Real Vampires: Glory and the Pirates by Bartlett, Gerry (red white royal blue TXT) 📕

“For plunder, mistress. I hear their own land is barren. So they take what is ours—sheep, food and all manner of goods. Stripped the castle of most everything once the master was laid to rest. We fought them, yes, we did, but the king’s soldiers would not stay after Lord Ralph was gone. They took off right after Lord Ralph was killed and never looked back.” Holly dabbed her eyes with her apron. “We even had some of our girls taken by those pirates if ye can believe it.”

“No!” I was working up a true hatred for these murderous savages.

“That leader of theirs holds a grudge against all Scots and the English, so they say.” Holly gripped my arm. “Lord Ralph was a good fighter. He killed many a pirate before she got him. I heard one of them was the woman’s own father. Don’t know if that’s true, but the raids have been worse since she took over. Stands to reason if she’s after revenge.”

I stepped away from the wall. “Well, she’ll be sorry once my Jeremiah and the captain go against her.” I tapped on the door Holly pointed out as Mercy’s. “Rest easy on that score.”

“Poor Lady Anne shut herself in her room and wouldn’t come out until you arrived. Mistress, you can be sure I’ll not rest easy until that red-haired vixen’s head is on a pike next to the castle’s gate.” Holly turned and headed back to the kitchen.

I had nothing to say to that. Instead, I heard Mercy’s weak response to my knock and entered her bedchamber. The room was little more than a jail cell and a truly sad affair. The air was stifling and reeked of recent illness. Mercy was pale and lay on a straw pallet. There was a peg for her clothes. Her bowl and jug to wash in were sitting on the floor. I made up my mind to find her better quarters, maybe upstairs near my own bedchamber.

“Holly told me you were feeling poorly. I am sorry to hear that.” I had no place to sit so I stood in front of the door.

Mercy struggled to get to her feet.

“No, stay where you are.” I hurried to kneel by her side and brushed her hair back from her damp forehead. “Tell me the truth now, Mercy, and I will not fuss at you. Are you with child?”

Big tears rolled down her cheeks as Mercy nodded. “I was foolish. I know it. He was so handsome and I wanted to please him.” She flushed. “Please myself too, truth be told.”

“I know. He was a fine-looking man, but not the marrying kind if we are to be honest with each other.” I took my handkerchief from my sleeve and dipped it in her water jug. Then I wiped her tear-streaked cheeks. “That’s all right. You are safe here and I will make sure you and the babe will have a home and be taken care of as long as you wish to stay with us.”

“Mistress Gloriana, are you sure?” Mercy gripped my hand. “I, I have disgraced myself. My own ma would have nothing to do with me if she knew.” She bowed her head. “I cannot go home like this.”

“I could never leave you to fend for yourself. We will see this through together.” I braced myself for her eager hug and patted her back. She then insisted on getting up and going upstairs to set my bedchamber to rights.

The truth was I saw myself in her. It was only because a vampire could not sire a child that I hadn’t found myself in her position. I had made love with Jeremiah because I couldn’t resist him. What if I had been left with a child? I couldn’t imagine raising one in the vampire life. I would have had to run away and try to take care of the babe by myself.

Oh, this was a foolish fantasy! My body might envy Mercy the life she carried inside her but I had given up the chance for that when I had chosen Jeremiah and his promise of forever. I couldn’t deny, though, that I looked forward to seeing her bloom with her pregnancy and to holding her babe once it was born. Mercy was pretty and her footman had been tall and handsome. The babe would be irresistible.

I had just reached the top of the stairs when Lady Anne joined me. She still wore her black but had obviously made an effort to fix her hair and add some jewelry. The ugly cap was gone.

“Mistress Gloriana, I am glad to see you up and around. May I take you on a tour of your new home?” Lady Anne gave me a small curtsy.

I answered with a curtsy of my own, determined to show her the respect she deserved. I was sure this was difficult for her, turning over her home to a stranger. I had questions, of course. But, first, I wanted to reassure her, just as I had Mercy.

“Lady Anne, is there a place we can talk privately?” I gestured toward her room. I had been in a few castles since I met Jeremiah. In Castle Campbell, the lady of the castle, Jeremiah’s mother, had a solar where she ruled the place like a tyrant.

“Certainly, come in.” Lady Anne led the way. She actually had two rooms. The first was a kind of sitting room. I could see a bedchamber through an open door. A fire blazed in the fireplace in this one. Chairs with cushions covered in fine needlework along with a settle covered with a cushion were arranged in front of it. The remains of what had been her dinner sat on a tray on a table next to a window cut into the stone. The food was barely touched. No wonder the lady was thin and pale. I would have to find a way to encourage her to eat more, but