“I was surprised as well,” said Jane. “But it was his idea, not mine.”
Byron’s nose twitched. “And just how would this arrangement work?” he asked.
“I suppose there are several options,” said Jane. “Alternate nights. Every other weekend. Or the three of us could share a bed.”
Byron looked shocked. “Share a bed?” he said.
“Yes,” said Jane. “Walter appears willing, and after all, you’ve been known to take a man or two into yours.”
Byron looked away. “I knew I should have burned those letters,” he said.
“It’s too late now,” Jane said gently. “They even mention them in your Wikipedia entry. Besides, no one cares about that anymore.”
“I don’t know,” Byron said, sounding like a petulant child. “I don’t think I want to share. I want you all to myself.” Then, surprisingly, he smiled. “You looked me up on Wikipedia?” he asked.
Jane ignored him. “Then I’m afraid we have a problem,” she said. “I won’t leave Walter.”
“I’ll kill him!” Byron declared.
“Then you’ll never have me,” Jane said firmly. “Besides, I can always turn him if it comes to that.”
Byron’s eyes darted from side to side. Jane could see he was desperate. He hated to lose. She prayed he would play the card she expected him to.
“The girl!” he said, as if he’d just now remembered her. “I’ll kill her. Her blood will be on your hands.”
“You still wouldn’t have me,” said Jane.
Byron’s face grew angry. He jumped to his feet, his hands clenched.
“Then I’ll turn her!” he shouted. “I’ll make her one of us!”
Jane said nothing. She was counting on her silence to infuriate Byron further. Predictably, it did. He rushed to her, dropping beside her on the couch and grasping her shoulders.
“I’ll do it, Jane!” he said. “You know I will. Unless you agree to be mine and mine only.”
“Please,” Jane said. “Don’t do that. She’s done nothing to deserve it.” She forced a tear from her eye.
“She reminds you of your sister,” said Byron. “I can see that.” His voice was gleeful. He thought he’d found her tender spot.
“She deserves a normal life,” Jane said. “Not this.” She hoped Byron wouldn’t reveal that Lucy had already agreed to become a vampire if he wished her to. What happened next depended upon it.
Byron sat up. “Then make your choice,” he demanded. “Come with me or I turn the girl.”
At that moment the closet door flew open and Lucy emerged. “You’re too late!” she cried.
Byron stared at her, his mouth open. Then he looked at Jane. His face was a mask of confusion.
“I already turned her,” Jane told him.
“No,” said Byron. “You wouldn’t.”
“You were right,” Jane told him. “She does remind me of my sister. So much so that I decided I can’t live without her. This way we can be together forever.”
Lucy approached the couch. “You said you loved me,” she hissed at Byron. “But you were only using me to get to Jane.”
She knelt on the floor at Jane’s feet. Jane placed her hand protectively on Lucy’s head, stroking her hair. In response, Lucy opened her mouth, revealing two shiny white fangs.
“You see?” Jane said to Byron. “You have nothing left to threaten me with.”
“I could still kill them,” said Byron.
Jane laughed. “And risk being branded a traitor?” she said. “You know the rules as well as I do. You’d be hunted to the ends of the earth.”
She actually didn’t know if this was true, but she had heard as much, and hoped Byron had as well. She waited for him to respond, and was surprised when all he did was stand up and go to the door. He didn’t look back as he left the house.
“What was that?” Lucy asked after a minute had gone by with no sign of his return.
Jane shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “I think it means he believed it.”
Lucy reached up and removed the set of plastic vampire teeth she’d been wearing. “Thank God they still had some of these at the drugstore,” she said, rubbing her gums. “I thought with Halloween over they’d be out.”
“You played the part very well,” said Jane. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” Lucy said. “You did all the work. Frankly, I can’t believe he fell for it.”
“We took away his options,” Jane said. “Without you or Walter he had nothing to threaten me with.”
“Except that Walter doesn’t know about you and I’m not a vampire,” Lucy reminded her.
“But Brian doesn’t know that,” Jane reminded her. “And there’s really no way for him to find out.”
“He must have been a real jerk when he was alive,” Lucy commented.
Jane considered telling her that she’d just escaped being made a vampire by one of the most famous romantic figures of all time. Lucy would probably love that. But the less the girl knew about Byron, the less she would know about Jane. Jane still wasn’t ready to tell her everything.
“Do I really remind you of your sister?” Lucy asked.
Jane nodded. “Yes,” she said. “You do.”
“What was her name?”
Jane hesitated. Should she invent a sister to keep her life a mystery? Lucy would believe whatever she was told. She deserves a bit of truth, Jane told herself.
“Cassandra,” she said. “Cassie.”
“Cassie,” Lucy repeated. “It’s a pretty name.”
“She would have liked you,” said Jane.
They sat together, looking into the fire. Jane thought about Cassie. Lucy really was quite like her. Both had a fine sense of humor. Both took life as it came to them. Both made her feel as though she had someone in the world whom she could trust.
“What do we do now?” Lucy said.
“We wait and see,” said Jane. “Mr. George is going to do whatever it is he’s going to do. We’ll deal with it when it happens.”
“I can’t believe I thought he liked me,” said Lucy. “What an idiot.”
“No more than I was once,” Jane told her. “I believed him as well.”
“But he does love you,” said Lucy.
Jane shook her head. “He doesn’t,” she said. “He just wants to believe he does. He’s starting to realize how lonely it is spending eternity alone.”
“Eternity,” said Lucy. “That’s a long time.” She laughed at her own joke. Jane, despite the silliness of it, did too. Then Lucy grew serious. “Will you really live forever?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Jane answered. “Legends certainly say so, but I’ve found that legends are often just that. Still, it’s already been quite a while.”
“The Great Depression quite a while or the fall of Rome quite a while?” Lucy asked.
Jane rapped her on top of her head. “Enough questions,” she said. “All in good time.”
Lucy groaned. “You’ve got to tell me something,” she protested. “After all, I almost gave up my soul for you.”
“Another legend,” Jane said. “The devil has nothing to do with it. My soul is still intact, thank you very much. But you’re right; I do owe you something. So here’s a clue—I once sat around a table while Madame Blavatsky attempted to summon my ghost for a group of curiosity seekers. She had no idea I was sitting across from her, and you can imagine my surprise when my spirit began to speak to the assembled guests. What a fraud she was, that one.”
“Gee, that narrows it down,” Lucy said. “Thanks.”
“I’m afraid it’s all you’re getting for tonight,” said Jane. “Now it’s up to the guest room with you. I think it’s best if you stay here tonight. It’s difficult to say what Byron—Brian—will do.”
Lucy looked at her and started to say something. Then she turned and walked to the stairs. “Good night,” she said. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night,” Jane called back. “I’ll be up in a bit myself. I just want to lock up down here.”
Lucy continued upstairs while Jane busied herself locking the door. She wondered if Lucy had heard her slip of the tongue and, if so, had understood what it meant. Probably she’ll grill me about it in the morning, she thought.