Chapter 8
Caitlin had not seen Baldwin since the night before. She had rested as ordered, spent time with her sons and now was in the kitchen making them their favorite cheese pizza for lunch. Diana and her twins were there also, and Rebecca and Philip were clamoring for pizza too.
"We'll have to see how this goes," Diana laughed. "They've never had pizza before."
Cait finished ladling sauce and sprinkling cheese on dough spread out on the bamboo peel. Then she slid it into the wood-burning oven. "Now we wait about ten minutes. What do your children drink?"
"I want juice," Rebecca called out.
"Orange? Apple?" Caitlin asked.
"No, for our twins, that's milk with a little, um, blood," she said.
"Oh. Well, I can provide the milk—"
And Marthe arrived with a small cup of blood at that moment. "I can provide the rest."
They chatted companionably until the pizza came out of the oven, then waited a few more minutes for it to cool down enough for the children. Brendan and Caelin began to chow down as soon as slice was put in front of them, accompanied by their usual orange juice, and Philip followed suit, pleased to do just as the two older boys were doing.
"I'm not too sure about Becca," Diana said. "She's the picky eater of my two."
"I didn't get one of those," Cait laughed.
In a moment, Becca picked up her triangle of pizza and took a bite of the end.
"Good," Philip said around a mouthful of pizza.
"Good," Becca echoed as she daintily ate her slice.
"Well, that's a relief. Something we can always find," Diana laughed.
Ciara entered the kitchen in a hurry and looked directly to Caitlin to get her attention. "Uh, Caitie," she said, using a childhood nickname, "did you know your Dad and the McCormac are here?"
"They are? When did my Dad get in from the US? I didn't even know he was coming. And why haven't they come in to say hello?"
"Probably because they're in the study," Ciara asked. "With Baldwin and Philippe."
"What?"
Her mother and grandmother arrived on Ciara's heels, followed by Ysabeau. "They… wanted to talk to your young man," Brigid said.
Her mother just gave her an apologetic half-smile. "Your father and grandfather… well, you know how they are."
"What do they think this is, the seventeenth century? He's not 'my young man,' he's just—" she dropped her voice to a whisper, "their father. And that's for us to work out—"
She tore off the white apron she'd been wearing around her waist and started for the kitchen door.
"Caitlin Danu, sometimes the best course of action is to just wait," her mother said. "See what happens."
"Over many centuries, I learned there were times I had to speak, and other times it was best to let the men in the family grapple with things among themselves," Ysabeau said softly.
"Think, and stay alive," Diana said. "Philippe told me that in the sixteenth century. I think today it means wait, and see what happens."
Caitlin looked like steam might start coming out of her ears any moment, but she sat back down at the kitchen counter and picked up a slice of pizza. "Okay, I'll give them time to vent whatever they think they all have to say about my life. But if I hear I've been traded for twenty sheep and a cow, they will all find themselves in the middle of the lake."
"Not to worry," her grandmother said. "The McCormac would get at least two cows for you."
Even Caitlin laughed.
Baldwin had been sitting in the study with his computer. On any other day, he'd be reviewing the myriad reports that crossed his desk daily about de Clermont companies and investments, about security for the far-flung extended family, and their numerous properties, financial market data, and intelligence about conflicts all over the world that might affect their fortunes. Or require his attention or influence. He would also approve payment of dozens of bills for everything from jet fuel to new cars, to blood for everyone in his large family, and their trusted retainers.
But today he was reviewing photos from Sept-Tours sent by Russell and Giles. The damage from the bombs had been minimal thanks to the shielding the witches put around them but some repairs would be needed. And a family-owned landscaping company was already on site, planting over the spots where vampire ashes had been buried.
Next he'd have to consider what would be communicated to the families of Gerbert and Domenico. And discuss what the Congregation's remaining members needed to know with Agatha. With Diana, he would have to lead the search for two new vampires to take their place on the Congregation.
As he reviewed the list of tasks before him the door opened and two men he did not know entered. The younger one closed the door behind them.
"I'm Tom O'Neill. Caitlin's father," the first said. He was tall, well-built and handsome for a man in his sixties. Baldwin recognized him as a political leader in the United States, one whose policies the vampire generally supported because they were progressive but pragmatic.
He stood, out of respect. "A pleasure to meet you, sir," he said, putting out his hand.
And I'm Hugh McCormac, Caitlin's grandfather," the older man said with a thick Irish accent. He was probably twenty years older but still fit, with a robust build and a slight gut. And a strong face that was set in a frown at present. Baldwin immediately knew the name and the man's place in the firmament of global financial luminaries. "And you're Baldwin Montclair. The man who knocked up my granddaughter."
Baldwin was momentarily stunned but he recovered quickly. "Actually, sir, I'm the vampire who knocked her up."
"D'ya think that matters? I want to know—"
The door opened again and Philippe entered. "I'm Philippe de Clermont," he said genially. "Baldwin is my son. How do you do?" He shook both men's hands and Baldwin was glad he had shown up to even the sides. Until Philippe took a position alongside O'Neill and McCormac.
"I want to know what you're going to do to make it right with my granddaughter," McCormac completed his earlier thought.
"I don't run away from my responsibilities," Baldwin said defensively. "I'll take care of the boys and Caitlin. I told her I'll provide for their living expenses, education, security, anything she or they ever need—"
The three other men were silent for almost half minute. Then Tom O'Neill spoke. "You'll provide for her. Like a discarded mistress?"
"No! That's not it at all!"
"That's how it sounds, my son," Philippe said quietly. "Why can't you consider the possibility of a life with this woman you crave? Don't deny it, it could not be more apparent. Why not build a life with her, and these children you made?"
"Why? You should understand better than anyone!" Baldwin erupted. His temper had been on a thin filament of control and now it snapped. "With you gone, I'm the head of the de Clermont family. We're expected to lead among our kind, especially now when everything is changing so fast. Matthew married a witch and that's fine. But how can I, as the head of the family, not respect the old ways? Dishonor our traditions….?"
"For tradition, you'll give up the possibility of true happiness, Lucius?" Philippe used his human name from before he was reborn, subtly reminding Baldwin that he had respected and loved this man for than two thousand years. And that he needed to listen to him now. "You would sacrifice the kind of love that, no matter how long a vampire lives, will always be his raison d'etre?"
"She's a witch, Philippe. Until two years ago, it was forbidden. And it's more than obvious that I—I was with her before the Covenant was overturned—"
"In two millennia, you never found a woman, vampire or human, with whom to mate. None but this woman ever captured you, my son, heart, mind, body. And soul. And you would just walk away?"
"Not because I want to," Baldwin said ferociously. Then he sat down heavily and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it standing on end. He shook his head. "There is nothing I want more than to be with her," he whispered. "I feel like an empty shell without her. But it's … impossible."
"How can you lead the de Clermont family through all the changes taking place, and still to come, without a partner? I could never have done it without Ysabeau," Philippe said.
"I can't make her a vampire. I won't," Baldwin said firmly. "She would no longer be … Caitlin."
Tom's head snapped up at that, but before he could speak up, Philippe continued. "With the covenant set aside, what law says your mate must be a vampire?"
He walked around the table and laid a hand on Baldwin's shoulder. "Matthew and Diana are academics and scholars, happiest in their libraries and laboratories. But the time is coming when creatures will become known by humans again. You and Caitlin and some of the others will need to be the face of creatures to their world."
O'Neill and McCormac had been watching the two vampires intently. They exchanged a glance and then the older human spoke gently. "Do you love her, son?"
Baldwin looked up, and no one in that room could miss the longing in his eyes. He simply nodded.
That was all Philippe needed to know. "Then create the next generation of the de Clermont family in the way that gives you the mate you need to lead in this new millennium. My day is over. You cannot do it the way I did. You must not. You can only do it your own way, with your chosen mate by your side."
"She's a spectacular girl, is our Caitlin," the McCormac said. "And a powerful witch. To have her at your side would be a blessing. Brigid and I have shared nearly sixty-four years – a witch and a daemon- and I could not imagine life without her."
Baldwin nodded again, exhaling forcefully. And instantly began to develop a strategy to win the most important battle of his long life. "I have some work to do to convince her, though. How do I do that?"
The hardest thing Caitlin had ever done was nothing, which is what she was doing at this moment. She felt her future teetering on the edge of a precipice. And she waited. To see what the man she loved would do, to know if they would indeed have a future, or merely a past. As the other witches had convinced her, sometimes the strongest move was to wait for the other to show his hand.
The boys and Diana's two children had gone off to fish with Matthew, Marcus, Jack, Fernando and Conor. Between the five of them, she and Diana were fairly sure they could keep the four youngsters out of too much trouble.
"I'm glad they're getting the chance to know their cousins," Diana said. "I never had any, and I was jealous of my friends who did." It occurred to her that she now had vampire siblings but that was different and she was still adjusting to them, Baldwin most of all. And yet, he was the one with whom she felt the closest bond.
Caitlin smiled. "Well, that's not a problem from this end. I'm one of six—I have five older brothers—and we have four cousins on the McCormac side and another nine on the O'Neill side. Makes for great parties though. And now, the Bishop-Clairmonts will always be invited."
Before Diana could reply, Baldwin appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Caitlin," he said, "could you spare me a little time to talk?"
She hesitated only a moment before nodding. Diana jumped up from the stool on which she'd been sitting and made her exit.
"I have a little more packing to do," she offered by way of an excuse. She gave Baldwin a kiss on the cheek as she passed him, whispering in his ear, "Best thing that ever happened to you, brother. Don't blow it."
He was not a pious man but he sent up a little prayer that he wouldn't.
"Sit down," Caitlin said. She took a bottle of red wine out of the wine fridge and pulled a glass off an open shelf. The bottle had been opened earlier in the day so she only had to uncap it and pour some into a glass for him.
Baldwin watched her and it struck him that she did everything with a fluid grace and ease. And care for the needs of whomever she was with. Pretty much the opposite of him.
"I'm not sure where to begin," he said.
"As long as you don't mention sheep or cows, start anywhere," she replied with a smile.
The confusion on his face was priceless.
"I don't have anything to say about livestock. I owe you an apology, Caitlin. I have no excuse for the way I reacted. The situation, the boys, you being a witch—" he looked at her, "don't repeat my words again, please."
She laughed and shook her head.
"Caitlin Danu, in two thousand years, I've never mated before—"
She looked shocked and he immediately realized why. "Oh, I've had sexual relations, with vampires and humans! By the gods, I'm not a saint!"
"No, I didn't think you were," she said with a small smile and something inside him relaxed just a bit.
"No one has ever mistaken me for one," he admitted. "What I mean is that, for vampires, mating is something special and rare. We generally only mate once in our lives, however long. And very rarely with someone who is not also a vampire." A slight frown creased his forehead. "Although my sister Verin is mated with a human. And Matthew with Diana." Belatedly, he realized the de Clermonts had been moving away from some traditions for a while now.
"And you are the head of the family and want a traditional vampire marriage," she said, having guessed the reason for his hesitance.
"Yes. I mean no! I mean, I thought I did but Philippe pointed out I had two thousand years to look and never found a vampire I wanted like that. Or a human. Until you."
She drew a shaky breath but remained silent. However hard, she would wait and see as the other witches had advised.
"From the moment I first saw you in New York at that gala, I wanted you. Before we even spoke. I—I switched the name cards at our table so I could sit next to you."
"You did?"
He looked somewhat abashed. "I did. The poor guy who thought he was sitting next to you glared at me all night."
He stared at the glass of untouched wine before him. "But you—you make me want to be someone different, more than I am. I've craved you since we met, every moment since you left me."
"I was afraid you'd try to find me but you never did. Maybe I hoped you would," she said.
"My pride prevented it. And my stubbornness. I thought a marriage with a human was out of the question for me. Someone had to honor the old ways, set the example for the rest of the family—"
"And then Matthew met Diana. And Eric met Ciara. This is going the wrong way for the de Clermonts, I guess."
"No! No, they both deserve happiness, wherever they find it."
"And do you? Deserve to be happy?"
Something cracked in his heart and he realized he had never believed that happiness was available to him. Success, achievement, even contentment, yes. But not true happiness.
He looked into her eyes. "I can't imagine how I would ever be happy without you and Brendan and Caelin in my life. For however long I live, you will be my heart, my love, my very soul. I never considered that I had one until it was ripped out of me. I need you, Caitlin. Without you, I will survive, but never live. Will you share my life? Marry me?"
Her glorious smile was the only answer he needed and he pulled her into his arms and kissed her fully, soundly and with a passion no one would have expected from Baldwin de Clermont. Finally, he pulled back and reached into the pocket of his jeans. The casual attire borrowed from one of her brothers was another change he was beginning to appreciate. He pulled out a small box, explaining, "I asked Ciara to take me to my house in France. I've had this for a long time—"
He opened the box and she saw a large, brilliant emerald, set in a simple gold band and bounded by two rows of smaller diamond. Pulling it out he laid the box on the counter and took her hand. "I thought this would suit you. I think I had you in mind when I bought it a few centuries ago."
He placed the ring on her finger and she felt a small electrical vibration emanate from the stone as though it had found the place it belonged.
"If you'd prefer something else-" he began.
"I love it," she said. "It's perfect. The O'Connelly witches, we have prophetic dreams. I've seen this ring."
"You have?"
"And you, too. In many different places. And times. Ancient Rome. The Middle Ages in France. Fighting with Hessians in the American Revolution. In WWI and WWII uniforms. In modern times in Berlin, New York—"
He shook his head. "You witches are endlessly fascinating. You were seeing my different lives, throughout time."
"I know that now. But because I already 'knew' you, that's why I didn't hesitate when you asked me to stay with you that first night. It's never been my way but from the first moment, I knew this was destined. Even these last years, I always believed something would change and you would be with me. However long it took."
"I will be, Caitlin Danu. And many, many years from now, when you are no longer physically with me, you will be in my heart and in my soul. Until I take my last breath and come to find you again, m'anam."
Tears welled in her eyes and his heart stuttered, not sure what he said that caused them. He used one thumb to brush away one that had begun to roll down her cheek. "Don't. Don't cry—"
"Not sad tears," she whispered. "It's just that's what you always called me, in the dreams. M'anam."
"My soul. From this day forward, you are the only truly immortal thing in my life."