“We should go now,” I said, feeling dejected. “This is a waste of time.”
“But we just got in,” Millie objected.
“I’m sorry. Feel free to stay. You don’t need to leave because I’m leaving.”
“I’ll come with you,” Sophie volunteered. “This isn’t my scene anyway. I only came to be supportive.”
Millie chewed her lip, debating. “I think I’ll stay, but I’ll do you this one favor.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
Millie produced her wand and pointed it at Elsa. “From the wand of a witch/make the bitch itch.”
My eyes widened as I watched Elsa begin to scratch herself. First her arm and then everywhere she could reach. Within minutes, she’d enlisted her dancing friends to scratch her back and other difficult places. Their night of fun was officially over.
“Thanks, Millie,” I said. I was touched by her gesture, mischievous though it was.
Millie winked. “Now I’m going to find Begonia.”
I turned to Sophie. “Let’s call it a night, shall we?”
Chapter 18
I sat in front of the impressive house of the head of the vampire coven and simply stared. Here I thought the Mayor's Mansion was a sight to behold. Lord Gilder’s estate reminded me of pictures I'd seen of English castles. The façade was constructed of grey flagstone and the stained glass windows were arched. There was even a turret on the right-hand side of the house. I wondered which room was up there.
If I couldn’t help Daniel, then at least I could help bring Walter’s killer to justice. I needed to feel useful to someone in the world, even if I couldn’t be to the angel I loved.
As I left the car and climbed the intimidating stairs to the front door, I realized that my palms were sweaty. I was actually nervous to speak with Lord Gilder—not because I found him particularly scary—but because Lord Gilder in his home seemed like a different vampire from Lord Gilder at the town council meeting.
Instead of a doorbell, a rope hung beside the door. Although I gave it a firm tug, I heard no sound. I only had to wait a moment before the heavy door was dragged open. A young gentleman with dark hair and darker eyes greeted me. He wore a formal black suit with a crisp white shirt.
"Good day," he said. "I take it you are here to see Lord Gilder. Unfortunately, you don't seem to have an appointment."
"No, I don't. Please tell him that Emma Hart is here to see him. I think he’ll be willing to speak to me." Presumptuous, I knew, but I wanted to catch him off guard. Lord Gilder was smart and if he knew I was coming to talk about Walter, then he would have time to create a plausible story. Even now, I had no doubt that he was more than capable of thinking on his feet. Still, it would give me a chance to observe his reaction and gauge any possible involvement.
"Please come in and I shall see if my lord and master is available."
His lord and master? So it wasn’t just his suit that was fancy.
I sat in the foyer and waited, admiring the intricate tapestries on the walls. The interior was more like a medieval castle than a home in the middle of Spellbound. There was no way he created this place without magic.
Lord Gilder appeared in the foyer moments later, looking pleased to see me. "Miss Hart, what a lovely surprise. To what do I owe this honor?”
"Your home is amazing," I said. "I don't think I've ever been in a house this magnificent."
He bowed slightly. "And you've been in Markos's new office, so I'm even more humbled."
"I've been to his headquarters, which is amazing, but it certainly doesn't compare to this." I glanced upward. "I love the turret. Which room is that?"
He suppressed a smile. "Why don't you follow me and I'll show you?"
A house tour? I could barely contain my excitement.
"If you're sure it's not too much trouble," I said. ”I don't want to bother you."
"Don't be absurd," he said. "Do you know how few visitors I get? Unless I'm hosting an event, everyone avoids my house like the plague. I think they find it too intimidating. Isn’t that right, Bentley?
The butler appeared behind us. “Too right, master. Can I offer the lady a drink?"
I waved him off. "No, thank you."
"Please have two blood orange mimosas ready when we return," Lord Gilder said with a regal air.
Bentley inclined his head. "As you wish, master."
I followed Lord Gilder up the many steps until we reached the steep spiral staircase that led to the turret. My thighs were feeling the burn.
"This must be good exercise for you," I said.
He gave me a vague smile over his shoulder. “To be perfectly honest, I don't come up here very often anymore. I’ve grown complacent in my old age.”
I nearly laughed. Despite his extended life, Lord Gilder didn’t look a day over forty-five.
We reached the top and I immediately noticed there was no door. Rather, we stepped straight from the staircase into the room where the curved walls were lined with books.
"It's a library," I breathed.
"I thought you might appreciate it," Lord Gilder said.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the sheer volume of books. I moved to the nearest wall and began scanning the titles. Vampire Wishes. Under the Transylvania Moon. Fang Me, Vampire. I glanced at Lord Gilder in surprise.
"These are romances."
"You seem surprised."
“You don't strike me as the type of man who would enjoy romantic stories.” I cringed inwardly. Why would I insult him like that? I didn’t know Lord Gilder well enough to make such a sweeping statement.
Thankfully, he found humor in my assessment. "I assure you, not all the books in here are romances, but a healthy portion of them are. I, for one, get swept away by a good love story."
I continued reading the titles on the shelves. Most of them I’d never heard of. "Is there a whole vampire literary scene that I don't know about?"
Lord Gilder smiled, revealing his impressive fangs. "I imagine there is an entire world of literature that you know nothing about. I mean no offense."
"It's too bad you moved away from Dr. Hall. I bet she'd be in your library every day."
Lord Gilder’s brow lifted. "Catherine?" He shook his head. "She never struck me as the kind of woman who would enjoy a good romance."
I cast a sidelong glance at him. "I can assure you that she would." I knew it was dangerous to wade into matchmaking waters with a nut like Catherine Hall, but her love for Lord Gilder was so obvious that I hated to miss the opportunity.
"You used to live next door to her, didn't you?"
Lord Gilder rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, of course. That was such a long time ago."
"She speaks very highly of you," I said. "Trust me, I haven't known her very long, but she doesn't speak highly of too many people."
This time Lord Gilder tilted his head back and laughed. "So you really have gotten to know her."
"Sounds like she's had an interesting life," I said.
"We all have," Lord Gilder said. "Including you." He clasped his hands behind his back and paced the length of the floor. “Although I expect you are not here to speak to me about Catherine Hall. My instincts tell me that you’re here to speak about Walter Rivers."
One step ahead of me. No surprise there. “As a matter fact, I am. How did you know?"
"I heard about his death," Lord Gilder explained. "I also heard that you and Astrid had been to see Quinty. Quinty’s office would lead you to Pansy."
"And Pansy would lead to you," I finished for him.
He nodded. "I understand why Pansy would come to you and not the sheriff under the circumstances. She must be devastated. They were so close.”
So he knew about the affair too, but chose to keep it quiet.
“Tell me about this invention that Walter was making for you. A flying machine?“
Lord Gilder nodded. “I liked the idea. We’re bound to this town for eternity. I envy those of you who can take
to the air. Walter thought he could create a safe way for non-magic users to do so as well.”
“What went wrong?” I asked.
Lord Gilder paused. “Wrong?”
“Pansy said you and Walter had a disagreement and you withdrew the rest of the funding.”
He rubbed his chin. “Ah, I see. Walter didn’t tell her the whole truth of the matter. I suppose it’s not unexpected.”
“You didn’t have a disagreement?”
“Oh, we did, but not over the invention. I was quite happy with his progress.”
“Then why did you pull the funding?”
He inhaled slowly. “I told you I’m a bit of a romantic. It bothered me to see Walter misapply his sense of propriety.”
“What do you mean?”
“Walter and Pansy…They were true love. Anyone who saw them together could feel the spark. It saddened me to think of him wasting his life as well as his wife’s. She deserved the chance to find what he’d found with Pansy.”
“So you bribed him?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps? Under the terms of our agreement, he was required to tell his wife within ninety days or I would pull the funding.” He hesitated. “I don’t think he believed I’d go through with it.”
“Are you friendly with Marianne?” It seemed odd to be so invested in a relative stranger’s happiness.
“It was more about the ideal than the specific person,” he explained. “Walter didn’t love her. He should have had the courage to let her go. I tried to motivate him, but, alas, I failed.”
Lord Gilder had no reason to murder Walter. While he may have meddled in Walter’s affairs, he had no personal stake in the matter—no vampire pun intended.
“Speaking of the courage to let someone go, will I be seeing you on Saturday?”
His unexpected question rattled me. “Um, yes. Of course. It’s Daniel’s special day. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
He gave me a sympathetic smile. “You will find the courage that Walter lacked, of that I have no doubt.”
“You’re forgetting a crucial distinction, Lord Gilder,” I said sadly. “Walter had a choice, whereas I don’t. I gave it my best, but the situation is beyond my control now. It isn’t courage that dictates my actions. It’s acquiescence.”
He snorted. “Such big words from such a young mouth. You’d be surprised to learn what you are capable of when your feet are held to the fire,” he said.
I stared at a wall of books, pondering his statement. I had no idea what I was capable of when my feet were held to the fire—I only knew that I didn’t want to get burned.
Chapter 19
Naturally Saturday was another perfect day in Spellbound. Secretly I hoped today would be the day for clouds and the threat of rain, but I knew that wouldn't happen. Not to Elsa. She demanded perfection, even from Mother Nature. From her golden blond hair to her toned body, she didn’t have a care in the world. And that was what made the whole Daniel ordeal so infuriating. Elsa Knightsbridge had every advantage in life. A devoted mother. Plenty of money. Beauty and brains to match. She even had a loving fiancé in Jasper before she decided to ditch him for Daniel. She didn't need to do this, but it must've irked her to no end that Daniel had rejected her. This was never about her deep, abiding love for him. It was always about revenge, getting her clutches on the one thing she was denied. At her very core, Elsa was still a spoiled brat.
"I expected you to wear something more provocative," Gareth said, inspecting my tasteful plum-colored dress.
"Provocative? Like the dress from the bachelorette party?” I tried to imagine Daniel’s reaction if I showed up at his wedding wearing that.
“That wasn’t a dress,” Gareth said. “It was a tissue.”
“Frankly, I’m still shocked I'm planning to attend." I didn't know what I expected to happen. Maybe a plague of frogs raining down from the sky. My plan had failed, so now I was doomed to watch Daniel joined in unholy matrimony to a lying, scheming fairy. She’d given herself quite the daily task—poisoning him with Obsession potion for the rest of her life.
"I'm a wee bit disappointed that I'm going to miss the spectacle," Gareth said. "There's no way this is going off without a hitch."
"I don't know why you would say that," I said. "Elsa always gets her way. If she wants the perfect wedding to the perfect angel, that’s exactly what she gets.”
Gareth frowned. "Someone is feeling a bit sorry for herself today."
I glared at him. "Can you blame me? I know the truth and yet there’s nothing I can do about it. Mayor Knightsbridge destroyed the evidence. Elsa knows I'm on to her. No one will believe me because everyone knows how I feel about Daniel.”
"You’re tight with the sheriff," Gareth said. "Perhaps Astrid could pull together enough evidence for an arrest."
"That's the problem," I said. "There is no evidence. There’s my word against hers. Everyone in town will think it's sour grapes. Like the mayor said, Elsa is beautiful and they cared for each other once. Why not now?”
Gareth fell silent, knowing that I made a good point.
Would it help if I pooped on her head? Sedgwick asked.
I looked over my shoulder to where my familiar sat on his perch. "The petty part of me says please do, but everyone will know you did it for me."
It's the thought that counts, Sedgwick said.
I felt something rough scrape along my calf and glanced down to see Magpie peering up at me. Even the hell beast felt sorry for me today. Now I really felt down in the dumps.
"I appreciate your support, Magpie," I said. "I know we don't always see eye to eye, mainly because you only have one to spare, but it means a lot to me that you care."
Magpie hissed and swiped at me before scampering out the door.
"That was a supportive gesture in case you were wondering,” Gareth said.
"I'll take your word for it," I replied. I checked myself in the mirror one last time, not that it mattered how I looked. Daniel would only have eyes for his bride today…and for the rest of his life. It was too heavy a thought so I pushed it away. Dr. Hall would have to find room in her schedule for all the extra sessions I'd need to get me through the next few decades.
The wind chimes sounded and my heart skipped a beat. It was time to go.
"I wish I could be there to support you," Gareth said softly. “I’m sorry.”
I gave him a sad smile. "I know you’ll be here to support me when I get back and that's enough."
He bent down and pressed his forehead against mine. "Do you feel that?" he asked.
"I do," I said. It was a slight pressure, but it was there. "Just don't head-butt me. It might actually hurt."
"Go answer the door before he thinks you’ve changed your mind," Gareth said.
I took a steadying breath and headed downstairs. I opened the door and was surprised to see Markos on my front porch in his minotaur form.
"I thought I would go au naturel today, if you don't mind," he said.
I smiled brightly. "You have no idea how much you’ve cheered me up," I said. I reached across the threshold and wrapped my arms around his expanded chest. His fur was as soft as I remembered.
"You look pretty today," he said. "Well, you look pretty every day, but especially this morning."
"Thank you, Markos," I said. "And you look particularly handsome." He was so tall now that there was no way we’d fit in his sleek sports jalopy. "How exactly are we getting to Swan Lake?"
On cue, a large carriage approached. This one was different from the Cinderella-style carriage Elsa had used for her engagement party. This was an open air carriage, which meant that there was no ceiling for Markos to bump his curved horns on. It also meant that everyone in town could see that Markos and I were attending the wedding together. That was sure to set tongues wagging.
"After you, Miss Hart,” he said, gesturing me forward.
The elf footman helped me into the carriage first and Markos settled across from me.
&
nbsp; "I suppose Gareth is feeling left out," Markos said.
"At this point, FOMO is a chronic condition for him," I said. "But if his progress continues, he'll be attending social events in no time."
Markos’s brow furrowed. “What’s FOMO?”
“Fear Of Missing Out.”
The carriage streaked across town to the eastern border of Spellbound. In fact, half of Swan Lake was within the town border and half was outside of it. I learned this the hard way when I ran toward the water to escape a runaway Sigmund. Daniel swooped down from the cliff and saved me from a watery death, but, in doing so, he brought me inside the border of the cursed town.
The blue water of the lake glistened in the distance and I saw a floating platform adorned with white streamers and a ceremonial arch.
"I guess they're going to perform their vows on the floating platform," Markos observed.
"Looks that way," I said.
There were already hundreds of guests gathered on the shore of the lake. I spotted most of the town council members, including Lady Weatherby. The twisted antlers of her headdress were adorned with tiny white flowers. She actually looked quite festive. We alighted from the carriage and joined the other guests on the shoreline. Lucy buzzed over to me, her pink wings in a tizzy.
"There you are," Lucy said. "I was wondering if you'd changed your mind."
"I was wondering whether Mayor Knightsbridge was going to change her mind about allowing me to be here," I said, glancing over Lucy's shoulder to where the mayor was greeting guests. Her large blue wings were lined with crystals in honor of the special day.
"You know the mayor," Lucy whispered. "She would never risk the scene on her daughter's big day. Banning you would draw attention away from the bride.”
Markos wrapped a large arm around me and squeezed. “No matter what happens today, it’s going to be okay."
“We’re here,” Begonia said, pushing through the throng of bodies. “You won’t go through this alone.”
“This is my first wedding,” Laurel said. “Because I’m the youngest, I always end up getting cut from the guest list.”
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