Authors: Melissa Schroeder
“What?” Gray looked up, surprise on his face.
He set his finger on the map. “This is your townhouse.”
“Yes.” Nico studied the map, looking for what Hurst saw.
“These are the killings,” Hurst said, moving his finger to
the markings they had made. “He’s surrounding your house.”
“Bloody hell,” Gray said. He looked at the map. “He is
coming after you, Blackburn.”
“Why would he do that? Revenge, yes, that might be a reason.
But why now? It has been one hundred years since I killed him.” Nico shook his
head. “What am I saying? It isn’t him. It is someone who knows the story.”
“We kept that secret. Very few people know the true story,”
his father said.
“But they know, Father. Some of the details have probably
made their way through the gossips.” Nico knew the way this town worked.
Nothing stayed a secret for long.
Before his father could respond, there was a knock at the
door. Without waiting for an answer, it swung open. His mother marched in with
Cordelia behind her.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” his mother said with a smile.
“Nico, Samuel, we are going out.”
“Out where?” Nico asked from behind the desk, trying to pull
the women’s attention away from what they had been working on. He did not need
his mother or Cordelia getting involved.
“We are going over to Bingam’s house to spend some time with
Lady Elizabeth.”
His father caught on also and came forward. He kissed his
mother on the cheek. “You will take a footman with you.”
It was not a request. It was an order. Those usually did not
go over well with his mother, but she smiled and patted his cheek.
“I daresay we need to take several. Cordelia and I are
definitely not stupid,” his mother said with a smile.
He glanced at his wife to see her reaction. She smiled, and
a bit smugly at that. Nico did not say a word as he approached her.
“You will be careful.” Again, he ordered, just like his
father.
“I guess I could defy you, but that would be stupid. And I
will remind you, husband, that the only time I was not careful, I ended up
married to a vampire.”
He sensed their audience, but he ignored them. It was not
hard to do. Whenever Cordelia was near, little else matter to him. Even before
he neared her, he could scent her blood. It called to him like a siren’s song.
He gave her a kiss much as his father had his mother, but
whispered just loud enough for her to hear, “Do not take too long, or I’ll come
after you.”
When he pulled back, her face was delightfully pink. Her
eyelids fluttered then she looked up at him. She might be able to hide a lot of
things, but her attraction to him was not one of them.
“I don’t like to be threatened.” Her breath whispered over
his skin. He knew from her cheeky tone she wasn’t angry.
“Be careful.” Nico leaned down and kissed her nose.
She nodded and followed his mother out the door. He watched
the sway of her hips until she was out of view. When he turned around, the
entire room was watching him.
“What?”
“It seems that our leader has truly fallen.” Saint said.
"What the bloody hell are you talking about?
Leader?" He paused. "What do you mean fallen?"
His father returned to the map, a grim expression on his
face. “Boys, I think we need to work on the map and get our strategy more
refined before the ladies return. If I know my wife, and I do, she is
formulating a way to get back here in time to find out. It is best we keep them
as far away as possible."
They all agreed.
*
*
*
*
Cordelia followed Adelaide up the steep staircase, trying to
push the thoughts of Nico aside. She had been smiling since they left the
townhouse, and it would not do for her to walk into a room with an ill woman
looking like that.
The maid led them down a short hallway and through the door.
The room was dark, but well-appointed, with a large bed, a sitting area, and a
private bathing area. Apparently vampire doctors could afford these things.
She suppressed the giggle that threatened. When had her life
become so strange?
"She was awake part of the morning, but mostly she is
still sleeping," the maid said quietly.
"I can hear you over there, Abigail." The voice
came from across the room.
The maid smiled. "And she is a wee bit cranky."
"You are being generous. I am being a raving bitch. You
can say it," said the woman in the bed.
The accent was refined, telling of her time spent at
finishing schools and fine tutors. As they approached the bed, she recognized
the woman. She had seen her at a few balls and musicales in the past few
months. They had not circulated in the same social circles, but she had heard
that the woman was strong minded, or as men called it, overly opinionated.
Cordelia’s mother-in-law approached the bed with a smile on
her face. "Good afternoon, dear. I'm Adelaide Blackburn."
When Cordelia finally got a good look at her, she had to
swallow her gasp. Her face was ravaged. Two days after her attack, yellow and
purple bruises marred her face, as did a swollen eye. Her lip had been split,
and when Cordelia looked closely, she saw that there were faint bruises around
her neck.
Her eyes fluttered, but she could only open one.
"I see you did not run screaming from the room."
The woman gave them a weak smile.
Adelaide tsked. "Of course not. I raised two boys. And,
being as old as I am, I have seen much worse." She kept her voice brisk
and official, with a touch of warmth. Cordelia's admiration for her mother-in-law
grew. "This is my daughter-in-law, Lady Cordelia."
Elizabeth looked at her, and Cordelia smiled. "Good
afternoon."
"I am not sure there is much good about it, but it is
nice to have visitors."
Adelaide patted Elizabeth’s hand. "Oh, but it is good.
You are alive. That is more than any woman who was attacked by a Made has had
the joy of saying. Do not waste it."
She glanced at Adelaide. "I have been disowned by my
family and now there are whispers that I am tainted."
"How do you know that?" Cordelia asked, moving to
the other side of the bed.
"That duke thinks he talks softly, but he does
not."
Cordelia snorted and she saw Elizabeth's lips curve. She
winced.
"You should be careful, or your lip will bleed
again," Adelaide said in a motherly voice. "I think it is time to
eat."
Elizabeth's face paled. "I am not sure I can."
Adelaide sat on the edge of the bed beside Elizabeth.
"You can and you will. Cordelia, please order her some tea and dry toast.
It is very important that you eat."
Cordelia hurried to do Adelaide's bidding. She assumed she
was being dictatorial because it was the best way to deal with a sick person
who did not want to heal. And she had a distinct feeling that Elizabeth hoped
that she would die. If not, she was going to help it along.
After speaking to the footman outside of the door, she came
back in the room.
"What do you care what your stupid parents say?"
Adelaide asked.
She rolled her eyes. Cordelia had thought her family was odd
until she married. Now she had a vampire husband and a mother-in-law who had no
problems speaking her mind.
"They are my family." Tears pooled in Elizabeth’s
eyes.
"They sound like they are idiots. Now, I must go down
and give the cook my healing herbs for your tea. Cordelia, dear, come talk to
Elizabeth."
With that, Adelaide walked out of the room.
Cordelia took her mother-in-law's place. "I hope that
she did not upset you too much."
"No, it's just...to be completely shut out of my
family. I feel as if I am at sea."
Cordelia shrugged. "The only contact I have with my
family is my sister, and there isn't much."
Elizabeth took Cordelia’s hand. "Your mother, does she
approve?"
"My mother died in childbirth. I did not even know I
was a Carrier until after I married Nico."
Elizabeth sighed. "I have never gotten along with my
family very well. I never actually fit in with them."
Cordelia sighed. "I know how that is. I came here on my
own this year."
"Without your family? What did they say?"
“I doubt very much Alex knew I was gone for the first couple
of weeks." Her brother wasn’t exactly a caring person.
"Oh, Alex, the Earl of Collingsworth."
"Yes." Cordelia smiled. "See there are things
that can be worse than having your family disown you."
Elizabeth smiled, then winced.
“I am sorry. I will try not to be funny." Cordelia
didn’t want to cause the poor girl any more pain.
"No, it is much better than the duke and Dr. Bingam.
They are both so dour. They look at me as if I am a puzzle to solve. I do not
like it."
"I do have a question." Cordelia hoped she wasn’t
being too personal.
"Yes?"
"Did you fight off a Made? All by yourself?"
Elizabeth grew serious. "Yes. And I would do it again
if I had to."
"When you are feeling better, would you teach me how to
fight? I really don't know how to." If she’d learned anything in the last
few days, it was how vulnerable she was in this new world.
"And why would you think you need to now? You are
married and mated. Blackburn should take care of you."
"I am sure he will, but I want to plan for
anything." Cordelia had spent too many years on her own to allow herself
to rely solely on a man.
"I will be happy to, but I am not sure I know where I
will be when I am better."
"Why don’t you move into Nico's townhouse?" she
said.
"What?"
"You can move in with us." It would be nice to
have a friend in the house.
"That is an excellent idea, Cordelia," Adelaide
said as she walked in. A footman followed, pushing the teacart. “Now, we will
have something to eat and leave you to rest. I would like for you to move in by
the end of the week.”
Elizabeth gave Cordelia a pleading look. “I have learned
that it is best to just go along with anyone who has Blackburn as a surname.”
“But of course. Come, sit up, dear. Cordelia, could you help
her?”
She did Adelaide’s bidding, doing her best to keep from
hurting Elizabeth. Still, she could tell it bothered her a bit.
As the three of them sat there waiting for Elizabeth to eat,
Adelaide chattered on about nothing in particular. Cordelia played along,
taking her cues from her mother-in-law. By the time Elizabeth had eaten one
piece of toast and drank a cup of tea, her eyes were drooping.
“I think we need to leave Elizabeth to sleep, Cordelia.”
Adelaide stood from her chair.
“I am sorry,” Elizabeth said, her voice slurred.
“Don’t be, dear. You get your rest, and we will come back
tomorrow.”
As they left the room, Cordelia could already hear
Elizabeth’s even breathing.
She followed her mother-in-law out, and they sat in the
carriage. Cordelia knew she was holding in her thoughts until they were in
private, and it did not take long for Adelaide to explode.
“I want to strangle her parents.”
There was enough anger in her voice to tell Cordelia it was
a good thing they were not near Elizabeth’s parents.
“How can anyone ignore what has happened to her? How can
they leave her?”
Cordelia shrugged. “Not all families are like yours.”
“Ours,” she said without taking her attention away from the
window.
“What?”
“It is ours now. You are part of the family.” Adelaide
sighed and looked at her. Her anger drained, but now she saw the pain. “I cannot
understand leaving a young woman like that to fend for herself. Not with her
background. We do not look at virginity the way the rest of society does. A
woman does not have to be a virgin when she marries, but because she was ruined
by a Made, and worse, survived by her own hands, she has been left out in the
cold by her parents. They are reprehensible.”
“Maybe they will change their minds.”
“I doubt it. But they will regret it. I will have Nico
ensure they do not have a very successful business season.”
Cordelia was surprised by her mother-in-law’s words. She was
always so kind to the people around her. “You would do that?”
Adelaide looked her in the eye. “She is their daughter, and
they have disowned her. And, let’s remember, for something that was not her
fault. No, they deserve what they get.”
“Remind me never to make you mad.”
She studied Cordelia for a moment then she threw her head
back and laughed. “Every day I am reminded that Nico chose very wisely.”
She opened her mouth to say that Nico did not choose her,
but the carriage shuddered to a stop.
Something tickled at the back of her neck. Something close
to panic.
“Why are we stopping? We could not have made it home so
fast.”
Before her mother-in-law could respond, there was a shout.
“Oh, that does not sound good,” Adelaide said, leaning
toward the window. A sense of foreboding filled Cordelia. She would never be
able to explain it to anyone if they asked, but the sense that something was
very, very wrong swept through her.
“No, don’t.” She closed her eyes as a wave of nausea washed
over. “You need to stay here.”
There was a struggle on top of the coach. It jolted from
side to side. There was a loud gunshot and the door opened. A nasty looking
fellow leaned into the cab.
“Here she is, fellows!”
The short, fat little man was dirty, as if he had been
rolling around the streets. When he smiled, yellow teeth took up half his face.
His eyes were small and so brown they were almost black. Fear rolled through
her as he reached for her, his fingers grasping at her skirt and tugging. She
could not do anything but act on instinct. With more force than she thought she
had, she raised her foot and kicked the man in the stomach. Her mother-in-law
started hitting him with her parasol.