Sympathy or agreement between these rulers is not possible. They belong to entirely different planetary rays, and both are very powerful though in a different way.”
Alan Leo,
“Modern Astrology”
for July, 1910: p.294
4 August, 1914 - Westenra Institute
“Letters! Letters from Quincey and,….and Jonathan!” Little Aggie’s voice squeaked when she mentioned Jonathan.
Lady Victoria, sitting at a small desk against the wall glanced up with a startled expression on her face; but the doorway was already empty and the sound of running feet the only indication that any one had been there. She shook her head and put her pen down, smiling at the two young ladies sitting at a nearby workbench.
Standing up, she surveyed the greenhouse, reluctant to disrupt the time she meant to spend here.
“Well, I suppose everyone will be waiting for us in the morning room.”
The girls jumped down from their stools, excitement showing in their rush to remove their aprons and set them on the wall hooks.
“Are we done with the basket?”
“Yes, ma’am. We packed the nosegays and tea posies, and we put your chamomile tea posies in too.”
“Perfect.” Lady Victoria gently arranged the assorted bundles, neatly wrapped in paper and ribbon.
“Oh good, I see you included the wild mint and rosemary. Dr. Seward will like that.”
“Lucy will you please carry the basket? I will want to lock this door on our way out. Camilla could you please get my note cards off the desk and bring them with you?”
The two girls scurried off with their bundles before she had finished locking the door.
The sounds of girlish squeals reached her ears long before she reached the morning room, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee welcomed her as she entered the room. Lord Godalming was already there, doing his best to either entertain or tease the girls; she was not sure which. He waved to her as she approached the large buffet table.
Mina nodded in her direction; her attention currently divided between the children, and listening to the last vestiges of a conversation her husband, Jonathan, was having with Mr. Stokes, the children’s tutor, whom subsequently bowed slightly and left the room.
“Well now, we are all here, so let me sort out these letters.” The girls immediately quieted down, converging on both sides of Lord Godalming. He made quite a play out of reading the envelopes before handing them to the girls to pass around.
Looking at the four girls, Lady Victoria thought that this house, with Jonathan and the professor gone, and Dr. Seward’s sons not yet attending classes here at the Institute, was definitely suffering from an overabundance of lace and petticoats.
Lily came over to her and offered her a small envelope. “Thank you dear.” Lily curtsied and turned around, rushing back to her father to stand in line for the next delivery.
Soon all the letters were handed out, and quiet descended on the room, except for the careful tearing of paper as all settled in to read their letters. Lady Victoria moved to a corner chair with a pedestal table by its side. Here she deposited her letters, and went to the buffet table to secure a steaming cup of coffee from Mary, who was serving the refreshments for them.
As she made her way back to the chair, so many thoughts ran through her mind. She looked over at Mina, who tried not to show too much haste in opening her first letter. Of course, Victoria knew that it must be from her son, Jonathan; she would have chosen that one first.
She smiled to herself, glancing at Lily, her youngest, who, with those strawberry blond curls, bore a striking resemblance to young Lucy, her deceased cousin. She certainly would have named one of her daughters after Lucy, but Mina had chosen that name for her first born daughter, and that is as it should be.
Mina, Lucy’s friend for all those years when Lucy no longer visited Victoria at the family estate in Scotland, and, again Mina, who, with her husband Jonathan, befriended Arthur in his most desperate hours, first in trying to save Lucy, and then afterward, in sharing in his grief and loss.
She closed her eyes, remembering when she came to London after being notified of Lucy’s untimely death by Jonathan, who, as Arthur’s solicitor, had been the one to dispatch some estate documents to her; and how he and Mina had welcomed her with open arms and with instant friendship.
Mina, now her confidant, because they had both known, and loved, Lucy, and because they had shared so much together in the intervening years. She breathed deeply, and looked toward Arthur.
Arthur, her beloved Arthur, first betrothed to her cousin, and now, her husband, and the father of her two daughters. Tears welled up thinking of Lucy’s young life cut off so horribly, and she, sitting here, where Lucy should have been sitting.
Lady Victoria knew that she would give up all this happiness and love to only have Lucy sitting next to her again, to hear her laugh and to watch her charm any family or friends that always surrounded her. Lucy, who died such a horrible death, that, even 17 years later, it could still wring out a heart wrenching stab of pain throughout her chest.
Her eyes flew open at the remembered pain, and found herself looking directly into Mina’s worried face. She thought with a shock, and with a touch of embarrassment, that Mina also must be feeling that old pain again.
And now Mina’s son was in Transylvania! Sheepishly she nodded to Mina, trying to assure her, and herself, that all would be fine. Mina returned a wan smile, it was difficult to hide any truth from each other.
“Who is Sabina?” piped up Aggie. She had this deep furrow in her brow, almost comical on one so young.
“Qui…, I mean, Jonathan,” Aggie annunciating the name very slowly, “says that she met them at the train station, and not Sister Agatha.”
Mina and Lady Victoria glanced at each other smiling at Aggie stumbling over Jonathan’s name. Everyone was trying to remember that, from now on, since Quincey Devereaux entered their little group, that Jonathan, Mina’s son, known since childhood as ‘Quincey’, now asked to be addressed as Jonathan, his actual given name.
“Well, as I understand it, Sabina is about Quincey, Devereaux’s, age,” Lord Godalming emphasizing the Devereaux to make it clear about whom he was speaking. “She was left at the clinic in Bistritz when she was only a day old. She was brought up by the cloister and Sister Agatha.”
Lily, always the sensitive one, exclaimed, “She was abandoned by her family?!”
“Not entirely dear. A few years later her older brother appeared to claim her as his sister. He explained that Sabina’s mother had died giving birth to her, and the father wanted the older brother to abandon the baby in the woods, which he could not do.”
“How horrible!”
“Well, the father since died, and that is why her brother came forth with the story. However, they were a poor family, and, as the older brother was now the sole provider for three other siblings, he asked the cloister to continue to care for her. In time, she met her two sisters and younger brother also.”
“And,” he continued, “it appears she has become quite an apprentice and helper for Sister Agatha.”
“How do you know about her?” Aggie challenged.
“Agatha! Mind your manners.” Mina scolded.
Lord Godalming chuckled. “Actually Dr. Van Helsing mentioned her to us more than once on various occasions.” He looked at little Aggie pointedly, “You probably were busy doing other things when he spoke about her.” He relaxed back into his chair.
Mr. Harker now leaned forward, “Dear,” her father said kindly, “Sabina has also helped Dr. Van Helsing on some of his research when he has traveled to Transylvania in the past. Now, what else has Jonathan written?”
“Well he says she has a wolf for a pet. He says the wolf is almost as big as me.” Her eyes went wide with delight.
“Now that’s interesting,” commented Mina.
Lucy giggled, “It seems when Jonathan first saw Lupa, the wolf, he thought it was attacking Sabina and ran to her rescue.”
“Really?”
Lady Victoria caught the sharpness in Mina’s reply. She too wondered just how Jonathan had planned to ‘rescue’ Sabina.
Camilla, chimed in, “Jonathan writes that he and Quincey were the center of attention when they arrived at the camp. He says the villagers thought it was good luck to have the nephew of Quincey Morris and the son of Jonathan Harker with them.” Camilla blushed after sharing that bit of news.
A rush of old memories overcame Lady Victoria, and, from the expressions on the other adults, they too, had traveled back to the painful past. There was a long pause of silence as everyone struggled to free themselves from the grip of sad memories.
“Mother,” Lily asked in her thoughtful manner, “what does Jonathan mean by good luck?”
Lady Victoria took a deep breath, but before she could answer, Lord Godalming spoke.
“Dear, through our acquaintance with Sister Agatha, we helped these people in the past, and so, when they needed help again, they consider it fortunate, or lucky, to have the son and the nephew of the same people that helped them in the past.”
“Did we help them too?”
Lord Godalming laughed, “Yes dear, we all helped them, including Dr. Seward. Which reminds me, we have letters here for the Sewards and for Madame Devereaux. I had already arranged with Quincey’s mother to receive all the letters from Transylvania through our diplomatic pouch, and then to send them on to her in Paris via the American Embassy, but…,” waving a few letters in his hands, “how shall we get these letters to the Sewards?”
Lucy jumped up from the chair, “Oh, can we take them? We were planning on seeing them today.” She was already half way to Lord Godalming’s chair with her arm stretched out.
“Well Lucy, I will entrust them to you.” He smiled as he handed them to her. She turned around, clutching them to her chest as she proceeded out of the room, followed by Camilla.
“Arthur, you are such a tease.” Lady Victoria exclaimed. Lord Godalming looked at her with good-natured astonishment.
“My dear, no harm done. Who would not take the opportunity to see the first blushes of young love, if given the chance.”
Jonathan, sipping from his cup remarked, “Well, as her father, I have to worry about it, while you are able to enjoy it.”
“I stand corrected sir, as I also have two daughters, I can well see your point.” He slapped Harker on the shoulder as he made his way to the buffet table.
Not looking at anyone in particular, he continued, “Has anyone read that our little group in Borgo Pass left for the Count’s castle on the 29th of July?”
“Why no,” Mina answered, “Jonathan’s note said they were venturing up to Watch Mountain on the night of the 27th of July.”
She re-examined the letter, “That is the last news he mentions.”
Lord Godalming faced the group, an untouched piece of toast in his hand, “The professor sent me a quick note dated the 29th saying that he is going to the castle to investigate a disturbance.
He quickly added, “He did not mention that the boys were going with him.”
Mina stood up, “Did he mention that they were not going with him?”
He shook his head, “No.”
“A disturbance?” Jonathan reached out to Mina and gently persuaded her to sit down again.
Relieved, Lord Godalming continued, ”That is all he said, but we have also received a coded message from him that may contain more details. We will have to decode it first.
“However, on a more pressing matter,” he turned to Lady Victoria and then to Mina, “on your way back from the Seward’s I would ask if you could make another stop for me.”
They looked at him and waited.
“Do you recall Dr. Van Helsing mentioning a Mr. Alan Leo, the editor of the Modern Astrology magazine?”
Lady Victoria looked up. “Yes, he was in the news just a few months ago.”
“Uummm… yes, an unfortunate situation; but,resolved in his favor. I have asked for a few old copies of his magazine, which he has agreed to provide me. Would this little detour upset your plans?”
“We can certainly make time for this errand. But I am curious, what is it that we are receiving?”
Lord Godalming looked around. Mary and Mr. Stokes had excused themselves awhile back, and Aggie and Lily were still busily reading their letters.
“Well, some time ago, the professor showed me some articles in this Modern Astrologer magazine from the 1910 editions. The insight into the nativities of our world leaders was quite profound.
After giving up my seat in the House of Lords, I am now less encumbered in my associations, and I can reach out to other sources not readily available to me when I was a representative of the government. And so I contacted Mr. Leo and queried him on some matters that were not addressed in his older articles. Much to my surprise, he also has been viewing the current situation and is motivated to publish his findings on why we are at, in his words, a very important junction, in our evolution.”
“Though I did discover that I am not the only person who is interested in Mr. Leo’s analysis; he informed me, discreetly, that others, currently in and out of government have asked for his analyses.”
He smiled at Jonathan, “We live in interesting times.”
“Sir.”
Mary appeared at the doorway, “There is a messenger at the main entrance. He requests your presence.There are some dispatches that he wants to give directly to you.”
“Oh bother!” He turned to the others, “Forgive my exit, I will return as quickly as possible.”
Mina again stood up, visibly agitated. “Jonathan, how long will it take you to decode the professor’s message?”
I don’t know dear, this will be our first attempt. When Arthur returns, we can withdraw to my office and work on it together.”
Visibly mollified, Mina called Mary to clear away the refreshments while she and Lady Victoria accompanied their daughters back to their classroom. By the time they returned, Lord Godalming was waiting.
“Do let us retire instead to the library, there is unsettling news I have just received.”
He led the way through the large veranda doors and onto a landscaped quadrangle to an imposing two-storied building directly opposite them; the most prominent feature being the elaborate rotunda which housed the mezzanine portion of the library.
Once inside, Lord Godalming unlocked one of the over-sized oak doors and ushered every one in before closing, and locking, the door.
Lady Victoria loved the intermingled scents of leather and polished cedar; even the undertone of mustiness was welcome, as it declared this place housed ancient manuscripts. This was her favorite place; after the greenhouse.
“Arthur, what unsettling news?” Mina did not wait for everyone to seat themselves around the massive oak table which dominated the center of the room before asking her question.
Lord Godalming made his way to a seat and, still standing, laid out the dispatches, still in their leather-bound envelopes. Extricating a folded paper from his pocket, he handed it to Jonathan.
“Harker maybe you can work on the professor’s message while I read from the dispatches. It seems I still have friends in government who think it worthwhile to notify me of current developments. Most of these are handwritten copies of official proceedings conducted within the last week, and we may go over them at our leisure, but my friend did include a summary of the contents.
“He says,
“The Cabinet has today drafted what amounts to an ultimatum to be sent to the German government immediately. Last week, as you know, the Prime Minister requested from both the French and German governments assurances that Belgium neutrality will be respected in their open conflict with each other. The French government immediately responded with unqualified assurances, however not so with the German government, hence today’s ultimatum. The worrying concern is that Asquith gives them until midnight tonight to comply.”
“Oh for…., that is such nonsense, an ultimatum? What is Asquith thinking? This is insane! The Kaiser is Queen Victoria’s grandson for heavens sake!”
“Arthur,” Mina entreated, “if we declare war on Germany, won’t we be, in effect, declaring war on Hungary?”
“Exactly my dear, I only wish our government could see that dangerous path as clearly.”
He sorted the dispatches, handing one to each, “Please go over these and see if there are any new nuggets of information we should be apprised of. Our priority right now,” here he nodded to Mina, “is to see how best to get our people home.”
Mina nodded gratefully, while reaching for her packet.
“Harker, how are you coming with the professor’s message?”
“I can only tell you that the ‘disturbance’ as he describes it reminded him of the wreaths of mist he encountered when Mina and he were waiting for us at the castle,” he looked at Mina as he continued, “before the women materialized.”
She returned a sad smile.
“The Szekely have named it ‘fire dragon’.”
Clearing his throat, he continued. “In the professor’s letter, he added a quick post script; in our agreed upon code. It’s very interesting, but cryptic. See what you make of it.” He handed the document to Lord Godalming.
“Arminius alive.Has MSs.New identity.Sister Agatha responsible.” Lord Godalming dropped his arm holding the letter and looked at Johnathan, “I am completely dumbfounded. What do you make of this?”
“Up until now, we thought Professor Arminius had died in a tragic accident traveling through the mountain passes north of Buda-Pesth. That was three years ago. So during this time, it appears he has been under the auspices of our good Sister Agatha. If I am correct, and she is indeed responsible, then she may have the necessary apparatus to see our travelers safely out of Hungary.”
Mina grasped his arm.
Jonathan leaned forward, “Granted that is an extraordinarily positive interpretation of the professor’s message, but we at least have something to work with.”
Lord Godalming slapped his hand against the armrest. “I would jolly well say it is positive! We already have funding in place for her for our other projects, and, most importantly, we have established a way of communicating with her.”
He jumped out of his seat, “By Jove this is good news. But what is this about the Manuscripts professor Arminius has?”
“I thought them lost when we heard about his accident. We could not find them among his professional papers, which he had bequeathed to Dr. Van Helsing. Do you remember that small packet of parchment hidden in the secret recesses of the Count’s secretary?”
“Why yes, I had forgotten about them. Are they important?”
“We have no idea, but obviously the Count thought they were. He took great pains to conceal it. If it wasn’t for your predilection for antique secretaries and the science of secret drawers, we would never have found them.”
Lord Godalming laughed. “Yes, I was as surprised as you were at our little discovery.”
He paced the floor a few times, stopping in front of Jonathan finally.
“Now, anything helpful in the dispatches?”
All were silent as they pursued their tasks. One by one they pushed their packets back to the center of the table, shaking their heads in answer to Lord Godalming’s questioning looks.
Eventually Jonathan too shoved the message away from him. Mina shifted in her seat, which did not go unnoticed by Lord Godalming.
He pulled another folded paper from his pocket. “Well the last bit of relevant information I received is a small post script from Sister Agatha saying that as she posted these letters, she heard rumors that the railroads had been commandeered by the military.”
A small exclamation escaped from Mina’s lips.
“Now that is something I can ask my friend to confirm my dear, and I will make that my first priority today.” Lord Godalming sighed, “And Sister Agatha has suggested that the safest way to communicate for the time being, may be through the Bishops’ diplomatic pouches. I think we may need to look into that possibility.
“On a more pertinent note, I think it is time that we formally reactivate our council.”
Lady Victoria felt a heavy weight descend upon the little group. She herself conjured up all the stories she had heard, and understood the feeling of despair as each one realized the triumphs of the past had not guaranteed a worry-free future.
“Who is currently at war with each other right now?” Not totally unexpected, it was Mina that broke the silence.
“The Austrians first declared war on Serbia, ostensibly because of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, but we already know that was just an excuse.
“Austria has always complained of Serbia’s attempt to cede from the empire. And we know Austria would not have done that without Germany’s promised backing if Russia decided to join the fray on the Serbian side, which of course they did.
“And France, quite idiotically I might say, now supports the Russians against Germany. Russia is the belligerent in this case, so I cannot fathom why France felt obligated to honor their commitment to come to Russia’s aid when Russia is the one who went to war!
“It’s as if all heads of states have lost their reasoning all at the same time.”
“Sorry my dear, that was a long winded answer to a simple question, but sometimes I find myself repeating that sequence over and over again in disbelief that this is really happening.”
“And that may not be the end of the sequence,” Jonathan added. No one bothered to refute his statement as all had come to the same conclusion. “We must plan an escape route for…, our people; no one else will be interested in our concerns, it is up to us, again.” Again, no protestations.
The enormity of their situation and the tasks ahead of them laid a cloak of silence over them all; but the quiet backdrop belied the intense activity stirring within them.
Lady Victoria leaned forward, hands clasped, “As the newest member of this council,” Lord Godalming smiled, “might I ask what makes this situation worse than what happened seventeen years ago?”
There was a shocked pause, and abruptly Lord Godalming broke out in laughter, “Why nothing that readily comes to mind my dear. What say you,” as he looked at Mina and Jonathan.
Both tentatively smiled, and by leaning back in their chairs, indicated agreement.
Mina reached over and gave Lady Victoria’s hand a quick squeeze.
“We are missing a few members from our last council, but, to bolster our numbers,” he smiled around the table, “I suggest that some of us take one of our missing members as a personal mentor, or advocate, so that we can benefit from their wisdom and perspective also.”
“I would like to incorporate Quincey Morris into my personal counsel, I will hope to do him honor by being a truthful advocate of his virtue and wisdom,” Mina solemnly offered.
Lady Victoria spoke up, “May I be the professor’s advocate? This will give me the opportunity to explore his wisdom and strategies at a personal level, and it may be helpful in determining what the professor might do next, as we plan our mission.”
“That sounds wonderful! And ladies, when you see the Sewards, please let them know what has transpired here; they also are members de facto, and emphasize that their permanent presence here at the Westenra Institution has been a long time in the works, and this new urgency only illustrates the need for us to, once again, join forces.
“Would it be too soon to call a council this evening? That will give Harker and I time to see what other current information is available, and we can begin formulating possible options to pursue.”
Mina and Lady Victoria looked at each and nodded in agreement.
“Well,” Jonathan announced as he got up from his chair, “with that in mind, I will retire to my office to see what else is in our power to find a neutral route out of Transylvania.”
“I will join you shortly,” Lord Godalming remarked.
Lady Victoria rose, “Yes, and it looks like we have a full day ahead of us too, so we had better leave soon.”
“Thank you my dear. I will ring Mr. Leo and inform him you will be stopping by today.”
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