by Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc

Chapter1

  While not able to go back to her village, Christabel was a survivor and so she packed a bag and left while her siblings slept. She knew that her Aunt and Uncle would be there to collect them soon enough and she could not be present. She didn’t want to explain how she’d “lived” through such a vicious attack, not to mention being “buried alive.”

  Certainly, she could explain digging herself out because she was close to the surface, but the fanfare and visits and endless retelling of her survival would wear on her, possibly raise more questions and simply not be worth the hassle it would bring in her small, close-knit village.

  On her own, she traveled to Dublin as a stow away on a boat, where she knew she could find something to do to pay her way.

  Luck was with her and she had little trouble landing a job shortly after the boat arrived. She saved a man’s horse from going off a cliff, when she was spooked.

  In her village, the value of horses was most assuredly understood and she knew that it was probably the man’s most prized possession.

  Throwing herself in front of the beast, she managed to cause it to fall backward and then she quieted it.

  It reminded her of her own horse, which she’d lost in battle, shot out from under her by a marauder’s arrow.

  The grateful man was eager to show his gratitude and as they chatted, Christabel mentioned being new in the country and how she was looking for work.

  Turned out the man worked for a wealthy couple and it was their horse she’d saved; and the valet knew that the owner would be pleased to show his appreciation. She ended up a washer woman for the wealthy couple.

Her accommodation was sparse but fair, the pay was fair and she enjoyed the family’s company.

  But stability was not meant to be. The couple’s son, only a year or so older than she was, fell in love with her.

The union could never be. Though the family liked her, she was “beneath” him, and she was a Vampire. Even if his feelings had been reciprocated, it still wouldn’t have ended well for her.

  She knew how superstitious and backward people could be and she had seen, with her own eyes, what could happen to people who made the “mistake” of living when they were supposed to be dead. There was no way she could or would take that chance.

Currently available in paperback and on kindle soon to be released in audio

and in hardback https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F26Z61SX