The balloon operator, a man by the name of Jeffries, eventually wrestled them to an untidy landing some miles from the castle. It was here that Eddy arrived in the coach to retrieve them. He had been following them for their entire journey.
Climbing into the coach, Doctor Porter quickly checked Jane's condition. 'My dear,' she said. 'Have you been harmed? Are you bitten?'
'I am exhausted but have not been hurt.'
'You will excuse me if I check anyway.'
The doctor made a point of scrutinising her neck first, and then each of her limbs. All the while, Max sat opposite with an expression of such solemn concern on his face that Jane ached to fling herself into his arms. The doctor finally finished her examination.
'You seem well enough,' she said. 'But I must examine you further.'
'Cassandra is in the castle with Dracula. She must be rescued.'
'Then that will happen, but I must send a message to the King's men advising them that we have tracked down the creature. They are stationed at York. Upon receiving my message, they will march on the castle immediately.'
They soon reached an inn called The Soldier's Arms. Here, the doctor hurried away to send the message and returned a few moments later. 'It is done. They should be at the castle in the next few hours.'
Jane nodded. Her body was exhausted, but her mind was in turmoil. 'How did you find me?' she asked. 'And that balloon—'
'Food and drink first,' Porter urged. 'Then talk.'
Soon enough, ale and food were placed before them, and Jane began to eat. Her last meal had been a day ago. As soon as she was finished, she turned to the others.
'First of all,' she said. 'Where are we?
'Hull,' Eddy said.
That was some distance up the East Coast.
'How did you find me?' Jane asked.
Porter answered. 'You recall the list of properties that Tanner had researched for Dracula? The list is extensive, and it took us some time to work our way through it. There are private homes and castles. A windmill. There's even a disused coal mine.'
'But you finally realised I was in the castle?'
'Actually,' Max said. 'We didn't know for sure. Local townsfolk told us the castle was inhabited, but they had not seen the residents. The drawbridge was up, so we had no way of knowing who lived there.'
'Then you weren't trying to rescue me?'
'Not exactly. We had contacted Mister Jeffries to see if we could fly over the castle in his gas-filled balloon. If we saw Dracula and his hordes, then we intended to contact the King and his men. As it turned out, we spotted you instead.'
My goodness, Jane thought. How fortunate I was.
'Now,' Doctor Porter said, 'you must tell us what Dracula told you, and what you've discovered about your sister.'
Jane spent the next hour going over every harrowing detail of what had transpired in the castle. Porter sometimes interjected to ask questions, but otherwise, let her speak. In the end, the doctor turned to the others with a quizzical look.
'What do you make of it all?' she asked. 'Eddy?'
'He sounds like a power-hungry monster,' he said, puffing on his pipe.
'Agreed,' Max said. 'Every dictator throughout history has promised there would be peace—as long as it was on his terms.'
'What worries me most is his timing,' Porter said, biting her lip. 'His plot to control the King and his family has failed. Those who were attacked at the ball were either mesmerised and do not recall the event or have sworn that they will not speak of the incident.'
'I suppose that suits them,' Max said. 'Being part of an incident involving bloodsucking monsters would do no good for their social standing.'
'Agreed. But what concerns me is that Dracula has not given up on his plans. He seems as driven as ever.'
Max suggested, 'Then he has another plan. Controlling the King and the upper class was only the start of it.'
'It sounds like you're right,' Eddy said. 'What I don't understand is how Dracula plans to control so many people.'
'His ability to mesmerise others is astonishing,' Jane said, shuddering. 'I was completely fooled.'
'A vampire, even one as powerful as Dracula,' Porter said, 'can only control so many others at one time. It's like a spider extending its web.' She paused. 'The world is such a vast place, it would be impossible for a vampire to extend its reach that far.'
Jane shivered at Doctor Porter's comparison of Dracula to a spider. It seemed altogether too accurate.
'I suggest we sleep,' Porter said. 'The king's men will march on Dracula's castle. We'll know in the morning what they find.'
Eddy headed to his room. Doctor Porter said she would be helping the tavern keeper's daughter with a medical issue and said goodnight. Jane and Max went upstairs together. On the way up, Jane told Max how relieved she'd been to see him in the gondola.
'It was as if rescue had been sent from the Heavens,' she said.
'A scientific rescue on this occasion. Thank goodness for Mister Jeffries and his balloon.' They stopped at his door. 'Goodnight, Miss Austen.'
'Please. Call me Jane.'
'Jane.'
'And I will call you Max—if you don't mind.'
'It would give me immense pleasure to hear you say my name.' Hesitantly, he took her hand. 'Your skin is very soft.'
Jane's heart pounded in her throat.
Max moved her hand to his mouth and gave it a small kiss. His eyes met hers. 'Jane,' he said. 'We searched all night after you went missing. When it was clear you had been taken, we were all upset, but it was more than that for me. I felt as if I had completely lost my direction.'
'My thoughts were of you, too, Max,' Jane admitted. 'I expected to die in that horrible place. Losing Cassandra and my family would have been terrible, but then I thought of losing you. I felt as if a part of me were missing.'
Max opened the door to his room.
Jane followed him in.