The Eyes Of 'Rah

There was almost a caught

"This was slipped under the door last night" Mr. Pawn held a piece of paper high for her to see, "it has your name on it".

Walking round the counter to check it out, Seraphine recognised the handwriting from the paper which was stuck under the door that she threw out the day before.

Quickly reading through the shot content, "did you see who sent this?" With an anxious voice, she asked the old man.

"I just told you it was slipped under the door" noticing the change in her voice, Mr. Pawn observed her. Her body languaged had changed from being relaxed to agitated.

"Let me see that" he snatched the letter from her, reading it as slowly as he could without his reading spectacle. He sighed when he finished, a rattling noise drew him to where Seraphine bent over the bin bucket, " what are you doing?"

"I found a similar handwriting yesterday, I want to know if it was from the same person or just a prank"

Standing upright suddenly with a crumpled paper in hand, "found it"

Two heads bent over the table surface, studying the two papers side by side, "the handwritings are slightly different, could have been written by two people"

"But this one is the same as the one which had my name"

"Why hasn't the person come forward all these years to tell you about the information they have about your father?"

"I don't know and I might not know unless I find out"  Seraphine shrugged. She stared at the letter which claimed that the writer knew something about her father's death and the false accusation.

Seraphine recalled how hard she tried to look for someone who would testified that her father was innocent but everyone had turned their back on her. Regardless of whether the anonymous letter was a prank or not, she will find out for herself.

"Do you know this address?"

"I do, it's quite a bit far from the town"

"If I leave very early tomorrow, I should be back before sundown"

Mr. Pawn saw the determined look on her face so there was no use persuading her not to go. He recalled the disgraceful way her father had been killed, if there was a way his name could be cleared even after death, then he was in support of her going.

"You don't think of going there alone, do you? Let's close the shop for tomorrow and go together"

Her heart warmed at the suggestion but she had to decline, the journey will be too stressful for the old man, "thank you but it will be quite rude to deny potential customer of our service. Who knows if someone would need money for a life and death matter, imagine how fatal it would be if they're unable to get their things pawned."

Tapping him lightly on his shoulder to show appreciation, "I'll call on one of my friends to follow me"

"The golden haired vampire?"

Seraphine's cheek reddened, fanning herself due to the sudden rush of heat, "yes or Diane." Feeling unsettled because of the pending meeting with the anonymous being, she decided to occupied her mind with something else.

"I'll visit one of them in the afternoon and ask if they can accompany me" surveying the shop to see what she could do, she went to the kitchenette first to boil chamomile tea to calm her troubled mind.

As the harsh sunlight lowered it's ray, making it manageable to walk in it without squinting the eyes or feeling it's heat at ones back, Seraphine headed towards the Orsini Manor.

Being the first time she was going out and alone since the incident, she could have been conscious of the nosy neighbours and the finger pointers if not that her mind was already preoccupied by a more important matter.

She hoped to meet Xavier at home, she could have gone to the factory where he would most likely be but hadn't developed the courage to pass by the town square where her father had died yet. Neither had she grown the spine to enter the factory where he worked.

Hoping on meeting him at home, she quickened her steps. Ignoring the partner she had shared the public carriage with, whom hadn't stopped asking her weird questions.

Grateful to be rid of the woman, she smiled politely, waving her off as she trailed along the path which led to the Orsini Manor.

Her heart sunk when the butler informed her of his absence, unable to answer when he would be home, the kind butler had offered her a carriage which would take her to the Manchesters.

"Unfortunately dear, the twins accompanied my husband to visit a close friend who fell off her horse this morning. I was feeling a little bit under the weather so I had to stay back. Is everything all right?"

Masking her disappointment with a polite smile, she shook her head, "I'm fine ma'am. I'll call on her next time"

"I'll let her know you dropped by"

Torn between passing through the formidable townsquare and entering the factory or journeying alone which wasn't safe, she sighed before entering the Orsini carriage.

Seraphine stared at the path which would lead her to the factory, her palm became wet with sweat, brushing them on her cloth became useless because sweat kept pooling on it.

Checking the time, she realised that it was way past the time the old man went for his stroll, increasing her pace, she headed home.

"You're back"

Seraphine took a second look at the old man, surprised to see his calm face instead of the usual scowl he wears whenever she was running late.

"I am" looking suspicious and waiting for his outburst.

"Which of them is following you?"

"So far, none. I didn't meet any of them" massaging her feet, she let out a sigh.

"What about Felicity?"

"I can't inconvenient Mrs. Mosey" putting on a reassuring smile, "I'll go back to check on Xavier in the night"
*********
Herbert opened the door to see one of his master's friends again.

"Is he back yet?"

Shaking his, "no, but he will be back in few minutes. If it is something urgent, you can wait for him in his study" looking at the dark sky, he checked the compound to see if she brought a personal carriage, "the public carriage will soon be out of service for the day"

Worried, she still needed to pack her things for tomorrow, "I'll wait for him" she trusted Xavier to be a gentleman and lend her one of his carriages to drop her home. Herbert opened the door wide and allowed her in.

Seraphine settled down comfortably on the soft sofa, taking off her spectacle since she was the only one in the room. She thought of what the person she was going to meet could say about her father's death.

She thought perhaps she could use the opportunity of being alone to know more about the close-mouthed vampire, her curiousity got the best of her. After surveying his study and detected the kinds of books he read, she stepped out to admire the house.

Perhaps if she had come across a maid, she would have been discouraged. With no one around to question her, she proceeded in her tour.

She paused her steps when she heard some footsteps, quickly she turned around to run back to the study. It would be humiliating if caught looking around without permission.

She became aware that she had missed her way when she opened the 'supposed' door to the study but instead found herself in a bedchamber.

The strong scent of Xavier's smell in the room suggested she was in his room. Just as she was about to turn back, her eyes caught a hidden door behind a large shelf. The rational part of her warned her to leave but she didn't.

As she was about to turn the knob, a hand wrapped over hers and stopped her.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!"