Soul Snatcher Read Online Free

much shorter than her and it always made Annie smile,
thinking how sweet her friend was.
    “We may need to send Micah
in next time, it could well be faster,” she joked, knowing the
effect Annie had on men. What made it more amusing was that Annie
never seemed to notice or care what men thought of her. She wasn’t
interested in a relationship, she was more than happy to be single.
“No matter, you serve in ten minutes.” With enough said Rosemary
went to organise the rest of the help as Annie finished up in the
kitchen.
    “Annie, you do need to be
more careful in the future when it comes to men,” Micah warned.
Annie fluttered about setting out the tray for Martha Danes and her
guest. His remark brought back memories of her father but she
pushed them away immediately.
    When Annie was sixteen
Miss Danes had taken her in after her father had run away with
another woman and her mother had passed away from tuberculosis not
long after. Her past was something that she tried to forget because
she was someone who liked to look at the bright side of life. In
most people she looked at the good and could easily look past a
person’s flaws to see their value but that was much more difficult
when it came to her father. She would do almost anything to have
her mother back but that wasn’t possible so she never entertained
the idea. Instead she had latched onto her new life and her new
friends, picking up the broken pieces of her soul and moving
forward.
    Annie’s lack of interest
in a relationship was spurred on from the fact that her father had
abandoned them when they needed him most. Her mother had fallen ill
and he had decided to leave without so much as a warning. He had
snuck away during the night, like a coward but was kind enough to
leave a letter telling them of his infidelities. Her mother had
died a few weeks later.
    Two days after her
mother’s death, Annie was walking into town to try and find work to
support herself. She had bumped into Micah along the way and was
very wary of him. But he won over her trust with his kindness and
they had soon got to talking as friends. When he found out that she
was after work because her mother had passed, that very day he took
her back to the manor and she had been there ever since.
    Annie had been home every
day taking care of her mother before she started working at the
manor and though she knew what it felt like to lose someone, she
was still rather sheltered because her life had involved very few
people. But something altogether lovely about Annie was that she
was strong. Her mother had always taught her to value others but
also to know her own value and Annie had latched onto that belief.
She couldn’t complain about anything in her life at the moment but
there were things that she found trying. One of those things was
the lady of the manor.
    Miss Danes had accepted
Annie into her home so easily because they were apparently
distantly related somehow but whenever she queried for specifics,
Miss Danes became vague and unwilling to talk. Her excuse almost
seemed like a fabrication but why would you lie to try and add
another person to your employ? It would end up costing more and
would take effort to train someone new. So Annie had let the matter
drop and decided to be grateful for a house to live in and food to
eat.
    Miss Danes was a little
older, possibly close to her fiftieth year and unmarried. Her soft
brown hair and gentle features, along with her diminutive frame and
short height gave a deceptively kind look. But to her staff she
seemed to be a regal woman, always presuming she was more valuable
than most. She was refined and attractive in her own way but had an
edge to her that bordered frightening.
    “Micah, if I agree to your
advice will you help me finish my preparation?” Annie asked.
Rolling his eyes, he let the matter drop and helped her with her
task.
    As if by design, Rosemary
came in just as they finished preparing everything.
    “Annie, collect the tray
and