Rite of Blood and Secrets, page 1
RITE OF BLOOD AND SECRETS
House Of Blood And Roses
Book 1
LAURA GREENWOOD
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Author Note
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© 2024 Laura Greenwood
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Blurb
A deal with a vampire changes Beatrice's life forever.
Beatrice always thought she'd have a simple life, and definitely not one run by court intrigue and factions battling for power. But when her twin brother reveals a family secret, all of that changes.
The decadent world they find themselves glitters from the outside, but beneath the surface lies something sinister, and Beatrice is determined to do everything she can to survive and not draw the attention of the wrong person.
With no idea who to trust, Beatrice has to keep her wits about her, even if they're almost stolen when she encounters a handsome stranger.
There's only one thing for certain, Beatrice's life is never going to be the same again.
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Rite Of Blood And Secrets is book one of House Of Blood And Roses. It is a romantasy series full of vampires, court intrigue, and a slow burn hidden identity arranged marriage m/f romance.
Chapter 1
The sun shines brightly as I make my way down to the main square, but there are ominous dark grey storm clouds on the horizon that suggest we may be in for a much more bitter day than the initial forecast suggests.
It hasn't deterred most of the town from turning up to the weekly market, and the sounds of bartering and arguments over whose bread is better fill the air, along with the scent of salty fish from the coast and sickly sweet smell of fruit that had been out in the sun a little too long.
I keep my head down as I weave through the people and stalls to get to my destination. I don't have the coins to be distracted by the various wares of the townspeople, even if I wish I did.
"Morning, Beatrice," Mrs Potsworth says from behind the vegetable stall. "The usual?"
I nod. "Please."
"I have some radishes fresh in, if you want 'em. I remember your Da loved 'em when he was a kid. Thought you might too."
I give her a sad smile as the grief stang despite Da having been gone for years. "If you have a few to spare." I don't particularly care for them, but Da did love them and eating them always makes me think of him.
"They're on the house." She puts them into a paper bag and drops them on top of the rest of my vegetables before handing it over to me.
I fish out the coins from the skirt of my dress and give them to her. "Thanks."
She nods in return.
I turn away, only to be stopped in my tracks as a shout comes from the front of the square and the people around me start pushing forward.
"What's going on?" I ask Mrs Potsworth.
She sighs. "It's the Golden Moon next month, they'll be asking for people to head up to the castle to work at the ball."
I look over to the large castle sitting halfway up the mountain. Even from here, it's an ominous sight, with huge turrets reaching into the sky and dark stone weathered from centuries of weather. The grey clouds feel as if they're closing in around it, only adding to the eerie effect.
"Listen to me, Beatrice," Mrs Potsworth says in a serious voice. "You were too young to remember it last time, five years is a long time in the life of you youngsters, but whatever you do, don't you or your brother go up to that castle for the Golden Moon."
I frown and look at her. "Why not?"
She shakes her head. "It's dangerous. Let us say no more of it."
I want to question her more on the subject, but I can tell from the set of her face that she isn't going to reveal anything else. I wish I could remember the last Golden Moon, but I was sixteen at the time and struggling to get by after Da died.
I say my goodbyes to the vegetable seller and make my way back through the square, only pausing to admire some of the fabrics the dressmaker has on display. I can't afford any of them, but that doesn't stop me from looking and dreaming of the day I can wear a fine dress and not have to make the same vegetable stew for me and my brother every day.
The sky darkens and a few spots of rain patter against my skin. I look upwards, seeing that the storm clouds have gotten much closer than before.
I pull up the hood of my cloak and turn in the direction of home, hurrying through the throng of people who seem determined to stay in order to hear about the Golden Moon even if it means getting rained on.
There's a part of me that wants to find out more about it myself, even with Mrs Potsworth's warning about going up to the castle still ringing in my ears. I don't think she'd give it to me for no reason, but it only raises more questions. And I don't know anything about the residents of the castle. I tried to ask Da about it when I was smaller, but he'd always grow tense and refuse to talk about it. Eventually, I learned to stop asking.
The rain grows heavier and I have to pull my skirt out of the way to avoid dragging it through a growing puddle. My shoe isn't so lucky, and I discover there's a hole in it somewhere. I almost stumble, but manage to right myself without spilling my bag of vegetables.
I'm soaked by the time I get home, and hating that I don't have many spare clothes to change into. The warped wooden door creaks loudly as I push it open and a boisterous dog appears, her tail wagging wildly.
Despite my current state, a smile spreads over my face. "Hey, Pip."
She lets out a small bark.
"Let me put these down and then I'll say hello to you properly," I promise, kicking the door shut behind me as I make my way inside.
Water is dripping from the ceiling where Bastian is supposed to have fixed it, but for all of my brother's positive attributes, being good with his hands isn't one of them, and I fear our house will fall down before he properly gets it fixed, but we don't have enough money to pay someone else to do it either.
I set the vegetables down on the wooden table that serves as our everything, and turn my attention properly to my dog. She's a shaggy thing, with a grey coat that sheds far too much, but I love her all the same.
"Have you been a good girl?" I ask as I rub her head. Her fluff stands on edge in response but her mouth hangs open with her tongue poking out of the side of it. She pushes her head back into my hands in order to get more fuss, which I happily oblige in doing.
My feet start to tingle from the damp of my shoes and I have to push my dog to the side so I can take them off and place them by the fire to dry. Once that's done, I'll have to see if I'm actually able to mend it.
I pat Pip on the head one last time before getting to my feet. I head over to the cupboard where we keep our money to drop the meagre remains of the coins I took with me to the market back inside.
The moment I pull open the drawer, my world starts to spin. We don't have much, but we do have enough to put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.
Except that now, all our remaining money is gone.
Chapter 2
The stew bubbles on the stove, but I can't focus on the fact we're going to have hot food tonight. I'm too busy biting the skin of my fingers and trying to work out what could have happened to our money. We need it in order to live, and I don't know what we're going to do now it's gone. Bastian has his job, and I do a lot of fixing and mending of clothes for those too busy to do it themselves but are in possession of a little coin, but it's going to take more than we make to replenish our resources.
And I just know Bastian is going to blame me for losing it.
The door opens and Pip raises her head, but doesn't rush over to the door like she does to greet me.
A crash of lightning lights up the doorway and Bastian standing there with a couple of boxes in his hands. The rain is coming down faster than before, the stor
m well and truly underway, and it looks darker than it should be given that it's still only early evening.
"Sister," he says.
"You should take off your jacket and dry it by the fire," I tell him, going over to take the boxes from him.
He nods and shrugs it off, throwing it over the washing line without bothering to unfold it properly. He kicks off his shoes and leaves them haphazardly in front of the hearth. I bite my tongue and don't tell him that he should take more care of his belongings if he wants them to be dry in time for work tomorrow, but I know he'll just get at me for nagging.
I place the boxes down on the table and give the stew a stir.
"How was work?" I ask.
"It was work," he responds. "I'm going to quit tomorrow."
“You can't." Some of the stew splashes over the top of the pot and onto the floor.
Pip is out of her bed in an instant, sniffing at the spilt piece of carrot as if it's a gourmet meal.
"Of course I can. It won't take me more than a week to find something new," Bastian responds.
I bite my lip and consider whether I want to tell him about the missing money. I know I have to, but it's whether now is the time.
"Bastian..." I take a deep breath. "You can't quit your job, and I'm going to have to do more mending. Our money is gone."
"Of course it's gone," he responds. "That's what happens when you spend it."
I blink a few times, trying to work out precisely what's happening. "We spent it?"
"Well, I spent it." He waves towards the boxes.
"On what?" My voice comes out as barely more of a squeak as I try to work out precisely what's going through his head for him to think that was a good idea. The money was supposed to be our safety net, it's all that was left after Da died.
"A dress for you, and a suit for me. Fine clothes, none of these rags." He plucks at his shirt.
"You did what?" I stare at my brother, trying to work out why he would want to do something like this.
"We can't turn up to the Golden Moon wearing these clothes," he points out.
"We shouldn't be going to the Golden Moon at all," I counter.
"What do you know of it?" Bastian leans back in his chair, seeming not to care in the slightest that he's put us in a strenuous position.
"Just that people say it's dangerous and not to go."
"Those people are fools," my brother spits out. "And they just want to keep us poor so we're there to build their walls and mend their socks."
I stand there, not really knowing what to say.
"The Golden Moon will give us an opportunity to finally take our places in the world. Places we deserve." The way the firelight dances across his face makes his statement somewhat more sinister than they should be. "You should look at your dress," he says.
I hesitate but end up making my way over to lift the lid off the box. And not just because Bastian expects me to look, I'm also curious about what's inside. A deep red gown with black lace sits within. It's far fancier than anything I've ever worn before, but I'm not entirely sure I would have chosen it for myself.
"So?" Bastian prompts. "What do you think?"
"It's beautiful," I say. "I'm just still not sure what the Golden Moon is or how it's going to help us when we have no money."
"I wouldn't concern yourself with that, sister," he responds. "Just focus on keeping the house and returning any of the mending projects you have. I don't plan on us coming back here after the Golden Moon."
I frown. "But this is our home." I put the lid back on the box. I'm half tempted to peek into the other one to see what he got for himself, but I think better of it.
"Think of it, Beatrice. There'll be no more of that awful vegetable stew. We'll be able to eat roasted meat and freshly baked bread."
I glance at the bubbling pot of food, feeling awful that it's what I'm going to have to serve him. It's often bland and boring, but I don't think it's awful.
"What do we have to do for the Golden Moon?" I ask as I spoon some of the stew into bowls and give one to him. He may have a distaste for it, but if he wants to eat tonight, then that's what he's going to have to have.
"We're to go up to the castle as guests," he responds. "That's all."
"And that's going to solve all of our money problems?" I ask.
"All of our problems," he responds. "They'll go away overnight and we'll have everything that we're due."
I frown, not really seeing how any of that is possible, but sensing that he believes it. I don't ask any other questions, mostly because I don't believe Bastian even has the answers, never mind that he's going to give them to me if I ask.
I take my own bowl of stew and sit in one of the chairs. Pip scampers over and lies down at my feet, a warm fluffy reminder that I always have someone beside me.
The two of us eat in silence, but that does nothing to stop the questions racing through my mind. I have no idea what Bastian has gotten us into by saying we'll attend the Golden Moon, but I suppose it's too late to worry too much about it. We're going to find out either way.
Chapter 3
Everything about the dress Bastian got for me feels foreign. The laces are too tight and the skirts are too heavy, though I'm guessing that's because I'm not used to either of them.
"What do you think, Pip?" I ask my dog.
She cocks her head to the side and studies me intently as if she's actually considering my question.
"I feel ridiculous," I tell her. I open the wardrobe door and look into the mirror on the inside of it. The dress doesn't suit me, and if I have to hazard a guess, I'd say it was made for someone shorter than I am. At least the lacework is beautiful, and I don't think it's going to be too uncomfortable to wear for the evening.
I open the jewellery box that is the only thing of my mother's I have left. I don't remember her, and most of what she left us was sold when Da was still alive, but there's a pair of wooden combs within the box that I can use to pin my hair in place. No one is going to mistake me for a lady of high birth, but I have to admit that Bastian is also right, I do look better in this dress compared to the one I normally wear.
I run my hands through my light brown hair, teasing out the tangles and getting it into some kind of manageable state, though I'm not sure how well I actually manage. It only takes me a few minutes to pin my hair in place, with a few loose curls to frame my face.
"Now it's your turn," I tell Pip, crouching down by my dog and combing through her coat with my fingers until she looks somewhat presentable. A single scrap of lace still rests in the box, and I attach it to her collar as a bow so she also has something fancy to wear. I'm sure it's an unnecessary touch, but it makes me feel as if she's playing the part.
There's nothing I can do about the fact I only have a length of twine to use as a lead, but it's better than losing her.
"All right, I think we're done," I say to her.
She cocks her head to the side and studies me intently.
"You can look at me like that all you want, but I don't know any more about what's going on than you do." I push open my bedroom door and step into our living space, unsurprised to find Bastian already waiting there.
"Finally," he mutters.
"I'm ready on time," I protest.
He looks me up and down and gives me a nod of approval until his attention reaches Pip. "You're not bringing the dog."
"I am bringing Pip," I counter. "You said you didn't intend for us to come back here after tonight, I'm not leaving her." I have no idea what exactly the Golden Moon has in store, but I'm not risking leaving Pip behind.
"Fine. Just don't let her get in the way. If she ruins this for us..."
