Chapter Five.
Elizabeth asked her cousin to stay for dinner and she also asked him if he wanted to eat and he politely and respectfully declined. So, he stayed to visit and have a cup of tea. Barnabas stayed for dinner, but he never ate. He stayed with them in the dining room. The vampire sat down at the table right next to Juliet. He hardly took his eyes off of her. Barnabas still had a full cup of tea as he waited for his cousins, David, Burke, Vicki and especially Juliet to get done eating.
After dinner, David went up to his bedroom and was getting ready for bed just before everyone walked into the drawing room. The vampire was right behind Mathews the whole time and they all sat down and Juliet told everyone about her paintings. Barnabas was very interested in her art. Victoria knew about her art. Barnabas would love to see her work the next night he would see her.
Just then, Juliet froze for a moment when she heard the rumbling of thunder coning from outside. Barnabas, Liz and Roger asked her what was the matter. "I was afraid of this storm was coming." At her words, the vampire chuckled, but he some how knew that she would have to stay the night. He could tell that she was not a fan of thunder storms since growing up in New York. Same goes for Winters. Barnabas rested his arm on the back of the sofa, nearly touching Mathews.
Liz, Roger, Carolyn and Burke can tell that Juliet and Vicki did not like the sound of thunder. Roger and his sister smiled warmly at Juliet. "Miss Mathews, when we have guests over. Even though, when there was a storm coming. You can stay here for the night if you would like until the storm passes through." Elizabeth said in hoping that she would stay. Even Roger and Carolyn liked her as a good person. Even Barnabas wanted Juliet to stay here at Collinwood.
Mathews looked at Winters and Victoria looked at her friend with hope in her eyes that she should stay. Then Juliet looked at Barnabas and he nodded to her. "Well, I hope that I'm not intruding." She said as they told her that she could stay if she wanted to. Barnabas wanted to see more of her more often. "Well, it's a good thing that I brought my over night bag just in case anything happens." She said with a chuckle.
After what she had said this, Vicki and Burke stayed in the drawing room with Carolyn and Roger and bid Juliet a good night. Liz, Barnabas and Mathews walked out of the room and went up the stairs and they guided Juliet to a guest room for her to stay as long as she needed to. Elizabeth stood at the door way as she watched as both Mathews and Barnabas were talking and getting to know each other.
To Liz, there was something about the way Barnabas was looking at Juliet. She saw the love, devotion and longing in him towards the painter. Barnabas wanted to know what her middle name was and he was shocked and his face was filled with joy at the same time, but he kept it to himself. Juliet noticed that he had recognized that name and she told him that her middle name was Josette and she explained that her parents named her middle name for that.
Elizabeth found this amazing that her middle name was Josette. She smiled warmly at her. "Miss Mathews, I'm sorry to interrupt, I have to get to bed. It's getting late." She said, saying her good night. Juliet and Barnabas said their good night to her before Liz walked to her bedroom for the night. The thunder, wind and rain was still roaring outside.
After Liz left Barnabas watched Juliet as she took her music box out of her hand bag. Barnabas saw that her music box was similar to the one Josette had during the eighteenth century. Mathews placed it down on the night stand and she smiled lovingly up at the vampire. "I never let my music box out of my sight." At her words, both Barnabas and Juliet sat down on the edge of the bed. "It's my prized procession. My mother gave it to me from France on my fifth birthday."
Barnabas gave her a loving tender look on his face and he knew that she needed sleep, so he stood up with Juliet from the bed and she walked him to the door of the guest bedroom. Juliet tod him to call her by her first name and Barnabas told her to call him by his. Mathews looked up at him and she saw the love in his eyes. "You've been very kind to me, Barnabas. No one except Vicki is the only one, who is kind to me." She said as the vampire took a hold of her hand gently.
The vampire saw that Juliet's eyes were filling with tears. He knew that in Mathews' mind that Winters was the only person to be generous and looking after her. No one else in her life except for her former maid after her parents' death did anything so kind directly towards her. Barnabas lifted his hand and wiped her tear away from her eyes as a tear flowed down her cheek. He felt her anguish and he wanted to take away her pain. He'd wait for the right to turn her.
Barnabas was falling in love with her even stronger than before. "It is my pleasure, Juliet." He said quietly when the vampire opened the bedroom door. And just before he was just about to walk out, Juliet took his hand gently and she pulled him in to her arms. Barnabas went stiff for a moment and then, he relaxed into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her gently. No one had ever done that to him in a very long time. He felt the innocence and the love coming from her.
After a few seconds, Mathews pulled back and she looked at him in the eyes. "I hope to see you again, Barnabas." She said softly and as she said this, she went on her tip toes and he was not expecting this when Juliet kissed him on his cheek. The vampire had the look of longing, love and devotion on his face after she pulled back from him. He would never forget this from her what so ever.
Barnabas took her hand in his and gave her hand a soft squeeze and he bid her a good night and he would love to see her soon as well. He walked out of the bedroom and he went back to the Old House. He had a lot of thinking to do. But the vampire knew that he could not get Juliet out of his mind. He realized that Mathews resembles a lot like Josette. He would make Juliet J. Mathews his Josette when the time was right. He had finally found his Josette after all.