Dracula: A Retelling ✔️

The Devil's Waltz (I)

 I wake up feeling disoriented, when I look to the side to see what time it is I am startled by the presence of a man in my room.

"Alexander." I say recognizing him "What are you doing here?" I ask pulling the covers up.

"I know I shouldn't be here, but I couldn't help myself." he says

"What do you mean?" I ask confused

"No." I say when I see him approach me. He shouldn't be here, how did he get here? "You must leave, immediately, or..."

"I'll go. I promise." he says interrupting me as he approaches my bed  "But I must tell you, you must know."

"Know what?"

"I have loved you since the moment that I saw you, and I know you love me too."

"No, I..." I try saying but he wouldn't let me, this wasn't the time or place for this.

He sits on the bed in a hurry and looks deeply into me.

"Now is not the time for lies, Mina." he says "You know it's the truth. If it isn't, say it. Look me in the eyes and say it, and I'll go."

"I...I can't" I confess "But how do I know if what I feel is real?"

He smiles and sits even closer to me, so close in fact that I can feel his breath on my face when he breathes.

"It's real, and soon we shall be together again" he says and then he kisses me. He pushes me down so my back hits the mattress never stopping our kiss. I feel him pulling the covers down and then his hand is on my leg going further up as he starts kissing my neck.

I moan and pull on his hair as his hand reaches his destination. His kisses are like fire on my skin and I don't think I ever felt this much desire in my life before.

I am startle awake from what I realize now was just a dream with Lucy barging in to the room and pulling open my curtains to let the sunlight in.

"Of all the days to lie-in." she says opening a window "Don't you know we have a million things to do before tonight?"

"Is that today already?"

"Of course it's today!" she says outraged. "How could you forget? We've only been planing this for weeks now."

"Of course. I'm sorry, I didn't sleep well that's all." I tell her sitting up.

"Well then, for goodness' sake, get up, darling." she orders trowing me my robe "You mustn't waste another second of this momentous day. This is going to be the most spectacular party London has ever seen." she says confidently before leaving my room again.

I do as she says before she returns to drag me out of bed herself. She could be very bossy when she was on a mission. I meet her downstairs for breakfast when I finish getting ready for the day. Thankfully she allows me to eat, but she does so by spending the entire time going over everything that needed to be done yet. The party was tonight and I could swear there are still a million things to do.

When we finally arrive at Carfax, Lucy starts directing all the servants right away. Alexander wasn't there when we got there but he has given us permission to move anything that we needed too for the party.

On mid-day, there were people running around the place, all transporting either the flowers, or the champagne, or anything else that needed to be carried really. Nobody was sitting still  that's for sure.

I found myself on the top floor overseeing everything from above while Lucy gave the orders from below. I was checking the guest list when Lucy made her way to me.

"I know you begged me to organize this party and I agreed, but that doesn't give you the right to be an idle princess." she says when she notices me standing still "You have the guest list. I have the replies. You check the former against the latter, and the kitchen needs the final count by noon."

"This list has a lot of distinguished people in it." I tell her checking the names again.

"Lord Davenport. Lord Rothcroft." Lucy reads out loud "But isn't that exactly what you wanted? If you want funds this people are the ones that are going to open their pockets."