Millicent's Surprise

by l8nytsimmer

Naive Millicent Collins is confronted by the greedy, Sukie Forbes, whose intention is blackmail. Millicent however has a secret surpise. She turns the tables on the unsuspecting Sukie, sinking her fangs into Sukie's throat.

MILLICENT'S SURPRISE

BY

GLORIA J PUEL

The tension in the air was palpable. It hung heavy in the air, like a thick, black shroud, and seemed to envelop everything in the room. Outside the great house, a strong South-Easterly wind blowing in from the surrounding sea, bent the trees, and buffeted the stout, white-stucco walls of the manor. It drove the steadily falling rain against the glass of the French Doors.

Two women sat in the stately Drawing Room, facing one another. Both were young, flaxen-haired and fair. Blue eyes glistened in the room light. One face, though striking, was also worldly, and deceitful. The other was open, pure, sweet. Her pale face wore a blush of youth. A smile turned up the corners of her small mouth. Seated across from her, the other woman was also smiling, but there was no kindness in it.

"Honestly," the younger woman said, as she bent over the silver service, arranged on the coffee table, to pour tea into delicate, china cups. I really am delighted that you stopped by this evening, Sukie. I'm all alone here, and this awful storm sounds as though it's only going to get worse!"

"It was kind of you to invite me, Millicent, Dear," Sukie Forbes responded. She was sitting primly on the plush, velvety settee, and reached forward with a slender, well-groomed hand to accept the cup that her hostess offered.

"I had expected Nathan to be here," Millicent Collins said, in her usual, effervescent manner. But, I had a message from him earlier, saying he had to attend some sort of officer's staff meeting. I'm sure it was all terribly important!"

"Oh, yes. Important."

"All of this Naval activity, is ever so exciting! It's the kind of life I've always dreamed of having!"

"Really? That is interesting. For a lady of your station, I mean. I've always found this

Page 2.

military hubbub to be a bore."

Millicent used a small, delicate, white hand, to raise her cup to her lips. "Why do you find it boring?" She asked.

"Oh…I suppose it's all the male posturing, and secrecy. Nathan's having to sail off in the middle of the night to places I've never heard of. Collinsport, for instance."

"You've never heard of Collinsport?"

Sukie shrugged. "No. Not until I decided to inquire about my brother's whereabouts."

"I suppose it is a very small town, when compared to your home in Baltimore."

"Yes. Very small. You aren't from Collinsport either, I've heard."

"No, I'm not. I've lived most of my life in Boston."

"Why did you decide to move here, to Maine?" Sukie asked, here voice tinged with suspicion. "The weather is absolutely abominable. It's always so windy, and damp. And in the winters are terribly long, and bitter cold. I abhor being cold!"

"Oh, I don't mind, really. My Cousin Joshua had this house built to stand up to the weather. It's always so cozy in here, no matter what the weather is like."

"Have you spent a winter here, yet?"

"Well, no, but…"

"So, you have yet to experience winter in Maine."

Millicent giggled merrily. "I'm not worried about it at all. Collinwood will keep us all snug and safe, I'm sure!" She got to her feet, and went to stand by the French doors. Rain pattered against the glass panes. The myriad tiny droplets glistened, gem-like in the room light.

"It's very odd," Millicent said, her tone pensive. "I never noticed how beautiful the gardens were at night. In this rain, everything seems to glisten!"

"You like the rain?"

Millicent breathed a wistful sigh. "I never thought about it before. But, yes, yes, I really do.

Page 3.

The rain seems to bring everything to life. And the night…is so very lovely, and comforting."

Sukie stood. "The night? Comforting?"

"Oh, yes! Everything is so different in the night!"

"Different? I find it rather spooky."

Sukie went to the ornate fireplace, and stood somberly, staring into the dancing, swaying blaze. The wood crackled and snapped as it was consumed by the wavering tongues of flame, firing off tiny, glowing sparks. "On nights like this, I always stay near the fire."

"I might fancy a walk in the gardens, we're it not for the rain. Cousin Joshua would become to worried if I got wet."

"And, so he should. You could catch your death on a night like this."

A smile slowly moved across Millicent's round, appealing face. Her azure eyes, glistened mischievously. "Oh, I don't think so, somehow."

Sukie, turned to her. "Millicent? How much do you know about Nathan? How much has he told you?"

"We know each other quite well, the Lieutenant, and I."

"He forgot to tell you about me."

"I'm sure he would have…eventually."

A brilliant blade of lightning ripped through the night sky. For a moment, the gardens beyond the French Doors were brightened by a blue radiance. Millicent could pick out bits of color amid the waving blooms in the flowerbeds and lush bushes of roses.

"But, don't you find it odd, that Nathan neglected to tell you had a sister? Don't you wonder what else he's forgotten to tell you?"

As Millicent turned, her long, blond curls bounced, and bobbed appealingly. "Are you saying that my fiancée is keeping secrets from me?"

Page 4.

"Well, I can't help but wonder," Sukie's tone was laced with insinuation. "You see…Nathan has always longed to live the good life, the life of a gentleman. And, you, Dear Millicent, are a lady of considerable means. Haven't you ever wondered if Nathan might -"

"No!" The other woman cut her off, abruptly. "No, I haven't! I know that I'm not the most learned of women, nor am I at all experienced in the ways of the world. My family has always sheltered me. But, I do know Nathan. He loves me, and I love him! I have no intension of losing him, now or ever!"

Sukie went to her, and gently grasped her small shoulders. "Millicent, I've only known you for a few days, but I've come to find you a very dear person. I care very much about what happens to you."

Millicent's small chin lifted proudly. "Nathan would never hurt me!"

"Oh, my Dear, how am I going to tell this to you," Sukie feigned concern for the younger woman. Her face wore a troubled expression. "Nathan is not always the Gentleman Lieutenant he pretends to be. He has a fondness for pretty young girls. There have been many, in many ports of call. They are always young, and blond, small and charming. Nathan is so very handsome. He has a way about him, a suave courteousness, and a chivalrous manner. His smile, those blue eyes of his…sometimes I think he could charm the devil himself!"

Millicent's brow furrowed in an irritated from. She jerked her shoulders free of her guest's grasp, turned her back, and walked to stand near the fireplace. "I'll thank you not to talk about the devil, and deception in this house! We have been…We have had our troubles recently, with tragic events, and great sadness. Cousin Jerimiah's death, was so sudden. Grief caused Cousin Barnabas to exile himself in England. Sweet little Sarah, is barely cold in her grave! It's all because of the witch, Victoria Winters, who has taken it on herself to bring so much pain to our family. Cousin Abigail and Reverend Trask say…"

Page 5.

"I've heard talk in the village about a witch," Sukie cut in. "There is going to be a trial."

"It won't be too soon for my liking!"

"I'm so sorry about your family, Millicent. Nathan mentioned how fond you were of your Cousin Barnabas."

Millicent sighed, once again. "Yes. Dear Cousin Barnabas. Always so gentle and kind to me. Always a perfect Gentleman. I love him so very much!"

Sukie frowned. "Love him? He's gone to England. You speak as though you've only just spoken with him!"

An impish smile moved across Millicent's face. "Of course I haven't seen," she said. A roguish gleam danced in her eyes. "But, I love him all the same. I like to pretend that he is nearby, watching over me. Do you know, Sukie, that my whimsical belief in my cousin's nearness is rubbing off on my Lieutenant."

Millicent turned to the other woman, and smiled mischievously. As she crossed the opulent, pre-Victorian room, her satiny, ankle-length gown whispered softly with each moment. "Why just the other evening, Nathan thought he saw Cousin Barnabas standing in the shadows near the road!"

Sukie adjusted her white lace shawl about her shoulders. "Nathan saw your cousin?"

The younger girl raised a hand timidly to her face as she tittered girlishly. "He was quite convinced of it!"

"But, that isn't possible. You told me your cousin's ship had sailed…"

"I did tell you that. Didn't I?"

Sukie frowned with impatience. "I'm afraid I don't understand the joke."

Millicent giggled. "You think I'm joking?"

"You'll forgive me for being blunt, but I'm sure you're enjoying some sort of amusement

Page 6.

at my expense!"

"Oh, I would never dream of doing that!"

"Millicent," Sukie's tone suddenly became gruff. Her features hardened, blue eyes narrowed. "I think the time has come for us to be truthful with each other."

"Whatever do you mean?" The younger woman feigned innocence.

"Nathan hasn't told you the truth about me."

"Sukie, Dear, Nathan hasn't told me anything about you."

"I'm not a bit surprised."

Once again, Millicent sighed. This time her irritation was apparent. "Why don't you tell me what you've been hinting at for the past three days? You haven't come all the way to Collinsport just to visit your long absent brother. I was aware of that from the moment you arrived at our front door. Nathan wasn't in the least bit happy to see you."

"I'm sure he wasn't."

"In fact," Millicent continued, folding her slender arms across her chest, haughtily. "Nathan was at once very uncomfortable!"

Sukie nodded. A spark of anger flashed in her eyes. "With good reason."

Millicent proudly crossed the carpeted, dark-paneled room to stand near the long, burnished sideboard. Her fingertips traced the sumptuous carvings etched into the rich, dark wood. "I have to tell you that I also have friends in the village. Among them is Amelia Mooney, wife of the innkeeper at The Eagle. We had tea together last evening, Amelia and I. She mentioned that she had seen you waiting at the Depot for the morning coach."

"Is that so?" Sukie said, her tone had a sharp bite of bitchiness.

"Yes," Millicent said, and smiled, surreptitiously. "Amelia saw Nathan waiting there with you. She said you appeared to be arguing. Amelia saw Nathan press a sheaf of paper money into your hand."

Page 7.

Sukie frowned arrogantly. "Nathan gave me four hundred dollars. He gives me money

quite regularly, you know. He is my sole support."

Millicent turned abruptly, and her long, curls bobbed about her face. "It's very good of my Lieutenant to look after you."

"We have an…arrangement."

"Do you?"

"He sends me money every month. In return…I stay out of sight, and live life as I please. Nathan lives as he chooses to."

"What an unusual arrangement," Millicent said, tartly.

"It had been equitable," Sukie retorted. "Now, however, it has become quite insufficient. My tastes have changed since I've seen Collinwood."

"Oh, I'm sure they have!"

"Nathan stands to procure a considerable estate when he marries you. I want part of it!"

"You are so blatantly apparent!" Millicent countered, her voice laced with venom. "You are a salacious, opportunist! A greedy pretender, who cares nothing for anyone but herself!"

Sukie laughed loudly. "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

"We'll, you've come to the wrong place, Madam! You will not get a single cent from me!"

"Oh, I think I will!" Sukie continued to laugh at the other woman, as she swaggered across the room. "I have a secret that will cause the Collins family so much scandal they will be humiliated for generations!"

"Cousin Joshua wouldn't stand for it! Not for a single moment!"

"Imagine Cousin Joshua's reaction when he learns that I am not Nathan Forbes' sister. He'll positively swoon when he discovers that I am his legally wedded wife!"

"Liar!" Millicent snarled.

Sukie laughed in her face. "He must! I have a marriage license to prove it!"

Page 8.

"A…marriage…license?"

"A legally signed and sealed document!"

Millicent turned on her heel, and stamped across the room. Her charming, round face was suddenly livid with rage. An unadulterated animal hatred flashed in her azure eyes. Her small mouth was a hard, straight line. For a moment, she paced the room in cat-like fashion.

Ultimately, she turned to the other woman. "I will pay you five thousand dollars, in cash, to leave Collinsport on the morning coach, and divorce Nathan the moment you get back to Baltimore!"

Sukie threw back her head and laughed, mockingly. "Five thousand! You must be joking! You pay that much for a single gown! I'm not a fool, my dear!"

"Nor am I!" Millicent spat. Her eyes were filled with fury. The detestation she felt for the other woman was apparent in every word, every movement of her slender body. "Alright! I'll give you ten thousand in cash! And another two thousand in gold, when the divorce is final!"

"Seventeen thousand?" Sukie's smile was insidious. "It's sounding better. However…" She went to stand in the grand doorway of the Drawing Room. "I have quite expensive tastes. I intend to return to Baltimore as a lady! My dear, Millicent, I want to travel the world. I want to wear gowns made in Paris, and experience the sparkle of real diamonds!"

"You go too far!" Millicent hissed. Her hands were clenched in tight fists.

"A hundred and fifty thousand…yes, that's a nice number. That will do to start…"

"A hundred fifty…"

"For now. I may need more…later."

"You may need more…" Millicent strode to the French doors. In the darkness beyond the rain spattered panes, a figure stepped from the shadows. He was a tall man, affluently dressed in dark clothes, and a long, flowing cloak. A large brooch, pinned to his satin vest, scintillated in the

Page 9.

moonlight. In his right hand, he clutched a silver-headed cane. The stranger's features were gaunt, but handsome. Dark, somber eyes looked out menacingly from under his high, aristocratic

brow.

When she beheld her visitor, Millicent's lips formed a satisfied smile.

"Barnabas…" she whispered. "You always know when I need you…"

"What did you say?" Sukie asked.

Millicent turned. "I said that I would not pay a blackmailer!"

"Blackmail? Such an unpleasant word."

"I would have paid you," Millicent went on, without hearing a word the other woman said. "I would have given you enough money to live very well for a very long time. All I wanted was a timely divorce for Nathan."

"I have every intention of divorcing Nathan, my dear. But, I insist on being well rewarded for the gesture. I can even wait a day or so for you to decide…"

"I have decided, Mrs. Forbes! You will have nothing! Not a single penny!"

Sukie laughed. "I don't think you realize what I can do to this family…"

"You will do nothing! You are nothing! I will pay you nothing!"

The other woman's face contorted with anger. "Then by morning everyone in the state of Maine will know about the Collins family! Everyone one will hear about the reprehensible Millicent Collins who knowingly allowed herself to be courted by a married man! I can't wait to witness Joshua Collins' reaction to this scandalous revelation!"

"Cousin Joshua!"

"Oh, yes, my dear! Joshua, who values family pride and the Collins name above all else! Joshua who enjoys lording his money and lofty station over the rest of the world! The same Joshua who is no doubt making certain that his cousin's courtship is ever so proper! He will have a heart attack when he hears you've been cavorting with a married man!"

Page 10.

Millicent's pale features flushed with fury! Her eyes were filled with loathing. When she spoke, her voice was thick with rancor. "You will say nothing! Nothing!"

"I'm afraid that you are quite mistaken!"

Unexpectedly, and quite without warning, Millicent's lovely face contorted with animal-like rage. Her lips parted in a snarl, then opened to reveal long, sharp, pointed fangs. A terrifying growl spewed from her throat.

"Oh my God! What are you?"

"I am the last thing you will ever see!" Millicent hissed.

In a heartbeat she was on the other woman, clasping Sukie's shoulders in a steely grasp. Long fangs went deep into the soft flesh of Sukie's throat. The older woman screamed in terror and agony. She could feel her life's blood being drained from her. Before her eyes, the opulent Drawing Room spun crazily. Her ears throbbed with her attacker's insane, animalistic growl.

Somewhere nearby a man was laughing in a resonant baritone. A cloaked figure loomed over Sukie. It reached out with a masculine hand, and grasped her shoulder. A gold ring, with a large, black onyx stone gleamed from the index finger.

"You will not humiliate this family!" The man growled. Sukie recognized the voice.

"Barnabas…Barnabas Collins!"

Millicent laughed. Her charming face was smeared with blood. Crimson droplets drooled from her diminutive mouth. Pointed, white fangs glistened in the room light.

"Yes, my dear, Sukie! Millicent mocked. "Barnabas! You see, my cousin did not go to England, after all. "

"Why…"

"Because he has changed, you see. He has a wonderful secret, and he's shared it with me!"

"You're…"

Page 11.

"Go ahead, Sukie. Say it!"

"Vampire!"

Millicent laughed loudly. Barnabas' voice joined in.

Sukie's heart raced with terror. Pangs of dread grasped her midsection in powerful, steely claws, and the sickening sensation rapidly radiated upward into her chest. Her skin dimpled with gooseflesh. She felt cold all over, numb. Sukie knew that her life was slipping away.

"When morning comes you will be gone, "Millicent giggled, happily. "Poor, Sukie! She just didn't like Collinsport. It was much too cold!"

"And there is nothing here," Barnabas joined in, his voice mocking. "No shops or theaters, or garden clubs…"

"She couldn't wait to get back to Baltimore, and civilization!"

Sukie uttered a startled cry as once again, razor sharp fangs went deep into the soft flesh of her throat. The scene whirled sickening before her eyes. Slowly, darkness swept in and enveloped her.

THE END