Suburban Vampire: Book of Origins

ELIZABETH

GLOUCESTERSHIRE, ENGLAND

1882

Harrington Hall had been in the Harrington family for several generations. According to family lore, the property had been gifted to the Harringtons in 1485, following the defeat of Richard III at Bosworth Field. The Harringtons had been supporters of the Lancastrian cause, which resulted in a few members of that family losing their heads, quite literally, on the edges of Yorkist axes. The current house, however, did not date to that time, but to the 1660's, following both a plague and a fire which devastated the city of London. The Hall was considered a minor country house, but in terms of size there was nothing 'minor' about it. It may not have been the stateliest manor in Gloucestershire, but it didn't need to be. The current Lord of the manor, Charles Emerson Harrington III, lived there with his wife, Lady Emilia Harrington, their son, Giles (who was currently absent, having traveled to America on business), and their daughter, Sophia, as well as a staff of servants. The head housemaid was, unusually, still quite young, yet despite her age had proven herself capable of both following instructions and giving them. Elizabeth O'Neill had lived with the Harringtons for several years; her mother, Kathleen, had been taken in by the Harringtons (at the insistence of Lady Harrington) soon after she and her daughter had arrived in England looking for employment. The O'Neills hailed from Omagh, in County Tyrone, where Elizabeth was born, in 1860. Her parents were the only members of their families remaining in Ireland following the Great Famine; the rest had either perished, or left for America. Likewise, Elizabeth was the only one among her siblings who survived infancy. Despite the end of the famine, political conditions were still very difficult in Ireland, and in 1867, Elizabeth's father, Turlough, was sentenced to transportation for his part in the Fenian Uprising of that year, leaving Kathleen O'Neill to search for employment. So, while Turlough O'Neill was sailing toward the hell that was Australia, Kathleen and Elizabeth O'Neill were sailing to England in order to survive. Lady Harrington, having compassion on Kathleen and her young daughter, took them into their household, making Kathleen a nurse, and then a governess. Kathleen's employment was, sadly, short-lived, as she soon fell ill and subsequently died, leaving Elizabeth an orphan. By this time, however, young Elizabeth had worked her way up from laundress to housemaid, and was considered an essential part of the household staff. Sophia Harrington considered her as more than a servant, thinking of Elizabeth, who she called 'Betsy', as a friend.

On one particular morning, Elizabeth knocked on Sophia's door. "Housekeeper," the young Irish woman announced.

"Enter," Sophia said. Elizabeth opened the door. There, at her bureau, sat the lovely blonde-haired heiress, wearing her night gown and brushing her hair. Sophia stood as soon as Elizabeth came into the room.

"Good morning, ma'am," Elizabeth greeted. "So, were last night's festivities to your liking?"

Sophia took Elizabeth by the arms. "Oh, Betsy, they were, indeed! It was ever so delightful! The best eighteenth birthday party a girl ever had!"

"Ah, the best ever, now is it? Or was it the presence of one Master Harold Clevenger that has you in a glow?"

"Ah, you're on to me. Yes! Master Clevenger it is! And you know what, Betsy? I think he feels for me as I feel for him!"

"I am most delighted to hear it. Master Clevenger seems a good man."

"He is, Betsy, and rich and well-positioned! And you know what else, Betsy?"

"No! What else?"

"He asked to call on me. Harold Clevenger wishes to call on me!"