When Eve and Vincent finally arrived at Meadow, the carriage was driven to Dawson’s residence. Deep in thought, Eve stared outside the carriage’s window as she remembered what had happened between her and the townsfolk. She felt Vincent place his hand on her hand and she turned to look at him.
“Hold your head high, there is nothing you have to be ashamed or fear about. You don’t have to look down and walk because it wasn’t you who committed a wrong, but the others. Don’t care what others think, it will hurt less,” Vincent assured her, and Eve returned his words with a smile.
It wasn’t that Eve feared being looked down on, but it was that things couldn’t go back to the way it was before. Like the weather, the warmth of the people now felt empty and cold. If it weren’t for Eugene, whom she knew was in the house, she would have felt the town to be foreign.
As the carriage continued to move, Eve’s eyes fell on the roofs of the houses with hay, and her eyebrows furrowed. She asked, “Won’t the hay get wet once the snow melts and keep the houses cold for a longer time?” Right now, the hay might be protecting the house from the sun’s rays, but the snowfall was a step away from the lands in the East. It was only a matter of time before it experienced snow.
Vincent had used his other hand to support his face by placing it beneath his chin. “It will help them to enjoy Winter better,” he replied in an uncaring tone.
Eve looked away from the window and looked at Vincent with a question in her eyes. She asked him, “Did the council approve it?”
“Not exactly. It was someone from here, who proposed and wanted equality of status in terms of benefits,” Vincent’s eyes held mischief in them.
“My house too?” Eve asked him, and she saw one side of his lips pull.
“Yes. It is on top of your house,” he responded, staring at her. “But you don’t have to worry about it. You will be staying here for less than a week. We’ll need to take away any important items and things before the reconstruction of the house starts.”
Eve stared at him before giving him a nod.
“Allie will be very pleased to know that you will be returning to teach her after your vacation. I have other important things to attend to, will you be alright by yourself in my absence?” Vincent asked her, straightening his back, and he raised his hand to hold the piece of her hair and tuck it behind her ear.
Eve nodded, “Eugene is there in the house. I will be fine.” She knew Vincent had paused his work for her and had other matters to attend to. She assured him, “Don’t worry about me.”
Mr. Briggs pulled the horses’ reins to stop it right in front of the house and jumped on the ground to open the carriage door.
“It seems to be the hardest thing to do,” Vincent leaned forward and kissed her lips.
Eve cleared her throat because Mr. Briggs stood at the door.
At the same time, Eugene, who was inside the house, felt a slight headache forming in his head after hearing the sound of the carriage stopping in front of the house. He had been trying to evade the vampiress from stepping inside the house, and every time she showed up at the door, he felt as if his soul was going to leave his body.
He slowly walked towards the front of the window and took a peek. When his eyes fell on Eve stepping down from the carriage, his eyes brightened, and he quickly opened the door.
“Miss Eve!” Eugene exclaimed out of pure happiness at seeing her here.
“Eugene,” an unbridled smile appeared on Eve’s lips.
Mr. Briggs brought down Eve’s trunk and bag from the back of the carriage, taking it inside the house and placing it in the living room. On seeing Vincent, Eugene offered a bow to Eve’s employer.
“Everything going well here?” Vincent questioned the human.
“It has been extremely quiet here, Mr. Moriarty. Though I believe it is only in front of me and words still pass behind my back,” Eugene answered.
Vincent’s eyes shifted from the human to look at the house next to Dawson’s residence, the Edwards house. He noticed the slight movement of the curtain behind the window, and his eyes subtly narrowed. Turning back to Eve, he said, “I will see you later, Eve.”
Eve nodded, “Please be well yourself.”
She watched Vincent get inside the carriage, while Mr. Briggs offered her a bow and climbed on the driver’s seat, driving the carriage away from there and Meadow.
“I thought you were planning to stay in Berkshire with Lady Aubrey, Miss Eve. Did the vampire convince you to return?” Eugene asked Eve, while she noticed a few people stare at her from the corner of their eyes, but they didn’t dare to speak to her or look at her directly.
Eve looked away from the few townsfolk and started to walk towards the door’s house. She replied, “Yes, he did. How have you been doing?” She inquired. “I am sorry for leaving without meeting you.”
Eugene quickly shook his head, “Please don’t be, Miss Eve. I am glad that you took a little break away from here. You needed it. Me… I have been trying to keep myself alive,” he nervously chuckled.
“What do you mean?” Eve frowned.
He waved his hand, and once they entered the house, he closed the door, and Eve noticed another bolt added to hold the door. He said, “Miss Hooke has been visiting, looking for you. She seemed quite confident that you would return.”
Eve had been in a hurry to protect her heart and thoughts, that she had failed to write to Rosetta or Noah. The only difference was that she had met Noah before leaving for Berkshire. She responded, “I will go meet her. Thank you, Eugene.”
But not later than an hour, Eugene heard another sound of the carriage that stopped in front of the house, and with a little peek, he saw the spoiled vampiress step out of her carriage.
The terror was here, thought Eugene. Rosetta Hooke was back.
