The Vampire's Reluctant Bride

The Vampire's Reluctant Bride: chapter-4

Chapter-4

As though feeling her eyes on him, the ‘nameless-stranger’ gazed at her; a warm smile flickering at his lips before he seemed to realize that he was smiling and turned sombre.

“What is this, Lucius?” The disapproval was evident in the older man’s tone as he looked at his son.

Amelia froze- this certifiable hunk was her fiancé ?!?

His eyes met hers again, and almost as though he could read her mind, a sudden grin touched his lips before he turned to whisper something into his partners’ ear. In response, the woman turned for a brief peck on his cheek and sauntered away.

Her thoughts in a jumble, Amelia failed to follow the rest of the conversation between the three men.

His name had finally brought the elusive memories to the fore...She remembered how kind and charming he had been to her on her last visit. Even though he had been a grown man- her fiancé, had managed to connect to her at her level; playing with her and entertaining her with numerous stories. So much so that she had been heartbroken when the time to leave had finally dawned. Lucius had promised to write to her once to she was old enough to maintain her own correspondence.

And he had kept his word.

She still remembered the day when his first letter had arrived...it had been the start of her nightmare. Amelia had been twelve at the time. She had arrived home from school to find both her parents waiting at the door. They had sat her down and explained to her that she was already engaged...shattering all her dreams of a fairytale romance. And so it was with an ill grace that she had accepted his first letter.

Now that she thought of it, that first letter had been unlike all the others in that it was warm and full of life. Her twelve-year old self had failed to recognize the hope threading through the letter and replied in the coldest and most formal manner that she could manage. In hindsight, she regretted her action, but what has once been done can never be retracted-the following letters from him followed her lead, they were as decorous and refined as the first had been warm and friendly.

“Well, if you don’t want her, she can be my toy!”

The words jolted her back to the present. Why were they talking about her as though she were a mere object- to be used or rejected as it pleased their fancy?

“No!” Lucius’ refusal was instant.

Much as she hated the fact that no one thought to ask her views on the matter, she was thankful that both Lucius and Lord Romanowsky seemed reluctant to allow the younger man to keep her as his toy. She could barely imagine what being a ‘toy’ entailed- and the malice in those pale blue eyes had her suspecting that whatever it was, it could not be pleasant.

“You can’t have it both ways- she can either be your novia (bride) or I keep her as my chuchería (bauble/toy),” pale blue eyes- Andre, as she later found out; protested.

Lucius glanced her way and Amelia thought she detected a twinge of sympathy in those cerulean eyes.

“I’ll grant you a week to change your mind, Lucius... then-” Lord Romanowsky let the sentence trail, but it what he had left unsaid was evident:  After a week Amelia would be handed over to Andre as his ‘chuchería’.

She tried to repress the shudder which passed through her at the ominous words...and tamped down on the claustrophobic feeling which coursed through her.

How different all this might have turned out, if only she had sent back a nicer reply to Lucius all those years ago? Her letter had convinced him that she was not interested in marrying him- and at the time, she had not been...how could she after all, considering she had remembered nothing of him? And so, he had decided to look elsewhere...dooming her to become Andre’s little toy....