Where the road had seemed to end on Google, there lay tarmac, brown in colour so it was feasible it could have blended in to the surroundings. I came to a gate about a half-mile up the mountain from where the brown tarmac began. To the left of me was a cliff face to the right a steep drop. As I approached, the gate slid open, and a camera perched on top followed my car till I was out of view of it.
"She's on her way",
A woman's whisper very clearly in the car. I was so startled I slammed on the brakes. I swung round in the two-seater to see where the voice had come from; naturally there was nothing and no one there. I checked my mobile it didn't have a signal. The radio was off; there was a sheer cliff to my left and a sheer drop to my right, where the heck had the voice come from?
Several miles up the mountain, I turned a bend and found a castle had been built into the cliff face, I certainly hadn't seen that on Google. The peak of the mountain appeared to be just above. The land in front had been transformed into a car park with enough room for ten cars, with a fountain in
the middle of a small drive.
The car park was practically full. I knew there would be another seven candidates, and it appeared I was the last to arrive. I hadn't been able to drive in the Louboutin pumps, so I changed into them before I exited the car, grabbing my father's briefcase off the floor. With a quick check in the mirror I got out of the car and made my way to the door.
The castle was very impressive and its situation phenomenal. The rock had been cut away and the castle slotted in. I imagined it to be rather dark inside with no windows at the back or sides.
The door slid open as I approached and a woman greeted me, probably about sixty-five years of age. I guessed she must be the housekeeper. She greeted me with a huge smile and I warmed to her instantly, I would have felt quite comfortable throwing my arms around her and giving her a hug even though I wasn't a tactile person, it took all my will power not to grab hold of her.
Her smile was warm and enthusiastic; she said my name and told me I was expected, beckoning me through the hallway. Her eyes smiled at me and seemed so young in such an old face. She showed me into a reception room containing seven other women who all looked round as I entered, and one man whose attention was caught by a petite blonde in the corner.
The man looked round, nodded once at the housekeeper, once at me and returned his attention to the blonde. I was suddenly irritated; as illogical as I knew it was, I suddenly wanted to run over and rip her head off her shoulders. I immediately knew the eight or so hours was a wasted journey, this twenty year old who probably had no experience in administration, probably not even in office work, was going to get the job, because her primary skill was in the bedroom giving head, and opening her legs to her boss, who I assumed would be the man whose attention she now demanded. I turned my irritated gaze to him and realized there weren't many women who wouldn't drop their knickers for him, the phrase devastatingly handsome just didn't cover it. He had a face that would stop any female in her tracks at twenty paces, and a body that would make Adonis humble, his muscular torso could be plainly seen through the tight fawn sweater he wore.
My train of thought suddenly knocked me sideways as I realized I had never looked at another man in such a way, I had only ever had eyes for Ralph. For a split second I felt guilty, then I remembered that, that fidelity wasn't returned.
I needed the toilet pretty desperately and as I turned toward the door the housekeeper appeared with two trays of food. She gave me directions to the toilet down the hall. She smiled as she talked and again I got the overwhelming urge to hug her like a friend I hadn't seen for a long time. Her eyes so black I couldn't see where her pupils ended and her irises began, eyes that still lit as she talked to me with such wonderful warmth it radiated from her. She spoke with a slight accent I couldn't quite place, but her English was absolutely perfect.
I set off down the hall and was surprised to find it very light and airy even for the lack of windows. I passed two closed doors and found the visitors' toilet just before the door at the end of the hall marked 'kitchen'.
On my way back to the reception room one of the doors that had been closed was now open. I looked in as I passed and stopped in my tracks. On the far wall was a huge painting, at least seven by twelve feet; it took up much of the windowless wall.
The scene was of a couple on what looked like a night hunt, though the dogs looked more like huskies than blood hounds and the dress was seventeenth maybe eighteenth century. The woman dressed in a long blue coat had long black curly hair and she was holding hands with the gentleman and they were looking at each other lovingly. The print was so large and lifelike for a split second I was there on the hunt that night watching the couple.
I felt something wet touch my fingertips, I looked down to find a husky licking my fingers, she could have stepped right out of the painting so like her predecessors was she. She stopped, turned back toward the door as if she had been called and ran from the room.
"The mistress is back." I heard someone say. 'HA' I thought, that would put a spanner in the blondes works. I thought back to my Caitlin, she was young, beautiful and blonde and men flocked to her, but she didn't flirt, she didn't have to, why did some women have to be whorish?
I turned my attention back to the print wondering whether I should just leave, I tugged at my short black hair subconsciously as I thought back to the blonde with her long bouncy curls and her big blue eyes, and her flirty demeanour, even the way she stood was irritating. Her weight shifted to her left leg while she rested the toe of her right foot lightly on the floor the leg bent slightly at the knee, every sinew screaming flirt.
"She's very beautiful isn't she?"
I was snapped from my reverie by a voice at my ear. I jumped and yelped as I turned to find the gentleman from the reception room stood next to me. I could usually sense someone approaching, but I had been so caught up in my memory of the irritating woman, I hadn't noticed him
enter.
He repeated his question and introduced himself as Rad Frumo, but made no move to shake hands. For the first time in my life I suddenly felt like a foolish schoolgirl, I realised my thoughts were jumbled and I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but how good looking he was, nobody had ever had this affect on me, not even Ralph.
I introduced myself and turned my attention back to the painting in order to be able to continue the conversation, it was easier to collect my thoughts when I wasn't looking him in the eye. Considering I hadn't been aware of him entering the room, I was suddenly totally aware of him with every sinew in my body. A ridiculous way for a forty-three year old to react.
I asked about the couple in the print, he answered that she was a noblewoman and he was a prince. He smiled as he said her name Sophia Kisslinger of Braşov.
I stopped smiling, her name was so familiar to me, like a name I'd known always "She was beheaded." I stated quite matter of fact before I realised I had uttered the words out loud. That was one of those moments where I realised I was being silly, I must have had Pete's murder playing on my mind, and there is no way I could have known that.
"Yes, she was, but how did you…?" he left the question hanging in the air, and I didn't have an answer for him. Quite simply I didn't and issued a mumbled excuse about it being coincidence or I'd learned it in some history lesson somewhere and mumbled an apology. In my minds eye however I saw Sophia very clearly, standing in a chapel, as a sword swung round and cut off her head.
I changed the subject by apologising for wandering through his house uninvited and we turned to return to the reception room. In the hall we met the dog again and she came to me, head bowed tail wagging. Rad was pleased she had taken to me and joked that she was one of the interview techniques, all candidates had to pass the 'Lady' test. I laughed, she had the same name as my father's dog, what a coincidence.
As we walked back to the reception room Rad was explaining about wanting to spend some time with each of the candidates and apologised for not introducing himself properly earlier. As he spoke the irritating blonde came out of the reception room. Even though I was mid sentence in my reply, she spoke over me as though I wasn't there and asked him where the toilet was giving me a sideways glance as she did, and the resulting sneer told me she saw me as no threat to her, Lady decided she didn't like this rude woman either and promptly growled at her. The woman made a huge fuss about being attacked by 'that mutt' and promptly flung herself into Rad's arms incredibly dramatically, it was like a scene from a 1920's movie, damsel not really in distress, throwing herself at the nearest thing with a penis. Rad told Lady that was enough and she slinked away toward the door marked kitchen, pushed it open and disappeared. Rad was telling 'Annabel' that there really was no need to worry, that the dog didn't bite, but Annabel was having none of it, she demanded he escorted her to the toilet "in case that beast comes back and attacks me". I gestured to Rad to go with her and made my own way back to the reception room.
When we were all back in the reception room Rad gained everyone's attention and explained that this evening was about getting to know everyone and the formal interviews would take place the following day. He said he couldn't stress enough how important to him this position was and it was immensely important that he hired the right person for the job, and how he didn't think he could know that in one formal interview. He said he had no intention of discussing business or the position that night. What an incredibly clever thing to do, to spend a few hours with us getting to know us in order to find out which one of us had the right credentials. Interviews were well rehearsed, a gathering in a relaxed atmosphere would get people to open up and be more themselves as Annabel quite promptly proved.
Rad came back over to me, Annabel followed. He motioned me toward the food. Annabel stayed glued to his side. In the end, he asked her to go and mingle. She declined, and quite smugly I could see she was irritating him as well. I made my way over to two women I had spoken to earlier and left Rad to move on to the next candidate, with Annabel glued firmly to his side.
Christine was about my age, she had the warmest, funniest personality, she was a big woman with a big personality, and I guessed a big heart to match. Charlene, was blonde, slender, stunning, about 25 years old, with a quiet personality but she was good company and a lot of fun to be around after her second glass of wine. She was far better looking than Annabel, but without the whorish, self centred, selfish attitude Annabel possessed, I warmed to Charlene immediately, and secretly hoped that if Rad wanted eye candy, Charlene would be his choice, not Annabel. Looking round the room I could see some of the candidates were in far more need of this position than I was. A week ago I had been panicking about paying the bills, now I knew that my parents would handle everything until the sale of the land went through. I didn't really need this job, but I did really want it.
A while later Nikolai came to the door and caught Rad's attention. Rad broke away from the
ladies who had gone over now to talk to him, in fact all the ladies except Christine, Charlene and myself had gathered round him. They both looked in my direction for a moment or so I thought, then I thought I was being totally ridiculous. Nikolai's face broke out into a huge grin and then he did look straight at me and his wholehearted warm grin lit up the room in his elderly face, I instinctively waved, he waved back. That's when it hit me, this was the first time I'd seen this elderly gent, I really had no idea that his name was Nikolai. As I turned back Christine had been surveying the exchange with interest and asked me if I knew him. I lied and told her I'd met him in the corridor when I went to the toilet. I did catch the suspicious look on her face. Rad left the room with Nikolai and Annabel suddenly came over to us. We stopped our conversation dead in its tracks because we had been talking about what a shameless tramp she was. Without warning she launched into a reverie about how famously her and Rad were getting on and how he was showering her with attention and how she already knew she had the position, at which she flicked her hair back, giving me the filthiest of looks. I said I thought Charlene had the position as even though Rad had been over there with them, his eyes had remained very fixedly on Charlene. I hadn't actually noticed who or where he was looking, I'd been having such a wonderful time with Christine and Charlene. As Annabel walked away Christine made a comment that she thought Rad had actually been looking more in my direction, Charlene agreed, I simply laughed, 'yeah right!' I said.
The evening passed pleasantly, whenever Rad came over to speak to us three 'outsiders' the rest of the group followed. He rolled his eyes when he tried for the third time and we laughed. I decided I was tired from the days travel and after exchanging telephone numbers with Charlene and Christine decided to make my way to bed. As I stood up Rad was at my side, offering to show me to my 'dormitory'. The look on Annabel's face was a picture, I gave him thanks, and though I could have found it myself if he had told me where it was, as he insisted, I decided to let him take me. We were both quite astounded when Annabel turned to accompany us. She stated that she was going to bed too, and that Rad could show me where my room was and then show her. Rad clicked his fingers and Nicolai appeared, he told Nicolai to show Annabel to her room. The look on her face I would have actually paid to see. In all honesty I have never taken such a dislike to anyone in my entire existence as I did that woman, and I couldn't help shooting a smirk at her over my shoulder.
We went up two flights of stairs and through a doorway.
"So who would you choose to be my assistant?"
The question took me a little by surprise as he motioned me toward a door that I took led to my dormitory. I asked him why he asked, he told me straight, I had run a farm for twenty-three years, in that time I had hired and fired farmhands, it stood to reason I would know what I was looking for. The stance he assumed at the door took me more by surprise. This was a man who was used to getting his own way, moreover using any means fair or foul to get it. I quickly realised I was never here in a prospective employee capacity, only ever in an advisory capacity. Rad adopted flirt mode, as I said fair means or foul. He leaned against the wall with his forearm, shooting his most smouldering look at me, running his free hand through his hair. For a moment I was most flattered, then reality hit, there were two absolutely beautiful girls half my age gagging for him, why the hell would he give me a second glance. He wanted free advice. So he got it.
As angry as I was, I told him straight. If he wanted eye candy with a pair of open legs, then Annabel was the right choice. If he wanted eye candy with brains and capability, someone he could trust to do the job properly, then Charlene was the right choice. If he wanted someone who would be trustworthy, capable, wouldn't miss anything or overlook anything, then Christine was the correct choice. As for the other four ladies I couldn't comment.
"What about you?"
I looked him straight in the eye; my honest appraisal had obviously struck a chord.
"I don't want the job anymore." I had chance to register the look of shock on his face before I opened the 'dormitory' door and went through it closing it deftly behind me.
I leaned with my back against the door. Why had I said that? I did want this position, more than anything I DID want this job. I felt something move on the other side of the door, I could envisage Rad leaning symmetrically to me.
"Oh yes you do." He said simply, I felt him push off from the door and heard his footsteps walk away down the corridor. Only when he had gone was I aware that I was shaking. I was aware of three other things, no man had the right to have this effect on me, and no man had the right to KNOW he had this affect on me, and thirdly I was being bloody stupid letting a man have this effect on me, especially one who had no interest in me other than in my professional expertise in hiring and firing farm hands. I decided it was my common sense telling me not to take the job, even if it were offered, which now looked highly unlikely anyway, I decided to leave first thing in the morning and save myself the humiliation of the interview.
I switched the light on and jumped, there was something on the bed, then the something started wagging its tail and looking at me very dolefully, if she could have spoken Lady would have said, 'let me stay, please'. I had half a mind to, but she'd probably be missed or might make a mess, so I gave her a big fuss and then guided her to the door, and with a kiss on her nose, and a big 'very' sloppy kiss in return, sent her on her way.
I turned my attention to the room then in awe. The Queen Anne four-poster in mahogany with crimson drapes was simply superb. Crimson seemed to be the theme running throughout the room, dark red wood flooring with a crimson and white rug, so deep it buried my toes, crimson satin bedding, crimson crushed velvet drapes, I saw light behind and even though it was night time, stupidly I imagined a window behind but it was a light box. A mahogany dresser, and to finish it off a gothic style light fitting. All in all rather fantastic.
The room was en-suite so I made my way to the bathroom to shower and change for bed. The ornate fixtures and fittings were indeed as splendid as anything the bedroom had to offer, and the gothic theme ran throughout.
After I was showered I pulled the sheets back and climbed into the huge bed, I sank swiftly into the soft deep mattress and as soon as my head hit the pillow I went out like a light.
"She's dead!"
I'm not sure when exactly I was aware there was a problem, I'm almost sure it was before I awoke, but hearing those two words clinched it, moreover because I thought it was being said about me.
I grabbed a robe, and headed to the door. There was a lot of activity somewhere in the house, but not this far up, so I made my way down to the first floor. Here I met Christine who was looking intently at a closed door.
"One of the dogs attacked Annabel, and from what I can gather, I think she's dead."
It took a moment for me to realise that she meant Annabel was dead. I knew at this juncture I should feel or at least feign concern, but I couldn't, so I went back to bed.
I lay on the bed and 'nothing'. I knew I should feel something, anything, but there was just nothing. It wasn't even like I was numb with shock. I just didn't care. I lay there thinking about the farm, Caitlin, my cell phone, I even tried to feel pity for Annabel, but nothing came. Then I wondered which dog had killed her, I knew it couldn't have been 'Lady', she was far too sweet, what a co-incidence she had the same name as my fathers dog. There must be another dog somewhere round here.
I realised three things in quick succession. First my hair was longer than it had been when I got in to bed, not by much, but definitely longer. Second I wasn't in my nightclothes, definitely not wearing what I went to bed in. Thirdly I had a boil on my neck the size of Mount Everest, that was too sore to touch let alone burst and it was making my whole neck throb.
I ran to the bathroom, to look in the mirror, there was definite hair growth, I had coloured my hair earlier in the week, there was no way it could have grown a centimetre in three days, but there it was a centimetre of my natural very dark brown against the black of the dyed hair, at least there didn't appear to be any grey. As for the night-clothes I had no idea. My flannelette pyjamas had been replaced with a crimson satin negligee, and the robe I had grabbed had been a crimson full-length lace gown. I could explain putting the robe on, but I had no idea how the negligee had got on, or where my pyjamas had gone too, it was all quite worrying.
I was ripped from my reverie by the housekeeper knocking on the door and walking in. When I asked about my pyjamas she gave me a very strange look, then shrugged her shoulders. Moreover she started humming as she batted down the bed, quite clearly cutting any further conversation dead. Eventually she left, bowing out of the room backwards, smiling all the while.
I decided at that moment I was leaving. It all seemed like something out of the twilight zone and it was beginning to give me the heebie-jeebies. I quickly showered, dried my hair, put my face on, dressed casually and opened the bedroom door.
"She remembers nothing."
I heard the whisper quite clearly but had no idea from which direction it came, or had any idea to whom it pertained. Wild thoughts started running round my head. After the incident with the negligee, I even entertained the idea that I had been the subject of some cruel experiment or hoax, probably by some animal rights extremists trying to get at my father and probably set up by the whore who'd been sleeping with my husband. As I reached the top of the stairs Rad stepped out of the shadows.
He looked drawn, for a moment I entertained the idea it might be because Annabel had been found in the early hours, then I wondered if it could be because he was rumbled and I was quite obviously making my escape, my not being in a suit for an interview should give that away.
He looked as if he had been up all night, his skin, for all its olive caste seemed gray underneath. His lips were tinged slightly blue as if he were suffering from a circulation problem, and the dark circles under his eyes screamed of one sleepless night too many. For all that he still cut a pretty incredible figure, especially here in the half light of the stairwell.
He wore an expensive navy blue suit with silk tie. He advised me the police wanted to interview everyone who had been staying at the house the night before and escorted me to an office on the ground floor.
As we entered, he introduced me and left. I turned to face the officer. A plain clothes detective sat behind an expensive mahogany desk. He was bald and overweight, probably about forty-five, looked a lot older, and if I didn't believe he were a cop I'd probably think he were a rapist. He had nasty little piggy eyes set in a big round face. The thought crossed my mind about a hoax, so I asked him for some identification. If this were a hoax or experiment I was stopping it now. He handed me his identification and I sat down.
The questioning began fairly straight forward enough. What time had I seen Annabel last? Where had that been? Who had she been with? It didn't take me long to realise the questioning was aimed at a suspicious death, which I supposed death by vicious dog could be deemed suspicious.
Then the questioning got a little more personal. What was my opinion of Annabel? Did I like or dislike her? I told him straight, what little I knew of her I didn't like. I didn't like her behaviour. I didn't like her attitude. I didn't like the way she used her appearance and sexual prowess to gain an unfair advantage on the other candidates.
The policeman's brow furrowed. He asked what I thought Annabel had made of Mr Frumo escorting me to my room and had we argued about the sleeping arrangements? I told him I supposed she didn't like Mr Frumo escorting me to my room, but I hadn't given it any thought. He asked me why I thought she wouldn't like it. So I told him she had spent the entire evening demanding Mr Frumo's attention. That's when he turned it on me, he accused me of spending the entire evening being obsessed with her and consumed by jealousy. He asked if Annabel and I had had an argument over Mr Frumo? I asked him if she was bit by a dog why was I being questioned like a murder suspect? He told me he was just covering every line of enquiry. I told him, I hadn't seen Annabel after I left the reception room. I didn't have an argument with her. I didn't know she was dead until this morning. Then I asked him was there anything else and that unless he was going to charge me with murder, I had nothing more to say. He motioned toward the door for me to leave. As I put my hand on the handle, he called me back; he told me I didn't seem in the slightest bit bothered that a young woman had died. I replied, that in all honesty, if it had been any other woman, I probably would be, but not her, she didn't deserve my pity and she wasn't going to get it. At which I turned and walked out of the door.
As I left the office I met Rad in the corridor, leaning against the wall opposite the door. I assumed he was waiting to talk to the police officer so I nodded and made to move away toward the entrance, he broke into stride at the side of me and brought me to a halt outside the reception room, motioning for me to enter.
I shook my head, but something in his eyes, something beseeching, made me refrain from leaving right there and then. I really didn't want to go into the reception room so I asked about the dog, I was stalling and we both knew it. He put his hands in his pockets and stared off toward the kitchen door at the far end of the hall and informed me 'Lady' had been dealt with. I snorted angrily; there was no way I could believe Lady could have attacked in such a way unless severely provoked.
He changed his stance. He leaned against the door frame with his legs crossed at the ankles, hands still in his pockets, just his shoulders and the back of his head touching the frame, his eyes distant as if he was in a faraway place as he looked down at the floor, then he turned to look at me.
"How can you be so sure a dog you do not know is not capable of an attack of which took a human beings life?"
I had nothing, I didn't know how I was so sure, but I just was.
He stood bolt upright so suddenly it made me jump, a look of contemplation on his face, then he gripped my arm and dragged me into the room opposite the reception room, I had the strangest sense of déjà vu, been here done this got the t-shirt, nothing to be afraid of.
I found myself in a lounge. A huge plasma screen on the wall, and a huge tropical fish tank taking up the wall at the back of the room. Rad beckoned me to sit on the huge oval shaped cream leather sofa the centre of which faced the fireplace and television, the left side the fish tank and the right side the huge heavy velvet drapes, firmly closed over the windows. I sat, Rad paced the room, turning every so often as if he were about to say something, then returning his eyes to the floor and continuing to pace. After a while he began to speak, but I wasn't sure if he were talking to me or thinking out loud. He seemed to be recalling the events of the night before, talking as if to himself, not
in particular to me, as if trying to reassure himself, or replay the events so he didn't forget them.
He had been in bed, 'Lady' had been as always at his feet, the door had opened, Lady had growled and jumped down from the bed, he had heard a woman's voice say 'damned dog', the bedroom door had shut, the next thing he knew it was 2a.m. and the servants were waking him to tell him of the incident.
'It's a lie, vampires don't sleep'.
It was a thought in my head, it had to be, Rad was still talking he obviously hadn't heard it. What a stupid thought to have, the longer I stayed here, the more this place was getting to me, I really had to leave now, while I still had a shred of sanity left.
"What do you remember?"
He turned to me then. I knew nothing, I woke this morning when I heard someone say she was dead and I wasn't sure who they were talking about. I had slept quite soundly and not heard anything during the night, and as it had all taken place on the floor below and the walls were thick, it wasn't surprising I hadn't heard anything.
"My room is next to yours, I thought maybe Lady growling had woken you."
I looked at him blankly, I wasn't sure what I was shocked by, but I sure felt shocked. I had the room next to his? One of the questions the police officer had asked me kind of made sense now. Had Annabel and I had an argument about the sleeping arrangements?
"Who did it? Who bit her?"
I looked down, I looked up, he suddenly had my head in his hand, he was so close I could feel his breath on my lips, then he'd gone, and in a second I could hear his voice far off somewhere in the castle. How had he moved so far so fast? I was left reeling. Reeling from 'him', his smell, his presence, his beauty and this hunger deep down inside of me that I'd never felt before, and cold, his touch had been icy cold. I picked up my bag and left.
All the way back down the track my neck throbbed. It seemed the further I got from the house, the more the boil hurt. As the gate opened, it was like as if the 'boil' was protesting loudly, my neck burned and throbbed. After another mile I couldn't take the burning pain any longer and I pulled the car over, grabbed a pair of scissors from my over-night bag. I took hold of the boil, it seemed to be rooted deep down in my neck. I knew if I could relieve the pressure, it would relieve the pain and give some painkillers the chance to kick in. I squeezed the boil as I snipped it with the scissors.
I was expecting a pop and maybe some puss. The arterial spray caught me completely by surprise. I vaguely saw it hit the passenger window. I put my hand to my neck instinctively trying desperately to stem the pumping blood.
With each heart-beat I could feel the blood flow down my neck and chest. I grabbed the cravat and thrust it onto the wound, applying as much pressure as I could muster. I could feel the cravat soaking up the blood, and as if out of spite my heart started racing, disposing more of my life out through the hole in my neck. I frantically threw everything out of my handbag looking for my cell phone. 'No Signal' not even 'Emergency calls only', that was it, my last hope of being saved gone.
I could smell the blood. My head was spinning. I had a singing whistling noise in my ears. I felt myself go lightheaded and the bleeding just wouldn't stop, I couldn't call for help and I didn't dare drive the car the state I was in. I realised I was going to die right there and then. With that thought my eyelids grew heavy, black spots seemed to blur my vision. Then, everything went black.