The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride

by Kristen Painter

  She stood as Delaney entered. “Hello, there.”

  “Hello.” Delaney squelched the urge to curtsey. For the grandmother of three adult men, she barely looked a day over sixty-five. She must have had work done. Good work. Not the kind that made a woman look like she had a chip clip holding everything together on the back of her neck. “Thank you for inviting me. Your home is incredible.”

  “Thank you, dear. Please, join me.” Elenora pointed to the chair across from her.

  Delaney took the seat and tried not to fidget, but she felt as out of place as a meatball in a box of truffles. The table was already set with delicate china cups and plates and scroll-handled silverware.

  Alice returned with a tea trolley. An actual tea trolley. She poured tea for both of them, then added creamer, sugar and a three-tiered platter of finger sandwiches and petit fours to the table. There were two sets of silver tongs.

  “Help yourself, dear.” Elenora used her tongs to select a few items and put them on a small plate. “How are things going with Hugh?”

  Right to it then. “Good. I’d say good.” Delaney picked up her tongs and studied the tiers. The petit fours were gorgeous, all iced like tiny cakes. And the little sandwiches had no crusts, their sides pressed into herbs to give them borders of green.

  “Do you have any romantic feelings for him yet?”

  Delaney clanked the tongs loudly against the platter. Was that the British way of asking if she’d had sex with him yet? She took a breath and said a mental prayer that she wouldn’t break anything. “It’s…sort of soon for that, don’t you think? I’ve only been there a day.”

  “Can you tell if he has any for you?”

  He’d kissed her. But sharing that felt like betraying a trust. That kiss had been a moment of intimacy between her and Hugh. Not something his grandmother needed to know about. “I know he likes me. We get along very well. As for romantic feelings…” She smiled as she put a triangle of cream cheese and salmon bordered in dill on her plate. “I think it’s going to take a little more time.”

  Elenora’s cool demeanor was a little hard to read. “What do you want out of life, Annabelle?”

  What did Annabelle want out of life? Delaney wished Google had been able to help her. “A loving husband, a good marriage, children.” All answers Delaney imagined Annabelle would give. Then she gave one of her own, because pretending to be Annabelle was exhausting. “I’d love to have my own shop, too.”

  Elenora perked up a bit. “What kind of shop?”

  Delaney grinned. There was no way to be unhappy talking about candy. “A sweet shop.”

  “Nocturne Falls already has one of those.” Elenora’s nostrils flared in annoyance. “Those Kellers are so…unpleasant.”

  “That’s not a sweet shop. That’s a candy store.”

  Her brow furrowed. “What’s the difference?”

  “I’m talking about a place where everything is made right there. Nothing prepackaged, nothing out of a factory. All of it handmade in small batches. All of it fresh and interesting and local. Premium sweets.”

  Elenora’s interest seemed piqued. “This is something you could do?”

  “I could. I can. I do it now in my own kitchen.”

  Elenora went silent for a few seconds, then her shrewd gaze tapered. “I thought you’d be blonde. I know Eternamate has a policy about matching people based on characteristics, but I told Ms. Poirot my grandson likes blondes. His last three girlfriends were all fair-haired beauties.”

  “Yes, I met Piper.”

  “Did you?” Elenora paused, somehow straightening further. “Do say. How did that go?”

  “About as well as could be expected. She didn’t take the break up well, did she?”

  “No.” Elenora tapped one slender finger on her chin. “Back to the blonde issue. How would you feel about becoming one?”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Delaney wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly.

  “My girl in town is very good. I’m sure she could fit you in if I called—”

  “No. Thank you.” So much for the connection Delaney thought she’d been making. A tiny bit of anger stiffened her spine. “I’m not changing my hair color for a man.” She leaned in. “And since those last three girlfriends couldn’t get Hugh to commit, maybe blondes really aren’t his thing.”

  Elenora’s mouth opened, and for a moment, Delaney thought she’d just blown it. Then Elenora laughed. “You’ve got ambition and guts, child. I’ll give you that.” She added sugar to her tea. “Hugh could use a little of that in his life. Someone to stir things up. Get him out of that lab.”

  “Lab?” Delaney ate her little sandwich. The eggs she had for breakfast hadn’t really been enough.

  “I’m sure he hasn’t shown it to you. It’s in his basement.”

  “No, he hasn’t.” What on earth did he do down there that was off limits? Curiosity burned in her like a batch of hot sugar. “What kind of lab is it?”

  The older woman barked out a very unladylike laugh. “You think he shares that with me?” She reached for another petit four, and a bracelet slipped from the wrist of her lace jacket. A large, familiar pendant dangled from it.

  Delaney stared at it. “That’s a pretty little charm. Is it a family thing? Looks like the same one Hugh wears on a chain.”

  “You could say it’s a family crest of sorts.” A sly look crept into Elenora’s eyes. “You’ve seen my grandson without his shirt.”

  “No. I saw him in his robe in the kitchen this afternoon and noticed it.”

  She nodded like she didn’t quite believe Delaney’s explanation. “It’s our family emblem.” She put her hand on her lap below the table, hiding the charm from further scrutiny. “As I’m sure you can understand, it’s very important to me that Hugh be happy. I believe you can bring him that happiness. I want you to do whatever it takes to make him fall in love with you.”

  “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” If the woman was hinting that Delaney sleep with him, well, that was kind of an icky thing for a grandmother to suggest.

  “I’m not sure I do either. And if I knew what it was going to take, I’d tell you.” She sat back and sighed. “What I do know is men are simple creatures. They like to be complimented. To feel powerful. And, especially important, to feel useful.”

  Delaney nodded. “I appreciate your advice. I will do my best.” Not really. But what else was she going to say? Hey, I’m just hiding out from the mob, so don’t get your hopes up. “Thirty days isn’t a long time.”

  Elenora nodded thoughtfully. “Then perhaps more incentive is needed. Get him to propose and set a date for the wedding before that time is up and you’ll have your sweet shop. I’ll finance everything you need from the building to the supplies, right down to the pretty little boxes with your name on them, if that’s what you want.”

  Boxes with her name on them. Delaney’s heart stuttered at the offer. But it meant manipulating Hugh into marrying her. She forced herself to smile, even though the thought of using another person that way made her a little ill. “That’s a very generous offer, Mrs. Ellingham.”

  “So you’ll think about it?”

  “Yes.” It was probably all she’d think about. Her dream was being dangled in front of her like a sugar-crusted carrot.

  “Excellent. Let’s finish our tea, shall we?”

  Hugh shook his head. “She can’t stay here.”

  “Ready to give up the daylight hours, are you?” Stanhill took a seat on one of the lab’s metal stools.

  “No.” Hugh paced in front of his work table, the lunch Stanhill had brought down completely ignored. “But that woman is…bothering me.”

  “You mean the way she forced you to kiss her.”

  “She didn’t make me—” Hugh frowned. “That was merely an experiment to see if there was anything there.”

  Stanhill’s small grin was infuriating. “I’d ask what the conclusion was, but I can see that for myself.”

  “It
was nothing. It meant nothing.” It had meant too much.

  “You’re a horrifically bad liar, you know that?”

  Hugh slumped against the counter. “I can’t think, I can’t work…it’s awful.”

  “Is it really all that bad? Maybe she’s the one. Why is that such a ghastly thing?”

  Hugh glared at him. “You know why.”

  “And you know from the research you’ve done that Juliette’s failure to survive the transformation was a rare occurrence.”

  Hugh spat out the next thing he could think of. “Women are fickle.”

  “That’s Sebastian’s story, not yours.”

  “Then what if I’m the one who changes my mind?”

  “Like Julian? You’re much more mature when it comes to relationships than your brother. Stop making excuses.” Stanhill shook his head. “You enjoy spending time with her?”

  “Yes,” he groused. Stanhill’s questions had a pretty clear path.

  “And you get along well?”

  “Yes.” They did. He’d yet to find an irritating thing about her, although it was early days yet.

  “Then have a go at it. See what happens. It may come to nothing.”

  “And it may lead to…something.” And the possibility of that something was unsettling. Hugh started pacing again. “She came here to get married, don’t forget that.”

  “But she didn’t exactly arrive with a wedding dress packed, did she?” Stanhill sighed. “Didi is a rotten piece of work for setting this whole thing up. I know she means well, but—”

  “And that’s another thing.” Hugh spun around. “Who knows what that woman is putting into Annabelle’s head at this very moment?” Why couldn’t his grandmother just stay out of his life? Of course, then he’d never have met Annabelle. But oh, he’d pay for it the rest of his life if things went the way Didi wanted. Which they would not.

  Stanhill shrugged one shoulder. “Undoubtedly she’s singing your praises and urging the woman to make an honest man of you, but Annabelle strikes me as a woman with her own mind. Don’t you think?”

  Hugh raked a hand through his hair. Stanhill had finally said something that made sense. “She does.”

  “Then set aside the concerns about her surviving the transition to vampire and tell me why do you think this—she—is bothering you so much?”

  Hugh looked at the far wall of equipment. “Can you see yourself sharing your life with a woman after all these years alone?” Even as he spoke the words, he knew that wasn’t the real reason commitment eluded him. Yes, he enjoyed his time alone and loathed any thought of giving it up, but that was only a small part of what worried him. There was no putting aside the fact that Annabelle would have to face death if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. It was too much to ask.

  Too much to risk. Losing another woman he loved that way would end him. He could feel it.

  “I wouldn’t call life with you solitary confinement, but I ken what you’re saying. There’d be some adjustments to make for sure. But love—”

  “Love. Bah. Look at my brothers then tell me that really exists.”

  “Look at your parents and your grandparents and tell me it doesn’t. Look at your life with Juliette.”

  “That’s dirty pool.”

  Stanhill brushed a bit of lint from his trousers. “Get out of your own way. She’s only here for a month—”

  “Twenty-eight more days.”

  “Not that you’re counting.” Stanhill’s phone chimed. He straightened as he pulled it from his pocket. “Just give the whole thing a chance. At the very least, you’ll make your grandmother happy and keep her from pulling a stunt like this again.” He glanced at the phone and made an odd face. “I have to go.”

  “Annabelle?”

  “So it seems.” He headed for the steps.

  “I might go see Sebastian.”

  “You do that,” Stanhill called back. “Maybe you should feed too. You sound like you could use a topping off.”

  “I fed yesterday, for your information.” But Stanhill had already shut the cellar door.

  Hugh gripped the edge of the worktable and studied the notes before him, but it was impossible to make sense of them with the memory of last night still stuck in his head. And trying to erase it to clear the way for anything scientific was equally pointless. All his brain wanted to do was replay that kiss. Taste again the sweet softness of her mouth. Feel the tentative, searching way she’d kissed him back. The silkiness of her hair as it slid between his fingers. The press of her body against—

  “Bloody hell!”

  Enough. He knew one surefire way to change his thinking. He stormed up the stairs, grabbed his keys and headed for his eldest brother’s home. There was no question Sebastian would be there. Sebastian was always home.

  Sure enough, when Hugh rang the bell, Sebastian’s man ushered him into the study. Sebastian sat at his desk, ledgers spread out before him. Sebastian kept the books for the family business and preferred to do things the old-fashioned way, with pencil and paper, before entering it all into the computer. He looked up. “Hugh. What brings you by?”

  Hugh took a seat in one of the high-backed leather chairs fronting Sebastian’s desk. “I need advice.”

  “Always happy to help. What can I do for you?”

  Hugh frowned, trying to find exactly the right words. “I need to know how you got over Evangeline.”

  Sebastian’s smile flat-lined and angry embers lit his gaze. “I’ve asked you and Julian not to speak her name in my house.”

  Hugh nodded. “I know, and I wouldn’t, but getting over her, how you did it, is something I need to understand how to do too.”

  “Then that’s going to be a problem.”

  “Why’s that?”

  Sebastian pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. “Because I never have gotten over her.” He poured a dram into both glasses, then pushed one toward Hugh. “You may not want this, but I do.”

  Hugh stared at him. “Are you telling me you’re still in love with her?”

  Sebastian drained his glass, refilled it, then turned his chair toward the windows. “You think I’d be this miserable if I wasn’t?” He drained the second glass. “Why are you asking me about her anyway? You’ve never been heartsick over one of your entanglements before.”

  “It’s not that exactly. It’s…” Hugh gave him the quick and dirty version of Annabelle coming to stay with him.

  Sebastian shook his head. “Didi is out of control. If I were you, I’d give her the damn amulet and be done with it.”

  “Yes, but you rarely leave the house anyway.”

  “We’re vampires. It’s unnatural for us to be outside when the sun’s up.”

  Hugh laughed. “We’re vampires. Being vampires is unnatural.”

  Sebastian topped off his whiskey. “Speaking of, how’s the formula coming?”

  “I thought I’d had a breakthrough, but the last batch only held out for five minutes.” A little of his blood mixed with the formula, then set beneath UV lamps. Same test. Same miserable results.

  “And then?” Sebastian quirked a brow in interest.

  “Up in flames.”

  Sebastian made a face. “Damn shame.”

  “I am getting closer, though. The one before that only went thirty seconds.”

  Sebastian straightened the pencil on his desk so it was perfectly parallel to the ledger page. “We need that formula. I love Didi, but she uses those amulets against us too often. And I’d like to travel.”

  “Leave your house? I’m aghast.” Hugh smirked. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Europe. Asia. Anywhere that isn’t part of Didi’s domain.”

  “You want to look for Evangeline.”

  Sebastian changed the subject. “About this woman…do you have feelings for her?”

  “It’s too soon to call whatever’s happening feelings, but she definitely affects me.”

  “That’s too bad. Sounds like
it might be too late for you to stop the natural order of things then.”

  “Natural order?”

  “You fall in love, she breaks your heart, you suffer.” His brother capped the whiskey bottle. “But if you’re not going to give Didi the amulet back, you’ve got no choice but to go along with it and at least make a decent show of things.”

  Hugh stood. “That’s what I was afraid you’d say. Bloody lot of good you are.”

  “Just don’t marry her.” Sebastian turned back toward the windows. “That’s when the hell really begins.”

  Delaney didn’t wait for Stanhill to open her door. She jumped into the car as soon as he came to a stop.

  He twisted to face her. Something unspoken clouded his gaze. “How did it go?”

  She stared at the enormous manor house she’d just left. “It was…interesting.” She met his eyes. “Mrs. Ellingham is a woman with a very clear idea of how things should go, isn’t she?”

  He nodded. “Yes. And it’s almost always in her direction.”

  Delaney laughed softly. “I’m glad it’s over.” She looked closer at him. “Is everything okay?”

  He hesitated. “Why do you ask?”

  “You seem not quite yourself.”

  “Everything’s fine. Let’s go home, shall we?” He turned around and threw the car into drive without waiting for her answer.

  He was quiet the rest of the way home, so she used the time to check news on her phone. Still no mention of a body, but there were more texts from Russell and Samantha, both asking where she was and if she was okay.

  Delaney deleted both messages.

  When they got back to the house, Stanhill unlocked the side door that went through a mudroom and into the kitchen. He waited for her to enter then shut and locked the door behind her.

  Weird, but not that weird. “Is Hugh home?”

  “No, he’s at his brother’s.” Stanhill leaned against the granite counter top. “We need to talk.”

  She’d been headed upstairs, but his words stopped her. “We do?”