Midnight's Daughter(59)

I thought that was the most sensible thing I’d heard him say yet. I sorted through the bundle, which turned out to be clothes, while he poured us both a drink and a half. As I’d feared, Radu’s idea of appropriate attire was scary. The white linen tunic was okay, with a high neck closed with black ribbon ties and long, full sleeves. But it had been matched with a heavy white wool skirt and two black aprons covered in red and gold embroidery. Traditional Romanian female attire. I refrained from wincing, if only barely.

“Lord Radu said you would find these garments familiar,” Louis commented. I looked at him suspiciously. He looked sober enough, so why did I get the impression he was laughing?

“Yeah, that’s the problem,” I said sourly. Unfortunately, the choice was between wearing Radu’s offerings and dining nude. My T-shirt was being held together by a safety pin borrowed from Olga, and the few dry patches on my jeans were stiff with blood.

“Radu has… unusual taste,” Louis-Cesare agreed, sitting on the edge of the fountain. I realized I wasn’t the only one relegated to borrowed attire, although he’d definitely gotten the better of the bargain. A cascade of lace spilled down the front of his antique shirt, and buttery leather pants hugged better legs than any vampire deserved. To go with it, he had a nice peach complexion, the darkest I’d seen on him yet, and his hair was back to its usual shiny abundance. The lamplight from the house filtered through the trees overhead, dappling it with gold.

Not for the first time, I envied vamps their recuperative powers. He still looked a little worn around the edges, more the warrior than the fashion plate, but he’d be right as rain by morning. I doubted I’d be so lucky. I slumped on the side of the fountain, struggling with the fact that I’d gotten winded chasing a baby Duergar. Changing clothes suddenly seemed like way too much trouble, at least without that drink first.

“Where’d you get the wine?” I asked as Louis-Cesare passed me a glass. It turned out to be a dark, fruity red, Radu’s own label.

“It was meant for dinner; I found it on the butler’s tray.”

“So Geoffrey actually did me a favor?” The wine hit my empty stomach hard, but I didn’t care. Occasionally my weird metabolism actually comes in handy. “Will wonders never cease?”

“He is yours to command.”

“Who? Geoffrey?” He nodded and I laughed. “Sure he is.”

“You are Lord Mircea’s daughter.”

“And the stain on the family honor,” I reminded him. “Like a good butler, Geoffrey prefers things tidy.”

“He has threatened you?” Louis-Cesare sounded surprisingly grim, considering that he’d done the same himself not too long ago.

“Everyone threatens me; it’s not important.”

“You deserve his respect!”

“For what? Being the boss’ little girl?” I waved my glass, sloshing some wine over the side. It looked strangely like blood in the dark. “ ’Fraid that’s outweighed by the whole killing-off-his-kind thing.”

“I have seen you kill no one who did not deserve it. And you handle your… disability… admirably.” He stopped, looking slightly uncomfortable. “I did not think a dhampir capable of such compassion.”

I stared. By God. A compliment. From Louis-Cesare. That wine was just going right to his head.

And then, of course, he ruined it. “I am glad you have come to your senses about Lord Radu.”

“Come to my senses?”

“To help protect him. It is the only intelligent way to proceed.”

“How exactly is letting Drac run free intelligent?” I demanded.

Louis-Cesare’s eyes narrowed. “He will be caught eventually. It is only a matter of time with the forces the Senate currently has in the field.”

“Except they aren’t gunning for him.”

“He has shown a lack of judgment in the past, a reputation borne out by his current alliance. He cannot help but run foul of the Senate before long.”

“That’s one theory.” And not one I shared. People had been underestimating Drac for centuries. He might be crazy, but he had the Basarab cunning and was utterly ruthless about how he used it. Not a good combo. “But then, you gotta wonder why, if the Senate can deal with him, Mircea went to the trouble of drafting us.”

“He hopes to end this before his brother spills more innocent blood.”

“And you don’t care about that?”

“Radu’s blood is also innocent!” I thought that was debatable, but didn’t say so. Louis-Cesare looked like he was getting a little heated again. So much for having a pleasant, low-key conversation.

“Why do you care so much what happens to Radu?” I asked, knowing I’d probably regret it. “Didn’t he abandon you?”

“He is also my sire!”

“And Mircea is mine. It’s never bought him a lot of slack, actually.”

Louis-Cesare gave me a condescending look. “Has it not? You are here now, in answer to his call—”

“Because of Claire!”

“—as you should be. You would not exist but for him, as I would have died centuries ago if not for Radu. We have a debt to the family.”

A little wind was playing fitfully through the trees, tossing the leaves about, but when I looked upward, I could see the stars in patches. I took a deep breath of cool night air and told myself not to overreact. “You’re confusing me with a vamp,” I said shortly. “Just because Mircea donated some sperm doesn’t mean I’m bound to him.”