Chapter 1
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"I don't like this, Belle." Gaston said for the hundredth of time since their journey to Scotland had started. "Not one bit."
Belle let out a long sigh and lowered the book she was reading.
"I know Gaston." she replied, probably for the hundredth time as well. "But I have to know what's wrong with my father."
Gaston let out a strange sound and shifted his gaze to look out of the carriage's window.
"Gaston…" Belle said with a soft voice and reached out to touch his hand. When their skin touched, he turned to look at her, and the harshness in his eyes softened a little.
"I'm really worried about him." she said, looking him straight into his brown eyes. "Since he had left me to go to Scotland two months ago, I haven't heard from him. Except for this letter Count Gold sent me."
The tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes did the trick and Gaston finally let out a defeated sigh, covering her small hand with his.
"I know." he finally agreed and traced her knuckles with his thumb. "But I have a strange feeling about this whole thing. I tried to keep your father from going to Scotland. You know what they say about this Count."
In response, Belle rolled her eyes and shook her head determinedly.
"Don't tell me you believe these ridiculous rumors Gaston…" she sighed and freed her hand from his, a hint of accusation resonating in her voice. "They're just horror stories people tell each other because of their boring lives."
Gaston made a disapproving tsk-sound.
"In every rumor there is a little bit of truth, Belle." he retorted sulkily, obviously feeling the urge to defend himself.
Belle's lips curled up into a small smile.
"Are you frightened Gaston?" she almost giggled and earned a dark look from her fiancé.
"Of course I'm not." he denied immediately. "But this Count Gold seems to be a rather strange fellow. Old as times, ruthless, powerful, residing in a dark castle in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Scotland… and your father didn't return from a business meeting with him. Sounds pretty strange to me."
"Gaston, don't be ridiculous." Belle sighed. "His letter sounded very nice."
This time is was her fiancé's turn to roll his eyes.
"Because you are naïve, Belle. Your thirst for adventure makes you blind to the dangers that may lurk on the way."
Belle just shook her head in silent response, but didn't answer. It had been a long journey to Scotland, and they had had this conversation over and over again. There was no point in arguing with Gaston about that particular matter. He was rather protective when it came to her well-being – and her yearning for adventure had always been quite a thorn in his side. Gaston was a good man, he really was – even though their engagement had been rather out of one-sided affection than real love. But his views on a woman's place in this world was unfortunately limited to what society expected her to be: a beauty a man was able to pride himself with, a good and obedient wife, and of course a good mother of at least six children. A woman's quest for adventure had no place in this worldview. But Belle had accepted her life. It was a good life, and she didn't want to sound ungrateful and complain about her current situation.
She pulled the letter out of the pocket of her blue gown – the letter that had sent her on her first real adventure.
Miss French,
I'm afraid to inform you that your dear father, Mr. Maurice French, has become seriously ill during his stay at my castle in Scotland, and he requests your presence as soon as possible. Please use the attached ticket to Scotland and come to fulfill your father's wish. Please rest assured that I will do everything in my power to soothe his suffering. Someone will come to pick you up at the port. I'm looking forward to meeting Maurice's enchanting daughter.
Yours sincerely,
Count R. A. Gold
It had been a rather short letter, leaving more questions than answering. The letter had been written on rich parchment, each word elegantly drawn with ink of a dark red color. For the beat of a second, the ink had almost been reminiscent of blood. But the young woman had discarded the idea as quickly as it had appeared. She had heard way too much rumors about Count Gold, but she was determined not to believe even one single word. Therefore, the young woman hadn't had to think of her decision for even one second. Since her father had left her to meet this strange new benefactor in Scotland, she had been worried sick. And her bad feelings had been justified as it seemed. Her father was seriously ill, befallen by a sickness Count Gold hadn't quite clarified. But the only thing that mattered was that her father needed her – and since she had been a small girl, she had done everything to grant him every wish. Traveling to Scotland was therefore simply a matter of course. Gaston had been furious about her intent to accept the invitation. He had heard stories about this strange Scottish Count, and he didn't want Belle anywhere near this man – this monster as he had called him during one of their fights. But Belle had always been just as stubborn as beautiful. In the end, Gaston had reluctantly agreed to her plans to travel overseas, but only on condition that he would accompany his fiancée along the trip. If she was completely honest to herself, she was rather glad that her fiancé had decided to come with her. Scotland was a foreign place after all, and she really didn't know this mysterious Count Gold. And Gaston was tall and muscular, therefore easily able to protect her from every danger that might occur.
Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, and Belle had to hold onto Gaston's arm not to fall over. When Belle looked out of the window, her mouth fell open.
They had arrived.
The carriage door sprang open with a creaking sound, and Gaston helped her to step unharmed out of the black coach. Belle's eyes went wide when she took in the sight before her.
An immense stony wall jutted out of the leafy landscape, imposing in its size. Battlement upon battlement arose before them, dark and gloomy windows staring down at them like dead eyes. Thick fog was surrounding them, and even though it was barely past noon, the sun was not able to break through its moist and blurry clouds of grey. Out of instinct, the young woman tightened the collar of her coat around her small form, and a wave of relief washed through her body as her fiancé encircled her waist with one of his strong arms, pulling her closer against his own body.
"Miss French!" a high-pitched voice sounded through the fog, making Belle's attention turn towards the heavy, black doors that marked the entrance towards the imposing castle.
A tall, lean man appeared out of the fog. He was rather handsome, Belle noticed, but there was something about him that made her nestle closer against Gaston.
The stranger's broad smile across his face faltered a little when his blue eyes fell onto the tall man who was standing next to her.
"Who are you if you don't mind my asking?" the stranger addressed Gaston with narrowed eyes.
Belle felt how Gaston straightened his spine, trying to make himself taller than he already was. There was a long beat of tensed silence between them until Belle finally chose to step in.
"This is Gaston Chevallier." she said with a polite smile on her lips as she wiggled herself out of Gaston's tight grasp. "My fiancé."
"Fiancé?" the stranger asked with raised brows. Belle noticed how a hint of concern washed over the man's face, and his eyes flickered briefly towards one of the dark windows of the castle. Belle followed his gaze, but couldn't detect anything that could have caused such a behavior.
"I thought it rather inappropriate and careless to let my fiancée make such a long journey all alone." Gaston finally clarified rather sharply.
The stranger's mouth turned into a crooked grin.
"Very careless indeed." he nodded, his sparkling blue eyes firmly fixed on Gaston for the longest beat of a moment.
"Count Gold, I suppose?" Belle asked carefully, and with one swift, graceful movement, the stranger turned his attention completely back at her.
"Afraid not, mylady." he replied and then bowed lowly before her. "Jefferson Capello is the name. The master's obedient and humble servant."
"Belle French." The young woman replied and bobbed an elegant curtsey. "But just call me Belle."
The stranger flashed a toothy, shiny smile at her and took her hand to place a brief kiss on it.
"A pleasure to finally meet you in person, Miss Belle." he assured her.
He suddenly turned his attention to her hand he was still holding in his. He gently turned it and moved one cold finger over her wrists.
"What lovely hands you have, Miss Belle." he pointed out in a strange voice, his finger still gliding back and forth over the place where he could feel her racing pulse. "So soft and pale… and so cold even though I can feel the hot blood racing through your veins."
"Of course her hands are cold." Gaston interrupted this strange moment and moved closer towards his fiancée. "It's rather cold outside. So if you don't mind…"
Jefferson let go off Belle's hand and eyed the young man in front of him with a strange smile on his face.
"Of course. Please forgive me my moment of inattention." he said politely. "I'm so used to the cold that I sometimes forget that…" he paused for a moment, letting out a rather cheerless laugh. "… other people still seem to mind."
"Indeed we do." Gaston agreed determinedly, his voice just as cold as the topic they were just talking about.
"Belle, dear…" he continued and moved his head to look at his soon-to-be wife. "Why don't you go inside and let me take care of our luggage?"
Belle offered him a grateful smile, the freezing cold and the icy atmosphere slowly making her feel rather uncomfortable.
"Oh there's no need." Jefferson chimed in and pointed at the carriage driver. "Mr. Dove here will carry your luggage to your rooms."
He then turned his head and gave Belle another broad smile.
"Miss Belle, would you be so kind and follow me into the castle?"
And without another word, he turned around, making his way through the dark doors. Belle noticed how Gaston shot her a concerned look, but a sudden, strange feeling started to spread through her body, making her almost oblivious to his concerns. As if she was drawn by an invisible force, she finally made her way towards the heavy doors, ready to enter Count Gold's castle.
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Belle was standing in midst a great hall, her lips slightly apart as she admired the castle's interior. She had stepped through the large double door that was of a dark red color, not black as she had first assumed. The sounds of her steps echoed against the stony castle walls, shattering the omnipresent silence. As she walked forward, a sweet smell of old parchment and smoke filled her nose. Belle let her eyes wander through the massive hall. There were several paintings and sculptures hanging down the cold walls, most of them picturing men and women with cold, dark eyes and cruel smiles toying around their lips. The breath hitched in her throat as she moved to look at one of those more closely. It was a picture of a rather slim man clothed in an expensive looking suit. His eyes were of a deep dark brown color with flecks of gold within them. The man didn't seem very tall or overly muscular, but radiated a certain aura of power and strength she was sure Gaston wouldn't be able to match up.
"Ah so you've already found the master, Miss Belle." Jefferson chirped cheerfully. "Interesting, very interesting indeed."
Belle jumped due to Jefferson's closeness. She had seemed to be so enthralled by the man's portrait that she hadn't even heard him coming.
She put her hand above her fluttering heart and tried desperately to control her breathing.
"Oh I'm sorry." Jefferson apologized at once. "Did I startle you?"
Belle inhaled deeply, but tried to force her face to give the man a reassuring smile.
"No worries." she therefore said, but she still sounded somewhat out of breath. "I was just a little bit distracted."
Her gaze moved back to the huge painting in front of them.
"So this is Count Gold?" she asked warily, trying to ignore the strange feeling that was starting to cloud her mind and heart.
Jefferson nodded.
"My master for evermore." he confirmed lowly, and Belle noticed the strange tingle of both admiration and fright that was resonating in his voice.
"We should go and see your father, Belle." Gaston's voice startled her from her temporal paralyzation, finally enabling her to put her mind back to work again.
"Of course." she agreed and flashed an apologetic smile at her fiancé.
"Can we see him?" Belle addressed Jefferson, a hopeful gleam appearing in her eyes.
Jefferson cocked his head, eying her for the longest of moments.
"He's sleeping at the moment." he finally said with a crooked smile on his face. "The master confined him to bed and he doesn't want anyone to disturb him just yet."
The smile across Belle's face faltered a little, and her hope-filled gaze was replaced by utter disappointment.
"Perfect." she heard Gaston groan sarcastically and Belle shot him a disapproving look over her shoulder. They were guests in this castle, and Count Gold seemed to be really concerned about her father's health.
"So he's still not feeling better?" she asked, trying to cover Gaston's inappropriate comment.
Jefferson wiggled his head from one side to the other as if he was not sure how to respond.
"I suggest those are question the master is far more able to answer at tonight's dinner, Miss Belle."
"Tonight's dinner?" she asked with a puzzled expression on her face. "Are we not going to meet the Count earlier?"
"I'm afraid not, Mylady." The young man replied and offered her a sympathetic smile. "But rest assured that your father is in competent hands."
Belle gave him a reluctant nod, but couldn't dispel the strange feeling of uneasiness that was clinging round her heart.
"Miss Belle…" he then turned his head slightly, looking at her fiancé. "Mr. Chevallier. I'm quite certain that you had a rather exhausting journey. I will show you to your rooms now, so that you can lay down and have some rest before you meet Count Gold."
Belle offered him a grateful smile. She was indeed feeling rather exhausted from the long journey and her limbs were practically screaming to get some sleep.
"That would be lovely, Mr. Capello." she said and took his offered, cold hand. "We should be well rested when we meet the Count. I can't wait to finally meet him."
The corners of Jefferson's mouth twitched slightly upwards and he nodded his agreement.
"Oh believe me Miss Belle… the master has quite eagerly awaited your arrival as well."
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The door to his chambers opened slowly with a creaking sound.
"She has arrived, Master." Jefferson informed the castle's owner as he stepped into the dark room.
"I know." came a smooth voice from the darkness of the room. "But she's not alone as requested."
Jefferson pressed his lips into a thin line before answering, listening to the sound of tapping fingernails against a wooden surface.
"Her fiancé came to travel with her." he finally said. "He was concerned about her safety."
The man in the dark let out a sinister, short laugh.
"Was he, now." he said, his thin lips curled up into a half-amused smirk. "Clever boy, isn't he."
Jefferson let out a low chuckle, shaking his head vehemently,
"Well I do doubt that, master. I had some time to talk to him and he clearly doesn't seem to be the brightest candle on the cake. I have no idea why a lovely young lady such as her would choose such a…"
"Besides the point, Jefferson!" the other man interrupted sharply, making Jefferson's mouth shut in an instant.
"Of course." he mumbled. "Forgive me master."
"Well well…" the man in the middle of the dark room finally mused after a long beat of silence. "He shouldn't be a problem after all."
He traced one of his long, pale fingers along a black-and-white-photo that was lying in front of him. The picture showed a young woman with dark hair, big, sparkling eyes and a broad shiny smile carved into her beautiful features.
Count Gold's lips curled up as he traced her features for the thousandths time.
"She will be mine." he breathed as a shimmer of satisfaction illuminated his dark eyes.
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NOTES
Hey guys :)
So this is the first chapter of my Rumbelle Vampire Fic! I hope you enjoyed it so far! I had this idea for quite a long time now lingering in my head, and have finally decided to start it (special thank to Mrs. Gold who actually convinced me to finally start and upload it ;) )
Let me know what you think about it!
J