‘Thank you,’ said Ivy.
Helga nodded and quietly started to leave them, Horatio in tow, while Ivy turned her attention back to Olivia. ‘I’m so glad you’re OK,’ said Ivy, chipping at her Midnight Mauve nail varnish. ‘Um . . . you were really sick, so I didn’t know what you wanted me to do, but I was wondering . . . do you want me to call . . . him ?’
Olivia stared at the ceiling.
I’ve said something wrong! Two seconds was all it took for me to make my sister feel rotten again! But then Olivia’s lips parted and her face cracked into a big smile. She nodded in the direction of Helga, who was standing in the hallway outside their room with Horatio, chortling at something he’d said. Ivy hadn’t heard him telling a joke!
‘He finally got the courage.’ Olivia was hoarse, but she sounded happy.
Ivy watched Helga and Horatio. Helga was brushing something off Horatio’s lapel and straightening his tie. ‘They are pretty cute together,’ Ivy admitted.
‘Don’t tell me you’ve caught the wedding bug now too.’ Olivia waggled her eyebrows. ‘I’m sure a certain somebody would be pleased to hear you’ve found your soft side.’
Ivy shook her head, smiling. Her own wedding had never so much as crossed her mind, but she had to admit, Brendan would look handsome in a tux. She and Olivia watched the two vampires flirting and, although Ivy was not prepared to dive full-on into romance-o-mania, she couldn’t help but look at Horatio and Helga and think: Awww . . .
This wedding stuff is going to kill me!
Olivia was in bed, tucked into her cool lavender sheets. She was finally starting to feel like herself again – although a much more exhausted version – and at least a hint of her usual pep had returned. All she needed was a good night’s sleep.
Unfortunately, that gave her the energy to worry. No one had seen Tessa since the rehearsal dinner and Olivia was starting to fear they had an actual runaway bride on their hands. After all that Prince Alex and Tessa had overcome, was the wedding really going to fall apart?
I don’t even know why Vincenzo turning up is such a shock! she thought. Obviously, he was over-the-top and insensitive and crass. But was that enough to make a bride flee her own rehearsal dinner, or for the twins’ dad to tremble with fury? There was more to this than Olivia knew. But if Tessa really had done a runner . . . no bride meant no wedding! How dreadful! And who was going to tell Georgia that her big title story for VAMP magazine wasn’t going ahead either? I bet the designers have already started working on the cover!
Maybe Olivia could leave that conversation to her sister . . .
A sliver of light appeared at the door, and Charles stuck his head into the room. ‘How are you feeling, Olivia?’
Olivia propped herself up on her elbows. ‘I’m still breathing.’
‘That’s good to hear.’ Olivia’s bio-dad chuckled. He was wearing fluffy slippers and a shiny, black robe with a monogrammed C embroidered on it.
Ivy’s coffin creaked open, like a zombie crawling out from the grave. ‘Hey, are people still up?’ she asked, sounding sleepy.
‘I was just checking on your sister.’ Charles opened the door wider and Ivy shielded her eyes from the light coming in from the hall. ‘You should go back to bed.’ He started to leave.
‘Before you go, can I ask you a question?’ Ivy bit her lip – as though she knew that she would have to tread carefully here. ‘Would you mind telling us how you know Tessa’s uncle? Olivia’s little moment earlier meant that we never got to hear the full story.’ Ivy grinned at her sister.
Charles entered the room and pulled out the chair from the desk. ‘I guess you girls are old enough to know what happened.’ He let out a long sigh as he settled into the chair. Olivia sat up straighter in her bed. She heard Ivy rearrange herself too.
‘Very well then,’ Charles began. ‘Vincenzo and I were friends once, a long time ago. Best friends, actually, despite our differences. Vincenzo was always . . . an attention-seeker . . . but we got on despite his little scenes. Then we had a falling out. It’s a long story that took place in a different era when the vampire rules were very different. His behaviour didn’t just hurt me, but Tessa’s family too. It made life very difficult for them, having someone in the family who generated so much gossip and rumour. Eventually, the stories became too much – he went too far. Tessa’s family decided to have nothing more to do with him, and I argued with him. We never put aside our differences.’ Olivia thought her bio-dad seemed tired, as if carrying around that grudge for all these years had been a heavy burden. ‘If we hadn’t let it fester for so long, we’d probably have it sorted out by now. But we didn’t, and now it will forever be between us.’
Olivia gulped. Did she dare ask what her father had meant when he said Vincenzo would not ruin ‘another wedding’?
‘Dad,’ Ivy started. ‘What did you mean by –’ As usual, her sister had got right to the point, but Charles anticipated what she was about to say and interrupted.
‘Vincenzo was supposed to be the best man at my wedding.’ Olivia caught her breath. She had never heard about her parents’ wedding day. ‘It was going to be a small service in America, very low-key and discreet. We’d asked Vincenzo to tell no one, because our relationship was largely a secret. But – as I’m sure you girls have seen – Vincenzo is a loud character and had an idea that he would invite all of our vampire friends over from Transylvania for a big party. Of course, word got out, and my parents discovered that I was planning to sneak off and marry your mother. My idea had been to get married and present Susannah to my mother and father as my wife. That way, they would have had no choice but to accept her. But, thanks to Vincenzo, my plans were ruined.’
‘So you and Mom didn’t get the wedding you wanted?’ asked Olivia, after a quiet moment had passed.
‘No.’ Charles rubbed the ring he still wore on his left hand. ‘But I did have a wonderful marriage, which is the most important thing. Vincenzo is partly correct. I’m not proud of the way I acted downstairs. I’ve had time to calm down and gain some perspective over the situation. At the very least, I hope you girls never behave like I did.’ His eyebrows shot up as he looked at each of his daughters. Olivia nodded vigorously. ‘But it is all in the past and there is no point in dwelling on it too much. Still, there are some friendships that can’t be restored. Now –’ he stood up – ‘you two need to get to sleep.’ Charles strode over and kissed both girls on the forehead. ‘If the wedding goes ahead, you’ll have another hectic day ahead of you tomorrow.’
Hectic I can handle, thought Olivia. Just as long as I don’t get another near-death experience! She curled up in her bed, enjoying the soft hum of the ceiling fan. Her thoughts turned to Ivy’s trip to Wallachia. The day had taken such a sharp turn, she’d never got a chance to ask her sister about the school visit! She peeked over the side of her bed at the sealed coffin. Her questions would have to wait until tomorrow. For now, her bio-dad was right. She needed to sleep . . .
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Olivia felt like she’d only been asleep for five minutes when a loud noise woke her.
Dong! Dong! Dong!