“Shall I suppose this feeling will overtake me when I meet the Count?” A sudden gust of wind tugged at her cloak, sending goosebumps along her skin.
Lucy paused, pity filling her eyes. “I’m sorry, dearest. I hadn’t—”
“No, no,” Mina said. “I speak only in jest.” She looked out over the street—how many times had she complained about the gloomy streets of London? The grey skies and the smog? Yet as she stood there now with the knowledge that this was her last evening here, melancholy began to creep in. She would miss it all. “I’m happy for you, Lucy. Truly. You deserve someone wonderful, and I hope Arthur is just that.”
“You deserve someone wonderful, too,” Lucy said, her bright eyes filling with tears now.
“Enough of that,” Mina said with a smile. “You don’t wish to have reddened eyes when you see Arthur, do you?”
Lucy sniffled. “No.”
“It’ll all work out for the best,” Mina said, though the words were as much for her as they were for Lucy. “No sense fretting about it.”
They said their goodbyes then, Lucy returning to her own home to finish preparing for her reunion with Arthur.
As Mina stepped inside her townhouse, a knot of unease twisted in her stomach. There was no time to linger on it, for Aunt Emily sat in the front room, stitching a hole in a well-worn blouse, the single lamp casting a warm glow about the room. ToMina’s surprise, her aunt had arrived at the end of summer, as though for one of her usual visits. She’d already stayed longer than anticipated to see Mina off.
“There you are,” her aunt said. “Have you finished your packing?”
“Mostly,” Mina said. “Although I’m not entirely sure my clothes will be warm enough for the winters of the Carpathians.”
“It’ll snow quite a bit, I imagine,” Aunt Emily answered. Her tone was flat, almost disinterested, and her eyes were fixed on the garment before her.
“I suppose you can keep my summer things,” Mina said, conjuring a smile to her lips. But her aunt didn’t return the smile, didn’t acknowledge the comment at all. “You want me to do this,” Mina said, her voice gentle, “don’t you?”
Her aunt’s gaze met hers, and Mina searched her face for reassurance, for a certainty that she might grasp onto to quiet her own wavering resolve. But no such comfort appeared, and doubt settled heavier than before.
“It’s not a matter of what I want,” Aunt Emily said, returning her attention to her sewing. “Nor a matter of what you want. Your father made the agreement, and so we must follow through.”
Mina nodded, swallowing the tightness building in her throat. “Of course.” This was simply the way of things. A dutiful woman did what needed to be done, regardless of how shefelt about it. But as she went to turn away, she found herself asking, “Do you know much about him? The Count, I mean.”
Her aunt took a deep breath, not lifting her gaze. “Not particularly. He’s a nobleman from a family of great power. That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”
Mina smiled softly. “I suppose so.”
She turned down the short hallway, her aunt’s words swirling through her mind as she walked toward the staircase. At first, she’d taken her aunt’s mention of the Count’s power and status as a comfort—that the life laid out before her was one of such possibility, it would be foolish to refuse. But then another possibility took shape in her mind. A man from such a lineage was not accustomed to being denied anything he desired. If he meant to uphold the agreement with her father, then her own feelings were irrelevant—the marriage would proceed regardless.
Mina’s stomach twisted at the thought of who this man could be. She knew nothing of his appearance, his temperament, his age. Did he speak English? Would they be able to communicate? She had to assume they would if her father had managed such a deal as this, but the thought of leaving for Transylvania in the morning felt oddly like going off to the gallows—perhaps worse. At least if her destination were the gallows, she would know the fate that awaited her.
As she began up the staircase, her aunt’s voice cut through the quiet. “Mina?”
“Yes?” Mina leaned over the banister, finding her aunt’s eyes already fixed on her. There was a hint of something heavy behind her gaze, though Mina couldn’t interpret the expression.
“Be sure to turn in early tonight,” Aunt Emily said, clearing her throat. “You’ll need your rest.”
Mina hesitated, the feeling that there was something else her aunt wanted to say lingering between them, but she nodded. “Of course.”
***
The next morning, Mina watched as the carriage pulled up in front of their townhouse. Jonathan appeared in the window of the vehicle, offering a bright smile as he stepped out. He was Lucy’s cousin and a lifelong friend of Mina’s family, but just the sight of him now sent her stomach crashing with the reminder of what lay ahead. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that the journey ahead would be one of many days—she still had time before the marriage, before her life truly changed. And at least she wasn’t taking the trip alone—Jonathan was a solicitor and travelled often, so he would navigate them through the days ahead.
“How will I go on without you?” Lucy said from beside Mina, tears in her blue eyes.
“You will manage just fine,” Mina said, swiping at her friend’s tears. “This isn’t farewell. Once I’ve settled inTransylvania, you can come visit. I am certain there are more than enough guest chambers for you to stay in. You can choose a new room each night.” Tightness seized her chest, but she could not break in this moment—Lucy needed her strength.
“But I must still part from you in the end,” Lucy said weakly. “Nothing shall feel the same.”
Mina sighed, gently smoothing Lucy’s hair to avoid meeting her eyes. “We have grown into women. We must make sacrifices. But we will always be friends, Lucy.”
