"I havena tried it yet." An awkward silence ensued.
Lady Pamela fiddled with a button on her pale pink glove. "Lovely weather we're having."
Connor was silent. Darcy glanced up and found him watching her with that tinge of regret in his blue eyes. Memories of that horrid night flashed through her mind. The terror combined with the smell of blood pudding. Her stomach churned.
"Ye're looking lovely, Darcy," Connor said softly.
She swallowed hard at the bile in her throat. Yeah, putrid green had always been a becoming color for her.
"Would ye care to dance?"
She shook her head, avoiding his sad eyes. Maggie nudged her under the table and shot her a disapproving frown.
"I... I'm sorry. I can't," Darcy whispered.
Maggie stood. "I'd be delighted to dance with you."
Connor nodded. "Thank you, lass." He raised an arm and escorted Maggie to the dance floor.
Vanda leaned close to Darcy and whispered, "Why are you so mean to Connor? He saved you."
Darcy shook her head, unable to explain. She squeezed her eyes shut to block out the sight of Bubbly Blood and Red Velvet Pudding.
Vanda sighed. "You've got to stop fighting it. Remember what Maggie says - everything happens for a reason. And you are meant to be here."
Here? When her mind screamed with every heartbeat to break free and escape? She still dreamed of the sun. She longed to be with her family. She wanted to run on the beach. She wanted to be with Apollo, the sun god. Adam. She wanted to be with Adam.
She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the pain of reality. It flooded over her, washing away her dreams and leaving her feeling cold and empty.
"Oh, no!" Lady Pamela gasped. "Look who just entered the ballroom."
Darcy glanced back. Corky Courrant and her crew from DVN had arrived. Corky surveyed the room, then motioned for her cameraman to follow her. She marched toward the dance floor, obviously intent on first getting footage of the newlyweds.
"That woman is evil," Maria Consuela announced. "I believe she was a torturer during the Spanish Inquisition."
"That is naught but a rumor," the princess assured her. "But she did work at the Tower of London for Henry VIII."
"Oh, mercy." Cora Lee snapped her fan shut. "What if she notices us?"
"I'm sure she already has," Vanda muttered.
"She will come to torture us." Maria Consuela clicked nervously through her rosary beads. "She will tell everyone that the master rejected us for a mortal bruja."
"And she will display our humiliation on television. I simply cannot bear it." Lady Pamela's hand fluttered by her bosom. "Oh, dear, I'm coming down with the vapors!"
"Here." Princess Joanna lifted a bowl of blood pudding to Lady Pamela's nose. "Breathe deeply."
Lady Pamela sniffed and instantly perked up. "Oh, I do say, that smells rather delightful." She leaned over for another whiff.
"Whatever will we do?" Cora Lee tossed her fan onto the table. "I'm so embarrassed. Oh," - she motioned to Lady Pamela's face - "you have a spot on your nose."
Lady Pamela quickly wiped the drop of blood pudding off the end of her snooty nose. "Perhaps we should leave. We could all run to the powder room and hide."
Darcy had had enough. "Why do you all insist on acting like victims?"
Cora Lee cocked her head, her ringlets bouncing. "Because we are."
"You don't have to be." Darcy leaned forward. "Take charge of your own destiny."
Princess Joanna huffed. "But the master - "
"Forget the master. He cheated on you with another woman, right?" Darcy pinned each woman with a pointed glare and gave them a version of the truth that she hoped would motivate them. "You deserve better than that. You deserve a man who wants you, who will treat you with respect and honor."
Lady Pamela plucked at the button on her glove. "I suppose, but - "
"Listen," Darcy interrupted. "This is what happened. You refused to be mistreated, so you left."
"That is not true," Maria Consuela said. "He threw us out."
"None of the Vamps out there watching television know that."
Princess Joanna narrowed her eyes. "Are you suggesting we lie?"
"I'm suggesting you take charge," Darcy said. "When Corky Courrant comes over, she's going to try her best to humiliate you. But you can stop her. Just say that Roman betrayed you with another woman, so you all decided to leave him."
Cora Lee bit her bottom lip. "Will they believe us?"
"Why not? Take a strong stand on this, and believe me, all the lady Vamps out there will be cheering for you."
The ladies looked at each other, their expressions still doubtful.
Darcy pushed harder. "If you really want everyone to believe that you rejected Roman, you can say that you plan to pick your next master yourselves."
Lady Pamela shook her head. "It simply isn't done."
"There's a first time for everything. Tell Corky you're planning to choose your own master. Then, no one will think you're shameful. They'll think you're strong and brave."
"I've always wanted to be brave," Cora Lee whispered. "But I was too scared."
"She's coming." Vanda motioned toward Corky Courrant who was bearing down on their table with a vicious, smug smile.
"Don't let her humiliate you," Darcy warned them. "It's in your power to stop it."
The ladies shot desperate looks at Princess Joanna.
She squared her shoulders. Her linen wimple wavered as she lifted her chin. "We'll do it. We'll be on your show and choose our next master ourselves."
"Yes!" Vanda tapped the table with her fist. "This is going to be so cool."
Maria Consuela clenched her rosary in her hands. "I can only pray it will not be as painful as the Spanish Inquisition."
"Nothing's as painful as the Spanish Inquisition." Vanda smiled slyly, her eyes twinkling. "But once we find the Sexiest Man on Earth, he's welcome to torture me all he likes."
With a smile, Darcy relaxed in her chair. She'd done it. She had the five ex-harem judges, the huge penthouse with a hot tub, and fifteen male contestants to compete for the title. Everything was falling perfectly into place. "Let the show begin."
Chapter 8
"How's it going?" Gregori asked as they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge on their way home.
"It's great!" Maggie relaxed in the back seat, smiling. "I was going to the break room and passed by the studio where they do As a Vampire Turns. I peeked through the window, and I actually saw Don Orlando in person."
"Okay." Gregori smiled at Darcy. "And how is the reality show coming along?"
"Good." Darcy thought about what she'd accomplished that evening. The limousines were rented. She'd hired a vampire-owned business to install aluminum shutters on the bedroom windows at the penthouse, so none of the guests would fry while they slept. Two DVN cameramen were selected. A caterer was hired to provide food for the human contestants. The artist was hard at work, painting two portraits each night. "I only have one problem left. I need to find a host."
"What does the host do?" Gregori asked.
"Well, he's good at breaking bad news. He dresses well and says brilliant things like 'Gentlemen, there is only one rose left,' as if no one in the room knows how to count to one."
Gregori laughed. "And that's it for his job skills?"
"Well, seriously, he needs to be dependable and someone I can totally trust."
Gregori gave her a worried look. "You mean someone who won't run to Sly behind your back to tell him what you're doing, even though Sly is the one signing the checks."
"Exactly."
Gregori was silent as he turned south onto FDR drive. He drove around the southern tip of Manhattan and was zooming north on the West Side Highway when he took a deep breath and announced, "Okay. I'll do it."
"Excuse me?" Darcy asked.
"I'll be your host. You trust me, don't you?"
"Of course. But you already have a job. Don't blow it off - "
"I'm not," he interrupted her. "Look, I haven't taken a vacation in three years. I mean, Sheesh, I'm a little limited in where I can go. So, I'll take a few weeks off. The show won't last any longer than that, right?"