Harker Manor had been more or less empty for years now. Apparently there had been some sort of legal dispute after old man Harker had died without any children. Instead a few different cousins and others had been claiming the property, including several acres of land surrounding it.
To the people living in or near Wiccerby, the village that had once been part of the estate that was now Harker Manor, it mostly meant that that children had started to spread rumours about the old house. Even before the previous owner died it had been popular to dare people to go near it at night, and now there were always whispers of lights flickering unnaturally in windows, or cold chills making the fog stay longer around the house.
Keira Connor knew that it was all superstition, of course. She had been five when the old man had died nearly ten years ago. When the building was starting to really feel empty a couple of years after that, she and a few friends had even been dared to sneak inside one late evening.
It had been a strange evening to say the least and the children had scared each other and been parted, but nothing supernatural had been going on from what she could remember. The closest thing was that there had been someone there already – a man who had been upset about someone breaking into “his property” and then he had threatened to call the police. Some of the others had claimed they saw another man too, but Keira tried to not think about that.
In fact, ever since that night, the old building always made her feel uneasy and for no apparent reason her heart started pounding when she was nearby. It wasn’t that she was afraid of ghosts, but she did have a feeling that there was something she may or may not have just barely escaped that night as the kids had ran away. Especially since they had been scattered for a long while, searching the place and she vaguely remembered walking through rooms and corridors trying to escape, falling over odd old things as she tried to find her way.
But that was a long time ago and life had moved on. She was fourteen now and would be fifteen later that year. She might not have a lot of friends, but she had a few good ones and a best friend to talk about boys or complain about school with. She really liked school, but tried to hide it for the most part – it wasn’t the kind of country school where other youths took kindly to that kind of thing.
Keira had shoulder length brown hair with a copper red tint to it and hazel eyes. She was generally a pretty girl and some people even said so, but she was not as skinny as the most popular ones in school and her family could never afford to get her any nice clothes to wear. Instead she usually wore either her school uniform or a jeans and a sweater. She tried to borrow some things from her best friend, Liz, every now and then to seem a bit more interesting. She just wished she could get rid of her freckles as she always thought they just made her look childish.
This was not a day when she had to worry about her looks as much however as she was dressed in the same uniform as all the other girls standing around her, nearly matching the boys’. It was, however, cause for other types of concern. She was standing in a group huddled around a noteboard in a school hallway where administrators allowed outsiders to post notices that might be of interest to the students.
The notice that they were all staring at had several things about it that made Keira feel... something. First of all, it carried the Harker crest and declared that it was from the new master of Harker Manor, someone called Vincent Harker, and she didn’t exactly know what to think of someone living in the old building again. There was just something about the whole place that made her want to hide from it. At the same time it was a good thing someone took care of the place, right? And maybe that might make it less... uncomfortable in her mind.
The second thing about the notice that made her worry was that it was about the new master wanting to hire some staff to take care of some things around the house. There were several positions listed, including a gardener, a groundskeeper for the area, a cook and something called “companion”. Worst of all… the notice said that most of these positions were intended for local youth to help earn some extra cash and get some experience and as such arrangements could be made for it not to interfere with school.
This was great news for almost everyone in the group of teenagers and the chatter about how great it was went on all around Keira. It was terrible news for her, however because if there was one thing she knew more than anything else it was that she never, ever wanted to go back to that large building. The very idea sent chills down her spine and made her heart beat that much harder. However... Times had been tough on her family, especially since her dad lost his job about a year ago. Her brother Archie was already working extra as a janitor at the sports center for half the sum mentioned as entrance wages at Harker Manor in order for the family to make ends meet. It would be expected of Keira to at least apply for a position.
“Is this a scam or what?” She tried as her classmates read through the text. “I bet this Harker is a weirdo who can’t keep regular workers which is why he’s trying to lure people like us into it.”
“Or,” suggested a tall plain-looking girl named Mary, “he’s just stupid?”
“I could fight him off if I ever need to.” It was a short-haired brute of a guy named Callum.
“Why would you need to fight him off?” asked someone.
“You know - if he gets all weird and stuff.”
The conversation quickly turned away from the direction Keira had hoped and instead ended up with different scenarios of weirdness that one could or could not deal with, from mad scientist to peadophiles to religious nuts. And none of the suggestions would sound good enough for her not to apply.
She went back and forth between convincing herself that she was being silly and childish about the whole thing, dealing with a ball of horror in her stomach and hoping her parents wouldn’t insist so she wouldn’t have to deal with it at all.. Those final hopes were crushed as soon as she sat down for dinner with the family that evening.
Her father, Michael, brought the topic up even as everyone was putting food on their plates. He was a big, strong man with short wavy hair a few shades darker than his daughter’s and he was very rarely emotional. He had simply grown up in a time and place when men didn’t do emotions and that was that. But he had a hard time not sounding like he begged when he pointed out that these were good opportunities for the kids. There was no way to say no to that.
And so, within two days both Keira and Archie had sent in applications, because even if Keira’s four year older brother already had a job he could really stand getting one which paid more for fewer hours. And as he pointed out, he didn’t have any issues with Harker Manor.
Almost a week passed and Keira was beginning to think maybe she had dodged the bullet. Then it happened. One day when she got home from school everyone was a lot more excited than usual. Her younger sister, the ten year old Claire, came running out of the front door to greet her. The girl was always moving in some way it seemed and had the energy to go with it. “Keira! Keira! There’s a letter for you!” The girl had always been eager and was clearly the one in the family with the lightest heart and somehow her whole appearance reflected that. Her hair was a light brown, her skin fairer – at least when she hadn’t been outside to get tanned and her eyes nearly shining.
“A letter? For me?” Keira answered with a smile as she leaned down to hug her little sis, but on the inside she was worried because she feared what the letter might be. She really hoped it was a rejection, though.
Together they walked inside and found the rest of the family gathered around the kitchen table – Archie, her lean 18 year old brother whom half her friends had had a crush on at some point, her father Michael Connor who had spent years doing most of the heavy work around the local rubber factory until it shut down a year ago and her mother Carolynn who had half a degree in economics before she dropped out and now work as a secretary to an auditor. And of course Keira and Claire’s attention focused on the two envelopes laying in the middle of the table unopened. “Uh, hi everyone...” was all Keira could muster at first.
“We thought it’d be a good idea to open both at once” her mother explained.
“Yeah, so here I am – waiting for you, sis” Archie added jokingly and then handed her one of the envelopes while taking the other himself. “On three?”
Damn, there went the chance of pretending she just hadn’t gotten further. “Uh, yeah, sure.” She tried to sound as confident and hopeful as possible.
“One...” Fuck this, she should just say she didn’t want to work there. “Two...” But how could she explain? It was just a knowledge that if she went down that path something in her life would break. “Three!”
They ripped the envelopes open, pulled out the paper and stared at the text until they found the information they were looking for.
“Woohoo!” Archie yelled. “I got an interview tomorrow at four!”
Keira swallowed and tried to look as happy as she could. “Yay! Me too. Uh, but at six pm...”
The parents positively beamed with happiness and Claire wasn’t soon to join in the celebration. Keira wished that she could enjoy that the rest of the family was in a more joyful mood than they had been in months. She tried to at least feel happy for their sake. It worked a little bit.
The next day was extremely slow. She couldn’t concentrate on anything and kept trying to convince herself that it wasn’t a bad thing. This was a great chance and nothing to be scared of. She tried to imagine how beautiful the old building was and how it might be a great thing to get to work there. And if her brother got a job there too, that would be nice.
By the time she got home she had almost convinced herself and she would try to do as good a job as possible at the interview. And that meant she needed to wear something more presentable than her school uniform.
She knew she wasn’t model beautiful, but quite a few of the boys at school had started to to look at her with interest which was both scary and flattering. She hadn’t had any boyfriends yet, though since she usually couldn’t stand the ones that were interested in her and the ones she wanted were always into someone else at the time. She was neither short nor tall for her age, usually had her hair in a braid or ponytail, her face thin and freckled. And after having pulled out most of her clothes onto her bed she had finally decided on a top with a strong rainbow pattern and a pair of jeans. ‘Fun and useful’ she thought as she studied herself approvingly in the mirror.
She caught a glance of a clock in the hallway outside her room. 5:30, damn she needed to hurry to be there on time. She ran downstairs and out to get onto her bike, just shouting a ‘going to the interview’ as a goodbye to her parents. It was not an easy road to take, especially since a lot of it was uphill, but she finally passed the big wooden sign with “HARKER MANOR” on it. From there on she still had to bike for a while until she saw the big 19th century building.
Right now it looked huge with its four floors and two wings. But it also looked more alive than she had ever remembered seeing it. There were curtains in nearly all windows even if some other windows looked like they were still boarded up, a big car parked outside and the front doors stood open. That car... That was a Rolls Royce... Who was this Vincent Harker?
She walked the last few meters to the big steps up to the front doors, studying the lobby inside. There was a big flight of stairs and several arched passageways to the sides leading into different parts of the building. She could see a big chandelier hanging from the ceiling somewhere high above. The walls, at least the parts of the walls not covered by paintings or tapestries, were all wood panels. She walked inside and studied her surroundings as a painting caught her attention. It portrayed a man laying down on a stage surrounded by naked or half-naked women and men pointing and laughing at the man. Meanwhile the man on the floor was scribbling things on papers using what looked like his own blood as ink and his expression looked insane and haunted.
“Do you like it?” There was a dark voice behind Keira and she spun around. There stood a rather tall man who was a bit pale and despite probably not being older than 30 he looked a bit torn. He had thick and long dark, almost black, hair pulled back so that it made a small tail. He was dressed in black suit trousers, a white shirt and a thin linen black coat. And his dark brown eyes almost seemed to pierce her.
“Uh, I’m sorry... Yes, I guess... It’s a bit weird, but yeah...” Damn, she must seem like a fool. And this was probably Mr Harker himself. Was it ‘mr’? Suddenly she was unsure if she was supposed to use another title – he was the owner of a manor after all.
He smiled briefly before walking up to her and stood beside her, watching the painting. “The artistry is nothing to be impressed by – it was simply a hobby of an ancestor of mine. But I like the motif. It is an attempt to capture the madness of Donatien Alphonse Fraçois – better known as simply the Marquis de Sade.”
Keira really wished she had listened better during history lessons as it was quite obvious the presumed Harker expected her to know at least who the marquis was... Instead she could only remain quiet until he spoke again.
“Anyway, as you have likely guessed I’m Vincent Harker, and you must be miss Keira Connor.” He said matter of factly, returning those dark eyes to her.
“Uhm, yes... Sir?” That might work as a title, right?
He gestured in the direction of one of the archways. “This way.” Apparently ‘please’ was not a word he was used to using. But she walked in the direction indicated until they got into an improvised office in what seemed to have been used as a smoking room. There was a laptop placed on a table and Harker sat down on a chair where the computer faced him.
Slightly nervous Keira sat down opposite of the man. The fancy place made her very aware that while her choice of attire might indeed have felt both fun and serious... It didn’t exactly go with the decor of the building. She studied him as he glanced over something on the screen. “So, what position is it that you are applying for?” he began.
“Uhm...” She hadn’t really thought about it. “All of them, Sir.”
“Really? Very ambitious of you. And do you have any talents with animals or hunting?”
She tried to sound as accommodating as possible. “I... I like animals...” She got the distinct impression he was teasing her, mocking her attempts to get a job, but there was nothing in his expression that indicated more than a very slight smirk.
His eyes looked her over quickly and continued with a serious face. “Not a hunter I take it, that might make groundskeeper difficult. What is the longest you’ve kept a potted plant alive?”
She swallowed, she had already lost one opening. And she knew she wouldn’t get this one without lying. “I had a cactus survive for a really long time...”
He merely raised an eyebrow. “What is your favourite thing to cook?”
She tried to make her hands stop shaking. “Pan... -cakes..?” She felt like she was about to start crying.
He looked her over again with a wary smile. “No matter. I’m quite sure I’ve settled on a cook. And none other than your brother as gardener. However...” he paused. “...there is one position I haven’t filled yet.” He studied her carefully. “It requires you to sign a special contract however. Your job would entail keeping me entertained and generally satisfied. Most of the time this will mean bringing me tea while I work but it can mean all sort of things. And your contract will include a non-disclosure clause that means you can not talk about your job with anyone. Not even your family or best friend. This is to protect me and my work.”
He left room for her to react. She really, really needed this job. She was slightly worried about what kinds of entertainment Mr... Sir Harker might want, but at least she could just quit if it turned out to be something too nasty, right? “Uhm.. Sure... I guess I could do that...”
His face lit up in a smile. “Good. One last thing – the position of ‘companion’ will require your presence at slightly irregular hours. This means that you’ll get your own chambers here and will be required to sleep over on a regular basis, starting with an introductory weekend. And I will arrange for some of your schooling to take place here instead. All this means your job is much more well-paid than the others of course. Would you agree?”
She thought for a moment. Her own chambers? Not just “her own room” – her own chambers... She’d likely be the envy of every girl she knew. She nodded. “That-, that would be ok... Uh... Sir...”
He stood up rather hastily as he pulled out a small stack of papers. “Good, it’s settled then. Here is your special contract, with any and all details. I need it signed by both you and your parents and sent to me by the latest Monday next week. You will start working Friday next week at 4 pm sharp and will stay here for introduction to your duties until it is time for school on the following Monday. Understood?”
She nodded. “Yes, thank you Sir.” She took the papers and got up to shake his hand but he didn’t take hers. Instead he just indicated the door she had entered through. Doing a curtsy instead she stammered another thank you before leaving. She hurried home to convince her parents that this was a good idea. And so she entered service at Harker Manor and left all hope behind.
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