Free Mina by Elaine Bergstrom Page B

tolerate the way those two are always watching Mina," Quincey had
said when they were alone. "They act like
    she's dying when it's clear
she is better than she's been in weeks. You should be with her, not cooped up
in here sleeping triple with
    Arthur and me."
    "Van
Helsing doesn't think that wise," Jonathan had replied carefully, not
certain how to respond to Quincey's American
    directness.
    "You've
been married for what, six weeks ... Well, I'm sorry. I guess I just don't see
things with quite the same reserve as the
    English." Quincey hardly
sounded apologetic.
    Jonathan had waited until Quincey
was asleep before slipping out of the compartment and going to Mina. He had
stood at the foot of her bed, staring at his wife, so innocent save for the
terrible scar on her forehead that was visible even in the moonlight shining
through the window. Though she had been sound asleep when he arrived, she
seemed to sense his presence and held out her arms to him. He kissed her once,
chastely, but she pulled him closer to her, responding with a passion he had
never felt in her before.
    "Mina,"
he whispered, stroking back the locks of hair that had fallen over her
forehead.
    "Promise
me that they will not be harmed," she whispered. "I will do anything
if you only promise me."
    "Of course," he replied and moved away from her,
guessing what presence she thought was in her room, the bargain she would strike
with the vampire to save his life. He retreated before he gave in to the
petulant temptation of waking her and telling her what she had promised.
    Now he found
himself wishing that she would display that passion to him. It was unreasonable
to be jealous of a vampire, a

creature who could force Mina to respond to him, yet Jonathan was.
How could he be so cruel, so blind! He reached out and gently wiped the tears
from her eyes. "I'm sorry, darling," he said. "It was callous of
me to come to you so soon."
    She was
about to say something, but he could not bear to hear her justify his action.
"I'll come for you when dinner is announced,"
    he said and left quickly.
    The train had stopped to take on
water. Through a window that had been cracked for air, he heard it flowing into
the tank car, felt the vibration its rushing caused. He paused to listen, to
think of what he could do for Mina, but she would not remain in the center of
his mind.
    What were
the women's names? he wondered. What sort of lives had they led before they
became Dracula's terrible brides?
    Dr. Seward
opened his compartment door. "There you are! Care to join me for drink and
a cigar?" he asked.
    "Just a
moment. I bought a bottle," Jonathan replied and went back into his own
compartment to retrieve it. Mina stood looking
    out at the town.
"Craiova, isn't it?" she asked without looking at him.
    "I
think so."
    "When
we leave this land and the terrible reminders it gives us both, things will be
better," she said as if trying to assure herself of
    it.
    "Of
course." He kissed the back of her neck and fingered a lock of her hair.
"I love you," he added. She turned and wrapped her
    arms around his neck,
pressing her face against his shoulder. "I came back for the bottle. Jack
and I are going to have a drink.
    Should I have him go on
without me?"
    She shook
her head. "I'll join you in a little while," she said.
    As he left,
he looked back and saw that she had turned her face toward the window once
again. He was certain she was trying to
    hide her tears.
    Why shouldn't she hide them? he
thought as he sat in the smoking car with Dr. Seward. Every time she had acted
the least bit emotional, feminine as his father had once called it, Van
Helsing had responded with concern. The entire trip east had been terrible for
Jonathan, evoking all the memories of his weeks in Dracula's castle. How much
worse must Mina have felt? Fool! he thought and must have mouthed the word,
for Dr. Seward looked up from his paper.
    "Are
you all right?" Seward asked.
    "Just preoccupied." It occurred to him that