The Red Lily (Vampire Blood #2)(66)

She said nothing and so he led her swiftly up the paved street. At dusk, there were more than a few people milling about in town, but none of them took notice of two strangers. In a town this size and as the hub of so many smaller villages, there would be a constant flow of unfamiliar faces. Still, he wanted to get off the streets in case there were any Legionnaires about. 

Nikolai spotted the widow's boarding house at once. Where most buildings were constructed in the gray stone so easily found in this region and were left in their natural state, the widow had painted her stone bright white with wooden shudders on the first and second story windows painted a gleaming meadow-green like the front door. Above the door hung a brass plate inscribed in a swirling script, Winchester Boarding House.

Nikolai guided Sienna up the front steps with a hand on her back. He shut the door, jingling the bell hanging above it, and closed off the noisy street. They stood in the entry and surveyed the well-kept house. Clean wooden floors, white lace curtains in the windows surrounding a long table that seated ten, a staircase with a red-and-gold carpet lining the stairs leading to the second floor.

Light footsteps from a room beyond the dining area drew closer. A petite woman-primly dressed in a blue frock and white apron-walked in, examining them both in one quick perusal, then plastered her professional smile in place.

"Good afternoon. Are you looking for a room for the night?"

"We are," said Nikolai.

Sienna sagged like a wilted flower next to him from the travel, but more from the horror they'd witnessed in Kellswater.

"Right this way, please." She ushered them back into the foyer near the door where a roll-top desk sat near the entry. She lifted a bound book and opened it. "I'll just need you to sign the registry, please."

"Pardon," said Nikolai. "But we are friends of your friends in Hiddleston."

She paused, resting the registry book flat to her bosom, arms crossed. She stared keenly at Sienna, whose head was turned to the room.

"Will you remove your hood, my lady?" asked the widow.

Sienna finally seemed to recall where she was. She pulled down the hood, revealing her fiery auburn hair, loose and wild from the day's journey. The widow smiled and tucked the registry back in a drawer of the desk.

"Mr. Black said not to expect you for another week. Follow me, please."

Mr. Black had been the code name for all contacts to use to keep the operation as covert as possible. Of course, Deb in Lobdell hadn't bothered. But the widow was obviously a by-the-book lady. Rather than lead them up the stairs as he'd expected, she walked around the staircase. Nikolai took Sienna by the hand. She accepted his guidance, though she seemed so far away. The widow continued on through a prim and comfortable parlor, across a gold carpet, and through another door that led down a narrow hallway. She finally stopped at the end of the short corridor and opened the door with an ornate key.

The three of them stepped through to a room facing the back alley, not the front of town. One bed was covered in the widow's signature green and gold, as well as the carpet near the fireplace. A rocking chair sat next to a side table and porcelain lamp with a lacy white shade. She handed Nikolai the key.

"This will do quite well for you, I believe. You are on the first floor and may leave without anyone's notice if need be." She nodded toward the window, then stepped closer and whispered the rest. "I have tenants in the upstairs rooms and this will keep prying eyes from your notice. I would make contact with Reginald if I were you. We weren't expecting you so soon."

Nikolai wouldn't explain they were so early because they had to bypass the two villages between Lobdell and Dale's Peak. No need to alarm anyone else conspiring with the Black Lily.

"Reginald?" asked Sienna dazedly. "I thought she was our contact?" She directed her question at Nikolai.

"I am," the widow answered for herself. "But I cannot accommodate so many for the gathering." She glanced around, though there was no one to hear them in this part of the house. "There are many here in Dale's Peak who are sympathetic to the cause. Mark my words on that score." She turned for the door and paused at the exit. "When dinner is ready, I'll bring a plate to you, my dear. You look worn out from your journey."



       
         
       
        

She shut the door behind her. Sienna removed her cloak and dropped it onto the rocking chair, the red swathe of fabric on the inside flaring bright. Then she walked over, sank onto the bed, and began removing one of her boots.