Wounds of the Victor

The hours following the storm at Covent Garden had brought an extraordinary, restorative peace to Blackwood Hall. Throughout the night, while London celebrated the dramatic eradication of the Baltic cartel on television news feeds, Christian and Vivienne had slept wrapped in each other's arms, an unbroken slumber devoid of nightmares for the first time in years. Outside, three inches of fresh snow blanketed the sweeping lawns and gothic balustrades of…