Prologue
A tall man, dressed in all black, appeared in the waters of Beara Peninsula. He walked ashore, his clothes dripping dry of the ocean water. He swiped a stray water droplet of his cheek as he took in his surroundings. "Ireland, a beautiful country." He took a deep breath of the crisp and clean ocean air and sighed to himself. "Ah, what a wonderful place; so full of delectable opportunities.
He chuckled to himself at the thought of a fresh catch. It had been far too long since he had feasted. "Sixty-two years, I was a servant to my late master. I was trapped, bound to serve him until his wish had been fulfilled. In return, I got his soul." The man slowly walked away from the water and towards inland. "However, I later found out—to my displeasure—that his soul was to never be obtained. I was tied to serve him for all eternity; always at his side, always his faithful servant." The man smiled. "But in every contract, there is always a loop-hole." He looked down at his gloved hands. Always.
The sound of neighing horses drew the man's attention to a horse-drawn cart approaching at a leisurely pace down the road. He listened as two chirpy feminine voices rang through the air. "Did you hear, Lissie? The McCravin family is holding a ball this evening." "The McCravin family? Is that the immigrant family that moved here from England and into that mansion house by Dunboy castle?" "That's the one, Puxley mansion! I heard the head of the house was holding it in hopes of having his daughter, Edna, married. If you ask me, that girl is a headstrong firecracker asking for trouble." "God bless the man that gets her." The ladies' laughter died away as the carriage pulled out of sight.
The man grinned. "Edna. This could be very interesting and," He slowly licked his lips. "delicious."