Married To The Mad Vampire Lord

It was handed to her at a friend's house where she had gone for a tea party. Just as she was about to step into her carriage to go back home, a man she did not recognize approached, placed a red envelope in her hand, and walked away without saying a word about who had sent it.

"What's that, my lady?" Claire, who was sitting inside the carriage with her, questioned curiously as she studied the strange envelope. There was no name on the stamp.

"I don't know, someone handed it to me just now. Oh, it's a letter," Isabelle mused as she opened the envelope and took out the folded sheet. But even before she read through the words written on it, she instantly recognized the neat handwriting to be that of Deven. A smile bloomed on her face as she lifted the paper to her nose and inhaled his familiar scent lingering faintly on it.

"It's a letter from him," she told the curious Claire, and then she moved the letter away from her nose to read the words written in it. Her eyes brightened with excitement as she read what he had sent her, chuckling as she exclaimed,

"My God, Deven has returned, but he hasn't told anybody because he has a surprise for me, something he wants to give me before he goes home to announce his early return. Oh, Claire, he wants me to come to our meeting place this evening!"

Though Isabelle always made sure her parents didn't know that she often sneaked out to meet Deven, she never hid anything from her maidservant. She always shared with her about all her secrets with Deven without leaving out even the things they did at their meeting place.

Claire had always tried to tell her it wasn't proper and that she shouldn't go sneaking to meet a man, even though she was going to marry him, but Isabelle would always brush it off. And just like always, Claire cautioned her again, but Isabelle only pursed her lips.

"Are you trying to break my heart, Claire? He has been gone for almost two weeks, and I have been so miserable without him. And now that he has sent for me, you want me not to go, and allow him to come and seek me out in front of my parents? I can't. I will meet him tonight, and you, my dear friend, will help me get ready and make me look beautiful and smell like roses in full bloom, so he won't forget me again."

Though hesitant, her maidservant helped her dress and scent herself more than the rose itself. They shared a hug, with Isabelle beaming as she reassured, "Don't worry, I will be back before the moon rises. Nobody will miss me before I return."

Just as she always did when sneaking out, her maidservant helped her leave and watched as Lord Deven's carriage rolled away with her mistress inside, taking her to where she would meet him.

Isabelle was smiling all the way to their meeting place, excited to meet Deven and to be held in his arms before giving him an earful for not sending her any letter. Not to mention, she couldn't wait to see what surprise he had for her. What did he get for her? She wondered this all through the journey. And even before the carriage stopped, she caught sight of his familiar tall figure standing before the building where they always met, hands tucked inside his pockets as he waited for the carriage to stop. Then he stepped forward and opened the door for her.

Isabelle felt her heart swell with warmth, and before the steps were even pulled out, she got up and flung herself into his arms. His embrace closed around her, hugging her tight. "I missed you so much," she whispered into his neck as he carried her from the carriage and set her gently on her feet.

"Me too," he replied, then pulled away to look at her face with a smile that seemed somewhat lacking in its usual warmth. She noticed it immediately as he moved back, still holding her hand.

"What's wrong?" Isabelle asked when she noticed his eyes looked dull and haggard, as though he had not slept in a while, with dark rings beneath them.

But he only smiled and assured her, "Nothing. I just missed you, that's all."

Isabelle returned the smile and patted his chest with her hand. "You wouldn't have had to miss me if you listened and stayed with me. Let's go in, and you can tell me all about your journey and then show me my surprise. I can't wait to see it," she said cheerfully, not thinking too much about his strange behavior and taking it as he said, that he simply missed her. But then, just as they began to step into the building, he pulled her back.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said, stopping at the entrance door of the building.

The house was a small, secluded place on a large farm that belonged to the Marquis family. It had been given to the land caretaker to stay in, but currently no new caretakers had been appointed since the last one had passed away. Deven had been using it as their little meeting place.

Isabelle stopped with a frown on her face and asked, "What's wrong?" She reached up to cup his cheeks when he hesitated to speak, looking wretched for some reason that was beginning to worry her.

"Tell me, Deven. What is troubling you?" she coaxed gently.

But he raised his hand, removed hers from his face, and turned away, looking up at the sky. His throat worked convulsively, as though he were swallowing back words he couldn't bring himself to speak. The sight unsettled her, and a puzzled look, touched with the first flicker of worry, settled on her face.

"Deven…" she called softly, but he didn't turn to look at her, and kept staring at the sky even as he began to speak.

"When I was in Barbara to buy the land for my father," he began to tell her, "I... I didn't actually go there only for the land. My friends told me about a new gambling house in the town where, if I got lucky enough, I could win double the amount I gambled. I could even gamble and get a land without using the money my father gave me to buy anything..."

Isabelle listened with widened eyes. "You... you gambled?" she asked, never in her life associating Deven with someone who would gamble, much less be in a place like that, a place she had often heard whispered among women was frequented only by loose men with no morals, by wastrels who went there to waste away their lives. Since when had he begun to gamble?

Deven continued to speak as though she hadn't interrupted. "I gave it a try. I gambled once, and true to what my friends said, I earned a land by winning. But since I hadn't yet gotten what I wanted, I tried again. Every round, I had to place something down that I would give away if I lost. At first, I used the money I was given to buy the land. I won three more times, but I still wanted more. I should have listened to my friends when they told me to stop and take what I had won, but I kept going..." he said, raking his fingers through his hair and turning tortured eyes toward her.

"Isabelle, I lost the lands and the money in the next rounds. It is a huge amount, and my father will not let it slide just like that. He might even disown me for it. I... I made a huge mistake, falling for those bastards' tricks." He yanked at his collar and paced the space before her, agitation written in every movement, while she stared at him in utter disbelief, her breath catching as the weight of his confession sank in.