Chapter Nineteen
It was late that night when Stefan returned from hunting. For once, he’d had no interest in prey. His every thought had been for Bryony.
He was about to go down to his lair when he heard the soft sound of her tears.
Ah, Bryony. So young and innocent, so ripe for the taking.
Eager as always to see her, hold her, he went up to her room.
Standing outside the door, he tried to quell his conscience as he listened to her weeping.
Deny it as he might, he was responsible for her tears.
She missed her family desperately and it was all his fault.
Monster.
Opening the door, he moved unerringly through the darkness to her bedside and took her in his arms. “Hush, love.”
She buried her face in his shirtfront and cried the harder.
With a sigh, he stroked her hair. “I will make a bargain with you.”
She sniffed. “What kind of bargain?”
“If you will stay here with me for the next three months and promise not to run away, I will take you home.”
She looked up at him through eyes luminous with tears, her nose red, her cheeks damp.
“I will agree on one condition. You let me go home and see my family so they’ll know I’m all right.”
“No.”
She glared at him. Stubborn man! Everything had to be his way. “Will you at least let me send them a letter?”
He nodded. “As long as I can read it first.”
Huffing a sigh, she wiped her eyes. “Very well.”
“You swear?” he asked. “You swear you will not try to run away?”
“Yes, I do. Do you swear you will let me go in three months?”
“I give you my word of honor, fair Bryony.”
The word of a vampire, she thought. What was it worth? But she had no other choice than to trust him.
“As I must trust you,” he said. “Sleep now.”
Bryony didn’t think she would be able to sleep after Stefan’s surprise announcement, but her eyelids grew heavy as soon as he left her room. She slept far past her usual time and didn’t wake until one of the maid’s shook her shoulder to see if she was sick.
She took breakfast in her room, then sat at the desk, her brow furrowed. Dipping her quill in a pot of ink, she wrote a short note to her father. She rewrote it three times before she was satisfied with it. When it was done, she rang for the maid and requested water for a bath.
Going to the window, she gazed into the distance.
Three months with Stefan of her own free will and then he would take her home.
She couldn’t wait to see Eli and Veronica.
Had Eli talked her father into buying him the Arab stallion he had been wanting?
Was Robert still courting her sister? Would there be a wedding in the family?
A wedding. Frowning, she sank down in the chair by the window.
Would her father still insist she marry Lord Bloodworth?
She thrust the unwelcome thought away as the maids came in to fill the tub and lay out her clothing for the day.
Stepping out of her nightgown and into the deliciously warm water, she put all thoughts of the corpulent Lord Bloodworth out of her mind.
She had three months to worry about that unpleasant event.
Three more months with Stefan. Not a completely disagreeable way to spend the time.
When she left her room an hour later, he was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, looking as handsome as ever in a dark brown shirt, buff trousers, brown boots and a wide-brimmed hat.
He was a fine figure of a man. She couldn’t help but admire his broad shoulders.
She knew the strength of his arms, arms that had held her so tenderly.
He smiled when he saw her, a smile to melt her heart if she let it.
“Good afternoon, fair Bryony.” Taking her hand, he kissed her palm.
It sent a shiver of delight coursing through her. “Good day, Stefan.” Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew her letter. “For my father.”
With a nod, he unfolded the sheet of paper.
My dear family ~
I cannot tell you where I am or what has occurred
these past months, but rest assured I am well.
No harm has befallen me and I am well-provided for.
I shall be home in three months’ time.
I love you all and miss you dreadfully.
All my love, Bry
Refolding the missive, he slipped it into his trousers’ pocket. “I will deliver it tonight.”
“You will assure them I’m all right?”
He nodded.
“How do you know where they live?” she asked, her brow furrowing with suspicion.
“I was curious to know where you came from, so one night I went into the city and made inquiries at the pubs. Eventually, I overheard two men talking about Lord Barrett’s youngest daughter, who had gone missing. It was easy enough to find the location of your home.”
“You went there? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It did not seem wise at the time. Be assured they were all well and missing you.” He tugged on her hand. “Come along.”
“Where are we going?”
“Shopping in the city.”
The city turned out to be London, somewhere she had never been.
With his preternatural ability, it took only moments to reach each of their destinations.
He took her shopping at all the best shops, where he told her to buy anything and everything she wanted.
They stopped for tea in a delightful tea room, strolled through a grassy park, paused to watch the boats drift down the river.
Wherever they went, women paused to stare at him, while men gave him a wide berth.
She stared in awe at the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben.
Such beautiful architecture, unlike anything she had ever seen before.
He gave her a brief history of each one.
She glanced at Stefan from time to time, wondering if he was trying to bribe her into staying longer than three months.
It was late when they returned home. He had taken her to supper before they left the city and now all she wanted to do was take off her shoes and go to bed.
He carried her shopping bags up to her room, dropped them inside her bedchamber door, and drew her into his arms. “Sweet dreams, fair Bryony.”
“Do you dream?” she asked, gazing into his eyes.
“Not until I met you.” He brushed his lips across her cheeks, her lips, the top of her head.
“Thank you for today,” she murmured. “You are so good to me.”
“It pleases me to please you.” He drew her closer. Lowering his head, he kissed her long and hard, his arms holding her body close to his.
She moaned softly, wondering what power he had over her that made her burn with longing whenever she was in his embrace. He kissed her again and again before he stepped away.
Taking her hand in his, he kissed her palm. “Until tomorrow,” he said, and left her there feeling weak and wanting so much more.
Stefan re-read Bryony’s note as he stood at the edge of Barrett’s property.
He had considered sending the note by messenger, but he was curious to see the man’s reaction when he learned his daughter was alive and well.
Would Barrett call off the search? Or would he double it, thinking the letter meant she was close at hand?
Striding up to the front door, Stefan lifted the knocker and let it fall. Although it was quite late, a butler answered the door immediately.
“May I help you, sir?”
“I would like to see Lord Barrett.”
“I’m afraid his Lordship is not receiving callers at this hour.”
“He will want to see me. I have a message from his daughter.”
The man’s eyes widened with interest. “Come in, come in. Please, have a seat.”
The butler took the broad, winding stairs to the second floor two at a time.
Stefan stood at the foot of the staircase, listening to the conversation of the two men. In minutes, Barrett, clad in a dark-blue, silk dressing gown, came hurrying down the stairs.
“You have news of my daughter?” he asked brusquely.
Stefan withdrew Bryony’s letter from his pocket and handed it to him.
Barrett read it once, quickly, and then again, more slowly. Folding the note, he tucked it into the pocket of his robe and then looked Stefan up and down, his eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“Merely a messenger.”
Barrett grunted softly. Like hell. His visitor was too arrogant by half to be any kind of servant. Preternatural power radiated from him. The word vampire whispered through the back of his mind. “Do you know where my daughter is?”
“Yes.”
“You will take me to her immediately.”
“No.”
“No?” Barrett glared at him, his complexion darkening with impotent rage and fear for his daughter’s life.
Thinking of Bryony at the mercy of this creature sickened him and yet, at the moment, there was nothing he could do about it, not with his family asleep upstairs.
He had seen first-hand what vampires could do, the carnage they left in their wake.
He took a deep breath hoping to calm his fears.
Stefan watched Barrett’s eyes. The man was a wealthy land owner, powerful, accustomed to getting what he wanted, when he wanted, by any means necessary, but smart enough to know when he was outmatched.
A quick brush of Barrett’s mind told Stefan everything he needed to know.
Bryony’s father was a retired hunter with ties to the Guild.
Stefan grunted softly. Perhaps Leyton Barrett posed a greater threat than he had first thought.
Even now the man was weighing his chances of taking Stefan down.
“Is she being held against her will?” Barrett asked, his hands clenched at his sides.
“No. Do you have a message for her?”
“Tell my daughter that she is loved and missed and that we eagerly await her return.” Barrett drew himself up to his full height, his gaze holding Stefan’s.
“Know this. If anything happens to her, if she is being detained by force, I will not rest until whoever has taken her has paid the ultimate price.”
With a nod, Stefan turned and left the house, all too aware of Barrett’s angry gaze burning into his back.