Oxford Blood

by Georgiana Derwent

  Harriet, still held firmly by her boyfriend, struggled to formulate a reply. She didn’t care about the big picture. She just wanted Caroline, and if at all possible the other girls, to make it out of there alive.

  “Please let them go,” she said, as firmly and calmly as she could manage. “Just this once. Do it next year if you have to, but just give this group their life as a token gesture.”

  “Darling, are you going to sit quietly and let the ceremony continue, or am I going to have to mesmerise you?” Adelaide asked, in much the same manner as if she were telling a small child that she’d be sent to her room if she didn’t do her homework.

  Harriet thought about the room that her mother had always kept for her, and couldn’t believe that she was going to betray her. “You wouldn’t,” she said.

  Adelaide looked pained. “It’s for your own good sweetheart. Although I have to admit, I can’t quite bring myself to do it personally. Will someone please put her under?”

  George immediately stepped forward. “I’ll do it, my lady. Everyone would agree that my mind control powers are up there with the best.”

  Adelaide nodded. “Alright. You’re talented at what you do, but don’t think this gets you back in my good books. I’m going straight to Stephanie’s grave after this.”

  Before anyone could say another word, George was in front of her. At first, Tom looked as though he were going to defend her, but he let go and stepped aside. Free of his grip, Harriet considered running, but realised just how futile that would be.

  George put his hands on her shoulder and bent his head slightly to look at her. “I told you to put the necklace on,” he whispered sadly. “But perhaps this won’t end as badly as you fear.”

  With that, he touched his forehead to hers. Harriet felt a flash of electricity flow between them. For a second, she saw herself in seventeenth century clothes in a burning manor house, and then everything went dark.

  When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in the clearing, aware of what was going on, but unable to move or speak. Only seconds could have passed, as the new recruits were still standing in a line, facing their partners. As she watched, some of the most senior Cavaliers walked towards them and formed a third line. Almost inevitably, George had Ben.

  Augustine was coming to the end of a speech. “To complete the transformation, we drink to the death,” he concluded.

  Each old member leant forward and bit the neck of the girl in front of them. Harriet wanted to scream (wanted more to run over and try to stop it) but couldn’t make a sound. Any hopes she’d had that George would do the right thing faded as he bit down hard on Caroline’s tanned neck. Harriet remembered how he’d fed from her at the winter dinner and felt sick. There was none of that tenderness now. He was an animal who’d found his prey.

  George raised his head and pushed Ben forward. Harriet hoped that Ben would at least put up a token resistance, but although he didn’t attack with the gusto displayed by some of the others, he needed only the gentlest prompting from George to lower his head to Caroline’s bleeding neck and begin to suck enthusiastically. As Harriet watched in horror, Caroline and several of the other victims began to make little sounds of pleasure. Harriet was torn between relief that at least her death would be painless, even pleasant for her, and disgust at the vampire’s mind tricks.

  She wanted to turn away, but didn’t seem able to. One by one, the girls dropped to the floor, and eventually, Caroline followed them. The gash on her neck was terrifying and her normally healthily tanned face was eerily pale. As far as Harriet could see, she wasn’t breathing. The realisation that her friend was dead cut through the mind control and she began to scream. Tom, who had been sitting at the back of the stage trying his best to ignore proceedings rushed to comfort her. Feeling betrayed, she tried to push him away, but finally gave in and fell sobbing into his arms.

  “She’s seen what she needed to see,” Tom said firmly to Augustine. “Please let me take her away now sir.”

  Augustine nodded. “Please don’t hold any of this against myself, your mother or anyone else present tonight Harriet. What happened was always going to happen. Remember that we love you very much. I just wish we could have brought you up. Perhaps if you’d been introduced to all of this earlier you would have found it easier to understand.”

  Harriet didn’t reply. Tom picked her up. Before he could move however, George appeared next to her. Harriet hit him full in the face. He reddened slightly but didn’t flinch.

  “Two things, before you go,” he said quietly. “One, for the last time, put your necklace on.” He picked it out of her bag and carefully fastened it around her neck. “Two, I have a note for you. Read it when you’re safely back in your room. As I said before, perhaps this won’t end as badly as you feared.”

  Harriet took the note then turned her face away, unable to look at him. Gripping her more tightly, Tom closed his eyes and touched her forehead. The next thing she knew, they were outside the college.

  “Let’s get you to bed,” Tom said, not putting her down even when the porters stared at them. “We can discuss all of this in the morning.”

  Harriet wanted to tell him there was nothing to discuss, but couldn’t find her voice. Back in his room, Tom undressed her and carried her into his bed. Utterly numb, she clung to his cool body and quickly fell asleep.

  She woke late the next morning. Tom had disappeared at some point during the night, presumably into his coffin. She considered getting out of bed but decided that she couldn’t see the point. She knew she should tell Josh and Ola about Caroline, but couldn’t face the conversation or begin to understand how to explain it. She wondered just how the Cavaliers would play it – a fake cause of death? Claims that she’d left the university? Thorough mind-wiping of everyone who’d ever known her? At the thought of it she started to cry, and buried herself under the duvet. Whilst she lay huddled away from the world, she suddenly remembered George’s letter. She could hardly bear to read the treacherous boy’s words, but felt that it could be important, so dragged her protesting muscles and mind out of the bed and over to the chest of drawers where her bag was placed. Digging inside, she quickly found the letter:

  Dearest Harriet,

  If you are reading this, everything will have gone to plan. No one can stop the summer party and you were foolish to think that you could. Even I couldn’t have stopped it once Caroline had agreed to go, but I could change the outcome. Your friend isn’t dead, at least no more than I am or your mother is. Under a trance, I had her drink my blood every night last week. When she said she was rehearsing her play, she was with me. Therefore, I could happily let Ben ‘kill’ her, safe in the knowledge that she’d wake up again better than before. I considered keeping her for my own, but I thought she’d prefer to be given back to Ben. Besides, she’s no you and I still have my eye on the prize. Come to the commemoration ball tonight and accept my peace offering. We’ll all be there.

  Yours,

  George

  THE END

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Derwent read History at Oxford University (as you might have guessed). Aside from the vampires, The Cavaliers is an exaggerated but fairly accurate portrayal of her time there. She now works in London and lives with her fiancé. He’s been very supportive throughout the writing of her books, mainly because he likes to claim that all the most attractive characters are based on him.

  Georgiana fell in love with vampire novels after reading the Vampire Diaries back in 2000. At the time it was a struggle to find any similar paranormal romances, a situation that it’s fair to say seems to have been rectified in the last few years.

  Ever since her teens, she wanted to write a vampire series. Ever since going to Oxford she wanted to write a book about her experiences there. During a dull few months between finishing university and starting her graduate job, she had the idea of combining the two and The Cavaliers was born.

  To get in touch with Georgiana and for more informat
ion about this book and the two forthcoming sequels, “like” her page on Facebook or visit www.georgianaderwent.com. The website also hosts her blog, Posh, Privileged and Paranormal, which discusses her thoughts on some of the themes raised in the book and anything else that catches her attention that day.

  She’d also love and adore you forever if you could leave a review at Amazon and/or your favourite site. Positive ones preferred but constructive criticism also received with interest.

  A QUICK NOTE ON OXFORD UNIVERSITY

  As Harriet alludes to in the first chapter, Oxford University do a huge amount of work to dispel stereotypes and encourage applications from a wide range of backgrounds. The novel revels in just these stereotypes. If you’re anything like I was, far from putting you off, this book will make you desperate to go there.

  However, there’s nothing I’d hate more than to make any intelligent teenagers reading this think Oxford isn’t for them. I had three of the best years of my life there and got so much out of it both professionally and socially. I want to emphasise therefore that all sorts of people with all kinds of backgrounds, interests and personalities go to Oxford and for many of them their experience will be not much like the one I portray. Around 50% of the intake come from state schools. It’s perfectly possible to get through your three years there without ever once wearing white tie or sleeping with an Old Etonian (or so I’m led to believe). If you’re considering applying, check out their admissions and access websites, which will dispel some of the myths. If you have any questions about the process, feel free to get in touch with me via Facebook or my website, and I’ll try my best to give advice.

  Look out for Screaming Spires: The Cavaliers Book Two

  Coming early 2013