344 Keys and cards- part 1

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Madeline sat next to her mother and other women in the room having afternoon tea, listening to her mother and her aunt catch up like they hadn't met for months, "Madeline had not been doing so well today. How are you feeling now, dear?" questioned her aunt who sat next to Lucy. The vampiress had been polite enough to not refuse the invitation for a little tea. 

Mrs. Harris looked slightly worried, a small frown coming to settle on her forehead, which she tried not to show as her eyes darted from her daughter to her sister-in-law. 

"What happened, Maddie?" asked Mrs. Harris, but before Madeline could answer the question, her aunt went to speak on behalf of her. 

"Poor Maddie turned unconscious because of lack of blood in her body," said Aunt Mary, shaking her head with a hint of disappointment, "I thought you would have discussed with him on how much blood he should take from you. I understand that vampires feed and depend on blood, but you are going to be his wife."

Lucy, who heard this turned to look at Madeline, "I think your aunt is right, Lady Madeline. Brother Calhoun can sometimes get carried away. Your health is important," said the vampiress. 

Madeline smiled at Lucy's kind words, her smile a little tight as that wasn't the reason why she had fainted in the first place, "I am fine now, Lady Lucy. I don't think the King expected me to faint."

"It must be because of him feeding blood from you continuously," Aunt Mary looked upset, her lips set in a thin line. Madeline shook her head, but the woman went on to say, "You should let the King feed on someone else so that you don't end up with lack of blood in your body. What do you think, Frances?" her aunt questioned her mother. 

Mrs. Harris wasn't comfortable in discussing about her daughter being sucked by a vampire, "I am sure Maddie will take care of it."

"You should put on more weight, dear. Look at your sister Elizabeth. It looks like she turned more healthy since I last saw her. Is it because you have been eating well?" asked Aunt Mary, turning to Beth. Beth didn't know if she should take it as a compliment or a taunt by her aunt, "The food must be really good in here and I would not doubt if you were eating more. But, Maddie, you should fatten up a little."

"I think I am fine," Madeline offered her aunt a polite smile. 

Aunt Mary was one of the closest relatives of the Harris' family, and even though she often liked to be opinionated about people, she was the person who had taught Madeline and Elizabeth everything an elite woman would learn. Though Mr. Harris was poor, his sister, Mary had been married to a decently wealthy family, giving her the privilege and access to what the people of the high society did and indulged themselves in. 

But the woman hadn't done helped the girls because she was kind.

The first time, when the incident took place, Mary was unaware about dark angels. The second time, she had been too intrigued with what was going on. It was then, did she try to learn about dark angels and came to know what Madeline could be. The only disappointment was, Madeline didn't show any signs after she returned to her brother's house the second time. She had gone so far as to make Madeline clean all the glasses and handle the delicate objects in her house so that she would know, while making Beth clean other things like the floor when the girls came to spend time in her house. 

"I will still insist that you find someone, maybe someone whom the King used to drink blood from in the past?" suggested Aunt Mary with a nonchalant tone. 

Madeline didn't know why her aunt was pushing her to pick someone for Calhoun to drink from. Calhoun had mentioned that when he was carrying her to the room, he had met her aunt, and they had a brief conversation with each other. 

"I will think about it," Madeline believed that just because she said she would, she didn't have to do it. 

"Where is the wedding going to take place? I mean we all know that the night creatures cannot step into holy places," stated Aunt Mary in a thoughtful question. 

Her aunt was the daughter of her grandparents, someone who was intolerant towards vampires. Madeline could tell by the look on her aunt's face, that her aunt wasn't happy that she was getting married to a vampire. 

"We have a chapel built in the castle, Lady Mary," replied Lucy, placing the teacup on the saucer with a gentle click. Mary raised her brows in astonishment. "Brother Calhoun got the chapel built, and he modified it enough to resemble a church, only that you won't find sculptures in there and it's feasible for the royal family."

"That's interesting," responded Aunt Mary , impressed. "I would have never thought that there is a chapel here. Would someone be kind enough to show me the way there so that I could take a look at it?" 

"I wouldn't mind taking you there," offered Lady Lucy, and Madeline was touched by the vampiress gesture. Even though she could tell that Lucy sensed the wall of dislike from Aunt Mary, the vampiress was still willing to tour her aunt. 

Before leaving Calhoun's room and joining the others in this room, Calhoun had spared a few words regarding her aunt. She decided to stay cautious and not leave Lucy alone with Aunt Mary. "I think we all can go there once we are done with tea?" Madeline suggested, and everyone nodded their head in agreement. 

When everyone finished drinking tea, the women got up, and Madeline was the last one to leave the table. While she was keeping the saucer on the table, the ceramic plate cracked, and her eyes widened. She quickly left the room with others so that no one would notice the broken saucer. On their way to the chapel, Madeline could feel her head turning dizzy out of nervousness, and she held her hands together while also maintaining distance with the others. 

It was only a while ago, did she fall unconscious, and she didn't want to faint again because this would only bring everyone's attention on her. 

Beth who knew the way, walked in the front with their mother and aunt, while Madeline walked behind with Lucy, who now turned to whisper, 

"Are you alright, Lady Madeline?"

Madeline's head snapped to look at Lucy with a cautious expression on her face, "Yes," she nodded, "Why do you ask, Lady Lucy?"

A smile broke on Lucy's face, and she tapped her index finger on her chest, "It is your heart." The vampiress spoke softly so that the other three ladies wouldn't turn to listen or eavesdrop on their conversation, "It beats differently. I am very good at keeping secrets."