We arrive at the party in time for the last three carriages to pull up outside. Murmuring filters down the hall, the voices mixing with the soft lull of the string quartet.
Kathrine beams as she leans in close to whisper, “It looks like I will be fashionably late to my own party!”
I don’t understand the point. Why would anyone want to be late? But if it makes her happy, then it makes me happy. She was always more attuned to social nuances, expectations, and other such things.
Kathrine hooks an arm through mine and pulls me along with her to the room where everyone awaits. When we near the threshold, she releases me and pushes me forward. I stumble a few steps before entering without her.
One or two people look my way, only sparing me a passing glance before they turn away. I am not the face they want to see.
There are several people I recognize here. Many whom I have helped myself to their coin a time or two. Unsurprisingly they all seem to be doing well.
A moment later, a few heads turn. Murmurs fill the room. Kitty strides in, smiling and beaming at the crowd. She pauses to greet everyone she passes.
I feel like a fish out of water. Though Kathrine looks as if she was born to this life.
Abraham crosses the room in a few strides and takes her hands, leading her back to where he was standing moments before. The two of them laugh and talk excitedly with another couple, a few years older.
I keep close to the wall, taking in the throng of people milling about. There are older couples and younger, and one group of girls standing in a cluster, whispering as they look at a nearby group of young men close by.
The room is similar to the music room at Alaric’s manor, though it is smaller and brighter. Instead of dark mahogany and crimson, the room is decorated in creams and golds with green accents.
Alaric… I can’t seem to stop thinking about his name… comparing everything I see or experience to my month and a half in Windbury. Even on the drive here, I couldn’t stop thinking his name—mostly cursing him for not instructing the driver to stop at an inn for the night.
But since arriving, how many times have I thought of him? It hasn’t even been a full day yet.
I need to stop. That is no longer my life. I am no longer beholden or indebted to him. He is no longer in my life and—demons take that sickening twinge that stabs at my heart—just thinking about the finality of our inadequate goodbye.
I blow out a breath and shake away the things that threaten to take me away from this moment, away from Kitty. Right now isn’t the time for thoughts that need long, quiet hours to sort through. This is my sister’s engagement party. She is the reason I am here, the reason I was able to return to Littlemire.
Attempting to be more social, I search the faces near me for someone who looks amiable.
A familiar laugh breaks through the steady din of voices. The warmth of the deep timbre stops me dead in my tracks, overwhelming me with a wave of memories.
It can’t be. I’m imagining things. Slowly, I turn my head and look over my shoulder.
The blood drains from my face. Xander stands near the entrance of the room with a bright-eyed blonde woman on his arm. She’s not his sister—he is one of four boys… Perhaps a cousin then? It’s hard to tell from this distance, but she is several years younger.
She responds to something he says, her voice sweet and delicate is followed by her bell like laughter.
I hadn’t expected to see him here, let alone with a woman on his arm.
My pulse thunders in my veins and I want to hide. This is not how I planned to see him for the first time. I’m not ready to face him yet. But Xander’s eye snags on mine before I can look away. His smile slips a fraction before reforming, broader this time, as confusion transforms to recognition and then to surprise.
He moves in my direction and I take a step back. This is not how I wanted our first meeting to go after all this time. It’s far too crowded.
I feel like a caged animal… the need to get away is overpowering. But then the woman points to another part of the room, tugging on his arm until he follows.
I blow out a breath, relieved.
If I thought for half a second that I could sneak away and hide for the rest of the night without Kathrine noticing, I would. So much has changed in the last two days.
Surrounded by people I don’t know, I feel like I'm standing in the eye of a storm. There's too much happening at once, and I'm unable to handle any part of it without being dragged into the maelstrom. All I can do is wait for it to die down so I can breathe again.
I skirt the edge of the room, keeping an eye on Xander as I move. He has managed to separate himself from those he arrived with, and as I move deeper into the room, he makes his way toward me.
When I’m only a few feet away from a long table with filled glasses of various colored liquids, two girls step into my path. Somehow, I just barely avoid running into them. They wear pastel gowns, one a creamy, butter yellow, the other a summer sky blue. Their hairstyles match—pinned up with short cascades of curls falling over opposite shoulders.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” says the one on the left.
“Isn’t this party fantastic?” the other gushes. “Hugo and Mina Morgan have spared no expense!”
“I am Tessa Fontaine, and this is my sister, Malory,” the one in yellow says.
I peek around them, looking for Xander, but I can’t see through the crowd.
“I don’t believe we’ve seen you at one of these parties before,” Malory says. “Are you from Durford?”
Their chatter draws my attention back to them. I have never had to interact with others in such a formal situation. What little I know about to act in these situations, I've learned in the time I was with Alaric—and most of that was in the last week.
I plaster a practiced smile across my mouth and say, “No, I’m Kathrine’s sister, Clara Valmont.”
The blood drains from their pale faces, making them look ill. Their eyes dart to my neck before returning to my face. It is not the first time people have stared at that particular patch of skin since I’ve entered this room, but none were quite so obvious.
“Oh… oh! I’m—” Malory starts.
“We were on our way to get refreshments,” Tessa interrupts. “You’ll excuse us. We will see you around.” She takes her slack-jawed sister by the arm and practically drags her into the crowd—away from the drinks.
That was… peculiar.
I look around, meeting anyone’s gaze I can manage to catch—a few pause to meet my eye, but never for long. I don't blame them when they look for bite marks. I would too if I was in their shoes. But there is something else in the expressions that I can’t identify.
And right now, understanding what a room full of strangers think about me is the least important thing on my mind. I brush the strangeness aside and continue toward the back.
Making it to the table, I grab a flute filled with a bubbly golden drink and take a sip.
“It’s been a while,” Xander’s familiar voice croons at my side.
Tension tightens my shoulders. I take another sip from my glass, then turn to him—my nerves spike.
Xander is more handsome than I remember. His face is clean shaven and dressed as he is, he seems like a different person than the boy I’ve known for years. Of course, we have only ever spent time together in town and the surrounding areas. Never a formal occasion such as this.
His eyes go wide as he takes me in slowly from head to foot. “You look beautiful,” he says.
And just like that, the warmth and familiarity we’ve always had between us has returned. I don’t need to be flawless, and he doesn’t need to conform to expectations.
“Thank you.”
I feel at ease in his presence, but there is so much that remains unsaid. As though he has the exact same thought, our gazes travel to the woman he arrived with. I open my mouth to ask, but I don’t get the chance.
“There you are, Clara! I see you’ve found Xander.” Kathrine’s voice rings out behind me.
The short moment Xander and I shared is shattered.
Kathrine stops next to me, and seconds later, the woman who has been at Xander’s side all evening, joins us. With each passing second, her presence is more and more unnerving. I want to know who she is, but a part of me fears her innocent face and large doe eyes.
“Xander?” she asks, and even her voice is sweet. She links her arm in his and leans in. “Do you know this woman?”
Xander looks me in the eye. I will him to explain who we are to each other, to tell them our plans. But he remains silent.
Kathrine wraps her arms around my waist, resting her cheek on my shoulder. “They are old friends, they used to work near each other in the market.”
Xander still doesn’t speak. My brows crease. Why isn’t he telling them the truth? My pride stings at his refusal to acknowledge me—to acknowledge us. But then… I’m not speaking up either, and I hadn’t told Kathrine the truth when I had the opportunity.
“Oh!” the blonde exclaims, bouncing on her toes. “You’re the one who was taken by the vampire.” Then she scrunches up her face. “Everyone thought you were dead.”
I’m taken aback by her bluntness. I can’t blame anyone for assuming I would be dead that day or soon after. I would have assumed the same.
Kathrine releases me and moves so the two of them are close. They grasp each other’s hands and chatter about vampires and my assumed death.
I stand frozen, unsure of what I should do. I suppose this can’t be any easier for me than anyone else. After all, it is unheard of for someone who’s been claimed to return, especially unaccompanied by their vampire master.
Xander clears his throat quietly, drawing me out of my shock.
He jerks his head, motioning for me to find a way out of this crowded room. It seems I’m not the only one desperate to talk.
“It’s warm in here,” I announce a little too loud. “If you will excuse me, Kathrine, I need some air.”
No one responds. Kitty and the woman, who seems to be her friend, are too consumed in their conversation.
I take two steps before Kathrine’s words send a jolt through me, so sharp my vision blurs with the violent pulse of my heart.
“Can you believe it? First, you and Xander are married, and now I am to be married in less than a month!”
My mouth goes dry. I force myself to keep walking even though my legs shake with each step until I’m in the hall.
I look around desperately, searching for an empty room or some dark corner to hide in. Xander’s footfalls hurry after me, but I keep going.
Near the end of the hall is a dark room with the door ajar. No lights are lit from within, no fire burns in the hearth.
I push my way into the room, my breath coming out in short bursts.
Of course, he didn’t wait for me. They all thought I was dead… but I had sent him letters, how could he not know? My racing thoughts pound against my skull, and I massage my temples with my fingers.
The door clicks shut, cutting off the small amount of light from the hall. I drop my hands and look up. Xander stands in the shadows near the doorway. Only pale moonbeams filter in from the window, giving shape to his form.
For a long moment, the two of us face each other in heavy silence. There are so many unspoken words between us.
“You’re married?” I finally blurt. The words echo painfully off the walls.