In the Moriarty's mansion, Eve sat next to Vincent at the dining table. As the maids entered the dining room with dishes in their hands, another relative of Lady Annalise entered the room..
"Good morning, Viscount Eduard and Anna," Charles greeted them before walking towards where Lady Annalise sat.
"How was your trip to the South, Charles?" Viscount Eduard questioned his brother-in-law, who took a seat next to his sister.
"It was truly a splendid time spent. The people there are just as you would expect them to treat you when I said I was related to the Moriarty family. The food and drinks, not to mention, the life there is definitely different than what we usually see here," Charles answered to the Viscount's question. He leaned towards Lady Annalise and kissed her cheek, "I am sorry I couldn't reply to your letter. I tried to come as quickly as I could."
Eve, who wasn't particularly fond of Charles after how he had treated a servant during the ball night that had taken place in this mansion, silently picked up the glass of orange juice placed next to her plate and took a sip from it.
"How is everything going with you, Vincent? I see we have the governess having breakfast at the same table as us?" Charles asked, looking back and forth between Eve and then his sister.
"When times change, don't you just love it?" Vincent remarked without explaining why Eve was allowed at the table.
Charles, who wasn't particularly fond of humans, especially not the one who belonged to the lower status, his lips twitched. He said, "Just because time changes doesn't have to mean that we have to change everything. Mixing something from two different levels or kinds has never done well anywhere."
Lady Annalise decided to answer her younger brother before Vincent would try to smack him down with his words, "Vincent and Ms. Barlow have decided to marry each other. Ms. Barlow will be part of the Moriarty family soon."
Charles looked taken aback by the revelation and with a frown, said, "I did not see that coming. Not even if I turned to look at it. H--how, how did this happen and when?"
"It was all thanks to your elder niece who helped us to understand how much we like each other. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder," there was a grin on Vincent's lips as he said it he turned to look at Eve. "Isn't that right, darling?"
"Marceline helped?" Charles wasn't sure if Vincent was joking or if he had spent too many weeks away from the mansion for things to change so fast. Because if there was one thing everyone in this mansion knew, it was that Marceline Moriarty held a strong distaste towards humans. It didn't matter if it was a human who belonged to a low or high status.
"Mhm," Vincent nodded in glee. He took a loaf of bread from the basket and then picked up something that looked like jam but it was darker and thicker in texture. He said, "The wedding is going to be in a month's time, and we hope for you to attend it. Even though technically we aren't related by blood and only by name."
Charles laughed, though it was a hollow one. He said, "Of course, how could I miss attending my nephew's wedding." He looked around the table, where the Viscount and his sister seemed comfortable with the news. He asked, "Where is Marceline?"
Viscount Eduard turned to the butler, who quickly gave him a bow and left the dining room. After five minutes, he returned without Marceline and informed, "Sire, Lady Marceline isn't in her room. The maid said she went out in the carriage."
When Alfie finished uttering the last words, a maid came hurriedly inside the dining room and offered a deep bow. She informed them, "The Hooke's family has arrived at the mansion."
"The Hooke's?" Lady Annalise's eyebrows furrowed. "Alfie, did you fail to inform us about them visiting today?"
With a poised expression, Alfie replied, "No, milady. There was no previous information about it."
"Tell them that I have invited them to have breakfast," Viscount Eduard ordered Alfie, who bowed and left the room again.
During this time, Eve felt an air of worry settling in her mind. It was because though Rosetta was easy to handle when it came to her aunt's death, she doubted Rosetta's parents would behave the same.
Eve felt Vincent place his hand on her left hand that was resting on her lap. She turned to look at him, where their eyes met, and she saw him offer her a smile. He said to her in a low voice, "Breath."
And Eve did that. She took a slow and deep breath before exhaling it.
Soon footsteps approached at the door of the dining room, Alfie announced, "Marquee Hooke, Lady Aurora and their daughter Rosetta Hooke are here."
Soon the three members of the Hooke's appeared in their proud and arrogant demeanour, their nose up high, stepping inside the room.
Eve hadn't forgotten Lady Aurora's threat given to her and her family the last time they had seen each other. Despite the older vampiress's behaviour towards her and Aunt Aubrey, Eve had still continued to be friends with Rosetta.
With the presence of the Hooke family in the dining room, the Moriarty family members stood up from their seats to welcome the Marquee's family, and Eve stood too.
Lady Aurora held a refined smile on her lips, which was reserved for the people of their status.
Lady Annalise offered a wide smile to the guests. She reached to where Lady Aurora was, and the two women gave airy kisses to each other's cheeks., "Lady Aurora, what a wonderful surprise to have you and your family here again. If we knew that you were visiting us, we would have prepared something special."
Though Vincent's marriage was now fixed with the human, it didn't mean she didn't hope for the Marquee's daughter to be married to him.
"Oh, please, you don't have to worry about such things. To have a meal with your family is prestigious enough."
The Viscount and the Marquee shook their hands together, exchanging words of greeting before Eduard Moriarty said, "Please have a seat at the table. The more the merrier."
The guests walked around the table before taking a seat each.
Rosetta, who caught sight of Eve, quickly walked to her friend's side and sat next to the little vampiress, Allie Moriarty. When Lady Aurora settled at the table, she smiled with delight as her eyes shifted from one person to another until it fell on a human. Her eyes slightly narrowed, while the smile on her face continued to stay intact.
Before Lady Aurora could remark about the human, Viscount Eduard offered his condolence, "Marquee Walter, my thoughts are with you regarding Lady Camille's death. She was taken too suddenly and without a hint of why." Lady Annalise nodded in agreement to her husband's words. The Viscount asked, "How are you holding up? If you need anything, we would be more than happy to offer our assistance in the matter."
Marquee Walter Hooke's physique was lean and slightly shorter in height compared to most people in the room made him look small. He held a grim expression on his face, holding his hands together while his elbows rested on the table's surface. He replied,
"Not very good. I share this because I know your family understands how it feels to lose someone dear. Camille, my sister, has always been there for me. Through thick and thin, and now that she is gone, it has left a hollowness of shock that my family is still trying to come in terms with."
With worry marring on his face, Vincent remarked, "Indeed, Lady Camille was a good woman whom I had a pleasure knowing and speaking to. When we heard the news about her body buried out at Darthmore, we couldn't believe it."
Eve didn't know how Vincent did it, but she wasn't an expert when it came to acting. After all, she was the murderer. One would think they would forget about the woman's death, but somehow it kept coming back to her.
Three maids started to serve food to everyone sitting at the table, and Lady Aurora raised her hand when one of the maids was going to serve her. The vampiress said, "What I find astonishing is my sister-in-law's murderer hasn't been found yet?"
"I thought it was Mr. Walsh who was behind it," Lady Annalise remarked, as the gossip and rumour she had heard wasn't up to date with the women who attended the same soiree as her.
Marquee Hooke shook his head and responded, "If I am not wrong, it was Vincent himself who let Mr. Walsh out of the dungeon?" He turned to look at Vincent.
"That is true," Vincent replied, and continued, "I don't know why someone would frame a poor man like Mr. Walsh to something so extreme. Can you believe it? I felt that I had to get him justice before something happened to the innocent man," he said to the people in the room and took a bite from his meaty toast.
While everyone continued to have their breakfast, Rosetta noticed Eugene appear in the dining room. Her eyes lit up like the lights during Christmas. But at the same time, she wondered what he was doing in Moriarty's mansion instead of being at home. Her eyes not so subtly followed Dawson's butler, while he served the food.
Lady Aurora noticed her daughter's eyes light up. What she didn't realise was that her daughter was staring at the man standing next to Viscount Eduard and not Vincent Moriarty. But with the way Rosetta looked, it was how it appeared. After all, the older proud vampiress could never imagine her daughter paying attention to a lowly servant.
