CHAPTER FOUR: Melissa Arrives
"Excuse me, Mrs. Stoddard," said a pale, rather sickly looking Sarah Johnson as she passed the elegant dowager in the hall.
"Yes, Mrs. Johnson?"
"I just received a letter from my sister's daughter, Melissa. She's touring New England and wanted to stop by Collinsport for a few days to visit me. Well, I was wondering, if it's no trouble, could she stay here at Collinwood?" A colorful silk scarf wrapped around her neck brightened Sarah's drab, black uniform.
"Of course. That would be wonderful! This place has been so quiet since Carolyn went off to college and Quentin left to tour Europe. When will your niece be arriving?" Elisabeth said.
"The letter said she could be here any day now."
Any night would have been more accurate. In fact, the woman who called herself Melissa Werd arrived at Collinwood that very night. Melissa was an enchanting beauty. Masses of fiery red curls framed her face, the creamy skin of which gleamed like porcelain, and her eyes were large and dazzling. Melissa's slim body was clad in an old fashioned dress of a dark green hue. The only jewelry she wore was a gold locket in the shape of a heart.
"Melissa! I am so glad to see you again. Please, come inside. It is so damp out there in the night air." Sarah said as she greeted the woman that she called her niece.
"Thank you ever so much, Auntie." A deep, sensual voice from soft, pink lips.
"Let me introduce you to the Collins, dear." Sarah showed Melissa into the drawing room of Collinwood where three members of the Collins family sat, as well as Maggie Evans, "This is Elisabeth Collins Stoddard, her brother Roger Collins and his son, David Collins."
"And who is this?" Melissa asked, looking at the auburn haired beauty on a chair away from the family.
"Miss Werd," said Elisabeth, rising from the velvet couch, "May I introduce you to our governess, Maggie Evans."
"How nice to meet you, Miss Evans."
"Please, call me Maggie." As she spoke, Maggie felt a vague sense of uneasiness and fear.
"Now, if you would all please excuse me, I would like to freshen up." Melissa said before leaving through the paneled wood doors.
"Well," Roger scoffed arrogantly after Mrs. Johnson had left the room as well, "I don't see why we had to all gather to greet the help's guest."
"I think she's very nice, father." Fourteen-year-old David said while actually thinking, "Whoa! That Melissa is the hottest chick I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the beautiful guest was upstairs in her room, hanging up the clothes that Sarah Johnson had bought for her in town during the day. There was a knock on the door.
"You may enter."
Sarah entered, removing the silk scarf from her pale throat as she did so, exposing the deep puncture wounds. She titled her head, offering the vampire her neck.
"You have done well, my servant." The vampire Roxanne told Sarah. Harshly, Roxanne grabbed the old woman's arm and brought the wrist to her mouth. Then, cruelly, she sunk her fangs into the artery. Sarah moaned softy as bright red blood drops of blood dripped down her white arm.
Then, sufficiently fed, the vampire went down to join the Collins family for dinner.
"Ah, Miss Werd," Elisabeth said as the vampire entered the tastefully decorated dining room, "May I introduce Dr. Julia Hoffman, a dear family friend."
"How nice to meet you, Doctor." Melissa said politely.
For a moment, Julia was shocked, utterly dismayed as she stared at Melissa. This woman was identical to the vampire who attacked her in 1840. It was Roxanne!
"Uhh," Julia stammered, "It's, uh, very, uh well yes. Right."
No one except Julia noticed that Melissa, while putting on a good show, did not actually eat any of the food put before her.
"It's too bad cousin Barnabas couldn't make it tonight." Elisabeth said, making small talk, "It would do him good to meet a nice girl like you. I worry about him quite a bit, he's so lonely."
"This would not be a good thing." thought Julia, remembering that Barnabas often fell for girls who resembled long lost loves.
"Dear Lord," thought Roger, "Liz has gone too far! Now she's fixing this girl up with our cousin!" "Damn it!" thought David, "Why does cousin Barnabas get all the chicks?!"
As Julia, Roger, and David were thinking these thoughts, there was a knock on the door. Sarah Johnson, looking particularly haggard and weak, slowly made her way down the stairs to the door in the foyer. She opened it to Barnabas Collins.
"I wonder where Auntie could be?" Melissa asked aloud in the dining room, "I'll go check on her."
In the foyer, Sarah was taking Barnabas's coat as Melissa entered.
As soon as she walked in, Barnabas's deep hazel eyes fixed on Melissa in a look of total shock and longing and desire.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Stoddard," said a pale, rather sickly looking Sarah Johnson as she passed the elegant dowager in the hall.
"Yes, Mrs. Johnson?"
"I just received a letter from my sister's daughter, Melissa. She's touring New England and wanted to stop by Collinsport for a few days to visit me. Well, I was wondering, if it's no trouble, could she stay here at Collinwood?" A colorful silk scarf wrapped around her neck brightened Sarah's drab, black uniform.
"Of course. That would be wonderful! This place has been so quiet since Carolyn went off to college and Quentin left to tour Europe. When will your niece be arriving?" Elisabeth said.
"The letter said she could be here any day now."
Any night would have been more accurate. In fact, the woman who called herself Melissa Werd arrived at Collinwood that very night. Melissa was an enchanting beauty. Masses of fiery red curls framed her face, the creamy skin of which gleamed like porcelain, and her eyes were large and dazzling. Melissa's slim body was clad in an old fashioned dress of a dark green hue. The only jewelry she wore was a gold locket in the shape of a heart.
"Melissa! I am so glad to see you again. Please, come inside. It is so damp out there in the night air." Sarah said as she greeted the woman that she called her niece.
"Thank you ever so much, Auntie." A deep, sensual voice from soft, pink lips.
"Let me introduce you to the Collins, dear." Sarah showed Melissa into the drawing room of Collinwood where three members of the Collins family sat, as well as Maggie Evans, "This is Elisabeth Collins Stoddard, her brother Roger Collins and his son, David Collins."
"And who is this?" Melissa asked, looking at the auburn haired beauty on a chair away from the family.
"Miss Werd," said Elisabeth, rising from the velvet couch, "May I introduce you to our governess, Maggie Evans."
"How nice to meet you, Miss Evans."
"Please, call me Maggie." As she spoke, Maggie felt a vague sense of uneasiness and fear.
"Now, if you would all please excuse me, I would like to freshen up." Melissa said before leaving through the paneled wood doors.
"Well," Roger scoffed arrogantly after Mrs. Johnson had left the room as well, "I don't see why we had to all gather to greet the help's guest."
"I think she's very nice, father." Fourteen-year-old David said while actually thinking, "Whoa! That Melissa is the hottest chick I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the beautiful guest was upstairs in her room, hanging up the clothes that Sarah Johnson had bought for her in town during the day. There was a knock on the door.
"You may enter."
Sarah entered, removing the silk scarf from her pale throat as she did so, exposing the deep puncture wounds. She titled her head, offering the vampire her neck.
"You have done well, my servant." The vampire Roxanne told Sarah. Harshly, Roxanne grabbed the old woman's arm and brought the wrist to her mouth. Then, cruelly, she sunk her fangs into the artery. Sarah moaned softy as bright red blood drops of blood dripped down her white arm.
Then, sufficiently fed, the vampire went down to join the Collins family for dinner.
"Ah, Miss Werd," Elisabeth said as the vampire entered the tastefully decorated dining room, "May I introduce Dr. Julia Hoffman, a dear family friend."
"How nice to meet you, Doctor." Melissa said politely.
For a moment, Julia was shocked, utterly dismayed as she stared at Melissa. This woman was identical to the vampire who attacked her in 1840. It was Roxanne!
"Uhh," Julia stammered, "It's, uh, very, uh well yes. Right."
No one except Julia noticed that Melissa, while putting on a good show, did not actually eat any of the food put before her.
"It's too bad cousin Barnabas couldn't make it tonight." Elisabeth said, making small talk, "It would do him good to meet a nice girl like you. I worry about him quite a bit, he's so lonely."
"This would not be a good thing." thought Julia, remembering that Barnabas often fell for girls who resembled long lost loves.
"Dear Lord," thought Roger, "Liz has gone too far! Now she's fixing this girl up with our cousin!" "Damn it!" thought David, "Why does cousin Barnabas get all the chicks?!"
As Julia, Roger, and David were thinking these thoughts, there was a knock on the door. Sarah Johnson, looking particularly haggard and weak, slowly made her way down the stairs to the door in the foyer. She opened it to Barnabas Collins.
"I wonder where Auntie could be?" Melissa asked aloud in the dining room, "I'll go check on her."
In the foyer, Sarah was taking Barnabas's coat as Melissa entered.
As soon as she walked in, Barnabas's deep hazel eyes fixed on Melissa in a look of total shock and longing and desire.