Avalon Revisited (4 page)

“Ladies, I trust you know Lord Stanton,” I said to my, more mature, companions.

“Quite well,” Lady Bainbridge said with a smile. She sat up a little straighter and arched her back, emphasizing her breasts. She was not one to be shown up by younger women.

Nick smiled wide, letting the twinkle settle in his sky blue eyes. “Lady Bainbridge,” he said.

“What a pleasure to see you again.”

“Lord Stanton,” Lady Bainbridge said, “This is Lady Hamilton.”

“How do you do,” Lady Hamilton said quietly.

“Quite well, now that I’ve beheld your beauty,” Nick said with a slight bow. He pulled out of Constance’s grasp just long enough to kiss Lady Hamilton’s hand.

Lady Hamilton blushed and hid behind her fan.

“And of course you know Lady Pearson,” Lady Bainbridge continued.

“Of course, Lord Stanton,” Lady Pearson said quickly, not allowing Nick to answer first.

“What a pleasant surprise. Won’t you join us?” Her voice was flat, as if the invitation was just for social etiquette rather than sincerity.

“Oh how I would love to, dear lady, but I’ve got business to attend to,” he said, subtly indicating the young ladies on his arms. Looking back to me, he said, “Arthur. Tea? Tomorrow?”

“Indeed.”

“Lovely. At yours, I believe. Five o’clock?”

“Five it is.”

“Nicky,” Constance said with a pout perfected by the spoiled. “I want to go feed the ducks.

You said we could.”

“Yes, Nicky,” Celeste added, “let’s.”

“Of course my dears. Did you bring your crusts of bread?” he asked in almost a sing-song way, as if talking to someone much younger than she.

The ladies both nodded, synchronized, and each held up a small satin pouch.

“Splendid. Ladies,” he said bowing to my companions. “Pleasure, as always.”

He turned back toward The Serpentine and began telling a story to his escorts. As he walked away, I heard him begin, “Would you like to hear about my safari in Africa last year, ladies?”

They giggled their excited affirmation. “Well, it was just me and my mate in the wilds an African savannah when we came upon a sleeping lion!” No doubt he would draw out the suspense to increase the impact of the story.

“Interesting chap,” I said, turning my attention back to the ladies, who were still watching Nick walk away. He did have a way with the ladies, but then, so did I.

“Yes. Quite,” Lady Bainbridge said, turning back to me with a smile.

Without warning, it started to rain, cutting any further conversation short. With a squeal from the ladies, they all jumped up grabbing their parasols, fumbled them open, and then huddled beneath them, closer to the trunk of the great oak behind us.

I just laughed, taking off my hat and letting the cool water hit my face. No chance of sun now. The young ladies with Nick were trying to pull away from him to seek cover themselves, but he wouldn’t let them go until they were all three drenched, laughing, and splashing in the quickly forming puddles.

Carriages were swiftly coming up and stopping at various points along the shores of The Serpentine. All the people who had been enjoying their day were now gathered in tight clusters beneath the trees, trying to keep their fine clothes dry. As their rides approached, they began to trot over in small groups to their respective carriages. Even Nick and his lady friends stepped into his carriage. He would no doubt have them out of their wet clothes within the hour. Lady Bainbridge’s brougham stopped near us, and she scurried towards it after a quick goodbye. The two ladies followed; Lady Bainbridge turned back to me just before she stepped into the carriage and winked.

Too soon to feed again on such a high profile woman, but I could certainly amuse myself in the mean time.

Tonight, no doubt, would be most amusing.

“That Emily is ripe,” I said to Cecil as he tied my white bow tie. As I mentioned, the current fashion for men of my stature was modest for the most part, but I did look smart in my white tie and black tail coat. Thankful for the trend of black, white, and grey, I certainly did not miss the dandy days of yesteryear.

“Indeed, m’lord,” Cecil replied, brushing off my silk facings.

“Although Hazel would certainly be more of a challenge. She would require a long seduction. Then again, extending the seduction of Emily would be a challenge in and of itself.

She was practically begging for it in the park.”

“How interesting, m’lord,” Cecil replied dryly. He didn’t get involved in my affairs unless some cover-up proved necessary. How could he? There were far too many of which to keep track. Of course I didn’t kill most of them. Just fed from them and altered their memory. Very little cover-up was needed.

“I haven’t done a long seduction in quite a while.”

“They are infinitely more risky, m’lord.”

“Therein lays the fun, Cecil!”

“Of course, m’lord,” Cecil said, brushing off my shoulders.

Cecil stepped back allowing me to regard myself in the mirror. Vampires did have a reflection after all, but it was faint, almost like one was fading away. I had noticed that I got more transparent in the looking glass as the centuries progressed. Or perhaps it was just in my memory that I used to be clearer than my current form. Still, it was ever so convenient to have some reflection with the popularity of mirrors everywhere. One couldn’t be a part of society and completely avoid mirrors! People did like to look at themselves in all their finery. A faint reflection could be explained by a trick of the light, if necessary, but it usually wasn’t. After all, everyone was too busy looking at themselves. The vanity of others was a great advantage to one steering attention away from oneself.

“Yes,” I said to Cecil, indicating my approval. I looked quite smart, indeed. Black tails with a black on black pinstriped waistcoat made from the finest Chinese silk, as all my waistcoats were.

Its notched lapels peeked out from under my tail coat, creating striking lines down the front. The tails were fastened together with a single black silk-covered button, allowing the bottom of the waistcoat to show through. It also gave me easy access to my silver pocket watch, which was kept in one of the small waistcoat’s pockets and secured with a silver chain. Silver complemented black so much better than gold. Even the tail coat had ornate silver buttons, three on each side, that followed the lines of the silk facings. Although I was rather shorter than I appeared, risers in my shoes gave the illusion of more height. I don’t miss the heels of the last century either, however. They had made me taller, but they made everyone else taller as well.

Now, I have had Italy’s finest cobbler make my shoes. They gave the appearance of normal shoes, but along with an extra-long trouser leg, hid the fact that they made me stand a few inches taller. I only had to be careful when I sat down, but I didn’t sit much at parties, and that was all that mattered. Fortunately, women were mostly smaller than I, so they didn’t seem to care much, especially the older ones. The ones whose beauty was said to have started fading. For me, they were still young and succulent. Worked well for all concerned.

“I’m off then, Cecil. Is the carriage ready?” I asked, trotting down the stairs to the main floor.

Cecil followed closely behind.

“I have sent word to Thomas.”

“Excellent. Wish me luck.”

“Oh, m’lord. You don’t need luck,” he replied, then took my overcoat off the rack near the front door.

“That’s true,” I said as Cecil helped me into my coat. I popped on my finest top hat, complete with a black sash tied at the back. A nice pair of black leather gloves and a black scarf completed the outfit. I wore gloves whenever possible, as it masked the deathly coldness of my hands.

Outside, Thomas was waiting patiently on the stoop as Cecil opened the door for me. Thomas was a good man as well. It wasn’t easy finding such quality help, and I had certainly been through problems with staff in the past. Dozens of men over the past century alone. When I found the right man for the job, I paid him very well for his loyalty and discretion, assuring they’d be with me for life. Their life, anyway. It was quite inconvenient that they were mortal, having to start the search all over again. Thomas was no exception to such excellence. In fact, he had significantly raised my expectations for his eventual successor. He was loyal from the beginning, even during the trial period in which I fed from them and wiped their memories to test their resilience. Yes, Thomas had never been a problem. He was taller than both me and Cecil.

Lanky, too. Long nose. Long face. Long arms and legs. I believe he was especially grateful I had his clothes tailored specifically for him, as any regular sizes would have had his arms and legs sticking out the ends. Good ol’ gangly Thom. Over the years Cecil had become more relaxed with me. Sometimes I need to remind him his place, but I’ve never had that problem with Thomas. Polite and proper to the last.

“Shall we, Thomas?”

“Of course, m’lord.” Thomas stepped to the curb quickly and opened the brougham door for me. I climbed in, sitting nearer the window now that there was no fear of sunlight. The sky had cleared after the afternoon rain, and one could now see the stars and the moon. It would be a lovely evening on the dirigible. One didn’t get many firsts anymore, after having lived for so long, but a ride on an airship would certainly be one. I found myself uncommonly excited at the prospect. Well, that and the excitement of a new seduction project. Yes. Emily Bainbridge would do just fine, although Hazel Hamilton would be more of a challenge, and I did so want to make her blush. Perhaps I could manage both at once, without knowledge of the other of course. An additional challenge since they were such close friends. Oh yes. I was indeed excited about the possibilities of the evening.

Thomas pulled the carriage up behind a line of other carriages. The airship was in the large clearing to the north of The Serpentine. It was indeed massive and wondrous. I had never seen anything even remotely like it. I had, after all, seen it in the air, but at such a distance, one doesn’t gain the proper perspective. The sheer size of it was astounding. It was nearly as long as Buckingham Palace and half as high: a grand site sitting in the middle of Hyde Park.

I could feel the excitement in the air. Even for those who had been on an airship before, it was still quite the experience. I stepped out of my carriage and turned to Thomas, who sat with his mouth gaping open in disbelief as he beheld the colossal ship.

“Jealous?” I said up to him still perched on the coachman’s seat. His feet propped upon the footboard made his gangling legs bend at a comical angle. His knees seemed as high as his own shoulders.

“Not at all, m’lord. It’s unnatural, it is. To go up in that thing? Unnatural.” He let his pointy chin relax again in astonishment. No matter how ‘unnatural’ he thought it was, he couldn’t take his eyes off of the immense thing.

“Quite true, Thomas. However, I do know something about the unnatural.”

“Of course, m’lord,” Thomas replied, remembering himself.

“Return for me by 10 o’clock. We should be landing around then."

“Very good, m’lord.”

I turned toward the great vessel and started towards it. I hadn’t felt this excited since my Spring-Heeled Jack days. It was what they called me back then. I had taken delight, for a few years, showing my true form and frightening villagers in Sheffield, Liverpool, and even parts of Scotland. Some I’d kill, but some I’d leave alive to tell the tale. When a decree came down to shoot Spring-Heeled Jack on site, I had figured it was time for a change. I had started to lay low in 1872, revising my routine, as I did every few decades just to avoid death by boredom. In fact, last night’s act of luscious debauchery was the most conspicuous I’d been since then. Loved to see that the papers reported ‘vampire’ instead of some other silly explanation like a phantom monster who could leap onto high buildings and over fences, although I can. I just had gotten too excited last night, as it was quite obvious from the tooth marks I left. What other conclusion but

‘vampire’ could they make?

Yes. I definitely had to be more careful for awhile. After all, it was quite the hassle to move to another country, and I quite like this one. Perhaps I should turn to prostitutes and such for a bit. Still, the long seduction that I begin tonight will be well worth another high-profile kill. Will it be Emily or Hazel? Ah, the unknown. I should just let nature take its course and see what opportunity best presented itself.

“Good evening, sir,” a man dressed in uniform said as I approached the ramp. He had gold braids hanging from each shoulder and three golden buttons lining each cuff. He wore a baldric stretched across the front of his double-breasted brown uniform from one shoulder to the other hip. It contained all sorts of tools kept in special-made loops and pouches for easy access. Ten golden buttons down each seam fastened the smart uniform beneath his black leather baldric. He had to be part of the ship’s crew.

The area all around the ship was roped off and constables were stationed every ten yards or so to keep ruffians out.

“Yes. It is a good evening, good sir. Permission to come aboard,” I replied, smiling. After all, I had been on a ship or two in my time, even if they had been the kind that floated rather than flew.

“Of course, sir, but I must see your invitation.”

“By all means,” I said, reaching into my inner pocket and producing the gold leaf, embossed invitation.

“Thank you, sir. Once on board, please make yourself at home. There are complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres on the second deck and the views from the top deck are quite breathtaking.”

I tipped my hat to him and proceeded up the long ramp to the ship. The ship itself was golden in color, which just served to increase its majesty. Suspended above it with countless ropes was a huge balloon that seemed twice the size of the vessel. It extended slightly past the bow and stern and over either side, and it was at least three times as high as the ship to which it was tied. The ramp led up onto the hull’s lowest deck, near the front of the ship. It was made mostly of wood painted gold with brass accents around the port holes and edges. Aft of the ramp on the outside of the ship, a great propeller powered by a steam engine hung suspended from a massive wooden arm. I remembered seeing this on both sides of the ship from afar when it was airborne, along with an additional three propellers in the very back of the ship. The huge propeller in the center and two smaller ones on either side had to be how the ship was steered in the air. They all looked much more impressive and quite colossal once one got closer.