Chapter 34
Previously: The Rose of Whitby – Chapter 33
They do their best to prepare- they can’t really fake having staff, but maybe they can just have tea and biscuits waiting for them in the salon so it looks like their staff is just staying out of the way? As long as the Harkers don’t stay too long, Arthur thinks they might get away with that.
So the next day after lunch, he puts on the nicest clothes the house has on offer- the good suit he wore when they were at the duchess’ place, before the costume ball. And since Darcy is always after him to comb his hair, he does that extra thoroughly, too.
The day goes by with Darcy chewing her nails off. While her papa is off to the train station (alone!) to fetch them, she confides to Gregory how much she hopes it will really be just a polite visit. Instead of sharing her concerns, Gregory tells her to stop worrying, to just imagine them naked, then it’s not so scary. Obviously, Darcy promptly faints at that suggestion, only to come to into the middle of an entire conversation held in glares and looks between Gregory and Arthur. Darcy giggles, that does make her feel like she’s surrounded by family, alright, she can do this.
~~~~
The Harkers, Jonathan and Wilhelmina, look stern and very proper to Arthur when they arrive at the castle.
They’re both dark-haired and dressed in good but modest clothes, of course also in dark colours, and it all makes them look very severe. Arthur’s glad he’s only there to greet them and Dr Seward is going to deal with Mr Harker. It’s obvious they know each other from the way they’re interacting, but Arthur isn’t sure whether they like each other- he kind of thinks not. Well, he knows Dr Seward is worried Mr Harker might contact vampire hunters, and of course there’s the whole thing with Mr Harker being part of the people who were trying to kill Darcy’s mother, but obviously, Mr Harker wouldn’t know about all that. But even so, Arthur doesn’t think Mr Harker considers Dr Seward a friend. And Mr Harker’s “So you are Lucy’s daughter” to Darcy sounds a bit sceptical to him, but he doesn’t say anything more when Darcy confirms in her most well-mannered way. And Mrs Harker doesn’t really say anything beyond the usual polite greetings, but her dark eyes are very sharp and make Arthur want to duck down so she doesn’t notice him.
He doesn’t, since he’s supposed to be Darcy’s scholar and not afraid of guests and all, but he’s glad that Gregory, as usual, takes the lead.
Or, well, tries to. He’s being all smiles and friendliness, but it seems to run off of the Harkers like water off a duck.
~~~~
This isn’t going as Darcy had hoped, this is her mother’s best friend, she was so hoping that maybe Mrs. Harker might be able to tell her about her mother. She did read the diaries, yes, yes, she knows she shouldn’t have, but she never knew her mother, and Papa loves her, so she must be a wonderful woman. But here Darcy is, feeling awkward, feeling judged, still not sure if Harker is going to leave and come back with hunters. So all she does is meekly thank him for all his years of service. He’s done it in loving memory of Lucy Westenra, is his only answer before he heads off with her papa to talk business while Darcy leads Mrs Harker to the solar for the women to entertain themselves.
Maybe now that they’re alone, it’ll be better? But again, as they’re walking down the corridor,
the woman gives her such an intense look that Darcy fumbles through her words. She admits that some of her diaries are still here, then is utterly surprised when, for the first time, the woman’s icy demeanour breaks, but it isn’t because of Darcy.
Mrs. Harker is staring over Darcy’s shoulder- she can sense somebody there. Both of Mrs Harker’s hands go to her mouth before she rushes past Darcy, which gets the newcomer to squeal at the top of her lungs. Darcy turns- it is indeed a woman, short like her and blonde. She looks, Darcy thinks, like a woman ought to look according to her books.
At the squeal, there’s loud steps rushing up the corridor behind them and then Gregory careens around the corner, already in demon form as he pounces. Not that it does anything, as the tiny woman catches him out of the air with a cooed: “Aw, kitty!” That does it, Darcy giggles, she had a suspicion but really, this must be family resemblance!
~~~~
Arthur rounds the corner- and blinks. It takes an effort to keep the “… the fuck?” internal, but he doesn’t want to get chided by Darcy for his language.
Of course he headed after Gregory when, as they were heading to the library, he took off at… well, Arthur didn’t think it sounded like a bad kind of loud sound, but Gregory clearly did.
The picture he’s presented with is… strange to say the least. There’s Darcy, giggling and waving at Gregory. And Gregory, still snarling, though it’s half confused, because he’s being lifted into the air by a woman who doesn’t even have an inch on Darcy and Arthur, and it looks really absurd for her to be holding Gregory’s demon shape, twice her size at least, up in the air with no sign of struggle. When she should fall over or collapse or something.
And also, the woman looks exactly like the lady from that very big and very prominent portrait on their staircase. Well, except her in the portrait is actually larger than her in life.
Which of course all means that this must be Darcy’s mother, Lucy Westenra, a vampire. The first vampire Arthur’s ever seen.
Oh, and there’s Mrs Harker with her hands on her hips and an exasperated? annoyed? look on her face.
The small blonde woman finally sets Gregory down when he gives a nod at Darcy telling him to “behave!” Then she turns back to Mrs Harker and throws her arms wide with a: “Mina-sweetheart!”
He and Darcy end up blushing and not looking as the two women are more than obvious with how much they missed each other. Gregory still looks confused and ruffled, makes himself big and hugs Darcy protectively. She only blushes harder, and asks whether he could not embarrass her in front of her mother?
That obviously makes the penny drop for him, and he shifts gears, smiles his charming smile and steps forward to introduce himself.
But Darcy’s mother kind of… brushes him off? Except it’s with a: “Do give the ladies a moment, you sweet morsel.”
That makes Darcy snarl, suddenly and viciously, and Arthur jumps. But Lucy only laughs and coos: “Aww, dracial territoriality over your lover, how cute!” Then her head comes up. “Oops, if my senses don’t lie -and they never do, sweethearts- that’s a Jonathan inbound, better go back to being invisible to him.”
With that, she gives Mrs Harker another comfortable kiss to the cheek and extends a hand towards Darcy, asks her if she won’t walk with her so that they can meet each other for the first time as adults.
The way her voice lilts up at the end, making it almost a question, and how she doesn’t extend that hand as… energetically as she’s moved so far looks… kind of unsure to Arthur. But what would a vampire have to be unsure about? Well, maybe she’s worried Darcy will be mad at her not arriving earlier?
He doesn’t know, but Darcy certainly accepts eagerly, and Lucy pulls her into the solar, which, Arthur remembers, has French doors to a patio and the garden.
Gregory says something about getting some tea, and Arthur tries not to wince and hopes to Mrs Harker that sounds like he’s getting himself some tea, not them, since… the household’s knight postulant serving tea really wouldn’t help them trying to pretend that they have servants and there’s nothing weird going on here.
On the other hand, Mrs Harker didn’t seem particularly upset by either the vampire or the demon, so maybe she knows about these sorts of things? Or doesn’t mind?
He slides her a look, but can’t read her expression- though she does make her way into the solar in a very… confident and comfortable way. Kind of like she… knows where she’s going and feels at home here? But then, if she and Lucy knew each other… which they clearly did… Arthur tries to not blush too much, and isn’t sure what to do with himself, but it’d be rude to just leave a guest by herself, so he accompanies her and takes a seat.
But why does it have to be him who’s stuck making small-talk with this intimidating woman? He feels a little abandoned here- Darcy wanting to spend time with her mother he understands, but where did Gregory disappear to, and is he going to be back?
But Lucy’s ears weren’t wrong at all, and Mr Harker and Dr Seward arrive before he has to do more than confirm that he’s Darcy’s scholar- though being called “Mr Lancaster” is very weird. It reminds him uncomfortably of his father, so he’s possibly really glad for the first time to be joined by Darcy’s father.
To his surprise, Mrs Harker doesn’t mention Lucy at all to the men. In case that means Mr Harker isn’t trustworthy, Arthur keeps his mouth shut, too, while Dr Seward and Mr Harker make kind of stilted conversation about how their careers have been going since the last time they saw each other.
~~~~
The walk turns out to be full of blushing for Darcy. Her mother is a walking scandal! Though she does say she’s sorry for abandoning Darcy but… it was too much, she couldn’t do it. She isn’t cut out to be a mother, she’s sorry for hurting her and for hurting Jack, for being so distant. But also, it wasn’t safe for any of them to stay close to each other. Jack had a much easier time to just hide Darcy. Although, really, locking her into a room, he can be so overly logical at times, forgetting that the most logical thing might not be the kindest. With a sigh, Lucy shakes her head, continues: no, she can’t say anything, she wasn’t kind to Darcy either, she wants to love her, she wants to be there for her now. She’s no longer a child; Lucy thinks she can be her friend now, please?
That… wasn’t at all how Darcy had dreamed the reunion with her mother might go. And there still is that nagging jealousy, which must show because Lucy seems eager to jump on that topic, promising she’ll keep her fangs to herself, no worries, she understands vampire territoriality. With that reassurance, Darcy relaxes a bit and soon forgets about it when she learns her mother has been in the Orient the last decade, now she wants to learn everything about it, and is that what she’s smelling?
~~~~
To Arthur’s relief, Darcy rejoins them after a while. He’s less relieved when she extends an invitation to dinner to the Harkers, but it is dinner time and it’d be rude not to, he knows that. Still… he’d have preferred if they didn’t accept.
But they do, and at least that means everyone heads off to “freshen up” and he can take a few minutes in his own room while Darcy shows the Harkers to a guest room. He isn’t sure what this entire “freshening up” business is really supposed to be about- he’s read about it, of course, but it’s never actually explained in any of the books he’s read. He supposes really rich people change their clothes? But he’s only worn his for a few hours and so they’re perfectly fine.
In the end, he sits down on his bed for some ten or fifteen minutes to recover some from that social ordeal, and to gather energy to deal with it for another hour or so. And he reads up on dinner etiquette really quickly, just to make sure he remembers the important points and doesn’t screw it up before they can get the Harkers out of the house. Then he splashes some water on his face and washes his hands, and heads down the hall to dinner.