Free Vampire - In the Beginning (Vampire Series Book 1) by Charmain Marie Mitchell Page A

married, that way she and Mary would have indeed been sisters.  Mary would retort that she felt like they were sisters anyway so it didn't really make any difference. 
     
    However, she had never understood their relationship. She had tried; but to her, love was about flowers, hearts, and kisses.  Not about a quick bunk up in the back toilet (she had actually walked in on the lovers in the said toilet one day).  She believed in love, and that was why she chose to write about love.  However, as Kate had so often pointed out to her, "To be able to write about a subject, Mary, you need to understand it."  She knew this and if anyone had asked, she would have been ashamed to admit that she was twenty-two years old and had never been kissed; actually she had never even come close to being kissed.  She knew that was why readers of her books had criticised the love scenes, and why some had stated that her books reminded them of fairy tales.  She needed to understand all of the emotions she wrote about, and not guess at them.  But how was she able to do that, when to even smile at someone of the opposite sex resulted in a bright red blush brightly colouring her skin?
     
    Mary pushed herself up from the leather chair; walked to the fireside, threw on a couple of logs, and then ambled over to the window.  She saw a shadow out of the corner of her eye, but ignored it.  Instead, her thoughts lingered on her love life, or lack of.  When the shadow moved closer, she turned and shouted angrily at the air,
     
    " And how am I meant to meet a man when I have you lot trailing behind me the whole bloody time? "
     
    Grabbing her cup, she slammed out of the study, and made her way towards the kitchen.  The shadow didn't follow.
     
    Mary inhaled deep breaths in an attempt at calming herself down.  By the time she had entered the kitchen she had succeeded, well almost.  She looked up at the clock and winced; Dawn, her grandmother's daily cleaner would arrive soon, and although Mary didn't really need her services, she was loath to let her go.  Dawn had worked for Victoria for thirty years, she was part of Mary's home, and she and the gardener Dan were the only company Mary had on a daily basis.  They were part of her life in the cottage, always had been, and as far as she was concerned, always would be.
     
    Mary knew that Dawn would moan if she found her dressed in pj's, and wearily walked back into her bedroom and got dressed in old jeans, and an over-sized warm jumper.  Just as she had finished dressing she heard the back door slam, and she felt her spirits lighten at the thought of exchanging a few words with Dawn.
     
    "Hello, my sweetheart,” Dawn said as Mary walked into the kitchen, "You alright, my lovely?"
    "Yes I'm okay.  I got soaked in that downpour earlier, and got a bit irritated about it, but I'm fine now."
    Dawn looked towards Mary, her eyes narrowing slightly.
    "Why didn't you take the car, love?" she asked casually.
    "I've decided to start walking...I need to shift some pounds, but I won’t be doing that again in a hurry."
    "Oh dear, Mary, you do get some strange ideas in your head, you do.  You don’t need to lose weight!  Tell you what, I'll make us a cuppa before I get on...How does that sound?"  Mary nodded in agreement, pulled out one of the chairs surrounding the table and flopped down onto it with a sigh.
     
    After placing a cup of hot tea in front of Mary, Dawn placed her own on the table, pulled out a chair and said, "What’s up, love, cos it looks like it's much more than just getting wet."
     
    Mary didn't say anything for a moment.  She then answered, her voice sad, "I feel like my life's going nowhere, my writing is crap, I have no friends, I've never had a relationship...and I have...well I have other problems."
    Dawn frowned.  W hat other problems? she thought. Instead she said, "You're the only one who can change all of that, love, you know that, don't you?  Your gran would have