Confessions of a Female Vampire

Prologue

Etta stood in front of the large mirror, staring. Anyone who had every met Henrietta Radcliff was enthralled by her beauty. Her appearance even before the change was exquisite. She held an allure so captivating that even the strongest of men would succumb to their knees.

As a young girl she was not shy of suitors. This had troubled both her brother and father. She could clearly remember how often her brother had arrived home with bruised knuckles and a rumpled vest after getting into it with one of the men from the village. Her brother Sebastian was not one to tolerate chauvinistic behaviour, especially when regarding his little sister. He was a true gentleman, a rarity of the village, and Etta often found herself envying his future wife.

Their father on the other hand thought their mother had coddled Sebastian too much. He was a strong and proud man and showed as much. He believed affection was a sign of a weak man, and thus his relationship with both his children was virtually non-existent. He may have been there to provide both warmth and shelter to his children, but not the emotional connection that the two siblings craved.

It was her father's demeanour that had made Etta cautious in the way of romantic entanglements. Although her brother was kind, she knew that it was not the way of most men. A large majority of the men from the village were selfish in the way of their desires, and Etta watched the way their lustful eyes intimately traced over the curve of her form every time she would venture into the village for supplies. They wished to possess her body not her soul. Etta did not want to end up like her mother a shell of a person longing for the affection of a man who would never truly return it.

Etta abhorred her mother's weak character and held no remorse when she was finally carted off to Bedlam to be treated for hysteria. At times Etta believed that there must be something wrong with her, how could any child not feel empathy for the very being that brought them into this world.

Sebastian however had been beside himself; he had begged their father not to be so rash, even offering to be their mothers' caretaker. Etta clearly remembered how Sebastian had screamed at her not being able to understand how his own sister could stand by so idly and allow such an atrocity to occur. But Etta remained quiet, even when she felt the sting of his hand on her right cheek.

Truthfully Etta could not even admit it out loud, but she was terrified. Terrified that if their father could do that to his own wife what would he do to a disobedient daughter. So that is what she became: obedient, docile, weak. Someone who wouldn't challenge the status quo, the perfect daughter. Her brother never looked at her the same and her mother never returned.

Three days after her eighteenth birthday Etta's father announced her engagement. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise, Sera long ago gave up on marrying for love. But she always held out hope, hope that one day her father would recognize that she was more than just a brood mare. It was a silly fantasy that quickly became just that when her brother abandoned his duties and fled to sail across the Americas. It brought so much shame to the Radcliff household and when their father found that his sole heir was gallivanting across the high Sea like some common pirate his health quickly declined.

Etta's anger for her brother was rivalled with that of jealousy. She hated that he had left her to deal with their boorish father alone, but she also could not help but feel envious that he was free. Free of the responsibility of the Radcliff name.

William Albany was a kind man; Etta knew from the moment she met him that he would make an acceptable husband. He classically handsome with a strong jaw and salt and pepper hair. She did not love him nor did he love her, but there was a comfortableness that satisfied both their needs. Marriages had been founded on a lot less. Etta found herself quite lucky that she was to marry a man as courteous as William Albany.