His eyebrows rose and he carefully pulled my legs apart. “Are you sure? I had not thought you ready for this.”
“It seems there is a vein there. Certainly Jean-Claude thought so.” I dipped a finger between my legs. “But if it doesn’t please you to show me…”
“By God, I’ll not only show you, I’ll make you scream with pleasure, my girl.” His fangs were down and he ran them along one of my legs from knee to thigh. He looked up and grinned at me. “And there will be a necklace, earrings and a bracelet for you tomorrow. Would you like that?”
I stared at the ceiling, refusing to let him see the tears that filled my eyes. Was I no more than a bought and paid for whore?
“Stop it.” He was up in a moment, grasping my face in his hands. “I didn’t mean to cheapen you, Gloriana. I will buy you trinkets because I think you are wonderful. You are not a whore. Never think that again.”
“How can I not?” I tried to turn my face away from his dark and probing gaze. He wouldn’t let me.
“Damn it, Gloriana. I love you. Do you not see that? I was willing to die for you this night.” He leaned down and took my mouth fiercely.
I sobbed into his mouth, almost afraid to believe what he’d just spoken. He loved me? Were those words easy for him to say? I didn’t believe they were. It had taken him long enough to speak them to me. I kissed him back with all the love in my heart. When he finally lifted his head, he ran a fingertip across my damp cheeks.
“I hope those are happy tears. It is not easy being loved by a vampire. We are jealous as hell.” He kissed my cheeks.
“I have seen that even when you weren’t declaring your love, but I thought you merely possessive.” I was smiling so wide my cheeks ached. I loved the feel of him between my thighs.
“Aye, I am that.” He grinned down at me. “The idea of you with any other man makes me want to do murder.”
“I have no desire for anyone but you.” I kissed him again, eagerly, then leaned back with a sigh. “You have made me very happy, sir.” I ran my fingers through his hair. “Now I believe you were going to show me a new vein and what I think must be a new pleasure.”
“Gloriana.” Jeremiah kissed his way down my body. “I will never let you go. I hope you are satisfied with that promise for now. No more worries?”
“Nay, no more worries.” I sighed when he again showed me how his fangs could arouse me. He could be so very clever when he made love. Worries. He had certainly done his best to make me forget them. I decided to let pleasure rule the night. If pain was in my future, what good would it do to dwell on it? I touched his dark hair as he did things so intimate I had to wonder if I’d taken leave of my senses. No, I had just lost my heart.
When he looked up at me and smiled, I had a thought so insane, I immediately dismissed it. No, I could never … but once I let the idea in, I couldn’t seem to let it go. Vampire. To live forever with this man.
Jeremiah left the bedchamber to fetch me a goblet of red wine. To help me renew my strength. Would he still want me if I was no longer mortal? I didn’t dare ask him. Instead I took the glass and drank deeply then yawned, feigning an exhaustion I didn’t feel. He tucked me in and began to dress, saying something about looking for Fergus as I closed my eyes. I relaxed slightly when I heard the heavy outside door close and the key turn in the lock.
Madness. Surely I didn’t truly wish to become a vampire. Was it even possible? But then I knew Jeremiah himself had once been mortal. So if he could be turned, as he called it, then surely so could I. How was it done? Was I prepared for the difference? To never see the sun again? But the power and the strength. Would I be given those along with the fangs? I had many questions and wasn’t sure Jeremiah would answer them. He liked me as I was. As his blood whore.
Oh, how I hated that term. But surely my blood would be even more to his liking if I was vampire. Didn’t he say vampires drank from each other? Jean-Claude had claimed Marin would benefit from his ancient blood when she had been so weak.
I turned over in bed and stared at the fire. First things first. We would go to court tomorrow. Fergus and I would be alone during the day and he might be able to answer some of my questions. In fact, he might tell me enough to make me forget the entire idea. Once the glow of Jeremiah’s incredible lovemaking wore off, I might wake up and forget it myself. Gloriana St. Clair, vampire. Surely I wasn’t serious.
Chapter Fourteen
“It’s beautiful, but too much, surely.” I couldn’t stop admiring myself in the mirror. The necklace was lovely and lay against my skin as if made for me. I imagined how it would look with the dark blue velvet dress we had picked up from the dressmaker before we arrived at the jeweler. It would be what I wore to court this coming night. I was almost giddy with excitement. A beautiful dress and now fine jewels. What would the people from the Globe think of me, sitting in the audience next to Jeremiah? Whore, or lucky to have found a rich protector?
“Mistress, only see how the stones complement your eyes.” The shop owner brought out a matching bracelet. “You must try this on as well.” He reached for my hand but Fergus gave him a hard look and he merely laid it on the cloth next to my fingers.
“The master insists. You are to have the very best.” Fergus picked up the bracelet and examined the stones. “Do you have earrings to go with this?” He set a pouch, heavy with coin, on the counter.
“Certainly, sir.” The jeweler hurried to pull out a tray. “Several to choose from.”
I saw the perfect pair and reached for them before I could stop myself. Was I being greedy? No, it had not been my idea to come here and spend a fortune. Jeremiah wanted me to be a credit to him and to show off his wealth. He had chafed under Robert MacDonald’s offer to me and seemed determined to let his enemy know that he could also be generous. I tried on all the matching pieces of fine sapphires set in a white metal the shop keeper claimed was gold. Then I turned to show Fergus.
“What do you think?”
“I think you look like a goddess, Gloriana. I hope Jeremiah doesn’t have to use his sword to fight the men who will want you.” Fergus smiled and leaned over the counter to start bargaining. When he had settled on what he considered a fair price and what I thought an outrageous sum, he asked the shopkeeper for a velvet bag for the jewels and one more thing. To my delight he bought a silver backed hand mirror. “So you can see to do your hair, lass. I know how you like to fix it in those fancy styles for court.”
“Thank you, Fergus.” I hugged him before we stepped out into the street. He kept the jewels with him and his eyes sharp. He’d whispered to me that it wasn’t unheard of for men such as our jeweler to tip off thieves after a big sale. I would be surprised if any would be foolish enough to approach big, bulky Fergus, who was well-armed and looked ready to take apart any who dared approach us.
“Could we stop once more? I would like to buy a gift for Maggie. I know we will see her tonight, at the play.” I saw a shop with some pretty shawls in the window. It was just the kind of thing Maggie loved and Jeremiah had made sure I had some coin of my own. For trinkets, he’d said.
“Of course.” Fergus steered me inside. “I liked your friend. It is too bad she is tied to that buffoon by marriage.”
I peeked at him. “I didn’t know you had met Horace.”
“Aye. He came out to relieve himself while I drank with the doorkeeper at the Globe. It was clear to me what manner of man he was.” Fergus frowned. “Your friend is a fine figure of a woman and obviously lonely. If things were different…” He pointed to a blue and gold fringed shawl. “That one would look fine on her. Let me buy it.”
“No, I’ll pay. But she isn’t really married to him. It, it is a sham.” I took a closer look at the piece Fergus had picked. He was right. The gold was bright enough to suit my friend with bold tastes. And her blue eyes, which obviously Fergus had noticed, would look very pretty with this fabric wrapped around her shoulders. “You should court her, Fergus. She has no easy life at the Globe
. You are right, she is lonely.”
“And when would I have time to court any woman, Gloriana?” Fergus looked away, out the window and at the busy street. “Jeremiah demands my nights and my days.”
“With a new place to live and sturdy locks, I don’t see why you couldn’t have time off to pursue a lady.” I gathered the shawl and walked over to where the shop girl was talking to a woman trying to sell a shawl. In moments I had paid and the shawl for Maggie was wrapped. Because I was dressed finely, I had been helped first, the other woman pushed aside.
It was a lesson I wouldn’t soon forget. When I had been near starving, I would have never been served in a shop like this, even when I was trying to sell a nice piece. No, I’d been told to wait at the back door, sometimes for hours, and then given very little even for something of great value.
I turned to the woman who was still clutching her shawl. She was too thin and her dress had obviously been patched many times. The shawl was lovely if a bit worn. “Excuse me. Are you thinking to sell that?” I saw her flush but, at her nod, I merely picked up the edge and examined it. I had no need of another shawl but knew she’d get little for it here. I dug in my purse and pulled out a coin I knew would last her a long time. “Would this be enough for it?”
She gasped and thanked me, handing me the shawl and giving the shop girl a sniff. “You are very kind.”
“Not at all. I thank you. This is very nice. Good luck to you.” I turned to Fergus. “Shall we go?” I heard the shop girl muttering behind me. She was not happy that I had interfered in her negotiations. Well, I could afford to be generous. I had found a man I could love and who loved me. I really wished I could give the shawl back to the woman, who shivered as she stepped outside. But her back was straight with pride and I knew she would not appreciate my charity.
Once we were outside, Fergus took my arm. “You shouldn’t be throwing away your coin like that, Gloriana. Who knows what the future will bring?”
“Thank you for the warning.” I jerked my arm from his hold. “It wasn’t so long ago that I was going around to the shops and selling all I owned. I could not stand there and watch that poor woman beg for a few pennies. For all I know she has babies at home, waiting for something to eat.”
“You have a soft heart. Be careful that it doesn’t bring you to ruin.” He looked almost angry.
“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine? Really, Fergus, I am not worried. Jeremiah loves me. He told me so last night. Does that sound like I must be concerned about my future?” I gasped when he jerked me to a stop beside him.
“Is that why you are glowing with such happiness? Because of Jeremiah Campbell’s love words?” Fergus looked like he wanted to shake me. “I can read your addled thoughts. Is it becoming a vampire now that you’re thinking?” He sounded like he’d just come down from the Highlands, his accent thickening. “Lass, lass, I know how he can charm a woman. Ah, yes, he made you think you are everything to him.” Fergus showed his teeth in a snarl.
“Fergus, stop it!” I had never seen him like this. As if he hated Jeremiah.
“Nay, let me have my say. Do you think you are the first woman to fall in love with the man?” He looked up into the sky, where clouds obscured the sun and a cold breeze ruffled his red hair where it hung down below his cap. “God damn him.”
“He is your master and, I thought, your friend. Are you calling him a liar?” I blinked back tears. Of disappointment. I thought Fergus would champion Jeremiah and understand that I was happy because I believed in this love.
“Oh, I am sure he is besotted. For now.” He patted his waistcoat where he’d stowed the pouch with my jewels. “Here’s proof of that.” He shook his head. “Remember what he is, Gloriana. He will live forever. You will not.”
I grasped his sleeve then looked around us. We were not alone and I had to be careful what I said. “That is why I want to know about becoming like him. Won’t you--”
“Not here.” He pulled me along, toward home. “I cannot believe you are even thinking about such a thing. You are mad to do so. Look up. See the sky. Yes, it’s cold today and the sun is hiding behind the clouds, but to never see it again? Do you have any idea what that would be like?” He shook his head, hurrying so I had to skip to keep up. “Damned vampires. No one can resist them when they use their mind control.” He muttered this under his breath but I heard him right enough.
This time I was the one who stopped suddenly. “Are you saying I was spelled? That Jeremiah has made me think this way? That I don’t really love him?”
Fergus sighed and patted my hand. “Calm down, lass. I don’t begin to understand women. You may truly love him, though he has certainly taken advantage of you, taking your blood from the first night you met.” He looked around, finally realizing that we had been noticed by several people on the street. We had spoken quietly enough not to be overheard, but a servant and his mistress didn’t quarrel. He stepped back and sketched a bow. “Hush, now. We will talk when we are safely inside.”
“Yes, we will. I want to know about his kind. And about those other women. I mean it, Fergus.” I wanted to pinch his arm, though it would do no good. His body was hard, impervious to my feeble efforts, just as his will was strong. He would do as he wished, like any man.
Of course we did not go straight home. Fergus insisted we stop at his favorite food shop for a fine beef stew and crusty bread, fresh from the oven. Once we were safely locked in our place, he settled at the table and insisted I eat, even pouring me a goblet of fine red wine.
“You will have a long night at court and will need your strength.” He tore into the bread and fixed himself a bowl of the still steaming stew.
I had to admit it smelled delicious and spooned a bite into my mouth. After I had eaten half of it and drank most of the wine, I leaned forward. “I have not forgotten my questions, Fergus. Tell me about vampire life. And their powers. I have gleaned some of them from watching Jeremiah, but I want to know more. And about the other women who have come and gone from his bed.”
“Eat more stew. Isn’t it delicious? And how do you like this wine? It is a very good one from France. I hesitated to buy it, thinking of Jean-Claude and his French ways, but I have to admit they make a fine wine.” He drank and smacked his lips. “Have you noticed that Jeremiah never touches food or drink?” He smiled at me across the table. “What I have learned about you so far is that you are very fond of your suppers, aren’t you, Gloriana?”
What could I say? I had been starving for too long before I’d met Jeremiah. Now it seemed I couldn’t get enough to eat. I was particularly partial to all manner of sweets. Then there was the roast beef that Fergus seemed to enjoy as much as I did. He was right. I had never seen Jeremiah touch food or drink. I set down my fork.
“Vampires truly cannot eat food such as this? Or drink even a glass of wine?” I inhaled the aroma of that well-seasoned stew. I was almost full yet tempted to clean my bowl anyway. I thought of that woman in the shop, so thin and desperate. It had been mere weeks ago that I was that woman. I still could not leave even a bite of food to be tossed away and scraped the last of the stew into my spoon and ate it.
“No. They dine only on blood, Gloriana. From a mortal such as yourself, or from another vampire.” He grinned and pulled a wrapped package from the bottom of the basket. “Here. I bought it just for you. I know how you love a good lemon tart.” He opened the cloth and set it in front of me.
“You are the devil, Fergus.” I picked it up, the crust so flaky it fell apart in my hand. One bite and I moaned. It was the best tart I had ever tasted.
“The goodwife is quite the baker, is she not?” He grinned and finished his bowl of stew, then buttered a piece of bread. “There are fruit buns for in the morning. Unless you wish one now.”
I swallowed the last bite of tart and patted my mouth with the cloth it had been wrapped in. My stomach ached I had eaten so much and my dress was so tight in the bodice I wanted to slip into the bedchamber and ease open t
he laces. “Stop it. I see you are making a point.” I sighed and pushed back from the table. “Do vampires feel hunger, even though they cannot satisfy it as I just did?”
“They hunger, of course they do. It is a blood lust. Sometimes the thirst makes them wild. You saw and felt what happens when that hunger gets out of control.” Fergus frowned. “Jeremiah almost killed you the night he fought with MacDonald.”
“Yes, you had to pull him off of me when he took too much of my blood.” I got up and walked to the fire. “But that has not happened again. He seems to know when he must stop drinking to keep me safe.”
Fergus looked down at the table. “Do not do this, Gloriana. I beg you. It will change you. Forever.”
“How? Besides the drinking and sleeping all day.” I moved to sit beside him but he jumped up, obviously uncomfortable being that close to me. “I said it before and I’ll say it again. You act as if you almost hate vampires.”
He stood facing me but was careful to keep his distance. “Listen to me and listen well. Vampires have a strange and difficult life. They do sleep like the dead during the day and, if they aren’t careful, anyone can stake them and end their lives while they sleep.”
“That does sound terrifying. But a vampire with funds can hire someone like you, Fergus, to stand guard.” Funds. I had just spent too much time without them. If I had been vampire, how would I have survived? Knowing that sunlight could kill me, I would have had to find a dark place, so dark there would be no chance that… “What happens if just a little sunlight touches a vampire, Fergus? While he or she is sleeping?”
“It will be the death of him or her. You saw Marin turn to ash. That is what happens if a vampire is touched by the sun. It is a horrifying sight and one I hope to never witness again.” He began to pace. “God, Gloriana, I cannot believe you are seriously thinking about this. I remember times when Jeremiah was caught with no safe place to sleep. He had to dig a shallow grave and bury himself in the dirt during the day. Can you imagine that?”
Real Vampires: When Glory Met Jerry Page 20
