Vampire - Child of Destiny (Vampire Series Book 2) (9 page)

This was exactly what I thought he was going to try, when about a week after he arrived, I heard his footsteps catching up to me, as I walked along the stone-covered tunnel that was used by the servants.

"Jenny...Jenny...wait, I need to talk with you."  I had no need to turn around, to know that Henry was behind me.  I had known by the sound of his footsteps, long before he had said a word.

"Yes, master...” I said as I turned to him.

"I wanted to ask you something...do you mind if I walk with you a while?" 

"As you wish...” I muttered, not knowing how I would be able deny his request.

We walked in an awkward silence for a few strides, our footsteps echoing on the stones.

"I know what you are, Jenny."

I was stunned at his words, not knowing if he meant that he knew I was a vampire, or he knew I was his mother.

"I am not sure what you mean..." I whispered, staring towards the floor, not daring to look up into his eyes.

"I know what you are...I thought, at first, that my father had sent you to protect me...but now I am not sure...because, well… we look alike!"

He stopped walking, and I had no choice but to stop also.  I turned towards him and lifted my eyes to look into his.

"We share the same eyes, Jenny...even Jane noticed it...My mother died giving birth to me, but it has crossed my mind that she may have borne others, are you my sister Jenny?"

They had told him that I had died!  I wanted to scream at him, to tell him who I was.  I searched for words to form some sort of explanation, but my mind was blank, and my mouth could form no words.

"I know you are a vampire, Jenny...I have lived amongst them so many years, I could not fail to know...but I need to know...are we kin?"

"No... No..."  Suddenly I had found my voice, but the truth was that I did not want to lie to him. I did not want to pretend that I did not exist. I wanted him to know that I was his mother and that I loved him.

"If your father knew I was here he would kill me," I said in a surprisingly calm voice, although in truth, I was afraid of his reaction to what I had to say.

"My name is Gwen...and I am your mother!"  I whispered.

"But you cannot be...it is not possible... I was told my mother had died."

"No, Henry...no... Whoever told you that told you a falsehood...the reason why we share the same eyes is because…” I knelt down at his feet and looked up into his face, "The reason is because I am your mother...”

Chapter Eighteen

We talked for hours.  I told of him of my parents and of my brothers, of his father Tom, and his family.  I explained how I tried to take him away from Matilda and Robert, and of how I was banished for doing so.  By the end of our discussion, he was in no doubt of the fact that I was his mother, but I could see confusion and doubt shadow his face, and so taking his hand I said, "What will you do?"

He abruptly pulled his hand from mine, and rubbed his forehead with his hand, in a sign I had come to recognize in him as a sign of frustration.

"What can I do?  I will not betray you, how could I?  However, I will not betray the people I have loved, and will always love, and who are, to me my mother and father.  It is my duty to fulfill my father’s wish, and I will fulfill that duty."  His voice sounded callous and hard, and I knew he meant what he said.

"But you can remain human,” in a voice that begged, “You do not need to become an ungodly creature like us...your children, they can remain human...you can be immortal through your descendants...that is the way it should be!"

"Ah, but life is not so simple," he said, and after a long pause he looked into my eyes and said, “And I wish it...I want to turn...I am sorry that you do not agree...but it is my wish."

I wanted to shake him, to scream and shout, to demand he obey me, but it would have been a useless exercise, and so I said, my voice flat and void of emotion.

"I vowed I would kill Matilda...I vowed I would take her life the day that you became a vampire."

Henry said, in a voice that held conviction, "I cannot accept that...she is my mother...the only mother I have ever known...and I will, if the need should arise, avenge her death."

I turned away from him.  I had my answer, I would never, in his eyes, be his mother.  That special place in his heart was for Matilda and Matilda alone.  I wanted to kill her!  I wanted to rip her heart from her body and pierce it with a stake.  Just as my own heart was pierced and broken from the pain of bitter rejection.  As I turned back towards him, I knew, my eyes had glazed in an opaque stare, and my teeth had grown into pointed fangs, but he did not back away from me.

"So be it...” I growled, trying desperately to regain my composure.

"I will not harm Matilda...but I will ask this of you.  I ask that I can watch the ceremony of your rebirth into that of a vampire...and I ask to know the children of my child, for I know they are due to be born in the first days of November, a few weeks before you change."

His eyes never left my face; he was, I knew, trying to figure out if I was trying to trick him, and if I would, contrary to my words, try to kill Matilda the day of his rebirth.

"You give your word that you will not harm my mother?" he whispered.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

"I will allow you to see the girl...but I cannot agree to my son...my father will not allow it."

I wanted to demand to see my grandson, but I knew that I would in all likelihood be denied both if I disagreed.

"You give me your word...son, Henry?"  His face flushed at the sound of my words, but I was not sure if the cause was from pleasure at hearing my words or from anger.

"Yes...I will give you my word, but for now you must disappear...my father will join us soon, and I am sure that you have no wish to see him?"

I nodded, placed the small bundle of clothes I had held the whole time we talked to the ground, and after raising my hand and holding it gently against Henry's face, I said, "I will see you in November, until then, take care, my son...”

Chapter Nineteen

The days passed slowly after I left Whitehall.  I missed Jane, but more so I missed Henry, and found I fought a constant battle with myself not to return to the palace, and shout
Robert be damned
!  But, of course, I did not return, I wanted to be part of my granddaughte
r’
s life, and in order to ensure that I was, I needed, for the time being, to stay away.

I had rejoined my party of servants, and we traveled to a small inn about three miles south of Vanike Manor. It was ideal, close enough for me to travel to the manor, but far enough away so that it would be unlikely that I would to run into anyone I knew.

I had taken, once more, to waylaying rich strangers on the road and relieving them of their sovereigns and jewels.  Although I was wealthy, I knew that I would always be in need of gold, I needed to be able to flee at the drop of a hat, and it cost a fortune to keep my band of servants.  In truth, it was more than that.  I needed to keep active, to throw my mind into the pursuit of prey, and forget about my son and Jane. 

The spring passed and summer descended with a cloying heat.  I had heard via my adventures on the road that my son and Jane had wed in June.  The rich men I waylaid told me of the fanfare that surrounded the wedding, as I stole their wealth and their blood.  They told of how beautiful the bride looked, but how none had outshone Queen Bess, and of how many of the guests had been startled to see Bess dressed like a bride in white, her gown studded with sparkling diamonds.

I listened intently, encouraging my prey to enlighten me with their thoughts and recollections.  I pictured Henry dancing elegantly with the Queen, and I felt jealousy and rage engulf me, for I had not been there,
the one person who should have been
, to watch my son in such splendor.

The weeks passed, and I simmered like a flaming fireball, fueled with rage and pain. I relived, with my prey, my son's wedding, dreaming that I had been there, wishing that my life had been different, and praying for time to hurry so that I could see my family once more.

I am ashamed to admit that I acted without dignity or compassion at this time in my life.  I drank from those I waylaid, too deeply, leaving them weak and sick.  I sometimes took delight in torturing them with bites and knife cuts, and then leaving them to wander the night with no gold, and no knowledge of who or where they were.  I took joy in bewitching them into forgetting their past, but what I enjoyed the most was taking away their memories of my son's wedding.  I wanted them to forget it, to feel excluded, as I did, and so I took my revenge and jealousy out on poor unsuspecting travelers.

My summer of cruelty turned into an autumn of hell.  I grew impatient, and so once again, the travelers of the road suffered.  I know not how many people I slaughtered, nor how many I left along the roadside, to die without pity, a slow agonizing death.  I killed, maimed, and slaughtered like a demon possessed.  In truth, I become the depraved animal I despised, and hypocrisy mingled with my shame and anger in an explosion of violence.  I was so young in mind, and I did not know, not then, that I rebelled against the fact that my son had rejected me.  He had chosen Matilda over me and I had promised not to take my revenge. Instead, my wrath, the wrath I wanted to direct towards Matilda and Robert, was released upon my innocent victims.

My rampage ended on a blustery All Hallows Eve.  I had returned from my hunt for victims, when on entering the inn, the innkeeper shouted towards me, his voice cheerful and happy.

"Will you not share a mug of ale with us mistress?...Tonight our lord was blessed with two newborns, a girl and a boy, it is said.  They be born on All Hallows Eve...and it is our blessings they need...it is a curse to be born on such a night, is it not, my lady?"

I directed my joy towards the innkeeper in the form of a radiant smile.  My grandchildren had arrived, and I would now make my way to Vanike Manor to greet my granddaughter.  I turned to leave, but the innkeeper once more called out, "Mistress, will you not drink to their health with us?"

"Yes of course, my good man," I shouted, striding towards him, "Your best wine, man, for the whole inn." I took the first goblet of wine, drank it down, and shouted, "
Long may they live and with God’s will they will be blessed
.
"  I slammed the goblet down on the table, and shouted as I made my way to the inn door, "
Drink to their health, all of you...and innkeeper, I will settle with you tomorrow
."  I ran from the inn doorway, vaulted on my unsaddled horse’s back, and galloped towards Vanike.

Chapter Twenty

I rode my horse like a demon possessed, towards Vanike. I knew not how I would make my entry into the manor, and at that moment, I did not care. I was determined to hold my grandchild, no matter what or whom I had to cross to achieve it.

On arrival to the manor, I stood in the shadow of the trees, watching the comings and goings of the servants. It struck me that I probably would not be noticed if I slipped inside the manor, kept my head down,and took the servant
s
’ back stairs.

Pulling my cloak hood around my face, I walked to the log pile, which was stacked next to the doorway. I took several of the logs and casually made my way to the entrance.  As I predicted, I walked unnoticed through the opening, servants were running back and forth, too busy to notice a woman carrying logs.

I hastily made my way through the curtain and up the servants’ stairs.  On reaching the small narrow corridor that led to the bedchambers I realised, quite stupidly, that I did not know where Jane and the babies were located.

I tried to listen for the soft mewing sound of newborn babies, but the manor was full of many noises, and I was unable to distinguish any individual sounds.  I slapped my leg in anger and frustration, and it was just at that moment that I heard the sound of soft footfall behind me.  I turned quickly, and gasped; standing in front of me, in all of his glory, was Robert, his eyes blazing, his fangs poised.

I felt dizzy from the range of emotions that spun inside of me.  It all came back instantly, the lust, the want, and above all else the love I felt for him.

"So you return, Gwen," he said in a deep growl.  I could not speak, my mouth had lost the ability to work, and I just stood, mute, staring at him.