about to protest but Dante was, typically, all for the idea. Her parents hung back, giving Dante and Frankie a chance to talk.
“ You do realise that you'll have to marry me after that performance,” she said. “Mum won't rest until that dream comes true.”
“ Maybe that was my plan,” he said with a wink.
“ Hate to break it to you,” she said with a teasing smile,”but you're not marriage material.”
“ Your mother thinks I am.”
“ Ah but she doesn't have all the facts, does she?”
“ Well, we'll get married in name only then, wouldn't that get her off your back?”
“ Oh no, then comes home making, children and pressure to quit my job and look after you.” Frankie smiled at the absurdity of it all and leaned against the railings. She looked out across the Forth River. “She'll never be happy so it's pointless even trying to please her.”
“ Aren't you letting her stay in your home to please her?”
“ She caught me off guard and I didn't have my arguments in place. I've been conditioned to give in to her manipulations for years, breaking those habits is hard.”
“ Frankie, I don't mean to pry but... is she your biological mother?”
“ No, I'm adopted.”
“ That explains a lot.”
“ Does it?” she asked a touch sharply. She didn't like talking about her adoption.
“ Yes, like how you look nothing like either of your parents, and how your personalities are so different.”
Frankie nodded, this wasn't news to her.
“ Have you ever tried to find your real parents?” he asked.
“ Once. It can't be done.”
“ I thought those things were quite easy these days?” he questioned.
“ They are for most people but I was a foundling. I was abandoned in a church when I was about two days old.” She kept her eyes glued to the horizon.
“ I'm sorry.”
Frankie shrugged. “It's not your fault.”
“ No. But I do understand how you feel. I was abandoned too.”
Frankie looked at him. “Really?”
Dante nodded. “I was raised in a church orphanage, destined for the priesthood.”
“ So what happened?” she asked. Priest to vampire was surely an unusual career path.
“ I didn't much like the nuns' ideas of punishment, so I ran away from the orphanage when I was twelve.”
“ What did they do?”
“ Lots of things, all equally cruel. Plus a few of the brothers couldn't keep their hands to themselves. The streets were tough but all things considered, they were safer.”
Frankie looped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “I'm sorry.”
“ It's not your fault either. Besides, I was only on the street for a few months. I picked the wrong pocket.”
“ Whose?”
“ Joshua's.”
“ He adopted you?”
“ Not exactly. I wasn't looking for a new father, but he did take me in and employ me as his day person.”
“ Day person?”
“ It's not such an issue these days, but 400 years ago vampires needed someone to do tasks that could only be done during the daytime.”
“ I'd never even considered that,” she said as she shivered in the cool night air.
“ Why would you? You're cold, shall we head back to the car?”
“ Yeah, probably a good idea. I think the summer is officially over.”
“ That's what passes for summer in Scotland?” he teased.
“ It's not so bad up here,” she said. “And it's not like I can get a tan anyway.”
“ Sun bathing isn't exactly on my bucket list, either,” he agreed, taking his suit jacket off and draping it around her shoulders.
“ I'm fine,” she said, shrugging the coat off.
“ Don't be silly,” he put it back and held it in place on her shoulders. “You'll catch a chill.”
Frankie smiled. “Thanks, but I don't get sick.”
“ What, never?”
“ Well, hardly ever. I've never been seriously ill, anyway. Never even had a temperature that lasted much more than a day.”
Dante was beginning to see why it was so hard for her to talk about being abandoned. She had lots of
“ You do realise that you'll have to marry me after that performance,” she said. “Mum won't rest until that dream comes true.”
“ Maybe that was my plan,” he said with a wink.
“ Hate to break it to you,” she said with a teasing smile,”but you're not marriage material.”
“ Your mother thinks I am.”
“ Ah but she doesn't have all the facts, does she?”
“ Well, we'll get married in name only then, wouldn't that get her off your back?”
“ Oh no, then comes home making, children and pressure to quit my job and look after you.” Frankie smiled at the absurdity of it all and leaned against the railings. She looked out across the Forth River. “She'll never be happy so it's pointless even trying to please her.”
“ Aren't you letting her stay in your home to please her?”
“ She caught me off guard and I didn't have my arguments in place. I've been conditioned to give in to her manipulations for years, breaking those habits is hard.”
“ Frankie, I don't mean to pry but... is she your biological mother?”
“ No, I'm adopted.”
“ That explains a lot.”
“ Does it?” she asked a touch sharply. She didn't like talking about her adoption.
“ Yes, like how you look nothing like either of your parents, and how your personalities are so different.”
Frankie nodded, this wasn't news to her.
“ Have you ever tried to find your real parents?” he asked.
“ Once. It can't be done.”
“ I thought those things were quite easy these days?” he questioned.
“ They are for most people but I was a foundling. I was abandoned in a church when I was about two days old.” She kept her eyes glued to the horizon.
“ I'm sorry.”
Frankie shrugged. “It's not your fault.”
“ No. But I do understand how you feel. I was abandoned too.”
Frankie looked at him. “Really?”
Dante nodded. “I was raised in a church orphanage, destined for the priesthood.”
“ So what happened?” she asked. Priest to vampire was surely an unusual career path.
“ I didn't much like the nuns' ideas of punishment, so I ran away from the orphanage when I was twelve.”
“ What did they do?”
“ Lots of things, all equally cruel. Plus a few of the brothers couldn't keep their hands to themselves. The streets were tough but all things considered, they were safer.”
Frankie looped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. “I'm sorry.”
“ It's not your fault either. Besides, I was only on the street for a few months. I picked the wrong pocket.”
“ Whose?”
“ Joshua's.”
“ He adopted you?”
“ Not exactly. I wasn't looking for a new father, but he did take me in and employ me as his day person.”
“ Day person?”
“ It's not such an issue these days, but 400 years ago vampires needed someone to do tasks that could only be done during the daytime.”
“ I'd never even considered that,” she said as she shivered in the cool night air.
“ Why would you? You're cold, shall we head back to the car?”
“ Yeah, probably a good idea. I think the summer is officially over.”
“ That's what passes for summer in Scotland?” he teased.
“ It's not so bad up here,” she said. “And it's not like I can get a tan anyway.”
“ Sun bathing isn't exactly on my bucket list, either,” he agreed, taking his suit jacket off and draping it around her shoulders.
“ I'm fine,” she said, shrugging the coat off.
“ Don't be silly,” he put it back and held it in place on her shoulders. “You'll catch a chill.”
Frankie smiled. “Thanks, but I don't get sick.”
“ What, never?”
“ Well, hardly ever. I've never been seriously ill, anyway. Never even had a temperature that lasted much more than a day.”
Dante was beginning to see why it was so hard for her to talk about being abandoned. She had lots of
Similar Books
