A/N Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and to everyone who has continued to follow this story. I hope I don't let any of you down.
Beautiful Stranger
Chapter Forty-Four
A soft warm breeze stirred the drapes, allowing sunlight into my bedroom. On the air I could smell lavender from the little planters on the terrace. As I came fully awake I was aware of sounds of men working outside, and of the underlying hum of a busy household all around me. The vampires would all be asleep for the day, out of reach of the living who were preparing the house for the wedding tomorrow.
Robert was sitting in an armchair by the window, a long cigar burning between his fingers as he watched the activity outside. He looked lost, his gaze seemed inward. I wondered what could make my godfather feel such melancholy.
"Have you been here all night?" I asked him, more to let him know I was awake.
"No, Sookie, got here about an hour ago. I've been watching them put a marquee up on the lawn. Why would Eric want a marquee when he has a house this size?"
"I don't know, he hasn't really discussed his plans with me," I admitted.
"He hasn't?" Robert raised an eyebrow.
"We've been occupied," I told him, my face reddening.
"Oh, thought you might have wanted to be in the middle of it all," Robert said.
"Shall we have breakfast?" I asked.
"I need to ask you something first," Robert became very serious again.
"Anything," I laughed.
"Have you really agreed to be turned, tomorrow night?"
"How did you hear that? I only told Eric last night."
"So it's true? Sookie you need to put this off, to consider what you're doing." He was across the room and holding my hand before I could react.
"But I love him, I want to be with him," I answered.
"Sookie you hardly know him, you've spent a lot of this last few weeks in his company, but you'd never met him or any other vampire before that. You certainly don't know enough about vampires to volunteer to become one. Can't you at least wait a while until you have a better idea what you're getting yourself into?"
"I love him, I want to be with him forever," I told Robert.
"Yes but won't you wait before you make it that permanent? It's one thing marrying the guy, but to let him turn you is another entirely. Do you really want Eric to have that control over you?"
"He doesn't want to control, he wants to be with me!"
"Sookie, open your eyes! You've heard the way they all talk about makers, did you think they'd all got religion? The vampire who makes you is bonded to you, and can control you. He'll know what's in your head, or your heart all the time. The fiercely independent Sookie will disappear and an empty shell that looks like her will take her place."
"Pam's not an empty shell!" I answered, but I felt my doubts coming back to haunt me.
"Pam's not independent, she left him to make her own way. When Eric called her she came back," Robert said.
"He called her to help her run the business."
"He summoned her, she had to leave the new life she'd been making and come back to him, her maker. Don't get me wrong, Sookie, Pam loves Eric, and would do anything for him willingly. But she has no choice, none at all!"
"It's not like that," I said, even though I knew what he said was true.
"Ask her," he told me.
"Did you just come today to make me unhappy?" I asked.
"Don't come that nonsense with me Sookie. You're no weak little girl with your heritage, I'm here to look out for you, and that's what I'm doing!"
"What heritage?" I asked, catching that he had said more than he meant to.
"I'm not answering that. Get dressed Sookie, you have people coming to trial your hair and make-up for tomorrow."
I was furious, but as much at myself for being swept along despite my doubts. Robert hadn't told me anything about the vampires I didn't already know or at least suspect. I left him glaring out the window while I went for a shower. When I came back he was gone, and the two dress-makers had taken his place.
"Final fitting, Miss Sookie, in case you've squeezed a pound or two onto that great little body of yours!"
Robert's words stayed with me all day. I went through the motions of hair and make-up, and the final fitting of the dress with little interest and no pleasure. I wondered what my grandmother would think, what she would advise me to do. The answers I came up with only served to darken my mood further.
When night finally came I expected Eric, but it was Pam who came looking for me first. I shooed everyone else out of the room so that I could talk to her. She looked so pretty, with her hair tied back, and she was wearing a light grey business suit that flattered her.
"Will you tell me about Eric," I asked.
"What do you want to know?"
"Am I right to let him turn me?"
"Of course Sookie, he's a good master, compared to the others he can be kind," she told me.
"Master? I don't want a master!"
"But he'll be your husband and king, why not master?" Pam looked shocked.
"I want to be my own person, not a puppet belonging to someone else!"
"And is that how you see me?" Pam asked.
"No, but..."
"He'll be good to you, Sookie. He'll love you and care for you and consider you, what more could you want?"
"I want to still be me," I told her.
"You will be, I don't see what's changed. Why the sudden change of heart?" Pam wanted to know.
"It's just something Robert said," I admitted.
"Robert? The fairy?"
"He prefers godfather," I corrected.
"He's a fairy! Why is he around anyway?"
"I don't know, but he's come to the rescue a couple of times. He says he's here to look out for me," I told her.
"He takes risks doing it. Do you know how difficult it is for vampires to leave him alone? He smells to us like the most intense strawberry milkshake would to you. Of course looking like he does I would be happy to taste him anyway," she winked at me.
"Pam, can we not talk about him like that?" I remembered seeing him with his shirt off, his clothes hid all sorts of treasures. My face must have reddened.
"You haven't?" Pam asked.
"No. Of course not, there's only ever been Eric. So Robert's your type then?"
"Hon' they're all my type, one way or the other. Some just haven't flowered yet," she laughed.
"He thinks I should wait, get to know Eric better," I told her.
"Well then maybe you should. Only you can decide, Eric won't force it on you, although I gather you've had enough of his blood already. Maybe once tomorrow's over you'll feel a bit more relaxed about it," she said.
"Maybe so, I wish I knew more about what will happen tomorrow. Will there be a lot of guests?"
"Sookie quit worrying, I organised this wedding. I do organising, that's why Eric can't manage without me. Besides Quinn's here now, so everything really is under control."
"I hope so, I'm starting to feel uneasy," I confessed.
Pam's laugh was like music.
"So you should, Sookie. By tomorrow night you'll be married to Eric, that thought would make a lot of women uneasy," she said.
"Not like that! Okay a bit like that, but there's more to it than that. It's like something is going to make it all go wrong."
"Nerves, Sookie. Pure nerves. It'll all be great, you'll look amazing, and tomorrow night you'll be begging Eric to turn you," she sounded jealous.
"Begging? I doubt that," I laughed.
"The Viking can be very persuasive!"
I felt my cheeks redden again.
When Pam left I went for a long hot shower. I kept expecting Eric to show up, I knew I'd be happier if I could just see him. But as the night wore on it became clear he was not going to show. This was going to be a long and lonely night without him.
There was a rap at the door and Robert poked his head round. He grinned at me as I rushed to cover myself before he told me why he was here.
"Sookie you have a guest, someone who wants to speak to you very much," he told me before ducking back out and closing the door. Wondering who it was I finished off and pulled my bathrobe tighter around me. I wished I could at least have dressed, but all my clothes were out in the room. Whoever Robert had brought to call on me would just have to accept me as I came tonight.
I opened the door to find Robert sitting with the most handsome man I had ever seen.
"Oh, who are you?"
"My dear Sookie, I am Niall Brigant, I'm your great grandfather!"
