Sangria (BWWM) (On Hiatus)

Chapter 4- Face to Face

A/N: Pictured above is the famous Bran Castle in Romania. It has served as inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula's castle, and also for Vincent's childhood home. 

My thoughts are with those who suffered through Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Going through a storm is never easy, and recovery is even more difficult. Hold on to faith, and stay strong! Bahamas, you will pull through. We island people are the ultimate survivors! <3

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It was the strangest, most attractive thing she had seen or heard him do. He was speaking to one of the villagers in Romanian. She'd briefly considered the language, even going so far as learning a couple of phrases to introduce herself with. But when he opened his mouth and spoke the tongue in his smooth, sexy baritone, she did not know what the hell to do. "Numele ei este Gabrielle. Ea e iubita mea," she heard him say to the man before he connected gazes with her and gave a boyish grin. She'd had no idea what it meant, but it made her blush anyway. Smiling back at him, Gabrielle made a mental note to herself to make him speak more Romanian around her.

After sharing a couple of quick laughs, the two men came back over to the car. Opening, Gabrielle's door, Vincent spoke. "Love, this is Valentin. He'll be taking the car to a safe place while the carriage comes to pick us up."

She blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry? Carriage?"

"Yes!" Valentin chimed in with an excited nod. Gabrielle found his Romanian accent adorable! "The monarchs have sent a splendid carriage to take you to the castle." He jumped at the sound of Vincent coughing loudly. The other man gave him a disapproving look with widened eyes and tight lips.

Her brows now knitted suspiciously. "Monarchs? What are you-?"

"Valentin, will you assist me in taking the bags out of the boot?" Vincent growled before grasping the man by the shoulder and dragging him to the trunk of the car.

Gabrielle huffed as she gathered their stuff from the front of the car, including her purse and their jackets, and got out. The men were quietly arguing about something they obviously didn't want her to hear, for they had switched back to speaking Romanian. She pursed her lips, wondering what Vincent wasn't telling her.

What did Valentin mean by "monarchs"? He couldn't possibly mean Vincent's parents, could he?

She shook her head, freeing herself from the crazy thought.

No... Vincent would tell her if his parents were royalty, wouldn't he?

Wouldn't he...?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the horse-driven carriage rolling down the pavement. She was absolutely taken by the sight. Three proud, tall black horses pulled an enclosed 19th century styled carriage with a family crest on the door. It looked just like something she would see in one of those historical romance movies... It made her think of Pride and Prejudice! It was painted black with golden trim, had ornate carvings, and a painting of a crest on the door. She assumed that it was his family's crest. It was, after all, a black dragon standing tall and proudly guarding a red and black shield with a downward pointing sword. This entire carriage just wreaked of power and wealth. She began to feel intimidated.

She wondered what his parents were really like as the men began transferring their things between vehicles. She and Vincent had only briefly discussed the fractured relationship between him and his parents, but they hadn't spoken in depth about personality traits. And they definitely spoke minimally about Vincent's younger brother. The only thing she knew about the man was that he was fifteen when Vincent left.

Once Vincent and Valentin finished packing their luggage into the carriage, Vincent handed the other man the car keys. Gabrielle made her way to the fancy carriage and Vincent held his hand out to assist her into it. The seats were made of the softest velvet she'd ever felt. Curtains partially covered the windows, allowing them to see the outside without the wretched sun intruding. She peered around in awe, still amazing at the fact that they were even there to begin with. Vincent bid Valentin farewell and climbed in with Gabrielle. When their carriage took off, he relaxed next to her.