Vampire - Child of Destiny (Vampire Series Book 2) (8 page)

Life for me changed also.  Now that I was no longer Louis’ prisoner, I started to ride around the countryside surrounding the chateau - the area was stunning!  The chateau was nestled in the shade of rolling spring green hills, very much like the English countryside, but more serene.  The air was warm, and although it was wintertime, it was warm enough to ride along the lanes without the need of heavy furs and capes.

Several times, I rode into Bordeaux, the closest town to the chateau, and soon enough I became spellbound by the beauty and vibrancy of the town.  The people were all cheerful as they strolled through the cobbled lanes selling their wares, laughing and joking with each other, and me also, as I passed them by.  Unlike the peasants’ buildings in English villages and towns, here people grew wild roses around their doorways, the smell of which was intoxicating.  They seemed to love life, their homes, and more importantly each other – I adored it.

I purchased flowers, fruit, bread and cheese, I had no need of any of the goods, but I loved talking to the sellers, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt I was alive and above all else - normal.

Alas, of course, it could not last, and all too quickly it was time for me to begin the long journey to England.  I chose five servants to accompany me; two girls, one being a young girl called Marie, and the other was the naked girl from Louis’ live feast.  I had healed the slash across her wrist with my own blood, and had insisted on tending to her needs myself.  In doing so, I had grown attached to her, and she too felt the bond we shared, for she followed me constantly – her name was Jeanne.  The men I chose to accompany us were: two young stable hands, both of whom were named Jean, and a third, who was a strong and ruthless man of arms known as Andre.

It was with regret that I bade farewell to my new friends at the chateau.  I left with my troop of servants, jewels, and the treasures and cloths I had taken from the chateau hidden in the cart that followed behind me.  I vowed I would soon return, but I would not be alone, for if I was to have my way, then I would be returning, accompanied by my son.

It took several weeks to cross the countryside of France and reach the port of Calais.  Of course, when I had made my way across the landscape the last time, I had had no view of the places that I passed.  Now the glorious landscapes that we rode through mesmerized me.  France was a charming country, and although I knew that England would always be my first love, I had started to believe that I would be able to make this country my home on my return.

Likewise, my journey back across the English Channel was somewhat different.  Instead of being barricaded into the bowels of hell, below decks, where rats gnawed on my sick and decaying body, I walked along the deck of the ship, my hair blowing in the wind, the smell of the ocean breeze tantalizingly sweet on the air.  It was, I believe, on that return journey that my lifelong love of the ocean began.

At night I would creep up to the deck, and holding on to the wood at the stern of the ship, I would inhale the freedom that I knew lurked beneath the rolling waves.  One night, a storm swirled in the depths below, and the ship rolled high and low.  I held so tight to the wood that my nails dug in, but I laughed, and I felt as if I was at one with the elements, I was part of the raging wildness, and I belonged.

Before very long, as with all things, my journey ended.  The ship I traveled upon glided past the magnificent white cliffs of Dover.  Although the vessel was a little battered and limping from the storm, it was still strong, and more than ready to conquer the beast on its return journey.

I too was slightly battered and weather-worn, but I was stronger than ever before, and finally, I had returned home to free my son.

Part Three

Chapter Fourteen

I returned to grounds of Vanike Manor in the April of 1559.  The sun shone lightly through the trees, casting sparkling light and contrasting dark shadows on the beautiful English landscape. My heart constricted with love for my homeland.

Of course, it would be impossible for me to enter the manor, so instead I stayed on the outskirts of the estate, hoping for a glimpse of Henry, but dreading that I would see Robert.  Robert’s warning still echoed with clarity inside my head, and I knew that he would fulfill his promise to kill me.  If he so much as glimpsed me through the trees, he would know why I had returned, and would slay me without a second thought.

I prowled the grounds of the manor for two weeks, watching and waiting for a glimpse of the man my son had become.  I wondered several times if I would recognise him, and whether maybe I had already passed him on the track leading to the crossroads inn where I stayed at night.  I would then shake the thought from my mind, knowing that I would know my son, who as a baby looked so much like Tom.

On my return to the inn, the innkeeper would always sidle up, his smile and manner as sly as a fox.

"Food, my lady?" he would ask in a slimy voice, his shining eyes downcast, and his manner subservient.

Every night my small party and I partook of food in the back room, the room that had seen the start of Louis' imprisonment of my body and soul - and I hated the place!  Just as I hated the sly innkeeper, but it was a means to an end and so, I knew, it was a nuisance that must be endured.

"Yes, bring food, and your best wine, the day grows cold and I wish to be warmed."  Of course, I would not be eating the food, I feed from my servants, and so I wished them to be well fed and content.  I was also partial to the warmed wine the innkeeper offered, it acted as a substitute for blood from time to time.

I stood by the roaring fire, my mind as always on Henry and his whereabouts.  The innkeeper talked, as he usually did, whilst laying the table with pies and hunks of meat for my party.  I always ignored him, he was obnoxious and irritating, and I found his words boring and repetitive.

"Be a great day for the master it be, the young master, well he be a favorite of our Queen Bess, and she be staying at the manor tonight...I offered my services, but the master said, thank you kindly Jack but we be fine."

Instantly I was by his side. "What did you say?" I croaked.

"Be a great day..." I stopped his flow of words with the wave of my hand.

"Yes, yes, I heard that part...but who pray is the master and young master, mayhap that I know them?"

It was the first time that I had engaged the innkeeper in normal conversation.  He held his head slightly higher; his sly, evil eyes were, for once, looking towards my own.

"The master he be the Lord Robert Vanike, and the young master be his son Master Henry."

I stood staring at the innkeeper, thoughts circling my mind. Of course!  This was the reason I had not glimpsed them, they had been at the queen’s court.

"You be knowing of ‘em, my lady?" the innkeeper asked.

Turning away from his sly knowing gaze I said, "No, no, I don't believe I do...what a pity, they sound very exciting...still my party is waiting for food...so get on with it, man."

After mumbling a response, the innkeeper continued with the task of feeding my party.  I stared into the fire, my mind racing, how stupid of me not to realise that Robert would present Henry at court.  He had been good friends with King Henry, and so it would make sense that he would wish to be good friends with his heirs and the present monarch.

I gazed into the flames of the fire, trying to decide what would be my next move.  Turning towards my party, I watched the innkeeper make his way around the table, and just before he left the room I said, "Innkeeper, we will be leaving tomorrow...ask the stable hand to have my cart ready at cock crow."

The innkeeper looked irritated at my sudden request, but did not remark on it, and bowing his head said, "As you wish, my lady."

It was as I wished, the innkeeper watched too intently, saw too much, and tried to gain too much knowledge.  Besides, I was in no doubt that the royal party would be returning to Whitehall soon, and if Henry actually was the favorite of Queen Bess, then Henry would surely follow. 

Chapter Fifteen

We rode into London a few days later.  I had realized that I would need to bewitch my way into Whitehall, if I was to discover the secrets of Henry's life.  I had decided that I would dress as a serving wench, and gain information from whoever or wherever I could gain it.  Because I was going to be wearing a disguise as a serving wench, I had found my party an inn about half a mile from Whitehall.  I did not want anyone recognizing me coming and going from the royal palace.

I was impatient to find out as much as I could about my son and the life he had led up until that moment, and so I started out towards the palace, shortly after I arrived.  I dressed myself in one of my Jeanne's dresses and swiftly made my way to the palace.

It seems that sometimes the fates are for, or against us.  However, on this day the fates were on my side, for no sooner had I made my way through the gates of the palace than I heard a young girl whispering about Master Vanike.

"Do you work for Master Vanike?" I asked her, looking deep into her eyes, willing her to talk to me.

"Lord no...I works for his betrothed I do...they be getting married, ya see."

"And who is his betrothed?" I asked.  My eyes were glued to hers, willing her under my spell, because it was vital that I discover all she knew.

The girl paused.  I could see she was trying to place me in the palace, trying to recognise me amongst the hundreds that worked there.

"What is your name?" I said softly.

"I be Anne...and you be?" I smiled at her, and replied, "My name is Jenny. Do you not remember me, Anne?  We once worked together for a while in the laundry."  A smile lit Anne's face, I had convinced her that she knew of a memory that did not exist, but she could place me now, and therefore trust me.

"Why a course you be Jenny, I near forgot ya, I did...I be working for Lady Jane Simpson, Jenny...she be marrying the young master a few weeks hence."

I was a little startled by Anne’s news.  Why would Henry marry just a few months before he was to become a vampire?  I then noticed that Anne had turned from me and had started to move on.

"Stop, Anne..." I shouted as I caught up to her, holding onto her arm as I turned her towards me.

"Do you have any secrets you need to tell me about the lady Jane?" 

Anne's brow creased in uncertainty, and then looking around her to make sure no one else heard, she said, "Shh, Jenny, the like of us cannot be discussing them, but I do have a secret...she be with child, the lady Jane, that is...she be with child."

Henry had begot his heir before he lost the ability, he would have a child of his own blood, but still become a vampire.  I knew without doubt that this was Robert's idea, and anger rushed through my veins.  He was using my blood to start a vampire dynasty, a dynasty of murderous beings!

Once more Anne had moved away from me, this time I ran after her and said,

"Anne, I think I will attend the lady Jane with you, lead me to her."

"But, Jenny, I be getting in trouble...I be." I raised my hand to stop her chatter, and said,

"She will be happy to see me, Jenny, it's been a long time, and she's missed me."

A smile fluttered across Anne's face. "Of course, Jenny, sure I had forgot that you be friends...Well follow me, Jenny...Follow me."

I followed Anne through the cold corridors of Whitehall.  My emotions were all tangled and confused.  On the one hand I was happy at the thought that I would soon see a child of my blood enter the world, on the other, I was angry that this child was begot simply to become another monster.  Now, more than ever, it was vital that I try to stop Henry changing into a vampire.

Before long, I followed Anne into a large and richly decorated bedchamber.  A young girl stood up from a warm chair from beside the fire.  She was an angelic vision, a glorious creature of pale golden beauty. Ethereal and fragile, she would never survive in the world of vampires.

"Who is this, Anne?" she asked, her voice, like her body, soft and gentle.  Before Anne could answer, I stepped forward.

"I am Jenny, Lady Jane. I have waited on you before...I am your friend, my lady..."

Jane walked towards me, her small body wrapped itself into my arms, and in an instant I heard the twin heartbeat of a girl and a boy inside her small childlike body.

"Where have you been, Jenny?" She asked me in a quivering voice, "I am afraid...so afraid."

"Shh, for I am here now...I am here," I said, as I gently stroked her back.

Chapter Sixteen

Jane fell under my spell with such ease, and she would go along with my slightest suggestion.  She confirmed falsely that I had helped look after her when she was a small child, but I had disappeared from her home; when her parents were brutally murdered during the reign of Bloody Mary.  She invented memories, memories that I had no part in planting into her fragile mind.  She seemed to be so in need of love, so unsure of her worth, and she became dependent on me in just a few days.  It was not difficult for me to see how Robert and Henry were able to manipulate this poor vulnerable girl. 

I shared her time, made her laugh, and waited beside her patiently for her betrothed to return.  She told me that she had known Henry from childhood, from before her parents died.  She had always loved him, and she believed he loved her also, but like all men favored by the queen, he must pretend that his eyes were for the beguiling monarch alone.  I listened carefully, catching glimpses of the years in Henry's life that I had missed.  I found myself wishing, more than ever, that I could have watched him grow.  Nevertheless, I was thrilled that I had found a small way back to those years, via Jane.

The day I met my adult son, was no different from any other day in the palace.  I sat, as I usually did now, with Jane beside the fire, in fact, Jane rarely moved from the fireside, and complained that she was constantly cold.  We were discussing the wedding plans, Jane talked wistfully of Henry, and how handsome he would be on the day that they finally became one.  We were both startled as a gust of wind shook the bedchamber, slamming a door and whistling a howl. Suddenly the door opened and in that fleeting moment my son appeared, pulled Jane from her chair, and swung her around in excitement.

On first seeing him, I wondered how I had ever believed that I might not recognise his face.  He looked so much like Tom.  His shoulders were strong and wide, his frame tall, and his hair shone like burnished sunlight.  I held my breath, I so wanted to run into his arms, to tell him how much I loved and missed him, and to hold this grown man against my chest, and coddle him forever.

"And who is this fair maid, Jane?" I looked up into his eyes, and saw my own staring back at me.  For although the rest of him resembled Tom, his eyes were mine.  The same thought must have crossed his mind because I saw a frown twist his brow.

"This is Jenny...Oh, Henry, you must remember Jenny. She used to play with us when we were tiny.  Her mother was Anna, my nurse...”

Henry had turned towards Jane; he now turned back towards me.  His eyes narrowed, and I could tell that he was not convinced at all, by the nurse story.  My son, I could tell, was far from stupid, and he believed that something was amiss - he just did not know what.

"I am afraid I do not remember you, Jenny...but a friend of Jane's is a friend of mine...and it is a pleasure to meet you."  I curtsied, bowing my head low.  I knew that I dare not look up into his eyes again, he was suspicious enough, and I had no wish to enhance those suspicions.

I walked to the back of the bedchamber, making pretence of packing away linens and materials.  I wanted to give them privacy, but I also wanted to hear what they discussed.

"I have missed you so, Henry," I heard Jane gasp as Henry pulled her into his grasp and kissed her passionately.

"As I have you, my sweet...as I have you."

"Must you tend the Queen, can we not just run away...I hate it that she takes you from me."

I heard the plea in Jane's voice and winced, willing her to be stronger, weakness would only anger a man such as my son had become.

"Jane, we have discussed this...it is what must be, we must pay court to the Queen...My father discussed this with you...”

"Oh, your father..." Jane said, turning away from him, "and is he at court, may I ask?"

"No… he is still at Vanike...he is...indisposed at the moment...We will travel back to Vanike soon, my love...we must marry before the child becomes apparent.  The Queen, of course, will be present."

I heard the irritation in Henry's voice; it was obvious that he did not enjoy having to explaining himself.

"Is that is all you care about?  The child I carry, the Queen, and your father! 
WHAT ABOUT ME HENRY...WHAT ABOUT ME?"

"Be quiet, you fool! Do you want the whole court to hear our private affairs?"

The previous irritation I had heard in his voice had now turned to anger.  I heard Jane sob, and heard the heavy footfall of Henry walking towards the door.  I turned as he approached.

"You...” he barked, "You are her woman, are you not?"  I nodded, unsure of what to say or do. "Good, well tend to her, will you!"  He then walked through the door, slamming it shut as he did so.

Chapter Seventeen

I felt like I was afloat in a hazy cloud of happiness in the days that followed, and I cherished every moment that I spent close to my son.  For the first time since Robert had stepped into my life, I felt content and complete.  Henry was a fine man; he was strong but kind, with just a hint of cruelty hidden just beneath the surface.  Of course, that was only to be expected; he was, after all is said and done, given human hearts to juggle as a child.

I loved to watch him deal with Jane; she was, I should point out, of a very nervous disposition.  Henry, however, was so patient with her, and although I was certain that Robert had ordered him to marry Jane, his concern for her wellbeing never seemed to be false or an act.  I was proud of the man my son had become.

However, I did notice that Henry's gaze often lingered in my direction, and it worried me.  I noticed that his eyes lingered on several of the serving wenches and I guessed that my son was busy sowing his seed; I just hoped that he was not going to try to use his charms on me.