Free Bathory's Secret: When All The Time In The World Is Not Enough (Affliction Vampires Book 1) by Romina Nicolaides Page A

lessons for a few hours each day and between her cleaning and binding duties Kati would read religiously. She slept as little as she could get away with.
     
    On this evening like all the others, Katalina helped the girls get up and escorted them to class. The sun had already set and she was doing her usual tidying around the Library waiting for the Countess to arrive. When eventually she did, the girls all sat in a neat row and Katalina prepared to leave when Szuzanna, one of the girls, invited her to stay.
     
    “Your Grace, I think Katalina should stay and observe our lesson with us.” Katalina froze on the spot on hearing the ominous invitation.
     
    The Countess shot her a stern look and then did the same to Katalina.
     
    “Why do you say that, Szuzanna?”
     
    “She’s always so interested in all the books while she’s cleaning up that I’m sure she’d like to stay with us and follow the lesson.”
     
    “Katalina, would you like to stay and attend the lesson?” Asked the Countess with a raised eyebrow which was far from welcoming.
     
    With her heart nearly beating out of her chest she said, “I’m only admiring the books for their binding, mistress. A servant girl like myself has no place in a class full of ladies of noble birth. Besides, I am too stupid to understand letters and the subjects you discuss, I only know washing and cleaning.” She said trying to back herself out of what seemed to be a very cruel trap.
     
    “In that case you’d better leave immediately and get to your other duties, these girls still have a lot of work to do before they go home for Easter.”
     
    They’re going home for Easter? Kati’s heart sank. She had known this day would come, but she hoped they would spend the holiday at the castle in order to continue their studies. She exited the room, catching Oriana’s eye, who hadn’t missed the little exchange but was looking into her book pretending to be reading.
     
    That evening, class ended early. The Countess sent the girls to their room to sleep through the night but Oriana didn’t come to Kati’s room to read. She suspected it had something to do with Szuzanna's little outburst in class today.
     
    The next morning the girls got up early on their own. Kati could hear them potter about outside and play excitedly in anticipation of going home, so she got up and went outside to help them dress and finish packing but she never managed to speak to Oriana on her own. Every time she tried Szuzanna would come rushing up to her with some kind of chore that needed doing in order to distract her.
     
    When they were ready they were ushered into the carriage and sent home for the holiday. Returning to the barn Kati felt deflated and alone. Her only friend, with the exception of Miloš whom she rarely saw, had left and she’d been forced to interrupt her studies which devastated her. For the past four months she had intensively studied and read and now this break would no doubt put a dent in her progress.
     
    Inside the now-empty barn she went around all the beds collecting the sheets for washing. Its grand size was further augmented by how quiet it suddenly was. Reaching Oriana’s bed she lifted the pillow and made a discovery. Under it was a neatly folded note over a grammar book. Katalina picked up the note and examined it; it was written in Latin.
     
    It read:
     
    Dear Katalina,
    I am sorry I did not come to your room for a lesson last night, but Szuzanna must have seen me sneak out with my books some nights ago, so I couldn’t take the risk of being followed.
    If you are able to read this letter, which I know you are, you are doing much better than you think. Last night I was planning on continuing with the future tenses but because I won’t be able to I have left my grammar book for you to study. It is a rare edition so please care for it.
    Keep practicing your words, and if you can, have a look in the library for a thesaurus. The Countess has a big collection of