A/N: Thanks to linalove, dionne dance and the guest who reviewed the last chapter! Just so you know, I've nearly finished my other fanfic so I will have time to update this one more often (hopefully)!
Guest: Aw, that's really sweet! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)
Angelique lay awake for hours, tossing and turning on her small, hard bed as she waited for her mother to come back. She decided that it must have been nearly midnight before the housekeeper finally retired for the night and slipped into the bed next to Angelique's. Then the young girl had to wait for what seemed like another forever before hearing her mother's soft snores echoing around the room. Only then did she risk getting up.
Swinging her legs out of the side of the bed, she slowly pressed her feet on the ground, testing for any creaky floorboards. On finding none, she got up and carefully made her way to the door, tiptoeing her way past her mother's bed and into the hallway. However, she knew she wasn't safe yet, she still had to get past all the other servants without stirring any one of them. So, hesitantly creeping past the doors, she headed for the small, rickety staircase at the end of the corridor, wincing when she accidently stepped on a floorboard that let out a low creak. She froze for a moment, all senses alert, listening, watching for anything that would tell her she was about to get caught. However, it seemed nobody had heard, and so, breathing a small sigh of relief, she continued, soon reaching the steps and hurrying down them into the dark corridor below.
When she reached the bottom, it only took her a moment to realise she'd made one simple mistake. She'd forgotten a candle. The passageway before her was pitch black and there was no way she'd be able to see without one. Yet, she couldn't go back. There was no doubt she would wake someone up if she passed through that corridor three more times. She would already have to do it once more and that was a risk as it was. She would just have to manage without. Hopefully the rooms would be lit up with moonlight anyway which would only leave the servants' corridors that she would have to feel her way through. She already slightly knew them for she went down them each morning for her daily walk in the grounds. Something her mother insisted on doing, something that was done long before the house was up, sometimes even before dawn had broken.
As she moved down the corridor, she began to get a fluttery feeling of excitement in her stomach. She was finally doing something rebellious, something her mother would never let her do if she knew. That made it exciting. She couldn't wait to see the rooms and explore. She'd always imagined them to be really big, to be decorated with grand portrait of the Collins' family, the ceilings adorned with huge, glittering chandeliers. Well, that's what she'd heard from the other serving girls that she'd eavesdropped on during supper.
Nearly bumping into the wall and managing to turn the corner at the last second, she found herself faced with a door. She knew this was the door into the kitchens, but from there she could go anywhere as long as she remembered the way back and so, slowly opening the door, she slipped through and up the stairs opposite, leaving her in a huge hallway with ceilings that seemed to be right up in the sky.
Gazing around, Angelique wondered what room she should try first and eventually decided that she would work her way through all in that corridor, starting with the room opposite the kitchen stairs. Nervously, she turned the handle, hoping that what was inside wouldn't be a disappointment.
Of course, it wasn't. Three huge bay windows in the wall to her left let in the soft moonlight, illuminating the glass chandelier that the other maids had described. Except it was more beautiful than she could have possibly imagined. The sparkling shards of crystal hung down like tear drops below the beautifully white candles that sat in their twisting metal holders. There was more metal linking it all together, curling and spiralling up to where it joined the ceiling. Angelique wondered how on Earth it could be more magnificent when lit if it was already so beautiful now. However, she eventually managed to tear her gaze away from the ceiling to the massive fireplace at the far end of the long table. She walked over, marvelling at the two huge creatures on either side of it. Gently she ran her hand over one, only to find it impeccably smooth and cool. She looked up at the head, trying to figure out what it was. A long trumpet -like muzzle made it look a bit like a horse, as well as the knobbly mane of thick spines, except that it ran all the way down its back to the tip of its tail. She had no idea what it was for she had never seen anything remotely like it. It didn't have legs or arms, or hands or feet, so it couldn't have been something that lived on land.
Still thinking, Angelique turned back around and walked up the empty, wooden table with its eerily lit chairs and back up to the door. Giving what she assumed was the dining room one last glance, she turned and carefully shut the door behind her, going and opening the next door into a room that looked more like a sitting area. This one was definitely a lot more homely with its deep crimson drapes hanging from the windows and the intricate and sophisticated sofas and armchairs surrounding a fireplace not quite as grand as the other one had been. There was also a large box on legs with strange black and white rectangles in a row and a plush stool sat in front of it. Angelique had not a clue what it was and instead shifted her gaze to the walls, all of which were completely covered by a dozen or so large portraits of what looked like the current Collins' family and their ancestors, although it was hard to tell who they were in the dark.
Angelique walked over to the one of a pretty lady dressed in a delicate looking white gown, an open parasol resting against her shoulder and opening up behind a head of brunette ringlets, falling delicately over one shoulder. Looking closely, she saw that the woman was none other than the present Lady Collins, of whom Angelique had glimpsed strolling the gardens with her husband a few times when looking out of her window.
She was moving over to the portrait of a small black-haired boy when a sudden chirping had her heart missing a beat in shock. Turning round, she soon spotted the source of the noise and a small smile lit up on her face. The crimson and ochre songbird she had sewn earlier was hovering in the air behind her. It chirped again, louder this time and the smile fell from Angelique's face. If it kept this up then someone would hear her. Then she would be in deep trouble, and not only from her mother.
"Shh," she tried to calm it and turned back to the portrait, hoping that when it didn't have her attention, it would be quiet.
However, it didn't work, it only landed on her shoulder and tried to twitter into her ear, getting louder and more frantic as Angelique ignored it, trying to admire the portrait in front of her. The portrait of… she squinted to read the name at the bottom… Barnabas Collins. She reached out a hand to trail her fingers along the frame when an authoritative, but young sounding voice rang out through the room.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Angelique gasped and span round in horror, only to come face to face with none other than the boy in the portrait. The young Master Barnabas.