing more and
would take effort to train someone new. So Annie had let the matter
drop and decided to be grateful for a house to live in and food to
eat.

Miss Danes was a little
older, possibly close to her fiftieth year and unmarried. Her soft
brown hair and gentle features, along with her diminutive frame and
short height gave a deceptively kind look. But to her staff she
seemed to be a regal woman, always presuming she was more valuable
than most. She was refined and attractive in her own way but had an
edge to her that bordered frightening.

“Micah, if I agree to your
advice will you help me finish my preparation?” Annie asked.
Rolling his eyes, he let the matter drop and helped her with her
task.

As if by design, Rosemary
came in just as they finished preparing everything.

“Annie, collect the tray
and come with me,” Rosemary instructed. She was always kind but
when it came to serving, it had to be perfect. Her motto was; if
you’re going to do it, then do it right.

Annie followed carefully
balancing the large, silver tray that held the tea and entrees.
Rosemary led the way into the parlour, mazing through the
extravagant, decorative manor. Annie hated the large portraits of
dead descendants in Miss Danes’ family, it was unnerving to see
them.

They two women entered the
room silently. Miss Danes had chosen the sun room for her visit
today because it would only be a brief visit. The drapes were
pulled back and the late afternoon sun shone through the room. Miss
Danes and her guest sat opposite each other, with a small, mahogany
table in between them. The room was mostly windows so no pictures
were hung but there were a few vases scattered through the room
that held subtle flower arrangements. This room was modest compared
to the rest of the manor because it had the least furniture, which
is why Annie liked it so much.

“Mr. Brighton, do tell me
of your travels,” Miss Danes asked of her guest.

As Annie set her tray on
the serving table she glanced up to the company. To her shock Eli
was sitting across from Miss Danes on the large ottoman. She was
grateful that she had already set the tray down or she would have
dropped it. Rosemary and Annie silently set out the tea along with
the food and stood in the corner as they always did. Hands clasped
in front of them ready to serve, ensuring they did not look at the
guest. Inside Annie was panicking, what if he made reference to the
markets in front of Miss Danes? She would be in so much trouble and
there would be no way to deny it. It’s not as if she could call a
gentleman with money a liar when he wasn’t. She wouldn’t even get
away with that if he was!

Annie gazed out the window
to avoid eye contact with Eli. The problem was, where he was
sitting directly faced her and she could feel his eyes on her
constantly. As her anxiety started to build the butler came in,
dressed perfectly in his fine suit, and addressed the hostess. He
was a middle aged man, kept to himself mostly and had been serving
Miss Danes for longer than Annie had been there.

“Miss Danes, a caller is
at the door requesting your presence,” he announced softly. Miss
Danes paused in frustration but everyone there could tell she was
not impressed.

“Mr. Brighton, do you mind
if I attend to this matter for a moment?” Miss Danes asked trying
to hide the irritation in her voice.

“Not at all, Miss Danes.”
Eli stood as she left and remained standing after her exit. He
looked to Annie but she continued to avoid him. He walked right up
to her and stood in front of her, leaving Rosemary
aghast.

“Annie, what a lovely
coincidence,” Eli said sounding pleasantly surprised. Rosemary
looked confused at the interaction.

“Not to sound rude more
than once in a day but it would be best if we did not speak,” Annie
said as quietly as she could.

“Then let us strike up
another bargain, shall we?” Eli almost told, rather than asked.
Annie looked to Rosemary for help but she just stood there
helpless, not knowing what to do. “Just a last name is all I will
ask for now,” Eli requested.

Micah’s advice about being
more careful around men came to mind. What was she meant to do in a
situation like this? As she tried to think of the best course of
action she heard Miss Danes walking up the hallway.

“Her last name is Belle,
Mr. Brighton,” Rosemary whispered frantically.

“Annie Belle,” he tested
the name. “What a fitting name,” he said with a smile.

“Please sit down, Mr.
Brighton,” Annie asked a little panicked.

“Only if you promise to
call me Eli,” he negotiated.

“Fine, Eli. Please sit
back down.” Annie gave in. He smiled and went back to his seat on
the settee. He stood as Miss Danes re-entered the room, as if he
had been sitting, waiting for her all along. Rosemary and Annie
soundlessly sighed in relief as they narrowly escaped reprimand for
interacting with the guest.

“Rosemary, Annie.” Miss
Danes turned and looked at them from her seat. They held their
breath in alarm. “Mr. Brighton and I will be fine from here. You
may leave now and start to prepare dinner.”

Not being able to help
herself, Annie took a quick glance back at Eli before she left the
room. As she did she thought she caught a wink on her way out,
which made her heart skip a beat nervously.

“How do you know that
man?” Rosemary asked as they made their way back to clean the
kitchen and start Miss Danes’ dinner.

“He is the man from the
markets,” she answered a little astonished at the
coincidence.

“Well he seems to have
some interest in you.” There was almost excitement in Rosemary’s
voice.

“Do not be so silly,” she
said trying to discourage Rosemary’s enthusiasm. “I will most
likely not see him again.” But Annie didn’t realise just how wrong
she would be.

CHAPTER 2

Annie had been sent to the
markets late the next day on the whim of one of Miss Danes’ moods.
She wanted Annie to fetch a brooch she had ordered a few weeks ago
and apparently, ‘it just couldn’t wait’. Miss Danes didn’t seem to
think of others when it came to something she wanted and all else
had to be dropped at her request. As always, Annie thought on the
bright side of life, thankful that at least she could keep her hair
out for the rest of the day.

So off Annie went, dressed
in a sandy coloured, short sleeved dress for the trip. Micah was
again her companion for the trip but he had to mind the horse
at the town gates so it wasn’t stolen. Because it was late
afternoon not many people were around and an unattended horse would
be too good an opportunity for a thief to pass up. He didn’t want
Annie to go into the markets alone but there seemed to be no other
choice. It would be safer in a crowd for her rather than at the
gates, or so they thought. She couldn’t understand why he was being
so overprotective, she had been going into the markets by herself
for years.