𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐦

Act I, Scene VII

"When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions!"
~ William Shakespeare, Hamlet

__________

The present returned.

The subterranean morgue.

Her newly acquired vampiric acquaintance.

Lucy felt the walls and ceiling concave a bit. Though vast, the space seemed suddenly airless and miniscule.

She stared vacantly at the wall behind Dr. Reed. She touched the side of her neck, feeling the smooth lace that covered the evidence of the attack that had claimed her life. This was the first time she had ever spoken aloud of the events which occurred that night. In her mind's eye, she saw the crumpled, broken body of Arthur, and a tremor of grief rippled through her.

"The next thing I knew, my head was cradled in the arms of Miss Ives, and Dr. Rosencrantz was feeding me something divine — the taste of which I could not quite identify," she reminisced. "They were strangers to me at the time, but I was so drained, I didn't question them. I could see Sir Wilhern kneeling beside Arthur. He was crying. I have known Victor Wilhern all my life, and that was the first time I'd witnessed him cry. ...It was then that I knew Arthur was dead."

Lucy's eyes stung with unshed tears. Her heart ached as though she were losing Arthur for a second time.

"What brought Sir Wilhern and his associates to the ship, I do not know," she continued. "Perhaps he had found Arthur's letter in his study. In all honesty, it makes little matter. He was my savior. He knew what that monstrous creature had done, yet he did not fear me. I was responsible for the death of his son, yet he welcomed me into his home."

"You were not responsible," Dr. Reed said, his voice gentle but firm. "There was no mummy. There was an ancient, starving vampire hiding inside that sarcophagus, and it attacked. The Nosferatu killed Arthur."

"Because he tried to protect me."

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut against her guilt, and the tears that had welled there spilled over, drifting down her pale cheeks. She bit back a sob.

She felt Dr. Reed take her hand. Startled by the sudden touch, she looked down and watched as he pressed his handkerchief into her palm. In the brief moment of contact, Lucy felt his compassion, sadness, and understanding.

She dabbed her eyes with the smooth white cloth. It smelled of herbs, and soap, and rosemary. Just like him.

"Thank you."

She fiddled with the handkerchief, twisting its lovely embroidered corners around her fingers.

Dr. Reed waited in silence for her to continue.

Lucy cleared her throat, hoping to keep any further lack of composure at bay.

"Sir Wilhern utilized his myriad of contacts and, like magic, everything was sorted," Lucy said, still in awe of her guardian's reach. "The newspapers spun a beautifully tragic tale: Arthur and I had both been slain while attempting to prevent a nefarious band of thieves from robbing the ship's cargo hold. The mummy was taken, but we were successful in stopping any further theft — saving a considerable fortune, not to mention, many irreplaceable pieces of Egyptian history. We died heroes. In Arthur's case, it was true. The tragedy is, only a handful of people will ever be privy to the extent of his bravery. I am thankful his father is among them."

She stared down at the uneven stone floor of the morgue, working her jaw in an attempt to keep her voice steady. "I couldn't attend Arthur's funeral. It was a joint affair, and I was supposedly in the other casket, so it would have caused an uproar had I paid respects with the other mourners. That was the most difficult part for me: not being able to give Arthur a proper goodbye."