Longville Ducal tree would be a pleasure. Percy
knows a vampire is coming now, for he could
tell at once that the man was a vampire when
he could not enter his room uninvited. Also, the
man turned into a bat upon departure and fl ew
away, however theatrical that sounds. Apparently
Percy's bedroom is several stories up.
I decided to straighten this aff air out immediately
and showed him the portion of Lu Yan's book
relating the tale of Lord Ruthven Gowrie.
"Don't you understand what he's trying to
tell us, Philomena?" Percy asked. "He's trying to
warn us that the vampire has escaped his enforced
restraint and may have ill intentions towards me!"
"I understand," I replied. "I just did not wish to
worry you during the weeks before our nuptials!"
"But if he only drinks blue blood," Percy
continued, "then our entire social network is at risk!
Th ere is no help for it. In order to keep our hereditary
races safe, we must throw a party at once!"
And so, from that night until the day of the
wedding, we threw a party for all the noble Lords
and Ladies of London! Our guests piled in from
the lowest baronet to the highest prince in the
land! Th ey are staying for well over a week. Th ey
have such hearty appetites that I couldn't enjoy
a moment of it! I've made a heroic endeavor to
look unconcerned, but in vain—and I vow never
to hold a dinner party ever again!
But they were safe, insomuch as manners
dictated that none should invite a third-party
guest to a party at a Ducal estate! Gowrie was
kept out until the day of the wedding, at least,
but rumors have spread amongst our party that a
night-stalker has been seen haunting the outskirts
of Queen Victoria's palace, and many licentious
young noblemen and silly capricious noblewomen
who think our party a bore have been drained
entirely of their blood!
Having to prepare for an ever-increasing
amount of guests and the arrival of a vampire
caused me to ask my dear husband if we should