THE MOMENT
It was rare that Bartholomew saw a beautiful woman before lunch, though, his wife might've disagreed. That morning he entered his office to find a guest already waiting for him, sitting in the dim, unlit room. He almost didn't see her at first, her sleek black dress and hair seemed to blend in with the shadows; but, she had brilliant golden eyes that couldn't be missed.
"Oh, sorry, good morning," Bartholomew apologized quickly to distract himself from the embarrassment of being startled. He was sure he jumped at least 3 feet. "I wasn't expecting anyone, may I help you?" he asked. He went around the office and opened the shutters to let in the sunlight, and he was amazed by her striking beauty. She had austere features with a warm smile that seemed to soften everything else about her. Her cheeks were high and her eyes were the color of sunlight.
"You will, in a moment," she nodded with a sly smirk. While he wondered what she meant, her nod led his gaze across his desk and he noticed an envelope marked 'urgent' on his desk. He recognized it as a telegram and sat down to check. He was done opening the windows, and, his guest seemed content to wait for something. He picked up the letter labeled ' Bartholomew Halloway, Esq.' and opened the envelope to read the message. His expression changed as he read, and he sighed when he reached the end of the short message.
"I'm sorry, Ms. .. uh..,"
"You may address me as Celestrix," the woman replied.
"I apologize Ms. Celestrix; but, it seems I've been assigned to an urgent matter. I don't know what you came in for, but you'll have to meet with one of the other Barristers. I need to tend to the Dracula estate..," he half shrugged with the apology. "I don't even know who the man was, but according to the message it promises to be quite a lengthy endeavor," he said. Celestrix remained quiet while he explained, and he had a sudden thought. She was there when he arrived, and so was the telegram. "Unless... is your business here related to the Dracula estate?"
"It is," she nodded. "One moment longer, please," she held up a delicate finger as if to demand a moment of silence.
"Morning Bart-," The door swung open and a young woman walked in mid-sentence. Though, she seemed to catch herself when she saw the distinguished guest. "-Mr. Halloway. Telegram for you," she dropped it on the desk, then made a quick exit.
"Thank you," Bartholomew nodded as the door closed again. He glanced at the woman and she still had the patience of mountains. He shrugged, mentally, then opened the next telegram. It was shorter, and still more surprising than the news of a stranger's death; he dealt with that almost daily.
"Ms. Celestrix," he nodded at the woman he now knew was his new boss. "It's an honor to be under your employ; where should I start?" he asked. His name was on the sign; but, that was just because it made the business sound more official. He preferred to be a 'silent' partner and he left all the wheeling and dealing to someone else. He almost regretted that decision in that moment; but, she smiled at him with a sparkle in her golden eyes.
"This is known as a ' node'," She raised a clear, transparent glass card to catch the light, and then she set it on his desk. "I trust you're clever enough to learn how to use it. You are to proceed with work on the Dracula Estate; but, I insist you use the node. You'll find a wealth of Dracula's information already organized, simply expand on it with your findings as you execute the Will." Bartholomew collected the node from his desk and he saw numbers appear on the see-through surface. He glanced over to his clock to double-check and realized it was the time. If he wasn't an educated man, he'd be screaming about witchcraft and calling out for the authorities; but, he could see the possibilities.
"Who are you?" He asked. He was so in awe that the question came out unfiltered. But, once it was out, he instantly remembered his place; he was her employee. "I mean, sorry. If I can ask,..." he said.
"This is your first job for me," Celestrix winked a golden eye at him. Then, she stood and turned to make her way out of the office. But, she paused once the door was open. "Do it well and discreetly, and you'll learn all the answers you seek. But, here's a tip to help you along in your work," she turned back to look at Bartholomew directly. "Alternate universes exist, and of course, so do parallel Earths. I want you to be extra careful with the estate. The goal is to consolidate all their records; however, it would be quite a pain if you mixed up Dracula from this Earth with Dracula from a different Earth."