Viscounts and Vampires

Chapter Five

By the time Eleanor arrived home she had come to two conclusions: she could not tell her family about what had happened and she had to remain in London. The second directly affected the first: if her mother found out that there were vampires in London, she was sure to take the entire family back to Staffordshire. Even without know exactly what was going on, Eleanor couldn't let that happen. She had some part to play here.

"Dinner will be soon be served in the dining room," Williams told her as soon as she entered. "Your mother has some guests."

"Thank you," she said. "Wait...do you know how many people she has here?"

"Around twenty-five, miss."

Eleanor nodded. She took her time mounting the staircase up to the second floor and then the third. Her room was at the front of the house overlooking the street. She summoned her maid.

"Jane, I need to dress for dinner. Quickly, please."

Jane bobbed a curtsy. "What would you like to wear, miss?"

"Oh... The peach dinner gown, I think. Or anything close."

As Jane helped her dress, Eleanor's mind wandered. It made sense for Dee to know about the vampires. After all, Robert knew and he had never hunted one. It made her wonder exactly how many people in her everyday acquittance knew about it. Her father had always impressed the importance of telling no one, but inevitably the information had to spread, either through ungifted children or marriage.

"Jane...have you heard of anything strange going on lately?"

"Strange, miss?" Jane asked as she pulled a brush through Eleanor's hair. "How do you mean?"

"Just...out of the ordinary."

"Well I hear Mister Knope, the second footman, is thinking of proposing to one of the kitchen maids, if that's what you mean, Miss. But he'd rather no one know about it if it's all the same."

"Oh. Of course. Thank you, Jane. Am I ready?"

"Yes, Miss. You look lovely."

"Thank you." Eleanor stood and surveyed herself in the mirror. She looked fine, she supposed, if a little pale. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself. Her mother would be beyond angry if she missed dinner after promising to attend, but she would also be the first to ask awkward questions if Eleanor seemed out of sorts at all. Finally, she deemed herself sufficiently collected.

She descended the flight of stairs to the ballroom where her mother would be entertaining the guests. Sure enough, a footman let her into a hall filled with voices and the lofty notes of an orchestra. Her mother was seated in a corner with two other women, while the remaining two dozen guests were scattered around the room. The main portion of the hall was curtained off, creating a cozy atmosphere of a much smaller room. She made her way over to her mother's group and curtseyed.

"I'm sorry for the delay mother," she said. "I'm afraid tea lasted longer than I would have thought."

"Lady Knightley can sometimes push the bounds of normal visiting hours," Olivia answered, rising to her feet. She ushered Eleanor onto the settee beside her. "Eleanor, I believe you are acquainted with Mrs. Hearst and Mrs. Lewis."

Somehow Eleanor made it through the rest of the conversation and five-course dinner before feigning a headache to make an early exit from the after-dinner tête-à-tête in the drawing room. In her room, she lay on the bed, still clothed, and stared at the four-poster bed. Vampires. In London. Her father had told her some stories of the dark days when vampires had roamed the streets without fear, but even that had been before his time. When he started hunting vampires, over thirty-five years ago, they had been reduced to living in sewers, taking whoever was foolish enough to stray into their domain. In India, it had been different. The vampires were not a hidden threat. Not spoken of, yes, but neither was it kept secret. That had made it easier to hunt them. Here though... how could she fight a danger that preyed on the innocent when she could not even tell the innocent to warn them? Eleanor hit the pillow in frustration. She didn't know how to do this alone.