Missing Heart

Missing Heart- Chapter Three

Chapter Three



    Three years have passed and they never missed a day writing to each other. Marcus loved waking up each evening to his handmaid Bridget coming in with a new letter from Diana. Every evening he would read the letter, then set it down to read again while he ate breakfast. He didn’t mind anymore when the cook made fluffy scrambled eggs for him. The letter made him feel like Diana was there sitting with him.

    Marcus was also in high spirits because in one week Diana and her folks would be there to celebrate her twelfth birthday. He couldn’t wait to see her and dance with her.

    Like they were promised, her folks would bring Diana to Marcus’ mansion for each holiday. During the christmas season, they would even stay till the night after new years. Nearly two bliss filled weeks together having fun.

    In her letters, she has told him how the other kids still didn’t like her. He was still her only friend, though one girl does talk to her once in a while. Still that isn’t enough. He frowned every time she wrote about how lonely she was and missed him like crazy.

    He had a few friends, but nothing like her. She really knew him and understood him. She even could predict what was wrong with him if he was upset. He joked with her that it was part of being a half breed, but they knew it wasn’t. They just got along that well.

    This evening when he woke was unlike any others. Bridget came in, but was not perky like she usually was. She head was down a bit and she didn’t speak. She set his tray down not looking at him. He could see her eyes were red and puffy from crying.

    He rose and crossed the room to her. “Bridget? What’s wrong?”

    She violently shook her head. “I’m sorry my lord.” She whimpered out as she ran out of his room.

    Marcus wanted to go after her to ask if she was alright, but knew she would scold at him later if he didn’t have his breakfast. It pained him to turn back to the tray. He blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing the tray right. No letter.

    He lifted the plate up and set it down on the table. He looked frantically around the whole tray and found nothing. It wasn’t there.

    Marcus sighed as he resigned himself to eat then find out why his letter wasn’t there later after he saw his father. He sat down and ate. He thought that maybe Bridget just forgot in her distraught state. She did seem out of sorts.

    After breakfast, Marcus dressed and walked quickly to his father’s study. They had three things to do today. One, find out why there wasn’t a letter from Diana for him today. Two, find out what was wrong with Bridget. Three, his father was going to continue his lessons about the hierarchy of the vampyre world. Lessons he already knew all about but with more detail to them.

    Marcus became curious when he saw servant running to and from his father’s study. They all looked a bit distraught and some of the women seemed to burst into tears when they saw him. Their tears were like waterfalls that drenched their faces and down the front of their dresses.

    Marcus enters the study and his father looks up from his desk. His father straightens up and addresses the room. “Leave us.” With his command, all bow to them and depart beyond quickly. The women hold a hand over their mouths to prevent themselves from crying while some of them men hold a woman in their arms.

    His father came around the desk and approached a set of chairs next to the fire place. “Have a seat son. I need to discuss something with you.”

    “Father?” Marcus asks as he advances to the chairs.

    “Just have a seat.” His father’s voice cracked with emotion that he was holding back.