Three days later

Vivian wiggled her hairpin in the lock and cursed as it once more skittered uselessly in the keyhole. Her fingers ached like the devil, but she refused to give up.

A cough sounded behind her. “What are you doing?” Madame Renarde asked in a chiding tone.

“I’m trying to get inside Uncle’s study,” she answered through gritted teeth. “As soon as I can pick this bloody lock. And you should be resting. The doctor only permitted you to be out of bed yesterday.”

Although Vivian was pleased to be reunited with her best friend, and relieved that Uncle hadn’t killed her, she still felt a sense of loss. Because Uncle had banished Madame Renarde’s memories of everything pertaining to vampires, Vivian not only couldn’t tell her closest friend about the true depths of her heartache, and uncertain future, she also had to endure Madame Renarde rubbing further salt in the wound by admonishing her to forget about the wicked thief who’d seduced her.

And oh, how Vivian missed that wicked thief. Rhys haunted her dreams and every waking thought. She would give anything for one last glimpse of him, her very soul for one more moment in his arms. Had he gotten away safely? Was he thinking of her? Did love always hurt so much?

Madame Renarde interrupted Vivian’s inner mourning. “Why are you trying to break into Lord Thornton’s study?”

“Because I need to look at his ledgers and deeds. I need to know if Rhys’s niece received the money and had her farm restored to her.” As the nights passed with no visitors from solicitors and no word from her uncle about the farm, Vivian’s worry grew. She had to know if Rhys’s family had been saved. That at least the consequences of her abduction had been worth it. It was the only closure Vivian could hope to receive.

Besides, Rhys would want her to make sure that Emily and the children were all right. Since he had to flee England, he had no way of knowing.

Madame Renarde made a tsk of disapproval. “You have that pin bent all wrong. Give me another one and let me try.”

Vivian blinked in surprise. Was her companion an ally after all? From the way Madame Renarde spoke during suppers with Uncle Aldric, Vivian thought that her companion hated Rhys for what he’d done.

Only seconds after Vivian handed Madame Renarde a new hairpin, her companion bent the slim piece of metal, inserted the pin, and with a twist, the lock clicked free.

“I’ve picked dozens of locks of this style,” Madame Renarde said with a smirk.

Vivian smiled for the first time since Rhys left her at the inn. Sometimes, it was useful to have a companion who’d once been a spy.

Together, they entered Lord Thornton’s office. Vivian lit the lantern on the desk and Madame Renarde closed the door behind them and locked it in case a servant overheard them. Vivian made her way to Uncle’s large mahogany desk, but her companion stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“He will likely keep property deeds in a locked box.” Madame Renarde scanned the room. “Probably in that cabinet.”

Vivian found four locked boxes in the cabinet. Madame Renarde had a bit more difficulty unlocking them, but she managed to spring the first one, which contained a fortune in bank drafts. The deeds were in the second box. Vivian’s eyes widened at the formidable stack as she carried them to the desk to read. Her uncle owned farms and estates not only all over Blackpool, but also in London, Scotland, and even property in Italy and France.

Madame Renarde rifled through the papers with a frown. “The majority are deeds he owns outright.” She came to a smaller stack with different seals and signatures. “Ah. Here are the mortgages. But how are you to know which one belongs to Rhys’s family when we don’t know his surname?”

“His niece’s name is Emily.” Vivian’s heart sank. “But it would have been her husband who mortgaged the place. Rhys only referred to him as a wastrel. Which he most certainly was, to sell off his wife’s land like that.”

Madame Renarde continued to scan the documents. “Lord Thornton may have had her sign it if he was allowing her to make payments before. Ah!” She held up a paper. “Berwyn Farm, first signed by a William Horne, then later by Emily Berwyn Horne.”

“Rhys Berwyn.” At last, Vivian knew her love’s full name. “He was Welsh.”

Her companion arched her brow. “Do not tell me that you broke into Lord Thornton’s study simply to discern that thief’s surname.”

Vivian suppressed her wistful smile and shook her head. “No. I want to know if Emily had the farm restored.”

“Since the deed is still here, signed over to Lord Thornton, I’d say not.” Madame Renarde shrugged. “However, there is no telling if or when Rhys was able to deliver the money. Furthermore, I imagine it would be difficult for a widow with two small children to have the time and ability to make her way here to deliver the payment. She may be waiting for your uncle to come to her.”

“Then there is only one way to find out.” Vivian took one of her uncle’s quills and a sheet of parchment from his desk drawer and wrote down the address of the farm from the deed. “I shall have to pay her a visit.”

Madame Renarde fixed her with a stern frown. “Your uncle said you were not to leave the house.”

For a moment Vivian almost slipped and said that her uncle wouldn’t be able to stop her, since vampires could not go out in the day. “If he rises before I return, you will know nothing about my leaving or anything disturbed in his study. You’re supposed to be resting. I will take Jeffries with me.” She stormed down the stairs before Madame Renarde could protest.

The footman, unfortunately, was also privy to her uncle’s orders and tried to refuse. It was only when Vivian threatened to saddle her own horse and go alone that he complied. “His Lordship will hear of this, Miss,” he admonished.

“I expect he will,” Vivian replied and dug her heels in the horse’s flanks.

The afternoon sun was painfully bright after weeks of only being out at night. Still, the day was beautiful and green, the sky blue as cornflowers and the November sun surprisingly warm on her back. Vivian shivered as she realized that soon she would never be able to experience the daylight again.

That was, if Uncle would indeed Change her. He’d avoided the subject for the past several nights, instead trying to charm her into their previous congenial interactions as if her time with Rhys had never occurred. Vivian couldn’t be swayed by the act. Not only because she was still angry at him for his callous dismissal of her feelings, but also because it was impossible to observe frivolous niceties when her future was in purgatory.

Berwyn Farm lay only four miles from her uncle’s estate. As she and Madame Renarde rode up the rutted drive, Vivian’s first sight of the farm made her stomach sink. The cottages meant for the field hands had tumbled down, their timbers rotted away. The gray wood of the barn was swollen and warped, its roof had a gaping hole where the beams had collapsed.

Yet Vivian remembered the fondness that had radiated from Rhys’s features when he’d spoken of the place. “The property is forty-three acres. I spent half my childhood working them, and the other half climbing trees in the orchard, swimming in the pond, and fishing in the brook.”

After uttering a silent prayer, Vivian dismounted and bade Jeffries to remain at the end of the drive with the horses and approached the farmhouse. Despite its peeling grey paint and missing roof shingles, she could see the cozy charm of the home.

When she knocked on the door, Vivian drew in a breath, wondering what Rhys’s niece would make of her. Cousin, she corrected herself. Rhys told her they were cousins.

The door opened to reveal a tall auburn-haired woman. Even her shabby, tattered dress and the lines of exhaustion around her eyes and mouth couldn’t obscure her breathtaking beauty. Copper eyes, the same color as Rhys’s, narrowed on Vivian and her companion with suspicion. “Who are you?”

“I am Miss Vivian Stratford.” Vivian curtsied.

Emily’s suspicion warped to outright malice. “Come to admire your dowry already? Lord Thornton may have foreclosed on me day before yesterday, but he gave me another fortnight to make arrangements for myself and the children.”

Foreclosed? Vivian’s heart clenched as her worst fear was confirmed. “Rhys didn’t bring you the money?”

Emily’s eyes widened, as her mask of bitterness melted into panic. “You know Rhys? Have you seen him? He was supposed to come by three nights ago.”

Vivian didn’t know what she could say to reassure the woman, but she had to say something. Furthermore, she also wanted to know why Emily assumed this farm was her dowry. Marriage was out of the question for her. “Ah, may I come in?”

“Please do.” Emily’s face was white as linen.

Once they were seated at the scarred maple dining room table, Emily poured two cups of cider with shaky hands. “Tell me how you know my cousin.”

Vivian hesitated. “Where are your children? This is a subject too delicate for their ears.”

“They’re in the barn, playing with the kittens.” She peered out the window just in case and lowered her voice. “You know what means he used to support me, don’t you? Was he arrested by a constable?”

Vivian shook her head. “Not to my knowledge.” Though she feared that if her uncle or another Lord Vampire had caught Rhys, an arrest by human authorities could be the only explanation offered to this poor woman. “As to how I know him, he abducted me for ransom.”

Emily gasped. “He thought to bilk Lord Thornton out of the funds needed for the mortgage that he himself held?

“Yes.” Vivian tasted her cider. It was delightfully sweet for such a bitter conversation. “And he succeeded, to my knowledge. My uncle paid Rhys, and he returned me the following evening. He was supposed to come straight to you to deliver the money.”

“And he never arrived.” Emily fell into a pensive silence and sipped her cider. “But why have you come if you thought I’d paid off the mortgage?”

“Because Rhys said he’d have to leave the country after what he’s done, so I thought he would want someone to make sure that his family was safe.” Vivian’s throat tightened as she stared into the woman’s copper eyes, remembering how he’d looked at her the same way when they’d discussed the mysteries in the “Two Hills” stories. “We fell in love, you see... and—”

“Oh my!” Emily exclaimed, hand over her throat. “My cousin is a goodhearted man, despite his thieving ways, and quite charming, so I can see why a maid would lose her heart to him... but the circumstances are tragic. I imagine His Lordship was furious.”

“Absolutely livid.” Vivian agreed with a bitter smile.

“And yet you care enough to come here to see if I had received the money,” Emily said softly. “Even though if that were the case, this land would not be yours.”

“I’m not certain it is mine,” Vivian said. “Uncle never said anything to me about it and as I told you, I am quite compromised. What makes you think the farm is my dowry?”

“Because he told me he intended to give it to you when he came to tell me that I had to pay by months’ end.” Emily frowned over the rim of her cup. “He said that he would ask that your husband would allow me to stay and work for you as a housekeeper.”

“Housekeeper?” Vivian echoed in outrage. “When you’re the mistress of this land? I hope you threw that insulting offer back in his face!”

Emily chuckled. “Rhys said the same before he announced that he had a plan. I never imagined that it involved kidnapping Lord Thornton’s niece.” She shook her head, a mirthful smile just like Rhys’s curving her lips. “I do not think you are supposed to be on my side.”

“Well I am,” Vivian declared. “I will speak to my uncle tonight and try to convince him to return the deed to your land, or at the very least, grant you more time. Perhaps Rhys is merely delayed.”

“Or perhaps your uncle had him arrested.” Emily’s face was etched with worry.

“I will find out,” Vivian promised. “No matter what, I promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you do not lose your home.”

Emily sighed and shook her head. “Women have no power in this world.”

“Then we should all do our utmost to change that.” Vivian rose from the table. The sun hung low in the sky and would set in less than two hours. “I will return when I have news.” She held out her hand and was gratified when Emily shook it. “It was an honor to meet you. Rhys has told me so much about you.”

Emily managed a watery smile. “You will have to tell me more about yourself and the tale of how you came to love him.”

“I would like that.” Vivian curtsied one last time before departing. On her way back to the horses, she silently vowed to continue Rhys’s mission to protect his family, no matter the consequences.

Jeffries protested as Vivian raced her horse back to Thornton Manor, but she refused to slow and left the footman in the dust. What had happened to Rhys? And if Uncle Aldric intended on giving her Berwyn Farm for a dowry, what did he intend to do with it now that Vivian could no longer wed?

If she’d only known about the dowry, she would have eloped with Rhys. Then he could have given the deed to the farm back to Emily. Uncle would have still been angry, but at least it would have been legal.

Or at least, it would be if Rhys hadn’t been a vampire.

Madame Renarde waited in the parlor, wringing her hands, an embroidery hoop in her lap. “Did you meet Mrs. Horne?”

“I did.” Vivian reached into the sewing basket for something to do while she waited for her uncle to rise for the night. “Rhys didn’t deliver the money on time and Uncle Aldric foreclosed on the farm.”

“Oh, that is unfortunate.” Madame Renarde said with genuine sympathy. “That means he risked his life for nothing.”

“Uncle Aldric intended me on giving me the land for my dowry.” Vivian threaded a needle and blinked back tears at the memory of mending Rhys’s clothes. “I am going to see if I can find a way to restore the land to Emily.”

“You would truly take up that man’s quest?” Madame Renarde gaped at her in surprise.

“My conscience depends on it.” Vivian stabbed the needled through the hoop. “And since we cannot be together, this is the only way I can display my love for him.”

Before Madame Renarde could respond, Aldric entered the parlor.

Vivian tossed her embroidery aside and stood. “Uncle, may we speak in private?”

The wary look in his eyes indicated that he heard the cold anger in her voice. “Very well. Let us head up to my study.”

The moment they were alone, Vivian slapped her palms down on Aldric’s massive desk. “Why didn’t you tell me that you intended to give me Berwyn Farm for my dowry?”

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and fetched two brandy snifters. “Forgive me, but there was so much else going on that such a trifle matter didn’t cross my mind.” He poured an inch of amber liquid in each glass and slid one across the desk to her. “How did learn about it?”

“Emily Horne told me when I went there to see her.” Vivian crossed her arms over her chest, despising him for his obvious lie. He had to have thought of the farm as he’d recently taken possession of it. “And I hardly think that forcing a woman and her children out of their home is a trifle matter.”

“Damn it!” Aldric tossed back his drink. “I told you that you were not to leave the house without me.”

Vivian ignored the question. “How is the place to become my dowry when Mrs. Horne was supposed to be able to pay the mortgage with the ransom money?”

“She wasn’t able to pay.” Aldric said through clenched teeth. His fangs glistened in the light of the lantern. “I caught the rogue on his way to the farm and arrested him three nights ago.”

Her heart thudded with dread. “Where is he?”

Aldric’s voice was cold as a winter grave. “Did Rhys not tell you the fate of rogues when they are captured?”

Vivian gripped the edges of the desk as white spots danced in her vision. Rhys was dead. Her uncle had killed him. Memories of his smile, his embrace, the tender way he’d said, “I love you,” flooded her mind. And now he was gone? Her knees threatened to buckle, but she willed herself to remain standing.

“How could you?” she whispered through numb lips.

“I’m sorry, but the law is clear.” Aldric reached for her hand and frowned as Vivian pulled away. “I cannot allow a rogue to go unpunished and expect to retain loyalty from my people.”

“But did you have to kill him?” she pleaded, as if he could magically take it back. “He was only trying to care for his family as you are caring for me.”

For a moment, something in Aldric’s eyes flickered, as if there had been another option, one he didn’t wish to explore. Then his expression shuttered. “Something that set me and him at cross purposes. And continuing to care for you is all I can do.” He moved as if to try to reach for her again, then his shoulders slumped, and he pushed her untouched brandy glass towards her. “I know that losing a love is an excruciatingly painful event. I know that you probably despise me right now. But we must get on with our lives, and if there is anything I can do...”

“There is nothing you can do to atone for what you’ve done to me.” Vivian took the glass and quaffed the brandy, coughing as the fiery liquid slid down her throat. Then she remembered her purpose for talking to him before he’d shattered her world. “Although one thing might help.  Give me the deed to the Berwyn Farm.”

“Why do you want the land?” Aldric cocked his head to the side. “You cannot marry anymore, not after becoming involved with our kind.”

“So I can return it to Emily, of course.” Vivian fumed. How could he be so obtuse? “That way, Rhys’s death won’t be in vain.”

“You speak of him as if he was a hero, rather than a criminal who sought to steal my money and cheat me out of land that was by rights to go to me.” Aldric leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “And what do you suppose this poor widow will be able to do once her land is restored? You saw the farm. The land has gone fallow for lack of a plow, and the buildings are falling down over her ears. She has no hope of restoring the place. You think I am the villain for taking it from her, but I am not. I would rather see someone bring the farm back to its former prosperity, and allow her to remain with gainful employment so she may feed and shelter her children.”

He had a point, Vivian admitted ruefully. Still, it didn’t mean the situation was right. “Then let me be the one to restore the place. I will need somewhere else to live anyway.”

Aldric opened his eyes and stared at her. “And why is that?”

“Because I hate you for what you’ve done.” Vivian spoke slowly, imbuing each word with palpable animosity. “And I cannot abide one more night under your roof.”

Aldric flinched, but then his eyes went cold. “I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter. For one thing, you are privy to our secrets and thus must remain with me. For another, I’ve submitted your petition for you to be Changed. A new vampire has extreme difficulty controlling their hunger. Do you wish to risk accidentally killing Mrs. Horne or one of the children?”

“No.” Vivian shook her head with dawning horror. She wanted to save Rhys’s family, not hurt them.

“I thought not.” Aldric rose from his desk and approached the cabinet containing the locked boxes that Vivian and Madame Renarde had broken into earlier in the day. “I am afraid you will have to endure being under my roof for a while longer. As for the Berwyn Farm, there is something I can and have already done.”

He unlocked one of the boxes and withdrew a sheet from a stack of documents that Vivian and Madame Renarde had not examined. “This was not only a dowry, but also a trust. If you do not marry before the age of twenty-five, the farm will be yours rather than passed to your husband. Since you no longer can marry, you may take over the farm in two years. By then you will have learned to control your hunger and will no longer require my constant supervision.” He handed her the document. “After that, you can do as you please with the place, even sign it back to the Mrs. Horne.”

“And what is Emily to do until then?” Vivian asked.

Aldric shrugged. “With her being foreclosed, she no longer owes mortgage payments, so what little income she has from the farm can be used to feed her children. And if you wish to use your pin money to aid her cause, I cannot stop you.”

Relief that she would be able to fulfill her vow and care for Rhys’s family melted the edges of Vivian’s animosity. But she could not forgive her uncle for killing Rhys. “Thank you for displaying at least a scrap of humanity.”

“I’ll accept that grudging praise.” Aldric sighed. “We will inform Mrs. Horne of her new circumstances tomorrow night. And I will write a petition to the Elders to Change you.”

Vivian was tempted to ask about these Elders that Rhys had been so reluctant to talk about, but her grief and anger choked off the inquiry. She couldn’t bear to be in the same room with the man who’d murdered her love. At least she’d ensured the safety of Rhys’s family.

With a curt nod, she left the study and fled to her room. Tears flowed unchecked down her cheeks. She couldn’t believe that Rhys was dead. Even though he’d had to leave her, she’d clung to the small comfort that he was out there somehow, thinking of her. Now even that had been ripped away.

Vivian pressed her fist to her mouth to muffle her strangled sobs. Strange, she’d never been one to give into tears before, but now that her heart had been reduced to a ragged hole, she could do little else.

Her door opened, and Vivian lifted her head to curse her uncle, but relaxed as she saw Madame Renarde.

“He isn’t dead,” her companion whispered.

Vivian’s breath froze in her lungs. “What?”

“Lord Thornton has Rhys imprisoned in the cellar behind the house.” Madame Renarde crossed the room and sat on Vivian’s bed. “From what I’ve observed, he’s still alive. He even fed him night before last.”

Vivian leapt from her bed. “Then we must free him at once!”

Madame Renarde nodded. “Yes, and quickly, while your uncle is out hunting for his meal.”

“Wait.” Vivian froze with her hand on the door handle. “I thought Uncle erased your memory.”

“He tried, and for my own self-preservation, I allowed him to believe his magic worked.” Madame Renarde said with a smirk. “While I do not think he has the stomach to do away with me, it is best to err on the side of caution.”

Even though Vivian quivered with the need to go to Rhys, she held back. “But if Uncle Aldric finds out that you helped me free Rhys, he’ll know of your ruse, and you’ll be at risk.”

“I cannot sit idle and watch you drown in heartache. I’d at first believed that you merely suffered from a childish infatuation with Rhys, and I was gravely wrong.” Madame Renarde took her hands. “Especially since it was my fault that Rhys was captured in the first place. My fever and the laudanum I was given for my cough loosened my tongue and I told Lord Thornton why Rhys wanted the ransom money. I won’t have his death on my hands, if I can help it.”

Vivian threw her arms around her friend. “I love you, Jeanette! No one has ever been blessed with such a good friend as you.”

As they rushed down the stairs together, Vivian’s heart bloomed with hope as she clutched her dowry settlement. She would see her love in moments, save his life, and god willing, they could be together at last.