“Dr. Seward has a theory,” he began, as though wanting to distance himself from the information. “He believes it likely occurred while she was sleepwalking. Mrs. Westenra has found her out in the night on more than one occasion, still in her nightgown.”
Mina’s chest tightened. “Lucy used to sleepwalk when we were children.” She recalled a memory. “Before Dr. Seward,there was another doctor, a man who advised Mrs. Westenra to tie her down to her bed each night. But she refused.”
Mina tried to imagine it. Lucy out on the road, the Count lingering, crossing her path. But what did he want? Why had he chosen London of all places? Her thoughts drifted back to a conversation she’d had with Jonathan about Carfax. Was that why he’d chosen her—because he needed an English bride? It still made little sense. If the acquisition of the property was political, he might have selected a woman with far more power than her.
“Why?” was all she could ask.
“I don’t know,” Van Helsing said, “but whatever his reason, I can’t imagine it’s altruistic. He hired men to go to the castle and transport some of his belongings. All that was taken were coffins.”
Mina thought back to the coffin she’d found in the underground, the one she’d been afraid might hold the priest. The memory reminded her of her first meeting with Van Helsing, when he’d helped her escape the wolves. “What about Father Petru?” she asked. “Was he ever found?”
“No,” Van Helsing replied. “At this point, I doubt the man is still alive.”
Her chest tightened. “Do you think . . . do you think they turned him intoone of them?”
“Unlikely. His purpose was only to perform the marriage ritual. Beyond that, they would have no need for him. He was probably gifted to the brides.”
Mina’s mind clung to something. “Ceremony?”
“What?” he asked.
“You said marriage ritual. Do you mean the marriage ceremony?”
Van Helsing said nothing, and suspicion climbed up her throat.
“Let me guess, this is something else you won’t tell me.”
“Let’s just get to London first,” he said.
Despite her frustration at being kept in the dark, her mind returned to Lucy. Had the Count known of their connection? Surely he had to. Is that why he’d chosen her? To hurt Mina? To get back at her for disobeying him? Or had it truly been a coincidence that had come from Lucy’s sleepwalking?
Mina was silent for some time. Some part of her wanted to ask more questions, to get more information, but another part of her was afraid to know more without having Lucy before her as assurance that she was alright.
Lucy was alive and with Dr. Seward.
That’s all she needed to know right now.
Mina wasn’t sure how long had passed when she eventually spoke again. “We must go straight to her. Once we reach London—”
“We will,” he said, his voicealmost softened.
And for the rest of that day, she found herself thankful for his silence, thankful that at least she knew of the secrets he held from her. She realized she preferred this silence, this clear withholding, over lies meant to keep her satisfied.
CHAPTER 35
The days between Transylvania and England blurred, and Mina felt a mix of dread and concern at what she might find upon her return. Had the Count found out about her escape? Would this be yet another reason for him to use Lucy to exact revenge on her?
But as the remaining moments of their travel closed in, and they stepped from the carriage onto that familiar street she knew inside and out, Mina found herself running to Lucy’s front door. She went up the steps, pounding on the door, each passing moment feeling like an eternity while her mind spun with possibilities. What if her illness had worsened in Van Helsing’s time away? What if she was already gone? What if the Count had taken her?
The door swung inward, and Mina found herself looking into the pale blue eyes of Jonathan, who wore a look of surprise, then relief. “Mina,” he said, pulling her into a hug. In the many years they’d known each other, they weren’t typically physically affectionate, yet there was a comfort in his hug, the familiar scent of him a reminder of home. She felt emotion thicken herthroat, but swallowed against it. “When I hadn’t heard from you for so long, I feared the worst,” he said.
She pulled back, furrowing her brows. “You didn’t receive my letters?”
“No,” he responded, taking a step backward to let her inside the front entrance. “Neither Lucy nor I got a single response. I’d begun to fear—well, I shan’t voice my fears aloud. You’re here now.”
So her suspicions were likely correct—someone was stopping her mail from reaching her, and stopping her mail from going out.
Someone cleared their throat, and Mina glanced over her shoulder to find Van Helsing still there on the step, unable to come inside while she lingered in the doorway.
