He told me that he’s meant to be alone. He said that it would be wrong of him to marry, not just Nell but anyone. ”
He’s meant to be alone and it would be wrong of him to marry. What interesting statements. I wonder what he means by them? Is he, by any chance, homosexual?
“I asked him if he was, and he denied it,” I said.
Perhaps he has a physical problem, then, a problem that, in his mind, renders him unfit to play the role of a husband. You must find out if this is indeed what’s troubling him.
80 Nancy Atherton
“How?” I asked uneasily.
Men are, of course, more reticent about such problems than women are, but if you found the courage to ask Kit about his sexual orientation, I’m certain that you’ll fi nd a way to discuss with him other subjects of an intimate nature.
I gaped at the blue journal in disbelief. “You want me to ask Kit about his . . . his manliness?”
You needn’t be quite so direct, my dear. You might simply suggest, as a way of opening the conversation, that Nell wouldn’t care if he were blind, deaf, and paralyzed from the neck down. She’s bound to his spirit, not to his body. You must reassure him on that score.
“I’ll do what I can,” I said weakly, shooting a horrified look at Reginald. My pink bunny seemed to understand the excruciating awkwardness of the task Aunt Dimity had set for me. Kit was one of my dearest friends, but I wasn’t sure he’d remain one if I started quizzing him on subjects of a much-too-intimate nature.
I know you’ll do your best, Lori. Now, tell me about the vampire hunt.
You mentioned footprints. Did they lead you to Rendor?
“Not yet,” I said, overjoyed to move on to another topic. “But the footprints and a scrap of silk he left behind prove that he’s not a figment of the twins’ imaginations. Kit thinks he was heading for a place called Aldercot Hall, but before we could follow him there, we smelled smoke. When we went to check it out, we found a man camping in Gypsy Hollow, and we ended up having a very enjoyable lunch with him. I don’t know what his last name is, but his first name is Leo, and he’s a real charmer. Did you ever hear of him, Dimity? He’s spent most of his adult life in Australia, but he grew up in England, and he told us that he spent a fair amount of time around here when he was young.”
I’ve known a number of Leos. It’s a pity you didn’t ascertain his sur-name. Did your lunch with Leo put an end to your vampire hunt?
“No, but the rain did,” I said. “It started coming down in buckets, so Kit and I decided to storm Aldercot Hall tomorrow.” I Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter
81
stroked Stanley absentmindedly, then asked, “Why don’t I know about Aldercot Hall, Dimity? It’s only a few miles away, but I’d never heard of it until today.”
Aldercot Hall is a private residence. It has never been opened to the public, and its owners, the DuCarals, have never involved themselves in the affairs of neighboring communities.
“Is that how they’ve escaped the gossip grapevine?” I asked. “I mean, I’m a card-carrying member of the Finch busybody society, but I haven’t heard so much as a whisper about the DuCarals.”
You haven’t listened to the right people, Lori. Most of the villagers with whom you exchange gossip are relative newcomers to Finch. They are no doubt unaware of certain . . . stories . . . associated with the DuCaral family. If you wish to hear those stories, you’ll have to listen to someone who has deep roots in the region, someone whose memories go back a long, long way.
“Like the Pyms?” I asked, referring to a pair of ancient and identical twin sisters who lived between Anscombe Manor and Finch.
No. Ruth and Louise Pym won’t be able to help you. As churchgoers they would find it distasteful to discuss the . . . legends . . . that are associated with the DuCarals.
“What does churchgoing have to do with it?” I asked. “What kind of legends are you talking about, Dimity?”
The kind that would make a creature such as Rendor seek sanctuary in Aldercot Hall.
I stared hard at Aunt Dimity’s reply, then glanced foolishly around the study, as though I were afraid of being overheard, before whispering excitedly, “Are you saying that the DuCarals are vampires?”
I would never say such a thing, Lori, but there have always been strange rumors connected to the family. Have you ever met a woman named Lizzie Black?
“No,” I said. “Who is she?”
She’s someone I think you should meet. She has a small freehold on the other side of Horace Malvern’s property. It’s called Hilltop Farm, and it’s been in Lizzie’s family for seven generations.
82 Nancy Atherton
“The Fowlers live on the other side of Mr. Malvern’s farm,” I reminded her.