Written by Kathryn K Williams with assistance/editing from Kimberly Williams. Introduction Well, I have not seen you around these parts before. Are you new to town? Ahhh, I see... We do not get many travellers around Holland-Greystoke much these days, not after the happenings. What? You have not heard? I thought that was the reason for your travelling out to this desolate little nothing of a town. This town holds a dismal past and many a traveller used to pass by here, wanting a glimpse at the town that death settled upon all those years ago. It is true. Death does live in this very hollowed town and I can prove it. How do I know you ask? I'm the head examiner at the old death house down the road. I'm in charge of all the more gruesome of deaths, the only one with the stomach for it. Wait! Where are you off ta? Don't you want to hear my tale? I saw you looking over at Castle Greystoke. You do have your eye on that I presume. I can see it in your eyes. My dear friend, I think you need to join me on this bench here for I have a story to tell you about that esteemed Castle. For you may not wish to continue up there once you hear what I have to tell you. It is a tale of inauspicious incidents, grave consequences and unusual love. Chapter One - A Cold Autumns Day (Castle Greystoke) You will not find any evidence of the town of Holland-Greystoke on any map or listed in any of the history books, for the world would rather forget the events that transpired there long ago on that cold autumn week. The town itself was a prosperous little place surrounded by lush forests and rolling hills. Many unique and talented figures of the late 1800's visited the little town in search of inspiration or escaping the stresses of city life. There were only a few roads in or out of town, which made it relatively easy for the townsfolk to keep track of everyone's comings and goings. The town was supported by two powerful Lords that built their mansions in the hills to either side of the town. The Holland family was to the north and the Greystoke family along the watery cliffs to the west. The presence of such high nobility brought many people with full purses and because of which the townsfolk found it easy to ignore the conflicts that resulted between the two grand households. The town square was busy that afternoon before the shadows befell the land. The sun was full and the winter chill had yet settled upon the land. This made for a good day to window shop and to eat at the many sidewalk cafes that were plentiful around the town square. Not a soul was aware that this would be the last day of sunshine that they would ever see. This abundance of people brought a smile to a young newspaper boy's face as he prepared for another days work. His skin pale against the glow of the sun and his oversized brown trousers nearly fell off his nonexistent hips; they would have surely dropped to the ground if his suspenders were to snap. Already one button had gone missing causing his large shirt to constantly come out on one side and no matter how often he tried to keep the shirt tucked in it would slip back out along his journey. This however did not bother the boy one bit. Not even the fact that the bottoms of the pants legs kept dragging upon the ground could wipe the smile off of his face. He fixed his newsboys hat upon his head and pulled his small vest tighter around himself, then raised a paper high in the air and started to shout the headlines in bold clear words. "Extra! Extra!" He called out over the crowd in a gentle, yet clear, young voice that caused several people to stop and look his way. When he was sure he caught a few eyes he continued to call out the top news of the day, "Holland Butler Knighted by Nincompoops!!! Has the Queen lost her mind!?!" He turned around to let the crowd get a good look at the paper that he held up high. Upon the front cover was a picture of a tall gangly man of who most knew as the Butler of the Holland Mansion, Victor Burnwell. The boy's smile broadened with delight as several of the passers by moved in closer. "Boy, let me have one of those!" A large man in a business suit declared as he handed the boy a coin before taking the paper from his hand, "This is utter rubbish." He remarked, skimming over the paper, "How could the Queen pick such a person." He hit the paper with a free hand in frustration. A woman with a large hat covered in feathers atop her head also dropped some coins into the boy's hand, "They have to be thoughtless to Knight that man." She glanced over the paper she was just handed and was startled by what she read, "Lord Holland is planning a party to celebrate! How atrocious! I will need to buy a new gown if I am to go." She started to search the streets to see if there were any fancy clothes on display. People suddenly swarmed the boy, each having something to say about the news of the day. Within moments every paper the boy had carried was bought up, leaving him once again to stand alone, yet there with still a grin upon his small freckled face. He patted his pocket, beaming to himself at the sound of the coins, the boss would be proud of him today. He skipped down the street with a jingle in his step, proud of a job well down. "I'm back, sir!" The boy called out as he approached a paper stand run by a burly man in a white apron, to keep the ink from rubbing off onto his clothes the boy suspected. "Why Jamie!" The man smiled down at the boy, "You are finished rather quickly. How did my littlest news boy do today?" He asked politely as he stepped out from his stand and knelt down to the child's height. "Great!" Jamie pulled out a pocket full of coins and showed the man his accomplishment, "I sold every last one." The man took off his hat and smiled down at the pile of coins, "I have no idea how you do it my boy, but you have earned the most for me since turning up here." He stated slightly amused by the young boy, " I'm glad you talked me into letting you work for me." He admitted and presented his hat to the boy. Jamie gave the man a warm smile, "I'm glad you took me in." He dropped the coins into the man's hat, "Thank you for trusting me, sir." The man took a few of the coins out of the hat and placed them back in the boy's hands, "Here is your pay and..." He stood up and grabbed another paper; "I have a special job for you." He handed Jamie the newspaper, "You know where to take it." He gave the boy a sly smile and ruffled the hat upon his head causing the boy's short hair to become even more of a mess. "Yes sir!" Jamie stuffed the coins in one pocket and the paper in the bag around his shoulder, "I'll take care of it right away, sir." He turned on his heels and headed west, towards the edge of town and up the only road to Castle Greystoke. The castle stood ominously over the town and was an impressive sight to behold. During the day it's shadow stretching long across the town and on nights of a full moon its towering spires could be seen peeking over the tree tops, silhouetted against brightly lit skies. The road up to the castle was a winding, steep incline; nevertheless Jamie did not mind the trip and soon the castle started to come into view, it walls a dark outline against the purples and pinks of the dusk sky. Most of the townsfolk of Holland-Greystoke feared going near the estate, however Jamie was different. He never found anything to fear of the castle, which is why he was given the special job of delivering their paper. Jamie reached the tall iron gates and looked in upon the towering stone structure from afar. The first time Jamie was sent here it was a test to get the job. At the time Jamie was willing to do anything for money, well, almost anything. He still remembered that first trek up the long mud-covered road and spotting the candlelight windows in the distance, flickering between the branched of that black forest that surrounded from all sides. Instead of fear he was filled with wonderment as he became curious as to what kind of person lived beyond those high walls. Who would need such an immense home? How many people lived within its walls? Was there a Princess somewhere within that was awaiting her Prince? Jamie was snapped out of his musing by the sound of someone calling out to him. "Why Good Evening Jamie!" A guard said with a smile from his post at the gates, "You have the Lord's paper, do you?" He asked, eyeing the boy's newspaper bag. Jamie patted the bag at his side and returned the smile, "That I do, sir." "Come right in then." The guard opened a small wooden door off to the right of the gates, used only by servants and people with deliveries, like Jamie. "Knowing the Lord he will be glad to see you, as always." The guard affirmed with a nod. "As I am to see him." Jamie admitted as he entered the ground. He quickly took off his hat and ran a hand through his matted, sweaty hair in an attempt to fix it before placing the hat upon his head once again. Back when Jamie first began to bring the papers to Lord Greystoke he would simply drop the paper off with the guard and leave. Then one day he ran into the Lord himself on his way out. The Lord was so impressed with the boy's bravery to approach his home that he started to request that the lad hand his paper over to him personally and ever since then the Lord would only accept his paper from Jamie and no one else. The guard led Jamie through the garden and up to the front door to the castle. Jamie always found himself marvelling over the sheer size of the main entrance hall; tall windows gave the boy a small glimpse into a world that he would never belong to. This would to be closest he would ever come to a place like this he thought as they mounted a set of large stone stairs that were framed by two large pillars. "I will see if I can find the Master." The guard stated, pushing a pair of large red oak doors opened and gave room for the boy to enter the main hall, "You stay right here." He commanded before he hurried across the hall and through another door, leaving the boy on his own. The hall made the boy feel even smaller then ever. No matter how many times he came to stand inside the main hall he could never take in ever sight. A large staircase rose up in the middle of the room and breached out in two directions, connecting with a long balcony that swept along both sides of the hall. Its banisters were made of the most elaborately carved red oak and spiralled like a snake all around edge of the stairs and balcony. There were more doors than Jamie could count, or imagine what could be behind them. Between the doors stood a few hand carved tables with an oval mirror above them, which Jamie figured were so they could check their hair or clothes before leaving. To either side of the tables stood coat racks, several with articles of outdoor wear already hanging upon it. An old trunk was pushed up against the wall under a window, it always caught Jamie's curiosity but he never dared open the thing for fear he would be banished from this place and never again be able to enter such a marvellous palace. Abruptly one of the doors at the far end of the hall opened and a medium sized, well-built man dressed in finest looking red smoker's jacket came into the room with his arms spread out in a greeting, a pipe in one hand and a book in the other, "Jamie, my lad, is it that time already?" He exclaimed dropping the book into one of the large pockets of the jacket and pulling out a gold pocket watch to glace upon its face, "How have you been?" He inquired returning the watch to his pocket. "I am fine, my lord." Jamie replied and gave a slight bow, "Things have been hectic in the news business today and there is big news." He pulled out the newspaper from his bag and handed it over to the man who accepted it gratefully. "Big news you say? I was just about to sit down for a read." The Lord admitted with a smile and patting the book in his pocket, "So you have good timing, my boy." He turned the paper over to read the front headline and his smile quickly disappeared. Jamie's eyes drifted around the hall and glanced up to see a young girl about his age standing on the balcony above him. Her long black hair shimmered in the light of the chandelier above them. A long gown as black as night flowed around the girl as she moved along the balcony. It had a high neckline, long sleeve that let only her pale face and hand to be seen and there were elegant strips of lace that ran from the shoulders down the front of the gown. The girl brushed a lock of her hair over her shoulder and smiled down at Jamie in a warm yet playful manner, then pointed to the back of the hall before disappearing into another room. Jamie watched this with amusement. The Greystoke daughter was the real reason for his returns to the castle. Young Lady Maria Greystoke was a fair, kind child with the sweetest of smiles and a set of emerald eyes that had warmed Jamie's heart the first time they had fallen upon him. Jamie found himself lost in the memories of the girl when the Lord suddenly burst out. "The outrage!!" The Lord shouted so loudly that Jamie jumped and spun around thinking it was he that the Lord's angry was aimed at. When he saw the man shaking the paper, his heart slowed slightly, "How could this happen?" He roared in anger, "That man... How..." He seemed to have lost all sense of speech all of a sudden as he paced in the hall, his eyes never leaving the paper. Jamie decided it might be best not to be around while the lord was enraged like this and decided to dismiss himself, "I should be on my way then, sir." He excused himself with a quick bow. The Lord turned to Jamie, his rage quickly replaced by his usual warming smile, "Nonsense." He stated in protest of the boy's departure, "You look like you have not had a good meal in ages. I am betting we can find something in the kitchen for you." The man suddenly turned to the guard that still stood by the door they had recently entered through, "I want you to take young Jamie here to find something to eat. Tell them that it is upon my order." He added a commanding tone to his voice that made the guard stand at attention. "Yes, my lordship." The guard walked over to Jamie and placed a hand upon the boy's shoulder, "Come this way." He said with a smile as he began to steer the boy towards one of the many doors out of the hall. "Wait!" The Lord called out again causing both guard and boy to stop. He dug in his pocket and knelt by the boy, "This is for your services, and it is for you to keep." He took the boy's hand, places a large gold coin upon his palm and closed his small fingers around it. "And this is for the paper." He added another, this time silver, coin to the boy's other hand, "I hope to see you with my paper first thing tomorrow." He winked at the boy before returning to his full height. Jamie nodded gleefully, "Anything, my lord." He pocketed the coins then followed the guard out of the hall. In all of Jamie's life he could never imagine anything like this would happen to him. He ran his thumb over the gold coin's cold surface, the feeling of which made his grin broaden and he found he needed to force back a giggle of glee. The guard swiftly lead Jamie through the many halls of the castle. Even more door passed by as Jamie tried to imagine what rooms could be hidden behind them. They passed a row of paintings that Jamie suspected we of former Lords of Greystoke Castle, their eyes followed the boy as he treaded along behind the guard. He felt he did not belong in such a beautiful place, he was nothing more then a lowly paperboy, and bowed his head against the gaze from those paintings. This had to be all a dream, but if it was he did not wish to awaken anytime soon. Suddenly Young Lady Maria stepped out from the shadows to block their passage. Jamie was not even aware of her presence until she was standing directly in front of them. "I will take him from here." Maria strictly ordered the guard. "But, Lady Maria, your father ordered me to-" The guard started to protest when Maria stepped forward. There was unyieldingness in those green eyes that made the guard back down. She may have been small, but she knew she held authority in this household like everyone else. "Should you not be watching the front gates?" Maria set her eyes sternly upon the man, "I think there would be more trouble if someone were to arrive and no one was there to let them in." She stated with a soft smile. The guard suddenly seemed nervous against the girl's baring gaze, "Unquestionably, my ladyship. I will see to it now." The guard turned and looked down at Jamie, "You follow Young Lady Greystoke and do not pester her too much, you hear." The guard warned and waited for Jamie to nod in agreement before disappearing back down the hall. The moment the man was gone Maria begun to giggle, "That was easier then I thought." She admitted with another snicker and bright smile. "You had me worried there, my lady." Jamie shook his head in dismay, "What if your parents find out?" He glanced around the hall making certain that they were alone. "You worry too much." Maria leaned close to Jamie and whispered in his ear, "They have yet to discover you are not a boy," She said with a sly smile and a twinkle in her eyes that made Jamie both nervous and fall more in love with the girl, "so they will not discover about us." She continued with a twirl and leaned against the far wall. "I guess, my lady." Jamie mumbled rubbing the back of her head. Maria spoke the truth. In the past year no one had really caught onto Jamie's little secret. In actuality Jamie was a young female writer who was struggling to make her way until she could write a book worthy of publishing, which was turning out to take longer then she expected. When Jamie first ran away from her parent's home to Holland-Greystoke at age thirteen, she quickly found that she could not get a job as a girl. She soon discovered that by simply cropping her hair very short and wearing baggy cloths she could conceal her gender very easily and passed as a boy for many years. Lord Greystoke was the true test. Jamie was terrified at first that the man would discover her ruse, however he did not seem to suspect a thing. Yet, Maria, on the other had been something different. She was one of the few that had seen through her disguise. Usually Jamie would simply tell the person they were mistaken, however in the case of Maria, Jamie found it hard to lie to the girl when she set those big eyes on her. Maria took Jamie by the hand, "Come to my room." She urged gleefully, "I'll have my maid bring some food for you." She pulled the girl towards a set of stairs that lead into the residential part of the house. This would not be the first time Jamie had been in the presence of Marie, yet it still made her stomach twist in knots with fear that the girl's parents would find her with the girl. On Maria's thirteenth birthday her mother allowed her to select from any of the rooms in the castle. Her choice slightly startled the woman for Maria chose one of the rooms that were meant to be guest apartments. It was in the far back end of the castle, one of the less travelled areas of the castle so Maria felt more freedom to be herself. The main room had a large lounge with a fireplace; a set of red velvet furniture was set neatly in the middle of the room around a brass table with a glass centre, her maid having already set out a silver tea set for Maria only a few moments before. Off to the right was a door that leads to a large bathroom with an ebony bathtub and porcelain-washing basin. To the left of the lounge was Maria's bedroom. In which the girl had filled with all the most illustrious dolls and teddy bears from around the world. Her collection surrounded a large white canopy bed with long draping white curtain that could to draw closed to block out the world whenever Maria felt like it. Against the far wall from the foot of the bed stood a tall white vanity with oval mirror. A matching wardrobe and dresser took up the rest of the room; each covered with even more dolls and stuffed animals. Upon entering the lounge Maria dragged Jamie over to one of the sofa and gestured for the girl to sit. Jamie plopped down and immediately began to admire the carvings along the wooden armrest. She traced a finger along the lines marvelling over the craftsmanship. Yesterday she would never thought she would be sitting upon such a luxurious piece of furniture and yet here she was, with a girl so beautiful it was like she stepped out of a dream. Maria crossed the room to a small corner table with a white and gold phone upon it. The phone was only connected to the Castle and could not make out going calls. Her mother claimed to have found out about the invention from one of her colleagues so no one else in town other then the Greystoke's even had one. She picked up the receiver and waited, "This is Maria." She spoke into the device, "Would Anita be there perchance?" She paused for a moment then glanced up at Jamie, "Jamie, what would you like to eat?" She asked with a loving tone while she twirled the phone cord around her finger. Jamie turned around to face the girl, "Anything, my lady. I'm not picky." She admitted sheepishly. It is hard to be picky when you usually only have enough money for a loaf of bread. "Okay then." Maria turned back to the phone, "Oh Hello Anita. I'd like a meal to be brought up to my room for my guest. Whatever is ready will do... Thank you." She lightly hung up the phone, then returned to Jamie's side and examined her, "You know you can drop the formalities while in my room." "I'm sorry." Jamie apologized, "I sometimes forget." "Well you do not have to worry in here. Only my personal maid ever enters." Maria explained then took Jamie's hand in her's, "Why don't you take a bath while we wait?" She invited. Jamie blushed at the idea of using the same tub as such an elegant young lady, "I couldn't really." She protested profusely. "Now there is no need to be modest." Maria crawled across the sofa and over Jamie, "You do not have anything I have not seen before." She grinned mischievously. Jamie back into the corner of the couch, "What if your parents do show up?" She asked slightly concerned. For the most part the two of them would only meet in the back garden or out by the lake where they would not be caught together. It was not only the fact that they were both girls that worried Jamie. It was also the fact was that Maria was a noble and Jamie would always be poor failing writer, a paperboy no less. No matter how she looked at it, she could not help to think that things would end in disaster. She shook the evil thoughts from her head. She loved Maria and was not going to let her go easily. "Now Jamie..." Maria set those deep green eyes on Jamie; "You are not going to make me take off your clothes myself, now are you?" Her grin broadened as she slipped a hand under the untucked portion of Jamie's shirt and along her side. Jamie found she could not resist once she was entrapped by those eyes, she was even weaker when it come to the girl's gentle touch, "N... no..." She let out a sigh of defeat and quickly got to her feet, "I'll go wash up. You wait here, alright?" "Awww..." Maria pouted sitting up on the couch with her arms crossed, "What fun is that?" Jamie shook her head, "What am I going to do with you?" She leaned over and kissed the girl ever so lightly on the forehead then again upon the lips. Before she knew what she was doing Maria was unbuttoning Jamie's shirt and pulling the girl back onto the couch with her. Maria parted from the kiss and grinned up at the girl, "Are you sure you do not wish for my help?" Her hand slipped down the front of Jamie's pants causing the girl turn crimson. Maria got to her feet and pulled Jamie to the bathroom by the pants, "I will make sure you are thoroughly cleaned up." She said mischievously as she closed the bathroom door behind them. **** To be continued... **** All characters and situations in this tale are copyright of Kathryn Williams (2006) All rights reserved. If you wish to view art from this series please visit my deviant arts site at: http://shinigami-shimai.deviantart.com/ For more of my stories visit my deviant hearts site. Also if you spot any typos or other errors please contact me.
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