Havenwood, NY

When he was roused that morning by his motherly neighbor, Mrs. Seward, who had taken it upon herself to be his housekeeper slash caregiver "because someone has to do it, Mr. Collins," it was not with the expectation of having tea later that day with the wife of one of Havenwood's wealthy merchants. In fact, Declan expected to have no visitors at all since he'd all but cut himself off from the community save for the few stubborn friends that visited him once a week or so. Mostly, however, it was due to being the middle of winter with heavy snow on the ground, making travel difficult. Because of such difficulties, Mrs. Seward was staying with him for the week while her husband was in Manhattan conducting business.

The morning was spent in routine as he assisted the older woman in tidying up the townhouse. Perhaps it was because Declan was now alone or perhaps it was because she did not have a set of her own, Mrs. Seward always insisted on using the silver for their meals. When he asked why one day, he could hear movement in what he figured out was a shrug and she gave a rather practical reply.

"Well… it just seems like a waste to let it just sit there to gather dust and tarnish." After that, Declan didn't have the heart to argue and it was usually his assignment to clean the set when Mrs. Seward said it needed cleaning. It was not a particularly large one that had been inherited by a previous wife at the time and somehow remained within his care. While the task could be tedious, Declan rather enjoyed it as it gave him the opportunity to reminisce over the fond memories they invoked. As he worked at the long bench table in the kitchen, the space and rest of the house became increasingly pungent with the smell of cooking stew. By mid-day, based on the sunlight he could feel on his back, he was ravenous.

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It was just approaching closing time when he and the single employee he kept at this hour had finished informing the few patrons left that they'd be closing in ten minutes. William was anxious to get the shop closed and cleaned so that he could head over to Eden and take the edge off that the bagged blood he obtained did not always do. Pulling the pocketwatch from his waistcoat pocket, he glanced at the time once again, a flash of annoyance shooting across his face because only a minute had passed since his return to the front, making it 9:50.

The vampire forced himself to suppress a sigh when the door hit the bell that hung over it, signaling the arrival of another customer. Yet, despite his ability to keep from sighing, William was unable to keep his irritation out of his voice.

"Good evening, madam," William could tell the patron was female from the sound of her footfalls, "Obscura will be closing in..." ( Read more... )

The letter he had received from Anna—Diana now—had been a mild surprise, but it was an emotion Elijah had quickly gotten over. Instead, he spent the next two days admonishing himself for not expecting the unexpected from his Maker. When the younger vampire quit berating himself, he quickly penned a response and sent Victoria to take it to Durant Manor that very day. Instructions accompanied the raven to whomever took the letter that a shiny bauble of insignificance should be sent back with the creature as payment for services rendered.

Since he'd known her, Victoria was always eager to please given her limited capabilities outside the full moon. With her task completed, Elijah spent the rest of the day planning when to take up Diana's invitation. As he thought, the vampire did several sketches of the Von Klimburg building, adding watercolor as the mood struck him when he finally concluded that a week from today wouldn't be overly suspicious. When that day arrived, he closed the gallery promptly at six, gathered the 11x14 portfolio he'd made for Diana and as Elijah approached the manor, it was with mild trepidation.

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