Charlotte Marries a Vampire Page 4

  The jovial Justice of the Peace and his pleasant wife were already present to greet her as well as one of the hotel’s staff members.

  Charlotte felt like a princess in a fairytale. Her dress with its flowing silk hemline floated across the rustic boards like a feather. As she breathed in the sweet scents of her bouquet, she heard the faint chords of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. Facing the boardwalk entry, she was astonished by the two violinists strolling towards the wedding party – their sounds gaining more prominence with each step.

  A soft gasp from the J.P.’s wife directed Charlotte’s attention to Stefan as he stepped out from behind the musicians. As dashing as Rhett Butler in his closing scene, Stefan adjusted the sleeves of his tuxedo shirt as he walked towards her. He was breathtaking beautiful. Did she detect a slight swagger? With good reason she thought. His eyes bore into her soul and the smile on his lips mirrored hers. This seemingly supernatural being was to be her partner for life. Had God ordained this perfect moment just for her?

  It seemed as though before she could ponder the thought further, the perfect ceremony had ended and the honeymoon was underway. Stefan had gently lifted her into the carriage before its horse clip-clopped over the cobblestone streets to the lively strings of the duet’s Wedding March.

  Charlotte looked back to see the J.P.’s wife dabbing the tears from her eyes, and shook her head with the split-second wish that her father, June and close friends could see her now. She was married. No more spinster fears. She was on her way to discovering a new life with her newly, wed husband. Their journey had just begun.

  Stefan watched Charlotte with delight. Since the moment he saw her watch him saunter down the pier, his heart soared with faux love. She was innocent and pleasing. He could tell that she worshipped everything about him. There was so much sincerity on her part that he couldn’t absorb it all fast enough. He thought she could possibly love him more than he loved himself, and she complemented him to perfection.

  She had chosen an eye-catching dress with an elegant bouquet, and her eyes shimmered like the lights against the water making him wonder why he had never married or at least more often. He had been thirty-five for hundreds of years. There had been time to do this. He’d have to thank that Johnson couple when they returned to Charlotte. If it hadn’t been for them, he would have probably stayed single and missed out enjoying whatever it was that they had. Stefan found it refreshing to know that life could still hold a few surprises and his dear Charlotte was his newest one.

  After dinner at an intimate restaurant and a long walk along the charmed streets of Charleston’s quixotic surroundings, Stefan guided Charlotte back towards Celine’s where they had decided to drink one last cup of coffee at the place responsible for setting their marriage in motion.

  Still dressed in her wedding gown, Charlotte stretched back to gather her hem as Stefan cracked the door open. The night’s thick mist made it difficult to see inside the café as it covered its glass windows and door with an opaque film.

  However, inside Celine’s, it was easier to see out than in. Seated at one of the four-top tables, Bob playfully pulled at a strand of Hailey’s thick, black mane as their companions, Zack and Deidre, laughed at his recent joke. He liked being the life of the party. It was one of the main reasons that he frequently escaped LaRoe and visited Charleston often. His hometown crowd was as old and stodgy as they came. Their idea of fun was sitting around the cemetery talking about the good old days. The younger generation only had it slightly better. The best venue available to them was the Hambeaux Drive-In where the humming of roller skates against uneven concrete and bad music speakers dulled the senses, muting any decent conversation.

  Before Stefan had reached the door of the coffee shop, his confident stature had already captured Bob’s attention. Their kind was always keen to any mortal or immortal presence but what irked Bob about Stefan was his superior attitude and air of entitlement. Stefan had always elevated himself above the rest of the immortals as though he was special, and that bothered Bob deeply.

  Looking at the appealing young woman with him, Bob’s interest was piqued further. Stefan was with a mortal woman. How could that be? Surprisingly, the woman was the bride and it made Bob wonder what was going on. Was this a game that Stefan played? Had he turned into a free ranger? Maybe Stefan wasn’t so unlike him. He was determined to find out more.

  As Stefan approached the door from outside, Bob yelled out with his characteristic loud voice, “Hey, Stefan, let me buy the bride and groom a cup of Celine’s.”

  His shout caught Hailey’s attention. “Ooh, we get to meet Stefan’s bride.”

  Bob’s eyes stayed targeted on Charlotte as she tried to turn her head in their direction. Instead, Stefan blocked her view and pulled her away. He’d wait a few minutes to see if they’d come back in. Maybe Stefan thought Bob would want a share of his take. Stuck-up vamp, he scowled. He wasn’t a creep to take what wasn’t his. The thought made Bob dislike Stefan more. He wouldn’t waste his energy by going outside to see if they were coming in, but he wouldn’t forget to mention it either when he saw Stefan next. And he knew he would see him again. There were only so many places vamps could hang out.

  He looked about the lively café filled with interesting people and the buzz of their genteel conversations. This was so much better than parking at the Hambeaux back home.

  “Stefan, I thought I heard your name,” Charlotte said after he’d steered her around the corner of Celine’s and before he passionately kissed her on the lips.

  Wow. Forget the coffee, remember the hotel. She was married now. She wanted to lie in the arms of her husband and take pleasure in the moments of their union.

  At the hotel, hours materialized into minutes of bliss before Charlotte slumbered into a deep sleep anticipating awakening to a new day with her husband.

  * ~ *

  Chapter Eight: A Surprise to Tell

  Charlotte awoke to the sun’s dulled tint beyond the curtain sheers. Thinking it was daybreak, she checked the digital clock next to the bed, which read:

  6:02 PM

  The once occupied other side of the bed was now empty, and caused her to momentarily forget that she was a married woman.

  Orienting herself to her surroundings, she stood up and went to the lavatory sink as an empty and eerie feeling settled about her. She wondered where Stefan could be. Then she saw the hotel stationery note propped on her nightstand. She smiled. He was so thoughtful.

  Dear Mrs. Babson, I’ll be back at 7 p.m. Love, your husband

  Charlotte couldn’t believe she’d slept the day away! Her first day of marriage was almost over. She wrote it off to the flurry of intense activities within the past forty-two hours.

  She had less than an hour to dress for her next adventure with Stefan. She started to phone him when she remembered that her cell phone was dead and she was without a battery charger. That and she didn’t know Stefan’s cell phone number or come to think of it, if he had a cell phone.

  Again, she felt her insides twist with turmoil but dismissed it as too much stimulation spurred on by a new place and a new life. A hot shower would work wonders she thought.

  Thankfully, she had purchased another outfit to wear after the wedding. She would have to remember an extra change of clothes to have on hand with Stefan. Spontaneity wasn’t always her best trait although she desperately wanted it to be.

  Sunset occurred at 6:48 that evening, which had given Stefan enough time to get to Charlotte’s hotel from the Charleston V where he stayed during the day.

  He picked up a long stem red rose and placed it on the tray next to the champagne-filled flutes that he had purchased at the bar. After carefully thinking about how he would break the news to Charlotte, he concluded that the truth was simply the best. In his mind, Stefan had convinced himself that his immortal state was a fate similar to a rare sleeping disorder. Stefan smiled at his cleverness before entering the room.

  He was delighted to see his Charlott
e awake and refreshed. He also hoped that the sleeping medication that he’d used to spike her drink wouldn’t leave her feeling drugged, but he knew that he had to buy time before he told her the news of his situation.

  “Champagne?” he asked.

  Charlotte reached over to give him a light kiss as he took in her fresh scent with desire.

  “For a missed breakfast?” she added with slight amusement in her voice.

  “I’ll go get some OJ and make it a Mimosa if you’d like.” He joked with her as he searched her face for any concern regarding his absence.

  A loud clap of thunder boomed in the background as the outside drizzle soon turned to a steady stream of rain.

  “What happened to our perfect weather?” Charlotte commented as she looked out the window.

  Stefan thought it was an idyllic segue to the storms of life. He put down the tray so he could gently take her hands and sit next to her on the bed.

  “Charlotte, I feel like a cad. I should have told you this before we married and if you want to have this marriage annulled, I’ll understand.”

  For Stefan, the experience had been fun and he hoped it would last longer, but it was no loss to him if it didn’t. Charlotte was special, however, at his age the decades had been generous to him in terms of young women looking for love.

  Charlotte’s eyes widened with trepidation. “What is it?”

  “I have a rare sleeping disorder,” he said seriously. He watched her shoulders relax with relief.

  “Oh, sometimes I have trouble sleeping, too. I take this natural herb–” She stopped mid-sentence.

  “It’s more serious than that Charlotte.” He lowered his chin with sorrow. “I’ve been to every specialist in the world. There is no cure.”

  Her touch to his arm showed Stefan that she was concerned rather than put off by the new revelation.

  “What does it entail?”

  “I go to bed before morning and don’t wake up until the night begins. Twelve hours, or depending upon the season, I’m captive to a pitch black room with not a hint of light or I could suffer a horrible seizure and die.” He waited for her reaction then quickly added, “Forgive me for not telling you before.”

  Up until that last sentence, Charlotte had felt completely betrayed. Her spur of the moment trip to destiny with this fine-looking man had altered with an addendum of oh, and by the way. The news smarted until she noticed a tiny pool of tears edged in the corner of his eyes. She reckoned it was a situation where to err was human but her forgiveness would be divine. How bad it could be?

  So he had night hours. Plenty of couples worked the night shift and slept during the day. Every couple had their problems Charlotte justified. They wouldn’t be any different. She was Mrs. Stefan Babson. She realized that married life would probably be challenging no matter what, but together they would work through it.

  “Stefan, I’d rather have a thousand nights with you and no days, than no nights at all.” Charlotte brushed her lips against his cheek. She was totally in love.

  How poetic Stefan thought. He wondered if that was an original saying because he hadn’t recalled hearing that phrase during his past 200 years of existence.

  * ~ *

  Chapter Nine: A Surprise for Dad

  On the drive back to Charlotte the city, Charlotte assured Stefan that her dad would be thrilled with the news. Stefan hadn’t spent a lot of time around families but somehow he sensed that this wouldn’t be the case with their impromptu ceremony – especially a ceremony where the dad hadn’t been informed or invited.

  As Stefan parked the car out front, he studied the two-story Greek Revival style home owned by Charles Stephens and his wife June. Although smaller than the original estates of old, the four towering Ionic columns and second story piazza made an impressive entrance. It had a positively Southern feel that blended well within the Providence Plantation neighborhood with its white columns and red brick front façade.

  Before Charlotte rang the doorbell, Stefan hugged her closely and nuzzled his face against hers.

  “Are you sure you shouldn’t have given your dad a hint about why we’re here?”

  Charlotte’s eyes shined with lightheartedness. “Oh, no, Daddy loves surprises.”

  * ~ *

  It was a little after ten p.m. when Charlotte had phoned to ask if she and a guest could stop by. Charles thought the call came at an odd hour but when she mentioned a celebration was in order, he guessed that she had turned her frustration into something positive, and probably work related.

  Whatever it was, when Charlotte and Stefan arrived Charles noticed that she was back to her usual self – actually, better than her usual self. Charlotte was glowing. She looked refreshed and energetic as if she’d been on vacation for a week.

  Her guest Stefan was a polite, handsome young man and Charles may have suspected his being there more personal in nature had she not been there with Perry only forty-eight hours earlier.

  While Charles insisted on getting the chilled bottle of sparkling cider they’d had on hand for Charlotte’s birthday, June brought the glasses to the front room where she had set Charlotte’s birthday bouquet from the evenings before. She had been a little late in replenishing the flowers with water. Now limp from lack of hydration, the bouquet evoked melancholy rather than the intended festive flair.

  As Charles unscrewed the plastic cap, he thought he’d entertain his daughter and guest with a few speculations of his own.

  “Charlotte said we have reason to celebrate so I’m guessing this is your new partner for that second flower shop you’ve wanted to open.”

  “You’re partly correct Daddy,” Charlotte replied followed by a knowing smile to Stefan.

  Charles loved that she was happy. That’s all he had ever wanted since he realized how unhappy things had been while he traveled for work during Charlotte’s early years.

  As Charles poured the cider into the glasses, Stefan being a bartender naturally studied the bottle’s label.

  “Sparkling cider?” he asked Charlotte quietly.

  She leaned in to whisper. “We’re Baptists and Daddy’s a recovering alcoholic.”

  Interesting, Stefan thought. He didn’t think he’d ever known either.

  Lifting his glass, Charles toasted, “To partners.”

  Charlotte happily went along by repeating, “To partners,” she paused before adding, “and husband.”

  Charles who was midway into his first gulp reacted with shock. Judging from his contorted face, he appeared to be trying to swallow and spit at the same time. Instead, he put the glass down and clutched his upper body as he crumpled into the nearby seat.

  “Stefan, what should we do?” Charlotte rushed to her dad’s side along with June.

  Stefan knew he wasn’t always the most intuitive regarding all mortal behavior but this had been an easy one to predict.

  “Surprise,” he said to himself.

  * ~ *

  Chapter Ten: Prince Charming

  The ambiance of the Stephens home had flatlined to the sterile environment of the Carolina Medical Hospital ER unit nearby where they had rushed Charles by car.

  Charlotte flinched as the sensor monitors that were stuck on her dad were plucked off by a less than sensitive nurse. If the sticky sensors inflicted any discomfort for her dad, he didn’t show it. The deeply-lined crevice between his thick, graying eyebrows indicated his concern.

  “Daddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t know the news would cause you an anxiety attack.” She had been totally caught off guard that her dad would have any reaction other than maybe a good laugh they could have shared for years.

  She could not believe that she’d forgot about the mild heart attack he suffered the previous Spring when he and June traveled with the mission group to Jamaica.

  “Charlotte, you’ve always been so sensible.”

  She detected his sorrow. So much for the good laugh.

  “What about Perry?” he asked.

  “I guess
he wasn’t the one.” Her lips pressed inward.

  “And this guy, Stefan – is he a Christian?”

  The conversation pricked at her insecurities like high school. She hadn’t felt the need to be accountable to anyone other than herself for quite some time.

  “We haven’t really talked about it yet, Daddy.”

  Her dad groaned loudly, which caused June to step in.

  “Charles, why don’t you relax and we’ll get to know Stefan better.” June’s suggestion came with the added distraction of fluffing pillows and an offering of ice chips.

  Charlotte wanted to hug her for intervening. Suddenly her bold, adventurous idea of marrying someone she’d only know for twenty-four hours seemed stupid and she didn’t want to admit it to her dad or herself.

  Charles hesitantly agreed. “All right, all right,” he said as he attempted to look beyond the privacy curtain. “Where is this husband of yours?”

  According to the clock, Charlotte realized that Stefan had left within minutes of their arrival. Irritated, she wondered where he could be.

  * ~ *

  Loitering near the hospital’s blood bank, Stefan cased the empty hallway. He had already pulled his drink selection – a bag of common O positive blood – and hidden it inside his jacket pocket while he dug for the straw that he heisted at the cafeteria. He never understood why blood banks didn’t readily have on hand such necessary utensils.

  “May I help you?” The woman’s voice was firm and unwelcoming.

  Stefan looked up to see a pixie-like, blonde-haired nurse eying him inquisitively. He couldn’t help notice that the stern look in her face vanished as rapidly as she scanned his.

  “I’m sure you can,” he replied with a charismatic smile. She was cute he thought. Maybe a bit more serious than he liked but that had never stopped him.