"Whom are you looking for?"

The sudden voice startled her to no end and her feet where she had been standing on her tiptoes missed the balance and she placed her hand on the rack for it to sway back. Her eyes went as wide as one could to see it move, her heart slipping out if her ribcage for what was to come which was for the rack to knock the other two shelves behind it. 

The man suddenly moved to hold the shelf from following. Some loose books moved from its position but Leonard had stopped them from falling and causing a bigger mess which would cost the staff or the owner an entire day of work. 

"So troublesome. Do you often go knocking out random things on your way?" she heard him ask her.

"I was surprised," she confessed to see him give her a nod as if he believed what she said. He positioned back the rack the way it was.

"Sorry for startling you," he apologized, his voice firm and holding a little depth in it, "Are you going to read this?" he waved the book he had previously pulled out. 

"No," she answered, her eyes taking in his appearance and then turning to look at the books. She didn't understand why she was feeling shy in front of him. Was it because she had knocked his chin down in the garden, "I am sorry for what happened earlier," she said lifting her hand and pointing behind her. 

"Don't bother," feeling the need to explain, she then said,

"If it wasn't for the bee nothing would have happened," this caught his attention and he turned to face her, "You see I don't like bees. They might be tiny and look harmless but their stong hurts even for a vampiress like myself."

"They must find you very sweet," with the way Leonard said it in a straight face, Vivian didn't understand the underlying meaning.

Walking a little closer to him while also keep a good distance as they were strangers, she replied, "I am not. It is just that most of the time I spend in the garden plucking out flowers."

"The flowers are the bees food. How rude," he gave her a slight glance as he sat at the edge of the window where one could sit comfortably, "Did you know if it weren't for the bees, there would be no life on these lands," she nodded her head.

"I have heard," she grinned, eyeing the book which he held which wasn't clear enough from where she stood. 

Leonard placed the book aside, "What do you pluck the flowers for?" he asked her curious while expecting for some silly response but when she answered he rather seemed quite surprised.

"I use them to create medicines that can be consumed by humans. I have learned some of the basic techniques and am still learning," she smiled feeling pleased by his reaction. 

"And how effective are these medicines that you create?"

"They are okay. One of the recent ones helped in a person's stomach ache." 

"That's good to hear. Where is your store? I would like to take a look at it," now that he mentioned Vivian gave him a queasy look, "You don't have one?" 

"I am not allowed to have one. You see the medicines are not tested out and then sold in bulk. I need to test trial it on the villagers on their consent if it will help them," she explained to him, "My parents don't approve of it."

"I don't think anyone would approve of it at the fear of having you kill someone," not knowing what to say about it she stood there idle and then went to sit next to him, "Where's your companion?" she heard him ask when she was reading the cover of the book 'Master of the thrones'.

"Hmm? Oh, no! He isn't my companion. Just someone I met," she cleared the information he had understood earlier, "Where is your lady?"

"She is my second cousin. She went to speak to the Mrs of the house," he stated before silence went to fall on them again.

They were strangers yet they were sharing a window at a place they or she wasn't familiar with. How strange, thought Vivian to herself. She tapped her feet on the ground for some time. She had sat down to talk but now there was nothing to talk about. Neither did he nor did she talk which prolonged the silence further. 

Hearing a bird sing next to the open window, Vivian's head snapped to look at the little nest. Leonard who was sitting beside her saw her eagerly looking at the birds chirping and fluttering on the branches of the tree cheerfully. 

She looked like a child now, a soft smile on her lips and her hair blowing behind her face.

"You must have been in quite a hurry today while leaving home," he commented looking at her lashes flicker up and down when she blinked. In his eyes, she was quite an odd piece who didn't fit into this society. Like a b.u.t.terfly, there were wings of words which she spoke that needed to fly freely.

"Yes. How do you know?" she asked as she continued to look at the birds. A piece of her hair kept moving in front of her eyes which hindered her sight but she made no move to push it away from her sight. 

"Just a wild guess," he murmured under his breath. They were just little birds so he didn't know what was interesting about it that she didn't turn to see him and reply, "By the way, I am Leonard Carmichael," he introduced himself. Realizing she had directly come and sat next to him she turned around.

"Vivian Harlow. It is nice to m" her open hair right in front of her face and before she could lift her hand, the man moved her hair out of her face, "Nice to make your acquaintance..." his touch burned her skin as if her skin had only alive from his touch, she moved back with her eyes cast down. She had been wooed and taken out by many men, but no one had ever touched her. 

Her breath hitched in her throat. She quickly stood up. Tucking both sides of her ear behind her, "It was lovely meeting you. I think I should go now," she said. She hadn't even turned completely when she heard him speak,

"Running away," her eyes met him which stared right into her soul as if he could see and feel every part of her that scared her. 

"What?" Leonard stood up, leaving the book at the window to walk towards her.

"Did I scare you, Lady Vivian?" he spoke to her, keeping her in place and letting her out of his sight. With the way her heart kept flipping and thudding in her chest, Vivian could tell that he could hear the sound of her heart too, "Off you are running like a rabbit."

"I wandered away for more time than necessary,"

"And where did you wander?" he asked as if to tease her. She gulped at his question and his eyes didn't fail to notice that little movement of hers. 

"Here of course. Oh! I think my mother is called me," her voice came out louder than she expected, turning away quickly she went to leave to have her arm being caught in his hand. Her body came close to crash against him with his handheld tightly around her. His hand loosened but the grip stayed the same. 

Vivian could feel the man's minty breath which was cool as she peered up at his eyes. He really did have dark eyes, darker than the others she had seen. It was told that darker the red, that much superior they were when it came to the pureblooded vampires. 

He might have been handsome and higher in status compared to her in the society but that didn't mean his sudden actions didn't worry her. Why sane man held a woman's hand at the first meet? How shameful! Thought Vivian in her mind not knowing that Leonard was a straightforward man. 

Strangely the girl had caught his eye and had intrigued him in her cute manner that he couldn't help but want to keep her longer than have her run away like the rabbit she was. 

"Mr Carmichael?" she called to his attention to have him hover above her. Now that they were this close and alone did she notice how tall he was. She had to crane her neck to look up at him with her back bent to look at him. 

"What are you doing this weekend on Sunday?" he asked her out of the blue. 

"I will have to check my calendar and for that, you will have to let go of my hand-"

"Free it," his words left no room for argument. 

"I might even be dying by then to see something far."

Her retort made him stare at her, tilting his head, he said, "It is three days away. I heard there's a church which was demolished years ago to have nothing but ruins left there now."

"You want me to take you there?" 

"Yes."

"Okay," her quick answer pleased him. Leonard was an only son and he had the habit of having everything brought right in front of him to choose. Vivian being the rare animal who was pa.s.sing by, the lion couldn't stop but hunt it. 

Leonard finally let go of her hand making sure she wasn't agreeing for the sake of his question right now, "Do you know the tower bell that comes in the next village? The one that is painted black," he asked her, "I will be waiting for you down there at the hour of four."

"Four in the morning?" her eyes widened in question. 

"I didn't know you wake up that early."

Ah, he meant four in the evening but then how long would they be out? "I am not sure if I will be able to come at that time."

"Try for me," he said in such serious tone that she couldn't refuse but agree for the time being. 

Vivian hurried from there, feeling his footsteps not too far behind from her. Holding the front of her dress so that she wouldn't go tumbling down the stairs. Reaching the last step of the stairs, Vivian turned to look behind and then up to see him standing there and watching her with his hands rested on the grill. 

Tucking back her hair behind her ear as her heart skipped a beat with his smile, she bowed her head politely and then went out of the garden again. The days pa.s.sed and Vivian couldn't stop the thoughts that were occupied by the man she had met in the soiree. So much that she had also dreamt of him but not remembering what he was doing there. 

But by the time Sunday arrived, the word she had given to him had fled right out of her mind. 

She had been busy working and helping her mother and as after a very long time, there was rain in Valeria she had stayed inside the house than go to the village to see if someone would benefit with the medicine she made. She stared at the rain outside with her reflection reflecting back from the windowpane when she noticed the clock that cuckooed behind her. 

Why did it feel like she had forgotten something?

She tried remembering what it could be but found it hard to remember before sighing. Maybe it was nothing important if she wasn't able to remember. She could recollect every other detail but there were just some things that flew right out of her mind until she spent an entire day wondering what it was. 

Minutes pa.s.sed by until the hour hand was getting closer to five. Biting her inner cheek, she was humming a song when her brother Gregorie came to knock on her door. 

"Sister Vivian, did you see my pocket watch?" he asked her. 

"I don't think so. Where did you last see it?" 

Her brother scratched the back of his neck, "I frankly don't remember. I must have misplaced it as usual."

"Watch!" Vivian stood up from her bed, "The tower bell next to the clock," she started worrying and grabbed the first overcoat that reached her hand. She then took her spare boots which she often used when she had to step out of the house without her parent's knowledge. 

"Where are you going?!" asked Gregorie seeing his sister pull up the window of her room. 

Vivian tied her coat and then turned to look at him with one foot on the window sill, "Cover-up for me while I am gone. I will be home quick."

"Sister wait!-" but Vivian had already jumped out of the window.