The sound of the bell forced Rose to leave her coco and pause the television program. She headed to the kitchen to prepare her mistresses tray. As she walked down the warm carpeted hall she swiped her phone to bring it to life. 

“Phillip, she is awake could you meet me at her chambers.”

On entering the kitchens she placed an empty crystal goblet and decanter next to the candle, and then stepped from the warmth of the modern half of the castle into the draughty halls of the castle still frozen in the past. She pulled her collar up in the hopes to traps some body heat to keep her warm. She pulled a lighter from her pocket and lit the candle, its warm glow lighting up the dark corridor, the heels of her boots echoed along the flagstones. 

Philip was just waiting outside her mistress’s door, his sleeve already rolled up. Rose’s mistress had a strict routine each day and her human household knew to deviation from that schedule would have repercussions. 

“I didn’t realise it was my rotation.” Phillip whispered as he ran a blade across his wrist ready to squeeze his blood into the decanter on the tray. “I had just started a pint of beer when you rang.”

Rose pushed his arm away and took the blade herself “The lot of you are useless, you live in the lap of luxury all that is asked of you is to stay health and stay off beverage’s that flavours your blood.” She ran the blade across her own wrist and began to fill the decanter. “Martin is showing symptoms of a cold, we all know how grumpy white blood cells make her.” She rolls her eyes and hissed through her teeth. “Go and find me someone to do the second feed, I have far too much on my plate today to be doing your job, as well as my own.”

Rose entered the pitch black chamber, her only light coming from the candle on the tray. After placing the tray on the night stand she began to light the other candles in the room and then final knelt at the hearth coaching the fire to life. This was how every evening began, 7 pm the regent took her first blood at room temperature from a glass. Rose carried out her tasks in silence, as the Regent didn’t like to engage in conversation until she was dressed and had finished her second feed that was taken at body temperature from the vein. Rose didn’t mind the structured start to the day, it was a waltz her and her Regent had danced for centuries and they both found comfort in its smooth flow.

The fire now lit she entered the en-suite and began to run the bath. Her Regent had never taken to showers; in fact she detested the pounding of water on her skin. She heard the throwing back of covers and within a heart beat the Regent was beside her and stepping into the tub. 

Rose left her Mistress to her soak and returned to the bedchamber where she began to open the drapes and straightening up the bed and began to lay her Regent's clothes out for the day. 

She was snapped from her calm evening waltz by her Regent's voice from the next room.

“I will take breakfast in the main hall Rose tonight; it would appear we are in for a visit from some clan members.” Rose screwed her face up in despair. A visit from the Regent vampire family always disrupted the smooth routine of the house and that in turn affected the Regent's mood. This was not a good start for the evening and Rose feared it was about to get even worse.

To be continued...

This is just a part of a little short story I wrote, when I wondered how my charater Darla from my book series The Letalis Chronicles  would adapt to the modern world.

I decided that although she would have accepted the new world and sometime embraced technology when it served her agenda. When you are a vampire who has lived for many centuries, maybe a certain era held a special fondness, which feels more comfortable. 

So I explored the idea of her living in a little pocket of the past and her annoyance of when the modern world tries to drag her away from it.

Hope you enjoy.