The outfit was lovely – a blood-red velvet reception gown with rose-printed cream silk sleeves, divided overskirt, and scalloped hem, all trimmed in the barest hint of Chantilly lace. “My dear Cousin Nadasdy, how stunning you look this evening. She was laying it on rather thick, but Rue was Dama’s daughter and, if nothing else, she could entertain and rebut flattery in all its forms. To what do we owe the honour of you gracing us with your delightful presence?” The vampire kissed the air a good six inches away from Rue’s cheek. Her hands were well shielded from Rue’s skin by several layers of cloth. The countess grasped Rue, carefully, by the upper arms. And by George they would treat her as such. As long as Rue was legally the child of a vampire, she was one of theirs. The fact that they remained next door was a source of aggravation but not contention. The Maccons had relinquished their lawful right to her, and as such their parental control. In the hive mind, Rue was solely and entirely Dama’s daughter. Vampires took the concept of adoption seriously. “My dear Cousin Prudence.” The countess advanced, both gloved hands out in the greeting vampires extended to family members.

Quite frankly, it was not comfortable paying a call on an aristocrat who wanted one dead, particularly not when that aristocrat is a very old vampire of means and social skill. None of this made up for the fact that the entire hive would quite happily see Rue fried like an apple fritter and take turns dipping her into the brandy sauce. As if Rue would dare go calling less than perfectly turned out with Dama for a father and Rabiffano for an uncle.

She intended Rue to be aware of her approval of Rue’s unflaggingly stylish choices. She never failed to compliment Rue on some part of her attire, seeming genuinely interested in what the young people were wearing these days. The countess made it a point to leave her inner sanctum, the back parlour, and walk out to meet Rue in the hallway any time Rue visited, a courtesy she did not extend to muhjah or dewan. Never had a single gold-embossed invitation passed Rue by since she first came into society at seventeen. Lady Prudence Akeldama was always invited to all hive events. Woolsey Hive made a particular effort – an unpleasantly particular effort. No, the most irritating thing about Woolsey Hive was its queen, Countess Nadasdy.Ĭountess Nadasdy was always extremely nice to Rue. Nor was it Woolsey Castle’s appearance, that of a hodgepodge manor house with too many flying buttresses and too little symmetry. The most aggravating aspect of the Woolsey Hive was not its location, rustic though it might be to a young lady of Rue’s urban sensibilities.

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