The Vampire And His Lady (Silver Hills #2)

Chapter 13- 1862

October 24th 1862- England

"We're not talking about this."

Diana crossed her arms, glaring up at William from her spot on the grassy ground, a half-made daisy chain looped around her fingers.

William raised an eyebrow. "Di, the vampire lord carried you home and you don't want to talk about it?"

She nodded. "Neither word nor expression will give me away," she told him, brushing her hands against the long grass.

Will made a noise of dissent and turned away, looking back at the house. The day was gloriously hot, the sun sweltering, and you could clearly see the room in which Thornwood slept. Diana wondered why he was locking himself away; he'd never feared the sun before, having found a way to get around that particular aspect of vampirism.

The curtains were pulled tightly closed, not letting a single ray of light illuminate the sleeping quarters. It was easy to imagine a vampire hiding away in such a dark place.

"I wonder," William mused, "if our sister has found herself in any more empty corridors with your mutual friend."

Diana scowled. "He's not a mutual friend." They'd barely spoken since he'd rescued her five days ago. "And I'm sure Katherine's done more than just mess around in corridors with Thornwood."

Her brother shook his head before sitting besides her in on the grassy bank. A little stream ran besides them, it's waters transformed into crystals in the brilliant sunshine.

"Did you hear," he told her, "that the council in Silver Hills has temporarily revoked the enchantment that let Thornwood go out in the sun without burning?"

"Why is that?"

"Well, I think our beloved father has been doing some rather unsavoury things and getting away with it because Thornwood is letting himself be distracted by Katherine."

Diana hummed slightly, her fingers still playing with the grass. "

"What does she see in him?" William burst out suddenly, running a hand through his hair. "He's hardly Prince Charming."

She sprawled herself out on the grass and shrugged slightly, her light blue skirts fanning out around her. Strands of copper hair fell in face, making her vision stripy. "Some girls don't want Prince Charming."

William laughed, an easy sound that danced with the wind chimes hanging from the trees. Diana and Katherine put them up at the start of every summer, loving to hear the faint tinkling from their respective rooms in the mornings.

That they at least had in common.

"Thornwood's hardly any girls dream man though. He's so..."

"Evil looking?" Diana suggested. "Gothic? Overly dramatic and pretentious?"

William narrowed his eyes. "You have a lot to say on the matter. Say sister, you've not been... thinking about our esteemed guest in a way that would shame our family if it got out?"

Diana's eyebrows shot up. "I've not been daydreaming about that old fossil. He's hardly said a civil word to me since we met."

William smiled at her in a way that said he didn't believe her.

Diana couldn't care less; she knew her own mind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the curtains of Thornwood's room twitch open for a second before falling shut again as swiftly as they'd opened.

~

Thornwood hissed as the sunlight hit his skin, instantly creating a red patch on his arm. Damn that council, he thought.