Family Secrets (Davenport Manor Book 1)

by Melissa Zaroski

  She approached him and greeted, “Good morning, love! What’cha doing?”

  He had a look of worry on his face and she was afraid he might have figured her out. But, as she got closer she realized he wasn’t looking at her portrait, but at Elizabeth’s.

  “What’s wrong? You look confused or something,” she asked.

  “I just…never mind, you’ll think I’m crazy,” he shook his head. She would really start to question his sanity now, especially after the tree incident.

  “What is it?” She urged.

  “Okay, you’re going to think I’ve gone mad, but…” he hesitated and took a breath. “I had trouble falling asleep last night and I swear I felt like I was being watched. You know that weird feeling you get sometimes?”

  “Sure I do,” she answered while thinking, Of course not, if someone was watching me, I’d damn well know it.

  “Well, as I was lying there, I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. When I looked, I saw a girl dressed in period clothing. I jumped of course, but then I thought it was one of the actresses in my room and relaxed for a moment. I asked her what she was doing in my room, but she didn’t respond. She just stared at me,” his brow was furrowed now. She could hear his heart pounding while explaining the events.

  “So, who was it?”

  “Since she wasn’t answering me, I got out of bed and went over to her…and as I approached her I realized she was transparent. But, I got a good look at her face and I swear it was her,” he said, pointing at Elizabeth’s portrait. “Elizabeth Davenport. I think I saw a ghost.”

  Emma’s arms were crossed and she absorbed the story he just told her. She looked at Elizabeth’s portrait and if she could still get the chills, she would have goosebumps on her arms right about now. Not out of fear, but out of utter excitement.

  “So, she never spoke to you?” Emma asked him.

  “No, she just looked at me, but she looked concerned and maybe sad. But, the odd thing was, I wasn’t afraid of her, I physically felt completely calm. I would think that I would have freaked out if I ever saw a ghost, but she radiated a serene energy.”

  Emma nodded, but on the inside her mind was racing. She wished so much that she could see her, too.

  “Is your house known to be haunted?” He asked, snapping her away from her thoughts.

  “I’ve never seen any,” she shrugged. “Our dad, John had mentioned seeing her before.”

  “So, do you think I’m completely mad now?”

  She shook her head, “I don’t think you’re mad at all. I believe you actually. Perhaps if there is a next time, try to talk to her…better yet, yell for me. I’m fascinated with the supernatural and would love to meet a ghost, especially one of my ancestors.”

  He relaxed and gave a slight chuckle, “I will, although I hope there isn’t a ‘next time’!”

  “Come on, let’s go riding and we can talk more.”

  Todd quickly remembered how to ride the minute he got in the saddle. They rode through the property and around the land that they hadn’t explored on foot during his first tour. Todd would occasionally watch Emma, hardly hearing her speak. She looked so divine while riding Phantom, like something out of a film. They made their way around the property, past the cottages, and found themselves at the entrance of the cemetery once again. By this time, the sun had begun to set on the horizon, giving the sky a deep, orange hue. The shadows had already engulfed the area, which gave Todd an ominous feeling as they approached the graveyard. He got a chill up his spine and had the overwhelming urge to turn back, but Emma seemed completely comfortable and he didn’t want to seem like a sissy. There were no crickets or nightlife sounds as it was now November, which made the complete silence even more unsettling.

  Emma heard Todd’s heart rate increase, letting her know that he was afraid. For some odd reason, she enjoyed the fact that he was uncomfortable there and continued to ride on. Todd had slowed the pace of his horse, feeling hesitant about moving forward.

  “Something the matter, Todd?” Emma asked as she turned her body around the face him.

  He gave her a nervous smile and replied, “Ahh, no. I just…I’m just a little uneasy about being in a cemetery at night.”

  “Oh come on, you have nothing to worry about here. No one is going to get you! I like to come here when I need some distance from people, I find it very serene. I like to visit my family.”

  He sped up his pace to catch up to her since he certainly didn’t want to be left behind. Family or not, all he could think about was that he was surrounded by dead people.

  Emma dismounted from her horse and motioned for Todd to follow. She sat down on a bench located across the path from the Davenport family tomb. Todd dismounted and hesitantly walked over to join her while his nerves were beginning to get the best of him. He sat down next to her and she took his hand.

  “See? Nothing to be afraid of, they won’t hurt you,” she smiled.

  Todd closed his eyes and listened to the quiet breeze—trying to convince himself to relax. They sat in silence for several minutes while holding hands; he was concentrating on listening to the breeze and she concentrated on listening to his heart. She heard it slow while he clearly made himself relax, then it would speed up a little, then slow again. Suddenly, his heart jumped and began racing while he abruptly sat up straight, becoming rigid with his eyes wide open now.

  “Todd, what is it?” Emma asked with concern.

  “Shhh, do you hear that?”

  Emma sat silent for a moment, listening intently. Certainly if he heard something, she would hear it 10 times louder. “I don’t hear anything, love.”

  “It sounds like a woman weeping…faintly.” His breathing was fast and shallow while holding perfectly still to listen.

  Confused, Emma shook her head and looked around, “I don’t hear anything, Todd.” And trust me, I would.

  “It sounds like it is coming from the crypt there…fuck, I’m freaking out, please let’s get out of here,” he pleaded with anxiety in his voice. He wasn’t sure if it was real or if his mind was playing tricks on him. But, fear had gotten the best of him and the only thing he knew was that he wanted to be as far away from that cemetery as possible. After the odd encounter with what he believed to be a ghost the night before, he remained edgy all day.

  She gently rubbed his back and agreed to leave. She felt bad that he was so frightened, but honestly couldn’t understand why humans were often so afraid of dead people. If only Todd knew what she was, he would have realized that he would have been protected by the most dangerous predator on Earth and that he had nothing to be afraid of.

  It was dark out when they finally walked into the house. Todd had relaxed and felt like a complete fool for being such a chicken earlier. There was the usual bustle of people strewn about and they were just getting ready to have dinner.

  “Sit by me at dinner, love? I don’t think we have ever dined together!” Todd asked as he held her hand.

  “Sure, save me a spot and I’ll meet you there.”

  How was she going to get out of this one? She wasn’t used to having to be completely aware and careful of what she said and did. Sure, she could charm him into believing whatever she wanted, but she hated using that tool unless absolutely necessary. Todd went ahead into the dining room while Emma sought out Zachariah. She could sense he was in the kitchen, so she decided to sneak that way to join him. He was leaning on the center island while chatting with Vivienne and Declan; all of them had a glass of blood.

  They all exchanged greetings while Emma went into the secret refrigerator for a bag of blood for herself. She poured it into a glass and popped it into the microwave for a minute, which was the perfect temperature.

  “So, how did your little date with the handsome human go?” Vivienne asked with a smirk.

  Zachariah shifted uneasily and gave Emma a cold stare.

  “It was nice, we went horseback riding. And Zach, you can stop looking at me like t
hat,” Emma replied while shooting Zachariah a threatening glance. “Although, I wanted to talk to you guys, tell me what you think. But, I want Daniel here, too.” Emma whipped out her phone and texted Dan to come to the kitchen. When he walked in just seconds later, she shut the door and locked it, not wanting any human interruptions.

  “So, tell me what you all think…Todd was a bit shaken up this morning—he said he had an encounter with a ghost last night. When I went to fetch him to go riding, I found him upstairs looking at my sister, Elizabeth’s portrait. He swore it was her that was in his room. Then, we ended up riding to the cemetery, which made him totally on edge. Talked about being afraid of cemeteries at night, blah blah blah…” Emma gave a wave of her hand.

  “I don’t understand why humans are afraid of cemeteries, day or night. Those dead folks aren’t the ones to be afraid of.” Zachariah said.

  “I think it is because we’re conditioned to be afraid of the unknown, the supernatural,” Daniel replied. “That’s probably why I’m not afraid at all, I have grown up amongst the supernatural my entire life, it’s normal to me.”

  “It’s too bad all humans don’t feel the way you do, Dan,” Declan began. “It would make it a lot easier for us, especially since a majority of humans are so afraid of us that they wouldn’t hesitate to try and kill us.”

  “Right? But, here’s the odd thing…when we were at the cemetery we were just quietly sitting on the bench. He suddenly started freaking out saying that he faintly heard a woman weeping. He thought it was coming from my family’s tomb. I didn’t hear anything, so I don’t know if he’s crazy or if something is going on.” Emma added.

  Perplexed, they all tried to think of what it could have been that Todd had seen the night before and heard at the cemetery. And if he really had heard something, why didn’t Emma hear it, as well? None of them had ever seen a ghost, which could be considered odd since the Manor itself was old and could easily appear to be haunted. The household vampires were awake 24/7 and had never seen anything out of the ordinary.

  “I’m wondering something here…” Dan spoke up after a few moments of silence. “Personally, I have never seen or heard anything weird here, but who’s to say ghosts aren’t lurking? Just because someone has never met a vampire, doesn’t mean you all don’t exist, right? What I’m thinking is maybe the reason why you didn’t hear anything, Emma, is because ghosts are spirits of the dead. You are already dead, so perhaps you can’t see or hear them?”

  “You’re brilliant, Dan. That makes perfect sense.” Emma replied.

  “Well, what fun is that if we’re supernatural and can’t see ghosts?” Declan laughed.

  They could hear that dinner was just about over and people were headed into the parlor. Zachariah, Vivienne, and Declan went to join them, but Emma wanted to continue speaking with Dan. She was troubled, he could easily read that on her face.

  “Dan…have you ever seen her before? My sister?” Emma gently asked.

  He shook his head ‘no’ with his brows furrowed in apology. “I have never seen anything out of the ordinary except for you guys. But, that’s normal to me. I have never seen any ghosts.”

  “What about as a child? Do you ever remember anything odd or being afraid? Children often let their imaginations run wild.”

  “No…the funny thing is, I know people get spooked out, especially in our house. But, I never was. When I was a kid I was never really afraid of anything,” Daniel shrugged.

  “Why is that?”

  He gave her a big smile, “Because I always knew that the scariest and most dangerous thing on Earth was my ‘sister’ and that she was on my side. I never had any fear knowing you were here.”

  She drew her breath in deep and grabbed him into a tight hug, overwhelmed with emotions. Love, pride, and gratification rolled through her. She softly cried while hugging him tight, but not tight enough to hurt him! She didn’t want to think of the day when she would lose her beloved Daniel. Over the countless decades she had to watch family members be born, grow up, and then die. She would love them, of course, but she never allowed herself to get too attached. It was different with Daniel, though. As he grew up they were like two peas in a pod; kindred spirits. With each passing year Emma allowed herself to get more and more attached to him, but now she always feared they day she would lose him. He was her little “brother” and the best human friend she had ever had.

  They pulled away from each other and he saw the red streaks going down her cheeks. “Why are you crying?” He asked.

  “I just love you so much,” she replied while dampening a paper towel.

  Daniel paused before responding,” I know what you’re thinking…hopefully that won’t be for a long time.”

  She looked at him with a forced smile while wiping her cheeks. “I don’t know what I’ll ever do without you. In the past two hundred years I have never bonded with a family member like I have with you.”

  Emma sat down next to Todd in the parlor and apologized for not making it to dinner. She told him that she got stuck in a conversation with Zachariah, Vivienne, Declan, and Daniel and completely lost track of time.

  “I have to be honest, I’m really disappointed,” Todd said with hurt in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry, I know,” she apologetically responded.

  There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a moment before Todd spoke again. He saw Zachariah clear on the other side of the room, blatantly watching them. Exasperated, he quietly said, “I just don’t understand how you could lose track of time talking to Zach when you knew I was waiting for you.”

  Emma leaned back and looked at him with an Oh-No-You-Didn’t look. “Do you have a problem with me conversing with Zach?”

  “I’m a little jealous, yes.” He bluntly replied. He looked at Zachariah once again, who was now grinning with complete satisfaction. It was as though he could hear their conversation, but there was no way with him being so far away. “Why is he grinning at us?”

  “I don’t know! Look…if you’re going to get jealous because I talk to Zach, then that is going to be a problem. If you ultimately try to make me choose, you will not like the answer.”

  Todd held his hands out in front of him, “Whoa, whoa! I’m not making you choose. I just can’t help but be a little jealous since you and Zach have a history. I know you’re close and probably always will be. You’ll have to forgive me,” he said as he put his hands on top of hers.

  She shook her head, ashamed of herself for snapping at him the way she did. She knew she was in the wrong—she ditched him at dinner and he had every reason to be upset with her. “No, you’ll have to forgive me, I should have been more attentive when I knew you were waiting for me at dinner.”

  “Water under the bridge, love. You know, speaking of dinner…how do I phrase this delicately?” He said, trying to find the right words. “I have never seen you eat; you’re never at the meals when everyone is together. You’re…alright, right?”

  She chuckled, “I’m fine. I don’t like to be in the way when there is a film crew here, so I usually eat in the kitchen.” She stood up and turned around, sticking out her voluptuous butt toward him. “Does this look like I’m underfed?” She laughed.

  “Well, next time, don’t stay out of the way and join us, yeah?”

  She nodded with a sheepish smile while tucking her hair behind her ear. “I think I’m going to put on a movie and call everyone in for a movie night, want to join me?”

  “I’d be honored to be your date for movie night,” he joyfully replied.

  Emma called everyone to the parlor for their always-enjoyable movie night. The guests brought down blankets and pillows and sprawled them all around the floor and couches. She decided pop in Midnight in Paris, one of her recent favorite movies, where the setting took place in the 1920’s. She stepped over some people lying on the floor and hopped onto the couch to curl up with Todd. She nuzzled into his chest, listened to his heartbeat and rhythmic breathing. She closed
her eyes and was almost in a trance while focusing on the sounds of life. She felt his warm arms around her and began to feel a bit melancholy since she no longer possessed any of those things. Little did he know that he was holding a living corpse so close to his body.

  She shook those thoughts out of her head and opened her eyes to snap out of it. She crooked her head up to smile at him and he stole a quick kiss from her.

  “Remember Paris in the twenties?” Zachariah asked softer than a whisper from the other side of the room.

  She smiled and discreetly nodded. She remembered visiting Paris with Zachariah in the heart of the Roaring Twenties—the dancing, the music, the people, and the ambience were nothing to be rivaled. She smiled when she thought of when they visited the Moulin Rouge together and charmed two of the Cancan dancers into coming with them back to their rented apartment.

  “Remember the Cancan dancers?” He murmured again.

  She grinned even bigger now and nonchalantly glanced over at him, where he sat beaming. At this moment, she wanted to go over to him and reminisce, but couldn’t find it in her cold, dead heart to do that to Todd.

  “That redhead was my favorite, she tasted so good…” he said as he licked his lips. “…and so did her blood.”

  Emma had to stifle a laugh. Ah Zachariah, her once virginal boy that she had turned into a perverted freak. He was a pro at charming humans; so dashing and smooth, he could probably do it without his vampire capabilities.

  “You two are too much,” Vivienne softly chimed in with a giggle.

  “What’s the matter, Emma? Cat got your tongue?” Declan added.

  She wrinkled her nose at them as Zachariah muffled a laugh. This was torture not being able to audibly join in the conversation.

  “I wish I had been able to visit Paris in the twenties, but I never got a chance to,” Vivienne said.

  “You were too busy being a blood-thirsty young’un in New York then.” Declan responded.