Greetings! For those who have diligently kept up with the story, please skip these formalities. ~If you haven't had the time to keep up, you can check out Parts One, Three, Five and Seven (wow, quite a bit!) at The Devil's Advocate. ~
Enjoy! ~
Part Eight
After that incident, Lucifer changed. The morning star shone as brightly as ever, yet I now knew the darkness that it concealed inside.
Time passed, and he never tried to hurt or pursue me again. However, I did notice an ever-increasing number of unfamiliar ladies visiting the manor. Ladies who seemed to change almost daily and who never stayed the same for longer than a week. I also noticed that they only visited without the knowledge of the masters of the manor, and from this I understood that these women were not ladies Mrs. Rothschild would particularly approve of. My suspicions were further confirmed when I realized that they never entered the cottage itself; instead, Lucifer would take them into the garden behind the kitchen and lead them past the bushes, beyond my line of sight. The girls were always willing to do whatever he asked them to.
One night, about two years into my service at the Rothschild manor, I was awoken by Lucifer bringing yet another girl home without the knowledge of Lady Rothschild.
Today, however, was different. It was past midnight. Lucifer had never brought a girl to the cottage so late before. Worried and rather scared, I decided that I would find out what Lucifer was doing to these women behind the large mulberry bushes that covered the estate.
I made my way into the cellar below the Main Hall and looked out through the small window high up on the cellar wall. It was barred, and I adjusted my position so that I could peek through two of the cold, iron bars. Outside, I could make out the shape of Lucifer and his female companion.
Although it was a crisp clear night, the darkness enveloped them like a shroud, making it difficult to see exactly what was going on in the shadow of the mulberry bush. The little I could see by the light of the stars, however, led me to realize immediately that something was amiss. I could see Lucifer's pale body rebelling against the darkness, casting its own glow, as if reflecting the light of the stars.
This glow both fascinated and terrified me, until I saw the beautiful shawl the lady had been wearing carelessly thrown aside, along with Lucifer's own coat, shirt and trousers. I gasped. I was aware of the amorous activities in which the town boys engaged in, yet I had never quite imagined that Lucifer, son of a noble family, would do the same, and behind his parents’ back, no less.
Through the window, I could hear moans coming from the girl, which were repressed as Lucifer put his hand over her mouth to silence her. As the sounds escaping from her mouth quieted, Lucifer pulled her to the grass, directly below his body.
I turned away in disgust and crept back to my quarters, trying to purge my mind of the horrifying acts I had witnessed.
Never again did I spy on Lucifer, his actions had invigorated in me, instilling in me a strong repulsion for the boy who took advantage of what appeared to be every single lady in the town. This repulsion led to my isolation, as I began speaking less and less, choosing instead to devote my time to my duties – that is, until I met the new stable boy.
More than a year had passed since the night I witnessed Lucifer’s horrifying acts in the garden. Lady Rothschild seemed to have noticed my moping, because she introduced me to the stable boy, thinking to give me some company, a companion closer to my own age. As I looked into his kind brown eyes for the first time, I immediately felt at ease. The weeks passed, and our shared commonalities brought us ever closer as I learned that he too had been sold to a slave trader, whereupon he had also been “rescued” by Lady Rothschild. As he told his story, I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes as memories of my own family flashed through my mind, still as fresh as they had been the day I left.
As we talked I learned about his dreams of one day acquiring enough money to escape the chains of slavery and finding his family once again, his optimism planting in me a seed of hope for my own future.
One night, as we lay by the fence bordering the acres of meadow lands that belonged to the Rothschilds and watching the fiery streaks of the setting sun as it slowly dipped down below the horizon, I noticed Lucifer lurking by a mulberry bush, his sparkling green eyes trained on my prone figure lying in the grass.
As I conversed with my friend, I stole occasional glances to where Lucifer lay hidden. My heart throbbed with fear whenever I caught a glimpse of those eyes, burning like green fire and staring at me from beyond the leaves of the mulberry bush. Finally, as the sun's light sank below the horizon, leaving the sky tinged with a deep purple hue, I glanced over yet again, my heart lightening with relief as I realized that he had disappeared. The sentiment did not last, however, as I realized, deep in my heart, that I could never escape from Lucifer's grasp.
For Part Nine, please visit The Devil's Advocate tomorrow, Sunday, May 29! ~
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