Page 67 of The Highwayman's Bite

Chapter Twenty-two

The next evening, Aldricfound himself engaged in a task that he’d never imagined doing: shaving Vivian’s lady’s companion. It was quite a different experience than shaving his own face, and he had to pause and draw the blade away every time it seemed Madame Renarde was about to cough.

Just as he was scraping the stubble from her neck, Renarde opened her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered through cracked lips. For once, her eyes looked clear and shone with recognition.

“It is nothing,” he said, and rinsed the shaving razor in a bowl of warm water. “I would have done it sooner, but you were thrashing from your fever and I did not wish to cut you.”

“Afraid it would make you hungry?” Renarde’s chuckle dissolved into a bout of coughing.

Aldric shook his head. “My control is far better than that. Besides, we prefer to feed on the strong, not the sickly. Speaking of, how are you feeling?”

“Much better.” Renarde struggled to sit up and Aldric shifted her pillows behind her back. “The past few days and nights were a bit of a blur to me.” She looked down and touched the sleeves of her bed gown. “I vaguely remember you undressing me. I hope the sight did not injure your sensibilities.”

“My sensibilities are rather sturdy, I should think.” Aldric chuckled at the memory of the awkward process. “Though I must say that the corset was quite a trial. It was no wonder you had trouble breathing.”

Renarde studied him as if searching for a hint of censure or disgust. “While I am grateful for your tender care, I cannot help but wonder if it will last, once you’ve gotten what you want from me.”

Aldric brought the blade to her other cheek and carefully resumed shaving Madame Renarde. “I will have every bit of information you can give me regarding Vivian’s captor. But if you are concerned that I will do away with you after you’ve told me all you know, you can dismiss that worry. There are ways around our laws, and I am not in the business of killing those who help me or my loved ones.”

“But... I failed to protect your niece.” Pained remorse radiated from her eyes.

Aldric snorted in dismissal. “You came up against a cunning rogue vampire with powers far superior to your own. There was nothing you could do. Cast away such foolish self-recrimination. It will not help in seeing Vivian returned to us.” He reached for the snifter of brandy he’d had Jeffries bring in earlier. “Would you care for a glass?”

Renarde’s taut features relaxed as she nodded. “I cannot tell you where he is holding her. I was unconscious when he took us there, and blindfolded when he returned me. All I know is that he has a well-furnished cave by the sea.”

“And this country is an island. There are countless caves along the coasts. I doubt he is as far as Cornwall or Kent, but a vampire can range far and fast,” Aldric said bitterly as he poured their glasses. “Still, I suppose I can learn which areas are no-man’s-lands and track him from there.”

Madame Renarde shook her head and accepted her glass. “I know it is not my place, being a servant, but I would advise you to pay the ransom so that Vivian may be returned as soon as possible.”

Her grave tone gave him pause. “Do you think she’s truly in danger?

Renarde nodded. “I do, but not in the way you think.”

Aldric suddenly suspected he’d missed an impending threat. “What do you mean?”

“My profession depends on the ability to closely observe things, such as the way two people interact with each other.” Renarde’s intense eyes implored him to listen. “I’ve seen the way Rhys looks at Vivian, but that was of little concern as I also observed his efforts at restraint.”

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