Page 60 of Now Comes the Mist

Arthur and Dr. Van Helsing sit and chat about lighter topics, and I listen until I feel my consciousness slipping. But some powerful tug of resistance prevents me from fully giving way, despite my need to rest. Vaguely, I register a sharp pain in the crook of my arm, and my eyes fly open to see Dr. Van Helsing gazing at me in surprise. Arthur is on the chair with his sleeve rolled up and a cloth bound tightly about his upper arm. A long rubber tube swings between us, stained deep dark red. It is on this tube that I fixate in my dreamy, semiconscious state, for at the sight of it, my already unbearable thirst increases tenfold. The smell, oh, the smell! I am overwhelmed by the richness, the texture, and the exquisite shades of red in the blood flowing from Arthur to me.

In my daze, I feel as though I have left my body to float above. I see myself lying prone in bed with Dr. Van Helsing’s hand on my shoulder, pressing me down hard into my pillow. He is much stronger than he looks, and I watch with detached astonishment as I try to fight him in my frail state, struggling to reach for the beautiful, fragrant scarlet tube. The second I pause for breath, he holds another glass to my lips. I drink and drink, my gaze never leaving the tube.

“You’re giving her another dose?” I hear Arthur ask.

“She needs more than I thought. This is very interesting,” I hear Dr. Van Helsing reply before I float back into my body and sink at last into a deep and dreamless slumber.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Iawaken to sunlight pouring through the windows. I lie still, enjoying the warmth and comfort of it before noticing Arthur across the room, fast asleep with one arm over his eyes and his long legs cascading off the sofa. I sit up gingerly in bed, glad not to feel dizzy. In fact, I feel wonderful aside from a slight stiffness from sleeping in one position all night. I take in several deep breaths, delighting in how easily my lungs fill and expand. The raised bumps on my throat are cool to the touch. That blessed Dr. Van Helsing has worked his magic, and so has Arthur, who gladly opened his veins for me. Perhaps that was why Mamma had allowed him to sleep in here last night—though I note that the sofa has been pushed as far away from me as possible.

As if he hears me thinking about him, Arthur stirs and glances over. “Lucy,” he says hoarsely, and the anguish and relief in his voice makes my eyes sting. I hold out my arms, smiling, and in two strides he has lifted me clean off the bed to hug me against him, so tightly I cannot tell where I end and he begins. I stroke his hair, murmuring to him as his shoulders shake. Finally, when he is calmer, he pulls away just enough to look at me. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? I was just so glad to see you looking well … Let me put you down—”

“Don’t let go,” I whisper. “Please.”

Arthur does not even hesitate or glance at the door, where my mother or maid could enter at any moment. He gathers me up, one arm around my waist and the other under my knees, and climbs into the bed with me clasped against him. We lie there holding each other, our hearts beating in tandem, his lips in my hair and my face pressed to his shirt, drinking in the smell of him. He pulls the blanket up over my shoulders and gentlymoves my hair to keep it from getting caught under his arm. Even this small movement creates the tiniest gap between us, and I immediately make a sound of protest and tighten my hold on him. I hear him laugh, his warm breath stirring my hair, and I wonder how I could have ever wanted anyone but this deeply kind, gentle, and honest man who needs only to be with me. No games, no lies, no artifice. Just my heart in exchange for his own.

“I love you, Arthur,” I say, my voice muffled against his shirt. “So very, very much.”

He presses a hard kiss on top of my head. “And I love you.” He smiles when I look up at him, his hazel eyes full of light. “You had me so worried. I doubted Van Helsing, but now I would trust him with my life. He was right about everything. You look so well.”

“Ifeelso well,” I say, and he laughs again and leans forward to kiss me. I feel safe and protected, lying there with him in the sunlight, our mouths softly moving together, neither of us asking for anything more than that moment. We end the kiss and stay nose to nose, just looking at each other, and I know that being married to him will be like this: waking up on the same pillow, caring and being cared for, and knowing that whatever calamity befell me, he would be there to offer me even the blood from his body. I run my fingers over his jaw, his cheek, and the soft fringe of his lashes, and I know that I want to make this man happy. I want to be with him every morning and every night for the rest of his life. “Mamma let you sleep in here?”

“Under pain of death if I dared leave my sofa.” His dimple appears. “So I suppose my life is forfeit … now that I’m in bed with you. And soon, I’ll be in bed with you every night.”

“Why, sir,” I say, grinning as his cheeks turn pink. “How bold of you to say so.”

Still blushing, he touches his nose to mine. “I wanted to be here all evening. Right next to you. But Dr. Van Helsing was always looking in on us like some anxious father.”

“I remember him holding me down during the operation. What happened?”

“You were trying to sit up,” he explains. “Poor girl, you were frightened by the blood going through the tube. The doctor had to keep you from hurting yourself.”

I frown. Frightened, I had not been. No … I had beenthirsty. Unbearably thirsty, enough to pour the contents of the tube straight into mymouth. I glance at my bandaged arm and recall Dr. Van Helsing’s use of the terminfection.Yes, indeed, I am infected with something unspeakable. If Arthur or Mina knew, would they ever look at me the same way? Would they love me enough to understand why I had asked for it? Would they forgive me?

“Lucy? What’s wrong?” Arthur asks, studying me.

“I don’t deserve you,” I whisper. “Not after what has happened.”

“What do you mean? You had an accident, that’s all. You are blameless.” He hugs me tightly. “There is nothing but happiness ahead of us, my love, and you will forget all of this.”

I bury my face in his chest and shut my eyes against the pain of knowing that I willneverforget. I will remember that his heart, thudding a soft rhythm against my ear, will stop forever one day. Death will haunt us, lurking in the shadows, and I will lose Arthur or he will lose me. And I have seen for myself the depth of his suffering if he ever lost me, and God help me … I would do anything to protect him from sorrow, even if it meant walking into the mouth of hell.

A soft knock sounds on my door, interrupting my thoughts. Arthur jumps off the bed like a shot, his face bright red. But it is only Mina, not my mother. She looks at him and then back to me, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Oh, Lucy, those roses in your cheeks!” she cries, hurrying over to kiss me. “Arthur, you ought to go and eat something. I can stay with her now.”

“I’ll send her mamma up in a minute.” He leaves, closing the door behind him.

Left alone with Mina, I breathe her in hungrily. She smells of sand and sea salt. “You are covered in the ocean breeze,” I say. “How I long for a walk. I have been in bed forever!”

Mina laughs. “That was exactly what Dr. Van Helsing advised before he left. He told me to get you outside in the sun and fresh air. He knows such a great deal, doesn’t he?”

“With your brain, you could have just as much knowledge if you went to school as he did,” I tell her affectionately. “But you say he left? I was hoping to thank him again.”

“He’s on the early train to London.” Mina chuckles. “I was a bit miffed that he didn’t ask me to help with your transfusion last night, but he explained everything to me this morning and seemed amused when I took notes. He’s gone to stay with Dr. Seward and do a bit of research.”

“Research? On what?”

“Your condition, I think.” She hesitates. “Do you know, I don’t think he believes it was a dog that bit you. He was reluctant to speculate when I asked his opinion. All he said was that he needed to do some reading and consult with his friend Jack. Now! Enough chatter.” She beams, holding up a small fragrant parcel. “I went into town at first light to get you strawberry cakes. The baker thought I’d lost my mind when he saw me there so early, but when I told him …”

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