“It’s not trouble at all,” the girl insisted, smiling now. “I’m happy to help.”
“It would truly mean the world to me.”
Five minutes later, I walked out of the room with a list of names and a brief explanation on how the rooms were laid out. I paused near the hidden room to glance over it, paying special attention to the room numbers beside each name. There were a few men I could imagine as vampire hunters among the contestants, and I chose to prioritize those rooms while they were occupied with archery.
It was easy enough to enter the rooms, as no guests were provided locks, although I did have to steer clear of a few maids as they made their rounds. Finding no success among the few men I’d singled out, I decided to continue without direction. I wouldn’t have much more time before dinner, but I could at least rule a few more contestants out. My finger found a familiar name on the list. Crane, Isabel. Perfect. Perhaps I would find a clue regarding Emmett’s disappearance without having to interact with the insufferable girl at all.
Finding the room, I slipped inside, closing the door slowly shut behind me before gazing around. Her room was nicer than mine. It had a four-post bed. How intolerable.
I began my search with her vanity, sorting through her jewelry and accessories. I paused as I came across the largest ruby I’d ever seen in a brooch, holding it up to the light with awe. I recalled the diamonds she’d flaunted at the first ball. Her family certainly had the wealth to be able to fund a vampire-hunting operation, but I saw nothing that implicated her as of yet. I turned to her wardrobe and was annoyingly impressed with her dresses and shoes. She had exquisite taste. Expensive taste. But I saw no telltale robes or red moths emblazoned across anything. I unearthed no weapons or vials of holy water. I did, however, come across a letter in the rubbish bin, but it was clearly addressed to Violetta. “Within these lonely walls, where we’re so close, yet so far apart, I’ve had second thoughts about my future. But you know as well as I that we cannot afford to marry for love, not in this day and age. My father would never approve of our union. He would see that as a step down.” Here, she’d crossed out “step down,” before crumpling the paper into a ball. I tried not to be intrigued by their relationship. If anything, I could tell by this handwriting that Isabel had not been the one to send that letter to Emmett. He had turned to another friend in his time of need, it seemed.
I left Isabel’s room feeling a sense of defeat in the little progress I’d made. Isabel certainly wasn’t the type to hunt vampires, but Ambrose had seemed to think highly of her family, which, along with their wealth, meant they might be worth looking into.
I slid my finger down the list, deciding whose room to examine next, when a mew issued from my right. I smiled as Beezle darted up to me. So, he’d found a way out of Emmett’s room yet again, probably under the nose of a careless servant. He stopped to stare up at me for a moment before slipping up the hallway and into the ballroom. I followed, deciding to get a look at how the archery session was going. Depending on how involved everyone was, I might be able to sneak a few more rooms in.
I strode to back of the ballroom and pushed out through a door, my eyes immediately drawn to the dark clouds rolling in overhead. It looked like rain. These were the sorts of days I would look forward to as a vampire, when the cloud cover was sufficient to venture out during daylight hours. Of course, one had to be certain that the clouds wouldn’t dissipate suddenly. I’d known a few vampires who’d met their end in such a fashion. But I’d learned over the years how to discern when the weather was favorable, as it was now.
I closed my eyes for a minute, reveling in the quiet before the storm, as the first biting winds buffeted me, foretelling the strength of what was to come. Somehow, I found its caress calming. Since I’d come here, I’d felt strange and confused, not quite my cool, collected self. I needed to center myself, but I wasn’t sure how. Usually, I would track down some unfortunate soul and systematically break their bones, sipping at their neck like a vintage wine to be savored, until the well was dry. Clearly, that wouldn’t work in my current situation.
I had to keep things in perspective, and the truth was that I’d only been mortal for a few days, and had only known the duke’s family for one. It was ludicrous that I felt anything for them at all, and yet … I couldn’t deny it. My protégée Raven had spoken of such stirrings previously, of wanting family, but I’d dismissed them out of hand. That simply wasn’t how things weredone.Vampires were solitary beings. Large groups attracted the attention of humans. It was better to have no attachment to things or people, for sentimentality led to death.
I refused to let myself become soft.
I felt Beezle’s comforting presence as he rubbed along my pant leg. “It was so much easier as a vampire,” I said, opening my eyes to glance down at him. “You understand, don’t you, Beezle? You think the humans are silly and stupid as well. But they have this annoying way of getting under your skin. It’s truly insufferable.”
The sound of cheering in the distance roused me, and I squinted at the figures in the distance. There weren’t many figures left on the lawn. Perhaps I’d missed my window to do any more investigating today.
With a sigh, I returned to the ballroom, closing the door firmly at my back. I paused as I noted the pianoforte nearby. I enjoyed playing. Perhaps it could help me center myself now. I glanced around the empty room and shrugged, stepping up to the instrument and sitting on the bench before it. I held my hands poised over the keys for a moment, deciding what to play, when I decided on something cheerful. Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 17. That would do.
I closed my eyes as my fingers began to dance over the keys, and I let the music wash over me. I felt myself calm as my movements became more graceful and relaxed. I was actually having fun by the time I finished, beaming as I opened my eyes to find Beezle staring at me from the top of the piano, unimpressed.
I started at the sound of someone clapping behind me, and whirled to find Violetta watching me with a smile.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to startle you,” she apologized, dipping her head. “I didn’t want to interrupt, and it was so … transportive.”
“Why, thank you, my lady,” I said, standing and bowing. “I’m glad it wasn’t wasted on an empty room.”
“You must have had an amazing teacher.”
I blinked, then nodded. “Yes, I … whiled away many a night playing. I had some great teachers who fostered my talent.” I shrugged. “But what are you doing here? Did you make your excuses to leave archery early?”
“Oh, I’m not good at that sort of thing,” Violetta said shyly. “I’m not very talented.”
“Now, I know that’s not true,” I said, striding over to her. “Isabel doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who would be interested in someone without talent.”
Violetta’s smile faltered. “Yes, well, she’s not as interested in me anymore, is she?”
I studied her for a moment before crossing my arms. “I think it’s complicated.Humansare complicated. If Isabel could choose whomever she wished to be with, without having to think about status and riches, why, I believe there wouldn’t be a choice at all.”
“If only we lived in such a world,” Violetta sighed, turning toward the exit. I fell into step with her.
“She cares for you, you know. I can see it in how she looks at you. How protective she is of you. She’s probably not the best at articulating it.”
Violetta chuckled. “You can say that again. I just wonder … who I am without her. I want her to be happy, even if it isn’t with me. I suppose I just need to find happiness elsewhere.” She offered me a tight smile. “Like when Emmett broke his hand. He didn’t give up on his art. He just used his left hand until it healed, and then adapted.”
I blinked. “He’s ambidextrous?”
She snorted. “Oh, no. The paintings he created with his left hand were terrible. I would never tell him so. Isabel wouldn’t either.” She smiled wistfully. “Isabel pushed him to be better with his painting, always, even during that dark time. Even when he could use his right hand again and it wasn’t quite the same. And then, she made him start from scratch when he didn’t get her likeness just right.”
