The Demon Who Loved Me

                            Chapter-1 1820, On the way to Wellshire: The carriage was running through the English countryside, which was commended as one of the most beautiful sights to behold in the world. But they were hidden behind the curtains of the rolling mist that early morning. A lone carriage was running on the dirt road, slicing through the mist like a skilled knight’s sword. Even if the mist was not there obstructing the view, the single passenger in the carriage would not have been interested in it. Her mind was occupied elsewhere, and that was not a happy place. Danielle Tucker moved uneasily in the carriage seat, thinking she would rather be anywhere than here where she felt like the only person in the world. A mirthless smile made its way onto her lips as she realized that thought was not far from the truth. She was the only person left, at least in her world, the world she formed with her parents. Teardrops ran down from her grey eyes, which were replicas of her mother’s. She brushed those tears away and tucked the errant strands of chestnut hair she inherited from her father behind her ears. Strange, she thought, how even after her parents passed away they lived a bit in her through those traits. Maybe this was why people were so eager to continue their bloodlines. So, they may live even after they have gone from this world. Danielle shook her head to rid herself of these morbid thoughts. It wouldn’t do to wallow in sorrow. Her parents wouldn’t have wanted that for her. But it had hardly been a month. And whenever she shut her eyes, Danielle saw the ship her parents had boarded, sinking into the depths of Thames, turning an evening of amusement into one of never-ending tragedy. She didn’t remember a single moment after that evening until she was standing in a black dress at her parent’s funeral. That evening, after she had seen all her parents’ friends and well-wishers out of the house, she had curled up into an arm-chair feeling like a puppet whose strings had been cut. That was when David Bentley, her father’s friend, and solicitor, had entered the room, carrying a bundle of documents in his hand. Unlike Danielle’s father, Matthew Tucker, who had been a fit and cheerful man, David Bentley was a plump man with a serious demeanor. Danielle had always thought the round black spectacles on his chubby face comical. But when she saw him that evening, there was not a bone of humor left in her. “Uncle David,” Danielle burst into tears. He was the closest thing to a relative she had left, and it was in his presence that Danielle could let herself succumb to grief that was threatening to consume her entire existence. Mr. Bentley let her cry on his shoulder until she was reduced to dry sobs and his coat dampened with her tears. Danielle felt a little better after the outburst. She wiped her tears with the handkerchief Mr. Bentley had handed to her. “Are you feeling better, Dany?” He asked, his always determined face uncertain. “As better as one can feel after one’s life has turned upside down,” Danielle said with a rueful smile. She detected another set of tears ready to attack, but she didn’t want to appear weak anymore. Even in front of Uncle David. Mr. Bentley removed his glasses and started wiping them with the lapels of his shirt. When he started talking after, he didn’t meet Danielle’s eyes. “I wish there is another time and way to tell you this, Dany. If it is in my power, I would have stopped this altogether from happening. But I am powerless against law.” Danielle frowned at his strange words. “You can’t stop accidents, Uncle David. Don’t beat yourself up.” “No, Dany, that’s not what I am talking about.” He shook his head. He picked up the bundle of documents he put beside him in the chair and undid the ribbon that tied them together. “I am talking about this,” He handed her a yellowed legal paper which Danielle took with apprehension. Although her father was a renowned lawyer of the London city, Danielle hated anything to do with courts and documents. They always elicited a dread in her. A sense of doom. This time rightly so. “What is this?” She asked, her eyes turning to the bald man in front of her. “Your father’s will.” Mr. Bentley said. “He drew this six months ago. Just in case. We had been very casual about it. After all, who expected your parents to pass away so soon? They were always so happy and healthy.” Danielle sniffled at his words. “I surmise that you know the contents of the will, then. Tell me.” Mr. Bentley squirmed in his seat. Despite her grief and dread, Danielle couldn’t help but notice the unease the man was feeling. He was always so calm and sure of himself that Danielle found herself afraid to listen to what was written in those yellow papers. Mr. Bentley adjusted his voice and finally started speaking. “Dany, according to your father’s will, you have to live with your grandmother in Wellshire until you are married. All your father’s properties will then be inherited by your husband after your marriage.” “But…” Dany spluttered. “I don’t have a grandmother, do I? Mother and father always used to say that we three only have each other in this world. I have never seen any relatives.” “Oh, but you have a grandmother.” Mr. Bentley said. “I don’t know the story completely. I know only what your father has told me. Your parents’ was a love match. They met in Wellshire. But your father was a commoner, and your mother was of the nobility. Your mother’s parents were dead set against their marriage. So, they eloped to Scotland where they got married. Then they moved to London and had you. There were never any attempts at reconciliation from the two parties. Your father had a mother who died before your birth. So, your parents were right in a sense. You three had only each other. “But strangely enough, your mother received a letter from Wellshire just before your father had drawn this will. Your grandmother, your step-grandmother, to be precise, wanted to reconcile. Your grandfather passed away a year ago. She wanted to meet you and make amends with your parents. I understand that there had been correspondence between your mother and her stepmother. So, your parents wanted you to go live with your grandmother after their death.” “Wellshire,” Danielle whispered. “A grandmother.” It had been a lot for Danielle to process. But in the end, the decision had been easy. Sure she would miss London. The life she had here and the friendships she had formed here. But she would escape the memories that would haunt her. She could escape this house, which was reminding her of her parents’ absence painfully. If she wanted any chance at escaping this consuming grief, she had to let go of this place. And Wellshire and the country air sounded about right. She was also very curious about this grandmother who she had never seen but who was her only living relative. Danielle sighed in the carriage. It had been a month since that meeting with Uncle David and here she was, mere miles away from the place where her mother had grown up as a girl. She still couldn’t believe that her mother was nobility. As a girl who had never stepped out of London city, she did not know what to expect of the countryside and nobles there. Hesitantly, she parted the drapes of the carriage. They were now approaching the intimidating wrought-iron gates that stood majestically in the swirling fog. As the carriage ran through the open gates, Danielle had a premonition that her life was about to change beyond her imagination. But she didn’t know if it was for better or for worse.