History of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Castle Series Book 4) (34 page)

“The maid said you wanted it right away,” she said, persisting in knowing why I was acting so suspiciously.

“I’d like it done,” I told her. “Whoever hung up my clothes made a poor job of it.”

“I apologize,” the housekeeper said. “I will see to it that whoever is responsible has their pay docked.”

“Please don’t do that,” I said, not wanting to cause trouble for somebody else, just to conceal my own secret activities. “It’s not necessary. It’s really just the one suit.”

“I believe your brother has a blue suit of similar style. If you like, I could ask him if you may borrow it. The two of you are about the same size,” she said.

“Daniel is in New York,” I told her. “Isn’t he?”

Mrs. Denkler gave a brief look of surprise. “Oh, yes. That’s right. I’d forgotten.” She stared at me for a moment. “May I ask if there is a specific ring you are searching for? I have all the jewelry catalogued. Perhaps I can help.”

“No,” I snapped, tired of her meddling. “I’m fine. I just want to look through the vault in peace.”

Mrs. Denkler stared at me for another moment, her mouth opening to say something and then shutting again, the words unsaid. Finally, she decided on, “You know that my first priority in this world is your family.”

“I know,” I told her, feeling a little guilty for being short-tempered. “You’ve proven your loyalty many times.

“May I at least know if you’ve eaten recently,” she asked. “I could bring you something, if you’re hungry.”

“No, thank you,” I told her. “I ate just before I came down here.”

“I understand,” she said. “And I hope that someday you’ll understand why I have to do this.” And then she slammed the vault door shut.

Chapter 46

Colette

The moon was full in the sky as I walked along the edge of the road with my hat clamped on my head and my suitcase under my arm. It was a bright evening with a real hunter’s moon illuminating everything with the unearthly quality of moon glow.

It took forever for Lilly to fall asleep. She kept wanting to talk about leaving the castle and going back to Zucker’s. She was doing her best to get me excited about the plan. More than once I was on the verge of confessing the truth, but something always held me back. I was afraid she would go immediately to Mama and Papa so that they would stop me from leaving. I couldn’t have that. I couldn’t have Jessie standing alone in the woods, wondering what had happened to me. It was better to leave my family the note and call them in the morning when I was a new bride.

Finally Lilly’s breathing became steady and I slipped out of bed. Gathering up my clothes and suitcase, I crept out into the hall before dressing. That way if Lilly woke up, she wouldn’t catch me in the act. She would probably just assume I was using the water closet.

Saying goodbye to my girlhood home was difficult. I had to brush away more than one tear. It was only the thought of Jessie that gave me the strength to leave my family. Thinking of him spurred me onward.

I had slipped out of the house and was far down the road before I remembered that the note was still in my suitcase. I’d forgotten to leave it. My family would not know what had happened to me. The thought of how worried my mother would be almost turned my feet around. But then I looked at my watch and saw that it was getting close to midnight. And I still had a very long way to walk. I resolved that I would have to get up very early and give my parents a call. That way they would only have a few minutes of worry, if any at all.

I walked along, trying to hurry. It was a long way to the castle on foot. I don’t know why I didn’t tell Jessie to come get me. Then we would be walking arm-in-arm. I should have at least taken my bicycle. At the rate I was going, I wouldn’t rendezvous with Jessie until one in the morning.

I spied an obliging bike on the porch of a house and decided I had to borrow it. I made sure to memorize the address and location of the house so I could return the bicycle the next day. I didn’t like the idea of taking it without permission, but time was of the essence and I hadn’t thought my plan out very clearly.

Riding made things go much faster. There was even a basket on the front of the bicycle, so I balanced my suitcase there. It was a cool evening, but I was pedaling as quickly as my legs would take me. Stopping for a moment, I stripped my coat off so I wouldn’t break into a sweat. My green dress felt very thin in the night air, but I didn’t want to elope with Jessie while covered in sweat.

When I reached the turnoff for the castle, I tucked the borrowed bicycle behind some trees. I didn’t want anyone else to borrow it before I had a chance to return it to its owners. Then I headed down the road toward the castle on foot with my suitcase in my hand and my coat over my arm. The night air had gone from chilly to cold, but I wanted to make sure I had fully cooled down from my ride before putting on my coat again.

As the castle came into view, I stopped for a moment to take it in. I was about to marry Jessie Vanderlind. I would be his bride. Soon the castle would be my home. It felt so very right to me, like it was somehow meant-to-be. “Destiny,” I murmured to the wind.

I turned left off the road, crossed a portion of the expanse of lawn that led up to the Vanderlind estate, and then started making my way through the woods. The full moon was helpful with my progress, but it was still slow going. There wasn’t enough light for me to see my watch, but I began to fear that I was late. I tried going faster, but my feet kept getting tripped up by rocks and fallen branches. I thought if I went too quickly I would twist an ankle. Jessie would just have to be patient.

The deeper I went into the woods, the darker things became. I could no longer see the castle to my right and was only vaguely aware that the public road was somewhere off to my left. Not many people stayed up past midnight in Tiburon, and they definitely weren’t out driving around. I was starting to feel very alone and wished, not for the first time, that I had agreed to Jessie meeting me at my house.

I had to keep going, I decided. The sooner I got to the river, the sooner I would be in Jessie’s arms. The sound of a twig snapping caused me to freeze for a moment, straining to listen. “Jessie?” I asked in a small voice. I heard nothing after that, so I kept going, quickening my pace, even though it made me stumble.

Another twig snapped, but I didn’t stop. It was probably just a raccoon, or maybe even a skunk out for a midnight stroll, but I was getting spooked. I started to run. Not a flat-out sprint, but faster than a jog.

“Colette.”

I stopped suddenly, thinking I’d heard somebody call my name. “Jessie?” I called back. “Is that you?”I strained to hear my fiancé’s reply, but all that reached my ears was another twig snapping. I instantly knew it wasn’t Jessie. He would not toy with me. If it was him in the woods, then he would say something. He wasn’t the kind of man who took delight in terrifying a girl. Someone or something was following me. And it knew my name.

Chapter 47

Jessie

“Mrs. Denkler! Open the damn door! Mrs. Denkler!” I shouted, hammering on the metal until my fists were bloody. I stopped, allowing my hands a moment to heal. Our housekeeper must have gone crazy. That was the only explanation that entered my head. Why would she possibly lock me in the vault? What excuse could she offer for such behavior?

I heard the sound of something scraping along the stone floor. I had to assume it was still Mrs. Denkler on the other side. “Mrs. Denkler,” I said in an elevated voice, but without shouting. “Why are you doing this?” When she still didn’t answer I said, “Denkie, please tell me. What’s going on?”

“I have too much respect for your family to allow you to do what I think you’re planning on doing,” the housekeeper informed me in a calm voice. If I was still a mortal, I probably wouldn’t have been able to hear her, but my undead ears could distinguish every word.

“And just what is it that you think I’m planning on doing?” I asked.

“You’re running off to marry that mortal girl,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone. “The pretty one who works here as a maid.” And then, mostly to herself, she added, “This is all my fault. I should have never hired her.”

Banging against the metal door was a futile gesture, but the rest of the walls were made out of stone. I knew that striking a stone wall would hurt, but I thought there was a chance I could break through one of them and get out of the vault that way. I couldn’t stand the thought of Colette being alone in the woods, thinking that I had abandoned her.

Assessing the room and its orientation in the castle, I thought the wall to the right of the door was probably my best bet. Taking a deep breath to steel myself against the pain, I drew back my arm and punched the wall with all of my might. A shriek of pain escaped my lips, but I ignored it.

Once the pain started to subside, I clenched my other fist and struck the wall again in the same spot. A small bit of dust drifted into the air, but the rocks were still solid and the mortar, so recently applied, didn’t crumble.

“What are you doing in there?” the housekeeper asked.

“Trying to get out,” I told her through clenched teeth as I cradled my hand.

“You don’t have to be so dramatic,” she said. “I’ll let you out eventually. I’m just waiting until the trollop is out of the picture.”

“She’ll never be out of the picture,” I informed her. “Not with the way I feel about her. I will love her for the rest of her life, and then for the rest of mine.” There was silence on the other side of the door, so I added, “Do you understand me?”

My words were only met with more silence.

I tried to calm myself. Beating my fists against the wall wasn’t getting me anywhere. Colette would be upset, but once I was free, I would find her and explain what had happened. She would understand that I didn’t intentionally stand her up. We could always elope in a night or two, once she had forgiven me.

But I hated the thought of my darling girl in tears. I hated the thought of hurting her. And I didn’t want her to be in the woods all alone. Tiburon was a safe community, but you never knew if there was a wayward tramp or rabid dog that might be wandering the woods in the dark. I should have never agreed to let Colette walk by herself. I should have insisted that I meet her outside her home so that we could head to the river together.

“Mrs. Denkler, you need to open the door right now,” I said in the calmest voice I could muster. “It’s not your place to tell me what to do and what not to do.”

“So you admit that you intend to run away with her?” she asked. “Do you plan on turning the little tramp?”

I kicked the wall in frustration. “She’s not a tramp,” I snarled, my voice ragged with pain as I waited for my foot to heel. “She’s the most wonderful girl in the world. And yes, I am going to marry her. I will conjoin with her. Whether you like it or not.”

“But not turn her?” Mrs. Denkler asked. “You’ll leave her bound to her mortal coil?”

“No, I will not turn her,” I admitted. “That is something I will never do.”

“But she’ll age,” Mrs. Denkler insisted. “She’ll grow old and gray. The beauty you see now is only temporary. Her life will end and you will still be young and fresh. Why not just turn her, if you love her so much?”

“Because I love her too much to do that to her,” I said, pressing my forehead against the vault door. “Loving someone means doing what’s right for her, not just what makes you happy.” And then I knew that I couldn’t marry Colette without telling her the complete truth about my family. I couldn’t bind her to me without her knowing that I was a vampire. She would try to stop me from confessing, but I loved her too much to keep the secret from her until we were wed.

“Haven’t you ever loved someone like that?” I asked, stepping away from the door. My hands were fully healed, but I knew battering them against the walls would get me nowhere. I had to persuade Mrs. Denkler to open the door. “Haven’t you ever loved someone so much that you would do anything for him?”

“But Colette is mortal,” Mrs. Denkler said again, her voice sounding unsure. “And you are a vampire. Some day she will die. Then what will you do?”