A Christmas Homecoming Read Online Free PDF Page A

know perfectly well that you do. But right now it’s my responsibility, so concentrate on your own job.”
    Vincent shrugged elaborately and sighed.
    “Move on to the next scene,” Joshua instructed, his voice strained.
    It was no better than the first. It was the initial appearance of Dracula, washing ashore in a violent stormthat had wrecked his ship and sent his coffin to the shore. There was no possible way of showing all this on the stage, however, so it had to be recounted by one of the actors. Thus it had been built into Lydia’s part as Lucy Westenra. But when she spoke the lines, she too sounded as if she barely believed what she was saying, though there was no sharp disdain in her voice as there had been in Mercy’s.
    “For heaven’s sake, Lydia, act it!” Mercy said furiously. “How do we know if it works or not if you don’t try?”
    Lydia read it again, with more emotion, and even Caroline had to admit it sounded better. She glanced at Alice Netheridge and saw some of the embarrassment slip away from her expression.
    The addition of Dracula’s presence improved the drama considerably. The next couple of scenes were quite good. Until Van Helsing made his appearance.
    “I don’t think that’s strong enough,” Vincent commented. “He sounds as if he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”
    “He doesn’t, yet,” Joshua argued.
    “Yes, he does,” Vincent answered immediately. “He’sa genius and he’s made a life study of vampires. He has to be powerful. After all, he destroys Dracula, the greatest vampire of all.” He sat back a little in his chair, smiling.
    “That’s at the end,” Joshua said with markedly less patience. “If we know all that about him at the beginning, then there is no story.”
    “Everybody knows the end anyway,” Vincent argued. “Most people have either read the damn book or they’ve heard people talking about it.”
    Lydia rolled her eyes. “Vincent, you’re an actor. Pretend you don’t know, for heaven’s sake, or we’ll be here all day and go nowhere.”
    Vincent turned to her. “And where exactly is it that you think we are going, my dear?” he asked sarcastically.
    “I have no idea,” Lydia replied. “Any more than you have.”
    “I know I’m going quietly mad!” Mercy put in very distinctly.
    “That won’t be a very long journey,” Caroline muttered. She was embarrassed when she realized Alice had heard her, until she saw the sudden smile on Alice’s face.
    “You said ‘quietly,’ ” Joshua said, looking at Mercy. “Make that a promise, will you!”
    She glared at him.
    “Page thirty-nine, from the top,” Joshua resumed. “Van Helsing to Harker.”
    “We really need another character here,” Vincent pointed out. “It doesn’t make sense like this. Harker’s an idiot, completely ineffectual. Van Helsing would neither turn to him nor try to use him.”
    “He’ll use what he has,” Joshua snapped. “And at the moment he has no one else. Just read it; we’ll make what amendments we need to later.”
    With elaborate patience Vincent did as he was told. It sounded ridiculous, just as he had intended it to.

    hey stopped at lunchtime, after having read through the entire hour-long script twice. The meal was awkward, everyone concentrating on their food, which again was plentiful and excellent. They spoke of trivial things: places they had traveled to at one time or another; books they had read; even the weather—although thatlast subject became less trivial as the wind increased and the snow that had been falling intermittently became heavier. It was clear from the almost horizontal angle at which it was streaming past the windows, and the thrashing of the trees beyond, that the storm was increasing in violence.
    “It makes me think of those at sea,” Eliza said unhappily, staring at the snow-coated glass. “I feel almost guilty to be so safe.”
    “I can’t imagine why anyone wants to go to sea, especially in the winter,”