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“In his way. ” I was still struggling to regain my composure. I felt so cold, so very weak.

Prince Vlad helped May down, then extended his hand to me. As I looked upon his face, I could feel the strength of his gaze. He was a man of great power. He was nothing like the old bald Count I had imagined. I felt drawn to him, yet repulsed. Swallowing hard, I slipped my hand into his. His hand was cold and dry. As he pulled me toward him, he suddenly smiled. I thought I saw, for a mere moment, long wolf-like fangs beyond his red lips. I tried to draw my hand away, but he held it firmly.

“Don’t fret, Lady Glynis,” he said softly. “All is as it should be. ”

As my feet touched the cold stones, I pulled away, moving swiftly to my father’s side. Keeping my head down, I tried to avoid Prince Vlad’s potent gaze. He unnerved me, making me feel weak, and I despised him for it.

Vlad stepped into the doorway, turning toward us. “Enter my house, my dear friends. Enter freely of your own will. Bring me a measure of your happiness. Please, enter!”

Father escorted my mother into the great hall beyond the door as we, his faithful daughters, timidly followed.

Vlad turned his gaze toward the driver and Ovidiu. “You, there! I suggest you take the horses to the stables. If you sleep there, I promise you safety this night. ”

Ovidiu seemed on the verge of collapse. The driver cowered behind the horses. Both were staring at Vlad as if he were Satan himself. At Vlad’s words, both visibly relaxed.

“Thank you, kind master! Thank you!” Ovidiu exclaimed.

Prince Vlad nodded once, then closed the door. The sound of it slamming shut echoed through the castle. Turning, Vlad smiled at us as we huddled together. “I am afraid I am not quite as prepared as I should wish to be. I am in the midst of repairing the castle. It is a difficult task that I take to with great pride. The Draculas were a great ruling family. Ilona!”

A small, old gypsy woman appeared out of the shadows carrying a lantern.

“Prepare the rooms immediately. ”

Ilona glanced at me, her dark eyes very alert and hard. She nodded quickly, then shuffled off into the dark.

“I have hired the local gypsies as servants. They are not as gifted in their tasks as the servants you are accustomed to, but they perform adequately. ”

“Of course. ” Father was at a loss for words.

I could not blame him.

The long corridor that lay before us was cold and decrepit. I could see that he was beginning to question his desire to seek shelter in this place.

Vlad laughed, amused by our expressions. “I must explain, my friends. I do not plan to live here much longer. I am planning to move to England. I wish to invest in an estate there. I plan to marry and live there with my family. This castle is to be sort of a vacation home. I also have a home in Buda. A lovely home. That is where I was staying when I was unexpectedly called back here. ”

“Oh! I see,” Mother said with relief.

“Several areas of the castle are repaired and quite hospitable. Come, come. There is a delicious supper waiting for you. ” Prince Vlad moved down the hall, holding the lantern high over his head.

I followed behind the rest of my family, wishing to place as much room as possible between Prince Vlad and me. He was not the old, bald, fat Count of my imaginings, but I almost wished he were. He was darkly handsome, alluring, frightening and, I feared, somehow evil.

As I climbed a great staircase, I observed how precisely he carried himself. He was a tall, lean man with broad shoulders. He looked like a warrior.

I heard whispering behind me and whirled about. I stared into the darkness and saw no one lingering in the shadows. Yet, I sensed that someone was watching me. Nervously, I caught up with my family.

Vlad threw open a set of doors and light flooded out. Before us was a vast dining room. It was quite nice and warm. A large meal was already on the table and two young gypsy women were finishing laying the table.

I looked suspiciously at Vlad and said quite boldly, “I thought you said you weren’t expecting us. ”

“I wasn’t, dear lady. ” Prince Vlad moved on to speak with my father, coolly dismissing my comment.

“Please, Glynis, be kind to our host,” Mother begged me under her breath. She tucked her hair back from her face, then tried to smooth out her very rumpled skirt. May hovered at Mother’s elbow, looking around with wide eyes.

“I don’t like this place,” I said with a sniff.

“Neither do I. It’s so ghastly!” May continued to look about the room warily.

“Well, he said he has another home,” Mother said. She also seemed a little disturbed by our surroundings.