“We’ll go and find Sylvester,” Grace said.
Evelyn could hear apprehension in her friend’s voice and so glared at her when she swung back around. “Is there anything else we can get you, my lord,” she asked in a mocking tone. “Some foot rub perhaps, or a newspaper.”
Elliot raised a quizzical brow. “I’m pleased you’re still able to tease me despite the gravity of our situation.”
Evelyn raised her chin. “I am tired of all these morbid thoughts. All will be well. I am certain of it.” She gave a contented sigh in the hope he could not see through her facade. “Now we shall go in search of your provisions.”
Sylvester led them to a chamber on the first floor. They collected pillows and as many blankets as they could carry. Ivana had asked them to bring a mattress. Evelyn examined the bedding piled on top of the wooden frame. She doubted Ivana would want them to use the down one and so she folded it back and removed the cheaper flock from underneath. They would need at least five to make lying on the cold floor of the crypt seem appealing.
It was only as the blankets were folded and laid flat on top of the mattress in the crypt that Evelyn realised there was only one bed. The thought of trudging back upstairs made her groan, albeit inwardly.
“That should be suitable,” Ivana said placing her palms on top of the soft padding. “At least it is better than the cold tiles.”
Alexander gave a hapless shrug. “Comfort is the least of my concerns.”
“Give us a moment and we will go and search for more bedding.” Evelyn put her hands on her hips to catch her breath. “Shall we bring the same quantities again?”
“It won’t be necessary.” Alexander cleared his throat as he struggled to look her in the eye, a sure sign she would not like whatever he had to say. “While you’ve been busy upstairs we have decided it would be wise if only one of us took the cure. There is no point both of us suffering unnecessarily. Should there be no problems, then the other will take it.”
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat, and she knew then that Alexander would be taking the cure first. “And you did not think to consult your wives when you made this decision?” Anger, mingled with a sudden sense of panic, infused her tone.
Alexander glanced at the floor. When he looked up, her heart ached at the fear she saw flashing in his eyes. There was a long agonising moment of silence. “Elliot has a son to think of, whereas I do not. It is only right I take the cure first.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” She did not want to see him suffer. Alexander was her love, her life, her everything. Without another word, she flew into his arms. “Know that I will lie by your side, that I will hold your hand while I wait for you to return to me.”
He wrapped his strong arms tightly around her. “I will come back to you.” The words were softer than a whisper but had the strength to soothe her tortured soul.
“Then let us get it over with. I cannot bear to stand here waiting, worrying.”
He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. “Come. It is time.”
They stepped apart, stared into each other eyes for a time. Leo went into the secret chamber and returned with the mahogany box. They all took turns to hug Alexander as though it was the last time they would see him alive. Elliot muttered something about friendship and honour, told him he should not worry about his wife as he would always care for her.
The next few minutes passed quickly. Alexander forced his fangs from their sheath, bit into a vein at his wrist and sucked a mouthful of blood. They counted five minutes. The muttered whispers were incoherent. With Evelyn’s mind distracted by pessimistic thoughts, she lost count many times and, in the end, left it to Leo to decide when her husband should drink the contents of the little brown bottle.
Leo pulled the stopper from the bottle and handed it to Alexander. “I wish you luck, my friend.”
Alexander stared at it for a moment. Locking gazes with her, his hand curled around her arm, and he pulled her closer. The kiss was chaste, yet infused with a wealth of feeling.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Should anything happen, know that I will find you again.”
He did not wait for a response, but drank the liquid quickly, wincing and shaking visibly as though it tasted stale, putrid. They all stared at him with open mouths. The silence was almost deafening as they waited for a reaction: a cry, a groan, anything.
A minute passed.
Nothing.
Alexander closed his eyes as his breathing slowed until it was barely audible. Evelyn tried not to panic; she tried to remain calm. He would come back to her. He had to come back to her. Then without any warning his body twisted, contorted. She could see from his pursed lips that he was suppressing the pain.
“S-something is happening,” Alexander stammered. He swallowed multiple times, clutched his throat as he shuddered violently.
“Help me to lie him down,” Elliot said tugging Leo’s arm.
Evelyn stood riveted to the spot. Grace put an arm around her shoulder, but it brought no comfort. Not today. Why had she insisted on coming with him to Bavaria? Why had she not begged and pleaded with him to stay with her at Stony Cross? Damn Leo. Damn everyone who sought to rob her of the only thing that mattered.
They laid him down on top of the mattress she had dragged off the bed. In the garden of Stony Cross, they had stood beside their favourite bench; she had told him how much she loved him, that she was not afraid anymore. Now, just mere months later, she had never been more terrified in her life.
“Loosen his cravat.” Elliot barked orders at Leo, the panic in his voice clearly evident. “We should have removed his coat, left him in just a shirt.”