Jane Vows Vengeance

“Yes,” she said weakly. “That’s what I want you to believe.”

“Well, I don’t believe it,” Miriam said, snorting.

“I don’t care what you think!” Jane shouted. She advanced on Miriam. “You’ve done nothing but try to come between us since the day you heard about me. Well, I’ve had enough.”

She felt her fangs click into place, and she opened her mouth. Because her back was to everyone else, only Miriam saw.

“You wouldn’t,” she said, taking a step back.

“She’s a vampire!” cried a boy’s voice. “That’s how come she can hear us.”

“She’s probably come looking for Crispin’s Needle,” said the other.

Jane’s fangs retracted and she whirled around. “What did you say?” she said.

“Who? Me?” Joshua and Walter said simultaneously.

“Not you two,” she said. “The other ones.”

“Us?” said Lucy and Ben in tandem.

Jane waved them away. “Shh,” she said. “I’m waiting for them to answer me.”

“She’s lost her mind,” said Miriam. “She’s hearing voices. I knew she was unstable.” She pointed at Walter. “I told you.”

Jane looked at Joshua. “You can hear them too, can’t you?”

“I don’t hear anything,” Joshua replied.

Jane didn’t know whether she believed him or not. His face gave nothing away. I suppose it’s possible he’s as bad at being a vampire as I am, she thought.

“Jane, we have to talk about this,” Walter said.

Jane focused her attention on him. “I know,” she said. “And we will. I just have to sort some things out and then it will all be fine. We’re still getting married. Just perhaps not today.”

Walter shook his head. “No,” he said. “Not today. And maybe not ever.”

Jane couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Walter’s voice sounded not only sad, but cold, as if he’d reluctantly come to a decision he didn’t want to make.

“Please, Walter,” she said. “Just trust me. This”—she indicated Joshua—“is nothing.”

“I am not nothing,” Joshua said, sniffing.

Jane ignored him. “Walter, why don’t you and your mother go back to the hotel. I need to speak to Joshua and see if we can clear this up. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“She’s going to run off with him,” Miriam declared. “Mark my words.”

“No, she won’t,” Lucy said, giving Miriam a stern look. She began herding everyone ahead of her and out of the chapel. “Now come on. Let’s go get a drink. For some reason I feel like a Bloody Mary.” She looked at Jane. “Are you going to be okay?”

Jane nodded. “Try to talk to Walter for me,” she said.

When Jane and Joshua were alone Jane said, “First, what are you doing here? Second, what do you know about Crispin’s Needle?”

“Working back to front,” said Joshua, “nothing, and I couldn’t let another man have you.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Jane said. “We haven’t laid eyes on each other in almost two hundred years.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t still be in love with you,” said Joshua. “Remember, you’re the one who left me without so much as a goodbye.”

“You know as well as I do that it was a foolish mistake,” Jane told him. “We were never going to be suited to each other. Why, we never even … you know,” she said.

“Walked in the garden of love?” leered Joshua.

Jane made a face. “Now I remember why I couldn’t go through with it. You’re a lovely man, but then you start to talk and it all goes to pieces. What was it you said to me on our wedding night? Oh, yes, it’s all coming back to me now.” She cleared her throat and in an obvious imitation of Joshua said, “ ‘Let my key unlock your treasure chest and I will string for you a necklace of rarest pearls.’ ”

“That’s sublime!” Joshua exclaimed.

“It’s filthy!” Jane countered.

“You just don’t appreciate poetry,” said Joshua. “You never did. Now I’m starting to remember a few things about you. You never were supportive of my poems.”

“Because they were terrible,” Jane said. “I only fell for you because you reminded me a bit of Byron.”

“You’re a cruel woman, Jane Austen,” Joshua said. “Your heart is cold as winter’s breath.”

“Don’t call me that!” Jane barked. “And stop it with the metaphors. They’re unnecessary. Everyone knows what cold is.”

“Yes, but it’s the degree of coldness,” Joshua argued.

Jane rolled her eyes. “I’m not having this argument again,” she said. “The point is, after two hundred years we can’t be married. I mean technically yes, we can be, but surely there’s a statute of limitations on these things. It’s not as if we can apply for a divorce after all this time. They’ll think we’re insane.”

“Then I suppose we’ll just have to stay married,” said Joshua. “Tough break for you and that Walter fellow. He seems nice, by the way.”

“He is,” Jane said. “And I love him. That’s why we’re going to figure a way out of this. But right now I want to talk about Crispin’s Needle.”

“I told you, I don’t know what it is,” Joshua said.

“But they do,” said Jane, looking around.

“Who?” Joshua asked.

“The boys,” said Jane. She cleared her throat. “All right, boys. You can come out now. I just want to talk to you. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

The sound of giggling filled the chapel. A moment later the figures of two boys appeared before Jane. One appeared to be about ten years old, the other slightly older. Both were thin, with flowing blond curls and angelic faces. They were dressed alike in black velvet tunics, black hose, and black shoes.

“That explains it,” Jane said. “Ghosts.” She looked at the boys more carefully. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

The boys struck a pose so that the smaller one clutched the larger’s right hand with his left. Turning his hips to the side, he placed his right hand on his brother’s shoulder while the taller boy held in his left hand a velvet cap. Both boys opened their eyes wide so that they took on the appearance of frightened angels.

“The painting!” Jane exclaimed. “The one by Millais. You’re—” She tried very hard to remember, but the names escaped her.

“Prince Edward the Fifth of England,” said the taller boy, shaking his head.

“And—” began the second.

“Richard of Shrewsbury!” Joshua cried out. “First Duke of York.”

“That is correct,” said the smaller boy, bowing.

“I would have gotten it in a moment,” said Jane when they gave her dirty looks. “I was just a little bit flustered.” She turned to Joshua. “So you can see them, then?”

“Yes, yes,” said Joshua. “And they do look remarkably like the painting.”

“We should,” said Edward.

“We posed for it,” Richard explained.

“Millais could see ghosts?” Jane asked. “How novel.”

“To be truthful, he thought we were hallucinations brought on by laudanum,” said Edward. “He never could get used to seeing spirits.”

“I must say, this is rather exciting, isn’t it?” Jane remarked to Joshua. “So Gothic. I feel just like Catherine Morland, only this is real and I’m not a fool. Oh, I have so many questions. First off, who murdered—”

“We thought you wanted to know about Crispin’s Needle,” Richard interrupted.

“Can’t I ask about both?” Jane asked.

“It depends on our mood,” said Edward. “Best ask the most important question first.”

Jane sighed. “Very well,” she said. “What can you tell me about Crispin’s Needle?”