Page 120
“How old you?” I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea how long he had walked the earth.
“Close to a thousand years old,” he admitted. “Horrified to be with such an old man?”
“It is rather shocking. I don’t know. Our age difference is quite extreme. ” I playfully pretended to mull the situation over.
Chuckling, he kissed my throat. “I may be old, but with age comes the wisdom that only time can grant. And that wealth of knowledge tells me that I have never loved anyone like I love you. ”
“It is my fabulous fiery hair and personality. ”
“Perhaps. All I know is that when we first spoke, I was captivated. As I observed you from afar I became even more intrigued. And when we finally met, I was smitten. I do believe that the more I learn about you, the more I love you. ”
With a wicked smile, I kissed him, pressing him back down onto the bed. When Magda returned to prepare my bath, we ignored her.
Later-
It was several more hours before we ventured downstairs. Laura was sitting in the library reading a book near the fire. Katya sat near her sloppily mending a petticoat under Magda’s watchful eye. It was obvious from my maidservant’s frustrated expression that Katya was not very adept with the needle and thread.
“I was beginning to wonder if we would ever see you again,” Laura said, her eyes sparkling with delight.
Ignatius leaned against the back of her chair and peered down at her work. “Very pretty. Your stitches are quite neat. ”
“You should see Glynis’s work. ” Laura giggled.
I frowned at her. I rush at times and my stitching tends to be uneven.
Katya grumbled under her breath as she shoved the needle through the fabric.
“Has Csilla been about?” I had yet to feed and I supposed I should seek her out.
“She had some soup sent up to her room, but has not come down tonight. I believe the weather is adversely affecting her health,” Magda responded.
“Go feed. I will make do with one of the guards,” Ignatius said.
“You can take from me!” Katya tossed her sewing aside and stood up excitedly.
“No!” I snapped.
“Sit,” Magda ordered, shoving the girl down by her shoulders. “Work on your mending. If we are forced to tolerate you, you can at least attempt to be useful. ”
“But I am!” Katya touched her throat and smirked in Laura’s direction.
Laura tittered and bowed over her embroidery, a deep flush washing over her face. I wondered if much had developed between the two young women in my absence.
>
Leaving the warmth of the library, I walked swiftly through the cold corridors to Csilla’s room. I found Brice and a maid leaving as I arrived. The maid carried a full bowl of soup upon a silver tray. She bowed her head and rushed past me.
“Is she awake?”
“Does it matter, Countess?” Brice’s voice was edged with a bitterness I found disquieting. “Why are you taking so long to kill her? Did you not promise that one day you would release us from her cruelty? Yet, you allow her to live. Are you any different than her after all?
Shocked, I stared at him. “I am doing what I should to protect all of us. Actions committed in haste often do not have positive results. Trust me, that is a lesson I am continually being forced to learn over and over again. I am sometimes far too quick to action, but in this case, I must take my time. ”
“Even though she murdered Laura?”
“What?”
Brice withdrew a small bottle from his pocket. “I discovered this in the kitchen. The baroness asked the cook to add it to the tea we were brewing for Laura when she was ill. The poor woman thought it was medicine. But it’s not. It’s belladonna. ”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120 (Reading here)
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144