Page 54 of The Highwayman's Bite

Vivian sighed blissfully as Rhys cleaned the dishes and cookware. “Do you know what I love most about this story?”

He tried to tear his gaze away from her radiant face. “What?”

“That I have no idea how it will end. Most tales have a sense of where the characters will end up on their journey, but not this one.” She reached for a basket next to her cot and pulled out one of his stockings, along with a needle and thread. “With all the strange events and blurred lines between fiction and reality, who knows what will become of these odd characters?”

“Yes!” Rhys exclaimed, delighted not only with her understanding of the appeal of such an eccentric story, but also with the sight of her mending his clothing. He tried to remind himself that the gesture meant nothing. Ladies sewed and embroidered to occupy their time. But the domestic picture she presented made his chest tight with yearning for the impossible.

Vivian stitched a hole in his stocking with deft practice and reached for another garment in the pile. “I’m reminded that our stories are similar in their unpredictability and ventures to the unknown. Only the good Lord knows how our journeys will end.”

Her naïve optimism crushed his already flagging spirits. “No,” he said coldly as he returned the clean pots and pans to their proper shelves. “I do know how they’ll end. Even if I’m able to secure the money to save Emily’s farm, your uncle will ensure that I am hunted down and executed. You’ll be cheated out of a future with a husband and children, as your uncle will either Change you into a vampire or set you up in a life of luxury to ensure your silence on his secrets.”

Vivian flinched and stared at him with wounded eyes. Then her lips thinned, and she lifted her chin. “No. I refuse to accept that you’ll die. I will talk to Uncle, do what I can to dissuade him from searching for you.”

Rhys’s lips curved in a grim smile. If only things were that easy. Sadly, no Lord Vampire would allow a rogue vampire to inflict such damage on his kin and be permitted to live. Not if he wanted to save face. “That is very kind of you, considering all I’ve put you through.” Not wishing to spend what little time they had left arguing, he changed the subject. “You’ve been cooped up in this cave for too long. Why don’t we fence for a while?”

Instead of an enthusiastic agreement, Vivian regarded him with a stormy glare. “Why should we bother? With your preternatural speed and abilities, you’ll just win. I cannot believe you’d been toying with me this entire time, drawing out our duels when you could have defeated me in a trice.”

Rhys chuckled at her blazing indignation. “Why should we bother? For one thing, swordplay is not about winning, Vivian. It is for the enjoyment of the dance. And I very much enjoy dancing with you. For another, just because you cannot move with a vampire’s swiftness does not mean I cannot teach you new techniques.”

Her lashes lowered and her cheeks pinkened at the mention of dancing. Then her anger melted like snow beneath a sunbeam. “You would teach me?”

“Yes.” He unlocked his sword case and handed her a rapier. “And you may have some tricks I have not learned.”

They sparred for two glorious hours. Rhys remained in awe of Vivian’s already formidable skill coupled with her quick grasp on the new moves he taught her. She even contributed a few new steps and attacks to his repertoire. Only when she was panting from exertion did he declare a stop.

Invigorated from the lessons, he escorted her back to the cave. “You did very well.”

“If I were a vampire, I may be able to defeat you,” she teased with a cheeky grin. “Perhaps if I become one, I’ll track you down for another match.”

Rhys’s blood went cold at her cavalier manner. “Do not jest about becoming what I am. Pray your uncle will have another solution to the problem I caused.”

Vivian paused, startled as she placed her rapier back in its case. “Is it truly so terrible, to be a vampire?”

At her wounded eyes, Rhys immediately regretted his harsh tone. “It does have its benefits, but I’ve lost so many things that I took for granted in my mortal days.”

“How did you become a vampire?” she asked as she rummaged through the cupboard where he stored the food.

Should he tell her? Rhys hadn’t spoken of that fateful time of his life since he’d lived under the rule of the Lord of Manchester and had friends with whom to share stories of their Changes.

He’d already broken several vampire laws where Vivian was concerned. What was one more? “I’ll tell you under one condition.”

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “And what would that be?”

“You tell me anything I ask about yourself.” He knew it was not only callous, but also fruitless to learn more about her, but the mysteries she withheld continued to tantalize him.

Vivian’s expression remained shuttered as she buttered a scone. After a long silence, she nodded. “Very well. I suppose if I can pry, so can you.”

“Let’s not think of it as prying on either side.” Rhys filled the kettle with fresh water and put it on the grate. “We’re only trading tales to pass the time, not so much different as reading Two Hills.”

She chuckled and took a bite of her scone. “That’s nothing like it and you know it. Two Hills is fiction. We’re discussing our lives.”

Rhys shrugged and took a piece of wood he was carving out from under his cot. “Very well, have it your way. In 1726, I was a privateer for the Royal Navy. However, we were indeed more like pirates, raiding any Dutch and Austrian merchant for their goods, using the Spanish War of Succession as justification. I loved the sea. The smell of the salt air, the excitement of keeping afloat during a storm, the rainbow of the sun across the endless blue water.” He smiled at the memory as he withdrew his carving knife. “I loved it so much that my wife left me.”

She sucked in a breath. “You had a wife?”

He shrugged. “In a manner of speaking. I was honor bound to wed her after I sheltered her from a storm when her carriage was overturned. We rarely saw each other, as I was away at sea almost all the time. I was also unfaithful to her, for there were tempting beauties at every port, and I was young and feckless, so I could hardly fault her for finding happiness elsewhere. I granted her an annulment and returned to my first love, the sea. Sadly, that love was taken from me soon after.”

“Why?” she asked somewhat sharply, doubtless disapproving of his infidelity.

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