The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride (30 page)

“Excellent.”

She tapped away. “I’ll set it with a halo of smaller diamonds, round brilliants, then do a split shank paved with round sapphires.” She looked at him. “Great stone for protection and strength.”

“Perfect.” He studied the design she’d produced. “It’s beautiful. Classic but different.”

“I’m going to set a few stones on the inside of the band. Moonstones, peridot, a little turquoise, maybe. They won’t be felt when the ring is on, but for our purposes, they’ll add another layer of protection.”

“Absolutely. Whatever you think it’ll take.”

“All right then.” She pulled out a calculator and did a few sums that resulted in her making a little noise in her throat. “It’s going to be a
very
nice ring.”

“I understand. How much does very nice cost?”

“Based on the quality of the stones and the amount I’ll need…about fifty to sixty thousand.”

“That’s fine.” He would have paid twice that. Triple, even. “And that’s all you need from me?”

She put the calculator down. “No. In order for me to charge the magic and make it directly relatable to you, I need something very dear to you.”

“Which is?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. That’s up to you. It doesn’t need to have actual value, but it must be valuable to you. Giving it to me should feel like a sacrifice.”

“Will I get this thing back?”

“No, I’m sorry. The creation of the magic will use it up. Whatever you give me will be gone for good.”

An odd sensation trickled through him. A sense of inevitability. Stanhill had said there would be a cost beyond dollars, but it wasn’t just that. It was as if Hugh had lived his whole life knowing a moment like this would come one day.

“I understand.” Without hesitation, he knew what he would give her. “I’ll have a package delivered to you this afternoon. How long after you get that can you have the ring ready?”

“Two weeks, maybe three.”

“No. Too long. You said you could have the stones overnight.”

“I can, but I have other projects sitting on my bench—”

“I’ll pay you an extra ten thousand to ignore them. How long then?”

She thought for a moment. “If I put all my other projects aside, a week.”

“Still too long.”

She made a face. “I can work while I’m here, but I still have to wait on customers and run the shop. I only have two other employees besides myself.”

“I’ll find you a third. I’ll even pay their wages if that’s what it takes.”

She stared at him hard. “You’re desperate to turn her, huh?”

“Not at all.” He’d rather ignore that part altogether. “What I am desperate for is to give her that ring. To make this engagement official. To show her how serious I am.”

Willa smiled. “For love, I can have the ring in three, maybe four days.”

He nodded. “Done. I assume you accept cash?”

“I do. Prefer it, actually.”

“Then I’ll send the money along with the item you requested.”

“Half is fine upfront.”

“I’ll send it all. I don’t want that to be an issue.”

“All righty then.” She grinned as she stood. “My very next task will be ordering the stones.”

“Call if you have any issues. I’ll arrange for the temporary help to start tomorrow then.”

She held out her hand. “Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Ellingham.”

“Call me Hugh, please.” He shook her hand.

“I’ll be in touch, Hugh.”

“Very good.” He left the shop and walked back to where he’d parked. He tipped his face into the sun, enjoying the warmth one last time. Stanhill had been right about the cost, but an eternity with Delaney was priceless.

His fingers went to the amulet around his neck.

She was all the sun he needed.

Delaney had to knock only once before Alice Bishop came to answer the door.

The woman shifted her gaze from Delaney to Stanhill. “I’m sorry, Elenora didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“That’s because it’s a surprise visit,” Delaney answered.

“Is everything all right?”

“No. That’s why I need to talk to her. Can you let us in please?”

“Yes, of course.” Alice moved out of the way. “She’s in the drawing room. I’ll just go get her and—”

Delaney looked at Stanhill. “Do you know where that is?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Lead the way.”

Alice sputtered. “You can’t just barge in—”

But Stanhill was already moving, his eyes sparkling with mischievous joy. Delaney followed, leaving Alice to scamper after them.

The witch wasn’t up on her cardio, judging by the panting. “You…can’t…”

“Already there, Alice.” Stanhill turned a corner, yanked a set of double doors open and bowed to Delaney. “After you, miss.”

A small wave of self-doubt struck Delaney as she walked into the gorgeous room. She shoved it away. This wasn’t about her, it was about Hugh. About their life together.

Elenora sat near a window, reading. She put her book down and peered at Delaney. “Good afternoon.”

“Hi. Sorry about the short notice, but I saw an opportunity and took it.”

Alice charged in after Delaney. “They got away from me.” She shot Delaney a glare. “Very impolite.”

Elenora waved a hand at Alice. “It’s all right.” Her attention shifted to Delaney, and for a moment, the same luminescence Delaney often glimpsed in Hugh’s eyes shone in his grandmother’s. “I imagine you must have something very important to discuss with me to arrive unannounced.”

“I do.”

“Thank you, Alice. That will be all.” Elenora tapered her gaze at Stanhill. “You may leave us also.”

“He stays.” Delaney lifted her chin a little, finding courage in her love for Hugh. “Alice can stay too. She should, actually, since this concerns her in a roundabout way.”

Elenora frowned. “Whatever are you talking about?”

“It’s about the deal you offered me if I got Hugh to ask me to marry him. He asked. I said yes.”

Elenora’s mouth came open in a very unbecoming gape. She closed it and smiled. “Nicely done. But our deal was for him to ask
and
for a date to be set.”

“Here’s the thing, that deal is off the table. There’s a new deal in play.”

Elenora’s brows rose stiffly. “And that is?”

Delaney could see Stanhill’s surprised look out of the corner of her eye. No doubt this was news to him, and probably not the kind that made him happy, but he’d understand things soon enough. “You will never again threaten to take away Hugh’s amulet. Ever. Not in the next five hundred years. Not in the next thousand years.
Never
. You’re not to even speak the word
amulet
to him. And Alice will not remove or destroy the magic that keeps it working. It is his, free and clear. No strings attached. Not even a thread. Are we clear?”

The woman snorted softly. “You’re giving up the candy shop in exchange for…” She shrugged.

“In exchange for you lifting your thumb off his neck.”

“That’s a rather crude way of putting it, don’t you think?”

“No, I don’t. You used that amulet to force him into entertaining a strange woman in his home all so you could end up with grandbabies to play with. I’d say that was pretty crude, wouldn’t you?”

She laughed, a cultured, deliberate sound. “You are a sweet child. And your love for Hugh is admirable.” She stood and walked over to stand in front of Delaney, making no effort to hide her fangs or flashing eyes. Probably an attempt at intimidation, but Delaney had just been kidnapped by mobsters. A little vampire plumage wasn’t about to scare her off.

Elenora leaned in. “There’s just one thing you have overlooked.”

“What’s that?”

“Leverage. You have none. Which means I will continue to do what I think is best for my grandson. Are we clear?”

Delaney laughed. “I may not have leverage now, but I will.” She grinned at the woman. “See, Hugh and I are going to get married, and he’s going to turn me into a vampire, and then someday, we’re going to have babies. Lots of babies.”

Delaney canted toward Elenora, leaving very little space between them. “Babies you’re going to want to see and spend time with and spoil. But if you defy my wishes on the amulet, I will do everything in my power to keep those children from you. Is that enough leverage for you?”

Elenora’s victorious expression faded. “You wouldn’t dare keep those grandbabies from me.”

Delaney smiled, but was careful not to overdo it. She didn’t want to make an enemy of the woman, just put her firmly in check. “I certainly wouldn’t
want
to, but for their protection and the happiness of their father, I will do whatever necessary. And if you think I wouldn’t, that’s only because you don’t know me well enough yet.”

Several long seconds passed. Elenora swallowed but said nothing. Emotions clouded her eyes. Delaney felt a little guilt seeing Hugh’s grandmother coming to grips with this harsh new reality, but this was about protecting Hugh. Just like he’d protected her.

Finally, Elenora composed herself and spoke. “I had no idea you were so ruthless. Our original deal is done. There will be no financing for the candy shop. No backing from me whatsoever. But I will abide by your wishes. You can tell Hugh I will never again bring up the amulet. Alice won’t do anything to void it, either.”

“But I will expect to be an active part of those grandbabies’ lives.” She sniffed. “When they arrive.” She fussed at her blouse, smoothing the silk that was already perfectly smooth. “Which I hope is not too long from now.”

Delaney smiled. “I would much rather we be friends than enemies, Mrs. Ellingham. Especially since we’re going to be family for a long, long time.”

Elenora picked her head up. “I would like that too. You’re a far better match for Hugh than I could have ever chosen.”

“Thank you. Turns out blondes really aren’t his type after all.”

Elenora relaxed and a genuine smile lit her face. “Please, call me Elenora. Or Didi, like the boys do.”

“Thank you, Elenora.” That the woman could refer to her nearly four-hundred-year-old grandsons as boys made Delaney grin. “So you were a duchess, huh? What was that like?”

“My dear, I am
still
a duchess. And when you marry Hugh, you’ll become a Lady, although obviously we don’t use those titles anymore. Shame, that. Ah, well.” She lifted her hand as though signaling the start of something and began walking toward the door. “Now, about this wedding…”

Hugh stood safely within the shadows of the house and stared out the French doors into the garden. The sun had begun to set, painting everything in broad strokes of gold and orange. A subtle melancholy lingered in his bones, but it would pass just as it had centuries ago when he’d said goodbye to the sun the first time.

Merrow had taken the amulet and the cash to Willa, at first balking at being Hugh’s messenger until Hugh had explained just how much money he was sending her and the significance of the amulet. What was the point of keeping the secret now? The amulet would be destroyed in the creation of Delaney’s ring, and the sheriff certainly wasn’t going to use the knowledge against Julian or Sebastian. Not with his loyalty to the town.