He heard his friend start to speak a few times, but he kept pausing. Finally, he heard him mutter under his breath.
“You’re a lucky bastard, Giovanni Vecchio.”
Giovanni was reminded why he hated London as soon as they arrived, but he tried to enjoy it through Beatrice’s eyes. Carwyn had woken her as soon as they crossed into the city and started pointing out the sights. She smiled and bounced, enjoying the historic town as he tried to smother his own displeasure.
He hated the city. The streets were too crowded. The traffic too rushed. Too many people pressed against him if he tried to walk around, and there was too much noise. The air quality may have improved, but he remembered when coal smoke hung over the dreary town and soured the air. More than anything, Giovanni hated the cold damp that reminded him of the school in Crotone where Andros had held him against his will for so many years.
“Don’t be such an old man,” she teased him. “How long are we staying, anyway?”
“As long as we need to, tesoro. I may not be very fond of London, but Gemma and Terrance are close allies and this is the best place to start looking for Lorenzo. If the information you found is correct, he’s still in England or France. Between the three of us and all of their contacts, we have a very good chance of finding him. It may only take a few weeks if we’re lucky.”
She fell silent; finally, he heard her heave a great sigh.
“Beatrice?” He turned to look at her grim face.
“I’m going to have to quit my job.”
Giovanni turned around so she didn’t see his satisfied smirk. “Oh no. Whatever will you do?”
She pinched his ear. “Shut up and don’t gloat. I’m quite capable of surviving without a job, thanks to my superior embezzling skills. I haven’t agreed to work for you yet.”
Carwyn snorted, but Giovanni just grinned.
“Yet.”
Chapter Fourteen
London, England
January 2010
“Another glass of wine…B?” Gemma arched an eyebrow at her in the formal sitting room of the house in Mayfair. They had arrived at the home of Terrance Ramsay only an hour before and been immediately welcomed by more household staff than Beatrice had ever seen outside a period film.
“No, thank you.”
“Perhaps some tea?”
“No,” she smiled stiffly at the extremely elegant vampire sitting across from her. “Thank you.”
Gemma Melcombe may have been Carwyn’s oldest daughter and second child, but her manners, accent, and wardrobe revealed none of what Beatrice suspected were probably humble origins. It wasn’t just the staff that seemed to belong in a period film. Gemma’s delicate features, gold-spun hair, and tinkling laugh made it hard not to imagine her in lace and petticoats, riding in a carriage to a ball.
Which she had most likely done on more than one occasion. Possibly in Giovanni’s company.
Casually involved, my ass. Beatrice plastered a pleasant smile on her face.
“What do you mean, you were involved? She’s an old girlfriend or something?”
“Nothing that serious, tesoro. I just wanted to let you know. We’re friendly now. She’s apparently quite happy with her fiancé.”
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Why would I be jealous? You said it was years ago.”
He had winked at her. “A vampire can hope, can’t he?”
Beatrice hadn’t asked more about their involvement, and she pushed away the cold lick of jealousy, knowing it was unreasonable. Giovanni, for all his keen intellect, could be startlingly obtuse about human nature at times. Because whatever he thought about their friendship, Gemma Melcombe was completely in love with him.
“Perhaps I should show you to your room,” Gemma said with a polite smile. “I’ve prepared one of our guest suites for you. The windows are east-facing, so you’ll be able to enjoy the morning-”
“Beatrice will share my room, Gemma,” Giovanni murmured.
He had been sitting next to her on the small sofa, lost in his thoughts and absently playing with the ends of her hair. Upon their arrival, Carwyn and Gemma had taken a few moments together, presumably to talk about Ioan, before Terry and Carwyn had retreated to the study to speak to Terry’s lieutenant about the current political situation, leaving Giovanni, Gemma, and Beatrice in the elegant sitting room to become acquainted.
Giovanni’s skin, Beatrice observed with perverse satisfaction, was still flushed from feeding from her the night before, and she noticed he seemed quicker than he had been in weeks. His amnis was stronger, as well; she wondered how much his diet of donated blood had been affecting his health.
“You want her to share your room in the basement?” Gemma laughed, cutting her eyes toward Beatrice. “Surely she will want something brighter, Gio.”
“We always share a room. We both rest better that way.” Beatrice tried not to sound smug, but she remembered Giovanni telling her years ago that no one had seen him sleep in hundreds of years, so she knew Gemma was probably included in that. She placed a proprietary hand on his thigh and smiled.
“Well-” Gemma’s blue eyes frosted. “-I’m sure that will be fine.”
“Tesoro, if you want to rest, I will meet with Carwyn and Terry and fill you in at first dark. Gemma, will you be joining us in the study?”
“Of course,” Gemma said. “Terry always asks for my opinion. It’s what makes us such excellent partners.”
“I forgot to offer my congratulations on your engagement. You and Terrance are a wonderful couple.”
Beatrice could see the flash of hurt in Gemma’s eyes and wondered again how Giovanni could be so dense.
“Thank you. We’re very happy. I’m sure you can imagine how pleased Father is, as well.”
“Congratulations,” Beatrice added. “If you could show me to a phone, I have a few calls to make before I turn in.” She turned to Giovanni, still resting a hand on his thigh. “I need to talk to Dez, and I’ll call Dr. Stevens this afternoon.”
He frowned and reached up to trace her cheek. “All joking aside, I am sorry about your job. I never intended-”
“Oh, yes you did,” Beatrice laughed. “Don’t lie. You wouldn’t have forced the issue, but don’t pretend like you’re not pleased.”
He winked at her and tugged at a lock her hair. Beatrice saw Gemma watching them out of the corner of her eye.
“Sorry,” she said. “I’m having job issues. If you could show me to a phone, it would be great.”
“Of course.” Gemma smiled politely. “Giovanni, I’ll meet you in the study. Make yourself at home. You know where everything is.”
“Of course.”
They stood, and he leaned down to place a quick kiss on Beatrice’s cheek before he stepped out of the room. Beatrice turned to her hostess, who had a hand held toward the door.
“I’ll show you to Gio’s room. We keep one for him since he visits so often. It’s almost like a second home for him.”
“I’m sure.” Beatrice smiled and tried not to grit her teeth.
“There’s a phone on the desk in his room.”
They walked down the hall, and Gemma opened a door that lead to a small landing and a set of stairs that curved down to the plush basement level of the house. Gemma walked at a leisurely pace, gliding down with preternatural grace while Beatrice felt like an awkward young girl trailing after her.
“Do tell me what dietary accommodation my cook will need for Gio. She’s stocked some of the blood type he prefers, but let us know-”
“Oh, he won’t be needing anything,” Beatrice said. “He’s taken care of.”