Herringbones and Hexes, page 19
We drank tea and moped some more.
When I couldn’t stand my own misery any longer, I said, “Can you hold the fort? I’m going to visit my grandmother for a while.”
Violet didn’t look very pleased that I was leaving her alone, but it wasn’t like we were run off our feet with customers. “Don’t be too long,” she said, as though she were my boss.
I headed downstairs into the tunnels and made my way to the vampires’ lair. I knocked softly in case they were all sleeping, which they often were at this time of day, but Sylvia opened the door right away. I didn’t want to talk to her. I was in no mood.
“Is my grandmother here?”
She looked slightly taken aback at my abruptness, but she nodded. “Come in.”
Sure enough, Gran was sitting in the corner of one of the opulent settees, knitting away. Sylvia’s knitting was on the couch opposite her. There was no one else in the room. With an unusual display of tact, Sylvia picked up her knitting and disappeared into her own rooms. Gran looked at me.
“What is it, Lucy?”
This was why I’d come here. Gran was always the person I’d gone to when my heart had been broken or I had a problem I couldn’t solve. I threw myself into her arms.
“I don’t know what to do,” I wailed.
She patted my back and simply waited. After a minute, I poured out all my feelings, how conflicted I was about Rafe, how I didn’t want him to leave but how much I understood that he needed to go. I was getting into such a mess, our conversation was like one of my knitting projects. Nothing but tangles and false starts and holes.
She didn’t say anything, just let me talk it through.
She looked as sad as I felt when I told her he was leaving and I didn’t think I’d be seeing much more of him in the future. “You can’t blame him, Lucy. He loves you.”
“And I love him.” As I said the words, I felt how true they were. “But there are some pretty big issues between us.”
Suddenly the line that I still thought Nyx had put in my head popped back again. “Love is always the answer.”
Gran thought for a minute and then said, “Without Rafe confusing you, you’ll meet a perfectly nice mortal man. You’ll have children. You’ll age together. You’ll struggle and argue and do all the things people normally do.”
I looked at her. “But I’ll never be normal, will I?”
She shook her head. “You’re a witch. You’ll never not be a witch.”
I sighed and sank back into the couch. “I was doomed before I began. I can’t live a normal life.”
“But you could live a mortal one,” she reminded me. “And I’ve heard from Hester there’s a special dating site for witches. What was it called? Witch Date?”
I shook my head vehemently. “Anything but that.”
“You mustn’t worry, dear. Give it time. Rafe will fade from your thoughts, and someone new will take his place.”
And yet, the more she said those supposedly comforting words, the more I grew panicked. I didn’t want some normal man. It wouldn’t be his fault, but he’d bore me to tears. He’d never be able to compare to Rafe Crosyer, who understood me in a way no mortal man ever could. Who was always there when I needed him. Who loved me enough to accept that I would age and die. Who loved me enough to want to marry me anyway.
I’d been so busy thinking about the conflicts between us that I’d stopped myself from thinking about all the positive aspects of our relationship. I loved his intelligence and his wide knowledge of the world, of history, art, books and all the things that I wanted to understand and didn’t. He was gorgeous and sexy and had a sly wit about him. I’d become fond of William and Olivia and even Henri the peacock. And not only me; what about Nyx? She’d be brokenhearted not to have Rafe in her life anymore.
I jumped up suddenly. I felt this terrible sense of urgency. “Gran, I’ve got to go.”
She didn’t look very surprised. In fact, her eyes twinkled as though she’d known all along the decision I’d end up making.
“You think he’s right for me, don’t you?”
She looked at me with her wise, old eyes. “It’s not for me to decide your future. All I can say is, there’s a great deal that’s right about you two together. Love is rarely convenient, my dear. Never perfect. But when you find it, grab it with both hands.”
“But he’ll outlive me. I don’t want him to be sad.”
“Wouldn’t you take a few years of perfect happiness, even if you knew you’d then have to live without it?”
I nodded slowly. “Yes.” Panic was beating away inside me. “What if I’m too late? What if he’s gone?”
“Don’t waste time asking me pointless questions. Get in your car and go to him.”
“Right. Right.” Then I hugged her. “Thanks, Gran.”
I ran upstairs and said to Violet, “I won’t be back for the rest of the day. If you need help, call my grandmother. She’ll send Clara and Mabel up to help in the shop.”
“Whoa. Where are you going?”
“I’m going to fix the dumbest mistake I ever almost made. And I don’t have time to explain.”
She must have known what I was referring to, for she brightened up immediately. “Don’t worry. Leave the shop in my capable hands.”
Even in all my rush, I had time to sprint back and give her a quick hug. “Wish me luck.”
“You know I do.”
I wanted to put on something pretty and do my makeup, but there was no time. I grabbed my cell phone and called William. He answered right away, sounding sad.
“I’m so glad you called, Lucy. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you properly.”
“Never mind that. Where are you? What time are you leaving?”
“We’re nearly packed. We should be gone within minutes.”
“No. You can’t leave.”
“Lucy. My time’s not my own. Rafe is like a man possessed.”
“You don’t want to go to New Zealand, do you?”
“Well, not permanently.”
“I think if I can just talk to Rafe, I might be able to talk him out of this crazy trip. Do whatever you have to. I don’t know, pull the distributor cap out of the Range Rover. Pull the battery out of the Tesla.” This was the extent of my car-mechanics knowledge. Obviously, nobody would ever confuse me with a grease monkey.
He began to chuckle. “You’re a crazy woman, do you know that?”
“I’m beginning to realize it.” By this time I was in my car, a birthday present that Rafe had organized. So many of the nice things he’d done for me were gathering together like a bouquet of flowers in my imagination. I’d nearly let all this go.
I drove as fast as I could, which wasn’t really all that fast, as I was still scared of the left-hand side of the road thing. When I finally got to the drive into Crosyer Manor, my heart was banging hard from the fear I’d be too late.
But to my eternal relief, Rafe was standing looking anything but pleased while William had the hood pulled up on the Range Rover and appeared to be poking at its innards.
I was so happy to see them, I nearly cried. I pulled up behind the vampire.
Rafe turned, and first his eyes lit with joy, and then I could see the pain descend on them. I got out of the car, and his face was set. Impassive.
“Lucy. What are you doing here?” Not said in a very welcoming tone.
“Is there somewhere we could talk? In private?”
He glanced at his watch like a busy man with places he really had to be. “I suppose so.” And irritably he said to William, “And you’d better call a mechanic.”
William sent me the ghost of a wink and said, “Will do.”
Rafe marched ahead of me to the door of the manor house and unlocked it. It was so weird to see him use a key. Always in the past, somebody had been inside ready to open it as part of his smoothly oiled lifestyle. Now we walked into a house that was already feeling like it was empty. Even though I knew that Olivia was still on the grounds, she didn’t live in the house. Without Rafe and William here, no one would.
He walked ahead of me into the drawing room and then turned. Behind him, the wintry light made the trees look like so many skeletons.
“What is it?”
Oh, he was not making this easy for me. I don’t know what I’d expected. That he’d open his arms when he saw me? I could see that he’d made his decision and he was on his way.
I had so many things rolling around in my head, I couldn’t find the right thing to say, so I just said, “Yes.”
He looked irritable. “Yes, what?”
I could hardly get the words out now. My throat was getting choked up. “The answer to your question. The answer is yes. I’ll marry you.”
Again, he acted completely opposite to what any normal man in love with a woman might do, live or undead. His face closed down even more.
“No.”
I felt like he’d hit me. I sat down on the couch because my legs wouldn’t hold me up anymore. “No? Don’t you love me after all?”
“Lucy, I love you far too much to accept anything but the same in return. Don’t say yes in order to keep me here.”
I saw now how much I’d hurt him with my indecision. I stood up and went to him and took his hands in mine. I looked up, right into his eyes, and let him see everything I was feeling. “You were right. It was the thought of losing you that made my decision so clear. But I’m not saying yes for any other reason than that I don’t want to live my life without you. I want us to be together and live whatever crazy life we have in front of us for as long as we have it. I’m yours.”
For a moment, I watched the war going on behind his eyes. It was like the bleak, gray sky outside, and then I saw the moment the sun broke through.
“You’re sure about this?”
“Never surer of anything.”
He kissed me as though he’d never let me go. And then he said, “Wait here a minute.”
I assumed he was going to tell William he could stop messing around with the car. Who knew what the man had done to it? But instead, Rafe ran upstairs in the direction of the bedrooms. What on earth?
He was back in no time holding a jewelry box.
I began to tremble as he got down on one knee. “Lucy Swift, will you make me the happiest creature on earth? Will you marry me?”
My voice was husky as I said, “Yes.”
He opened the ring box, and I cried out with delight. With his wealth, I’d have expected he might give me some overpriced, pretentious bauble, but I should have known better. This ring was perfect. A square cut emerald flanked by diamonds. I remembered looking in jewelry store windows with my grandmother back when she’d been alive, and how impressed I’d been that she knew the meanings of various stones. I’d fallen for a ring very much like this one. I could almost hear her voice. “Emerald is for the heart Chakra. And diamonds are about stepping into your power.”
“Also eternal love,” my eternal love reminded me.
I slipped it on my finger, and naturally, the ring fit perfectly. Rafe was normally so sure of himself that it was wonderful to see him look uncertain.
“Do you really like it?”
I held it away so I could admire the fire in the depths of the diamond. “I can’t even tell you. It’s exactly what I would have chosen for myself.”
“Good. Your grandmother helped me pick it out.”
Now my eyes opened wide. “Seriously?”
“She did. I had a few ideas in mind, and she steered me in the right direction.”
I began to laugh. I recalled that speech Gran had given me about choosing a mortal man, when all the time she’d obviously been hoping I’d choose Rafe.
“You should tell William. And get him to put your car back together again.”
“What are you—”
“I called him. I told him to do whatever he had to do to keep you here until I arrived.”
He began to laugh then. “I’m going to have to keep my eye on you.”
In the end, we went out together to tell William the good news. He looked delighted, and I didn’t think it was only because he didn’t want to go to New Zealand. He hugged me.
“Lucy, this is a great day for all of us. I look forward to serving you as I do Rafe.”
I was about to tell him no, no, we were friends, but I realized how important it was to be Rafe’s partner in all things, even if it meant accepting I now had household staff. So all I said was, “Thank you.”
Naturally, Olivia had to be told. And she was as thrilled as William had been. She put her arm around him. “This means I won’t lose my big brother.”
“Not quite yet.”
William turned to Rafe. “I’ll phone the airport and tell the pilot to stand down.”
Of course Rafe had his own plane. Had I really thought he’d be traveling on British Airways?
He shook his head. “No. Tell them we’re on our way.” We all stared at him.
“You’re still going?” That was me. William and Olivia were much less likely to question their boss.
He turned to me and grabbed my hands. His eyes were alight with excitement. “I’ve been wanting to show you all my favorite places. I do need to go to New Zealand. Come with me. Then we can go anywhere you want. I have a world of places I want to share with you. We can stop in Egypt if you like so you can tell your parents the news in person.”
He’d thought of everything. I was stunned. “But the shop.”
“Violet can run it in your absence. And you know several vampires who would be only too happy to help.”
I flapped my arms around. “I don’t have any clothes. I don’t even have a toothbrush.”
“Details. We’ll stop in Paris on the way and do some shopping.”
Oh, we’d stop in Paris on the way and do some shopping. Of course we would.
“There’s Nyx and Gran.”
“Call your grandmother on the way. She’ll look after Nyx. They’ll be good company for each other.”
“How long will you be gone?” William asked him.
“Three weeks or thereabouts. Does that give you time to plan the wedding?”
William grinned at him. “Weddings are my specialty.”
He looked at me again. “Well?”
He was so outrageous, it was impossible. And yet, suddenly everything seemed possible. “Fine. But don’t think when we’re married you can boss me around like this, because you can’t.”
He took my hand and kissed it. “I’ll remember that.”
Thank you so much for reading Herringbones and Hexes. Want to know what happens next? Check out Ribbing and Runes.
Ribbing and Runes
© 2021 Nancy Warren
CHAPTER 1
Planning a wedding is stressful at the best of times, but when the groom is a vampire who’s been around for more than half a millennium, the guest list gets complicated. However, Rafe and I had easily agreed that we wanted to keep the number of guests to a reasonable limit.
The vampire knitting club were all invited. I’d asked my cousin Violet to be a bridesmaid, and our friend Alice had agreed to be the matron of honor. William Thresher would stand up for Rafe and he’d asked an old friend from Ireland, Lochlan Balfour, to be his only groomsman.
So far, so good. Then came my trickiest dilemma.
What was I going to do about Gran? She was a vampire, but too recently turned to appear in public. But how could I not invite my beloved grandmother to my wedding?
It was a dilemma I couldn’t solve and Gran who came up with the solution. “My love,” she said, “I can watch your wedding from the window.”
The wedding would be held at Rafe’s manor house and there were so many rooms with windows in the estate that it would be simple to arrange the ceremony so Gran had a perfect view. I hugged her. “It won’t be the same as having you right there, but it’s a brilliant idea.”
“I’ll be right beside you in spirit, as you know,” she replied.
Once we’d solved that problem, the organization proceeded surprisingly well. William was a brilliant caterer and event planner. Both Rafe and I wanted the wedding here in the home I’d soon share, so it all fell into place smoothly.
We didn’t put an announcement in the local paper or anything as we wanted a private affair, but somehow word got out. To my delight, congratulations-on-your-engagement cards started arriving at the shop and Rafe’s home, as well as a few gifts.
I was at Rafe’s enjoying one of William’s delicious dinners. He’d had some fresh Scottish salmon sent to him and prepared it simply, grilled with a heavenly sauce containing lemon and dill, rice pilaf and fresh asparagus. Rafe sat with me and we chatted about everything. Now that I’d accepted my feelings for him and his proposal, we were free to share all our thoughts and feelings, knowing we’d be part of each other’s lives until death did us part. Mine, most likely, but I pushed that thought away.
When William returned to clear my all-but-licked-clean plate, he brought in a wrapped gift. “This came for you both by private courier.”
“Ooh, a present,” I squealed.
Rafe looked amused. “You’re like a small child at Christmas.”
“I don’t care what you think. I love presents.”
“Then you’d better open it.”
I pulled the silver ribbon away and happily tore into the white and silver paper. Inside was a white cardboard box with the name of a shop written in gold script on the lid. I barely glanced at it as I removed the lid and peeked inside.
I saw something wooden that appeared old. Gingerly, I lifted out a box with strange symbols carved into it. I thought at first the writing was Egyptian hieroglyphics, which I can read having spent many a summer helping my archaeologist parents on digs. However, while the symbols were similar, they weren’t Egyptian.
I showed Rafe who accepted the box and studied the inscription. “These are runes,” he said. “Very old. I wonder if this is from Lochlan.” He glanced around. “Was there a card?”
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