Dead Tempted - BOOK 1 - Pomegranate Seeds

PART ONE - XII

"Thank you, Lord Banks, Lady Chloe," Bronwen said as she and Kole left the Bank's house after half an hour of tea and talk.

"Thank you for the invitation, Lady Bronwen," Lady Chloe said, while her brother, Daniel, shook Kole's hand. Their parents had been out but the siblings had been more than happy to receive the All-Hallowmas ball invitations.

Bronwen and Kole descended the steps of the town house together and entered the carriage that was waiting for them. Kole tapped on the roof for the driver to continue and they moved away.

Bronwen sighed. "Please say that was the last one."

"There is one final stop," Kole said.

Bronwen looked out of the window at the low sun, made even dimmer by the clouds. They had spent a whole day riding around the city and Bronwen's back ached from the bumpy streets they travelled. Kole's carriage was spacious and finely furnished, but human bodies were not designed to withstand constant jarring and twisting. Even the horses had been changed once in the day to allow them rest.

"We are losing the light," Bronwen commented, letting the curtain fall back over the window.

"Afraid of the dark, Lady Bronwen?"

"What can be hidden in it, Lord Guild."

"I shall keep you safe," he said with a smirk.

Kole had given Mr Whyms the day off from his duties. The man had tried to protest, but one look from the Earl and Adam had bowed his head in submission. It had reminded Bronwen of what Thanatos had said to her and she desperately wanted to ask Kole about how Adam had come into his service, but feared he would get angry at her for bringing up the subject of his brother.

"Enough of that you two," Alda snapped. She had been so quiet, Bronwen had almost forgotten she was in the carriage with them.

The woman yawned and Kole gave Bronwen a secret look. They both hoped their chaperone might fall asleep so that they could talk privately. Then perhaps Bronwen would brave asking him her burning questions.

His risqué comments that morning had been quite forgotten by Bronwen, and she had realised the foolishness of being afraid of her own fiancé.

In just one day together, the longest solid period she had spent with Lord Guild, Bronwen had learnt more about him than before.

Through observations, she had learnt that he liked dogs, but saw cats as an unnecessary indulgence and did not care for either species as companions. He was tolerant of children but had no fondness for them - something Bronwen hoped would change as he aged. He was an easy charmer of women when he wanted to be and did not suffer fools well. Kole enjoyed the winter months most and saw plants, especially those kept in the home, as pointless fancies.

They were all insignificant facts that made up a man and Bronwen wished to talk to him in depth about his interests, but other than the brief walk from door to coach, they had not had a moment alone together. And if Alda disapproved of their brief exchange about the dark, she would certainly not approve of any more intimate conversation. Bronwen had come to believe it was impossible for anyone to create a meaningful relationship with someone before marriage.

She wondered how her father and mother had managed it. From what little she knew of their marriage; it had been a deeply loving one. They had been almost obsessed with one another, despite their union being chosen for them by their families and had fallen in love long before they were wed.

Finally, the carriage came to a juddering halt and Bronwen looked outside at the solitary house they had stopped at.

It was as austere as the people who lived there. Lord and Lady Payton - an abrupt and snide couple who Bronwen always avoided at parties. She stifled an unladylike groan as the brown coloured bricks of the manor house came closer. They were her father's friends, not hers and she didn't see why they had to come to the ball.