This was obviously some scheme that the Duchess of Burnrath had devised. But how much did she know about Rosetta’s failed assassination attempt? And worse, what had she told her husband?
“Was the invitation delivered here?” she asked, panic nearly choking her. If that was the case, Ian knew she was hiding John, and if he knew that, most likely he knew what else she had done.
“No, the letter was delivered to my flat. I have no idea how the woman received my address.” John sat down at the table and sliced a loaf of bread.
“I am relieved that you did not go, John. Obviously it was a trap.” She noted the dark circles under his eyes and her heart wrenched. The poor darling, these last few months had been so hard on him.
“I assumed that very thing myself,” John said, running his hand through his hair in that pensive way she so adored. “Still, I feel a measure of regret. She is a very talented writer, and I would have been so delighted to make her acquaintance. Did you know that she wrote a few ghost stories under the name of Allan Winthrop? They were quite good.”
Rosetta heaved a bitter sigh and sat down at the table across from him. The very forces of the universe appeared to be conspiring to keep her lover in peril, no matter how fervent her attempts to extricate him from danger. Her mind cast about for a solution to this latest problem. Odd it was that this invitation had come from the Duchess of Burnrath. She frowned. In fact, it was very odd that her lord had taken a mortal bride at all, since he had no intention of Changing her. The duchess must be a very compelling creature indeed to gain such a hold over her powerful master.
The gossip pages idolized Angelica and vilified her alternately with every article. She was reputed to be “fast,” and she kept company with certain “notorious persons.” Her wedding to the duke was still the talk of the season. The nuptials had been performed after a hasty and scandal-ridden courtship, during which she was seen at his residence before the proposal. Also, she’d been thrown out of Almack’s shortly before the wedding.
For the past few months, rumors had said that the duke and duchess were estranged, most likely due to the very shocking ball the duchess had hosted at Burnrath House. But the papers now said that the couple had reconciled. All sources reconfirmed that theirs had been a love match all along.
A love match… Rosetta’s mind raced. If indeed her master was in love with Angelica, he would do much for her safety, just as she would do anything to keep John from harm. She lit on an idea. If her scheme worked, their worries would be over at last.
“Fetch my writing materials from my desk, would you, love?” she asked. “I think you should write an invitation of your own. I suppose you’ll meet Her Grace after all. I have a plan.”
***
Angelica opened the letter from John Polidori with great curiosity. An amused smile played across her lips as she guessed at its contents. The gathering had been held two days ago and now he was declining? What a silly man he was! She stroked Loki behind his velvety ears as she read.
Dearest Duchess of Burnrath,
I am sorry I was unable to make an appearance at your gathering as it sounds as if I would have much enjoyed it. If you accept my apology, please permit me to extend an invitation of my own. I will be having a similar gathering of writers at Number 3 Great Pulteney Street in Soho tomorrow night at six o’clock. I would be honored if you attended and heartily look forward to making your acquaintance and sharing discourse on the written word.
Faithfully yours,
John Polidori
Angelica smiled, hardly able to believe her good fortune. At last, she would have the opportunity to meet the man who had known her idol and who had written the first vampire story in English.
She wondered what Ian would say when she told him she had met the man he’d been searching for this past year. She recalled that Polidori’s story had endangered Ian’s reputation in the first place. Angelica supposed in a way that she ought to thank the man, for if he hadn’t caused a vampire craze in Europe, then Ian would have had no inclination to marry her. On the other hand, it was likely that the same craze that inspired the vampire hunter to try to kill her beloved husband. The letter shook in her hands. The cat jumped up and batted at the parchment. Angelica put the letter in a desk drawer.