WolfeBlade: de Wolfe Pack Generations by Kathryn Veque (top 20 books to read .TXT) 📗

cousin wanted them to go gallivanting around in the middle of the night. Gavriella wanted to get back into bed, but that wasn’t going to happen. Therefore, she stood still as Camilla dressed her in the beautiful gown that was just a little too snug. Her full breasts popped up over the top and then some. As Gavriella tried to minimize that pop, Camilla pinned back the front of her hair and then braided it with red ribbons woven into the braids. The gown came with a matching cap, sewn with tiny seed pearls, and Camilla pinned that on the top of her head.

As Aurelia sat at a small dressing table and primped before a polished bronze mirror, Camilla took great delight in primping her country cousin. She, too, had noticed how beautiful Gavriella was with her long, blonde hair and gray eyes shaped like a cat’s eyes, but unlike her sister, Camilla wasn’t threatened by it. She knew that was why her sister was being so mean to their cousin.

It was pure jealousy.

Timid Gavriella had only been there a week and Camilla was fairly certain her sister’s nastiness was only going to get worse, especially when the young men started taking notice of Gavriella more than Aurelia.

“There,” Camilla said, satisfied. “The red color is beautiful on you, Gavy. You look very beautiful.”

Aurelia, hearing her sister’s praise for their cousin, glanced over her shoulder and saw the magnificent woman. But she downplayed it. “She’ll do,” she said. “Come on, now. We must hurry. If it becomes too crowded, they’ll close the doors and will not let us in.”

Camilla put a black cloak on Gavriella’s shoulders as she grabbed her own blue cloak with white rabbit lining. Aurelia was already moving into the adjoining chamber, gathering her things, including her coin purse. Slinging her cloak over her shoulders to cover up a gown the color of emeralds, she faced her sister and cousin.

“Now,” she said softly. “We must be very quiet. Follow me and do not speak. Is that clear?”

Both Camilla and Gavriella nodded. Satisfied that they were going to do as they were told, Aurelia slipped out.

The Asher was something of a labyrinth. It was built just like any other manor house in London, with a central courtyard in the middle of the house. There were four levels to it and a myriad of staircases, making it a large and complex structure.

Aurelia led her sister and cousin down a darkened corridor. She came to a halt at one point, putting her hand on what looked like a wooden panel, but when she pushed the panel, it swung open to reveal a narrow staircase. The women traveled down the staircase in the dark, trying not to fall in the darkness, as they made their way to the level below, which happened to be a servant’s pantry.

The pantry was connected to the scullery which was connected to an inner hall with a fortified exterior door. The door led out into a side yard, which was used for tradesmen when they came to do business with the manor. Because of this, there was a postern gate lodged into the massive wall that surrounded The Asher. The postern gate was guarded by a pair of soldiers, but Aurelia was prepared. She slipped the soldiers each a coin, ensuring their silence and cooperation, and they opened the gate for her.

The women slipped out into the night.

The Asher was located on a quiet road in the northeast section of London’s walled city. Aurelia moved quickly and confidently through the darkened streets, which smelled like animals and rubbish. They were heading into the warmer months and the weather had been mild, with no rain, which meant the smells of the city were starting to become more evident. This was a time when people kept their windows closed purely to block out the stench of the city.

That was something Gavriella was still trying to get used to, that sharp and acrid stench of human habitation. Smells like this in the north where she came from were only common in the larger villages and certainly not usual where she lived. Her home was on the gently rolling hills of the borders and the only smells other than the stables and the moat were of the blooming heather or other flora and fauna.

Thinking about it made her miss it terribly.

Here she was, in this unfamiliar city with people she barely knew, and it was difficult not to become overwhelmed with grief. So far, there wasn’t anything about London that she liked and she longed to return home. Aurelia made it difficult to want to stay in London, as her father wished, but at least Camilla made it a little more bearable. Whereas Aurelia was bossy and scheming, Camilla was truly sweet and a little silly. Her sister had great influence over her, that was true, but Gavriella wondered if that damage could be undone.

She was sorry to see vulnerable Camilla fall subject to her sister’s deviousness.

In fact, she had fallen victim to it, too. Aurelia had threatened and bullied, and she’d gone right along with it like a submissive little cow. The proof of that was right before her – she was out running around in the middle of the night on the dangerous streets of London, following her cousin as the woman led them towards some unknown destination. They were allegedly going to a feast of fun and music, but given how sly and underhanded Aurelia was, Gavriella wondered if that was the truth.

Where Aurelia was concerned, anything could happen.

Something told her they were going to a tavern they’d visited once before, a terrible place called The Pox, but knowing Aurelia, it was probably someplace worse. Still, she followed like that stupid cow, with no mind and no ability to make a decision for herself. She felt dumb and fearful, but not dumb and fearful enough to turn around and go home. Maybe there was a small part of her