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Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Neverland, US
Gender: Female
Posts: 18
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Mistress of Murder
This work is something I wrote a while ago, and I figured it could do with some feedback from other writers. Thanks for reading!
Mistress of Murder
The year was 1885. It was a chilly October night, All Hollow’s Eve, to be exact. It was a fabulous night for all of Wilmington, New York’s elite. It was the eve of the Masked Ball.
Hosted by the wealthy Garrot family, it was not an occasion to be missed. Andrew Garrot, heir of the wealthy family, felt more excitement than anyone for the ball. He was a young and attractive man, at the age of twenty one, and lived only for debauchery and pleasure. And what better night to live in sin than All Hallows Eve? He was known to win the hearts of young women, only to break them soon after. The Masked Ball presented a wonderful chance for him to enjoy such sport.
His parents, however, had not been as willing to see that the celebration occurred. There had been three different murders recently; each of them committed upon young men in Wilmington, each of them within the month. It was a curious chain of events; one that threatened the possibility of having a masked ball. Fortunately for Andrew (and the other young men and women in Wilmington), he was able to convince his parents that the ball needed to go on; else people might believe that they were loosing money. That was something that his family would never have thought of them.
So, Andrew stood in a corner of the ballroom; mask in place. His light brown hair had the slightest wave to it, and his emerald green eyes seemed to dance with mischief. He was ready to seduce any woman he chose to.
His gaze traveled around the ballroom, landing on different women. They were lovely; almost all of them were. But Andrew Wilmington did not want just a lovely woman; he wanted a truly ravishing woman, a beauty that commanded the attention of all men, a woman that only he could have.
His eyes finally settled on her. He had never seen her before, though in an instant, he was positive the she was the daughter of Jonathan Portman; a man that was known for his wealth, though not known very personally among the community. He rarely came to social gatherings. “Apparently, his daughter doesn’t attend many gatherings, either.” Thought Andrew. She was currently dancing with Rhett Adams, one of Andrew’s closest friends. He released a low chuckle as he strode over to the place where they danced.
“Hello, Miss Portman.”
He greeted in a low voice. Her gaze turned instantly to him. Andrew noticed that she was even more stunning than he had thought. Her dark brown hair hung loose in soft, elegant ringlets, her cheeks were flushed, and her lips were tempting and pink. Andrew’s eyes traveled over the rest of her body, as though the red gown of silk and lace weren’t clothing her. Andrew felt uneasy, though as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes; which seemed to pierce his very soul. He shivered. The music changed to a slow waltz.
“Hello,” She replied to him in a quiet voice. Tempting. “You are Andrew Garrot; are you not?”
“I am indeed.” He assured her. He thought for a moment about Rhett. He had to rid himself of the man. “Rhett, my friend, would you mind if I had this dance with Miss Portman?”
Rhett looked at him; confused for an instant, then disappointed.
“Indeed, Andrew.” He spoke these words reluctantly, releasing his hold on Miss Portman. Andrew stepped in his place, letting a hand fall to her waist, and holding his other hand for her to take. She laid her hand on his, and they began to waltz.
“What is your name?” He questioned. “Eleanor.” She answered simply.
“I don’t believe I’ve seen you at many gatherings before, Eleanor.”
“Father is very protective of me. He’s quite sure that I’ll do something terrible if I’m not supervised.”
She explained. Something flickered in her eyes; something that made Andrew shiver. Was she hiding something? He quickly glanced over the rest of her, and disposed of the thought. He gazed at her lips, which were now in a pout. He felt like he was going mad. He had to make her follow with him.
“Miss Portman, I wonder if I might speak with you somewhere, privately.” He asked in a low, silky voice. An eager smile graced her lips. “Of course, Mr. Garrot. I would be delighted.” Her expression showed that she was truly delighted. Andrew smirked arrogantly. He felt that he could charm any woman.
Releasing her waist, Andrew kept her hand in his; leading her out into the gardens. Chills swept over him the instant he took in their surroundings. The plants were all dying; leaves formed a blanket on the ground, and the bare branches of trees scraped against each other. The wind howled. But what Andrew found most frightening was the night sky, as the moon was not visible at all.
“Are you alright?” He heard Eleanor’s voice, which instantly banished his chills and brought forth a feeling of lust. “Yes, my dear, I am fine.” He assured her, letting his hand travel lower on her body.
What surprised Andrew was that she did not even flinch. She simply let his hand linger in different locations, leading him into the woods. It was there that he lost all control that he’d had before. His lips touched hers in the boldest way, and he was thrilled that she responded to his kiss. She was surprisingly unlike the other girls that he had romanced; she was bold, carefree, and yet much more beautiful. He found it strange, though, that she had seemed so docile but moments ago. Pressing her against a tree, his body closed the space between them. This was heaven and hell, pleasurable and wicked.
Which was why he was shocked when he heard her voice break through the intimacy. “Do you love me?” Her voice sounded serious. Andrew hated when women asked him that question. “Yes, I love you with all my heart.” He responded quickly, then returning his lips to hers. Again, she broke through his kiss.
“Does your heart beat only for me?”
“Yes, my heart beats only for you.” He said hastily. In that moment, Eleanor drew away from him. She began to laugh, a low malicious sound. Andrew felt a strange combination of confusion and terror surge through him. “We’ll see,” She chuckled. “If that’s true.”
“Wha-?” Andrew began, only to feel a sharp pain in his stomach. He cried out in agony, his breathing became increasingly strained. Eleanor smiled wickedly.
“I’ve never truly been loved before, you know.” She informed him with a sigh, and Andrew, though all thoughts focused on the pain in his gut, knew that Eleanor was beginning a story. “I thought I was in love, so many times, but no one ever truly loved me. Not even my father.” She said harshly, drawing the knife out of him. Again, she laughed. “But still, father wanted me to marry within this community. Here, where not a single man wants nothing more from me than pleasure.” She spat. Andrew tried to stand, but the blade now pierced his leg, causing him to fall to the ground. “So, I devised a test. If there were any man here that truly loved me, his heart would beat for me eternally.
“You’re mad!” Andrew cried, groaning loudly as he pulled the weapon from him. “Am I mad?” Eleanor questioned mockingly. She was clearly quite aware of her frightening condition.
“So far, no man’s heart has continued to beat. You aren’t the first, Andrew.” She cackled, revealing the true desperation and insanity that filled her. “And you won’t be the last!”
With a wide grin and thirsty eyes, Eleanor drew Andrew’s lips to hers. Andrew’s eyes grew with terror and he released a final scream as she held the blade high above her head, then plunging the dagger directly into his heart.
The only thoughts that Andrew had before his death were ones of regret. Regret for taking pleasure in wickedness, regret for trusting solely his body, and even regret for living. These thoughts radiated off of him. It was regret and past sins that had left a mark on his body and soul, yet it was the pursuit of carnal pleasure that damned him.
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