Stefan's Diaries 1 - Origins Read Online Free PDF

whiskey’s on me.”
    But there wasn’t enough whiskey in allof Virginia to make me love Rosalyn … or forget about Katherine.

6
    The weather didn’t break by my engagement dinner a few days later, and even at five o’clock in the afternoon the air was hot and humid. In the kitchen, I’d overheard the servants gossiping that the strange, still weather was a result of the animal-killing demons. But discussion of the demons did not stop people from all over the county coming to the Grange Hall to celebrate the Confederacy. The coaches backed up beyond the stone drive and showed no sign of slowing their onslaught toward the imposing stone structure.
    “Stefan Salvatore!” I heard as I stepped out of the coach behind my father.
    As my feet hit dirt, I saw Ellen Emerson and her daughter, Daisy, walking arm in arm, trailed by two maids. Hundreds of lanterns lit the stone steps leading to the white wooden doors, and carriages lined the curved walkway. I could hear strains of a waltz coming from inside the hall.
    “Mrs. Emerson. Daisy.” I bowed deeply. Daisy had hated me ever since we were children, when Damon had dared me to push her into Willow Creek.
    “Why, if it isn’t the gorgeous Emerson ladies,”
    Father said, also bowing. “Thank you to both of you for coming to this small supper. It’s so good to see everyone in town. We need to band together, now more than ever,” Father said, catching Ellen Emerson’s eye.
    “Stefan,” Daisy repeated, nodding as she took my hand.
    “Daisy. You look more beautiful every day. Can you please forgive a gentleman for his wicked youth?”
    She glared at me. I sighed. There was no mystery or intrigue in Mystic Falls. Everyone knew everyone else. If Rosalyn and I were to get married, our children would be dancing with Daisy’s children. They would have the same conversations, the same jokes, the same fights.
    And the cycle would continue for eternity.
    “Ellen, would you do me the honor of allowing me to show you inside?” Father asked, anxious to make sure the hall was decorated according to his exacting specifications. Daisy’s mother nodded, and Daisy and I were left under the watchful gaze of the Emersons’ maid.
    “I’ve heard Damon’s back. How is he?” Daisy asked, finally deigning to talk to me.
    “Miss Emerson, we best be going inside to find your mama,” Daisy’s maid interrupted, tugging Daisy’s arm through the wide double doors of the Grange Hall.
    “I look forward to seeing Damon. Do give him that message!” Daisy called over her shoulder.
    I sighed and stepped into the hall. Located between town and the estate, the Grange had once been a meeting spot for the county’s landed gentry but had now become a makeshift armory.
    The walls of the hallwere covered with ivy and wisteria and, farther up, Confederate flags. A band on the raised stage in the corner played a jaunty rendition of “The Bonnie Blue Flag,” and at least fifty couples circled the floor with glasses of punch in their hands. Father had obviously spared no expense, and it was clear that this was more than a simple welcome dinner for the troops.
    Heart-heavy, I headed over to the punch.
    I hadn’t walked more than five steps when I felt a hand clap my back. I prepared myself to give a tight
    smile
    and
    accept
    the
    awkward
    congratulations that were already trickling in. What was the point of having a dinner to announce an engagement that everyone seemed to know about? I thought sourly.
    I turned to find myself face-to-face with Mr.
    Cartwright. I instantly composed my expression into something I hoped resembled excitement.
    “Stefan, boy! If it isn’t the man of the hour!” Mr.
    Cartwright said, offering me a glass of whiskey.
    “Sir. Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of your daughter’s company,” I said automatically, taking the smallest sip I could muster. I’d woken up with a terrible whiskey headache the morning after Damon and I spent time at the tavern. I’d