William sat on the cold, hard ground in the prison room. The other men sat around him moaning of hunger or wounds. He was in there for murder. William the Bloody, he was called by the villagers. He had killed 10 people in London alone, in two years. His last act had gotten him in here. He had killed the Grand Duchess of Toulouse.

People he met asked him why he did it. And his answer was quite simple. He was in it for the money. He loved to kill of course, it was his speciality, but he was really after the cash. William was what we in the nineties would call an assassin, and he was very good at his job. Sneaky, and very efficient and clean. He never left any trails, or confided in people who would squeal or turn on him and if he did, he killed them too.

That's why he'd been surprised by Marina's betrayal. She'd loved him, or at least that's what she had told him countless times. But it had all been a lie. He swore never to trust a woman again after he found that she had been the one who had turned him over to the police. He figured it must have been her beauty that had made him forget to be careful. He had told her everything. Everything! What a fool he had been. Yes it must have been her looks. It wasn't love, it was pure attraction. She was a blonde and she had crystal blue eyes. She was of a normal height for the women of the time and she always smiled. When he thought about it. They had little in common, just pure physical attraction.

Will sighed and leaned against the grimy wall. Two more days until death. Yes he had been sentenced to execution. Death by hanging to be exact. That was very little time. He had to find a way out.

Just then two dirty girls dressed in rags came down carrying a pitcher and plates. They unlocked and entered William's cell. They approached the inmates wearily. One with pale skin and blue eyes handed him a plate with bread and a pile of unidentifiable slop. Her hair was not visible beneath a faded white rag around her head.

"What's your name?" He asked with a thick British accent. The girl looked away and replied quietly "Nicoletta. Though the guard up tere seyz I'm not s'posed to tell ya."
William smiled "And what's your friend's name?"
She looked at the other girl who only shrugged,  before saying, "Well, she's Stephanie. She's my sister." William smiled and took a bite of his food as Stephanie came over and poured water into a chipped wooden cup.
She handed it to him and said, "You seem awful nice to be in gaul. I ought to wonder why you're in for?"
William smiled again and replied, "I'm innocent. I was framed. You see I know who did the murders and it wasn't me. It was a wealthy man and all the police know the true. Cept they've been slipped a bit of the green so they stay silent, and I die."

The girls looked at him with horrified expressions. "Well if youse innocent, well we just gotta git you freed." Stephanie said.
"I have a cousin over in Ireland. If we was to sneak you out and git you to the docks you could go there. They'd ne'er find ya." Nicoletta said in excitement.
William shook his head "But I couldn't... if you were to be caught you'd..."
"We know." Stephanie replied "But don't worry. We've snuck innocents out before and we ain't never been caught."
"Well... Okay."
 

Angelus... a name meant to fool you. This man was no Angel. In fact, William was quite certain this man was the Devil himself. He drank. He was a heavy drinker and he was a heavy swearer and he was a bastard. He had a different girl every week as far as Will could see and the man never came around except for the night. William heard the rumours. About the Nosferatu and that he was a demon, the cause of all the deaths. He believed the man was strange and evil, but a demon? He didn't believe in demons.
 

William met a girl. He didn't trust women, no. Not after Marina's betrayal. But there was something about this one. Her name was Drusilla Morgan. She was born in London but moved to Ireland after the tragic murder of her family. She lived with an Aunt out in the country. But her Aunt was sickly. Drusilla was a God fearing woman and went to Church every Sunday. She had scolded William when he told her he stopped going at age 16.

He visited her every Saturday to help her with things around the house. He would chop wood and plow the fields for her. The work was too difficult for a woman and all the farm hands had Saturdays and Sundays off. So he helped. And God help him he was falling... in love. She was a beauty. Raven hair and pale skin like milk. She was thin and graceful and thoughtful. He lusted just to hold her in his arms for a moment and touch her seemingly soft skin. Kiss her supple, pink lips, and run his fingers through her long, raven tresses. And she was falling too...
 

Drusilla walked through the garden in her Aunt's yard. Her dark blue dress trailed through the mud and she grasped the skirts in her hands to prevent it from happening again. She knelt down to rip a weed from the dirt and a few dying flowers. It was the daisies again. The sun was too much here. They just couldn't bloom. She sighed as she piled the dead flowers in her apron. She sneezed as the pollen drifted up from the bundle of dead daisies. In the distance a figure stood staring at the dark beauty as she dropped the dead flora in the pile of compost. Then she turned and the twin dark pools of blue focused straight at him. A curious smile spread across her lovely face.

William stood there for a moment, somewhat abashed that he had been caught staring and not quite knowing what to do. She did it for him as she began walking across the yard towards the gate that separated them. The white picket fence clanked as she lifted the latch and invited him in asking, "And to what do I owe this unexpected yet pleasing visit?"
He smiled as he admitted a bit sheepishly, "I couldn't wait until Monday to see you again, so I figured I'd drop by and say hello."
She laughed quietly and plucked another dead flower from the garden.
Dru sighed and said, "They die, they always die, always the daisies. And it's so sad because I love them so. I suppose I'll have to do with the roses."
William smiled and brushed a stray lock of raven hair from her face. "I'm sure someday your daisies will bloom."
She was about to reply to that when a haggard voice called from the house "Drusilla! Drusilla, my throat is dry. Bring an old woman some water."
Dru sighed and gave William a sheepish grin. She trotted towards the house and he followed at her side.

As they entered the house she gathered a bucket and peered inside.
She sighed "It's nearly empty. Just enough for her now, but I'll have to refill it when I come back." She used the ladle to spoon the water into a small china cup. Then she headed for the stairs and William spoke,
"Why don't you tell me where the pump is and I'll go refill the bucket for you."
She turned and smiled "Alright," she said softly "It's on the left side of the house, near the lilies." She handed him the bucket and as he grabbed it their hands brushed. She shivered slightly and smiled awkwardly before turning and going upstairs.

Will stood for a moment, a bit taken aback by the reaction his body had from her touch. He blinked and turned to go out the back door. William crossed to the pump and pushed the handle while water flowed freely into the bucket. He missed her already and they had only been apart for five minutes. He sighed as the liquid slowly reached to the top and he hefted the heavy bucket to his side and carried it back towards the house. He went inside and set the container on the floor near the wood-burning stove. He glanced around the room and wandered into the other areas of the house. He was growing impatient. He sighed and called "Drusilla?" he received no reply that he could hear so he started up the stairs. At the landing he peered into the  first bedroom. It was empty. He came to the next room and glanced inside.

Then he stopped and stared. On the floor Drusilla kneeled beside the old woman in the bed. She was covered in blood. It was matted in her white hair and soaked into the white shift she wore. Drusilla sobbed quietly. Beside her was the glass of water, or what remained of it. The china was shattered into tiny bits across the ground and a puddle of water in which she sat.

William approached her warily and gently touched her shoulder. She turned, her eyes red and cheeks tear-stained. "Oh William...!" She sobbed and rushed into his arms. She cried against his chest "It's that same one... the same monster that killed my mother and father. This is his work, I know." Her hiccuping sobs against his chest slowly died away.
"We have to get the police." He said softly, and she nodded against him. He took her around the shoulders and led her downstairs.
 

Jamie smiled at the beautiful dark-haired woman as Will introduced her and explained her situation.

"Drusilla," She said "William just can't stop talking about you. He thinks very highly of you." She said helping the young
woman with her shawl. "We always have an extra room. Our oldest son is away at college, so you can stay in there. I've fixed it all up for guests. William will take you there." Drusilla nodded and thanked the older woman. Will took her arm and led her down the hall, speaking quietly to her.