As I pushed it around my plate, pretending to eat it and wondering if I could drop it under the table, I remembered what I had pushed to the back of my mind until now-the figure who had climbed up the castle wall. I wanted to ask Matty about it, but one can hardly say at a royal banquet, "By the way, do you have creepy things that climb up your castle walls?"

Instead I said, "So I hear there are legends of vampires a.s.sociated with this castle, Your Highness."

"Vampires?" And she gave a peal of laughter. "Oh, yes, absolutely true. Half our family are vampires, aren't they, Siegfried?"

Siegfried frowned. "Since our family originally comes from Germany, that would be hardly likely. However, there are many legends a.s.sociated with this castle," he said in his prissy way of talking. "Of course the castle was built by Vlad the Impaler, whom the peasants regarded as being in league with the devil, and it is said that the Dracula tale began here. The local peasants are very superst.i.tious. Ask them and they will all tell you of a relative who was bitten by a vampire or met a werewolf. They won't venture out at night, you know, and if anyone dares to venture forth after dark then it's said that person has to be in league with the undead."

"Ah, so that explains the way they crossed themselves when we stopped at the inn at the top of the pa.s.s," I said.

"So primitive and illiterate," Siegfried said. "I told Maria Theresa that she should set an example of modern behavior by having her wedding in the capital, but she wouldn't hear of it. She always was a hopeless romantic."

I personally wouldn't have called the castle a romantic spot but I dared to ask, "So do any of these undead creatures climb up castle walls?"

"Castle walls?" Matty asked sharply. "I hope not. I sleep with my window open."

Siegfried laughed mirthlessly. "I believe that vampires are reputed to climb down walls, headfirst. But do not worry, you will be quite safe-as safe as you are at your own castle in Scotland, which I understand has its share of ghosts and monsters."

He turned back to Max and I looked across at my mother. She was in a sulky mood because there was n.o.body near her to charm. But I saw her looking down the table on several occasions and decided that she was showing interest in Anton. That might prove interesting, watching Belinda and my mother compete for his attention. Of course Mummy was hampered by having Max in tow. Not that that ever slowed down Mrs. Simpson! Amusingly Field Marshal Pirin seemed to think that Mummy was making eye contact with him and he raised his gla.s.s to her, leering over it seductively. Mummy shuddered.

"Who is that awful man? He looks like the wicked baron from a pantomime."

"He's the head of the Bulgarian army," I said.

"How terribly democratic of them, inviting soldiers to the royal palace."

"I gather he wields a lot of power and has to be humored," I said.

"I don't intend to humor him," she said. "He keeps looking at me as if he's mentally undressing me."

"Who wishes to undress you?" Max demanded, suddenly showing interest.

"n.o.body darling, except you," Mummy said quickly. She waited until Max had resumed his conversation. "His English has improved almost too well now. I liked it when he only understood what I wanted him to."

Field Marshal Pirin obviously had no sensibilities about eating venison. He too had a leg, which he now picked up in one hand while brandishing a winegla.s.s in the other and taking alternate bites and swigs. I felt sorry for Nicholas and Anton if they were stuck with him as a frequent dinner guest at home.

Dinner finally came to an end and we ladies were led off to a salon while the men indulged in cigars and schnapps. Lady Middles.e.x intercepted me. She was dressed in a fearsome black gown, topped with a helmetlike affair that was no doubt intended to inspire awe among the inhabitants of the colonies. The effect was not unlike those suits of armor I had pa.s.sed in the corridors.

"Ah, there you are. All settled in, then? Jolly good. Jolly good. We'll be off in the morning. The princess is kindly arranging for a car."

"Is Miss Deer-Harte not feeling well?" I asked, not seeing her among the ladies.

"She's right as rain, as far as I know, apart from being jumpy about staying in a place like this. I had a tray sent up to her room. She couldn't very well be allowed to join a glittering company like this for dinner, could she. She's only a companion."

"Here we are, then, isn't this jolly?" Matty came up to me, her arm linked with Belinda's. "I see you've made quite a conquest there, Belinda. Anton couldn't take his eyes off you all through dinner."

"Belinda's hobby is making conquests," I said. "She has left a long stream of broken hearts across Europe."

"I hope not," Matty said. "Fun is one thing, but broken hearts quite another. I hope I never have to break another heart as long as I live."

As we came into the room I saw a group of middle-aged women, dripping with jewels and furs, examining us critically-or rather it appeared as if they were examining me. They beckoned me over to them.

"You are the Lady Georgiana from England, correct?" one asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Relative of British king?"

"Yes, my father and he were cousins."

She looked at the other ladies and nodded. "Is good. English king has much power."

"So tell me. You know Prince of Wales?" one of them asked. She was dressed in the height of fashion with a sleek cap of Marcel waves and brilliant red lips.

"Yes, I see him often."

"One hears he has a new mistress?" she asked. "An American woman? A commoner?"

"I'm afraid so." There was little point in denying it if the rumor had already reached Romania.

"What she is like, this woman?" my inquisitor persisted. "She is beautiful?"

"Actually not. Rather boyish in features and figure."

"You see." The woman turned triumphantly to her friends. "What do I tell you? Secretly he prefers boys. He will never marry and make a good king, that one."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll do his duty, at the right time," I said.

"The right time? My dear, isn't he already forty? The right time was twenty years ago. It was suggested then that I might be a suitable match for him. But alas, he showed no inclination. Fortunately I married my husband, the count, instead and he still keeps me satisfied in bed, which I'm sure poor Prince Edward could never do."

Her friends laughed.

"They say English men are cold, no?" another of the women asked me. "They cannot feel pa.s.sion because they are sent to the boarding school too early. You will do well to select a European husband, my dear. More fire and pa.s.sion."

"Not all of them, remember, Sophia," the first woman said, giving her a warning glance that I couldn't understand. "Maybe the English lady does not want fire and pa.s.sion. She may be content with good companionship."

They were laughing at a secret joke and I looked around uneasily. Suddenly I had the same feeling I had experienced on the station-someone was watching me. There were several archways along one side of the room and the pa.s.sage beyond them was in darkness. I thought I could make out a dark figure standing just beyond the archway, but then it could have been the carved stone, or even a suit of armor.

At that moment the men came into the salon to join us. Nicholas came right over to Matty and me. Anton made a beeline for Belinda, and Field Marshal Pirin for my mother, which made Mummy decide that she was getting one of her headaches and excuse herself.

"Didn't you tell me there is an oubliette in this castle?" Anton said to Matty. "We should push Pirin down it. Really the fellow is too much. Did you see his behavior at dinner? Completely boorish."

"Much as I'd like to take up your suggestion, you know he has to be humored unless you want civil war or worse," Nicholas said. "And Father relies on him."

"Relies on him too much," Anton said. "He's getting too big for his boots. If you ask me the man is dangerous. He's using us for his own ends, Nicky. He sees himself as a future dictator, another Mussolini."

"You don't need to worry about it," Nicholas said. "You can go back to your delightful existence in Paris. I might have to deal with him someday when I become king."

"That's me. The useless playboy," Anton said. "All I'm good for is providing escort to beautiful women." And he took Belinda's arm.

"I didn't ask to be born first," Nicholas said. "I don't particularly want the job, any more than our cousin Edward wants the job in England, I'd imagine." He looked at me for confirmation.

"I don't think most men would want to be king," I said.

"One hopes that Father lives for years, of course," Nicholas said.

We glanced up as Pirin laughed noisily. "That's a good one," he said, slapping his thigh. He was talking to the man who had welcomed us, Count Dragomir, who was not smiling. In fact he looked as if he were in pain.

"Well, I'm turning in," Lady Middles.e.x declared, appearing at my side. "We've had a long and strenuous day and tomorrow we have to face that pa.s.s again. Poor Deer-Harte is already a bundle of nerves." She looked at me critically. "And you look as if you could do with a good night's rest too. Come along." And she took hold of my arm in a firm manner.

Rather than make a fuss I bid my hostess good night and allowed myself to be led away. I entered my room, only to find someone sleeping in my bed. For an awful moment I thought I might have barged into Siegfried's room again. I tiptoed out again hastily and checked the hallway. I was sure this was my room this time. I went back in. The sleeper was none other than Queenie. I woke her up.

"Sorry, miss, I must have dozed off," she said. "It was that cold in here I got under the covers."

"Did you have your dinner?" I asked.

"I didn't like to leave the room, not quite knowing where I was going," she said.

"Oh, dear. Let's see if one of the servants can take you down to the kitchen and get you something now."

"It's all right, miss, thank you kindly," she said. "I think I'd rather just go to bed. I don't quite fancy foreign food at the moment. It's all been a bit much in one day."

I looked at her kindly, thinking how overwhelming it had been for me and then putting myself in her place, straight from a little London backstreet. "Good idea, Queenie. Just help me off with this dress first and hang it up and then you can go. You can find out in the morning where you go to bring up my tea tray."

She went and I was alone in the room. I climbed into bed and lingered for a while before I dared to turn off the bedside lamp. I had always thought of myself as the daring one in the family. I had allowed my brother and his school friends to lower me into the castle well at home. I had sat up all night on the battlements once to see if my grandfather's ghost really did play the bagpipes. But this was different. I felt a profound sense of unease. I wished I still had a nanny in the next room. Finally I curled up into a little ball and tried to go to sleep.

I was drifting off when I thought I heard the smallest of noises-a light click. My eyes shot open, instantly awake. Although the outer regions of my room were pitch-black I was somehow sure that someone was in the room with me. The curtains around the bed obscured my view. I leaned out a little, then drew my head back quickly. The fire had died down but from the glow I could make out a dark figure, moving closer and closer. At last he stood over the bed. I opened my mouth but I was too frightened to move or to scream. The glow from the fire illuminated his face. It looked just like the young man from the portrait on the wall.

He leaned closer and closer to me and he murmured something in a language I didn't understand. He was smiling, his teeth reflected in the firelight. Everything Belinda had told me about vampires biting necks and the ecstasy of being bitten rushed back to me. In the safety of London and daylight I had laughed with her. But the face above me was all too real and it seemed as if those teeth were heading straight for my neck. However terrified I was, one thing was certain. I was definitely not about to be turned into an undead.

I sat up abruptly, making him leap backward.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded in a way that my great-grandmother Queen Victoria would have been proud of.

The young man gave an unearthly moan of horror. Then he turned and melted back into the shadows.

Chapter 14.

A bedroom in Bran Castle. Darkness.

Wednesday, November 16

For a while I couldn't move. I sat up, my heart beating so rapidly that I could hardly breathe. Was the creature still in the room with me? How did one ward off vampires anyway? I tried to remember from reading Dracula Dracula. Some sort of herb or plant? Parsley? No, that wasn't it. I thought it might be garlic. Had I eaten enough of that on the venison to breathe on him? I wasn't about to try to find my way down to the kitchen to locate some. I also thought I remembered that crosses might work, but I didn't have one of those either. Stakes through the heart? I didn't think I could pull that one off even if I had a stake at my disposal.

Then I thought of something more solid, like maybe one of the large candlesticks on the mantelpiece. Surely even a vampire could be kept at bay with a whomp over the head with that. I slipped out of bed, made my way across the room and picked up the candlestick. Then I crossed the room cautiously until I reached the light switch. I turned it on and found n.o.body there. Of course then I had to lift the various curtains, one by one, experiencing at least one heart-stopping moment when a blast of cold air hit me in the face and I realized that one of the windows was open.

I tried to close it but it didn't latch properly. I told myself that Siegfried's room was next door, but I pictured myself standing at his door in a nightdress again, trying to explain that a vampire had just been trying to bite my neck. Somehow I didn't think he'd believe me. Then I noticed a large tapestry bellpull beside the bed and was half tempted to yank on it and see who it brought. But since they probably spoke no English and I would have felt equally foolish explaining a vampire attack to them, I left it and got into bed, still clutching the candlestick. At least I was relieved knowing that the bellpull was there and if he came back I could summon help before he could get his teeth into me.

The moment I was in bed I realized that I remembered the chest that I hadn't managed to open before. I could never sleep not knowing what was in there. I got up and crossed the room slowly while the portrait of the young man looked down with a mocking smile. I jumped again as I caught sight of my reflection in that wardrobe mirror and it did occur to me that I had never seen the young man's reflection as he came toward the bed. Wasn't that another thing about vampires-that one couldn't see their shadow or their reflection? I shuddered. The lid was too heavy to lift. I struggled and struggled until at last I had it open. To my intense relief it only contained clothing, including a black cape. The interesting thing was that there were some half-melted snowflakes on it, which made me suspect that my vampire visitor had climbed the wall into my room.

I stayed awake for most of the night but received no more unearthly visitors. Toward dawn I drifted off to sleep, then awoke to that strange lighting that indicates the presence of snow. I opened my window and looked out. It must have snowed hard all night, as the turrets and battlements each wore an impressive white hat. The road up the pa.s.s was untrammeled whiteness. It would have been pretty in Switzerland with the hillsides dotted with meadows and chalets. Here it just made the crags and the pine forest even more gloomy. And such a feeling of remoteness. I felt as if I were trapped in another time, another world far away from everything safe.

I looked at my watch and realized it was after eight. I would have welcomed my cup of tea but there was no sign of Queenie. In the end I got tired of waiting. I had to dress myself and found my way down to breakfast. The breakfast table was deserted save for Prince Siegfried. He rose to his feet and clicked his heels as I approached.

"Lady Georgiana. I trust you slept well."

"Not exactly," I said.

"I am sorry. Please let our people know if there is anything to do to make you more comfortable."

I could hardly request a guard against vampires, could I? I was glad I hadn't given in to panic and rushed to his room. I'd have to be really desperate before I knocked on Siegfried's door again.

"Today I take the men out shooting," Siegfried said. "Maybe we find a wild boar. But later I hope we have the chance to speak together again. There are matters I wish to discuss with you. Important matters." He got to his feet, gave that jerky little bow of his and departed. Oh, golly, he wasn't going to bring up the marriage thing again, was he? How did one find a polite way to say "Not if you were the last man on earth"?

The sound of voices coming down the hallway made me look up. Lady Middles.e.x and Miss Deer-Harte came in, the latter waving her arms as she talked in animated fashion. Lady Middles.e.x cut her off when she saw me.

"Here's a how-de-doo," she said to me. "We've just heard that the wretched pa.s.s is closed. Avalanche or something. The car can't take us to the station. We have to stay here whether we like it or not."

"I really don't think I could face another night in this place," Miss Deer-Harte said. "Did you hear the wind moaning last night? At least I suppose it had to be the wind. It sounded like a soul in torment. And then someone was creeping down the hallway in the wee hours. I couldn't sleep and I was sure I heard footsteps, so I opened my door a crack and what do you think I saw? A dark figure creeping down the hall."

"It was only one of the servants, Deer-Harte. I've told you that already," Lady Middles.e.x said abruptly.

"Servants don't creep. This man was creeping-slinking as if he didn't want to be seen. Up to no good, I'm sure, if he wasn't a ghost or some other kind of creature."

"Really, Deer-Harte, your imagination," Lady Middles.e.x said. "It will get you into trouble one day."

"I know what I saw, Lady M. Of course in a castle this size I suppose all kinds of nighttime trysts and a.s.signations occur. One hears about foreign appet.i.tes for bedroom activities."

"Don't be so disgusting, Deer-Harte. Ah, there's Her Highness now." She bobbed a curtsy as Matty came in. "So kind of you to allow us to stay on, Your Highness. Much appreciated." And she bobbed a jerky curtsy.

"We didn't have much choice as it happens," Matty said frankly. "There's nowhere else within miles. We're completely snowed in. But there's plenty of room and you are welcome to stay. I must say the snow has put a damper on the festivities. The parents and entourage were expected to arrive today, but it doesn't look as if they'll be able to get here for a while now. Not until the local people have managed to dig out the pa.s.s."

"Oh, dear. I do hope the wedding ceremonies can take place on time," Miss Deer-Harte said.

"The actual ceremony is not until next week, so let's hope all is back to normal by then."

"Presumably you'll have various royal representatives arriving," Miss Deer-Harte said.

"This will be a relatively small occasion, mostly relatives," Matty said. "After all, we are related to most of the royal houses of Europe. Horribly inbred, I'm afraid. No wonder we're all so batty." She laughed again and I got the impression that she was playing a part, forcing herself to be gay. "The big formal celebration will take place in Bulgaria when we return from our honeymoon. That's when there will be heads of state and an official blessing in the cathedral and I'm presented to the people as their own dear princess-all that sort of boring stuff."

"I expect you'll have to get used to the boring stuff, as you call it, when you are married to the heir to the throne," Lady Middles.e.x said. "I find some of my official duties as a high commissioner's wife quite taxing but one knows one's duty and does what is expected of one, doesn't one?"