Authors: Melissa Schroeder
"I would like to wait at least a week. My family would
love to attend. And I wondered if your brother would be there to give you
away?"
"Oh, no. I would rather he not attend."
"Cordelia." Her sister admonished.
"You don't want your brother to come?" he asked,
completely happy with the situation. He didn't want to deal with a man who had
virtually abandoned Cordelia to survive on her own the last few months in
London. That made him less than a man in Nico’s estimation.
"Of course she wants him to come," Diana said.
"No, not particularly."
"You have been living in his house for the last few
months."
"So nice of him to allow poor little Cordelia to live
in a house and not on the street. He deserves an award," Cordelia said,
sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
Diana glanced at him, and he surmised she did not want to
air dirty laundry in front of a stranger. Yes, he was going to marry Cordelia,
but they didn't know him. There was also a part of her that probably thought he
would break off the wedding if he heard the rumors about Cordelia's birth.
He didn’t want to leave, but he sensed he needed to allow
the sisters to talk. He finished his tea and set it on the tray.
“I must be off to the newspapers to set the announcement,
and I need to send a message to my parents so they can prepare for their
journey.”
Cordelia looked relieved. Aggravation wound through him. She
should want to be near him, need him, as he needed her. Now she looked so happy
he was leaving.
He stood and walked to her chair. He took her hand and
raised it to his mouth. He did not kiss above her hand as was society’s way. He
pressed his lips on her flesh. The scent of her blood had his body reacting.
His own blood quickened, and his fangs started to descend again. He pulled
himself back, figuratively and physically.
Cordelia rose, and he shook his head. “Stay with your sister.
I can find my own way out.”
By the time he reached the street, he was feeling somewhat
normal again. He drew in a deep breath of London air and immediately regretted
it. He hated the city. Too many people, too much dirt…and a man to hunt. Once
he had everything secured with Cordelia, he could focus his entire attention on
the mystery.
All would be easy once he could settle Cordelia. Once she
was officially his, life would be easier for him.
*
*
*
*
As the door shut behind Nico, Cordelia waited for her sister
to say something. Diana always had an opinion, and she rather liked letting
Cordelia know what it was. It did not take her long.
"Really, Cordelia, do you not have a thought for your
future? You are marrying a commoner."
She frowned at her sister. "What is so wrong with that?
You did."
"There is a difference between someone like Michael and
that man."
Yes, there was in Cordelia's mind. Michael had never been
much of a man, and he definitely could not compete with Nico. On any level.
There was something so good…so right with Nico. She could not understand what
it was about him, but something told her he was someone who always honored his
promises. It went beyond his proposal of marriage.
"I would think you would be happy for me. At least now
the poor relation will be taken care of."
Diana pursed her lips, a sure sign that she was angry. Diana
controlled so much, from her own household to her emotions. It had not always
been that way. There had been a time when she was Cordelia’s entire world, but
marriage had changed her—and not for the better. Now Cordelia always felt
stifled in her presence.
Everyone could tell they were sisters. As their father had
told them in many of his drunken tirades, they both had the look of their
mother. Diana, though, just as their mother apparently had, knew how to make
the most of her attributes. The outfit she wore was perfectly suited to her
petite, rounded frame. The color of gray would make a lot of women appear worn
out, but of course it was perfect for Diana. She had been outside on a windy
day, and she did not have a hair out of place. She had her long blonde locks
trapped behind her head. It looked painful to Cordelia.
"I do not think that way about you. I even asked you to
come live with me once you reached your majority."
She had but Cordelia had felt intrusive. One week and she
had wanted to leave. Michael had not been a nice man.
"Yes, but that was not to be."
Diana set her teacup down on the service tray and studied
Cordelia. "And, you are fine wedding a man you barely know?"
"Is this any different than your marriage, or the
hundreds of marriages that take place within the
ton
each year? I do not know one woman who can truly say they know
their husband. Most of them believe the fairytale that they will marry for
love. Within a month, most women wake up to the painful reality. I do not have
that problem. At least I know he has the ability to take care of me."
"Yes, he is rich."
Cordelia sighed. "Yes, there is that. But the incident
last night came upon us because I was attacked. Mr. Blackburn protected
me."
"Are you telling me you were not truly
compromised?"
"I have been in London, on my own, and lived with a
father and brother who had the most debauched parties in recent memory.
Amazingly, I kept my virginity intact. I do not think a few minutes with a man
in a darkened library would have made me lose my head."
She didn’t think she was telling that big of a fib. She had
lost her head there for a moment. The truth of the matter was there was a good
chance he could have very well taken her virginity, and she would have been
happy to give it to him. Even the memory of his hands on her, his breath
feathering over her flesh, had her fighting the shiver that slipped through
her.
"Indeed."
She glanced at her sister. Diana's expression had grown even
more impenetrable. They had not always been like this. With her mother dead the
day after her birth, Cordelia had spent a huge amount of time with her sister.
She had been her primary caregiver...until she abandoned her to get married.
She pushed that thought aside. It did no good for either of
them to dwell on the past.
"Yes. I have been independent since my majority, and
since I did not want to live with our brother, I chose to come to London.”
Although she loathed every minute of it, actually. London was dirty, the air
sometimes foggy with the waste from the march of industry. Still, she could not
admit that to her sister.
“That was not what should have happened.”
She studied her sister, trying to discern the emotion behind
the statement. As usual, Diana kept it hidden.
“Well, you have your father to thank for that. According to
his will, I am truly not part of the family. The way it is written, the family
has no say in what I do."
That was the truth, and they all knew it. The will had
effectively cut her off from the family. It had not hurt so much...they had
been lost to her years ago. But the financial blow had been hard to accept.
Until she had found writing.
Her sister looked away, and for the first time, she looked
vulnerable. Then her jaw tightened. “You are right, and I guess there is no
reason for us to go over old problems.”
She wanted to fight it out, yell, but the truth was it would
do no good. "I am assuming there are places I need to go shopping for a
dress...I guess." She shrugged, almost overwhelmed by what all needed to
be done. Cordelia did not know if she would ever be able to accept her fate.
"Yes. I guess I can take you around to the shops
today."
Cordelia sighed in relief. "I would like to wait one
day if possible."
She would never admit it to her sister, but Cordelia was
exhausted. She had little to no energy now. Once Nico had walked out the door,
it was as if he took all of her will to actually work for the day. It was not
like her, but she was assuming that it had been the stress of the night before
and now this morning that did her in.
"I think that can be arranged." Diana glanced
around. "You should come to stay with me."
For a moment, Cordelia did not know what to say. Her sister
did not come to town often, and she did not offer Cordelia assistance. Ever.
"I am not sure that is necessary."
The look of disdain Diana sent her way would have shriveled
most people. Cordelia was accustomed to it, though.
"No, you do not understand what you are about to deal with.
You will become an interest for people, and they will watch your every
move."
Cordelia did not like the sound of that.
"From your frown, I can tell you did not think of it.
Blackburn might not be one of the
ton
,
but as he said, he has links to some of the most powerful people in England. If
he can get the young Duke to do something like this for him, that is big.
Very big
. You will be the subject of
much gossip, and your life is now not your own."
The panic she had been fighting earlier returned. It was now
churning her stomach. "I can ignore it."
"Yes, but if there is one thing I know about the
Blackburns, they will not. They might be mysterious and they may shun the
London society, but they do take any slight against their family seriously.
They have ruined others for less."
She knew they had a lot of power. That is why she had
assumed the Blackburns had something to do with moneylending—or smuggling. If
you have the money, you could control so much. Still, she was just the woman
their son was marrying…and not by choice. She doubted that they would consider
it a slight if it was done to her.
“I think you are exaggerating.”
Diana shook her head. “No. I heard that they left the Earl
of Eddington to rot after he made a disparaging remark about a second cousin of
theirs.”
“They were the ones who ruined him?”
“The only thing they would help with was the care of his
family members. If I remember correctly, Adelaide Blackburn said she could not
let his children suffer because they had a man of loose morals and a small mind
as a father. That is your mother-in-law to be.”
"Good God."
"Really, Cordelia, do you have to be so vulgar?"
Cordelia smiled. "No, but sometimes I like to do
it."
Her sister rolled her eyes, and for a moment, Cordelia was
thrown back into her childhood. Diana had been a willing caregiver and very
indulgent with her. It was because of those memories she could never truly
blame her for abandoning her to marriage.
"All right, it is decided. I rented a very nice
townhouse over in St Andrew’s Square. There is more than enough room for you
until you get married. Knowing that Blackburn's family lives near Scotland, it
will take a few days to get them assembled for the wedding."
She opened her mouth, but Diana stopped her by holding up
her hand. “You might not care what others think, but you can be sure the
Blackburns and our brother will. You do not want to give Alex a reason to
appear in town and cause any problems. You know from experience that he is a
man who excels at little else than that.”
What her sister said was correct. Alex had always been a
problem. He did not fall far from the paternal tree in that regard.
“Believe me, you will be much more comfortable with me.”
She wanted to say no. She did not know what it was about
Diana now, but there was something so…uncomfortable to Cordelia when she was in
her presence. But she was offering to help, and if she didn’t do it for
herself, she would do it for Nico.
“All right, I will come.”
For the first time since the debacle in the library, she
looked forward to her wedding day. She prayed his family would make the trip
quickly because Cordelia was unsure just how much of society—and her sister—she
could take.
*
*
*
*
“So, I take it you arranged everything today with your
bride,” Malik asked as he buttered his toast. It was midafternoon, and as with
many of their kind, Malik had just risen. Nico had been surprised to find his
friend awake when he returned. The night before could not have been easy on
him. Dealing with Mades always brought back bad memories of Malik’s turning. He
never spoke of it, but Nico knew it had been painful and degrading.
“Yes. It was a close thing, but I convinced her. It did not
help that her sister appeared almost as if out of air.”
Malik stopped his actions and looked at him. “This is the
one who lives up north? She just showed up?”
“Yes.”
Malik frowned.
“What?” Nico asked. In the several centuries they had known
each other, Nico had learned to respect Malik’s intuition.
“From what I gather, she never comes to London.”
“From what you gather?” Nico asked.
His friend took a bite of toast and shrugged. After he
swallowed, he said, “I asked around. I did not want you going into this blindly
following your lust.”
Even the idea had Nico irritated. It might be the fact that
he was doing that, but that did not mean he would accept it.
“And you can get mad at me, but I wanted to protect you,
Nico. I have never seen you act this way with another woman.”
He shrugged, trying to dispel the worry now settled on his
shoulders. “She’s a Carrier.”
“No. That is not the reason. You have been around many other
Carriers without this visceral of a reaction.”
“It does make me wonder who her birth father was. I had no
reaction to Diana this morning.”
“Yes, the sister. What don’t you like about her?” He looked
at Malik, and he shrugged again. “I can tell by the way you talk about her you
do not like her at all, do you?”