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I rose to my feet and asked them to let themselves out as I left the house and made my way to the Hamilton’s. I walked instead of riding, as I needed the fresh air to clear my thoughts.

The murdering little bitch.

Hadn’t I instructed Caroline only to take the guilty or diseased? Why had she taken Anthony’s life? What had he ever done to her?

The butler admitted me, and I waited in the morning room. Caroline herself came to greet me, eyes downcast and red with weeping.

Cheeky madam.

“Why did you do it?” I snarled when she motioned the maid to leave.

“Why not, I never really liked him? Anthony was too stuck up,” Caroline replied, sitting down.

Angrily, I dragged Caroline to her feet and shook her violently. “You stupid bitch! Only take the guilty or dying. Not the innocent! Have you got a death wish? I can’t protect you from the Vam’pirs if you take innocents lives.”

Caroline freed herself and flung away from me. “Anthony was guilty, guilty of being a stuck-up prig. No one will touch me, you said if I claim your vein. They’ll think that I had your blessing. Anthony was in my way, and I wanted him gone.”

“Foolish girl, nobody who knows me will think that I condoned this. You may have signed your death warrant. The Vam’pirs will avenge an innocent’s death, and I won’t defend you against my kind,” I snapped, pacing the floor.

How could I have missed the calculation in Caroline’s eyes?

Had it always been there? What a bloody fool I was. Well, I can’t say I wasn’t warned.

“Do nottouch another innocent! Do you understand?” I grabbed Caroline and shook her again. At the same time, Victoria entered, and I pulled Caroline into my arms and held her there. My hand gripped her firmly against my chest, fingers digging into her head and hurting her. This was a warning, and Caroline needed to heed it. Our closeness should have scandalised Victoria, but she was too far into grieving.

“Marquis Du Mont, my maid said that you had come. How kind of you to think of us at this time,” Victoria announced, sinking gracefully onto a chair.

“It is nothing, madam. We are to be family. I could not let Caroline grieve alone. You have my most sincere condolences and abject apologies. Lord Anthony had been most admired myself and others of our set.”

Victoria nodded. Her hands wouldn’t keep still, and she trembled all over. Her face was paler than mine, and her eyes were red-rimmed. Victoria was trying to desperately hold herself together, and I cursed Caroline for doing this to her own family.

“Mark, my second son, has been recalled from the country estate, and James is here, of course. My fourth son should be joining us as soon as the news reaches Scotland. Edward is touring and seeing the country. He always was a curious child,” Victoria continued.

Victoria’s voice broke as she spoke of the fourth son, and she began to weep into a handkerchief. Awkwardly, I rose and patted her hand as I knelt in front of her.

Caroline dropped down the other side of me, and we comforted her heartbroken mother. Victoria cried only for a few minutes and then pulled herself together.

“Please excuse my tears, Marquis Du Mont, I fear I have only just begun to grieve.”

Victoria took her leave and left. I followed suit a few minutes after threatening Caroline with dire repercussions should she do anything like this again.

Caroline had seemed suitably contrite, so it was a shock when, three weeks later, I had another visit from Barrington. This time, Mark was dead, and the Hamilton household was in uproar.

I visited and informed Caroline that she had gone too far. The bitch was on her own from now on in, and if she crossed my path, then I would kill her.

The evil little wench grinned. I honestly felt that Caroline didn’t believe my threat. I didn’t publicise the news of the ‘break up’ such as it was. Therefore, it was no surprise when, three days later, Davenport visited with more sad news.

James had been stricken down with a mysterious illness, and it was thought he was dying. On asking after James’s symptoms, I rushed around to the Hamilton’s immediately.

Caroline had tried to make James a vampire, and now he was lingering between death and life. The Hamilton’s couldn’t affordto lose another child, and so I resolved to help James become a vampire.

Victoria was sedated in bed when I arrived. Caroline and her father received me.

I requested a visit with James and was shocked when I saw him. One look told me everything. Caroline had botched the change. Trying not to throttle the bitch right there and then, I offered to stay with James a while and give them a break.

Lord Hamilton nodded his agreement, and I sat in the seat that had been vacated by him. Caroline refused to leave her darling brother, and so her father left the two of us alone. The minute Lord Hamilton was gone, I was out of my chair and holding Caroline by the throat.

“Why are you doing this? What harm did they do you?”