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Vampire bites Fresh ones

In the middle of the day

Four

Wherein a Bellpull Is Out of Commission

Despite the horrible fate of Miss Belvadine Forrest (as the victim’s name was revealed to be), it turned out to be morbidly beneficial to Victoria For, as a result of the trau the Burlington-Frigate dinner party that night

Lady Melly accepted the excuse atery eyes and a tremulous smile Armed with yet another fresh topic on which she would be the ultimate source, she took herself off to the dinner party in full regalia

Victoria, ratefully back to St Heath’s Row

As the carriage pulled past the iron gates into the generous Rockley house, she glanced past the stables to the small family chapel cloaked by a cluster of o, she’d hidden the Book of Antwartha there to keep it safe fro until he was buried

Va the house, for the stone was stamped with crosses in honor of St Heath, who, apparently, had died upon one (although the story was rather muddied, and no one other than her husband’s family, the de Lacys, had ever heard of St Heath, so there was no way to verify its accuracy) Another, larger, cross sat at the top of the iron gateway, splitting only when the gate was opened And then of course, there was the fact that the chapel itself was too holy for any undead to enter

Her grooe, and Victoria hurried up the sweep of steps to the tall double doors Her first order of business would be to send aa way to notify Max about Briyani’s death, and also to let her know about the events at the park today The reality of a va feeling in her stoht Their flesh burned instantly, peeling away Even a powerful vaht

And that re Sebastian had retrieved He hadn’t offered it to her, nor had he indicated what he planned to use it for But either way, she would feel much more comfortable if it were placed so After all, he’d teased her with the fact that she should show hi it--

"My lady," intoned her very proper butler, Lettender, as Victoria crossed the threshold into the vast foyer, "the ht her to a surprised halt "Pardon me?"

"The master has arrived He awaits you in the parlor," replied Lettender with agonizingly even tones, as though he regularly made such an announce moisture, Victoria pivoted slowly toward the twin doors of the sitting room Absurdly, she’d never noticed before, but a wooden lotus blosson a simple relief in an otherwise austere expanse of creamy white

It shouldn’t be that much of a shock; she’d known her husband’s heir would arrive so day

And she wasn’t quite ready, yet, to meet the , slow breath and reached for the glass doorknob It was cool, even through her gloves, and she turned it

Stepping in, she turned so as to ensure her skirts had h, and closed the door She wanted no witnesses to this e arrive o, for he stood at one of the tall, narros that faced the half-circle drive His back was to her; perhaps he hadn’t heard the door open and closeor perhaps he wasthem both for the inevitable