Revenge is Sweet

by Berni Stevens

  ‘You do like to instigate grudges don’t you?’ I found myself thinking about Khiara again.

  He continued to speak slowly as though I hadn’t spoken. ‘For me, it was merely a game, and Emily the coveted prize to be won. I am not proud of my actions, but at the time, I tended to trample over people’s feelings without compunction. Although I did grow to care for Emily in the year we had together – at least as much as I was able at the time. Poor girl.’

  ‘That must have been lovely for her.’ A slight tinge of bitterness coloured my voice. Even though I felt sympathy for Will, I couldn’t bear listening to him profess caring for another woman – however long ago it had been. Jealousy seared through me.

  Will’s eyes immediately met mine, and he touched my cheek gently with his fingertips.

  ‘Elinor, you surely know by now, how much you mean to me. Emily was a sweet girl, and I enjoyed the challenge of winning her from another man, plus the match pleased my father. But you are the woman I love more than life itself. Or death.’ He smiled briefly. ‘My one and only true love. I want you, and you alone, for all eternity. Please do not let my sordid confessions distress you.’

  He always knew what to say. Decades of practice in the art of flattery no doubt. Yet I still couldn’t help but smile back. ‘Go on.’

  ‘I think Thomas adored Emily, and he would have been completely devastated when she chose to marry me. A few weeks after the wedding, he challenged me to a dual. I …’ He paused and looked down at the floor for a moment. When he looked back at me, his eyes were haunted. ‘Like the arrogant fool I was back then, I hit him, laughed in his face, and told him she was already with child. My child. I think he must have blamed both myself, and the baby, for her death – which in turn explains why he has no conscience about killing children. It is obvious he has harboured an abject hatred for children, because of Emily’s death.’

  ‘You were turned only a few weeks after Emily’s death, so who turned Thomas?’

  Will ran a hand through his hair and stood up to start pacing the room. He suddenly turned to face me, ‘I rather think it might have been Khiara.’

  Realisation hit me like a sledgehammer. ‘And you went off to Italy as her … consort …’ I stared at him in horror. ‘So you have – in his eyes – taken his chosen woman twice.’

  He nodded. ‘Which once again raises the question of why he allowed you to be found so easily.’

  I shook my head. I truly had no idea. ‘He wanted us to take Sarah and he wanted us to bring her here …’

  ‘A vampiric Trojan horse.’

  Our eyes met.

  ‘Which means Matthew and the others could be in danger.’

  Will’s Journal, London, May 1705

  Emily has gone to visit with her parents, and I relish the freedom this allows me. She is sweet-natured and beautiful, but her adoration can be a little too cloying sometimes. Part of me realises this is my own guilt – guilt at having literally stolen her from the arms of another in order to make her my wife and comply with my father’s dying wish. However the thrill of the chase inevitably spurs the male of our species on, and I found myself enjoying the knowledge that she belonged to another. Sadly, winning and ultimately, wedding, and bedding the ‘prize,’ did somewhat diminish the same thrill. Emily is now with child, she tires easily, and activities within the bedroom have become non-existent. Shallow of me to think of such things when she has been so unwell during her pregnancy, I know it, and feel shame because of it, but I would have preferred more time with my young wife before she became a mother.

  I am sad my father died before seeing his grandchild, but at least I can rest easy in the knowledge that I made my peace with him by becoming a more responsible heir to his lands and title.

  The house in Bloomsbury has proved to be the perfect alternative to the quiet of the Oxfordshire countryside. As someone both in mourning and newly married, I am not expected to loom large in the Society calendar, which has been a great relief. Therefore I can walk the busy London squares or ride my horse in the parks whenever I wish. London seems more crowded now it has become the country’s busiest port, and I enjoy the anonymity of its streets.

  One afternoon I sat alone in the drawing room, the book in my hands not holding my attention, when the butler brought a card on a silver platter to me.

  He gave a small courteous bow. ‘There is a person to see you, My Lord.’

  ‘A … person?’ I showed mild surprise. It was unlike Jenkins to show ill manners.

  ‘Yes My Lord. He wishes an audience.’

  I frowned and took the card from the platter. The black script read simply, Thomas Walsh. The name sounded vaguely familiar, yet I found it difficult to place the man to go with it. I shrugged my shoulders. I had no other appointments for the afternoon and felt curious.

  ‘Be so good as to show him in Jenkins.’

  With a disapproving sniff, Jenkins left the room to collect the ‘person.’

  ‘Mr Thomas Walsh, My Lord Duke.’ Further proof had I needed it, that Jenkins was not happy. He rarely used my full title, but had obviously decided formality should be used in front of this Thomas Walsh.

  I stood to greet my visitor. I did not recognise him. A man of average height stood before me, dressed in nondescript brown and beige. He wore no wig, so I supposed he was not wealthy, and his dull brown hair lay flat to his head. His features were ill-defined and not at all memorable, apart from the blazing hatred which filled his mud-coloured eyes. Looking at him again, he now looked slightly familiar. I felt perhaps we had met before, but could not remember where.

  ‘Mr Walsh, what can I do for you?’ I held out my hand to him, but he ignored it.

  ‘I have come here Sir, to challenge you to a dual,’ he said. His voice matched his appearance perfectly. Dull and lifeless.

  I raised my eyebrows, trying not to laugh. ‘A dual you say?’

  ‘A dual Sir.’

  This time I did laugh. ‘Forgive me, Mr Walsh, but I do not even know you, so pray tell me why I should fight with you?’

  ‘Emily.’

  ‘Emily? My wife Emily?’

  ‘She was affianced to me, before you seduced her.’

  Now at least the reason for a dual became clear. It also explained why he looked familiar to me.

  I smiled, finding it difficult to take this poor cuckolded man seriously. ‘My dear Mr Walsh, I can assure you there was no seduction before the marriage.’

  ‘Yet you lured her from me with your wealth and your title. That is likened to seduction.’

  ‘Correct me if I am wrong, but I think it quite difficult to lure a young lady unless she is willing to be lured and unless her father sanctions the match. I can only surmise you did not make the grade.’

  The unfortunate creature suddenly leapt at me, but I punched him on the chin before he could lay a hand on me. He fell onto a small nearby table, which splintered from the impact, and he sprawled on the floor, where he sat glaring up at me, blood trickling from his mouth. I crossed the room intending to pull the cord and summon Jenkins, but there was no need, because he and one of the grooms rushed into the room at that point. They each grabbed an arm and hauled Walsh to his feet.

  ‘Should we have him arrested Milord?’

  I shook my head. ‘Just throw him out.’

  ‘She doesn’t love you, you arrogant bastard!’ Walsh struggled in vain.

  ‘Yet she carries my child,’ I said quietly. He flinched at my words and my men dragged him from the room before he could say anything else.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Will threw the mobile onto the bed with a muttered oath. We’d obviously panicked unnecessarily because everyone seemed fine. I sighed with relief. Perhaps Thomas hadn’t planned to use Sarah after all. Yet I still couldn’t shake my feeling of foreboding.

  My thoughts were filled with various horrific possibilities. He had allowed us to take Sarah, and he’d allowed Will to rescue me with apparent ease. Allowed. Something just wasn
’t right about any of this. There had to be a reason.

  Will paced up and down the room, a frown of concentration on his face. Suddenly he spun on his heel and flung open the door to the cellars.

  ‘What do you hear Elinor?’

  I shrugged. ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Is that not strange?’

  At first I didn’t realise what he was getting at … and then … horribly, I did.

  ‘Danny!’

  Will had already gone and I disentangled myself from the duvet and ran downstairs after him. Why hadn’t we realised before? We should know by now that Danny in the house meant noise. Somehow I knew what we’d find, before we even went in to Danny’s room. No Danny. I couldn’t believe we’d been so stupid. Again.

  ‘He might be in the garden,’ I said, but without much hope.

  ‘How I wish I had changed the codes on the doors.’ Will’s deep voice held a tinge of bitterness.

  ‘We should still look outside.’

  He gave me a sympathetic look. ‘If you wish.’

  He strode from the room and I followed him, running to keep up.

  Of course the garden was empty; its serene beauty mocked us whilst we walked its perimeters. Both the garden door and the front gates were still firmly closed.

  ‘He saw you vault over the wall,’ I said, my voice quiet and shocked. ‘He climbed the wall on the night you came to rescue me.’

  ‘Yet if I had changed the codes on the house doors, he would never have gained access to the outside.’

  ‘You couldn’t have known this would happen …’ I began, but Will interrupted me.

  ‘I should have been more aware of the boy and his importance.’

  ‘Why is Danny more important than Sarah?’

  ‘I believe Sarah lied about Thomas being her maker. If that is so, then only the boy is his true fledgling.’

  ‘But there have been so many …’

  ‘The others have all been destroyed – as far as we know – but the boy has been close to us – to you especially – and his knowledge will be invaluable.’

  The horror of Will’s words hit me like stones.

  ‘I need to change all of our security.’ He turned and headed back to the house with me scurrying behind him again.

  The thought of Thomas taking me from Will again, was enough to make me even more paranoid than usual. Certainly paranoid enough to make me run for the house with more speed than an Olympic sprinter.

  Will slammed the door shut with unusual force, and leaned against it for a moment. He stared into my eyes. ‘The bastard has been several steps ahead of us at every turn,’ he said bitterly. ‘He must have been planning this all for years.’

  ‘He hates you that much?’

  ‘Evidently.’

  I watched as Will re-programmed the code for the garden door, and followed him upstairs to the front door where he did the same. Luke knocked on the door just as he was finishing. Will opened the door and motioned him inside.

  ‘The boy’s gone,’ he said.

  Luke swore quietly. ‘We really should have realised that might happen.’

  ‘But why did he let us take Sarah? Is she dispensable?’ I looked from Luke to Will but saw no immediate answers in their eyes.

  ‘I believe Sarah to be somewhat of a red herring,’ Will said finally. ‘Something to keep our attention and successfully leave the boy to his own devices.’

  ‘Would he be able to speak to Danny telepathically?’

  ‘Almost certainly, if you remember, he did so before.’

  I did remember. I remembered Danny saying he could hear Thomas laughing on the terrible night Jez was killed, also the night Danny had tried to open the garden door to get to him, and his terrible anguish when Will prevented it.

  ‘He would always have found a way to get to him,’ I said slowly, and Luke nodded.

  ‘I’m afraid so,’ he said.

  ‘I think Sarah has always been infatuated by him, but I believe Thomas has actually taken over her mind now, to make her – and us – believe she is his fledgling.’ Will had started to pace up and down the large reception area. ‘Obviously we would have spent all our time attempting to extract information from her.’

  ‘How can we get Danny back?’

  ‘Let us see what his demands are at the meeting tomorrow.’

  I had a horrible feeling his demands would include a lot of things we weren’t prepared to agree to, but dawn was close now, and I felt too tired, both emotionally and physically, to voice my fears.

  ‘You need to rest Elinor.’ Will’s voice sounded concerned. ‘Go to bed. I shall join you shortly.’

  I knew he wanted a private word with Luke, so I just nodded and made my way downstairs to the bedroom.

  The beautiful room offered solace. I always felt safe here, and stripping off my clothes, I climbed gratefully into the huge bed.

  I could feel the dawn’s approach pressing against my brain and the gradual loss of movement from my limbs. I hated being awake when this happened. It felt like dying … again. Each dawn we, as vampires, die again. It’s the curse of our kind. Elders like Will are more able to control their waking hours, but newer vampires can’t.

  I closed my eyes and tried to make my mind go blank. There was no life in my body now, a coldness had infiltrated every limb and even after almost a year, I still tried to fight for a life which I no longer had.

  ‘Relax Elinor, I am here now.’ Will’s voice sounded close and soft lips brushed my cheek just before the sleeping death claimed me for the day.

  Will’s Journal, 12th June

  The disappearance of the boy did not exactly come as a surprise, although I had hoped Thomas’s hold over him would have waned by now. I fear for his safety, because once he has served his purpose, I have no doubt Thomas will destroy him. To what ends he will use him, I am not sure, and in fact I wonder whether he will even attend our meeting tomorrow night. I am convinced it was the boy he wanted all along, and Sarah has already served her purpose. He would never have taken control of her mind had he intended to reclaim her.

  I have not discussed the meeting further with Elinor, but I have already decided she should not be present. I know this will cause upset and heated arguments, but I cannot risk her being anywhere near Thomas again. He is cunning, very clever and he has proved time and time again to be ahead of the game. Now he has the boy, he has the lure, which Elinor cannot – and will not – ignore. I am convinced it is Elinor he wishes to ultimately destroy in order to punish me, yet still I am bewildered as to why he allowed her to escape so easily before. If I am going to be melodramatic, then I think he is going for a big finish.

  Luke and Roxanne will stay in the house with Elinor tomorrow, I dare not leave her unattended, and I shall go to the Cemetery with Jake and Stevie.

  Once I was sure Elinor had fallen into the deep death sleep of the young vampire, I broke every rule in my own book, and went back upstairs to phone Khiara at her home in Italy. I am her least favourite person these days, especially after our confrontation last year, but she sounded gracious enough. Slightly amused perhaps, which bothered me more than I would like. Elders always remember their fledglings, certainly the ones they sire intentionally, and she confirmed she had indeed sired Thomas. She said he had been devoted to her, and again I noted the amusement in her voice.

  Clearly Thomas expected to stay with her, but once again found himself cuckolded when Khiara chose me. Had he not behaved so odiously since, I could almost feel some sympathy, but the fact remains he has murdered humans in my own city, many innocent children amongst them – little more than babes, he killed two of my men, and he tortured my beloved Elinor. And who could forget his aggravating cash point raids? I shall enjoy watching the bastard suffer, and suffer he will.

  I cannot help but wonder whether he has been watching and waiting all these centuries, until I found true love. How did he know? He wasn’t in London, because his presence would have been discovered decades ago. So someone
, somewhere, had to have been feeding him information. Luke thinks the informant is Khiara herself, and it does make sense. She would never be a good loser. ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer’, is an adage I really should have heeded.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  ‘It is not up for discussion Elinor. Not this time.’ Will’s eyes flashed dangerous green sparks when I went to speak again. ‘Luke and Roxanne will be here with you, and Jake and Stevie will accompany me to the cemetery.’

  ‘Which bit of “it’s another trap” don’t you get?’ I shouted at him in pure frustration. Why couldn’t he see it? Thomas had outwitted us almost every time, and if he no longer wanted Sarah, what on earth was the point of keeping the appointment at the cemetery? I had, of course, said all of this to Will, who had dismissed everything I’d said – initially, with his customary patience, until he finally lost his temper when I obstinately refused to accept his logical answers.

  Will continued before I could speak again, ‘It is quite possible Thomas will not even turn up,’ he said. ‘But you will be safer in the house, now our security codes have been changed, than you ever would be out in the open.’

  ‘Supposing he comes here anyway? Supposing he’s just waiting for you to leave?’ I shouted back.

  ‘He will not get in.’

  Suddenly incensed, I ran at Will with clenched fists, intending to pummel some sense into him. He caught hold of my hands before I could punch him, and at a slight sign from him, Luke swiftly left the room.

  Keeping a firm grip on my hands, Will almost carried me to the sofa, and forced me to sit. He definitely looked angry now, but my own temper had blazed beyond control and I really wanted a fight.

  I jumped up again, and grabbed at the lapels of his jacket. ‘Have you even thought of that?’ I demanded. ‘He wants you out of the house, so he can use Danny to get in!’