Victoria rode quickly towards the Hygrace Manor in the dim light of the setting sun. Eager to get her message to Vail as soon as she could so he could be as well prepared for the upcoming Wynter Clan’s arrival as he could. She was hoping to sneak up to the door without being smelt by any of the Hygraces that would alert them to her presence. If Peter had found out she was anywhere near there, he may do something worse than just throw her off the premises. Good thing her armour smelt of pure silver, something the vampires hated to smell. As long as it disguised her scent, she didn’t care it was heavy and stuffy inside. 

She allowed the horse to canter to a stop and she hopped down slowly, landing with a clunk, about one hundred yards away from the gate so her horse did not make too much noise. She then thought about asking a random orphan to deliver her gift for a shilling or two as she took a leather pouch from the horse’s saddle bag to take with her. She walked as quietly as she could toward the manor house when she spotted two figures outside the main entrance door. She couldn’t quite make them out so she drew nearer and hid behind a tree. The oil filled lamps outside the manor was able to light up the porch well enough for her human eyes. When they adjusted they recognised Vail outside the door conversing with…a lady. Perhaps it was just a relative or servant, she thought. A carriage awaited the lady as she seemed to be saying goodbye to Vail. Then to her horror, Vail leaned in to kiss the woman’s cheek! She almost dropped her satchel, smashing the precious contents inside. 

Her heart pounded as she couldn’t tear her eyes away. As Sylvia turned around and she got a good look at her face, Victoria saw just how beautiful she was. She had to be a vampire. The one Vail had mentioned to her. It seemed his engagement was imminent or even worse…had been in place all this time while he had pursued her. Just for her blood. Gerald’s words echoed in her mind. “A vampire would say [i]anything[/i], make you believe [i]anything[/i] to make you do their bidding.” Victoria felt her eyes burn as tears filled up in them, as her respiration increased. She kept herself hidden as the carriage rode past her. Victoria knew she could never compete with the beauty of a vampire, and she would not live as long, leaving Vail all alone, if he did genuinely love her. She cared too much about him to hurt him. She looked down at her satchel and clutched it to her torso tightly. She decided to still drop it off, even if it was to become a parting gift. There was no point seeking vengeance when she didn’t have all the facts. Either Vail would respond her letter in some form or even show up a day earlier than planned or he wouldn’t. 

Lady Crest would [i]not[/i] be taken for a fool. That was for sure. So until she knew more about this arrangement between Vail and his new lady, she had to concentrate on the Wynters. She grabbed a boy passing by his arm. “Hey kid. I’ll give you a shilling if you deliver this wine to that manor’s door for me.” She offered the boy, who stared at the lady in armour. “Okay!” He chimed, and took the heavy bag from her. He practically skipped up to the door and rang the bell for a maid to answer the door. “Delivery!” He presented her with the parcel and left as she shut the door.

The boy ran back to Victoria and she tossed him two shillings. “Thanks lady! I can eat tonight!” He then ran off. She sighed feeling sorry for the child. When this was all over, she was going to go back to helping the orphans and homeless. She dragged her feet back to her horse and patted his mane. “Oh Phillipe…sometimes I think you’re the only friend I’ve got.” She sighed and hauled herself up on his back and rode back to Crest Manor for much needed rest. Tomorrow would be a very long day…