“Now we have two vampire dogs?” Amelia tilted back her head and burst into peals of laughter, while Elizabeth glared. “You have to admit it’s rather amusing.”
Elizabeth’s mouth twitched at the corners and soon she was reeling with laughter, too. “What will the witch finders think if they discover vampire dogs? Maybe we can turn the cats into vampires, too, and then we’ll have everlasting pets.”
They hugged each other, shoulders shaking with laughter. At last, they stopped, and Elizabeth wiped tears from her cheeks.
“Truly, I’m sorry, Amelia, but I’ve got to find Darius, no matter what he said. He needs me.” She glanced in the gold-leafed Venetian mirror and dusted her cheeks with Spanish paper to rid herself of her deathly pallor.
“But darling, the men didn’t want either of us to go after them. I don’t think they wanted to worry about us.”
She pushed out her lower lip. “I’ve got to help Darius.”
Amelia raised her hands in surrender. “If you must go, then I’m going with you.”
A yipping, and the sound of sharp claws ticking on the marble tile outside her bedroom caused Elizabeth to spin around.
Her waiting woman tapped on the door and announced, “Your Ladyship, the king’s coming down the hallway, and he has a visitor with him.”
Poking her head out the door, she said, “Yes, Rose, have them come into my antechamber when they arrive.” She turned to Amelia. “Please take the dogs out the back stairway and keep them at your house for now.”
“All right, but be careful.” She rushed out the side door with the dogs tucked beneath her arms.
Elizabeth’s dressing gown flowed back from the stiff, lacy petticoat she wore beneath, which she smoothed down before strolling out into the antechamber.
Her mouth dropped open when she saw who stood behind Charles. She closed her mouth quickly, hoping the king hadn’t noticed her reaction. What were these two doing together? It couldn’t be good news for her.
Charles strolled into her bedchamber with four of his spaniels surrounding him, while Michael trailed behind. “I’m sorry if we’ve disturbed you, Elizabeth, but your girl said it would be fine if we entered,” Charles said.
“Your Majesty, of course it’s always an honor to see you.” She curtsied, and then darted a warning look in Michael’s direction.
Charles sat down on the wine red cushioned armchair she had placed in her room especially for any such surprise royal visit. With a nod from him, both she and Michael took armless chairs on either side of him. Michael quickly slipped onto the king’s right hand side, and he lifted his eyebrows in a childish quirk. Elizabeth blew out her cheeks and stuck her tongue out at him, but not before the king glimpsed her way and caught her in the act.
The king gave a burst of laughter, while she ducked her head in embarrassment. He then took one of her hands and held it between his large palms. The heated look of passion he gave her caused her heart to thud heavily in her chest.
“Are you all right?”
Elizabeth clenched her teeth, realizing she’d better compose herself. “I’m fine, Your Majesty. I’m so pleased you took the time to pay me a call. I guess I was wondering what has brought Sir Michael to my chambers along with you.”
“His Majesty is looking for one of his young pups, Custard. Someone said they’d last seen the spaniel in your apartments, and so he asked me to help him search.”
“Is that one of Madame La Rue’s last litter?”
“Yes, the little black and tan runt of the litter,” Charles said. “He’s always been one of my favorites.” Three of his other spaniels dashed beneath Elizabeth’s bed, yapping and growling.
Michael drew in a deep breath. “What an enchanting fragrance that is you’re wearing, Elizabeth. What’s it called? It reminds me a great deal of that fragrance that the Countess of Denham wore the past evening when she and I danced. I remember complimenting her on it.”
With her free hand, Elizabeth snatched up the fan that lay in her lap and fluttered it. “Do you like it? I believe it’s called Neroli.” She glowered at him before leaping up and bending over the dogs, who were now trying to pull something from beneath her bed. They dragged out a bloodied pillow casing that she kicked back underneath the bed.
Michael marched over in three quick strides. He reached down and pulled out the bloody cloth, holding it up in full view of the king. “What’s this, Elizabeth?”
She felt her face turn even whiter than usual. “I cut my hand earlier and the blood dripped onto my pillow. I’m afraid the maid hasn’t had time to come clean up the mess yet.”
Michael folded his arms across his chest. “Are you sure that’s all there is to it? Are you certain that it’s not blood left over from an animal you might have needed for nourishment?”
She gave a gasp at the accusation and looked at King Charles in alarm. “Please believe me, Sire, I would never hurt little Custard. I’d never hurt any of your animals.”
The king lazily stroked his silky mustache, and then he took her hand. “I don’t see you denying you might have need of blood. Sir Michael has been telling me some interesting tales about those who exist only for the night. He also explained you are married to him, which is a fact you certainly never troubled to share with me.”
“Begging Your Majesty’s pardon, but Michael is not always most reliable in the knowledge he professes to have.”
Michael’s mouth turned down into an unpleasant grimace. “Come on now, Lizzie, the jig is certainly up. I’ve told the king all about you having been married to me, and the fact that you’re a vampire.”
She felt her palm grow even colder, but the king kept his grip on her one hand. What did this all mean? Would Charles now turn her over to the witch finder? “I’m sure I don’t know what Sir Michael is talking about.”
“By the look on your face, I’m sure you do,” Charles said.
“I’ve loved this woman for a hundred years, and I left my beloved city of Prague in search of her,” Michael said.
“If Your Majesty would let me explain,” Elizabeth said, fisting her hand in his.
Charles released her, and turned to face her in earnest. “Don’t be frightened. It’s all right. I don’t mind you’re a vampire. I find it fascinating. You see, Buckingham has formed a committee to get rid of my poor Catherine because she’s barren. I’ll not let anyone harm her, nor will I divorce her. It would break her poor heart, but I must find another way to save my kingdom.”
She leaned over and scratched one of the spaniels behind the ears. “I’m sorry to hear some at court are plotting against the queen, but what has any of that to do with me, or with my being a vampire?”
Michael interrupted. “Don’t you understand? If King Charles becomes a vampire, then the Stuarts’ reign will last forever. He can rule a glorious empire, learning from the past, the present, and even possibly, the future. It’s a perfect plan.”
“Pardon me, Sire, but Sir Michael is a liar, and he will do anything to gain power. It’s true we were once married, but he didn’t further explain I acquired a parchment of divorcement against him from a bishop in Prague. I’m certain his mother informed him of the proceedings.”
Michael flinched, as though this were the first he’d ever heard of it. “You’re lying, harlot.”
“So this is the way you would speak to your loving wife, is it? I can prove what I say is true.”
She knelt down at the foot of her bed where she kept a locked trunk. Pulling the key from a ribbon she wore around her neck, she unlocked the trunk. Throwing it wide open, she delved in, searching for something. At last, she triumphantly pulled out a yellowed piece of parchment, handing it to the king.
She turned to Michael. “Did your mother give you the decree of divorcement? She promised she would.”
“Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn’t. It was all a long time ago. I can’t recall the troublesome details.”
The king took the document, scanning it quickly before
handing it back. “You’ve lied to me, Sir Michael Horbury. You’re no longer married to Elizabeth, so maybe you’ve lied about other things as well.”
“He would love to claim he’s able to control me and ruin my reputation with you, Your Majesty, boosting his own inflated pride with the psychic vampire demons who he calls his friends. He would gladly lie, cheat, or even take a life, if it gained him more power. He rejoices in killing for its own sake. Through me, he’s simply trying to get to you, Sire, for his own selfish, evil purposes.”
“Who are these psychic demons of which you speak?”
Elizabeth took her time in answering. She must make the king understand the horror of the demons. “They are a type of vampire, but much worse than the immortal vampires. The psychic vampire is a type of demon that enslaves the souls of humans.”
“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
“Once these evil beings become demons, they only stay in human form for one hundred years, and then they revert to hideous creatures.”
Charles’s jaw tightened at the same time his skin turned pale. He stood and took Elizabeth by the hands, pulling her up. “You say Michael is associated with these horrid demons?”
She nodded.
“What do you suggest I do with a man who would make such gross, exaggerated accusations against a woman who was once his own wife, a man who is now in consort with these psychic vampire demons?”
With little consideration, she answered, remembering only the way Michael had stolen her soul. “I would have him executed as a witch, a sorcerer, one who would bargain with the devil himself in order to manipulate others. He’s dangerous to you, and he’s a direct threat to your power, your life, and perhaps to mine. I have said all I can say in my defense, Sire, and now I leave it to your noble judgment.”
Elizabeth watched Michael tremble at the thought he might have to go through those horrible tests to prove he wasn’t a witch or a vampire. She knew as well as he did it was a two-edged sword, because if he used any of his vampire powers to evade the tortures, they would surely burn him at the stake, if he weren’t incinerated by the sun before that happened. For the briefest moment, she felt ashamed of herself, because there was no way he could survive such a test. He’d have no doubt he was doomed either way.
In his eyes, she saw hesitation. She knew he must make his move to persuade the king to believe his claims that he meant no harm, and he had no connection with the demons, or else he had to escape now. She held her breath, watching him make the decision. Time was of the essence, and the choice must be made quickly, either to plead for his life or flee, beg or flee, that was the question. Elizabeth realized he’d waited too long when Charles pulled the bell to call for guards and imprisonment was his only choice.
Two of the king’s sentries marched into Elizabeth’s apartments. “Take this rogue to the Tower as a prisoner,” Charles commanded them. “Keep a sword to his neck, if he dares make any attempt to escape, lop off his head.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. What is his crime?” one guard asked,
“He’s a heretic and a sorcerer, possibly even a vampire.” Charles said. The two men flinched and nodded, and each took out a sword and kept Sir Michael between them. Michael turned and bowed jauntily to Elizabeth and King Charles before being escorted out.
Elizabeth felt a pang when they led away her former husband. “What will happen to him now?”
“He’ll be tested as a sorcerer by the witch finder. If they don’t find him guilty, then they’ll test him as a vampire.”
“What if he’s found guilty?”
“He’ll be burned at the stake.”
Once again, guilt flashed through Elizabeth’s mind. She’d put her former husband in an impossible situation. “I thought you said you didn’t mind vampires in your kingdom.”
“I don’t mind vampires, but I don’t like ones that threaten a lady I happen to care very much about. I don’t want anyone accusing you of being a vampire to the wrong people. Do you want that?”
She lowered her head and thought about how she’d wanted revenge on Michael. “No, I wouldn’t want that at all.”
Chapter 19
Now that Elizabeth was alone with the king, he sat back down on his chair and pulled another one closer, gesturing for her to sit. She paused for a moment, and then dropped down beside him.
Ignoring the incident with Sir Michael, Charles pressed on with his argument for becoming a vampire. “You see, if Catherine doesn’t produce an heir, my brother James will become king. He’s not popular at all and will become even less so when the people learn he’s become Catholic. Don’t you see I’ve got to do something to save the Stuart dynasty? It’s the very least I owe to my dead father, God rest his soul.”
He spoke with an intense passion that frightened Elizabeth. “Becoming a vampire isn’t the answer, Sire. Trust me. It’s a desperately empty and lonely life.”
He gripped her hands and she felt his urgency. “It has been said my cousin across the sea has become interested in a different type of worship, and that’s why his kingdom has been so much more successful than mine and why his wealth has increased greatly.”
She gave him a stunned stare. “Are you talking about King Louis XIV? Is he truly in league with the demons?”
King Charles looked over her shoulder, seeming to be in a daze. “Right before the Restoration in 1660, a woman, Catherine Montvoisin, was brought before the French witchcraft tribunal. She was accused of witchcraft, but because of lack of proof of any witchcraft on her part, she was released.”
Elizabeth sat up straighter, feeling warned. “What does this have to do with England?”
“She’s now known as La Voisin, the high priestess of Satan, and many of the aristocrats of Louis’s court visit her. I’ve even heard his mistress, Madame de Montespan, participates in these rituals.”
“So?” Elizabeth’s voice went cold, but Charles apparently didn’t hear the warning in her voice.
This time, his dark gaze connected with her violet gaze. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and a cold dread filled her at his words.
“I thought if what Sir Michael said is true, and you are a vampire, then you might help me enhance my powers. I could use the dark forces to make my empire greater than the one across the Channel. Are you truly a vampire?”
Shocked by Charles’s plan, she forgot caution. “It’s true I’m an immortal vampire and I lack a soul, but I’m not in consort with Satan. If that’s what interests you, then perhaps you need to speak with the psychic vampire demons, for they are truly in league with the devil. Maybe you shouldn’t have arrested Michael, since he’s involved with the demons, too.”
He waved an elegant hand in apparent dismissal of Michael. “I arrested him mainly for your sake. I detest the idea of anyone insulting you. But it’s true I do want my England to be the most powerful country in the world.”
She went to the window, taking the bottom fringe of the draperies in her hands and twisting it into knots. “At what cost, Sire, would you sell out your people to the dark one? Would you do this all for the sake of your kingdom? You’ve no idea what the emptiness is like when your soul has departed from your being, nor have you ever seen or heard the horror coming from the deep black chasm of the abyss.”
Charles walked over, untangled her hands, and took them in his own warm palms. “I was betrayed by those who were supposed to be my father’s loyal subjects. I was chased from my own country, remember?”
“It still doesn’t compare to becoming a vampire. Once you’re a vampire, the bloodlust rules your life, and you must drink from humans or animals, and then, only at night.”
“If I stop worrying about the state of my soul, then I’m free to do anything for the sake of my country. Besides, I’ve never been much of a morning person.”
She refused to smile at his joke. She started pacing. “Don’t you see, Charles?” She was so nervous she didn’t even realize she’d called the king of England by his Chri
stian name without his express permission. “Once you become a vampire, you lose your soul. When you die, God forbid, England will survive with or without your brother. But, I beg of you, don’t choose to enslave your country to the darkness of the evil ones. Please listen to reason.”
He took her by the shoulders. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to believe there’s no such thing as a soul?”
Shocked, she stepped away. “Then it’s true, and you truly don’t believe in God?”
The line of Charles’s jaw tightened and his mouth drew into a stern line. “My father believed in God and look what happened to him. He was beheaded in his own kingdom. I’m more inclined to believe in the devil.”
“But Charles, without God we’re nothing. You’ve no idea what’s happened to me since I’ve become a vampire. I’ve lost my soul and nothing’s been the same for me ever since.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
She tried to speak slowly and calmly, but with so much at stake, she found her voice quaver. “That deep-seated sense of joy I’ve always felt knowing God was watching over every hair on my head disappeared once I became a vampire. There’s a deep humiliation in being part of this darkness and controlled by the bloodlust that’s difficult to explain.”
“Elizabeth, you’re so beautiful and kind, how can anyone imagine you don’t have a soul?”
Surprised by her own boldness, she gripped him by the wrist. “Sire, without a soul there’s nothing to live for. Living forever is an eternal death sentence without a soul. All the magic and beauty of living disappears.”
Suddenly, he was closer than she could imagine, and his dark eyes seemed to pierce through her heart. “My darling, I believe in nothing except my country. I love England, and I’ll do anything to make her the greatest country in the world—anything—do you hear me?”
Startled, she felt his warm full lips come down on hers, and he nearly took her breath away. He had his own magnetism, which was almost vampire-like in nature. For a quick heartbeat, she lost track of time. The only thing that mattered was the feel of this powerful man holding her in his grip, and she swayed even closer to him.
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