Veronica frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, but I’d rather not discuss it now. Let’s just say that after the debacle of the last one, I think this one should be smaller, just family and close friends.”
“That’s fine with me,” Bryony said, thinking she wouldn’t be able to partake of any of the food or drink anyway.
Stefan, who had been standing by the fireplace, cleared his throat. “I would be happy to pay for the wedding, since Ifeel responsible for what happened, or didn’t happen, at the last one.”
“Are you certain?” Maida asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Oh, Stefan,” Veronica gushed. “That is so kind of you!”
“Yes,” Maida said. “Kind.”
Stefan grinned inwardly. He hadn’t missed the fact that Bryony’s mother sat as far away from him as she could get. Veronica, however, didn’t seem to have a problem being around him or Bryony, or object to having him for a brother-in-law. Feeling the older woman’s discomfort, he said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll leave you ladies to discuss it.”
Bryony looked at him, her brow furrowed.Where are you going?
Just out for a walk. My presence is making your mother uncomfortable. Call me when you are ready to leave.
All right.
With a nod at Maida and Veronica, Stefan left the house. He swore softly when, five minutes later, Barrett stepped outside.
“Save your breath,” Stefan said, when the man started to speak. “I am guessing the ladies told you I am willing to pay for the wedding, so let them make it as extravagant as they wish. As for your trouble with the Bloodworth estate, I met with his solicitor and the debt has been paid. You can pick up the paperwork at your leisure.”
Barrett swallowed hard, thinking he had never been so humiliated in his life. He’d always paid his own way. He clenched his fists and then, not quite meeting the vampire’s eyes, muttered, “I’ll pay you back if it’s the last thing I ever do.”
“I have no need of your money. Just tell the Guild to leave me the hell alone and we will call it even.”
“They don’t answer to me,” Barrett said. “Not since I quit. I have a little influence with Charles but that’s all. He’s the second-in-command. But he doesn’t make the final decisions. The Guild isn’t likely to forget that you’ve killed several members.”
Stefan grunted softly. “If they come after me,” he warned, his voice laced with menace. “I will come after you. And not even Bryony will be able to save you. Do we understand each other?”
Barrett nodded curtly then turned on his heel and returned to the house.
Stefan stared after him, wondering if he would have the nerve to carry out his threat against Bryony’s father should the hunters come after him again. And what of Bryony? Would the Guild members consider her fair game now? The thought made his stomach churn with dread. But surely Barrett would do everything in his power to protect his daughter from his former associates. And if he couldn’t, by damn, Stefan surely would.
After much discussion, it was finally decided that the guest list for this wedding wouldn’t be as large as the previous one. People who had been invited as a mere formality had been cut. But the wedding and the celebration afterward would remain the same. The date had been set, the church again reserved.
Bryony could hardly wait and yet, mingled with her excitement was the knowledge that her father would never truly approve of her marriage or her choice of a husband. In spite of the fact that Stefan had saved her life, her father’s feelings toward him had not changed. Even the knowledgethat Stefan had repaid the loan in full had not softened her father’s dislike. She couldn’t help wondering if, deep down, her father still loved her. Once, she had been his favorite. Now, there were times when she wondered if he even liked her. He had originally been filled with joy and relief to know she was still alive but now she wasn’t sure he felt the same. She told herself she was being foolish, imagining things. But, deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling.
Was it because she hadn’t moved back into the house? She glanced at Stefan, sitting on the couch beside her. She had intended to move back home until the wedding, but Stefan had advised against it. She knew it was because he didn’t trust her father, or the Guild. And after she thought it over, she had decided he was right.
“I am always right,” he remarked, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
They were relaxing in front of the fire in the castle in Ireland. Stefan had bought a new couch, and a pair of matching armchairs, along with some side tables. He had also purchased a bed. Some of her clothes hung alongside his in the wardrobe in the large bedchamber upstairs.
She glanced at him and shook her head. “Are you reading my mind again?”
He shrugged. “You have been quiet for so long, I got curious about your thoughts. Do you seriously think your father no longer loves you?”
She bit down on her lip, and then nodded. “I know he tries to hide it. I had hoped the two of you would become friends, but I guess that’s never going to happen.”
“He is a proud man. He does not like feeling indebted to me. He views me as his enemy and that only makes it worse. Were you still mortal, he would never have agreed to ourmarriage. Now, he has no valid argument against it. He hates me for that, too.”
Stefan had reservations of his own about their wedding, though he kept them to himself. Knowing the Guild was still on the hunt, he couldn’t help being concerned about the wisdom of a large ceremony. He would have preferred for the two of them to go away and be married in a private ceremony, but with everything that had happened, he hadn’t the heart to deny Bryony the wedding she had dreamed of.
