After walking home from church and removing her cloak, Elizabeth strode into the kitchen
"Hello, Lizzy. Has confession ended yet?" Jane asked as she strolled in.
"No, there were two or three people behind me; if you hurry, you should make it. No, here, take my cloak, for it's quite cold in the church," Lizzy said, handing her sister her cloak as she rushed past to reach the door.
"Thank you, Lizzy. Don't worry, I shan't be gone long. And if Charles asks, be sure to tell him where I've gone," Jane instructed as she hurried out the door.
Chuckling to herself at the irony of a vampire hurrying to confession, Lizzy walked to the main hall. Looking up the stairwell, she saw her niece scampering down the stairs.
"Aunt Lizzy, Mrs. Garison says I have to go to bed, but I don't want to," Victoria said as she jumped into Lizzy's waiting arms.
"Well, little one, Mrs. Garison is right." Setting the child down, Lizzy continued. "But if you get ready and are in bed by the time I come upstairs, I'll tell you a story. How does that sound? Can you do that for me?"
"Alright!" Victoria said as she scrambled up the starts, grabbing Mrs. Garison's hand and dragging her to her room.
"Thank you, Mrs. Darcy, thank you!" Mrs. Garison said heartfully.
"Of course, Mrs. Garrison," Lizzy said with a smile. She knew how difficult Victoria could be when she didn't want to go to bed.
Still smiling, Lizzy made her way to the parlour. Upon reaching the parlour, she informed Charles that Jane had gone to confession and would return in roughly half an hour.
"Thank you, Lizzy. By the way, what did you promise Vicky if she got ready for bed?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, just a story if she were ready by the time I went upstairs," Lizzy said with a little laugh.
"Of course. Don't know why I didn't think of that myself. She always had loved a good story. Also, there came a letter for you while you were at confession. I put it on your desk," he said.
"Thank you. If you'll excuse me, Victoria should be ready by now and I believe I'm going to retire early myself, after I attend to the letter. Good night, Charles," Lizzy side with a little curtsy as she quit the room.
"Hello, Aunt Lizzy," came a quiet voice from the left side of the door.
"Goodness, Johnathon! I had no idea you were there," Lizzy exclaimed. "Come now, surely it's time you got ready for bed."
"Oh, alright, I suppose. Might I escort you to my sister's room?" he asked gallantly, holding out his arm. Faintly, they heard Charles laughing from behind the closed parlour door.
"Of course, Johnathon," Elizabeth said as she took his arm and allowed him to lead her up the stairs. "You are so much like your uncle, always creeping up silently and so proper. A perfect gentleman, exactly what we need nowadays."
"Thank you, Aunt Lizzy. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to Uncle Darcy? You rarely ever talk about him," Johnathon said.
"Your Uncle Darcy got ran over by a carriage, I'm afraid. It was so sudden. One moment the carriage was there, and the next it was right on top of him," Elizabeth said sadly. "If you'll excuse me, we've arrived at your sister's room," she continued, curtsying to her nephew after pulling her hand from his elbow.