The First Vampire Part 11

CHAPTER 22.

Around 1:00, Ariana decided she needed a break, so she picked up the empty breakfast tray and set out to find the kitchen. A few minutes stroll in what she thought was the right direction and a turn down a short stair brought her to her destination. She swung open a well-varnished wooden door and poked her head inside.

"Hello?" she called.

Nancy and Ben both hopped off the stools on which they'd been sitting and stood as if they were in the infantry.

"Miss Chambers," Nancy said with an air of shock, "you should have rung for one of us." She scurried to take the tray from Ariana's hand.

"Oh, it's all right, Nancy. I needed the exercise. In fact, I thought I'd take a walk in the garden out back, but I wanted to ask if there was good route for an hour's walk or if there was anything to be aware of out there."

Ben's wizened forehead creased as he thought for a moment. "If you leave the house from the center doorway and go down the stairs into the garden, take the path on the left, at nine o'clock, and follow it until you come to a fork. At the first fork, go left. You'll come to two more forks. Go right at both of those, and you'll be back at the center fountain in about an hour."

"Left, right, right," Ariana repeated. "Got it. Thanks, Ben."

Ariana retraced her steps back through the manor's empty halls to the main entryway and out the back door. Much-welcomed sunlight warmed her face, and Ariana stood for a moment to let it sink in. She felt a strange sense of relief, but put it down as a natural reaction to the first rays of spring sunshine. No house, no matter how sumptuous, could compete with that.

Passing between two urns filled with lavender flowers, Ariana started down the left-most path. The shaped hedge rose gradually as she meandered, starting out about hip high at the path's entrance and growing so that it towered over her head.

Occasionally there was a break in the hedge to showcase some kind of flowering plant or bush. Ariana had no idea what any of them were. She'd never had much of a green thumb. She was really only good at one thing-making money. She smiled to herself. You might say she had a green thumb after all.

After about ten minutes, Ariana came to a junction. In the center was another fountain, smaller than the one up by the house, but Ariana liked it better. In this one, sculpted mer-children played with dolphins that sporadically shot streams of water out of their blow holes. The children were extraordinarily lifelike, except for their tails, with each posed as if he had just managed to avoid getting squirted by one of the playful fish.

Paths led off from this juncture in three directions. Not exactly a fork, she thought, but she took the path to her left as Ben had instructed. She wondered for an instant how long it would take someone to find her if she took a wrong turn and got lost. She had no idea how big this garden-cum-maze really was.

Banishing that thought, she quickened her pace and soon the path opened into what seemed like a room. The hedge on her left fell away in a large semicircle while the hedge on her right continued straight ahead. In the green, open space between them was a reflecting pool. Two benches of white marble veined with gray sat along its edge.

A clinging vine covered much of the hedge in the "room" that was formed around the pool, and Ariana went to get a closer look. The vines had large, heart-shaped leaves and were covered in closed blossoms. They must not yet be in season. Ariana reached out her hand.

"You shouldn't touch those."

Ariana drew back as if she'd been burned and turned around to see who had spoken.

A pale young boy with brown hair stood about three feet behind her, wearing a sheepish look on his face.

He smiled shyly at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that moonflowers are temperamental, and they are Mr. Samson's favorites."

"Moonflowers?" Ariana queried, still waiting for her stomach to dislodge from her throat.

The boy moved to stand beside her; he couldn't be a day over 15. What was he doing out here?

"That's right. They're closed during the day, but open every night when the light of the moon hits them." He swung his hand in a wide arc. "This is the moon garden. Almost all the flowers in this space are night blooming."

Rapidly losing his shyness, the boy stuck out his hand. "I'm Eric. My father's company does the landscaping for the manor and I help out. I plan to be a botanist. Mr. Samson says I can go to any college I want if I can keep the moon garden blooming year round."

Ariana shook her head slightly as she shook the boy's hand. "That's great, Eric. And it's nice to meet you. I'm Ariana. I also work for Mr. Samson. I'm staying at the manor for a while."

"You're American?"

"That's right. I'm from New York." Ariana still couldn't get used to saying that. She'd been in New York for years, but she didn't feel like a New Yorker. She was and would always be a Southerner at heart.

She looked back at the flower-laden vines. "Do they bloom every night? I think I'd like to come down and see that."

"Oh yes. The moon will come over the hedge tonight just after 11:00. All the flowers will open within about two minutes, though, so you have to be on time."

Ariana smiled. "Thanks for the tip." She took a step back toward the path. "I guess I'll continue my walk. I didn't realize this was a maze when I started out. If I go right at the next two junctures, that will bring me back to the manor?"

The boy nodded. "That's right. And remember, if all else fails, you can always find your way out of a maze by putting your hand on one wall and keeping it there as you walk. It won't be the shortest way out, but it will always get you to the exit eventually."

Ariana couldn't hide her surprise, but it made sense. The entrance of the maze did have to connect to the exit somehow. If you followed one wall continuously you would eventually come to the other end. "Hmm. I hope I never need it, but that's pretty cool. Thanks, Eric."

The boy smiled and waved. "You're welcome."

Ariana enjoyed the rest of her walk immensely. Eric's friendly demeanor had somehow made the whole maze less threatening and much more of an adventure. Each turn revealed some new spectacle-a fountain, an unexpected flower or sculpture. It really was an interesting walk.

She hadn't expected that. The maze had seemed so man-made, and Ariana preferred nature wild. That's why she never went to Central Park. It always felt like a giant soccer field to her. Not real. This maze was designed to revel in being not real-to the point of being surreal. It was a unique approach.

Back at the house, Ariana put aside the box of "other" that she'd gone through in the morning and pulled the box of fund documents closer to her chair. No more putting off the inevitable. She began a list of the funds, their liquidity dates, and early withdrawal penalties. Presumably Justin would be able to tell her the amounts Ash had invested in each fund and at what time.

Her list grew as she made her way through the box. When she began to squint, she noticed the fading light outside and checked her watch; it was 4:30. She was momentarily proud of herself for keeping her mind off Ash for virtually the whole day. Just then Nancy again poked her head in and announced that Mr. Justin had arrived, and she would be serving tea for the three of them in the room across the hall in 15 minutes.

Ariana moved to tidy up the stacks of paper that now cluttered the table. After getting some of them back in order, she hefted the first box she'd looked through back into its place along the wall. Taking a step back, she ran into something.

She couldn't stifle a little scream as she whirled around. "Jesus!" she exclaimed, when she realized the something was Ash. "Is everybody around here trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I'm sorry to startle you," Ash said, grinning and not looking at all sorry. "I came to see how you were doing and to let you know Justin has arrived. I believe Nancy is setting out some refreshments."

Ariana studied him as she tried to catch her breath. He was stunning in dark jeans and a white cotton shirt. His dark hair and eyes contrasted against the fine white fabric. His eyes, as always, seemed to bore holes into her.

She turned away, stepping over a box to get back to her computer. "I know. I'm just tidying up here." She looked up at him again. "I'll be there in a minute."

Ash stood for a moment, and Ariana got the distinct impression he wasn't used to being dismissed. But he took the hint without comment and went across the hall, leaving Ariana with a moment in which to reign in her unkempt workspace and even more unruly thoughts.

CHAPTER 23.

Ariana slid back the door to the sitting room and looked at the two men. Ash stood in front of an unlit stone fireplace with his back to the door. He didn't turn when she entered, and Ariana wondered at the tension visibly tightening his broad shoulders.

In a chair facing her sat a tall, lean man with dark hair that was graying noticeably at the temples. He rose and came toward her, the creases in his gray suit springing back into perfect position.

"You must be Ariana," he said with a broad smile that revealed impeccably perfect teeth. He surprised her by kissing her hand instead of shaking it.

"I can do that," he said impishly as he raised his head. "I'm English."

Ariana laughed. "And you must be Justin?"

His gray eyes watched her closely, and his smile faltered for a brief moment. It was quickly restored, and Ariana dismissed the twinge of foreboding it created in her gut.

"That's right," he said. "Justin Markham at your service." He gave a small bow and released her hand. "I hear we'll be spending no small amount of time together over the next couple of weeks. I'm delighted you seem a pleasant enough person and not some black-clad, pencil-thin, stiletto-wearing urbanite."

Ariana looked down at her jeans and sweater set and marveled that her favorite outfit had finally come in handy. Justin handed her a cup of tea and motioned for her to sit in the chair next to his.

Ariana sank down into the soft leather and took sip of tea. Ash still stood at the fireplace, one elbow resting on the mantle, but he had turned to face the two of them.

"So, Ariana, tell me a little about yourself," Justin said. "I guess you know I was at Goldman Sachs in London for more years than I care to count before I came to work for Ash. What's your story?"

Ariana turned to Justin. His warm gray eyes invited her to talk, but she was ever-conscious of Ash's eyes on her as well. "There's not much to tell, really," she said. "I grew up on a farm, went to college, went to law school, went to business school, and then worked in private equity and at a hedge fund before joining Roger Plumber at Tailwind."

Justin's keen gray eyes studied her again. "You are too modest, Ariana. You were at the top of your class at prestigious schools, a star performer at every place you ever worked, and you've been almost as big a part of Tailwind's success as has Roger."

Ariana put her teacup down in its delicate saucer. "All of which makes me decidedly uninteresting at parties, I'm afraid."

Again, Justin's eyes lingered on her face, seeing too much. He opened his mouth as if to say more, but was interrupted by Ash's sudden burst of laughter.

Ariana wondered what he found so amusing. She was about to ask him, but Justin continued on as if nothing had happened. "Perhaps," he said, "but I'm sure it makes you very interesting at work, and, speaking of work, we should probably get started." Justin rose from his chair and made his way over to the cart of refreshments Nancy had presumably wheeled in earlier and started stacking finger food on a delicate china plate. "I'll just bring a few of these sandwiches with us so we don't go hungry," he said, smiling in her direction.

Ariana rose to follow Justin as he headed for the door, but Ash didn't move. "Aren't you coming?" she asked him.

He didn't even turn to look at her. "No, you two go ahead. You don't need me, and if you do, just ring Nancy to send for me. I'll be in my study."

The weight of her disappointment took Ariana by surprise. Why did he affect her so? She looked at him, still standing against the mantle like some ancient warrior who'd been dropped into the wrong century. Oh, brother, she thought, almost embarrassed at the direction of her thoughts. When she turned to the door, it was to find Justin again watching her a little too closely.

"Shall we?" she said brightly, indicating the door. Justin turned and preceded her into the hallway.

Thankfully, the awkwardness passed once they were elbow deep in documents. Justin was frightfully bright and organized, and his rakish but good-natured sense of humor made the time pass quickly.

When Nancy rang for dinner, Ariana was caught off guard. She looked down at her jeans, then up at Justin, who had continued to work. "I need to run and change," she said. "Can you finish up here without me?"

"Of course. Run along," he replied, gesturing toward the door with a mock stern look. "You don't want to keep the fearsome Nancy waiting."

Ariana closed her laptop. "Thanks," she said as she bolted out the door. She didn't want to keep Nancy waiting, but she also didn't want to show up at dinner in jeans when Justin was in a suit. And she wanted to look nice for Ash.

But not too nice, she cautioned herself as she perused her closet. Deciding simple was best, she traded her jeans for a little black skirt and some black strappy sandals. Matched with her off-white sweater set, it was elegant, without being too dressy or too sexy. Perfect.

Ash was standing in the main foyer talking to Ben when Ariana came down the stairs. He, too, had changed and was now wearing an impeccable dark suit with a soft blue shirt and tie. Silver cuff links adorned his sleeves. Master, indeed, Ariana thought. If she didn't stop finding things to admire about this man, she was in danger of becoming as besotted as Nancy.

Ash turned as she approached, rewarding her with a slight smile.

"Good," Ariana said lightly, trying not to notice how his eyes raked her from head to toe. "If you're out here it means I'm not late for dinner."

Ash's smile widened. "You look stunning," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Ben disappeared down the hallway in the other direction, and Ash steered Ariana toward the main dining room with her arm through his.

Trying to ignore the feel of his body next to hers as they walked, Ariana searched for a neutral topic of conversation. "Justin says he's worked for you for twelve years," she said, rather proud of herself for sounding so casual. "You must have a lot of faith in him."

"I do." Ash nodded.

"So, I'm still curious as to why you're throwing him over for me and Roger."

Ash turned to look at her. "You know, you won't have many clients if you keep advising them all against using your services. What would Roger say if he could hear you?"

He was right about that, but Ariana couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't have the whole truth. Did it matter? Roger would say definitely not.

Ash escorted her into the dining room, and Ariana reluctantly slid her hand from his arm and took a seat opposite Justin. Ash sat at the head of the table, and an improbable feast flowed forth from the kitchen, served on the most beautiful, delicate china Ariana had ever seen.

"I see Bill is back in residence," Justin commented two dips into his soup.

"Yes, I had him come up for the weekend to keep you two sustained while you sort out where all my money is."

Justin harrumphed. "I know quite well where it all is. I've just never been able to persuade you to do anything sensible with about half of it until now."

Ariana tucked that little tidbit away.

"Who is Bill?" she asked. "Whoever he is, he's amazing."

"Bill O'Neill is an up-and-coming London chef. I helped him start his first restaurant, and he occasionally does me the honor of a private showing."

Soup bowls were whisked away by two young maids and replaced by a succulent Cornish game hen with spring root vegetables.

"Ariana, I have to admit I'm intrigued by how a farm girl gets to be a New York City power broker." Justin looked at her with a warm gaze and one eyebrow slightly raised.

"I don't know if power broker is the right term," Ariana demurred. She looked again at Justin and knew he wouldn't be satisfied with a polite brush off. Ash was rather pointedly studying his plate, though he didn't appear to be eating.

Ariana took a deep breath and shook her head. "I don't know the answer myself. I was just never satisfied. I always felt like there was more to learn, more to do. And somehow in the process of trying everything, I found something I excelled at."

Justin smiled and cut an odd glance at Ash, who was now scowling. Ariana began to wonder why, but his deep frown soon lifted and the rest of the meal passed in pleasant conversation, though Ariana felt like an outsider for much of it.

Ash and Justin had worked together for a long time and were obviously good friends. She envied Justin that. Ash seemed at ease when they talked.

With her, he wasn't at ease.

Because I want you. The Voice was suddenly back in her head, and Ariana felt a blush spread to her cheeks. She looked at Ash. He and Justin were discussing a particular biotech company that Justin thought Ash should sell his interest in. Shit. She'd rather it turn out that he was a telepathic pervert than that she was a crazy pervert.

A slight smile crossed Ash's face. Ariana looked down before he could catch her studying him.

"Oh," she exclaimed, looking at her watch. "It's almost 11:00."

Ash looked at her, still wearing that mysterious little smile. "Past your bedtime?"

Chapter end