THE MEETING

CHAPTER ONE

“When you meet someone for the first time, it is not the whole book. That’s just the first page”

BRODY ARMSTRONG

GUINEVERE

I met the duke when I was a little girl of thirteen and he had patted my hair and said I looked beautiful, I had carried that all over with me because he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. My papa had a meeting with him and came back home angry, he asked us never to welcome the duke into our home again and never to speak to him if we met him at any event we are invited to. My mama agreed to this but I was disturbed as to why I could not speak to the handsome man and so the only thing a girl of thirteen could do was to dream about him.

Imagine my surprise when I meet this same duke at the age of twenty two and he had not aged a bit, I am perplexed at this and continue staring at him at the ball organized by lady Charlotte to commiserate the beginning of a new year. He stood tall among the crowd that gathered around him mainly constituting of ladies who wanted the chance for the duke to twirl them around on the dance floor and I stood at the corner with my mama and little sister who by now was getting all of the attention because she was a very rosy child while I had the countenance of someone who could not wait for the evening to be over.

I could still recall my father's instruction never to speak to the duke no matter what and so I bent my head to the corner and just watched him decline so many ladies offer of a dance with my heart singing in my chest until he looked in my direction, his eyes burning into mine.

My heart jumped in my chest and I thought surely I would have a heart attack from the intensity of his stare, it was like a physical touch and I could hear his voice all those years ago calling me a beautiful child. He glanced at me and smiled and I smiled back until my mama slapped the side of my head

"You are never to speak or as much as look at the duke Guinevere, what are you doing smiling at him?"

"Why mama?" I asked rubbing the side of my head she had hit. It had not hurt of course but I wanted her to think it had.

She did not respond but merely glanced at the spot where my little sister Emma was dancing with a man. I turned to where I had last seen the duke but he was nowhere in sight which was really disappointing, I had wanted to look at his face once more.

"Excuse me mama, I shall like to fetch a glass of wine." I told her

She waved her response and I walked over to where I was sure the bar was for a drink, it was already stuffy and the gown I was wearing was not helping matters. I located there soon enough and sure it was filled with people looking for a drink and others fetching drinks for their lady friends. I collapsed on one of the stools although I hardly knew how that was possible with the gown I was wearing and requested a drink, any drink to quench my thirst. The barman looked me over like a leech and proceeded to pour me something, I did not stop to think what was inside of the glass before I gulped it down and felt my throat tear with fire.

"What did you put in here?" I asked him gasping for breath

He laughed at his parlor trick and whispered that he had gotten me something to drink

I pushed myself from the table and hurried to where my mama stood although my vision was becoming blurry. Nobody noticed my discomfort, they were all dancing away and exchanging dance cards for people to write their stupid names on and I was there dying. I steadied myself by the wall searching frantically for my mama who for the life of me I could not find anywhere. My vision blurred even further with my throat raw like I had swallowed fire, I felt myself fall and then my eyes close.

THE DUKE

I caught the girl before she hit the floor as I have been observing her movements from the time our eyes met across the room, now she was the only one worth paying attention to because not only was she beautiful but her scent was something I could not resist.

I am the Duke of Valestead and I am also a Vampire, one who have lived for centuries but few people knew that and one of them was her father. Nine years ago I had gone over to his manor for a business deal and he had all but run me out of his house because according to him he did not want to do business with a drinker of blood. I had met the girl Guinevere when I was there and that was when I had smelt her, fresh as the flowers, the scent of her blood was something I hadn't smelt in the century I had been existing. I wanted her for myself and I had plans to have her and looking at her collapsed in my arms the longings I had felt on the day I had first seen her came rushing into my head and the only thing I wanted to do was sink my fangs into her creamy neck and actually taste her blood. I did not do that of course, instead I found her mama and handed her collapsed daughter to her, call me unchivalrous but I was not about to keep her with me for one minute longer. Her mama thanked me and beckoned on her other offspring and together they left each supporting the girl into their carriage. I stood in the shadows until I was sure they had set for their manor before I went back inside for the party. Sure enough there were ladies dying for my attention and many of them brazenly displaying flesh they should keep covered for their respective suitors. I had no interest in any of them, their scent was all the same and their blood held no interest to me but feed I must and so I grabbed the nearest girl who giggled something about making me feel good and I took her up the stairs and into the room. She looked wide eyed at me, dropping her clothes to her feet to reveal creamy breasts ripe for sucking, I walked over to where she stood, bent over her neck and whispered something into her ears before sinking my fangs into her neck and draining her of blood. Her body would be found in the Thames the next morning and it would be declared a suicide but I knew better and they all did but who dares challenge me.