Chapter Seven #2
Slightly dizzy from her rapid speech and frustrated by his continued presence, she huffed. “Yes.” She wouldn’t tell him about her family or her ancestry, as that would only add legitimacy to her claims. “So, you see, it would be better for you to leave. My mission is very dangerous.”
“Oh, but now I cannot.” He crossed his arms and nodded. “If there are vampires lurking about, it would be ungentlemanly to leave you unprotected.”
Her cheeks heated. “You are hardly a gentleman.”
How was she ever going to get the man to go away? Perhaps it was better just to accept that he wouldn’t leave. If she encountered a vampire, that would surely be enough to send him running. She didn’t know many men outside her family who would willingly confront such a creature.
“Fine. You can stay, Mr. Drake.”
He bowed. “If I am to be your protector, you must call me ‘Jonathan.’”
“Absolutely not, Mr. Drake. And I never agreed to let you be my protector.” She was the one who had the weapons, and she doubted he’d be of any use in a fight.
The thought of coming to his aid made her smile. She was used to being treated as weak, but now she had the knowledge and the power. As soon as they encountered anything dangerous, Mr. Drake’s confidence would vanish.
“What’s your plan, then?” he asked. “Skulk about alleys until you stumble over a fresh body?”
“Of course. Hopefully yours.”
“Is that a threat?” He bounced to his feet and draped his arms over her shoulders.
She twirled out of his grasp. He was daft if he thought he could distract her.
She had far more important things to worry about.
With every passing month, there were more deaths.
She had no idea how many vampires there were in the city, but her family had records going back centuries.
There seemed to be more of them with every passing year.
Not for long.
When the people of London saw her exhibit, they would be much more vigilant. Vampires in hiding would be flushed out and summarily executed, which was exactly what they deserved.
“Are you sure that’s going to happen?” Mr. Drake asked.
She realized she’d been speaking her thoughts out loud and flushed.
“Here’s what I think,” he said. “Perhaps some people will believe what they see in your exhibit. They’ll return home and look at their friends and neighbors with suspicion.
Perhaps they will see the evidence of a vampire in the young woman who lives by herself, who only wants to be left alone, but will instead be dragged from her house and murdered. ”
Felicity gulped. She’d never considered that civilians might suffer because of her actions.
“I-I’ll have to take that risk.” It would be worth it to rid the city of vampires, which would hopefully include the black-veiled woman from her nightmares.
She had to believe that and not let Mr. Drake plant seeds of doubt in her mind.
That Winifred had urged her to cancel the exhibit was all the proof she needed to press forward.
Mr. Drake stared at the sky, his hands tucked into his pockets, as if he had not a care in the world. What did he have to fear? No one would question his presence on the street at night. He could follow her for as long as he wished, blissfully ignorant of the danger.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked.
She jerked her gaze away. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you are talking about.”
He chuckled. “You don’t have to pretend. I saw you staring.” He heaved a sigh. “Ladies simply cannot resist me. It is a curse.”
She snorted. “The only one cursed here is me. Cursed to have you follow me.”
He uttered an exaggerated gasp, then staggered past her, one hand clutching his chest. “How will I recover from the pain of your rejection?”
His antics were so ridiculous that she couldn’t help but laugh.
The man had a flair for the dramatic. He reminded her of Winifred, who had once been equally eccentric, before her parents had pressured her into focusing on finding a husband.
Then, Winifred had changed, becoming quieter and more reserved.
Felicity dearly wished she could have one more afternoon sitting beside her cousin in a library while they both read or whispered plans for their future.
“It’s so quiet suddenly,” Mr. Drake said. They had made a complete loop of the block and were back at the broken fountain. She peered at her distorted reflection. As much as she wished things could have been different, it was too late to do anything about Winifred.
Then she noticed something in the water. A swirl of red, like a droplet of blood.
“Do you see that?” she asked. She assumed Mr. Drake was standing right behind her, but when she turned, he was a fair distance away.
“What is it?” he asked.
She gestured to the water. “See for yourself.”
He shook his head.
She put her hands on her hips. “What’s the problem? Are you scared of getting wet?”
Before he could answer that, she caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She spun around while shoving her hands in her cloak to grab her knives, but it was too late.