Soul Snatcher Read online

  “Good riddance,” he whispered to himself. He continued his trek into the darkness alone, not even fazed by what had just happened. He may have just encountered a creature completely foreign to him for the first time but, if his life had taught him anything, it was easier not to care. Anyone else would be unnerved that an unearthly being had just threatened them but not Baden. He only had room for one emotion and that was enmity.

  Finally he was alone, separated from everyone else like he always wanted to be. The foolish belief that his future was now in his own hands was sinking deep into his bitter soul but it didn’t fill him with peace, it only filled him with more hatred than before. Hatred that had already wreaked havoc on so many lives and was set to do the same to so many more.

  CHAPTER 1

  ENGLAND

  1804

  As the afternoon grew old, the sun was gently warm as it shone brightly, almost happily as it caressed the earth. Not a cloud was in sight for miles and it was the most perfect of days. Just the type of perfect day to change everything…

  Baden’s blue eyes saw her from across the way. He stood undetected in the crowd of people, unrecognised though once known in this area. Or was it that no one was brave enough to look at him? He observed her as she went about her daily chores. He kept his distance purposefully, for the first time hoping he could stay away. He remained where he was and watched.

  The markets were full of people and their hurried feet on the cobbled stone walkways, mixed together with the hagglers at the small stalls, made everything all the more confusing. The stalls that lined the streets had everything ranging from poultry to vegetables to jewelry. The stall owners looked a little scruffy but tidy none the less, as they called out to the people passing by. Hard workers yet hardly paid. Their presence annoyed the owners of real stores that lined the walkways because it sometimes caused their customers to avoid walking past and was bad for business. But amongst all the chaos was the young woman that Baden had been watching.

  Annie stood in the crowded markets collecting the food items she had been instructed to retrieve. There was something altogether quite special about this girl. There was something exceptional about her soul that not even she was aware of. It would bring her all kinds of attention, the question was; would it be to her benefit or detriment?

  She was the lovely age of nineteen and she was beautiful. Her hair fell in soft curls to her waist and was elegantly black, shining when the sun kissed it. She was slightly taller than most girls with lovely curves. Her face was delicately feminine, with skin all peaches and cream and hazel eyes. Usually when she was back at the manor she wore her hair atop her head but when she was away she wore it down, just as she did now. Simplicity was something she valued but it was becoming scarcer by the minute everywhere she looked, she was just glad that her life didn’t feel as frenzied as the markets did.

  The blue dress she wore was modest. A simple empire line accentuated her ample bust with a black, plaited leather cord running along the trimmings and a flattering curved neck line. The dress hung freely to the ground and covered her flat slippers.

  A sudden gust of wind blew through the markets, creating havoc where things were not weighed down. Stall owners wildly grabbed at their possessions, trying to maintain as much order as possible. And just as quickly as the breeze arrived it disappeared just the same, everyone none-the-wiser of the visitor that had just left to another place entirely. They had come to see that their plan had commenced and left to inform the others that it had.

  People took the gust as a warning of a coming storm so they began to rush around frantically, trying to buy their items and leave as soon as possible. Annie moved to avoid the scurrying crowd but she still managed to run into someone. Her basket was almost full with vegetables and some of the contents fell to the ground.

  “I do apologise,” Annie said to the stranger as she bent down to retrieve her items. She hardly even glanced at whoever it was before she bent down and started quickly picking up the vegetables. She brushed the muck off as best she could, thinking that it would have to do. She hoped the lady of the manor would not inspect her food too closely.

  To her surprise the man bent down and started to help her. She peeked up just enough to see that this man was well dressed and that meant well to do. The crowd moved around them, occasionally bumping into them and throwing a disgruntled look their way. After they had salvaged most of the food they both stood clasping the basket.

  “Thank you for being so kind,” Annie said as she looked to the ground. She wasn’t meant to interact with anyone and she dare not be late back to the manor, the consequences weren’t worth the risk. Lately, the lady of the manor would be easily exasperated for seemingly no reason, especially when it came to Annie.

  “No, it was I who moved in your way,” the man insisted, trying to take the blame. He remained silent for so long that Annie couldn’t help but look up.

  He had blonde hair that sat a little longer than most and had a slight wave to it, making it flick out in random places. His skin was tanned, his eyes were beautifully dark and he stood taller than her. He kept a rather polished, meticulous look that made him seem very in control of his life. She realised she was gawking so she looked back to her basket. She needed to take the hamper back but she thought it might be rude to tug at it. She hesitated, unsure of what to do. Finally she decided just to ask, after all it was her basket.

  “Sorry, Sir. I hope you do not find this rude but may I have my basket back?” She asked as politely as she could. He smiled just a little at her manner.

  “May I exchange your name for it?” He bargained. She paused for a moment but saw no harm in the deal, as long as it helped her get on her way faster.

  “My name is, Annie,” she answered and he let go of the basket as promised. She took it and let it hang by her side, feeling a bit awkward with this stranger. The crowd was still surging around them and managed to push them closer together, so close that it was almost inappropriate. She looked up at him with a shy smile before she moved to leave through the crowd but he followed after her.

  “Annie…that is quite a lovely name. Are you not curious as to what mine might be?” He asked as he walked beside her, both of them weaving around people. She really didn’t have time for this but she didn’t want to be impolite either, especially to someone with money who could get her into trouble. Pushing away her urgency she said the first thing that came to mind in her rush.

  “If you wish to give away more than you have bargained for then feel free, Sir.” Annie was heading towards her waiting chaperone, her best friend of many years, Micah Amerson. He had a single horse for them both to ride home. Annie and Micah worked in the same manor and had become fast friends a few years ago when they had started working together. The man following after her smiled at her cheekiness, she was sassy and he liked it.

  “Well, you drive a hard bargain, Annie. My name is Eli.” He tried to have fun with her but she was too focused on the task at hand. Before they reached the end of the crowd she stopped and turned to him. She completely missed the fact that he was flirting with her.

  “I do not wish to be rude but I must be off. I am due back and must get this food where it belongs. It was a pleasure to meet you Eli, good day.” Usually she wasn’t that abrupt with anyone but she was truly starting to become alarmed at the time. She had to get back or it would mean trouble for not only her but Micah also.

  After a small respectful nod she ran to Micah before she could be held up any longer and they rushed back to the horse together. He looked back over his shoulder towards the man he had seen speaking with Annie to try and get a good look at him but it was hard to see through the crowd, which he found irritating. Who did that man think he was, talking to Annie?

  Once they were at the horse he focused solely on her, helping her into the saddle before he jumped up himself. Annie sat on his lap whilst they rode, as she always did, legs to one side of the horse as she leaned into his chest. She nestl
ed the basket close to her, being careful so as not to drop it.

  Micah was a little thinner than some but strong enough, with a handsome face. His hair was brown and neat, his eyes were dark green and he had a smile that could light up a dark night. He was the stable boy at the manor, though not resembling a boy in any way with his strong, adult face. He always managed to find time to spend with her even if Miss Danes was unreasonable.

  “Who was that?” He asked as they rode away, trying his hardest not to sound like he cared. She was so preoccupied trying to manage the basket that it took her a moment to realise what he had said.

  “Oh, that was Eli. I just met him in the markets,” she answered not realising her friend’s jealous tone.

  “Maybe I should come into the markets with you next time?” Micah suggested. Annie could be naïve at times but only when it came to men. The reason simply being, she really didn’t have much to do with them. Micah was the only man she interacted with on a daily basis and he was vastly different to most men she might come across.

  “You are so silly, Micah,” Annie said through half a laugh. She spied some muck on the vegetables and went to work immediately, trying to brush off left over dirt from them as they bounced along the path on their horse.

  “And you are too darling,” he complimented, holding back the urge to touch her face. Annie and Micah were always open with each other, showing their affection easily. But recently it had turned into something a little more than friendship, for Micah at least. He just wasn’t sure how she felt.

  Back at the manor Annie hurried inside as Micah followed close behind. The manor was large and lavish. It housed the servant’s quarters at the back, where the kitchen was. The upstairs had six bedrooms and two other rooms that were converted into a bathroom of sorts. Huge baths had been imported from France and sat right in the middle of the rooms, with partitions for dressing and basins just to wash your face. Huge ornamental mirrors hung in all the rooms. The downstairs had a library, dining room, two parlors, and a sun room. The floors had expensive rugs in every room but they matched the dark wood on the floor so visually they were almost useless.

  The banisters were the same dark, lustrous wood as the floor. The walls were a dark, murky green, which Annie thought was quite ugly. The curtains were heavy and imposing in the rooms, which were overcrowded with overgenerous furniture. They framed the huge windows in every room and their red-brown colour matched that of the skirting that lined the doorframes, ceilings and floors throughout the house. The furniture was of course the most sophisticated of the time, keeping to the dark greens and brown colour scheme.

  Needless to say, the only rooms that weren’t over decorated were the servant’s. They sat off near the kitchen, housing a room for the gardener, chamber maid, cleaners, butler, Micah, Rosemary and herself (who were both the cooks).

  Annie and Micah came rushing through the kitchen door, half expecting to be scolded for their lateness.

  “Oh, Annie. We must pull your hair up. Her guest will be here any moment and you are set to serve,” Rosemary said as she flustered about the kitchen when Annie walked in.

  Rosemary was an older woman who had welcomed Annie into the manor. She was head of the help and organised them daily but she preferred to stay in the kitchen with Annie most of the time. Her dark hair was peppered with grey and she had smile lines at the edge of her brown eyes and soft mouth, even when she wasn’t smiling. It made her look altogether friendly and charming.

  “I am sorry. I was caught up by a man at the market,” Annie explained as she pulled her hair back as best she could whilst Rosemary tied an apron around her. Rosemary was much shorter than her and it always made Annie smile, thinking how sweet her friend was.

  “We may need to send Micah in next time, it could well be faster,” she joked, knowing the effect Annie had on men. What made it more amusing was that Annie never seemed to notice or care what men thought of her. She wasn’t interested in a relationship, she was more than happy to be single. “No matter, you serve in ten minutes.” With enough said Rosemary went to organise the rest of the help as Annie finished up in the kitchen.

  “Annie, you do need to be more careful in the future when it comes to men,” Micah warned. Annie fluttered about setting out the tray for Martha Danes and her guest. His remark brought back memories of her father but she pushed them away immediately.

  When Annie was sixteen Miss Danes had taken her in after her father had run away with another woman and her mother had passed away from tuberculosis not long after. Her past was something that she tried to forget because she was someone who liked to look at the bright side of life. In most people she looked at the good and could easily look past a person’s flaws to see their value but that was much more difficult when it came to her father. She would do almost anything to have her mother back but that wasn’t possible so she never entertained the idea. Instead she had latched onto her new life and her new friends, picking up the broken pieces of her soul and moving forward.

  Annie’s lack of interest in a relationship was spurred on from the fact that her father had abandoned them when they needed him most. Her mother had fallen ill and he had decided to leave without so much as a warning. He had snuck away during the night, like a coward but was kind enough to leave a letter telling them of his infidelities. Her mother had died a few weeks later.

  Two days after her mother’s death, Annie was walking into town to try and find work to support herself. She had bumped into Micah along the way and was very wary of him. But he won over her trust with his kindness and they had soon got to talking as friends. When he found out that she was after work because her mother had passed, that very day he took her back to the manor and she had been there ever since.

  Annie had been home every day taking care of her mother before she started working at the manor and though she knew what it felt like to lose someone, she was still rather sheltered because her life had involved very few people. But something altogether lovely about Annie was that she was strong. Her mother had always taught her to value others but also to know her own value and Annie had latched onto that belief. She couldn’t complain about anything in her life at the moment but there were things that she found trying. One of those things was the lady of the manor.

  Miss Danes had accepted Annie into her home so easily because they were apparently distantly related somehow but whenever she queried for specifics, Miss Danes became vague and unwilling to talk. Her excuse almost seemed like a fabrication but why would you lie to try and add another person to your employ? It would end up costing more and would take effort to train someone new. So Annie had let the matter drop and decided to be grateful for a house to live in and food to eat.

  Miss Danes was a little older, possibly close to her fiftieth year and unmarried. Her soft brown hair and gentle features, along with her diminutive frame and short height gave a deceptively kind look. But to her staff she seemed to be a regal woman, always presuming she was more valuable than most. She was refined and attractive in her own way but had an edge to her that bordered frightening.

  “Micah, if I agree to your advice will you help me finish my preparation?” Annie asked. Rolling his eyes, he let the matter drop and helped her with her task.

  As if by design, Rosemary came in just as they finished preparing everything.

  “Annie, collect the tray and come with me,” Rosemary instructed. She was always kind but when it came to serving, it had to be perfect. Her motto was; if you’re going to do it, then do it right.

  Annie followed carefully balancing the large, silver tray that held the tea and entrees. Rosemary led the way into the parlour, mazing through the extravagant, decorative manor. Annie hated the large portraits of dead descendants in Miss Danes’ family, it was unnerving to see them.

  They two women entered the room silently. Miss Danes had chosen the sun room for her visit today because it would only be a brief visit. The drapes were pulled back and the late afternoon sun shone thro
ugh the room. Miss Danes and her guest sat opposite each other, with a small, mahogany table in between them. The room was mostly windows so no pictures were hung but there were a few vases scattered through the room that held subtle flower arrangements. This room was modest compared to the rest of the manor because it had the least furniture, which is why Annie liked it so much.

  “Mr. Brighton, do tell me of your travels,” Miss Danes asked of her guest.

  As Annie set her tray on the serving table she glanced up to the company. To her shock Eli was sitting across from Miss Danes on the large ottoman. She was grateful that she had already set the tray down or she would have dropped it. Rosemary and Annie silently set out the tea along with the food and stood in the corner as they always did. Hands clasped in front of them ready to serve, ensuring they did not look at the guest. Inside Annie was panicking, what if he made reference to the markets in front of Miss Danes? She would be in so much trouble and there would be no way to deny it. It’s not as if she could call a gentleman with money a liar when he wasn’t. She wouldn’t even get away with that if he was!