Jane slowly awoke to the sound of horses on cobblestones. She lifted her head, peered out and saw the sooty grey dawn of a new day. Her eyes opened wide. The carriage was clattering down a London street; she was certain of it. This was London—no other place could look like this.
She sniffed. No other place could ever smell like this, either. A stifling haze of thick smoke swam over the city. Most of its buildings were red-brick, but there were many other styles she didn't recognise. Between these, she caught glimpses of St Paul's. It was an imposing stone structure and easily the tallest building in the city. The streets were wide but already packed with traffic. Every sort of carriage imaginable—gigs, dogcarts, coaches, and chariots—jolted and crashed over the cobblestones, gravel, and dirt. Somehow, men riding horses managed to weave around the unending procession of vehicles.
The pavements were cleaner than Jane had expected. They fronted shops of chaotic varieties that sold a myriad of goods: wallpapers, carvings, fabrics, books, and clothing. There were even coffeehouses, places that Jane had heard of but never seen.
Eddy had fallen asleep during the night and now slumbered in the seat opposite. Jane stuck her head out of the carriage window and saw that Doctor Porter was driving the carriage. She looked remarkably bright.
That woman has an inexhaustible supply of energy, Jane thought. Does she never rest?
The doctor turned and noticed Jane.
'Good morning,' she said. 'You're welcome to join me if you wish.'
Jane flung the door open, hoisted herself up onto the roof, and settled onto the driver's box beside the doctor.
'This is London,' Jane said, gazing about in wonder.
'Is it what you expected?' Porter asked.
'I didn't know what to expect.'
She was getting used to the smell now, although there were some things to which she'd thought she'd never become accustomed. A man was toileting in a nearby lane. A dead horse rotted in another lane. There was horse manure everywhere, and she had no idea where it would be taken to.
There appeared to be no people of the upper classes about. Everyone seemed to be either of the middling sort or of the lower orders. The latter seemed to be wearing shabby, mended clothing. Even at this distance, Jane could see poor dressmaking; she was a capable seamstress herself.
A very drunk woman was having sex with an equally drunk man in a doorway.
'My goodness,' Jane said, aghast. 'There are some sights to see here.'
'A bit of basket making,' Porter admitted. 'Have you done any yourself?'
Jane stared at her in total confusion. 'I beg your pardon?' she said. 'Basket making? Do you mean—'
'Rutting,' Porter said. 'Humping, grinding, prigging…'
The doctor seemed to know every sexual term ever invented.
'I have not,' Jane said firmly. 'I intend to wait until I am properly married.'
'Oh, Lord. Best check out his roger first. Otherwise, you may be terribly disappointed later.'
Jane blinked. Twice.
'Anyway,' Jane said, finally rediscovering her voice. 'That's another matter. In the meantime, I wish to say that I appreciate your help in finding Cassandra.'
'I am happy to oblige. I have been hunting Dracula for some time. He is a monster, unlike any other.'
'So you're a vampire hunter as well as being a doctor,' Jane said. 'I didn't know there were any female doctors. I thought the Royal College of Physicians of London only accepted men.'
'It does.'
'Then how—'
'There are many practising doctors who did not train at the College,' Doctor Porter said. 'I did, however, but I did it dressed as a man. My father was a doctor, as was his father before him. I was with my father when he served at Mysore. I watched him stitch up dying men from the time I was five. Saw him carrying out autopsies from the time I was ten. I always wanted to be a doctor. The intricate workings of the human body always fascinated me.'
'I see.'
'When we returned to London, my father started a private practice. He died soon after but left me some money. No one knew me, and so I always made a point of wearing men's attire.'
'You've never missed women's clothing?'
'Women always look better without it,' Porter said. 'And dressing as a man got me further than wearing a frock ever would.'
'And medical school?'
'I attended the Royal College. Dressing as a man, I lowered my voice and attended classes. They never asked me if I was a man. They just assumed I was. I always made a point of remaining a little aloof from the others, so I never formed close friendships.'
Jane thought of her own relationships: her family, and particularly Cassandra, were everything to her. 'I'm sorry to hear that,' she said.
'I grew used to it,' Porter replied. 'Besides, I have friends, but I'm sure they're people of whom you and your family would not approve.'
'How do you know?' Jane asked defensively. 'We may live in the country, but we are still people of the world.'
The doctor laughed. 'All right, Jane,' she said. 'Tell me about yourself.'
'All right,' she said. 'My father is the rector of Steventon,' she said. 'He's been the rector for almost three decades. My brother James is the vicar of Sherborne St John. My brother Henry is with the Oxfordshire Militia. Two other brothers—' Jane stopped. 'Why are you laughing?'
Porter slapped her knee. 'I said, tell me about yourself. Not everyone else.'
'Well,' Jane said, considering. She could mention her sewing, musicianship, and dancing, but these suddenly seemed trivial. 'I like to write. I have written a few volumes of poems and plays. I recently finished a draft of a novel. People who have seen my writing speak well of it.'
Doctor Porter brought the horses to a halt in a back lane in the heart of the metropolis. 'You aspire to be a novelist?'
'I believe so,' Jane said.
Mostly, men wrote novels, but women did too. Jane loved the work of Fanny Burney and Maria Edgeworth. She would be very pleased indeed if she could write as well one day.
'That's good, Jane,' Doctor Porter said. 'The world needs a variety of voices. Make yours heard.' She paused. 'But just keep in mind that a bit of shagging beforehand may give you a more balanced perspective.'
Jane sighed. 'I'm sure.'
A sound came from a nearby doorway as a door burst open.
'Lord, as I live and breathe!' a man said. 'It's Will Porter!'
'Harry Avery!' Doctor Porter yelled.
The doctor launched herself off the driver's box onto the pavement and gave the man a huge hug. He was portly and wore a leather apron that was covered in a viscous, dark substance that looked like dried blood. He even had a little of it in his hair.
The carriage shook as Eddy disembarked. He wished Jane a good morning and clasped Harry's hand.
'And who is this with you?' Harry asked, peering up at Jane.
'This is Jane Austen,' Doctor Porter introduced her. 'Her family's in a spot of bother.'
'Does it involve blood and teeth?'
'It does.'
Harry nodded gravely to Jane. 'Those blood-sucking monsters took two of my sons. Any friend of Will Porter's a friend of mine.' He turned back to the doctor. 'I assume you're after some lodging?'
'Just for the day.'
'Then come in and make yourself at home.'
It turned out that both Eddy and Doctor Porter travelled light. They had two trunks between them. Jane, of course, had brought absolutely nothing at all.
They followed Harry up a narrow flight of stairs to the first floor of a ramshackle, rotting building. There were two rooms upstairs with a shared hand basin. In one corner, there was a jagged hole in the floor. Jane made the mistake of peering down into it and was greeted with the sight of two people writhing about in a bed.
'Heavens,' she gasped.
Still, she looked twice.
'Are they still at it?' Harry asked when he saw Jane's shocked expression. He peered down the hole. 'Keep yer gear on! There's a lady staying up here!'
A faint sorry came from below.
Is this what everyone does in London? Jane wondered. Do they not read books?
'Best not to look down there,' Harry advised. He pointed to another set of narrow stairs. 'There's a privy down there. The wife has also cooked some lamb if you'd like some.'
Harry told her to go downstairs when she was ready and left. Jane discovered she was famished, but felt they had to get moving after Cassandra. Unfortunately, Eddy had already disappeared into the other room.
'There's little we can do till this afternoon,' Porter said, yawning. 'You get some food, and I'll grab some rest.'
'But we have a plan?' Jane said. 'We can save Cassandra?'
Doctor Porter's face was grim. 'I can't promise anything, Jane,' she said. 'Dracula is one of the most powerful vampires to ever live—or not live, as the case may be. I have contacts in London that I believe can help us. Other than that, we just need to be ready when the time comes.'
Nodding, Jane went to the stairs, but by then, the doctor was already shedding her layers of clothing and climbing into bed.
I just hope being ready is enough, Jane thought.