A Taste Of A Vampire

Chapter 4

Claire woke the next morning feeling as if she had never slept so deeply in her life. Everything in mind and heart felt rested and peaceful, though she knew she should have felt far from that. She had not made up her mind about anything to do with the house.

She took a long, luxurious bath in the claw foot bathtub, and dressed in jeans and a delicate, button up blouse. It was almost sheer, but not quite enough to be scandalous. She ran her fingers through her dark hair and applied some light lipstick.

The staff in the house had been very kind to her since she had arrived, and they had seemed to be on pins and needles since her breakfast with Colin. She knew that Sally had shared what she had said about selling the place, and she knew that they were all worried about what would happen to them, their jobs, and their home, as well as the property and estate itself. It was clear to her that they all loved it deeply. She wanted them to be able to stay there, but not having made up her mind about anything, she didn’t speak of it to them, and they also refrained from bringing it up.

When she finished a late lunch, she went out to the stables and had Hastings saddle up one of the horses for her. She rode leisurely through the grounds, soaking in the warm afternoon. Following the stream that twisted and turned through the property, she decided to ride alongside it until she came to the property fence, just to see how far it was.

It was a long while before she came to a thick grove of leafy trees all along the brook, and she didn’t see anything more than a low wall made of mossy stones that was falling apart and crumbling in many places, especially the closer it got to the water. Looking at it carefully, she realized that the brook must have flooded more than once over time, washing the knee-high wall of stone away near the water’s edge, leaving it open.

Claire dismounted and let her horse drink and relax as she explored the bank and the trees. The stones looked to be ancient, and she wondered if the wall was a barrier between properties or something to keep the sheep in. She walked along it for a way, and tried to discern what it was for by the sight of it, though she came to no conclusion.

Color began to paint the sky in hues of gold and red, and she turned back to go to her horse. She stood with him beside the water’s edge, watching the sun set and knowing that she should have gotten back to the house earlier, before the light was gone, but she felt sure that the hungry horse beside her would know his way back to the stalls.

Just as she was about to mount him, he drew back and whinnied loudly, his eyes wide, his front hooves lifting off the ground in protest as he pulled back away from her. She frowned and tried to calm him, holding tight to the reins in her hand.

“Elizabeth!” she heard a man’s deep tones call out.

She whirled about on the spot and saw a tall, broad-shouldered man coming quickly out of the trees toward her. When she faced him fully, he stopped in his tracks and blinked, staring at her for a second as the horse pulled further away from her even more insistently.

“What?” she asked in confusion, trying her best to hold tight to the reins.

Her heart nearly stopped in her chest when her eyes met his. They were the deepest hue of green, and they were locked on her.

 Time seemed to stop as the two of them stared at one another, and the second that passed took an eternity, neither one of them moving or even breathing, but then the horse pulled sharply on the reins in Claire’s hand and the sudden movement and loud whinny brought her back. The world began to move fast forward then in a split second, and the man rushed toward her, grabbing the reins just as the horse pulled them free from her hand.

He spoke calmly to the horse, gazing into its eyes, and the horse calmed almost instantly, seeming to relax and bow its head a little. Claire was stunned, and stepped back a few paces, looking at the horse and the man as the man continued to speak to it in a low calming voice, his eyes steady on the beast.

The horse stilled and he let go of the reins and turned to look at Claire. His dark hair had fallen across his forehead, hanging in a curve over his intense eyes, and she tried not to stare blatantly at him. He could have been an A-list movie star in Hollywood he was so beautiful.

Her heart was racing and her breath was short and shallow. She blinked and gave her head a little shake. “What did you call me?” she asked again, finding her voice.

“Did I call you?” he asked quietly, still staring straight at her.

She felt the blood in her body grow hotter.

“Yes, you said ‘Elizabeth,’” she answered, swallowing the hard knot that was building in her throat.

He seemed to be taking in everything about her, and though his eyes hadn’t moved from hers, she had the distinct impression that there wasn’t anything about her that he couldn’t see.

“My apologies. She was someone I used to know. You look similar to her.” He waved his hand subtly in a dismissive way. “Forgive me.” He stepped toward her then, studying her face and her eyes as if he was fascinated with her.

“I’m Nicholas. Nicholas Ryder. I own this estate.” He inclined his head toward the grove of trees and the land behind him.

She blinked and drew in a breath. “Oh! Oh my goodness… Ryder…” Her great-great-great-grandmother’s journal came to mind and she remembered the name and the description of the neighbor next door. Stunned, she lifted her hand and covered her lips for a moment as she gazed at him, trying not to stare.

“I… I heard a little about your family. I guess our families have lived beside each other for a long time.” Lowering her hand, she spoke without hiding the wonder in her voice. “I’m Claire Everett. I’ve just inherited Grayson Manor. I’m from New York,” she told him, her eyes steadfast on his.

He was absolutely mesmerizing, and try though she might, she couldn’t look away from him, nor did she want to.