Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 578: The glaring cracks

In the end, the couple agreed to locking eyes together as he helped her change into the nightgown.

They did not break contact, even when lying next to each other on the bed, just facing one another in silence until Arabella drifted into a deep sleep that her body very much needed.

For the first time in a week, a sweet beam of warm light flooded through the window to tickle her skin. For the first time in more than seven days, she was allowed a gentle awakening instead of the beating, dragging and yelling that would have her open her eyes in a dark and cold room.

The tame scent of wood mingled with that of the spring flowers ascending from the gardens kept her in bed a while longer, cozying up around those soft sheets she had missed so much.

Well, that was until a gentle knock called upon her attention.

By then, Silas had long since left the room, null doubt in order to tend to all of the business that had piled up in his absence.

"Yes, do come in," she spoke while reaching for the satin peignoir that hung on the rack next to the bed.

Coming through the curtains, Abigail wasted no time on good mornings or how are yous and instead leaped into Arabella’s arms, holding on as though her life depended on it.

"Oh dear! I was so afraid! I feared I had seen the last of you! I... I...-"

"Abigail, I am here now and I am safe. We all are," the young woman smiled down at her and reciprocated the embrace, "Please, don’t cry. I believe we’ve done enough of that,"

"I... I’ve missed you," Abigail sniffled, finally raising her gaze after long minutes of her face buried in Arabella’s neck.

"You did your part well," she nodded.

"My part?" Abigail stood back, wiping at her tears.

"I am grateful that you trusted me enough to keep our secret. It gave us the time to reach and cross the border before it was too late,"

"Well," she sniffled some more, "The vampire guards that stood by the door heard you speak too. They too held their tongues until the next day. Even when Miss Katherine and Grace begged and threatened them with harm,"

That got Arabella’s insides to twinge, "Did anyone get hurt?"

"No! No! No! Absolutely no one got hurt!" after simmering a tad, Abigail moved on to a different topic, "Would you like to take breakfast in your room? I am asking because all the girls are waiting for you to come down and... The fairies are here to see you as well,"

"That’s alright. I will take it downstairs, but tell me, did you see Silas?"

Abigail’s eyes sparkled with a new light, "Oh yes! I did see him. In fact, he’s left a message with Estrid letting her know that he will be meeting with the members of the council. He’s asked me to tell you not to rush things and rest before taking anything upon your shoulders,"

"I suppose he anticipated my reaction," Arabella chuckled.

He sure did expect her to feel exactly the way those words made her feel.

"Are you alright?" Abigail’s eyes glistened with a different kind of light as her eyebrows furrowed slightly, "Your laugh sounds a bit...," she looked away, biting at her bottom lip, "Different," she spoke with a lot of reluctance in her voice.

"Does it sound that different?" the young woman chuckled again.

An illness is certainly a fitting word to describe the change that befell her.

Abigail’s face snapped into a new expression, eyes widening as if coming to a shocking realization, "Are you perhaps ill? Does your throat hurt?" she stuttered.

"No, I am not sick. Don’t you worry yourself about that," she shook her head, "But tell me, is my brother awake yet?"

"Oh, yes. He is awake and already dressed. Although from what I’ve heard he hasn’t left his room. I believe he took his breakfast there too,"

Arabella requested to be taken to Arthur before going to meet the others.

Funnily enough, he was given the same room she had been given upon arriving at the manor.

To think that only three months stood between her current and old life was pure insanity. The before and after memories, pitted against each other gave her brain a level of lashing no whip could ever achieve.

Her brother was indeed fully dressed, seated on a chair and facing the window. Utterly mute and reactionless he remained as she made her way to the table before pulling a chair next to his.

"Morning, Arthur," she practically whispered as she sat down with care.

Arthur spared her not a glance, let alone any words.

"I too used to love sitting in front of this window, you know," she smiled. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Her eyes welled up with tears upon thinking back on the days and nights she spent gawking and crying in front of that window after her abduction.

It took all the strength in her to open up, turn around and see all the good things she still had in her life.

To think that all that had been done to her back then was being tied up and hauled around like a package.

In comparison to the literal hell she had just escaped... It was a miracle her body still functioned at all.

Things were definitely not like they used to. Well, not exactly as everything smelled so dissimilar to before. The colors too looked odd, but nothing had truly physically changed. Even though her voice had shifted according to Abigail.

Still... Words alone could not describe it.

"It’s alright!" she chirped, reeling the tears back in, "We do not have to speak at all. We can just sit here and enjoy the beautiful view," she nodded, eyes already out the window again.

No, the words alone could never describe the knots twisting around among her guts or the itch within her chest that no hand could reach.

Then perhaps time would manage. Perhaps it wouldn’t fix it all, but mend the pieces together into a new shape, despite the glaring cracks that would remain.