Inside the manor, the four of them made their way to the upper floor, pausing in between Isaac and Sonia's rooms."Be careful, and lay low," Isaac said. "I have no idea who is still here. Cyril could still be waiting, and I know mother will not be happy that we were gone.""We'll be okay, Izzy," Arabella said. "You need to go lay down. You're no use to us if you're barely on your feet.""Call me if you need-""Lavinia," Arabella interrupted. "Just get him in bed, no messing around. He needs to rest. Tomorrow is going to be a nightmare." She put her arm through Sonia's, pulling her back towards her bedroom. Lavinia stayed close to Isaac as he limped towards his own room. She opened the door for him and he staggered to the bed, all but falling onto it. He unbuttoned his shirt, peeling it away from his open wounds. He threw it to the floor, trying to lie back, but Lavinia stopped him. "We need to get you cleaned up. You're not going to sleep with gashes like that."
When Lavinia woke up, it took her a moment to realize where she was. The heavy drapes around the bed blocked out all the light from the open window, leaving her almost entirely in darkness. She reached out, her hand brushing Isaac's pillow. Empty.Lavinia rolled over, turning onto her side. Isaac was gone. She sat up, pulling the curtains aside to look out into the bedroom. The door to the room was open and cold air rushed in. She pulled the comforter tightly around herself, trying to maintain the little bit of warmth still left.It was Isaac's room. They were back at the manor. For all the horror she had experienced within these walls she could not stop the thought that she was home. For a moment she sat there, wrapped in the warmth of belonging. She wished that Isaac were there to share the moment, so that she could tell him that his room finally felt welcome.But the cold from the door had started to curl around her, creeping into the open side of the bed. Isaac's ab
Mrs. Astor turned as the two of them stood close together in the doorway. She smiled."So good of you to join us," she said. "I was beginning to think you were just going to lurk in the hall all day."She stalked towards them, giving Sonia a once over. "Sonia, dear, I would have much less of a problem with you if you stood to inherit anything. As it stands, Arabella has already had two eligible offers and I simply cannot allow her to risk our empire for something as frivolous as feelings."She looked at Lavinia. "You, on the other hand, were never an option. Though, I cannot exactly blame you for this whole affair. It's Isaac's weakness that led you here. He should have taken care of you when he had the chance.""Which time?" Cyril asked with a smirk. "When she was kept in his pantry or after you gave the order to kill her?"He vaulted over the couch, coming to sit on the armrest. He crossed his legs and leaned forward. It was impossible to deny his beauty. Every detail in
Isaac stood at the head of the conference room table, hands splayed out on its surface. He stared at the assembled board of trustees. Cyril sat at his right hand, the bruising around his eyes fading. To Isaac's left was Sonia. Her hair was pulled up into a smooth bun. At the opposite head of the table was Lavinia. She sat upright, stacks of papers carefully arranged in front of her. "In the months since my mother's… shall we say, untimely passing," he said. "I have been disappointed in this board's performance. Its care and dedication to this company has waned."Several of the trustees sank back into their seats, not looking at Isaac. Sonia sat forward, trying to initiate eye contact with Cyril, who kept his gaze fixed on his own hands. "It feels as though your loyalty was to Vivian Astor, not to Astor Industries. And in light of that, I question whether your services are still needed.""Sir," an older man spoke up. "I think there is just some discomfort about the ch
In the gritty light of the workroom, Isaac Astor's pallor shone like a beacon. His icy eyes and fair hair were unnatural against the rising smog. Behind him, a group of men with batons stood stoically. Despite their broad shoulders and gruff looks, they seemed to offer no real threat when compared to Isaac's otherworldly presence.From a high table in the back, Lavinia Devon watched with unchecked interest as the young man stopped to greet the foreman. She could tell that while she had never seen this man before, his presence here was routine. The girls on either side of her moved nervously, their work becoming sloppy as they glanced between the well-dressed man and their own hands. Isaac pointed to a girl near where he stood and one of the men behind him seized her upper arm, dragging her to stand face to face with Isaac. The smile that flashed across his face as the girl recoiled was cold and cruel, but Lavinia could not look away. As Isaac tilted the girl's chin up she felt
Lavinia was brought outside with the other girls. She had not been allowed to grab her coat before Isaac's guards herded her along and the wintry chill bit into her skin. She huddled close to the other girls, keeping her arms wrapped around her chest. As they stood surrounded by guards, two carriages pulled forward. Isaac climbed into the first one without looking back at the cluster of shivering girls. One of the guards pulled open the door to the second carriage and started roughly shepherding the girls aboard. The six of them just barely managed to fit on the narrow seats inside. Pressed up against Lavinia's right side was a shorter girl she recognized. She had been hired to work in repairs due to her tiny frame. She was crying softly. Lavinia pulled one of her arms free and wrapped it around the girl, holding her shaking body close. "You're all right," Lavinia stroked the girl's hair back from her tearstained face. "What's your name?""Rosie," she replied softly. "
As it got later, some of the girls started to go to sleep, exhausted from the day's ordeal. Lavinia noticed that Helen and the other two women sat uneasily on the edges of their beds. She caught Helen's eye about to ask something, but Helen shook her head. So Lavinia stayed put, letting Rosie repetitively braid and unbraid her hair.From the hallway came the sound of several pairs of feet. The door was thrown open and two guards stepped through. Helen looked between the guards as the two other women sat forward."It's my night I think," said the tallest one. "That it is. But Mr. Astor said he wanted to try something. Something new." With a swift motion, the guard on the left seized the wrist of one of the new brunette girls. Having been asleep in her bed, she yelped. The guard to the right extended his hand towards the tall woman who stood and took it, resigned. She and the new brunette were ushered quickly into the hallway. As the door closed the girls could see the d
Over the next several days the wound on the brunette girl's neck began to fade and heal. The purple bruising lifted to an off-colored yellow and the puncture marks reduced to slight pinpricks. The only outside interaction came from the guards dropping off food. They replaced Lavinia's pillowcase, taking the stained one away."What is he doing?" Rosie asked."Isaac doesn't feed every day," said Helen. "He likes to take his time. I think he likes seeing how weak he can get his prey. Otherwise, I'd expect that he would just let the company take care of it.""Is that what the rest of the family does?" asked Lavinia."Sort of," Helen replied. "I don't know much about the family, but on a few occasions I've seen his sister taking her meals.""Sister?""Yeah. She keeps her stock in the room across the hall."The other woman piped up. "I've heard that most of her victims get to leave.""What?" Lavinia turned to look at her."She has restraint."Helen laughed sadly. "Or Isaac is just