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Chapter Thirty-Seven
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2021-08-31 03:43:22It was a week since I’d convinced Duncan to speed up my recovery by giving me some of his blood. He’d hesitated for fear of Rosalie’s concern of my turning vampire would occur, but he eventually gave in. I really didn’t need his blood to heal. I was healing well without it, but I didn’t tell him that. When I had Duncan’s blood flowing through my veins all of my senses were heightened and my powers more acute. I needed all the advantage I could get for what I was about to do.
I’d managed to connect with Elizabeth’s spirit. She wasn’t as easy to summon as Isabelle’s, but I eventually managed. My heart ached as she told me how Lady Margaret learned of her association with me and arranged to have her killed. She laughed at the irony of how she’d feared losing her life to her vampire brother instead of her human mistress. The danger of being in Rufus’ company was so blatantl
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“Jane Wells! Where are you?”I covered my ears with my hands. The old crone's screeching was enough to make me want to rip them from my head. Mildred Elliot's squalling voice grated on my nerves like nails against a blackboard. I’d told her so on more than one frustrated occasion. It had little impact on the old woman, other than reinforcing her viewpoint that I was a bit “odd in the head”. Mildred hadn't a clue what a blackboard was. They weren't invented yet. That came years later, around the turn of the nineteenth century, when a headmaster in Scotland named James Pilans got it into his head to frame a piece of slate for the school's use. The screeching old crone I was fervently dodging happened to be located in England in the year seventeen-forty-five.I didn’t belong in that time or place. I was a covert transient from the twenty-first century. I’d traveled back in time
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I came to my senses by evening and called Duncan’s cell phone. No answer. So, I tried his house phone. Again, no answer. This went on for days. Thinking me disgusted and frightened by his true identity, he’d gone into hiding. It took almost two weeks for him to resurface.I used this time of separation from my lover to study and research as much as I could about vampires. I ran across a statement that stuck in my head and just kept playing over and over. God makes and loves all things and all creatures. It’s man who decides what’s evil and what’s not. It was so true. Sure, the vampires that attacked me and my group of muggers were bad, but so were the muggers. There are good and bad in all species. I knew in my heart of hearts that Duncan was good. If the truth was to be known; even if he was bad, it was too late. I’d already fallen in love with him.I felt Dunca
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Isabelle's warnings were significant, but not enough to change my mind; even if Duncan was able to change hers. It took some time before Duncan managed to convince Isabelle that our plan was a bad idea. By the time he did, I'd already learned enough to do it on my own, if need be.Once my mind was made up, I took the time to study enough on the sly until I was able to work a spell to teleport myself through time without risking Isabelle by using her as my anchor. When no one suspected what I was up to, I did just that.I'd cast a spell to travel back in time far enough in advance of the attack on Duncan to allow time to find him, meet him, gain his trust, and then return to the future with him before the fateful attack could take place. I was to return no later than the day before the attack. I hadn't the skills to elongate my visit. If we missed the opening of the portal of time, I wasn't sure I'd be able to work a new spell w
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I thought of Duncan. I was actually going to meet him... or the him he was... is... The situation was complicated, even for me.Duncan. I wondered what he was doing in the future. Was he searching for me? Had he even noticed I was gone? One of the things I learned from Isabelle was that there is no such thing as linear time. Man fabricated it to support the reality he chose to experience when he was placed on the planet. Many creatures other than men -such as vampires- are aware of this to some extent and can in many ways bend time. This meant that, if a person knew the way to break the barriers that split the illusion of time into linear sectors, it was possible to go back and forth with only a matter of seconds being realized by those you left behind. Therefore, even though my reality was experiencing weeks of my absence from the twenty first century, those I left behind only experienced a few minutes of time; a da
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The arrival of the earl’s groom brought his request back to the forefront. I had no choice but to comply with the summons. I smoothed my hair under my cap as best I could and wiped my hands in the folds of my apron. It may seem silly, but I was meeting Duncan’s father and my natural desire was to make a good impression. Why? I couldn’t say. It just was.My mind whirled as I followed the young man up the wooden stairs of the tavern to the Earl’s room at the end of the hall. I’d never been on this floor of the inn and couldn’t help feeding my curiosity a bit. The walls were covered with flocked paper and appeared smooth and well kept. As we progressed down the hall with its well tread-upon floorboards, I noticed the doors grew further and further apart; indicating that the rooms they led to were slightly larger and intended for their more important guests. This made sense since the n
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The inn was surprisingly close to Duncan’s family estate. I soon found myself immersed in a deep copper tub filled with soothing lavender scented water, while the heat of the fireplace sent warm waves over my exposed flesh.I was in heaven.I’d learned from various covert conversations that the woman they mistook me for was Margaret-Jane Bush. I found this interesting since my given name was also Margaret–Jane and I’d shortened it to Jane. She’d shortened hers to Margaret.It was remarkable enough that we shared a name, but the fact that we looked the same topped the scales of uncanny.I found a small portrait of Lady Margaret and was amazed by the resemblance. It could have easily been me who’d sat for the artist. Not only did we look alike, but I soon discovered we wore the same size when Elizabeth helped me dress for dinner. I marveled over the fit of the yellow dress with orange underla
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Having been a sufferer of acute claustrophobia for as long as I can remember, I find the black of night frighteningly confining. Since there were no night lights to ease my discomfort and it was far too dangerous -not to mention wasteful- to keep a candle going while sleeping, I had to force myself to acclimate to the darkness. I managed, but I certainly couldn’t claim to be comfortable in it. That was when I missed Duncan the most. He always made me feel so safe.The following morning didn’t bring me much comfort, other than the light of day.Duncan. My heart sank at the thought of him. I needed to know how he truly felt about me, but how? He was in the twenty-first century going through his day without any inkling that I’d ignored his wishes and traveled back in time.To the wrong time!Worst yet, I’d done it without the aid of Isabelle. Now that I’d learned more about the fin
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I remembered all too well how tiring the transfer through time was. I’d also needed time to adjust. I led her to my bed and helped her get comfortable. Elizabeth hadn’t been notified of my return and she wouldn’t be looking for me until it was time to dress for dinner. This gave Isabelle a few hours of rest before we had to worry about her presence in my room.I moved around the room as quietly as I could so as not to disturb her. Even though I’d been the recipient of Isabelle’s surprise visit, I was still anxious to learn as much as I could about Margaret. After fingering through her meager belongings, I sat in one of the armless baroque chairs placed against the wall opposite the room’s entry. I took a moment to admire the remarkable comfort of the seating while stroking the thick floor to ceiling tapestry that hung on the wall. Its intricate wooded scene was breathtaking. I couldn’t r
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For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-Seven
It was a week since I’d convinced Duncan to speed up my recovery by giving me some of his blood. He’d hesitated for fear of Rosalie’s concern of my turning vampire would occur, but he eventually gave in. I really didn’t need his blood to heal. I was healing well without it, but I didn’t tell him that. When I had Duncan’s blood flowing through my veins all of my senses were heightened and my powers more acute. I needed all the advantage I could get for what I was about to do.I’d managed to connect with Elizabeth’s spirit. She wasn’t as easy to summon as Isabelle’s, but I eventually managed. My heart ached as she told me how Lady Margaret learned of her association with me and arranged to have her killed. She laughed at the irony of how she’d feared losing her life to her vampire brother instead of her human mistress. The danger of being in Rufus’ company was so blatantl
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-Six
Isabelle stood next to me while we watched Lady Helen enter the tent and then flee back out of it shouting for help. Duncan cradled my limp body in his arms and rocked me back and forth. He was clearly at a loss of what to do.Rosalie rushed into the tent with Lady Helen close at her heels. She inspected my eyes and my breathing and announced I was still alive, but just barely. She rambled in outraged Spanish and Isabelle translated it to me. Apparently she was repremanding my almost dead body for being foolish enough to donate blood when the miscarriage took more than it should to begin with. She claimed I had barely enough blood flowing in my veins to support me after such an ordeal, let alone revive a vampire. I’m pretty sure she called me stupid, although Isabelle woundn’t own up to it if she did.I listened while they debated what to do. I was so close to death that if Duncan revived me with his blood the
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-Five
I held tight while her dragon carried us swiftly back to her encampment. During the flight, she filled me in on what happened during my absence.Duncan went into a rage, declaring his regrets about allowing us to convince him to let me go into the cave in his stead. This information was of no surprise to me. Even so, I was sorry to hear it.Lady Margaret was brought before the coven and her powers were bound. She was then handed over to the Earl of Winter Spring to do with as he will. The fact that she’d tried to kill his only heir and caused him to become vampire didn’t sit well with the earl. Although it was a crime punishable by death, he sent her to the dungeon instead. A kind man by nature, he couldn’t bring himself to hang the girl he’d accepted as his ward and helped raise.I’d lost track of the time and learned they’d been looking for me for the better part of a month. Rosalie actually complemen
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-Four
It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the grass twenty feet below. I was sure of it. This type of silence was abnormal and concerned me. I’d been locked in my room since Rufus discovered me at the cave, with only the information Elizabeth was able to share with me to tell me what was happening in the outside world. She’d yet to come to my room, so I waited impatiently.She was late.It was near noon before a strange serving woman brought my food to me. Since I was ravenous from not eating since the night before, combined with being pregnant with vampire child, I dove into my fare with very little thought as to why Elizabeth still hadn’t come to my room or why this strange serving woman was bringing me food.I failed to monitor my food intake and was soon feeling ill from gorging myself with a trencher made of fresh, crusty bread that was filled with perfectly seasoned mutton stew. I’d left nothing behi
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-Three
I was angry.I was angry at Duncan because he hadn’t mated with me vampire style to assure I’d be considered his.I was angry at Rufus because he had mated with me so many times since he’d brought me from the cave to his estate that I’d lost count.I was angry with Elizabeth because she wandered in and out of the room to tend to my needs, yet didn’t believe she could help me escape.I was angry with Rosalie for not being strong enough to battle and win against a dozen vampire witches by remote.I was angry with Isabelle for dying.I was angry with myself for stupidly being the catalyst for all of this by going back in time.In short, I was just angry.On top of that, my entire body ached.I was never as grateful to have Duncan’s vampire blood in me as I was when Rufus bedded me with such fury that I wondered if I’d survive. I’m sure, my body having only re
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-Two
I did my best to hide my nervousness as I walked into the mouth of the cave that felt more like the lion’s den. Elizabeth saw to it that I was dressed from head to toe in Margaret’s wardrobe. Her feet were slightly smaller than mine and the shoes pinched, but Rosalie was adamant that every article of clothing on my body have the vibration of the high priestess only. Vampires could smell and hear so much better than people. They had a sense of simply knowing that astounded the witches. Even with the precautions we were taking, there was still a good possibility one of them might discover the ruse for what it was.Capturing Lady Margaret was a relatively simple task. Duncan’s father simply sent her a request to meet in the family’s private library. Not realizing he was aware of her true nature, she walked right into the trap. Elizabeth confided that she worried what might happen, should Lady Margaret be exonerated by the coven, bu
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty-One
I was blissfully displaying my gorgeous engagement ring to anyone with a pair of eyes willing to admire it when Isabelle finally raised the question of what to do about both Lady Margaret and Lord Rufus.According to vampire law, Lord Rufus was first to impregnate me and therefore was my official husband. Since it was rare for a vampire to find a mortal he or she wanted to mate with, this was a law that was supported and held sacred by every vampire on the planet. Every vampire except Duncan, that is. Duncan stayed away from other vampires as much as possible while integrating with mortals on a daily basis in an attempt to lessen his vampirism. Even so, just because he seldom associated with them, it was still necessary to abide by the laws put forth for vampires; which was why he’d agonized so heavily over what to do about me. My only saving grace was the fact that I’d aborted the child before Rufus learned of his actual success. He only had his
For Love of a Vampire Chapter Thirty
Duncan resembled a waxed doll when they laid him on the cot in the back of Rosalie’s enormous tent. I searched for signs of life. His chest showed signs of shallow breaths being taken. Shallow breaths meant he still had life. I’d take that for now.He needed to feed immediately and it had to be human blood. Knowing how he felt about drinking the blood of humans, I asked if there was another way to save him. There wasn’t.This was my fault. If I hadn’t come back into the past, Duncan would be safe in the future, as would Isabelle. My foolish, thoughtless actions caused the death of a dear friend, and possibly the death of the one true love of my life. It didn’t matter that he was no longer in love with me. Through him, I’d experienced a love I never thought possible and I would always remember that.I took a deep breath and looked around. Rosalie had put the word out f
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I was excused to explore the camp while Rosalie sat with Helen and picked her brain of everything she knew about Margaret. It felt good to wander freely without fear of being abducted by crazy Vivian or now… Lord Rufus. I considered petitioning to be able to stay at the camp permanently once the danger for Duncan was removed. Since Duncan and I were no more and I was stuck in the past, it seemed like a great place to live out my days. I’d be able to interact with Isabelle as if she was flesh and not a semi-transparent apparition and I could continue my studies. It seemed like a plan.I stopped at the center market and chatted with the merchants selling their wares. Many of them came to the camp from nearby farms. Some were alive and traveled back and forth through dimensions, while others were in spirit and this was their home. I lost count of how many times I was warned not to leave the parameter of the encampment where Rosalie&rsqu
