The Vampire's Mail Order Bride(77)
His fingers went to the amulet around his neck.
She was all the sun he needed.
Delaney had to knock only once before Alice Bishop came to answer the door.
The woman shifted her gaze from Delaney to Stanhill. “I’m sorry, Elenora didn’t tell me you were coming.”
“That’s because it’s a surprise visit,” Delaney answered.
“Is everything all right?”
“No. That’s why I need to talk to her. Can you let us in please?”
“Yes, of course.” Alice moved out of the way. “She’s in the drawing room. I’ll just go get her and—”
Delaney looked at Stanhill. “Do you know where that is?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Lead the way.”
Alice sputtered. “You can’t just barge in—”
But Stanhill was already moving, his eyes sparkling with mischievous joy. Delaney followed, leaving Alice to scamper after them.
The witch wasn’t up on her cardio, judging by the panting. “You…can’t…”
“Already there, Alice.” Stanhill turned a corner, yanked a set of double doors open and bowed to Delaney. “After you, miss.”
A small wave of self-doubt struck Delaney as she walked into the gorgeous room. She shoved it away. This wasn’t about her, it was about Hugh. About their life together.
Elenora sat near a window, reading. She put her book down and peered at Delaney. “Good afternoon.”
“Hi. Sorry about the short notice, but I saw an opportunity and took it.”
Alice charged in after Delaney. “They got away from me.” She shot Delaney a glare. “Very impolite.”
Elenora waved a hand at Alice. “It’s all right.” Her attention shifted to Delaney, and for a moment, the same luminescence Delaney often glimpsed in Hugh’s eyes shone in his grandmother’s. “I imagine you must have something very important to discuss with me to arrive unannounced.”
“I do.”
“Thank you, Alice. That will be all.” Elenora tapered her gaze at Stanhill. “You may leave us also.”
“He stays.” Delaney lifted her chin a little, finding courage in her love for Hugh. “Alice can stay too. She should, actually, since this concerns her in a roundabout way.”
Elenora frowned. “Whatever are you talking about?”
“It’s about the deal you offered me if I got Hugh to ask me to marry him. He asked. I said yes.”
Elenora’s mouth came open in a very unbecoming gape. She closed it and smiled. “Nicely done. But our deal was for him to ask and for a date to be set.”
“Here’s the thing, that deal is off the table. There’s a new deal in play.”
Elenora’s brows rose stiffly. “And that is?”
Delaney could see Stanhill’s surprised look out of the corner of her eye. No doubt this was news to him, and probably not the kind that made him happy, but he’d understand things soon enough. “You will never again threaten to take away Hugh’s amulet. Ever. Not in the next five hundred years. Not in the next thousand years. Never. You’re not to even speak the word amulet to him. And Alice will not remove or destroy the magic that keeps it working. It is his, free and clear. No strings attached. Not even a thread. Are we clear?”
The woman snorted softly. “You’re giving up the candy shop in exchange for…” She shrugged.
“In exchange for you lifting your thumb off his neck.”
“That’s a rather crude way of putting it, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t. You used that amulet to force him into entertaining a strange woman in his home all so you could end up with grandbabies to play with. I’d say that was pretty crude, wouldn’t you?”
She laughed, a cultured, deliberate sound. “You are a sweet child. And your love for Hugh is admirable.” She stood and walked over to stand in front of Delaney, making no effort to hide her fangs or flashing eyes. Probably an attempt at intimidation, but Delaney had just been kidnapped by mobsters. A little vampire plumage wasn’t about to scare her off.
Elenora leaned in. “There’s just one thing you have overlooked.”
“What’s that?”
“Leverage. You have none. Which means I will continue to do what I think is best for my grandson. Are we clear?”
Delaney laughed. “I may not have leverage now, but I will.” She grinned at the woman. “See, Hugh and I are going to get married, and he’s going to turn me into a vampire, and then someday, we’re going to have babies. Lots of babies.”
Delaney canted toward Elenora, leaving very little space between them. “Babies you’re going to want to see and spend time with and spoil. But if you defy my wishes on the amulet, I will do everything in my power to keep those children from you. Is that enough leverage for you?”