“Oh, we are being unkind. Gloriana, do you speak the language?” Lady Anne stopped on the stairs.
“No, I am afraid not. But I’m sure Florence is happy that you do. Go ahead and enjoy yourselves.”
“Florence is being kind but my Italian is poor. She is letting me practice but I only remember a few words from a trip to Italy when I was a young girl.” Lady Anne flushed. “I had a wonderful time in Rome. There was even a young man…”
“Ah, a first love I am thinking.” Florence patted Anne’s arm. “Your Italian was fine, my lady, but I need to practice my English, so we must speak only that. If I don’t, I will forget. Angus is not so good with his Italian.” She laughed. “I love him anyway. He is so very vigoroso .” She kissed her fingertips and threw out her hand in what I imagined was a typical gesture for her.
I had no trouble translating that Italian as I followed them up to another tower where there were two vacant bedchambers side by side. Lady Anne threw open the door to one and announced she hoped it would suit Florence. The bedchamber next door would be for the Laird. We had just looked at both of them when two lads appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a large trunk. They were huffing and puffing under the weight.
“Those are my clothes. Careful now.” Florence smiled as they set the trunk at the foot of the bed. “Grazie mille .” She slipped them each a coin.
I decided I liked her. So many ladies took such service for granted.
“This room will be fine. Oh, look, a view of the sea!” Florence walked over to the arrow slit and peered out. “It is magico .”
“Yes, the tower rooms are not as large as some, but they have fine views.” Lady Anne directed the boys to the other room when they returned with another smaller trunk. “That must be the laird’s baggage. I will see that fires are lit in both rooms at once.”
“You are very kind.” Florence watched the lady go. “Now we are alone, Madame Gloriana. I can see that she doesn’t know what we are.”
“No, she doesn’t. Jeremiah and I are careful to keep our secrets here.” I sat when she gestured to a chair in front of the empty fireplace. It was cool but not uncomfortable in the room. Spring had arrived.
“I understand.” Florence threw her cloak on the bed. “The Campbell men are very, how you say, irresistibile, are they not?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “You are exactly right. How did you meet the laird?”
“We met in Italy. There was a costume party in Venice. Things get a little wild sometimes when the mortals drink too much wine. One mortal followed me outside and took liberties. I was about to push the idiota into the canal but I let Angus ‘save’ me, capisci ?” She grinned.
“It sounds very romantic.” Much more romantic than Jeremiah finding me starving in a noisome alley. Of course, Jeremiah had “saved” me too. Florence and I had that in common.
“Oh, it was. I was lucky Angus gets restless at times and must leave that woman he married too many years ago to count.” She looked around to make sure no one could hear us.
“Vampires! They should never marry. I call myself a widow which is true. I married young, before I was made vampire, then my marito died. Now? I would never marry again. We live forever. For most of us, marriage is a chain that cannot be broken. Too sad for my Angus. His Magdalena will never give him complete freedom. What would she be without her castle and his name?”
Florence shrugged. “I understand. It means Angus takes his time away from her. I am not his first mistress, nor will I be his last. I’m sure Mag has her own lovers as well. Though from what I’ve heard about her, I cannot imagine who would want that cold fish.” She shivered.
“Nor can I. Mag is hateful and certainly has no love for me. She wanted a woman from a neighboring clan for Jeremiah. She decided I was a slut and not good enough for her son.” I didn’t tell her that I wished sometimes for the respectability that marriage would bring me. “Jeremiah seems to share your feelings about the chain of marriage. I imagine seeing the misery of his parents’ connection has done that for him.”
“I am sure of it. Now I will be with Angus until we tire of each other. Once that happens, we can part with no regrets.” She grinned and fingered a sparkling diamond brooch at her neck. “He will give me a lovely gift. I will give him a night to remember.” She sighed. “I must confess that I am in no hurry to say addio to him. I found I missed him after we parted the last time. Angus is very generous and a wonderful lover. I am sure you and your Jeremiah will decide on a similar arrangement when the time comes for you to part.”
I couldn’t imagine it. Leave Jeremiah? I might have doubts about forever, but I didn’t want to let him go either. Just the thought of seeing him with another woman made my fangs drop, ready to rip into some harpy. I took a breath and calmed down.
“Florence, you have no idea how I have longed for a woman to talk to like this. Another vampire. What a relief to speak honestly at last.” I reached out.
“Yes!” Florence clasped my hand. “We will be friends. Do things together that only another vampire can do. We can shift and go out some night to fly over the countryside.” She got up and looked out the window again. “Soaring over the sea would be fun, sí ?”
“I don’t shift.” I hated to admit that as I got up and shook out my skirt.
“What? Why not?” She stared at me, trying to read my mind. Looking for a secret.
“I don’t know. I just can’t. It makes Jeremiah wild to think that I cannot do it. He says it’s my best protection.” I walked toward the door and looked out to make sure no one lurked in the hallway.
“He’s right, amica . You must try. Have you? Tried to do it?” She came toward me, very serious, hands clasped. “I can see this worries you. When there is danger, you sometimes have no choice but to change and fly away. I know, I have done it.” She looked down at her hands. “I have lived a long time. My name is not my own. I took it from a town and an old friend.” She sighed.
I understood about names. When Michael, the man who’d eventually pretended to marry me, had found me that day on the stones, all I’d had was the echo of a first name. I took it but wondered if it was really mine.
“Listen to me.” Florence looked up, tears in her beautiful green eyes. “It is not easy being a woman among men. Many are ruthless. They wished to use me, hurt me.” She angrily brushed a tear away. “I would not let them! Mi senti ?” She grabbed my hands. “I mean it. If I had not had the courage to change? I would be staked and gone long before now. I am very serious with you, Gloriana. May I call you that?”
“Of course. And I will call you Florence. I am listening to you. And thinking hard about what you have said. It’s not that I don’t want to shift, it’s that I can’t . Something inside me freezes when I try.” Now I blinked back my own tears. “Stupid of me but there it is.”
“Pah! Not stupid. We will say no more, amica . It upsets you and makes you unhappy.” She threw up her hands then gave me a quick hug. “We must stick together. Those Campbell men, they are forte and will try to rule us. We cannot let them. We are vampire women. When Angus begins to think he owns me? That is when I leave.”
“I understand. I love Jeremiah, I love that he is strong and that he wants to keep me safe. But sometimes it makes me feel…” I stared up at the ceiling. Should I share such a thing with this stranger? For some reason I wanted to. “Well, it makes me feel like he’s controlling me, taking away my freedom. Foolish, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. Love is wonderful but is a kind of, how you say, la trappola .” Florence paced the floor. “You want to leave but cannot. Even when he is telling you what to do, you still love him. Madness! Foolishness! We must not let them rule us!” She threw up her hands. “Pah, why do we need men at all?”
I smiled, feeling warmed by her friendship. Oh, how I’d needed this. Without Maggie, I’d been so alone. Yes, Anne had become a friend but I knew there were too many secrets between us. With Florence I didn’t have to hold back.
“You are right. Love can be a trap. But when he looks like a Campbell?” I kissed my fingertips and threw out my hand as Florence had done. That got her to laugh and we both flushed. “I know why I need a man, a vigoroso man. I’m sure you do too.”
Florence picked up her beautiful fan and put it to work. “We will just have to be careful, amica . They are strong but so are we. Right?” She grinned and aimed her fan at my warm cheeks
“Right. If I am not careful, Jeremiah would keep me in a golden cage. I am learning to fight, Florence. Mayhap I will have to pull my sword when he tries to tell me what to do. Won’t he be surprised?”
I grinned as I headed downstairs with a promise to send Mercy up to help Florence with her unpacking. I wanted to see how Jeremiah really felt about his father’s visit.
I couldn’t find him. Finally, Colin said Jeremiah and Captain Burnett had taken the laird down to the beach to show him how they planned to greet the pirates when they next attacked. We’d had a few weeks without another sighting of them. Valdez appeared by my side before I could decide what I should do next.
“One of the shifters from Dollar just came back from the pirate stronghold. I had asked him to come to me after he reported to Jeremiah.”
Valdez was chafing at his role of bodyguard. We had soldiers at the drawbridge and our dozen men inside the courtyard. I was well protected. Valdez really didn’t have much to do these nights.
I was chafing as well. Jeremiah and I had been sharing blood during lovemaking but I knew I would have to go hunting on my own soon. It wasn’t healthy for us to only take blood from each other. I didn’t like drinking from unsuspecting mortals, but it was what I had to do to survive. I’d seek out a healthy person this very night. Valdez would follow me of course. Then he’d at least have something to do.
“What did he find out?”
“Your arrow caused permanent damage to the pirate female. She will never have use of her right arm again. It’s caused her great pain and, of course, rage. It was her sword arm.”
I sat on one of the benches in front of the fire, my legs suddenly weak. “She must hate me.” I knew she was a murderous villain, but to harm her so grievously… I felt sick.
“Hate is too mild a word, Gloriana.” Valdez sat beside me. “She has sworn to kill you. She does not accept that her right hand will not work for her again. She tries to bring it back to life with punishing demands on it.” Valdez shook his head. “Her men urge her to give it up. The Irish have worked themselves into quite a fury and have sworn to act as her right hand. They are ready to attack again as soon as she gives the word and can lead them into battle.”
“You are not making me feel better.” I stared into the fire. “What should we do?”
“Wait. Or you and I can run back to Edinburgh. I like that idea. I’m sure that is what Jeremiah will press you to do. Laird Campbell and his woman would surely be glad to escort you there.”
“I am not going to run. We are well protected here.” I stood. “She may be hurt, but that does not make up for the fact that she killed Lord Ralph nor does it bring back the girls her men stole from the village here.”
“You’re right about that.” Valdez stayed beside me. “But you are no warrior, Gloriana. Playing with a sword does not make you one. Do you understand me?”
“Thank you for the encouragement.” I glared at him.
“I speak the truth. If we are attacked, you must let the trained men handle the fighting. It was pure luck that you got off your shot before. The pirate queen will not wait for you to shoot again. Her archers will have you in their sights if you stand anywhere they can see you.”
“So you say.” I stalked over to the wall where weapons were displayed. There was a suit of armor and I grabbed a chest protector made of gleaming metal. “What if I wear something like this?”
“It will not fit. Or, if you find one in your size, the bulk will make it impossible for you to aim your bow.” Valdez snatched it from my hand. “The fact is, you need to be locked up, like Lady Anne was before. It is the only safe option. Are you listening to me?”
“Who is this man trying to tell you what to do?” Florence stood with her hands on her hips. She gave Valdez a cold assessing look.
“My bodyguard. Madame Florence daVinci, Señor Diego Valdez.” I waited for them to exchange a bow and a curtsy. “Madame daVinci is here with Laird Campbell.”
“Yes, I heard. Don’t be surprised, Madame, if you are sent back to Edinburgh in short order.” Valdez was not smiling as he did his own assessment of the lady.
“I will not be ‘sent’ anywhere, sir.” Florence linked her arm with mine. “Shall we stroll the courtyard, Gloriana? I wish to hear the story of how you shot the pirate queen. Your maid Mercy was full of the tale, but I would like to hear it from your own lips, my dear.” She flicked a glance at Valdez. “Are we safe in the courtyard or must you follow us, Valdez?”
“Oh, I will follow you. Gloriana can get into trouble even within the castle.” Valdez waved a hand toward the door to the courtyard as if giving us permission to precede him.
I longed to deny his claim. Unfortunately, I knew he was right. Trouble would never be far away these nights, especially if the pirate queen had vowed to kill me.
6
“ Y ou have many fine fighting men here.” Florence pulled me toward a noisy gathering in a corner of the courtyard.
Colin was in charge of the men there. Most of them had come with Jeremiah from Castle Campbell. He was really enjoying his new leadership role and had organized a small tournament. The men who weren’t on guard duty were taking turns fighting with swords. They were the blunt type Valdez had used to train me and Lady Anne.
We stood and watched for a while. Hard hits tossed men onto the sidelines so others could take their places. There was much jeering, then cheering as a big man who came from Dollar bested most of the fighters in turn.
“Brian, you have one more challenger. If you win, you will be champion of the night.” Colin was clearly excited. “Come on up, Dennis.”
“What do I win if I finish off this blockhead?” The burly man who strode up to take his place in front of Brian spoke English like he came from London. I wondered how he’d landed among the Scots.
“Do you need a prize?” Florence stepped closer. “I have a gold coin for the winner.” She pulled one out of the purse at her waist. “I like to see two strong men in combattimento . But put away those silly swords. Can you fight how you call it, hand to hand?” She grinned when each man threw off his shirt. Brian pounded his chest and stalked around like a rooster, bragging he’d take down this one like he had the others.
“Not likely.” Dennis got in his face and they exchanged insults. Oh, yes, the gold coin had worked to make the fight more interesting.
“Florence, what are you doing?” I whispered to her.
“Are you not happy to see two forte men showing off their bodies? I am.” She stepped back when Colin got busy drawing a big circle and making up rules. “You will see. They will have a fine time and so will we, watching them.”
Colin was ready. At his signal, the men threw themselves at each other. I had to admit I didn’t mind seeing their slick muscular shoulders heaving as they strained and shoved against each other. The crowd was clearly in favor of Brian, cheering when he managed to throw off Dennis. But the other man quickly regained his feet. They seemed evenly matched. Soon they were rolling in the dirt, their grunts drowned out by calls from the crowd as bets were laid.
When Dennis landed a punch that made Brian’s nose bleed, Flo and I grabbed each other. It was all I could do not to moan with thirst.
“So robusto .” Flo leaned closer and pointed to Brian, who stood catching his breath and wiping away the blood before diving at Dennis again. “Just smell, Gloriana. His blood would be deliziosa , I think. Have you tried it?”
“I haven’t but now I’m wishing I had.” I was very aware of Valdez at my elbow. I had my pick of hea
lthy men here but had thought to select a woman to quench my thirst. Loyalty to Jeremiah? Did I think he was careful to drink only from other men? Hah! I couldn’t imagine him putting his fangs in one of these hearty souls. He preferred to drink from women. I realized I gripped my skirt as I thought about some of the maids who I’d caught eyeing my man while they worked. I bit back a snarl and fought to keep my fangs out of sight.
“We have a winner! Well done, Brian MacTavish!” Colin held up Brian’s hand while Dennis lay dazed in the center of the ring.
I’d been so busy imagining problems where none existed, I’d missed the final takedown. Now Florence marched up to Brian and handed him the gold coin before she kissed his damp cheek. He flushed a deep red. Oh, temptation. I knew Florence was fighting her own fangs just then. Luckily the moon had gone behind a cloud and the torches weren’t bright enough to make it obvious that she had lost the battle. She put a handkerchief to her mouth as she laughed and hooked her arm through Brian’s in a victory parade around the circle.
“You and your new friend need to stick to needlework.” Valdez grabbed my elbow as if to pull me away from the fighting arena. “You are making fools of yourselves.”
I jerked my arm loose. “You forget your place. Again. Do I have to complain to Jeremiah?” I walked up to Florence and Brian. “Come, I am in the mood to take a walk outside the castle walls.”
I turned to Brian. “Shall we ask our champion to come with us?” I smiled at him. “What do you say, Brian? Will you and Patrick,” I pointed to another man I recognized from Dollar who would understand about vampires, “come with us for a stroll in the moonlight? We will need extra guards and who better than tonight’s winner?”
“Aye, we’d be honored, Mistress Gloriana. Right, Patrick?” Brian picked up his shirt and pulled it over his head. He grabbed the man Patrick and whispered to him.
Real Vampires: Glory and the Pirates Page 7