Anno Dracula Read Online Free PDF Page A

moment, Beauregard was dizzy.
    ‘What is it, dear-heart,’ Penelope asked, arm sliding around him.
    ‘The champagne,’ he lied.
    ‘Will we always have champagne?’
    ‘As long as it is what you wish to drink.’
    ‘You’re so good to me, Charles.’
    ‘Perhaps.’
    Florence, her nursing done, was swarming around them again.
    ‘Now, now,’ she said, ‘there’ll be plenty of time for that after thewedding. In the meantime, you must be unselfish and share yourselves with the rest of us.’
    ‘Indeed,’ said Godalming. ‘For a start, I must claim my right as the vanquished sir knight.’
    Beauregard was puzzled. Godalming had blotted the blood from his lips with a handkerchief, but his mouth still shone, and there was a pinkish tinge to his upper teeth.
    ‘A kiss,’ Godalming explained, taking Penelope’s hands in his own, ‘I claim a kiss from the bride.’
    Beauregard’s hand, fortunately out of Godalming’s view, made a fist, as if grasping the handle of his sword-stick. He sensed danger, as surely as in the Natal when a black mamba, the deadliest reptile on earth, was close by his unprotected leg. A discreet cut with a blade had separated the snake’s venomous head from the remainder of its length before harm could come to him. Then he had good cause to be thankful for his nerves; now, he told himself he was overreacting.
    Godalming drew Penelope close and she turned her cheek to his mouth. For a long second, he pressed his lips to her face. Then, he released her.
    The others, men and women, gathered around, offering more kisses. Penelope was almost swamped with adoration. She wore it well. He had never seen her prettier, or more like Pamela.
    ‘Charles,’ said Kate Reed, approaching him, ‘you know... um, congratulations... that sort of thing. Excellent news.’
    The poor girl was blushing scarlet, forehead completely damp.
    ‘Katie, thank you.’
    He kissed her cheek, and she said ‘gosh’.
    Half-grinning, she indicated Penelope. ‘Must go, Charles. Penny wants...’
    She was summoned over to examine the marvellous ring upon Penelope’s dainty finger.
    Beauregard and Godalming were by the window, apart from the group. Outside, the moon was up, a faint glow above the fog. Beauregard could see the railings of the Stoker house, but little else. His own home was further down Cheyne Walk; a swirling yellow wall obscured it as if it no longer existed.
    ‘Sincerely, Charles,’ Godalming said, ‘my congratulations. You and Penny must be happy. It is an order.’
    ‘Art, thank you.’
    ‘We need more like you,’ the vampire said. ‘You must turn soon. Things are just getting exciting.’
    This had been raised before. Beauregard held back.
    ‘And Penny too,’ Godalming insisted. ‘She is lovely. Loveliness should not be permitted to fade. That would be criminal.’
    ‘We shall think about it.’
    ‘Do not think too long. The years fly.’
    Beauregard wished he had a drink stronger than champagne. Close to Godalming, he could almost taste the new-born’s breath. It was untrue that vampires exhaled a stinking cloud. But there was something in the air, at once sweet and sharp. And in the centres of Godalming’s eyes, red points sometimes appeared like tiny drops of blood.
    ‘Penelope would like a family.’ Vampires, Beauregard knew, could not give birth in the conventional manner.
    ‘Children?’ Godalming said, fixing his gaze on Beauregard. ‘If you can live forever, surely children are superfluous to requirements.’
    Beauregard was uncomfortable now. In truth, he was unsure about a family. His profession was uncertain, and after what had happened with Pamela...
    He was tired in his head, as if Godalming were leeching his vitality. Some vampires could take sustenance without drinking blood, absorbing the energies of others through psychical osmosis.
    ‘We need men of your sort, Charles. We have an opportunity to make the country strong. Your skills will be needed.’
    If Lord Godalming