More then Just a Bride

chapter 10

we were to leave budapest by the early morning train for vienna where we were to get another train directly to munich then luxemburg, paris and lastly london. i had stressed the urgency of our marrying in england and my soon to be father-in-law had made it so we would be back in england before the week was out.

my father and i left the party in order to pack, everyone must have thought i was strange for insisting on this retreat but no one questioned it.  to my relief. rosa was ever my obedient maid we had no sooner arrived home then she was folding my clothing and packing it neatly in trunks. i was organising my stationary and books when she finally spoke. "are you running lady clara?" her question halted my actions, "from the man who visits you at night?" i turned to her with a confused expression. he had only visited me once. but how did she know about him.

"what do you know of it?" i asked, her face turned shameful and she bowed her head,

"you will forgive me miss but i heard you with him, for many nights now"

my confusion turned to shock "many nights?" i asked. she affirmed, every night since my father threw the party here on our arrival. yet i only recalled one. "you didn't tell anyone?" i looked at the maid in confusion,

"no miss, my job is to look after you, i have been cleaning the bloodied sheets secretly every morning, though you have never seemed to notice the blood" my hands instinctively raised to my lace filled throat and for the first time i pulled it off and examined what lay below. it was not one scar or two, but four scars. i gasped and became faint. rosa helped me to the bed.

"he is the devil" my shaking voice was a mere echo "what has he done to me?" the last question was nothing more then a faint whisper as i tried to recall the memories he had stolen from me.

"i should have told someone lady clara, i should have informed the lord that there was an intruder, but i thought he was your guest, i had seen you dancing with him at the party" rosa rambled wrapping a caring arm around me.

"no you did right rosa." i turned to her despite the tears that streamed down my cheeks "if you had told anyone he would have killed them, you were right to trust your instinct and keep your silence"

rose didn't say anything but produced a cloth to wipe my tears and comforted me for a moment longer "we must continue" i finally said and fort back any further tears. "i beg one last favour from you loyal rosa, will you stay with me tonight and return to england with me in the morning? you alone know anything about these events which means you alone are in more danger then you understand"

she thought about it for a moment, "i will stay with you my lady and if you wish me to return with you i shall, but it is not my life i am in fear for, what sort of man is the count that you fear for my life as well as your own"

i opened my mouth to tell her but could no bring the words to come out, to tell her the truth was too difficult, instead i said this "he is no man, he fears the cross, no man fears god like he does"

"very well" she didn't press further. "i shall retrieve the crucifix from my room and place it by the window and before we sleep we will pray for gods protection"

"thank you rosa" i kissed her cheek "where he is the devil, you are an angel" 

it was a long night, in fact i have never seen longer. Rosa slept soundly by my side but i lay awake all night, praying that he did not appear in my room again. to my relief the sun rose, rosa rose, and all was well. But i could not silence the doubts in my mind.

my trunks were taken down stairs a few hours before our train was due to leave the station. i knew it was daylight, i recalled dracula saying that he could not step into daylight without becoming a pile of ash. Yet i still didn't feel safe from his touch. he was always there , consuming my every thought, no matter how hard i pushed him out; nothing could purge him from my mind

i joined my father for breakfast where i did not eat, i told him it was due to nerves and excitement from the night before "i never thought i would be so elated to marry" i lied, "now i count down the hours untill my George is truly my husband"

My father was too happy by these words to sense the dread and deceit behind them, "i have asked rosa to accompany me back to england" i asked as we finished breakfast "she has been so good to me father that i feel that i cannot live without her, besides she is very good with children I'm told and before long i shall be needing a nurse i'm sure" my father agreed to this request without a moments hesitation.

"i shall inform mr langdon that the maids wages will be paid by me as a wedding present" he smiled, "and i have resolved with mr kassak that he shall deal with any remaining matters of business on my behalf, no man but your father will give you away!" he proclaimed, i kissed my father on the cheek and made to leave the morning room.

A stuart entered before i had made it to the door, i felt a sudden over whelming dread as he handed me  note. 'my dearest sister, you must come quick, father is beside himself with worry. all will be explained when you are here but please in the name of all that is good be quick' signed 'Isabelle langdon' the note was rushed and untidy. whatever had occured must have been serious for Isabelle to have been so careless in her writing.

i showed my father the note and within five minutes we were in a cart rasing across budapest.

When we arrived at the langdons rooms isabelle ran out to meet us, she must have been waiting at the window for our arrival since the moment she sent the note. "my dear girl tell us what had happened?" my father asked straight away.

i could see she was holding back tears as she spoke "its George" she began "he stayed out late last night with some friends to celebrate the engagement, despite both father and i warning against it, but he has not come home! i rose early with the intention of helping him and father pack but i went to his room to find his bed not slept in" her voice threatened to break the longer she spoke, i put a caring hand on her shoulder and coaxed her to continue "i ran for father straight away, he inspected the room and found this"

She handed us a note which we both read at the same time, it simply bore one letter, in red ink 'D'. "what the devil does it mean?" my father enquired.

"we don't know" isabelle started to weep. but i knew well what it meant, it Dracula's final move, the end of my scheme. he had taken my fiance.

"where if your father now?" my father demanded.

"if the police, they are searching the town" she stammered a reply.

"stay here both of you!" my father instructed and turned back to the cart "i will go and help in any way i can"

i helped the poor shaking girl inside and took her to her chambers "you must rest now" i informed her as i helped her onto the bed "i'm sure he is fine" i lied "he probably just got carried away in the night and is waking up even as we speak at his friends house with a saw head" my words were of little comfort to the girl, probably because there was not one part of me that believed them.

"that is not like my brother" she insisted.

"you must not make yourself ill isabelle before we even know that anything is wrong" i continued "i will send for a doctor to help your pain but for now please rest, for my sake, you must not worry your sister" these last words seemed to cheer her up somewhat and i left her in bed.

I resolved on my course the second i closed the door. i would insist to the langdons staff on going to fetch the doctor myself, but instead i would go to him. It didn't know if it was too late to save georges life, but i had to try, after all it was i who endangered it in he first place.