by Hans De Roos
Just then, Quincey Morris, the young American who had asked for Lucia’s hand, happened to arrive. He brought greetings from Arthur and happily volunteered his blood for Lucia’s sake.
At last they succeeded in fully reviving Lucia. Her heart and lungs began working again.305 When the doctors thought it safe to leave the patient alone for a moment, they tended to the other people in the house.
The police had started to look for the murderer. The servant girls had just woken up, reporting that they had gone to bed around the same time as usual but didn’t understand why they had slept so long. They knew nothing about the murder of the housemaid but said she was used to going her own way and liked to take evening walks.306
The detectives suspected that the murder had been planned and that the housemaid may have colluded with the trespassers, giving the other maids a sleeping draught. Afterward, the criminals had murdered their accomplice, so that no one was left to give away their secrets. What surprised them most, however, was the fact that nothing had been stolen. The band of Tatars had been in the neighborhood for the past few days, and the police thought it likely they’d played a part in this depravity, especially as they had decamped the day after the murder.307
The doctors carefully examined the housemaid’s body but could only conclude that she’d been bitten in the throat.
Eventually they came across a slip of paper on which Lucia had written what had happened to her that night. It had seemed to her as though someone were knocking on the window repeatedly, finally beating so hard that the window pane broke. After this she could’ve sworn she saw malicious human faces in the window, whereupon both she and her mother fell unconscious.308 When Lucia woke up again she saw that her mother was dead. She’d then barely managed to scribble these words on the piece of paper, along with a farewell to her friends and acquaintances, saying that she expected her own death as well.
The following night, past midnight, Dr. Seward also noticed a slow knocking at the window, but he couldn’t see anybody there.
The next morning Lucia was so weak that the doctors lost all hope for her. She died that same day, in the presence of the physicians and her love, Arthur. Her final words were to the professor, saying, “Protect him, and give me peace.”
Preparations for the funeral were made. The night before the burial, Dr. Seward and Arthur entered the room where the bodies of both mother and daughter lay. Flowers and tall candelabras with burning candles were placed around the bed. The doctor lifted the shroud covering Lucia’s body, and immediately both men were bewildered—it was as if Lucia were alive! She appeared even younger than she had in her last moments of life, and no signs of death or decay could be seen on her body!
That night Arthur slept in Lucia’s room, and the doctor slept in the room next door. During the night the doctor was awakened by a strange sound. He jumped to his feet and fetched a light. He saw that Arthur’s room was dark, and that the door to the room where the bodies lay stood half open. He went in and saw that the lid to Lucia’s coffin had been opened, her face visible, and that the flowers were in a pile on the floor. Arthur was lying unconscious next to the casket. The doctor took him in his arms and carried him to his bed, and when he regained consciousness, Arthur insisted that Lucia was alive and that she had risen from her coffin, smiling. He said that he’d been awake in bed, but then he longed to see her so intensely that he’d got to his feet.
He repeated his story so stubbornly that the doctors did everything they could to revive her—but in vain. But for Arthur this wasn’t enough and he refused to let the lid be screwed onto the coffin, so the casket was left open in the crypt, where enough air could get to it. Blankets and food for the body were placed nearby, in case Lucia were to awaken.
Fjallkonan #7 | 21 February 1901
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Search for Thomas Harker
THE STORY NOW TURNS TO WILMA. SHE RECEIVED A message from Thomas Harker’s employer, Mr. Hawkins, saying that he wanted to talk to her. He had enquired about Harker in the surroundings of Castle Dracula, but the only information his agent, Tellet,309 had been able to obtain was a rumor that Harker had for some time now been wandering the region as a homeless drifter, and more specifically, that he had stayed at a guesthouse in Zolyva,310 a small town nearby, where he’d been seen with a troop of philanderers and gamblers. Allegedly he’d also had an affair with Margret, the daughter of the innkeeper there. She was later found murdered not far from Castle Dracula, and most people believed that Harker had killed her.
It was said that he’d been seen in the area in early July, but since then nothing had been heard of him. The Count had left his castle at the end of June and it now stood deserted. On 15 July, a large amount of cash had been withdrawn from a bank in Budapest under Harker’s name. The bankers had described the man who’d collected the money from the bank, and he seemed to have possessed quite a resemblance to Harker.
Wilma asked for all these reports and, with great insistence, finally obtained them. She had no doubt they were wrong and set off on her own journey, making no stopovers until she arrived in Budapest.
There she lodged with English people who were acquainted with Harker’s employer. Once she’d arrived and settled in, she accompanied them one day on a trip from the city to a small town near the Danube.
In the town they came across a tavern and recovered from their journey with some refreshment. As they took their break, they noticed a group of Tatars who’d set up camp nearby. Among them, Wilma saw a man who looked so similar to Thomas that it was nearly impossible to tell them apart; soon after, news spread that a man had been killed in town—the very same Tatar man who not only resembled Thomas Harker but was also believed to be the person responsible for the crimes of which Harker was accused.
The English investigator now realized that he’d been on the wrong track and embarked on a new search.311
CHAPTER EIGHT
A Visit to Castle Dracula
THE NEXT DAY TELLET AND WILMA TRAVELLED TO Bistritz, and on the way there Tellet—an old police officer—mentioned that he’d called upon one of his leading colleagues from home, Barrington, to help them.312 It was now certain they’d stumbled upon a complicated conspiracy, and that it was likely the old Count Dracula313 was one of the criminals holding the reins. It would be a very difficult case to crack, but if Barrington couldn’t get to the truth, certainly no one else would.
When they arrived in Bistritz they went to the same guesthouse where Harker had lodged three and a half months earlier. Wilma spoke with the innkeeper’s wife, and the old lady remembered well the “fine English gentleman” who had stayed with her. She also mentioned that she’d tried to persuade him to change his mind about going to Castle Dracula, and that she’d given him her cross as a talisman to protect him.
She could not—or would not—reveal anything about the Count himself, but Wilma could tell from her manner that something ungodly was to be expected.
It wasn’t long before Barrington arrived in Bistritz, and with him Hawkins, the old solicitor.314 Wilma was overjoyed at their arrival. After they’d enjoyed a good night’s rest from their journey, they all embarked for the town of Zolyva, as Tellet believed the intelligence315 he’d received that Thomas Harker had come from there—but the stories Tellet had been told turned out to be nonsense. From Zolyva, it was only an hour’s trip to Castle Dracula. They settled in a guesthouse in town and pretended to be travelling for leisure. From the inn, they embarked on their first outing to Castle Dracula, as a pleasure ride.316
Their driver was very reluctant to take the road to Castle Dracula, which climbed through a landscape of wooded mountains, and when they came to a peak from which one could see the castle, the man refused to go any further.
The drawbridge was down and the gate stood open. When they reached the courtyard, they split up and started looking around, in an effort to see whether any living creature could still be found there.
They found nothing,
except Wilma believed she was being attacked when she entered the castle. She cried out, and in the same moment she was hurled to the ground. Upon seeing this her companions came to her side. She had hurt one of her legs.
They decided to leave right away, and on Barrington’s advice—he was the only one of the party who understood the local language—the driver was asked to take a different route than before.
CHAPTER NINE
The Nunnery
THEY TOOK A ROAD THAT LED TO A NUNNERY NEARBY, where the sisters had a long tradition of nursing sick strangers.317
By the time they reached the convent, Wilma had fallen unconscious from exhaustion and pain. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was in a small white room, lying on a hard but clean bed. Her leg had been bandaged. Next to her bed sat a girl in nun’s habit, but when Wilma spoke to her in German she didn’t answer, save for shaking her head.
A little later an elderly nun came to her, speaking French very well. She asked Wilma to feel at home and told her that her leg had been injured so badly that she would have to stay in bed for a few weeks to recover.
Wilma was very upset about this, but the nun comforted her, saying, “It is the will of God, blessed daughter, and His will is always best. Who can tell for what purpose He has brought you here? Nothing in this world happens without reason.”
These words greatly relieved Wilma, and she was also glad to know that the two detectives were continuing their search. They were now convinced that Thomas had been mixed up with someone else and that some sophisticated trickery had been pulled to blame him for crimes committed by others. Mr. Hawkins, on the other hand, had to return home, as he had several business matters to look after.
The nuns took care of Wilma as best they could, and although they didn’t speak English, many of them could speak German, some French, and others Italian—and Wilma could make herself understood by all of them. She especially liked a nun from Austria, named Agatha. She was a small cheerful girl with dark eyes who often spoke of her patients, of whom she was very fond. The sisters often visited patients in the neighborhood, even if they lived miles away in all directions. There was also a hospital in the convent, and Sister Agatha in particular had a soft spot for those who recuperated there. She often mentioned a man who’d been lying in the monastery for a long time with brain fever, and when he finally began to improve, he seemed to have lost his memory completely.318 Wilma asked Agatha many things about Castle Dracula, and the girl had a lot to say about it, most of which seemed inconceivable to Wilma. She said that in this area people believed a woman in white wandered through the old corridors of the castle and could sometimes be seen in the moonlit windows. She said there were rumors that anyone who saw her would lose his mind, and that many men who had ventured to find her had disappeared, never to be seen again.
She also said that a band of thugs inhabited the castle, and that their chief was in league with the Archfiend himself.
Fjallkonan #8 | 1 March 1901
CHAPTER TEN
Thomas and Wilma Find One Another
ONE DAY SISTER AGATHA ASKED WILMA, “YOU KNOW so many languages—can you not tell me what ‘mhai löhf’ means?” Wilma answered that she didn’t understand these words and asked her why she wanted to know.
The nun explained that her patient would sometimes talk about “mhai löhf,” and that it would be sad if she weren’t able to understand him.
The next evening Wilma was thinking about this phrase when it occurred to her that “mhai löhf” could be the English words “my love,” and that the patient might be talking about his fiancée or wife. The next morning she told this to the nun, and they agreed to go visit the patient to find out if he was from Wilma’s country.
The abbess told them this was not a good idea, as Wilma’s leg was still too weak, and so they decided that she would write to him instead. Wilma wrote a note, asking him if he was an Englishman. He was so mentally exhausted that he could hardly read, and he spelled out each word like a child, but after thinking for a few moments he wrote back with a trembling hand: “Yes, I am an Englishman; God bless your help.”
They began writing to each other every day. At first he could write nothing but incoherent sentences; he couldn’t recall anything that had happened to him. When he was asked about something, he would always reply: “Don’t remember, all forgotten.”
Finally, Wilma went with the nun to visit him.
Wilma greeted him in English, but upon seeing him she became so alarmed that she let out a shriek and swooned—for she recognized her beloved Thomas Harker! Recognizing her in return, he was equally moved, and he too lost consciousness. The moment he awoke, he called out to her, “Wilma, where are you? I saw you, but now they have taken you from me again!”
Wilma saw that Thomas—albeit very weak—was able to think clearly. She sat with him every day and he recovered quickly. Gradually his memory came back as well—that is, he could remember everything he’d done before leaving on his long journey, but what he’d experienced during the trip remained blank.
Wilma informed Harker’s employer of the good news, and a few days later he arrived at the abbey with Barrington by his side.
Barrington said he’d already uncovered some secrets and that he only lacked a few details to understand fully the complex web of deceit.319 As of now, he’d by and large managed to disentangle it—Thomas Harker would be able to fill in the missing pieces. He was shocked when he heard that Harker had lost all memory of the time he had spent with the Count, and that it would therefore be useless to ask him.
Old Mr. Hawkins, Harker’s boss, had a long talk with him. He believed that Thomas had fully recovered his health and thought his memory problem would wear off over time, because of the short period involved. He told Wilma that he’d designated Thomas and her as the heirs to all his possessions and hoped that they would settle down in his house. Most of all, he hoped that they wouldn’t postpone their wedding, so he requested an English priest come from Budapest with a lawyer from the English Consulate there, to serve, together with Barrington, as witness to the marriage.
The wedding ceremony took place the following day, after which the couple bid the nuns farewell. They were very sad that Wilma and Thomas were leaving but pleased that old Hawkins had made a handsome donation to the convent.
They travelled back home at a leisurely pace. In Vienna, Wilma consulted a famous neurologist, who said he hoped her husband’s health would gradually improve, although it seemed unlikely he would regain his memory of the period before falling ill. The doctor also advised her not to ask Thomas about anything from that episode.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Returning Home
AFTER A LONG JOURNEY, THEY FINALLY ARRIVED IN England. Once there, Wilma heard about the death of her friend Lucia, and shortly thereafter she received a letter from the Dutch professor, Van Helsing, who had tended to her. Arthur had been ill since Lucia’s death and Van Helsing sent Wilma his regards. The professor wrote that he’d like to visit her and could explain more when they met. She replied that he was welcome to stay with her and Thomas. He arrived shortly afterwards and asked many questions regarding Lucia’s habits during the last period of time the girls had spent together. He brought Wilma a precious diamond ring, which he said Lucia had worn, but he begged her—for whatever his warning might be worth320—not to put it on her finger. He was very curious to learn how Harker was doing and wanted to know all about his health.
A week later, Harker’s now retired employer, the old Mr. Hawkins, died of heart disease. He’d long been prepared for his death and arranged a will, in it explaining what was be done with his worldly goods. He’d left everything to the young couple, as he had promised.
Two days later Hawkins was buried in London, as he’d stipulated in his will. The young couple attended the funeral and afterwards went for a walk in Hyde Park. On their way back to the hotel where they were staying, the route led along Piccadilly, where they came across a strikin
g young woman. She sat in a brilliant carriage drawn by grey horses, with servants in uniform accompanying her. She was exceptionally beautiful and elegant, though her garments were somewhat pretentious. Wilma looked at her with fascination, but in that moment she felt Thomas pinch her arm, a low growl escaping from his throat. She turned around to find that he’d become deathly pale, glaring with strange frenzy at something ahead of him. She saw him staring at a gentleman who was talking with the woman. He was tall and impressive to behold but of somewhat peculiar appearance.
Wilma was startled, for there she saw Baron Székely, whom she’d met in Whitby. Thinking of Thomas above all else, she immediately hailed a hansom and rode with him to their hotel as quickly as possible.321
Thomas was so confounded that he hardly realized what was going on. Little by little, he lowered his head onto Wilma’s shoulder then nodded off. He awoke again just before the couple reached their hotel but had forgotten everything that had happened on the street.
The next day Wilma started arranging various things at their new home, which hadn’t yet been put in order since they moved in. Among other things, she looked through their suitcase that had accompanied them from Transylvania. At the bottom she found a parcel wrapped in the nunnery’s church newspaper. She remembered that when they made their farewells, sister Agatha had said she would put some of Thomas’s belongings in the suitcase; on another occasion, she’d said that he only had a few worthless things with him upon his arrival at the convent.