Read Online History of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Castle Series Book 4) by Gayla Twist - Free Book Online Page B

servant.
    “We won’t need bed service during our voyage,” I told the maid.
    “Is there anything I can get you?” she asked, looking from me to my sister and then back again. “Some water? Or ice, perhaps?”
    “Just solitude, I think,” I told her. We really didn’t need one of those forward maids who was always barging in to see if anything was needed. “We’ve both had a bout of scarlet fever so we’re looking for an uneventful voyage with plenty of peace and quiet.”
    “You poor things,” she clucked. “Then I shall bring you some broth to strengthen your blood.” The maid was remarkably persistent and she kept peeking at me, shyly, in a way that let me know that she was probably new to her job and desperate to make a good impression.
    “No thank you. We are in need of nothing.” I assured her. “And besides, if we do happen to have some urgent need, then there’s always my sister’s governess to take care of us both.”
    “Very good,” said the maid, glancing briefly in Mrs. Denkler’s direction. “Then I shall leave you to have a pleasant journey.”
    Once the maid had gone, Emily walked over to me and took my hand. “Are you feeling well enough to go up on deck? I would love to be there when we launch.” She gave me a hesitant smile. “And maybe toss some of those paper streamers into the air.”
    I knew Emily was worried about me mingling with the mortal crowd up on deck. She was such a little doll to be so concerned for me. She had always been quite the considerate child. And I didn’t want to deny her the enjoyment of our grand departure. “Just give me a moment in my cabin and we can head right up,” I told her. “Now that you mention it, I think I’d like to toss some paper streamers myself.”
    In my cabin, I opened the small trunk that held most of the food I would use on our voyage. There were twelve quart bottles to last me four days. It seemed like an excessive amount, but I had the keen hunger common to most fledglings and there was also always the risk of bad weather while we were at sea. We didn’t want a delay of a day or two leading to disaster. I kept another two small pint bottles in a valise in case of emergencies, but I hoped I wouldn’t need them.
    Unsealing the wax around one of the quart bottles, I pulled the cork and took a long pull. “Oh...” I couldn’t help but sigh and close my eyes, savoring the moment. It tasted so good.
    “Hurry up,” Emily called, rapping on my cabin door. “The boat’s about to leave.”
    “Coming!” I called, setting the bottle down and searching for the cork. I thought I’d put it on the table, but it was nowhere to be found. “Go ahead with Mrs. Denkler,” I called out as I searched. “I’ll catch up with you.”
    “She doesn’t want to go,” my sister informed me. “She says she has too much unpacking to do.”
    Where was that blasted cork? I hated to leave the bottle just sitting open.
    “Jessie,” my little sister called. “We’ve got to go now or we’ll miss everything.”
    “I’ll be right there,” I told her, setting the bottle down on the sink of the small bathroom that was part of my cabin. As I was striding toward the door, the trunk holding my food supply caught my eye. I’d told the maid we didn’t need anything, so we weren’t expecting anyone in the rooms, but just to be on the safe side, I snapped the trunk closed and locked it. Better safe than sorry. I didn’t want to end up eyeing every mortal passenger on the ship like they were sides of beef.
    Our departure was actually quite enjoyable. There was the excitement in the air that always seems to accompany the start of a journey. People cheered and waved to their loved ones standing on the shore. There were paper streamers, just like in the movies, and Emily had a delightful time letting them tumble from her fingers and trail over the side of the ship.
    I was doing well. Even though the ship’s deck was crowded, I felt I had control