Allure Of The Night

Lady Aurora became annoyed by her daughter's lack of awareness and asked,

"What do you think you are doing here, Rosetta? You were supposed to be at the Brigade town's chapel."

"But the wedding is taking place here," Rosetta replied, blinking at her mother.

With gritted teeth, Lady Aurora said to her, "You were supposed to get married to Vincent today. Instead, you let this woman get married! Have you no shame left in you? To be attending the wedding, which was supposed to be yours?" The marchioness demanded, not hiding her frustration.

Rosetta could tell that her mother was going to lose her temper, and she decided not to dodge anymore. Gathering courage, she apologised, "Forgive me, mother. But Vincent and Eve love each other, and it is right this way. I don't even love Vincent," Rosetta's words didn't sit well with Lady Aurora.

Her dumb daughter was useless and fit for nothing! Lady Aurora clenched her hands and said, "I will deal with you later." She turned to look at Vincent and said, "I will make sure you pay heavily for this humiliation that you have caused and for breaking the deal."

"Marchioness, you must have mistaken me for someone else. Because I do not remember making any deal that you are talking about," Vincent remarked with a frown.

The marquee and the marchioness glared at Vincent, ready to make a hole in his head. Marquee Hooke, on noticing the Head Council standing at one side, he quickly walked to him and complained,

"Head Council! You were there that day when it happened. We would like you to punish Vincent Moriarty for breaking the deal he made with us in the Council."

Lady Aurora said to Vincent, "It isn't too late. Leave this lowly woman, and marry my daughter."

"Lowly woman?" Vincent asked, clicking his tongue. "She is my wife. You should speak about her with respect, Lady Aurora. I wouldn't take it kindly if you or anyone were to speak to her with demeaning words. In front or behind my back."

Lady Aurora turned angrier, as if she was losing control of the situation. This man couldn't be married and she didn't want to think the worst that could happen to her family.

She turned to Clayton and demanded, "Why aren't you locking him up yet?" In desperation, words spilt from her lips, "This man killed my dear Camille!"

Whispers and murmurs broke between the guests, as they stared at the scene that was taking place. One of the guests invited by Vincent, said, "Lady Aurora, I understand that you are upset that your daughter isn't getting married, and I think it would be better for you to take a seat inside the chapel."

"Telling Vincent killed Lady Camille? And she was going to get her daughter married? It seems like the marchioness is losing her mind," whispered one of the guests to another at the back.

Vincent crookedly smiled at the marquee and the marchioness, who still looked confident that they had all the good cards and would corner him in time. He said,

"Lady Camille was one of the most respected women in our town. We are very sorry for what happened to her, but to think you would blame it on me, don't you think it is unfair?"

Marquee Hooke noticed how the guests looked at him and his wife as if they were crazy. He said in a low voice, "Once the registry is brought in front of you, you will remember everything. Especially with your sign on it."

Clayton raised his hand to his personal guard, who often followed him everywhere. He ordered, "Bring the registry. It is in the side compartment in the carriage."

Marquee Hooke looked pleased that the Head Council had brought the registry along with him, and it would save time. The guard fetched the registry and returned in two minutes, giving the registry to Clayton.

"Marquee Hooke," Clayton handed the registry to him. "You will find your deal here."

Lady Aurora came to stand next to her husband, who opened the book and turned the pages, while everyone stood in silence. The Hooke couple were in haste and found the deal they had made with Vincent, which was written in detail. Marquee Hooke exclaimed, "Here is the deal! We will be filing this under the complaint—"

"Walter…" Lady Aurora tried to stop her husband by placing her hand on his arm. It was because she saw the name there wasn't Vincent's, but some other man.

How could this happen? She was right there in the Head Council's chamber and had seen Vincent sign his name with his blood.

Marquee Hooke turned to look at his wife in question, "What?"

"Look at the name of the signature…" Lady Aurora's face was pale. Till this moment, she believed she had the Moriarty family in the palm of her hand. But now that she opened her palm, there was nothing there. Her gaze lifted and she looked at Vincent, who had a cunning gleam in his eye, "How did you do it?" she asked him.

On the other side of the crowd, Marceline, who stood silently watching the scene, softly chuckled to herself. She felt good seeing that it wasn't just her who was in a bad mood and was suffering. That there was someone else suffering and causing a scene in front of so many people.

"Do what, Lady Aurora?" Vincent feigned ignorance and walked to where they stood, looking at the book and saying, "It says here that Rosetta is supposed to be married to a person named Eugene Weaver and you have approved it with your signatures."

Eugene? Marceline's eyebrows furrowed deeply. Wasn't that the lowly woman's servant? No ways… How did she not know about it until now?!

"Who is Eugene Weaver?!" Marquee Hooke exclaimed. He turned to Clayton and questioned, "Did someone modify something in here? Torn a page? Did you do something here, Turner?"

Rosetta's eyes lit up in confusion, and she turned to look at Eugene, who offered her a smile.

Clayton's eyes narrowed, and he glared at the marquee. He said, "You should keep your wild allegations aside, Marquee Hooke. If you take another look, you will find your and the marchioness' signatures in there. You agreed to wed your daughter to this man signed in there and that's all I know."

They were being set up! Lady Aurora fumed from where she stood. Everyone in here was colluded in this sham.

When Lady Aurora's eyes fell on Marceline Moriarty, the one person who had helped her in the Council that day to frame Vincent for Camille's murder. She walked to where the young vampiress stood and questioned, "Marceline, dear. Tell them that you were there that day when your brother had signed using his blood in the registry for the deal we made. And that he agreed to marry my Rosetta."

Eve turned slightly nervous.

"Tell them the truth, Lady Marceline," Marquee Hooke pushed the vampiress.

Suddenly everyone's eyes fell on Marceline, who had been standing at the corner, while her eyes shifted from Lady Aurora to meet Vincent's eyes, who stared at her with his dark red eyes.