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I awoke the next morning eager to start my day. I rose before Mrs. Hart, cooking her breakfast and placing the kettle on for her tea. I was pleased since I made it I wouldn't have to eat anything. I could simply say I ate already without feeling forced to eat that tasteless food. "Good Morning." I said as I pulled out her chair at the table. She rubbed her eyes, her hair a mess and her feet bare as she walked along the wooden floors to the seat. "You're up early my dear." She said sipping the hot cup. "I feel refreshed this morning." I said lying of course, it was the blood I drank during the night. Damn after effects. "I'll open the store in a few minutes." I said adding another log to the fire. "If you're too cold you can stay here today. I'm sure I can handle everything." I said covering her shoulders with a knitted blue blanket. "You're so kind dear." She pat my hand as she took a bite of of her toast smeared with apple jam.
"This book was incredible Isabelle!" Anna said waiting outside the shop door with the book in her hands. "The queen was actually a warrior in disguise! And she recused the prince and fell in love with him! Oh it was brilliant!" Anna said smiling as she looked through the book again. I couldn't help but feel proud of myself for picking it out. "You like it that much you can keep it then love." I said smiling as I placed my shawl over my chair and lit the fire behind me. "Oh! I can't just take it! No it wouldn't be right." I shook my head and waved her off. "You take it and read it as much as you can. It's yours." I watched her face light up as she held it hard against her chest. "This is the best gift I've ever received." She said running and hugging me around my waist. "I'll be back soon!" She said turning and going off to school. Her sweetness reminded me of myself way back. The first gift I had gotten from my master the day I arrived was a brand new dress he had made for me. I never had such a beautiful garment before. The dark velvet colors and the soft silk material. He spoiled me, I'll admit. He treated me as his own, his equal. Whatever he got, he shared with me. Perhaps it was his way of apologizing for killing my parents and creating me in his image. I watched Anna walk along the streets in her ruffled dress, she looked lovely. The pain filled within me as I realized I would never have a child of my own. I fought back the tears, I didn't want to cry anymore. I took a breath and went back to work.
The morning went by quickly. People came in mostly to gaze at the collections. I took it upon myself to not only fix Mrs. Harts books but to also restore them. "Such beautiful novels." A lady said to her husband, admiring the gold trim on a Shakespeare novella. I grinned carrying more over to where she was. "And the stories are too." I said cutting in between them. The lady smiled and took a few under her arm. I made my way back to my desk when I suddenly smelled something incredibly sweet. I sniffed and looked around. Did someone have a cake of some kind? It smelled absolutely delicious I thought. It got stronger as I heard a voice from behind me. "Pardon me? Miss?" A soft deep voice said. I turned and saw him there in front of me. The man from the dock. The smiling man in the dark green coat. It took me a moment to form words as I now had him within an arms length away from me. "Yes?" I managed to say. He smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you, but do you work here?" He asked. I nodded, trying to swallow. I seemed to have lost all bodily functions, except for my heart which was pounding like a hammer within my chest. "Oh wonderful." He said giving a sigh of relief. I could almost feel his hot breath on my face. "I was looking for a particular book on flowers." He said. I stared at him, not blinking. Focus. Isabel. Focus. I said to myself as I licked my lips, they were so dry. He was even more handsome than I had realized. His eyes were a deep sea green, his skin dark, bronzed, like he had been out in the sun. His hair was a light brown but dark. It had a suave wave that parted on the side, with curls that settled along his face and behind his ear. He wore his dark green coat with a beige collared shirt underneath that stood out. "Flowers? Right. Yes I can show you." I said walking past him. The scent of sweet cake filled my nose, someone must be eating in here, I thought as I walked towards the house and garden section I had fixed up. "Exactly what did you want to know?" I asked.
