Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

DAPHNE

December 22, 1765

Chateau de Maintenon

"Duchesse, you are absolutely forbidden to leave until I am done with you."

The languid words slid out from beneath a tangled pile of bed linens and pillows in the darkness.

I arched a brow. Even though the room was black as pitch, I knew he would be able to see my haughty expression. "You think you can command me to do as you wish, Monsieur?"

I'd managed to get half-dressed—in the dark with no lady's maid, I might add—before waking him, or so I thought.

I heard the grin in his voice when he uttered the short word. "Yes."

Before I could blink, I was naked again, wrapped up in iron-strong arms and the rumpled sheets from our evening of lovemaking. That was what it was like being engaged to a vampire—it made one glad to be on the right side of all that supernatural strength and speed. And hunger.

"You thought to sneak out of here while I slept, didn't you?" étienne murmured, sowing kisses along the curve of my ear. "How many times must I tell you? There's no sneaking around me. I will always hear you. And see you. And smell you." He punctuated his last words with a deep inhale at the crook of my neck that ended in a satisfied little growl.

I sighed. "Well, you were sleeping like the dead?—"

"I am dead," he chuckled.

"—and I have too much to do today," I finished, ignoring his quip. "I don't know what time it is, but I'm certain it's late. Or early. The point is, I cannot lounge around in bed with you all day. I have a Christmas Eve party to finish planning and a summons from The Order that I cannot ignore."

"You've only been here a few hours," étienne said.

"Ha!"

"The sun isn't even up yet," he drawled. "You have ages of time before you have to leave," he pleaded, pressing his finely sculpted body against mine.

I laughed. "I arrived here at midnight. I'm certain it's long past sunrise."

"Perhaps you are right…" Cool fingers caressed my skin, sending shivers dancing along my body. "Perhaps I am deliberately misleading you to get what I want."

"That's no way to talk to your future wife," I retorted, a bit breathlessly.

"That's exactly how I should talk to my future wife," étienne said lazily as his hands firmly grasped my bottom. I squealed and rolled away from him—if we kept up this playful banter, it would be another several sweat-soaked hours before I'd be able to drag myself away from his embrace.

étienne sighed dramatically. "If you must, you must. Though you know I've also been summoned by The Order. Why don't we go together? We could make an evening of it—a midnight stroll through the Jardin du Roi, a stop at that late night patisserie for something sweet for you and then a romantic assignation with a cabal of dangerous men who will probably charge me with crimes against humanity and the crown and then assign you to kill me again. What do you think, pet?"

"We've already been through that, pet . Besides, I told you that they've changed their tune. Now, instead of systematically eliminating those poor souls suffering from the blood plague, they've agreed to try and help the vampires integrate with the remaining uninfected in France. And as the vampire emissary to the king, you're their most important ally for the cause. I wouldn't let a little thing like attempted murder get in the way of such a promising future."

étienne chuckled again. "Well, I suppose if you put it like that…I wouldn't want to disappoint the most powerful duchesse of the tonne. "

"Powerful? Quelle romance! Is that all you think of me?" I teased, lacing up my stays. Instantly, he was behind me, tugging at the ribbons again.

"Powerful, elegant, striking, quick?—"

"All things that could be said of a horse."

"Only the most exceptional horse."

At that, I threw an elbow into his gut and smiled at the pained grunt and ensuing laughter that spilled forth. He nipped at my neck and turned away to light a candle so I could better dress.

"You still don't trust The Order after all that's happened?" I asked. "Even with my new… position. "

He cocked a dark brow at me. "No offense, darling, but you'd have a hard time trusting anyone who'd ordered your assassination at least three times in the last several years."

He had a point.

"Perhaps. Though if The Order hadn't mistakenly blamed you for Madame de Pompadour's death and despised your liberal vampire rights views, they'd never have sent me to stake you, and I wouldn't be sharing your bed today," I smiled.

étienne cinched a velvet dressing gown around his waist and winked at me. "Don't be ridiculous," he mocked. "It would have only been a matter of time before I'd convinced you to abandon your entire life's work, upright principles, and unwavering desire for revenge to throw yourself at my carnal mercies."

I meant to laugh delicately, but it came out in an unladylike guffaw with a sardonic roll of my eyes. étienne pretended offense.

" Chérie , please! My fragile ego! If you do not cease being horrible to me, I won't come to your Christmas Eve réveillon. You'll be left to entertain an entire party of snobbish, entitled aristocrats all by yourself."

"You wouldn't dare!" I challenged.

"I might reconsider…if you get back in this bed with me right now."

I gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Much as I'd like to, mon amour, I really must be off."

"Very well. The consequences will be on your own head then," he said with a smirk.

"Threaten all you like, étienne," I smiled at him mischievously. "By the way, I invited your sisters."

étienne stilled, panic creeping into his face. All of his former mirth vanished.

"Daphne, you didn't."

"I certainly did. Christmas is a time for family."

"Yes, but not everyone's family is made up of Paris's better-known prostitutes. This is an awful idea, Daphne—you don't understand what you're risking by having them here with half of Versailles. You're paving your own road to ruin!" étienne grasped my arms and stared hard into my eyes, his golden hazel irises sparkling in the candlelight. "I'm serious. You can't just expect the tonne to happily mingle with ladies of the night over champagne and hors d'oeuvres. The scandal could jeopardize your influence with King Louis and The Order."

I finished dressing and pinned my hair up under my lace cap.

"And they say women are the emotional sex," I tutted. "étienne, one of the hard lessons I learned over the last few years is that it doesn't matter to me what the tonne thinks. I spent enough time being married to—and widowed from— le Duc Dépravé that I know rumors will circulate regardless of their veracity. Despite being trained from birth to be the most accomplished duchesse in court, I was a scandal soon after my debut. My brother was a scandal. My cousin Charlotte is a scandal. And you, my darling, are the vampire son of a disgraced vicomte and possibly the biggest scandal of all. Your sisters attending a Christmas Eve réveillon at my chateau would probably be the tamest thing any of us do this year."

étienne scowled at me and crossed his arms over his chest. My stomach fluttered at the way his lean muscles bunched beneath the dressing gown. He really was a beautiful sort of rake.

"I won't be responsible for their behavior," he grumbled.

"You don't need to be," I finally admitted with a laugh. "They have a prior engagement and sent their regrets that they could not attend."

étienne gave me a dark look and threw a pillow at me. "You torturous minx," he growled, and pulled me in for a passionate kiss.

"Get some rest today, chéri," I said. "I'll see you this evening."

"One last question before you leave," he said, putting his hand on my arm.

"If it's about The Order summoning you, I truly have no idea what it's about," I said earnestly. "But I did manage to send them a message stating you were willing and able to assist them with the other vampires. Perhaps it's to do with that."

He nodded and smiled at me, but I sensed the trepidation behind his eyes.

"If it's anything else, I promise I'll do everything in my power to protect you," I added.

"Imagine that," he mused. "One of the tonne 's most talked-about duchesses swearing to protect a filthy sanguisuge from harm."

"Will wonders never cease?" I grinned and turned to leave.

"Au revoir, chérie," he called after me.

I blew him one final kiss and left his bedchamber. Unsurprisingly, his butler, Robert, waited for me in the hallway. Despite being human, I would have sworn the loyal servant possessed supernatural abilities, as well. He seemed to have a sixth sense for anticipating the needs of his master.

"Your Grace," he bowed, handing me my thick fur-lined cloak and muff.

"Merci, Robert," I said. "Do you happen to know what time it is?"

"Just after seven o'clock."

He led me through the winding hallways in the below-ground apartments—a recent addition to étienne's family chateau. Entering the main foyer at the top of the stairs, I saw the golden light of sunrise spilling across the marble floor.

"Do be careful on the steps," Robert said. "Last night's snow has frozen over, and everything is quite icy this morning."

"I will. Thank you, Robert."

I bundled up and braced myself for the cold of late December. Leaving the warmth of étienne's chateau was as dreary as leaving his embrace. I picked my way through the piles of snow and patches of ice toward my waiting carriage and was grateful for the small warming pan the driver had tucked between the blankets on the seat. This winter seemed harsher than any in my memory, as though nature itself was fighting against the people of France—not hard to imagine, given the rampant spread of the blood plague turning common folk into vampires. étienne and I had seen the truth of it a few months prior during a murder investigation that had brought us together in fierce—and what would soon be eternal—love.

The carriage pulled up to my estate, and I hurried inside, immediately calling for a pot of hot coffee and sizable breakfast to be sent up to the library, where I preferred to work during the day. Being engaged to étienne meant he fed on me exclusively, and as happy as I was to feel that connection with him, it left me absolutely ravenous after our evenings together.

"Oh, there you are! It's about time you got back. I've been reading through this latest intelligence report and mon Dieu, it's an absolute scorcher. I mean, it was a stroke of genius to recruit several of the women from the Maison des Nymphes as intelligence agents for Les Dames Dangereuses , but this report reads like an erotic novel, and I have a hard time believing the other members of The Order will appreciate it as much as I do."

Charlotte, Comtesse de Brionne, bustled over to me with a sheaf of papers in her hand. The glossy brown curls that bounced around her face were much like her demeanor: exceptionally vivacious and impossible to tame. Not only was she the most brilliant and capable agent, but as my cousin, she was also the only other member of the Order who I trusted without reservation.

"Charlotte, how long have you been working? Were you at this all night?"

"All night? What time is it?"

She blinked at me and whirled around, only just noticing the morning sunlight streaming in the library windows.

"Merde," she swore. "I only meant to stay until midnight. It's entirely your fault for staying out and enjoying endless hours of passionate lovemaking while I stay here and toil like some sort of… toiler. "

I laughed. "The report will have to wait. I've got to finish preparing for the Christmas Eve réveillon , and I've been summoned before The Order later this evening. As has étienne," I added. I fidgeted with diamond and amethyst choker at my throat—a gift from him that I treasured above all my other jewels.

"You're nervous," Charlotte said, studying me. "Why? Do you think the Order has changed their minds about him? They can hardly go after him now—not with his recent efforts and the commendation of the king."

"No. I don't know. I don't think it will be bad news, exactly. It's just…with The Order, it's never good news, either."

"True. Dieu , Daphne, you don't think it has something to do with your party, do you? Surely, they won't make you cancel it, will they? I mean, I know you invited étienne's sisters, but they're not even coming. And everyone knows that a scandalous guest list always makes for the most interesting dinner party."

"I don't know, Charlotte. I suppose we'll have to wait and see. I'm sure you're right. Everything will be fine," I replied, with a lot more confidence than I felt.

Later that evening, I stood in front of the mirror, considering my outfit. It had taken me ages to decide what to wear in front of The Order, but I was satisfied with my choice. The gown of deep purple velvet was thick enough to keep me warm in the snowy December night, simple enough to be practical in case there were any physical demands, but luxurious enough to convey a sense of power in the instance I needed to exert influence on étienne's behalf. It was understated, elegant, and dangerous in its message— do not cross me.

My lady's maid, Eve, finished pinning my hair in an extravagant coiffure powdered with silver and decked with pearls. Lastly, I fastened a simple black domino mask over my face. As the first woman member of The Order and the leader of the faction of female agents—the DD—the mask was a mere formality. Everyone inside knew who I was, though the disguise would grant me a modicum of anonymity from any other aristocrats who chanced upon me sneaking through Paris to the underground tunnels beneath the city.

I had just made my way downstairs when étienne arrived, clad in slate-colored silk and looking like the devil himself come to tempt me. He grinned wolfishly as I approached.

"You look as dangerous as you do delicious," he said with a quick kiss. "Shall we, Duchesse?"

I nodded, ignoring the flutter of nerves in my stomach.

"After you, chéri ."