AN: An update! Yay! I'm glad people are liking this. :)

Ch 2

The room she was taken to, by the man she now knew as Lord Elijah- who also informed her of his brother, Lord Niklaus, her supposed jailer, was grander than she had ever seen. Even with her father's previously elevated state she had never seen anything so fine. True, they should not have mattered to those at court, but her father provided business to over half the lords and ladies which afforded them places at court. Her family had been well off for most of her life. Finery had been something she was used to...but this?

A large, oak bed with drapes of a deep blue, stood just to the side, with silk sheets and a heavy blanket that matched the drapes. It looked so soft that she almost went straight for it. At home, she had slept on a layer of hay and a thin sheet, there were few beds and her sisters would not share theirs. But she was ushered by a maid- so other people lived here? Or worked here? How was the village so uninformed? Her head filled with more questions than she could have imagined.

She allowed the maid to clean her up, brush her curls into something more tamable. Her hair fell over her shoulders in soft blonde waves.

Next, the maid helped her into her clothes. Caroline had not missed the countless layers of high fashion clothing. A linen chemise- to replace her old dirty one, petticoat for fullness, a kirtle- made for someone who was shorter than herself and in a pale blue- that hugged her waist and breast, and sleeves to match.

If she didn't know better Caroline would have assumed she was back in London. Except, she was wearing silks that were too expensive to even think about in a room that must cost a fortune, or at least belong to a princess. Who were these men? They lived like they were royalty. This really was not the question she should be asking- now, 'what is that man?', was a much better question.

Calmly, at least outwardly, sitting on a chair in the room, she was unconvinced that it was to be her living quarters for...however long she would live here for. She dreaded what would happen once she left this room. Why had she been so headstrong? What would they, or rather- he, do to her? Lord Elijah seemed...nice, his brother...well, she could not say.

A knock at the door brought her out of her inner musings. No doubt the maid telling her something she forgot, ...or maybe it was the 'executioner', come to take her head from her shoulders?

"Y-yes?" Her voice held a slight shake to it, her nerves running free against her will.

"You are summoned to the great hall, my lady," the maid from earlier spoke through the door.

Should she go? Should she stay? Why should she bend? She was no puppet, "I will remain here, thank you very much."

There. She would rather starve. Her stomach, as if in protest to such an idea, growled loudly. She forgot how little she had eaten the previous days. Their garden was not yielding as much as she had hoped, forcing all of them to cut back on their meals. She often went without at least one meal for the day. She was the youngest, after all, the smallest of her family, she didn't need as much as the others. Her stomach made another noise.

Another knock. "I must ask for your appearance, Mistress Caroline" Elijah, now, spoke through the door.

Surprised at the sudden change in voice, she shakily replied, "And I will have to ask you to leave me be."

"As much as I admire your courage, I think we both know who will come calling at this door next, should you not meet us downstairs." His footsteps faded away from her door, signaling an end to their conversation.

Huffing, she stood from her chair and walked to the door. Upon opening it she spied the maid from earlier. It felt odd being pampered by someone who worked here, she was here against her will- so to speak. So why should she be treated like a fine lady by this woman? "Would you help me back to the great hall?" The girl gave a slight curtsy. "Please, refrain from any of that, I am not a Lady. I am a poor woman. I don't deserve that. Thank you...for the kindness you have shown me."

The girl blushed and bowed her head, "If that is what you wish, this way."

"I fail to understand what your reasons are, Niklaus. Why not kill her and be done with it?" His brother walked towards him, taking a seat on his right.

In truth, that was what he had planned to do. Not just to her, but that insufferable man who was her father. Hell, he would kill her whole family. But it was too enjoyable to play with his meals before hand. Give them a sliver of hope, have them taste a sense of relief, dread what he would do next. It made the kill that much more enjoyable. To watch, as their eyes conveyed their understanding and fear at what he would do. And he so wanted to see that light in her eyes disappear before him.

A pretty enough girl, her eyes were striking, bright, full of fire. They reminded Klaus of the sea. A stormy blue that held something in its depths. Everything else about her seemed plain upon his first impression. This girl would share the same fate as all his other victims. She would die, but when was the real question. No doubt sooner than later, what with that little stunt she pulled earlier.

He had to give it to her though, it took him by surprise. Which said something- that she was either willfully ignorant of the danger she was in or that her stubbornness outweighed her better judgment. Either way, it was refreshing to have someone fight back. It had been ages since anyone fought back, family excluded. He looked forward to the breaking point. Perhaps, it would come when he drained her father in front of her.

Smiling secretively, enjoying his imagination, he responded to his brother, "She intrigues me, and besides, what harm will it do?"

His brother looked at the blood in his cup, "I suppose you are right but so close to your birthday? She will be gone by the end of the month, yes?"

His jaw ticked, oh, how his brother liked to insert his opinions where they were not wanted. "I would hope so. Let me deal with her demise, Elijah, do not intervene."

"I would not dream of it, brother."

He caught the sound of two sets of footsteps descending, making their way towards them. Smiling, Niklaus gestured to the door they would enter from, "Let us see to our guest," he said, missing his brother's look of disapproval.

"Yes, and let us hope that the bath and fresh clothes improved her appearance." His brother muttered under his breath.

A chuckle threatened to escape him before he caught the movement at the door. A woman with golden hair entered, so different Caroline's appearance from earlier had been that he would have thought another woman had taken her place. Her hair, soft gold ringlets of sunlight, he was sure of it. He felt an odd urge to run his fingers through it, clutch it in his hands as he bent her head towards him so he could capture those pretty pink lips with his own.

He shook his head imperceptibly, glancing to see that he had not been caught in his boyish wonders at a pretty face by his brother. Elijah appeared just as surprised as he had been.

Polite to a fault, Elijah stood, gestured to the chair at Klaus' left, "Mistress Caroline, please have a seat."

Caroline wetted her lips and looked first at the chair and then away at some spot on the wall nearest her. She took a shaky breath and walked towards the chair indicated. It gave him a chance to appreciate her figure. Yes, it would be great fun breaking her.

Why did she have to sit next to him? His eyes unnerved her, watching her with an intensity she could not grasp the meaning of. She took another breath, trying to steady her nerves. She noticed that only Lord Elijah stood, at least he had manners.

Lord Elijah had come around and pulled her chair out for her. "Oh, thank you," she was surprised by his action. A polite gesture, to be sure, but one she had not expected. To be treated like a fine lady was something she would have experienced in her past- not her present. Smiling hesitantly at him, she sat down.

Lord Niklaus watched her while his brother returned to his seat. The silence dragged on. Her eyes were firmly set on her hands in her lap.

"Will you not eat," Lord Elijah asked.

Looking up, she asked him, "Should I?"

A soft laugh came from her right. Causing her to look at Lord Niklaus, something she was attempting to avoid. She glared at him, which only caused his smirk to stretch further across his face.

"It is not poisoned, if that is a fear of yours, love," he spoke before taking a drink from his cup.

"Forgive me," she replied in her too sweet manner she used when she was cross, "I had meant, why should I bother?" His endearment irked her.

"While you are here you may act as a guest. You can go wherever you like, with exceptions. And you will join us for meals." He ignored her question. Her ire rose, as did her list of questions.

"I am hardly a guest."

"You willingly took your father's place. And this is my home, I will do as I wish. If I wish for you to be a guest, then that is what you are." His voice dropped the mirth he was sporting earlier. Now he was intense, voice edged with danger and eyes boring into hers. "Till I decide otherwise, that is." She knew that was a promise, a subtle way to remind her that she was at his mercy. He relaxed suddenly, falling back into his casual posture. "Now, be a good guest and eat."

She was half tempted not to, just to spite him. But she remembered her earlier thoughts about her hunger. If she could eat and gain a little strength back, maybe she could find a way out of this place. With that, Caroline began to eat, if a bit reluctantly. She would play the guest if that was what he wanted but she would find a way out of here.

After a few minutes, Lord Elijah spoke, "So, Mistress Caroline, do you have any siblings?" He popped a grape into his mouth, chewing it thoughtfully.

She repressed the urge to roll her eyes, an idle conversation was the last thing she wanted to have. Especially with these two men. "I am the youngest of five. I have two brothers and two sisters."

Lord Elijah smiled softly, "I imagine that can be...interesting."

She thought about that, "I guess, yes, you could say that. But not one of them knows what to do with themselves."

"And you do?" Lord Niklaus' voice suddenly joined in. A secretive smile on his lips.

"I like to think so." She looked down at her plate then, unsure about how much she should share. Hell, did it even matter? Her eyes found her neighbor, she spoke with a sense of mockery like this was a hidden joke to her family. "They would probably contradict that. To most of them, I have many faults. And I am sure they resent my existence a little." She should not have said that last part. Her eyes went back to her plate, a light blush fanned out across her cheeks, a little guilty at her brushing off her family and her past. Caroline would not tell these men of what happened, she could not.

"Why is that?" The voice at her right spoke, softer than she expected.

Steeling her emotions, she looked at him, "Many reasons. I ask too many questions, I read too much, I bother them, I am unladylike, my dancing is not refined, my hair is all wrong. It changes depending on the day. But those are mostly complaints from my sisters."

"And your brothers?" Elijah asked.

Her eyes darted to him. "One gambles too much and the other chases too many married ladies, it will be the death of him when the wrong husband catches on." A soft chuckle from her right sends her eyes, once again, towards Lord Niklaus, who was trying to hide his enjoyment. His features softened from his mirth, making her realize-again- that he was rather handsome. She refrained from glaring at him.

"Indeed," Elijah said in a tense manner, giving her the impression that he was more proper than she had first thought.

"Oh, I talk too much, as well. I should have mentioned that." She smiled politely at the other man. Noticing another chuckle from her right, and a somber grimace- an attempt at a smile- from Elijah.

After a few minutes, Lord Niklaus started their interrogation of her life again, "My brother has told me that you have only been living in this part of the country for a month, where exactly are you from?"

Why does he care enough to ask? "London, my father was a merchant. Trying to rise us up to a better station. He barely succeeded. But his ships were wrecked by a storm. All our possessions were sold off and we were forced to move here, in a little cottage he had bought off an acquaintance long ago. Honestly, I think he forgot he owned , just two days ago, we were informed that one of them was found. All its cargo was accounted for. My sisters were very excited, working for their meals does not suit them much. Same for my brothers. Each asked for something extravagant from my father when he got to town." Unsure of herself, and the smart idea to tell almost her whole life story to strangers, she stopped.

After taking a sip of from his cup, Elijah spoke up, "I take it the banks wanted the cargo to settle debts?"

"Yes," Caroline said, surprise evident on her face.

"My brother fancies himself a businessman, love," Niklaus smirked at her, then at his brother. Again, with that endearment.

"And what kind of man are you?" Where was her head at again? Why in Heaven's name did she ask him such a question?

A wicked grin formed on his face, cocking his head to the side he replied, "I am the beast, love."

She rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "And I am a great beauty." Her eyes missed the way his jaw ticked, or how his eyes went dark for a moment.

Elijah cleared his throat, "That does not explain why your father was found in our garden?"

Caroline felt her cheeks heat, "That would be my fault, I guess. It may come as a shock to you," at this, she smiled at her own little joke, "but I have no care if I have the best silk or the perfect gown. I wanted something he could find easily. I have tried for weeks to get roses to grow in our garden but they refuse. So that was what I asked for." Caroline swallowed the knot in her throat, "It only seemed fair that I take his place." Her eyes found her lap again. She had enough of this conversation, "May I be excused?"

There was silence for a few moments. She rose before anyone gave her leave to, and quickly walked back to her room without looking back.

The brothers were silent. Each mulling over the conversation that was just had.

"She is an interesting woman to be sure," Elijah commented before taking a sip from his cup. "Not many would make the same choice."

Klaus sat pensively, eyes focused on something in the distance. He murmured his agreement, his thoughts filled with those bright, fiery eyes.