Page 14 of The Highwayman's Bite

The rear door of the house opened, and Lord Thornton emerged to join them. He paused a moment and scented the air. Rhys froze and thanked the heavens that he was downwind.

“Good evening, Vivian,” Thornton said with what sounded like genuine affection.

Rhys wasn’t fooled, though. If the cad was so eager to get rid of his niece, he clearly didn’t care for her much.

Sure enough, the point was proven as Blackpool continued. “I’m afraid I’m unable to escort you to the Galveston ball.”

The hurt in Vivian’s eyes pierced Rhys’s heart. “Why not?”

Blackpool shuffled awkwardly on the flagstones, at least looking shame-faced. “I have an engagement that cannot be put off.” Suddenly, he paused and sniffed the air.

Rhys slipped away before he was detected.

As he trekked to the village to hunt, he gnashed his fangs in irritation. Here Rhys was, trying to save his only living relations that the Lord of Blackpool was trying to force from their homes. All the while, His Lordship was talking about some superfluous ball where he would auction his niece off to the highest bidder.

Vivian’s words echoed in his mind. “...when I think of marriage, I am filled with such terror that I almost feel ill with it.”

But Lord Thornton didn’t care. Rather than allowing one of his only relations to remain with him awhile and care for him and then give her enough money to live out her life as she chose, Lord Thornton was in a rush to rid himself of her shortly after she arrived. How could anyone be so cold-hearted?

Shortly after feeding from a merchant outside a pub, Rhys scented the approach of some of Blackpool’s vampires. Two of them, from the smell. If necessary, Rhys could probably take them in a fight.

He flattened himself against the wall of a narrow alley and listened to their conversation as they passed.

“What do you suppose tomorrow’s Gathering will be about?” the first asked.

“Probably the usual listening to mundane petitions, inquiries on rogue sightings, and a possible acknowledgement for our service,” the second said, sounding bored. “Though he may deign to mention the niece he has visiting him. Warn us to keep our distance and all that rot.”

“Oh, I’d forgotten.” The voices faded as the pair made their way out of the village. “I do not understand why he continues to bother with his descendants like that. Nothing good can come of it.”

“Makes him quite open to weakness, if you ask me.”

A bitter smile curved Rhys’s lips as Blackpool’s vampires passed out of earshot. No, he hadn’t asked that vampire, but Rhys had already discerned the Lord of Blackpool’s weakness. And he fully intended to exploit it.

Once he determined that there were no other Blackpool vampires in the area, Rhys ducked out the alley and left the village in the opposite direction the others had went. As he walked, he thought about what he’d heard.

There was to be a Gathering tomorrow night. Tomorrow, while the Blackpool vampires were there, Rhys would gather all the supplies he required for his plan. Normally, Gatherings put Rhys in a cheerful mood, for it was the only time that he was free to roam a territory without the fear of being caught and arrested as a rogue vampire. This time, however, his mind was preoccupied with its struggle between his plotting and his unhealthy fascination with Vivian. The Gathering must be the reason why the Lord of Blackpool would not accompany his niece to the ball.

Rhys remembered the hurt in Vivian’s eyes when he’d told her that she and her companion would have to go alone to this ball she didn’t even wish to attend, and his anger increased with every step. Lord Thornton didn’t deserve such a vibrant, talented young woman in his life.

And Vivian didn’t deserve to be handed off like an unwanted burden.

His fury ignited to a blaze when he paid a visit to his cousin.

“He was here again,” Emily said the moment she admitted Rhys into the farmhouse. From the sight of her fearful eyes and wringing hands, she did not need to say who he was.

Worry churned his insides. “But he was only here a week ago! Is he taunting you?”

“He said he has plans for the property, but that I may remain in hopes that the new owner will give me a position as a housekeeper.” Emily looked down at her threadbare slippers, avoiding his gaze. Was there a note of consideration in her tone? Did she think of accepting such a degrading offer?

“But it’s not the end of the month yet!” Rhys shouted and shrugged in apology when Emily frowned at the stairs. He would have hell to pay if he woke the children.

“Does it really matter?” Emily said bitterly. “It’s not as if I’ll have the money by then. At least Lord Thornton is being merciful in not throwing me and my children off the land straightaway. Perhaps I will have gainful employment before winter.”

Rhys closed his eyes against a haze of red. “Mercy.” He chuckled drily. “The whoreson is wealthy enough that he could have allowed you to make payments and keep the family farm.”

“No man would be so generous,” she scoffed. “Even with your contributions, the payments would take longer than my lifetime to recompense.”

“That is about to change.” Rhys spoke through gritted teeth. “This is Berwyn land and I intend for it to remain Berwyn land until the end of the world. Do not speak of surrendering it to Thornton and working as his servant. I have a plan.”

“What?” Emily began, but he held up a hand to silence her.

“It is best if you know nothing. I must go now. I will return as soon as I am able.” With that, he donned his slouch hat and headed out the door without a backward glance.

He would have to act sooner than he’d planned. However, thanks to Blackpool’s Gathering tomorrow, he could carry off his scheme that night.

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