Chapter three

Chapter three

Serena awoke, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. The room was darker than before, but the thunder still clattered and crashed outside. The wind howled and whistled, rattling the stain glass windows. Every second, lightening flashed in the dark gray clouds. The storm hadn’t moved on, instead it grew stronger with each hour that passed.

All hope was lost for calling a tow truck. Worst of all, she couldn’t even notify the hotel or the car rental company that she was lost in the middle of nowhere, with a broken down car.

“What time is it? She mumbled to herself.

A soft male voice answered, “ten minutes past seven.”

Startled, she bounced off her chair, and turned to face the man that sat silently in a chair next to the fire. His icy blue eyes watched her, as if trying to read her thoughts. At that moment she believed herself still asleep, dreaming of the man in the portrait. His raven black hair was tided back in a short ponytail. The paleness of his skin was ghostly, as if he hadn’t spent a minute out in the sun. His full lips were a dusty pink, and his square jaw line, completed what she thought to be the most handsome man she had ever seen.  

He sat in his chair, one leg crossed over the other. His face rested gently in his hand.  Amusement sparked in his eyes, he smiled, as if he found it funny to scare the daylights out of her.

 “You must be Ms. Gibson?” he chuckled.

She stared at him unsure what to say. Serena was convinced the embarrassment she felt was obvious, because her cheeks were burning with heat. Why hadn’t, Mrs. Potter, come to warn her that he had arrived? She felt like an idiot, caught sleeping in some strangers home. She wished more than ever, that the power would return so she could leave this place.

“Serena,” she finally answered.

 “I’m Tristan Wakefield,” he said, as he got up from his chair, and strolled over to a small table beside the fireplace. “Mrs. Potter explained to me your situation. Your car broke down, along the road.” He grabbed a thick crystal glass and poured some brandy in it.

The embarrassment hit hard. “Well, it’s not really my car, it’s a rental.”

He chuckled for a second time, “I’m sure it would be impossible to travel to, England, from the, United States, in your car.” He took a second glass and poured more brandy in it.

“Yeah, I kind of guess it would be.”  

He walked over to where she sat and handed the glass filled with the light brown liquid. There was a way about him, she noticed, the sound of his voice was rich and inviting. The stature of his body, the way he moved with grace was different, as if he were from a different century.

Instead of returning to his seat, he leaned against the back of a deep-brown leather couch. One ankle crossed over the other, he took a mouthful of his drink, before continuing.

“You seem to be alone, Ms. Gibson. Are your mates waiting for you somewhere?”

She couldn’t help the uneasy laugh that escaped her mouth. She pondered with the idea of lying to him, and scream out yes. A single woman alone was easy prey for any psycho. But she was sure he’d begin to question the reason on why she was traveling alone in the countryside, hundreds of miles away from, London.

“No, I’m here alone.” She finally came clean. “I’m just visiting for the next two weeks. My hotel is in, London, and I had made arrangements with the hotel stuff. I told them that I would be traveling to the countryside, and if I didn’t return that they send a search party,” she explained, of course most of which was a lie, that she hoped, he wouldn’t catch on to.

He eyed her suspiciously. “That must be quite some hotel that you are staying at.” He took another swing of his drink. “Where are you staying?” he tested.

“Oh! At Hotel Café Royal,”

“That would be over on, Regent Street. Wonderful place! Very expensive! I’ll send an e-mail over to them the moment the power comes back up. The last thing I need is the police starting a search party for someone who really isn’t missing or injured.”

She hesitated for a moment. “No! That won’t be necessary. I’m sure the storm will pass soon, and I’ll be able to call for a tow truck.”

“Don’t be foolish,” he insisted. “First off, the storm isn’t going anywhere. Second, even if it does pass. The roads are flooded, and the power lines are still down,” he explained.

Suddenly, he turned his gaze to the door, as if expecting someone to walk in. There was a light tap on the door before it opened.

“Excuse me Tristan, Sir. I just wanted to let you know, dinner will be served in ten minutes,” Mrs. Potter interrupted.

“Thank you Angie, I’ll make sure we arrive on time,” he replied, before returning his attention back to Serena.

Serena gawked into the fire, trying to avoid eye contact with him. Fear and excitement washed over her all at once. She couldn’t believe the luck she was having. Her wedding had been called off. She’d taken her mother’s advice and changed her honeymoon tickets for a trip to, London, and now she was stuck in a strange place with people that could have been a group of murderers.

“I have arranged a room for you to sleep in,” he spoke, as he approached her chair and reached out his hand for hers. “Mrs. Potter will show you to it, after dinner. I have given orders for Mr. Potter to fetch your bags from your car.”

 

“It must be a common thing to lose electricity in such a deserted area?” Serena asked trying to reassure herself that she would be safe with this man.

A smile quickly appeared across his face. “We can go days without power, sometimes even weeks,” he confessed.

“Weeks!” she swallowed hard. It was the last thing she wanted to hear. That she could be stuck in an uninhabited countryside, where she was sure no one would hear her screams for help.

“Weeks, however, Ms. Gibson, I can assure you, the Manor is all beauty and wonder, and if your stay was not enjoyable, then I promise to pay all expenses you may have during your visit.

She carefully watched him, unsure what to do. Slowly she slipped her fingers onto his. The icy coldness of it surprised her at first but she didn’t push back. There was something inviting about the man that stood before her, almost trusting even. She could get use to the idea of staying at the Manor for a few more days in his company.

They walked side by side down the hall towards the dining room. Her arm wrapped snug around his. She couldn’t help but feel like she had just stepped into some kind of a dream. She was helpless around him, as if he held all the power in the world at the palm of his hand, and she would do anything to be a part of that world.

Reviews

[garrshaw]

nice job, Tanya. Good as any author or storyteller. I would clean up the first paragraph - the darkness of the room has no relationship with the sound of the thunder. Adding quiet/stillness/warmth/comfort/safety to the inside gives more contrast with the tumult that is happening outside, and sets the dynamic for the rest of the chapter. I also wouldn't use 'every second'... how about 'veins of lightning pulsed through the clouds' or something that describes it as incessant, persistent, relentless. I rated you 90 and not higher only because of that first paragraph.

[Tanya]

Thank you very much Garrshaw for your review, I will work on the first paragraph, I have to admit I was on that paragraph for over a good hour, but I was having a little bit of writers block and could get it just right. However, I will be working on it again. Again thank you for the review 90% is better then 0%.

[garrshaw]

I read through your first two chapters and decided that this first paragraph in chapter three is important because it firmly establishes the pervasive atmosphere of conflict. I thought that chapter two was too soon to give so much information about Tristan. You are building the suspense so well that his age and other hints at his true nature should be left until later, as Serena begins to question and search for the truth. "Timing is everything"... forget which comedian said that.

I think you're an excellent writer Tanya. I want to read more of you.

[Bec]

Omg dying to see what happens next. It was so captivating from the start. I can't wait to read more!!

[Tanya]

Chapter four and five will be up in a few days, I'm working on two stories at the same time, so days many pass before the next chapter is up. I'm glad you like it.

[Bec]

:) so excited can't wait :)