“No, I’ll probably eat dinner later, but now I thought I would try the herbal tea you like so much,” Alexis said.

“My herbal tea? Did Amelia organize the food and drink for the cabins?”

Alexis returned with her cup of steaming hot tea and sat down. “No, I made sure everything we needed would be here on arrival, including your teabags.”

Katie was touched that Alexis remembered her tea. She seemed to notice her in the smallest of ways, like which brand of tea she liked. Alexis was watching her, eagerly awaiting her verdict on breakfast. She picked up her knife and fork and tasted her food. “Mm. Really tasty. Thank you, Alexis.”

What happened next rocked Katie to the core. Alexis smiled, openly and brightly. So brightly that Katie could feel the warmth invade her heart.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Katie then felt frustrated. Why was Alexis behaving like this when she ignored her last week? This was just weird. She put down her knife and fork and lifted the warm cup of tea Alexis had given her.

“I thought after breakfast,” Alexis said, “we could sit out on the porch so you could get some fresh air. There’s a nice rocking chair, and I can get you some blankets—”

“Okay, stop.” Katie couldn’t listen to any more weirdness. “Why are you doing this?”

Alexis furrowed her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Katie indicated her plate. “Cooking me breakfast, looking after me, when last week you wouldn’t come near me.”

Alexis cleared her throat. There it was. The question she knew Katie would ask eventually. Katie had clearly been annoyed by her behaviour. What could she say? That she couldn’t face Katie’s parents knowing that she had tried to forcibly turn their daughter, that guilt was eating away at her very soul?

“Your parents were here.” Alexis hoped that would be enough to stop Katie’s enquiries.

“And that stops you visiting how? I mean, I’m used to being ignored by you. You’ve ignored me since I came home from university and started working for Byron, but after the attack…” Katie hesitated, then looked down at the table sadly. “I thought we had a better understanding. You came to visit me every night, and I thought we could be friends at least.”

Friends? If only Katie could see inside her heart. She had to cover for her actions somehow.

“I didn’t want to get in the way. Your mum was there every night, and she probably wouldn’t approve of me being your friend,” Alexis said.

“Why? You worked alongside them for years when they were the Debrek butler and head housekeeper.”

“Yes, and they only knew me as the Duca. A single-minded, work focused, dismissive, cold vampire. They’d probably think I’d upset you, and I doubt they’d believe the other side of me you’d seen.”

“I’ve seen another side?” Katie questioned.