Chapter 3: The Vampire Pirate's Daughter by Lynette Ferreira
She often told me little snippets of my mother, like the first day she met her, how kind my mother was but she never ever spoke about my mother and my father together though. When I used to ask her, she would tell me to ask my father. Before Amanda, she was the only mother figure I had.
The man, I then thought of as my father, Francois, and the doctor was standing in the corner of my room, the gaslight barely touching them, but I could hear every whispered word. I heard the doctor say I would not make it through the night, and when he left, Francois walked to the side of my bed with a worried look on his face. Sitting down next to me, he took my hand into his.
After sending the servants from the room, he whispered softly, “Oh, Susanna.” He had a distant look in his eyes, and I was not sure if he was talking to my mother or me. I have the same name as my mother, and she died giving birth to me. Sometimes he would get confused and I would think he was calling me, but then Carla would gently touch me on the shoulder and shake her head sympathetically. I heard the servants talk amongst themselves and they all thought he had gone a bit loony since my mother died. When this happened, I obviously felt guilty because unintentionally I killed my mother. My birthday was always sad for my father. It reminded him of my mother’s death.
I smiled up at him weakly anyway.
He continued, “I have sent for a specialist, so if you hold on until morning, he will be able to help you.”
I felt confident I would be able to do that, although I felt extraordinarily weak. We did not speak, and he just sat there next to me, holding my hand in his and now and again, he would moisten the cotton cloth on my forehead.
I woke after a fitful sleep and I noticed he had also fallen asleep. His head had dropped down onto the bed next to me and his face was close to our hands entwined together.
A shadow danced across the wall in my room and the gaslight sputtered.
I inhaled deeply when I saw a man and a woman come out of the shadows and they slowly walked toward my bed. They were smiling friendly, but I still felt apprehension. Then with relief, I thought they were the specialists my father was talking about and it was probably already morning and thankfully, I held on. I had made it.
The man remained standing erect at the foot of my bed and for a moment, I considered he might be the grim reaper, here to collect my soul. Afraid I turned my head to the sleeping figure of my father, but he was still fast asleep.
The girl knelt next to my bed, on the opposite side of my father. The faint light from the lamp shone on her face and I saw how beautiful she was. Her skin was so smooth; I had the urge to touch it and her eyes were rich mahogany and her lips were faintly pink. Her dark blonde hair hung over her shoulders and reflected the light like a mirror.
She leant closer to me and her hair fell forward softly. She whispered in my ear, barely audible, but I could hear her every word clearly, “Dear Susanna, you are grown up now and this might come as a shock to you, but I want you to trust me.”
Weirdly, although I have never seen this woman before, I trusted her with my life. I thought this strange, I have never been a very trusting person. I have grown up secluded and the only people I have ever socialised with were my father and the servants. As it was, before I became ill, I was in pleading negotiations with my father regarding my coming-out. He believed there was no need for me to come out and he promised me he would never marry me off to anybody. When he said this, he had a strange melancholy in his voice. He did not explain himself, though.
I nodded my head weakly.
This striking girl held my eyes captive with hers. “You are a very special girl, Susanna. If you agree, I will show you a way to make you feel better. It will make all this hurt go away. When last did you eat?”
I could not remember when last I had a meal. Only remembering the idea of food revolted me. I could not even contemplate letting food pass my lips and nobody in the kitchen could tempt me. “I cannot remember.”
“If you agree, you will soon feel much better. First, though, I should explain it all to you. Would you be able to stay awake? It is important you hear what I have to say?”
I nodded my head again.
She moved her head away from mine, breaking the spell between us and for a moment, she looked at my sleeping father thoughtfully.
She leant closer to me again, but she kept her face in front of mine. I could see her lips move, but I could not hear her, as she said, “Francois here is not your biological father.”
As sick as I was, I still recoiled and wheezed croaky.
She smiled reassuringly and took my hand resting on my chest into hers. “Do not fret, girl. You will soon understand everything. Your mum, Susanna came to France about twenty years ago. However, a pirate ship attacked the ship which gave her passage. A pirate, by the name of William, kidnapped your mother, but she escaped, or he let her go.” She smiles. “Maybe a bit of both. When your mother saw Francois, she did find him appealing, but Francois fell in love with Susanna undeniably. The path for the rest of his life was decided at that moment when he first saw your mother. However, no matter what he did, he would never have been able to stop the events which unfolded themselves. Francois has an evil streak in him, and he was very pompous and arrogant, a completely different person before your mother died. He thought if he wanted something, he could have it no matter what and nobody could stand in his way. The pirate, William, felt drawn to your mother, so he came to France and when he saw her again, he was forever hers. Your mother, however, chose Francois, because if she chose William she would have had to live at night.”
I frowned confused.
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