Alexander-Fyn-Sanguinarian

And I have to say that his lordship never turns a beggar from his door and he has always provided a Christmas feast for the villagers in the church hall.”
    “Has he now?” Mrs. Bracket asked. Evangeline sat up straighter as she listened.
    “Yes, a good feast, with an orange for every child, even though his finances have been dwindling for some years. And he has let many a family go into arrears with their rent when times are hard. He pays for doctors for sick children on the estate and when one family’s old horse died in the field he sent them one from his stables at no cost.”
    “He sounds like a saint,” Evangeline said.
    “But you have heard tales of evil and whatnot?” Mrs. Bracket persisted.
    “Many tales.” The vicar nodded vigourously. “But I have no idea if there is any substance to them. It is one of those sad situations where a man’s reputation precedes him.”
    “Is it? Well, Miss Evie and myself can confirm that the man is a 158
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    vampire, and there is something you can help us with, vicar. We need a bit of advice about Lord Ravenscroft.”
    The young vicar leaned forward eagerly. “I’ll do anything I can to assist you.”

    * * * *

    Raven’s sensitive nose wrinkled and he sniffed. “Can you smell that? Where’s it coming from?”
    “Did you not hear them come in, even with your back to them?”
    Rory Dancer smiled. “You must be distracted, Raven. The young lady and her companion are sitting by the fire.”
    “But Evangeline always smells very pleasant.” He glanced quickly over his shoulder, knowing he was protected by the darkness.
    “What is it, and what the devil is that hanging about her neck? She did not have that at the castle.”
    “The smell is garlic.” Ethella could not suppress a chuckle. “And that thing about her neck is a great wooden crucifix.”
    “The stupid child!” Raven’s anger flared at once.
    “My lord!” Rory said in a warning tone.
    “Yes, yes.” He tried to calm down.
    “This would be a good moment to approach her and ask to talk to her,” Rory said
    “Would it?”
    “Yes. Her companion is with her, this is a public place, and she thinks you chastened after what happened this morning.”
    “I’ll give her chastened,” Raven muttered.
    “Do you want her back?” Ethella asked.
    “His lordship has no choice,” Munk stated.
    “Yes, I do want her back,” he said with more passion than he had intended.
    “You like her,” Rory said, surprised.
    “She’s pretty enough,” he said grudgingly. “And you must admit Sanguinarian 159
    she has spirit to defy me the way she has, to keep trying to escape.”
    Rory and Ethella smiled at each other. “She has courage to run out onto the moors after dark with nothing to protect her from the elements.”
    “That was simply stupid,” Munk put in.
    “You don’t like her, Justine?” Rory asked Munk.
    “No, Rory, I don’t. She does not appreciate his lordship. She does not see him for the fine man he is. She is very strange. Look at her now with that ridiculous lump of wood hanging about her neck, stinking of garlic. Where did she get such notions? Reading too many horrid novels, no doubt.”
    “She eats very strange foods, creamy puddings and rather too many vegetables. She likes her meat burnt to a crisp.” Raven grimaced.
    “That is strange, but I believe they all do that,” Ethella agreed.
    “You knew when you approached her that she was not of the blood.
    You either accept her with her idiosyncrasies or you do not, my lord.”
    “I didn’t exactly choose her,” Raven said. “I posted an advertisement in The Times and one or two other reputable newspapers.”
    “What sort of responses did you get?”
    “I got quite a number of letters.”
    “Then why Miss Rutledge? Was there no other lady more suitable?”
    Raven looked at his hands, interlacing his fingers. “When the applicants found out I was Lord Ravenscroft of Castle Haven they all refused me, every last one.”
    “Except Miss Rutledge?”
    “Except Miss Rutledge’s uncle. She knew nothing of the sale until the evening I came for her. She was reluctant from the start.” He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Reluctant? Ha! She was horrified and disgusted.”
    “They don’t understand our ways,” Ethella said kindly. “We 160
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    cannot hold it against her.”
    “But she thinks I’m ugly. She called me a yellow-eyed beast.”
    “I’d like to slap her,” Munk said firmly.
    “That