Page 6 of The Count

“Thank you, John,” I said as he moved aside to serve the count. He covered his plate in mostly English-style breakfast foods. Dmitri took a small jar of what appeared to be cherry preserves and spread them over a piece of wheat toast. He took a bite, and the red jam marked the side of his mouth, looking a lot like blood for a second before he wiped it away. He chewed silently, watching me and I felt the need to speak to cover up the overwhelming silence.

“I very much appreciate your generosity in bringing me here to Alucard Estate. It is really as beautiful as all the articles said it would be,” I began.

“It takes a lot of upkeep, but I take pride in maintaining my family’s home,” he replied.

“I hear it was given to the Alucards by Henry the VIII in the 1500s,” I answered, hoping he would tell me more about the history of the place.

“It was. Much of the paper trail around the origins of this place has been lost through one natural disaster or another, but my family has passed the stories down through generations. My ancestor, Demetrius Alucard, escaped Romania during the year of 1514.”

“Escaped?”

“There was a revolt led by peasants against the nobility in his home country of Transylvania. He came here and befriended the king. Rumor has it he was involved in the match between the king and Anne Boleyn, but there’s no evidence or sources to confirm that. Throughout the king’s reign, it is said that Demetrius was involved with many of the king’s tumultuous relationships, along with several acquisitions of land and money with the help of funds from him.”

I found myself hanging onto his every word in utter fascination.

“Did your family ever talk about any particular stories about the relationship between Demetrius and Henry?” I asked. I finally took a bite of my breakfast. I’d been too engrained in his story to even think about eating a single bite until then.

“There’s one about a rather wicked night when the two of them shared a young maiden from court,” he answered.

I blushed hard at the insinuation. Thankfully, he changed the subject.

“They both had a strong love for brandy, so much so that Demetrius started making some of his own stock for the two of them. We still produce the plum brandy he made back then today. That recipe is probably one of my family’s most prized possessions,” he continued.

“I’d love to try some,” I replied.

“It’s wonderful before bed. I’ll have John prepare some for you tonight.”

I ate several more bites of my breakfast, chewing thoughtfully. I didn’t want to press the reason for my visit, but I wanted to know why he’d brought me here in the first place. This property was a piece of history. There was such revelry and appreciation in his voice when he talked about it. Did he actually want to sell it?

I sipped my coffee, trying to fight the pull of exhaustion from such a terrible night’s sleep. Despite all my effort, I yawned so widely that my eyes watered.

The count chuckled softly. “Why don’t you finish your breakfast, and I will walk you to your chambers so that you can have an afternoon respite? This evening, John will take you on a tour of the grounds,” Dmitri smiled.

“Will you not join us?” I asked.

“I have business elsewhere this evening. Tomorrow, we will meet again,” he answered.

I didn’t think to press any further. A man didn’t get to his rank in life without hard work.

“I will look forward to it,” I smiled.

We made small talk for the rest of breakfast. I ate my fill and tried a few bites of several other dishes before I yawned once again, and the count announced that he should take me upstairs. He swept me out of the dining room and up the grand staircase. He led me down a long hall all the way to the end to a red-stained wood door. He opened it with a flourish.

“I picked this room for you myself,” he explained.

“Oh?”

“Yes. The view out the window into the gardens is stunning. The property has ten different gardens, but this one is by far the largest and most colorful of them all. I thought you might enjoy that,” he continued.

“I will,” I answered quickly.

“One more thing, Jasmina. Please keep to your chambers at night. Your safety is paramount to me, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you,” he said softly, his tone deadly serious.

“Am I unsafe here?” I asked quickly, furrowing my brow in confusion. The property was pristine, heavily wooded, and mostly rural. What possibly could hurt me here—a pack of wolves or maybe a fox?

“Recently, there have been several sightings of armed men on the property. I have been unable to track them down or verify my staff’s claims. Just in case, I would like you to stay up here where it’s perfectly safe,” he explained.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have all I need right here,” I replied.

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