Slave Of Dracula Read Online Free PDF

trust funds, which Catherine has quite clearly misused.”
    Seward said nothing. A parson’s son who had been raised on the edges of Society, he knew with

deadly exactness what op-tions lay open to a woman once control of her own money was taken out of

her hands.
    “Neither Catherine nor Vivienne, as I have said, have com-municated with any member of the family

since Ryland was found wandering the streets of London in what can only be de scribed as confusion.”

Anger glinted in Lady Brough’s soft voice. “Their house in Nottingham was closed up, and when

Wormidge effected an entrance, he found their clothing missing, as if for a long stay elsewhere. Ryland’s

house in London has clearly not been re-opened, but he was a wealthy man even before he mar-ried

Catherine and helped himself to her inheritance. Because his solicitor, Mr. Lucius Bolton, dropped out of

sight at the same time, we suspect that Catherine and Vivienne are in hiding somewhere, and using Bolton

as a go-between. We intend to find them.”
    The cold determination in her voice, and the self-righteous expression on Lady Clayburne’s face,

reminded Seward of the reminiscences Lucy had shared with him of her one nightmarish year in a French

finishing-school. She had begged her mother to at least let her return to England, to go to school with her

friends.
    Lady Clayburne opened her tiny reticule of jet beads, with-drew a card-case. “A young lady’s future is

at stake, Dr. Seward,” she said, and laid a card on the desk. “Please do not make her life more difficult

than it will already be with an impossible tradesman-let alone a lunatic-for a father. When she comes

here-if she comes-please do what you can to urge Catherine to return to Mother and myself. In any case,

I expect to be noti-fied of her visit.”
    She slid a second card across the desk at him. “This is Mr. Wormidge’s card-our solicitor, in Bedford

Row. If Ryland should make any reference to Catherine, or say anything that might indicate where

Catherine or Vivienne might be found, please contact either myself or Mr. Wormidge.”
    Seward murmured, “Of course,” and slipped both her card and the solicitor Wormidge’s into his desk

drawer. It was his duty, as Superintendant, to keep Rushbrook House a paying proposition, entirely

apart from the fact that his usefulness to its patients depended on his remaining on good terms with their

families. At least Lady Brough and Lady Clayburne were not ob-viously insane themselves, as were the

relatives who had had Lord Alyn locked up.
    He wondered if Vixie Renfield had begged her parents not to send her to “a good Swiss

boarding-school” to “straighten her out.” Had pleaded to be allowed to remain in England, with her

friends.
    ***
    Letter, Miss Mina Murray to Miss Lucy Westenra
    Dearest Lucy,
    No time for more than a note, as this is the busiest time of year at the school. The weather has turned

hot here, and damp. How I envy you, walking along the cliffs and downs of Whitby!
    It seems like a year, instead of only a month, until I join you. Tell your mother again how much I look

forward to it, and how grateful I am for the invitation.
    One of the dearest aspects of true friendship is that, in all the years we’ve played together and worked

together over those dreadful samplers at Mrs. Druggett’s school, whenever one of us has been sorrowful

or afraid, the other has been able to cheer her up. Lucy, I am both sorrowful and afraid now. I have had

no letter from Jonathan since the middle of May-nearly two weeks now-and though I know perfectly well

that they do not have the penny post in far parts of the world, and that I cannot expect him to take time

from his work to write to me often, still I cannot rid myself of the fear that he is in some terrible trouble.
    There! Now tell me I’m being a goose-as I know perfectly well that I am.
    So good that your dear Arthur is in civilized parts (or as civ-ilized as