Chapter 9: Song of a Broken Heart

After Lord Hunt left, Charlotte sat on the edge of her bed, holding the handkerchief to her wounded hand. The pain in the slice was still minimal as the feeling of his lips lingered on her skin. Every time she thought about it, the image of him flashed in her mind. It wasn't as scary as she thought it might be, but the act of feeding she did find to be more intimate.

Lord Hunt had looked stunning as he did, but there had been something more alluring about him. The wild waves of his hair hung loose as it spilled down his shoulders and back. Deep red eyes focused only on where he was placing his lips next. Then the very thought of the feel of his mouth, warm and hot over her skin sent shivers down her back.

Charlotte shook the imagery out of her head and tried to calm her racing heart down. There was no reason to get worked up over something like that. The whole thing had just been a stunt to try and shake her resolve. But she was determined as ever to find a way to learn more about the mysterious vampire lord. There wasn't going to be anything that detoured her, she told herself.

Once she dressed her wound and ensured the bleeding stopped, Charlotte placed the handkerchief on the bedside table. It would need to be cleaned before it was returned to its owner. She couldn't imagine he had meant to surrender it to her, but in his hurry to leave the room, hadn't had the time to properly address her wound. After setting it aside, she decided she would try and sleep off the strangeness of the night.

Sometime in the late night hours, Charlotte woke to a soft melody drifting faintly around her room. She sat up in her bed and stared through the darkness while trying to decide if the sound had been part of a dream or not. Just when she was sure it must have just been a figment of her imagination, she heard it again and this time it lasted longer. Fully awake now, she was certain that the sound was coming in from outside.

She pushed the covers away and slipped out of bed. Nearing the doors to the outside balcony, the sound was louder. Quietly, she opened the doors and edged out onto the balcony. The crisp, October wind nipped at her skin, the moment she stepped outside. But the sound was definitely drifting from the grounds below. Charlotte had to know the source, though she was certain that she already had an idea.

It took her a little bit of time after leaving her room to locate the doors to the outside on the lower level. The floor that would have been just below hers led out onto a paved pathway, lined with plant life. She could only guess that it must've gone out to the castle gardens. In the dark of night, she wasn't able to see all the colors of the blooms outside but even with that, she could tell it was just as magnificent as the rest of the castle.

The melody most certainly was coming from somewhere in the gardens. So, quietly Charlotte pulled open the glass doors to the pathway and slipped through them. She tiptoed down the plant-filled pathway deeper into the gardens. Finally, she found the source just at the end of the winding path, which had eventually led her to the garden's center.

Lord Hunt sat along the edge of a large, circular stone fountain. In his hands he held a small, string instrument. It reminded her of a harp with how pure and beautiful the sound it made. But the instrument itself was small enough to fit in his lap. The way he plucked at the strings suggested that he was well practiced with it.

"It's late, Charlotte. Why are you here?" Lord Hunt spoke after his song ended and his fingers came to rest on the instrument.

Charlotte froze where she thought she had been well hidden just at the end of the pathway. She had pressed herself into the shadows of the plants so that she could listen to the sweet, sad melody that he played so delicately. She wasn't sure she had ever heard anything like it before and thus even though she knew she was not meant to be in the gardens, she had wanted to stay to listen.

"You… you play so beautifully, I just had to listen," she replied hesitantly and stepped slowly out of the shadows.

"I thought I told you the gardens are off limits," he said. Finally, he lifted his gaze over to her. Unlike before, there was no anger that flickered in his gaze. In fact, if she didn't know better, he seemed almost melancholy.

"I'm sorry, your song woke me up. I had to know where it was coming from. What is that instrument?" Charlotte answered honestly.

"This?" Lord Hunt held up the stringed instrument in his lap for her to see. "This is a lyre. I learned to play it many, many years ago."

He stood up after that, keeping the lyre in one hand as he did. Charlotte watched from where she stood at the end of the path as he made his approach towards her. She wasn't sure what he might do. The last time she had challenged him, he had gotten a little angry with her. It had been brief but she had seen it in his eyes and heard it in his voice. This time was different. He looked tired and even a little sad.

"You should find your way back to your chambers. You need your rest to allow your wound to heal properly," Lord Hunt spoke again after he stopped in front of her, watching her.

"I don't suppose you'll tell me just how long you've been playing the lyre, will you?" Charlotte asked. She flashed him what she hoped would be an innocent enough smile.

He responded with a strained smile of his own. One that did not meet his eyes. "I'm afraid not. I have no interest in sharing my life story. I hate to shatter your hopes, if that is your reason for coming to work for me."

"What's the harm in answering a simple question?" She pressed and kept her smile.

Now his gaze sharpened just a little bit, red eyes narrowing at her to the question she posed. Lord Hunt took a couple steps towards her, closing some of the distance between them. Charlotte wasn't going to let him intimidate her though, not this time. Besides, that flash of irate was still masking the sorrow that lingered behind it.

"Why are you so insistent on knowing about me? There are other things in this town you could learn about," he spoke in a low voice, a tone that matched the look in his eyes.

"I came to Willow Creek to learn about the history of the tiny, secluded town shrouded by a willow grove. And what I found was that a castle existed at the edge of town and a very wealthy vampire lord occupied it. There's a much bigger story here and you are undoubtedly a piece of the history of Willow Creek," Charlotte explained.

Silence followed her explanation while he seemed to contemplate over her words. Finally, Lord Hunt gave a short sigh and stepped away from her. The anger that had flashed in his gaze just moments before faded back to the mournful look she had found him with. Either he didn't have the energy to argue or he had conceded to her words in some way.

"If you truly want to know about Willow Creek's origins, I will agree to meet with you once a week on the topic. However, I will not be answering anything pertaining to my personal life. As I said, I have no interest in sharing my own story," Lord Hunt said.

"I appreciate anything you can provide. It's different hearing it first hand than what you could find in a book or in the records," she replied and now her smile was genuine.

"I still expect you to uphold your obligation to the contract. Now, you should return to your chambers and rest." He said and gestured back down the pathway she had come.

Charlotte wanted to say more on the matter, but knew that pushing it would be a bad idea. While Lord Hunt seemed to be in too somber of a mood to press her for being in a forbidden location of his castle, she didn't want to risk pushing his buttons any further.

Getting him to agree at least to talk about his account of the history of Willow Creek was a start. It wasn't entirely what she wanted but it was a way in. It was her hope that in time, she could get close enough to him to earn a chance to hear his story. Time could only tell what was to come.