Oops, that’s my cue, guys. Gotta go.
I step out onto the stage, ready for our scene, the one where Viola secretly loves Orsino. I’m not going to have to act that much. Every single human and vampire in this audience is going to see my love for Will written all over my face.
Epilogue
Hester | Edinburgh, present day
THREE MONTHS LATER
‘Has anyone seen my passport?’ screeches Sadie. She whips past the lounge in a blur of Burberry, heels clicking down the hallway, trench coat-tails flying. ‘It’s almost time to go, and I left it on the sideboard. Right here!’
‘Calm down, I’ve got it!’ Elliott calls out to her.
The rest of us are having a last-minute Bloody Mary before we head to the airport for our night flight. As I sip, I stroke the back of Will’s hand, and he gives me a small smile.It’s going to be a long journey without sustenance. Or touching you.
I smile back.Possibly a good thing. We don’t want to reenactSnakes on a Plane. But I know you’ll be fine.
He chuckles.I love you, and your faith in me.
I love you, and the fact you sprung for an upgrade with a king-size bed.
Well, I was going to book the Honeymoon Suite, but I don’t think Sadie and Elliott would have appreciated us nabbing that—
Sadie’s head suddenly pokes into the lounge.
‘What are you all doing sitting around? The black cab will be here soon!’
‘Shit,’ says Damian, draining the rest of his glass. ‘And I’m not even packed.’
Floss giggles, and Sadie rolls her eyes. ‘Whose idea was it for you lot to come on our honeymoon again?’ she asks.
‘Uh, that would be me,’ says Elliott, standing up and crossing over to her. ‘I thought everyone could use some R & R after the events of the last few months. And Hester and Will have been hard at it.’
There’s an amused silence, and I bite my lip. ‘You mean Will and I wererehearsing...’
Elliott grins. ‘Yeah, of course. I meant withthe play...’
‘Yeah, great job, guys,’ says Floss, getting to her feet too and brushing her long purple skirt. ‘It was fantastic. You actually made me enjoy Shakespeare.’
I smile at her. ‘Thanks.’
OK, now would be the time to confess that I compelled the casting director and producer to give me the part of Viola. Will knows because he was up in the balcony watching the auditions (oh, the shame of it). But does itmatter if I acted for real when the play opened? Does my coven really have to know? Maybe I’ll tell them in fifty years’ time—or never. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping a few little skeletons in a small closet.
Will rises from the couch and holds out his hand to me. ‘My lady.’
Sadie nudges Elliott. ‘Now that we’re married, maybe you could start saying that to me.’
‘Sure, if you acted like a lady.’
They move off down the hall, bickering good-naturedly like an old married couple. Three nights ago they tied the knot at a small intimate ceremony—with a VIP reception (Vampires Invited to Party). Charlie and Helena came up from London to show their support and gratefulness to us for dealing with Alexander. While Lucy and Tim came down from Pitlochry for a city break. We had a fun all-night celebration at our flat with lots of Bloody Mary’s. However, I don’t think our neighbours were too pleased with Duran Duran being played at full blast in the early hours. Whoops.
Now the four of us are joining the happy couple on their overseas honeymoon. Sadie chose the destination, and Floss and I laughed ourselves silly when she told us where we’re going, but I guess it does make a lot of sense.
The black cab arrives, and we clatter down the steps with our wheelies. It’s golden hour, and the sun is creeping lowon the horizon. The driver gets out to help and glances at the guys curiously as they hand him our luggage. He jokingly asks if they’re in the mafia as they’re all wearing shades.
‘We’ve had laser eye surgery, and sunstrike hurts our retinas,’ says Damian, thinking on his feet. ‘We’re off to a resort to recover.’
Chuckling to myself, I close the door of our apartment, lock it, and look up at the windows. Bye, sweet home, for the next two weeks. When we return, there’ll be another vampire dwelling within you. Now that we’re back from London, Will is giving up his studio flat in Trinity and moving in to be with me. And in a strange twist of fate, we’ve won the roles of Lysander and Hermia inA Midsummer Night’s Dream.It’s being performed at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre over the summer, and rehearsals start in a couple of months. I can’t wait!
