Allure Of The Night

When Eve’s head touched the pillow, she immediately fell asleep. And while she slept, Vincent searched for her through the lands restlessly.

The following day, Noah arranged one of his carriages so that Eve could travel to Berkshire in it. Noah and Lady Anaya accompanied Eve as they led her to where the waiting carriage was. But on their way, they met Noah’s parents.

“I wasn’t aware that we had a guest in the mansion,” Lady Hilda commented on seeing the beautiful young woman.

Eve offered a bow to Noah’s parents and greeted them, “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan. I am Gene–“

Noah interrupted by giving her name, “This is Genevieve. A friend of Lady Anaya.”

Lady Anaya nodded, going with Noah’s words, “Yes, she’s a friend of mine. We met at one of the soirees.”

The elderly couple, who until now had a look of judgement in their eyes towards the young woman, who wore clothes lower than their status, gave a nod. Lady Hilda said, “It looks like Anaya has been able to settle much better than we thought she would.” The woman placed her hand on Lady Anaya’s back and smiled, “It is one of the important qualities when it comes to being a Duke’s wife.”

Lady Anaya smiled, “Your praise makes me happy, Lady Hilda.”

The former Duke stared at Eve, as if trying to figure out where he had seen her as she appeared to be familiar. Lady Hilda questioned, “Are you all going somewhere?”

At the same time, Noah’s father called him to the side, “Did you hear about Sylvester being accused of murdering Fowler?”

Noah nodded, while keeping an ear to listen in on the women’s conversation. He replied, “Yes, the evidence that was presented was proof that he was involved in it.”

His father shook his head and sighed, “I cannot believe it. James must be furious, as Sylvester has been working with him for so long. Do you know where your uncle went? I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning.”

“He said he wanted to reach out to the higher person, so that they could relook into the case and the charges placed on Sylvester. He said he would travel up to the North,” Noah let his father know, who gave him a nod.

After a moment of silence, Noah’s father asked him, “Did you know anything about it?” The former Duke of Woodlock was aware of some things about his brother. Though he had always been strict with his son, he was also a proud person and liked to follow the rules without breaking them. But the rules were bent when it came to concerning family matters.

Noah shook his head, which was the truth. He said, “I went to speak to Sylvester about it, but he isn’t speaking.” The older man pursed his lips.

A few steps away from them, where the three women stood, Lady Anaya replied to Lady Hilda, “Genevieve is travelling to Berkshire and Noah was kind enough to arrange the carriage for her.”

Lady Hilda looked pleased. Not because her son had arranged a carriage for Eve, but because she knew her son had excellent manners. She said to Eve,

“I hope you have a good journey to Berkshire. A pity that you cannot stay longer with Anaya.”

“Thank you, milady. I will try to visit her again,” Eve offered the older woman another bow.

With the way Noah had introduced her as Lady Anaya’s friend to his parents, Eve could only grasp that his parents wouldn’t be happy if they found out that she was his friend. After all, he was set to marry Lady Anaya, she thought in her mind, while not knowing Noah’s actual intentions.

Lady Anaya said to Lady Hilda, “It is indeed a pity, milady. I was hoping to spend more time with Genevieve as she’s good company.”

Noting how her future daughter-in-law was fond of this  human, who didn’t appear to be part of the wealthy family, Lady Hilda said to Eve, “Maybe next time you visit Woodlock, we can all sit down and have tea.” A meal was too much time to be spent, which the older woman didn’t find worth investing her time in.

Eve smiled at the woman’s polite words and replied, “That would be lovely, Lady Hilda. I look forward to it.”

Lady Hilda gave a slight nod and walked to where her husband and son were, and soon the elderly couple walked away.

“I hope you didn’t mind me directly addressing you by your name, Ms. Barlow,” Lady Anaya’s yellow eyes met Eve’s blue ones.

Eve shook her head, “I would never, Lady Anaya.”

“Then please feel free to call me Anaya from here on. If you don’t find it too troublesome,” Lady Anaya smiled at Eve with assurance.

Eve had sensed the young woman to be polite and kind to her, but she hadn’t expected her to drop the honorifics between them this soon.

Walking near the waiting carriage, Eve noticed her trunk and bag were tied to the back of the vehicle. Noah’s coachman bowed at them and opened the carriage door for her.

Noah said to Eve, “This is Kieran and he will drop you to Berkshire. If you need anything, let him know.”

Eve bowed at Noah and Lady Anaya, “Thank you for letting me stay here and use the carriage.”

“I hope to see you soon, Genevieve. Hopefully next time we meet, we will be able to spend more time together?” Lady Anaya asked her.

Unsure of when she would visit again, Eve replied, “Hopefully.”

Thanking them once again, Eve finally got inside the carriage. The coachman closed the door, before climbing in the driver’s seat and driving the vehicle out of Sullivan’s mansion, heading to Berkshire.

The three days journey to Berkshire was smooth. Eve rode in one of Sullivan’s carriages while making a few stops.

During the journey, thoughts about Vincent didn’t leave Eve’s mind; instead, all she could think about him. His words, actions and the way he looked at her and others. She told herself that it was better to let go of her feelings than hold them tightly and be hurt by it.

When the carriage reached Berkshire, Eve noticed the vibrant buildings and the people who strolled up and down the streets. It being the capital of Thorneborough, the number of buildings and people were many. Though the town had turned white as it had snowed earlier than the other lands, people’s clothes and coats kept the place vibrant.

Mr. and Mrs. Lowe house was farther away from the centre of the town, as the lands near the edge of the town were priced cheaper than the ones at the centre. The coachman pulled the carriage in front of the humble home of the Lowes.

“We have arrived at the Lowe’s house, Ms. Barlow,” the coachman informed her, right after opening the carriage door.

Eve stepped out of the carriage and thanked him, “Thank you for accompanying and bringing me here, Kieran.”

“It was a pleasure to be of your help,” the coachman bowed, and he said, “Let me bring the luggage down.”

“That would be very kind of you.”

Soon one of the servants of the Lowe family stepped out of the house, followed by a tall young man, who was Mr. and Mrs. Lowe’s son, Theophilus Lowe. He was in his early twenties. The man smiled at her, and Eve returned the smile.

“It is a pleasant surprise to see you here, Eve. Lady Aubrey mentioned that you were in Meadow,” Theophilus greeted her, and turned to his servant and ordered, “Bring Ms. Barlow’s things inside and keep it in the third guest room.”

When they came near, the man stepped forward and hugged her. Eve was glad she had made the right choice by coming to Berkshire. Theophilus was like her younger brother without the need to be connected by blood. At least, that is what it was for Eve, but the same could not be said when it came to the person who hugged her.