Chapter 27

Mina is as shocked as they were to hear that Cathy had a child before she died, that is clearly visible. But Adison realises that doesn't mean the enemy is unaware of it. Because of her connection to Miss Yves, Mina was treated better than other captives, but she wasn't told everything. Still speachless, Mina tries to get a hold on the knowledge that there is a child of Vincent's blood. Her brain is already working at full speed: did she ever hear of a Nelly Dean, one they both knew as children? And did her former master know Cathy was pregnant and delivered a baby before she died?

'My first impulse is to find out where Wuthering Heights is, then go there and see if Nelly Dean still lives in that neighborhood. But I can't leave the city for more than one day because of my duties in the theatre. And though I know Heathcliff was a great rider, I wouldn't dare climb on a horse just like that,' Vincent says,'so what are the alternatives?' Adison answers: 'Finding the doctor or the midwive would be the first choice. You know what they look like, and a midwive that professional will have a reputation all over the city and will be easy to find. She will remember the case and where the baby went. We can inquire tomorrow.' Mina adds: 'I don't know an address, but I remember where Heathcliff used to live. You could visit the appartment and ask about the former inhabitants. Actually, it may still be yours. You know, there are a few hours left until daylight, shall I show it to you right now? Then you will not have to wait until nightfall to go there,' Mina suggests. To Vincent, that is the best option. It means he can be active right now, he won't be able to sleep anyway, and they can start the real search tomorrow morning instead of in the evening. Adison decides to stay with Victor: 'What if he wakes up and finds all of us gone? That would be weird. And you'll make better time without me, you're both fast.'

Minutes later, Adison is back in bed, and Mina and Vincent are off into the night. Mina is in the lead, setting a stiff pace. Vincent is doing his best to keep up and remember the way they are going. He wishes Adison was with them, to make a sketch of the route. Still, he can memorise the address once they are in the right street. Within a quarter of an hour they arrive at an appartment block that does look familiar to him. Maybe he saw it in one of those dreams? Mina walks to a door: 'This is the right house, I think the living area is on the first and second floor. I've never been inside though, he used to make us wait outside for him. He kept us away from Cathy.' Vincent makes a mental note of the name of the street so he can find the house again. It looks occupied, though there are no lights burning at this time of the night. 'Thank you Mina. I'll let you know what we learn as soon as you're awake tomorrow,' Vincent says, 'and please be honest with me: if we find the girl, will it hurt Adison to have her live with us? The thought of me possibly having a wife and children upset her greatly when we had first found you..' Mina laughs and says: 'Don't worry Vincent, I'm sure she was afraid to lose you to another woman. I'm very certain she will love a daughter of your blood as much as you will, and I'm sure she will the best mom a child could ever have.' Of course, Vincent knows this, but still it feels better to have a woman confirm it. 'Nice house, you think I may still own it?' he changes the subject. She replies: 'Well, it was yours, it wasn't rented. So I do wonder who inhabits it now. You may want to bring some arms when you visit, or maybe even the watch.' They return quickly via the exact same route, and crawl into bed with their respective partners.

Strangely enough Vincent does find sleep, and the next morning they are up early. They tell Victor everything at the breakfast table, and decide to visit the house first, their patients later. Discretely armed they walk to the place, looking around to get an impression of the neighborhood, then they use the ornate doorknocker. A wel-dressed man in his forties opens the door, takes a good look at Vincent and turns white as a sheet. He holds the door open and says: 'Mr Heathcliff, we didn't expect you to... you look different.' He looks positively scared. Vincent replies: 'I've been through a lot. If you have a place where we can talk, all of you still here, I'd be much obliged.' His calm politeness reassures the manservant a bit, but not very much. Adison is on her guard, his staff may have taken over the house, unwilling to give up their freedom and comfort to their unsympathetic master. But apparently there are only the manservant and one maid left of the staff. As they sit down in the parlour, the maid brings tea, then on Vincent's invitation she joins them. 'We haven't heard from you in over a year, and you left in a confused state. We feared something bad had happened, but your lawyer had your funds in trust and told us to keep up the house with minimal staff for at least two years. Since you have no known kin and we knew you were in a bad way with Mrs Catherine's kin, no-one ordered a search for you. You do look different sir, one would hardly recognise you.'

Vincent, still trying to put the two at ease, tells them part of the truth: 'Something bad indeed happened to me. I was seriously hurt, and lost part of my memory. I've been regaining it in small parts. I am really glad you've taken such good care of the house, and would ask you to continue to do so for a little longer.' Encouraged by his mild manner and forthrightness, the manservant says: 'You look to be in good health sir. Especially considering how you left sir, you were in great mental distress, and you seem to be more stable now.' 'I've been through a lot, and have learned a lot for it. But now I'd like to get to the purpose of my visit. I've only very recently remembered the night of Mrs Heathcliff's death, and with my improved circumstances I now feel able to take on the care of my daughter. I'd like to know where she is living.'

Here, the maid puts in her two cents: 'Why Mr Heathcliff, the little lass will be right glad to hear of thee I'm sure. And Mrs Kent, Miss Dean as was, will be glad to hear of thy return to good health.' Vincent cannot believe his luck: 'So you know where she is? The manservant answers: 'We certainly do. After the Misses passed away, you were locked up in your room for a week at least. You never ate, I'd swear you never slept. Your face was a right mess with beating yourself, I suppose you couldn't think of living without her, you were so close. The housekeeper hired a wet nurse and Laura here took care of the baby. Then you came out of the room, totally normal, wrote to Miss Dean as was then. She came within a week, tried to convince you to keep the little girl as company. But you said you couldn't live without the Misses and that it would be unfair to the child. So Miss Dean took the little girl to her own village. She's been writing to Laura here ever since, to let her know how little Catherine's doing.'Here, Vincent interjects: 'So she's called Catherine?' 'Yes, Miss Dean gave her that name, said she looked just like her mom, excepting her colouring of course. After the baby had gone, you just let yourself go to bits, raving and beating your head against the wall. Then you went out one day, and we never saw you again until now. We knew something bad had happened, you must have had a dreadful accident.'

Surprised, Vincent says: 'How that so?' The girl says: 'It's the scar, master, that must have been a really bad wound. And you weren't afraid of nothing, but you must have been very scared, how else could you lose all you colour? I'm certain Nelly will be thrilled to hear from you, she's married now and her new husband brought plenty of kids with him. He's a widdower.' As they now have enough information to mount a succesfull search, there is only one thing left to try and obtain: 'I remember being driven in a coach, I suppose that has been sold?' The man says: 'You never owned a carriage sir, you usually rode on horseback. You were such a good rider, no-one else could handle your big black., when you disappeared he got too restless to keep here in the city, as we couldn't find anyone to excercise him. So the lawyer sold him. You should pay him a visit too, I'll write down the addresses for you, Miss Dean's and his. And the livery stable where you used to rent a carriage if you needed one. Or I can arrange you one?' Vincent asks: 'How far is it to Mrs Kent's place?' The man looks at the maid, who replies: 'A three day ride, master. Nelly came in a cart, though, in a carriage may be quicker.' Vincent looks at Adison, and she observes: 'You need to arrange this with the director first, you can't just stay away. We'll call as soon as we know.' The man looks at her questioningly, and Vincent introduces her: 'This is my fiancé Miss Adison. She is a partner in Doctor Frankenstein's practice.' Adison shakes hands with both of them, finally getting the man's name: 'Pleased to meet you Miss Adison, my name is Martin, Mr Heathcliff's steward. I've heard of Doctor Frankenstein's practice, they say he can raise people from death. Actually, they say his partner... wait, that must be you then?' Taking another hard look at his master, scarred and very pale but healthy looking and seemingly mentally stable and even happy, he can believe her reputation. After that introduction, Laura is quite impressed, this girl isn't as vibrant a beauty as Mrs Catherine was, but apparently she's a doctor with an already legendary reputation, and she feels quite embarrassed to shake hands with her as an equal. But Adison has never had staff like this, their retainers used to be more like friends, so she treats the maid as any other person and says: 'Hello Laura, I'm Adison, and I'm pleased to meet you.'

Soon after this, they take leave, promising they will be back soon to talk business. Pleased that everything went smoothly here, hoping Mrs Kent will be as willing to give up the girl to her father as Laura seems to think, they talk about what needs to be done further. First, Vincent will go to the theatre and talk to the director, for he really needs some time off to settle this matter. They need to have a good talk about his possible new career as well, and it might as well be today. And Adison needs to see her patients, and tell them about their trial with their home-practice. That way, Victor can attend to her patients whilst she is off to Wuthering Heights. So they both go their own ways, and that afternoon at teatime, they sit around their kitchen table and discuss everything that has happened with Victor and Mina. Those two have the same glow as yesterday around this time, so Adison guesses Mina has already been fed to both their satisfaction. She addresses Victor: 'Are you feeling better still? You look positively healthy!' He smiles amiably, and tells her: 'I feel much better. I'm starting to think bleeding patients may be a good way to treat patients after all. It gives a feeling of accomplishment and it stimulates appetite.' Vincent observes: 'I can imagine the latter pretty easily, but I'm afraid that for the feeling of accomplishment, you really need to donate the blood to someone rather than the kitchen sink.' Mina says: 'Imagine a vampire making a living by curing people through bleeding. Ugh, I can imagine the taste. Sick people's blood. No, I prefer a healthy young specimen, like our doctor here. But Vincent, what did you two learn, Victor and I are both dying of curiosity.'

'Well it seems I'm a gentleman with a nice house and staff, and an as yet unknown fortune. The steward and the maid who have kept up the house since my disappearance recognised me instantly. They know my daughter, and she indeed lives with Nelly Dean, now Mrs Kent. We have the addresses, and, Adison, I have called on Martin to ask him to arrange a carriage for tomorrow. Apparently the director has been expecting my promotion for some time now, and I have a week off in which the company will bring another set they have played before. Bruce has the part Simon used to play. I did wonder why he didn't call as often to loan books. After the week we'll continue the current play whilst the others rehearse a new piece.' Vincent is a bit suspicious at how easy this all seems to be going, but what can they do?

Chapter 28

The next morning they leave, having packed for a week's journey. Having learned from the past, they have packed plenty of weaponry, their guns and several cartridges of bullets, a hidden knife for Adison and a saber that Vincent carries openly. Of course a well-outfitted doctor's carriage-driver knows where he is supposed to go, so they sit back and try to enjoy the ride. As soon as the carriage is in motion, they are in eachothers arms, trying to find some release for the tension they've been under. It is not easy to make love in a speeding carriage, but it can be done. It works too, for afterwards they are a lot calmer than they were, and they start to realise what they are doing. 'If this works, we'll have responsibility for a child,' Adison says, 'she's probably not yet two years old. Do you think we'll be able to raise a child?' Vincent looks at her with admiration and replies: 'I'm sure you are, I remember how you raised me as if it was yesterday.' She's not having that: 'That wasn't like raising a child at all, you only needed to be reminded of things, and you had the temperament of an adult. With her mom and dad, this will be a feisty lady, she'll take some raising. Children take years to grow up, not a few months.' Vincent is unshakable: 'Still I'm sure you can handle it, and with your help, I will manage too.'

After a short pause he adds: 'My love, I think I know how you stand in this, which is why I have not asked before, but if you object in any way to taking in a child that is not related to you at all, and whose parents you have in some way never even known, I will understand. We can just meet little Catherine and leave her with her caretaker.' Adison is moved, but she says: 'That thought has never even crossed my mind. You know Vincent, lately I have been thinking it would be nice to have children. This may be our only chance to have one that is related to one of us. I'm thrilled! And besides, it would be way too dangerous to leave her there unguarded.' This time it is Vincent's turn to have a new thought: 'You think I may be unable to have children?' Adison nods: 'Of course I'm not sure, but somehow fertility in men seems to be connected with having a beard. I'm sorry.' 'Don't be', he says, 'I'm very happy as we are. Let's first see if we can find little Catherine.'

After two days of hard travel, sleeping in inns twice and changing horses regularly, they reach the inn where they will exchange horses for the last time, then press on deep into the evening until they arrive at the village where Mrs Kent lives. They go inside to have a good, hot meal after their tiring day of travel, and are soon seated snugly at a table for two, with the best fare the inn has to offer between them. The inn is very quiet, at a time of the day when one would suspect it to be filled with hungry villagers and travellers like themselves. When the waitress brings their drinks, Vincent asks if it is normal to see so few visitors on an evening like this. The reaction of the girl to the question is strange, for her face takes on an expression of extreme fear, and she says: 'Oh no, good sir, not at all. Our inn used to be filled up with people at this time of the evening, all eating and drinking and making merry. But nowadays no-one dares go out after dark, they all stay inside and keep their doors and windows locked tight.' That is weird, and Adison asks her: 'But why don't they dare to go out? Are there robbers about?' The maid replies: 'No my lady, there be no robbers, there be a gytrash on the moors, a murderous ghost in the shape of a beautiful black horse with flowing mane and tail. It has already done for four men, wanting to catch it and ending up in the moors, drowned you see. It tempts them then kills them. No bodies were found, but they never came home.' She puts their drinks down, then goes back to the kitchen.

That doesn't sound too good, even though neither of them believes in ghosts. Still, they're not going to ruin a good meal over a horror story, after all, they've seen their share of monsters and fought them as well. And the food is good, stew with freshly baked bread, roast slices of pork, baked potatoes. They eat well, then sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee, it will be a long evening, driving through the dark. Tired, they don't talk much, the warmth makes them sleepy, and they sit nodding. Then a man approaches them, well-dressed but with a rather humble attitude. Adison guesses it's the innkeeper, and she soon finds out she is right, as he says: 'Sir, my lady, I have heard from your driver that you are planning to travel on to Gimmerton tonight. May I advise against it very strenuously and offer you the facilities of my inn, it is really unsafe to travel in the dark in these parts. A so-called gytrash has been sighted and it has taken the lives of four men so far.' He wrings his hands in worry, apparently seriously upset by the idea of people going out after dark. Adison looks at Vincent, who tells the innkeeper: 'We are planning to continue our journey with fresh horses, we mean to reach our destination tonight, it is only three more hours of travel on an excellent road. Whatever could a horse do to us, as long as we don't follow it into the moors?' Adison agrees totally with him, but she hopes the driver will see it their way. If he refuses to drive, they will be forced to stay the night.

As it happens, the driver sees it their way, he is very much a city man and not inclined to believe farmers' folk tales, as he puts it. He clearly is a man of the world, as he shows them a large gun on his belt as well as a sword like Vincent's. 'I can protect myself sir, have been in several gang-wars in my wilder days. Needs to be a big bad horse to scare me,' he brags, 'if there is trouble I can't handle I'll knock on the carriage window, and you can do your part. I've heard of your reputation as a fighter master Heathcliff, I'm guessing together we can handle pretty much anything this here country can throw at us.' Thinking of the vampire creatures, Adison is not so sure of his fighting prowess when under attack by the supernatural, but she finds his superior city attitude very entertaining, and she does trust Vincent's ability to handle almost anything. And maybe she also suffers from city superiority feeling, for she finds it hard to imagine something out there in the country that can harm them. Unless, but that seems quite far-fetched, it is the enemy plotting to take the child, waylaying them in the country, where they don't have allies. She asks their host, the innkeeper, how long these attacks have been going on, and he answers: 'A few weeks now, madam, and if they keep up much longer my business will start to suffer seriously.' She thanks him for his answer and his good care, and observes to Vincent: 'That is too early to be set up to stop us, but it could have been set up to get at your daughter.'

Vincent replies: 'We could do worse than be at our guard. I will not sleep and I suggest you do the same and keep your weapons ready for use and within reach. I am considering riding on the box with the driver, to allow me to keep an eye out for danger. Would you mind that?' Though she doesn't like being alone in the carriage, Adison doesn't feel like being surprised by enemies either, and in a closed carriage they'd be sitting ducks. So she tells him: 'I don't like it, but I realise it is the wisest thing to do if we're not to be ambushed or surprised by attackers.' And so it happens that when they set off again, with fresh horses, Vincent rides along on the box, fully armed and alert, and Adison sits inside the carriage, also fully armed and keeping her senses open for the feeling of evil.

After two hours of driving, they are making good time and no suspicious horses have shown themselves. Vincent has no trouble keeping awake, and neither has the driver, whom he now knows is called Neil. Neil has apparently driven him often when he was still Heathcliff, and it is clear from their conversation that Heathcliff had a formidable reputation for being a ferocious fighter, but also for having a vicious temper. Having a serious conversation on the box seat would have been out of the question with him. Vincent learns that Neil also thinks that he has to have experienced something unspeakably fearsome to have turned white, and to have suffered such a wound as to leave a big scar in his face. Apparently the story of Adison's healing power has already spread, for she is credited with both his survival and his change of character. That won't do her practice any harm, he guesses. Neil himself comes from the poorer quarters, and has worked himself up from stable boy to driver by his extraordinary talent with horses of any stamp. He knew Heathcliff's horse not only by reputation, but also from experience. 'I could have handled him, but I couldn't afford to keep such an animal,' he says, 'and anyway, what would I do with a gentleman's horse?' He has a nice home and a family, and is satisfied with life as it is. This trip is a nice change from hasty trips in the city, and long waits in the cold, keeping the horses quiet and warm whilst the rich enjoy themselves in the theatre or the club. And it pays well, of course.

Now, they don't talk much anymore but rather watch the road and the darkness around it. Neil also watches the horses closely, with their keener senses they will warn them of danger before a man can sense it. Sitting next to a man whom many would think of as one of the most feared men in the city is decidedly weird, especially talking with him as if he is truly human, about common things like family and dreams for the future. Neil used to be really careful around him, and wisely so, for he could turn violent in an instant. He was not surprised when Mr Heathcliff disappeared and word on the street was, that he had been killed in a bar brawl. Not sorry either, to be honest. But now that has changed, whatever Mr Heathcliff has been through seems to have thoroughly changed him, and though Neil will not take any familiarity towards him, so far the change has been real. Lost in his thoughts, Neil is still very attentive to his surroundings, and when he notices an extra alertness in the horses he quickly tells Mr Heathcliff, who has his gun out before Neil can finish his warning. Mr Heathcliff used to be quick, but not thát quick. But he is not able to finish that thought, for in front of the carriage, standing by the side of the road, is a beautiful coal black horse. It is not threatening, but grazing. In the dark. He says in a low voice: 'Horses don't graze in the dark, or beside the road.' Their own horses don't seem nervous or disturbed by this horse now they've spotted it. Not wanting to have a potential threat behind them, they decide to stop and investigate. Mr Heathcliff knocks on the carriage window to warn his fiancee, Miss Adison, who looks like a little grey mouse, but who apparently, single handedly, has tamed her wild lover to the well-mannered, mild spoken man sitting next to Neil.

With the carriage come to a halt, Neil immediately sees to the horses, they are his first responsibility and Mr Heathcliff can clearly take care of himself and his fiancee very well. From his position at their heads, he can see Mr Heathcliff climbing down from the box and opening the door for Miss Adison. She doesn't look scared or helpless at all, not burdened by any ladies' stuff like a bag or a kerchief, but rather carrying a medium sized gun as if she knows how to handle it. He can see a large knife on her belt, and she walks alert and balanced somehow. Mr Heathcliff now looks more like he used to, like a predator. He does not look at Miss Adison, rather trusting she is at his side, as if they have been into danger before. Having been a gang-member, Neil knows how people move in a group, and these two have fought together before. Strangely enough, Miss Adison is the first to approach the horse, and it nears her fearlessly, as if it is just a horse that has escaped and wants to be found by humans. Neil studies its stance and its demeanor, and though it looks like a normal horse, it behaves more like a predator, too fearless and too forward, almost eager. Miss Adison has stopped, and is discussing something with Mr Heathcliff now. Neil decides to warn him, in a quiet voice that carries far enough in the night: 'Be careful Mr Heathcliff, that looks like your former horse, but it moves like a hunting dog.' He nods, and both point a gun at it. The horse-like creature seems to know its chance to fool these victims has passed, for it now shows its true nature, and Neil's special report with horses is soon tested to the limit as the large black horse broadens and changes into a huge black slavering dog with red eyes and teeth lighting up white in the lights of the carriage. The horses snort and tremble in fear, and try to flee. But they are already a little tired, and he is at their heads, so he manages to get them calmed down, convincing them they don't want to look at the horrifying beast but at a few treats he carries in his pockets.

Now, he can look at the terrifying scene again, and the enormous black beast now looks very much like a creature he once saw at the zoo, a hyena, only much bigger and intensely black. It has sprouted a second head, which proves to Neil that this is not a natural creature from the moors, but a supernatural threat. He is frozen with indecision, there is no way Mr Heathcliff can beat this creature on his own, but if he releases the horses they'll break and run, almost certainly ruining the carriage and costing them their own life. He knows shots will be fired, so he attends to the horses again, and none too soon, for both his passengers now empty their gun's cartridges into the beast with a thundering noise. Noise over, he can see that the beast has taken damage, but it has not been beaten by any means. Now Miss Adison falls back on a shout by Mr Heathcliff, and he takes on an offensive stance, one that Neil doesn't recognise. Miss Adison now joins him at the horse's heads, and warns him to keep his gun ready to shoot if Vincent, the name by which Mr Heathcliff goes now, should fall.

But for now, there is no need for his gun. The small, dark figure whirls a shining sword, clearly an expert swordsman. But he doesn't attack yet, which is not as Neil remembers Mr Heathcliff, always a hothead ready to launch himself into a fight. This figure takes his time, waiting for his opponent to strike first. And as the huge creature goes for his throat, the man flashes under it with incredible speed, raking its tender belly with the sword. The first blood spouts, and the man emerges behind the monster and starts hacking at its hind legs with a vengeance. The creature howls in pain and anger, and turns in an instant. It is not bested by far, but it leaves a trail of blood and one of its hindlegs is not moving as fast as the rest of it. Mad with anger it again attacks Mr Heathcliff, is this cool headed figure really him? And the human figure launches itself over the heads this time, flying or so it seems, slashing at the neck of the head to the left in whirlwind moves. Now he closes in, knowing the creature will turn on him again any moment, and slashes once more at the already damaged leg. The man is so incredibly fast, that it just seems humanly impossible. But hacking through a leg the size of a plough horse's takes time, and the creature has spun again and delivers a slashing bite of its own with its undamaged right head. The small figure is flung a distance, fortunately away from the horses, and lands with a crash.

Neil is crushed, he seemed to be doing so well, why didn't he take more time? The creature was bleeding profusely, it couldn't have lasted much longer. He reaches for his gun, ready to defend his life and the horses against the monster. Beside him, Miss Adison is readying her knife, looking crushed by the damage done to her lover. But that one is already back on his two legs, bleeding now, but not looking any weaker for it, nor any slower. He faces the monster attacking him again, and this time he jumps up to the height of the creature's one undamaged face, then slashes down two-handedly in a terrifying show of strength. The blow, delivered with incredible force, causes the monster's right head to split in a shower of blood. Can this be a normal man, delivering blows like that? Neil shakes his head to clear his mind, he cannot believe what he just witnessed. There is still some life in the huge creature, but its movements no longer seem coördinated, they look more like spasms. The only slightly wounded left head still feebly threatens its small human attacker, and Mr Heathcliff braves the thrashing pillars of its legs and the badly coordinated left head to deliver a final killing blow to the monster. Its thrashing stops, the head drops, leaving a huge carcass lying beside the road. The man still stands, tired to death and bleeding, but victorious. How one man managed to beat such a creature is a total mystery to Neil, even though he saw it happen with his own eyes. Miss Adison now asks him for his gun, and realising she wants to go to her lover he hands it over. Rather she than him, he'll guard the horses a little longer. Holding the gun ready, Miss Adison nears Mr Heathcliff, who is now clearly on the point of collapse. Neil is impressed by her guts as well, that is a fearsome creature, even apparently dead. She is just in time to catch her lover as he falls, and remembering she is a doctor, he is not surprised that she manages to keep him upright, and guides him to the carriage. She asks Neil if he can leave the horses for a bit now, and he judges he can, helping her set Mr Heathcliff down on a grassy knoll next to the carriage, well within its lights.

She tells him: 'He is not badly wounded, I'll take care of him in a minute. But first I want to see if that creature is really dead, and what it was. So she leaves him with Mr Heathcliff and coolly walks to the dead monster, checking its vital signs, gun at the ready in her one hand, knife in the other. She spends another minute observing it in total silence, almost like a trance. Then she quickly runs back, returns his gun, puts her knife away and climbs into the coach to grab a big bag. Now she returns to her wounded man, and finally shows the concern Neil would expect her to. She strokes his black hair, his white cheek, until he looks up at her. Embarrassed to watch such intimacy, Neil busies himself with the horses, certain she'll call him if she needs help.

Chapter 29

Adison tries to get into contact with Vincent, to see how badly he is hurt, but she finds it hard to wake him up. She decides to give him a bit of a new component of her doctor's bag, some of the director's vile liquor. Feeding him a sip from a stoppered vial he sputters and wakes up immediately. He says: 'That really is gross. I got him, didn't I?' Adison looks at him proudly: 'You sure did, you were magnificent, 't was as if you were flying. Shame Bruce couldn't see it. Why weren't you awake just now?' Vincent looks truly surprised: 'I don't know, it got a hit on me only once, and that didn't stun me. You think it spelled me?' Well, at least he seems wide-awake now, she asks: 'Where did he get you, what hurts?' He replies: 'I'm afraid it's the chest again, and my left leg feels painful.' Adison checks both and applies a bandage to stop excessive bleeding, then clears up her stuff and helps Vincent into the carriage. She calls out to the driver: 'Mister, are the horses able to go on to the inn? And can you get them past that?' she points at the body of the monster lying across part of the road. Neil answers: 'No problem to both questions. Is the master all right?' Adison replies: 'He is wounded and needs further attention, but it can wait until we reach the inn, with clean water and light and a bed. Will you lead the horses past the carcass?' Neil observes: 'Won't get them past it otherwise Miss Adison. You step into the carriage with the master and take care of him, I'll get us to the inn.' He really seems to care what happens to Vincent, and she says: 'Thank you, I will.'

Very soon they are indeed well on their way to their destination, and now both of them realise what has happened. 'Vincent, you killed a huge monster on your own. Even Bruce would have had trouble with that. You are an even better fighter than I realised. Were you scared?' He laughs, wounds forgotten, giddy with a feeling of triumph: 'Yes I was, for a second, and then I fell into a fighting stance and I became totally quiet and confident.' "I saw that, you just let him attack you. Your moves were stunning, you seemed to fly,' Adison says admiringly. 'I can hardly believe it myself, it felt as if I was in a play, not as if it was really happening, everything seemed to slow down. When I got hit it didn't even hurt, I just got up and delivered the final blow. I split that thing's skull in two, Adison, with one blow. I must be very strong indeed, stronger than any of us realised.' Adison wraps her arms around him and says: 'I was scared, though, that huge thing and you on your own, I'm glad it's over, and I'll be even gladder when I've seen how bad your wounds are and when I've treated them.' He kisses her and says: 'But until then, you can hold me and kiss me, and tell me how brave I was.' And so she does, and within an hour they reach their destination, the only inn in Gimmerton.

Their arrival causes quite a stir, theirs is the first carriage to arrive at night for at least a month, and the appearance of Vincent covered in blood proves that something dangerous really is out there. They have made a deal with Neil, he will enjoy a few beers in the tap room, telling everyone that wants to hear about the attack of the gytrash and its demise, whilst Adison and Vincent, or Heathcliff as he is known here, will get cleaned up and his wounds treated. The inn has a bathhouse, so they make use of that first, cleaning up carefully and soaking some of the tension out of Vincent's muscles. Then they retreat to their own room where Adison checks him over minutely, treating two or three major slashes and a bite mark. He is also bruised quite extensively, but that is more his usual state than exceptional. Adison decides to stitch the three slashes, knowing how careless he is with wounds. Then some Chinese herbal treatment to speed up healing and prevent infection, and they are ready to dress for supper, which they take in the taproom to give the people the sensation they want. After such a fight, sleep will be slow to come anyway, and this will make Vincent look good with little Catherine's adoptive family.

After supper they arrange to have a boy sent to Mrs Kent the next morning, hoping she will agree to see them. Then Vincent sits back with a complimentary drink from the landlord, and he answers a load of questions from the inn staff, about the gytrash and how he killed it all by himself. They all call him Mr Heathcliff, and treat him with the greatest respect. Adison overhears some maids wondering how such a friendly looking man could be a dangerous fighter. She can imagine their doubt, sitting there telling stories Vincent is much more the actor than the born fighter. It reminds her that Vincent has been on the stage every night for months, excepting the last few days. Maybe he misses his audience and has agreed to tell his story himself to have one. After his public appearance they retire to their room to get some sleep, but lying in the soft warm bed together they take some time for eachother first. Vincent holds Adison close, strokes her hair and her face, and her female curves, kissing every part of her, whispering: 'I'm so very glad to have you by my side, I want you with me always.' She relishes the attention, but still teases him a little: 'And here I thought you preferred an audience to my company.' He looks at her, yellow eyes still hungry, lifts an eyebrow and observes: 'I'd rather have a theatre filled with people watching a role I play than those few admiring my person. You make me feel real, you know the real me and take him down to earth if he needs it.' She moves on top of him and kisses him passionately, stroking his beardless face, and his broad chest, glad to finally have some time together. They cuddle some more, then make love quietly, and fall asleep with their bodies tangled together.

The next morning they sleep late, and go to the taproom for their breakfast. The boy has been sent with their message, and he doesn't just bring a positive reply, he brings Mrs Kent back with him. Mrs Nelly Kent, formerly Miss Nelly Dean, is a middle-aged lady of about forty, not too short or too tall, neither fat nor skinny, with clothes chosen for practicality rather than fashion, and hands well-used to hard work. She looks a bit suspiciously at Adison, but when she sees Vincent her expression changes to a combination of joy and shock. She clearly recognises him, but is struck by the changes in him. Studying his features as freely as someone might who has seen one grow up from a child, she takes both his hands and addresses him: 'Heathcliff my boy, they said you were most likely dead. And you must have come close, look at you. You were as dark as a gypsy, the things you must have seen to lose all your colour like that!' Adison finds that an interesting explanation for his loss of skin pigment, the maid also thought he must have scared himself white. Nelly is now crying openly, clearly she must have thought a lot of him as a boy. Vincent of course doesn't remember her at all, but he can recognise her genuine attachement, and he says: 'You are totally right, dear Nelly, I've been though a lot. I've lost a lot of memories after receiving a very severe wound to the head. Please let me introduce my fiancee Adison, she is a doctor and she has brought me back from the brink of death.' Adison and Nelly shake hands, and she can feel Nelly sizing her up.

Vincent continues: 'I had been living with her for nearly a year before I started to get some memories back from my past. It is only three days ago that I remembered the night of Catherine's death and little Catherine's birth.' Part of the suspicion is back in Nelly's demeanor: 'You didn't want the baby when she was born.' Vincent says: 'I relived that horrible night two nights ago, and I was nearly as mad as Cathy was just before she died. I totally lost it after she left me. I would have been a terrible father. The loss of memory and the year with Adison have made me a different person. I've mastered my violent temperament and found a career that keeps me occupied and challenged.' 'And a very stable young woman that loves you deeply, apparently,' Nelly adds. 'And someone I love and who loves me, not possessively, but in freedom,' Vincent acknowledges. Nelly nods: 'Well, she is your child, and I see you're much quieter and yes, also happier than you used to be. I deem you can give her the home she needs. Do you have children already?' This question is directed at Adison. 'No, we haven't,' she replies,'but I have always hoped we would have them some day.'

Now, Nelly says in a near whisper: 'There are two things I have to tell you before you finally decide to take her home with you. The first is, Catherine is a very strong willed child, even at her tender age. She is just two years old, but she already has tantrums like her mom used to have. My husband has raised six children, and he has little patience with her sensitive nature, none of his get ever behaved like that and he finds it difficult to cope with her. I see her parents reflected in her, so I know how to deal with her, but I foresee great difficulties between the two of them, worsening a little each year. I do not want to choose between my husband and this child I have come to love as much as I did you and Catherine, so in a way I'm glad you've come for her. You can handle her, and seeing what Miss Adison has accomplished with you, I'm certain she can do even better. You were never as composed as you are now, you seem tranquil, even happy. I want that for little Catherine.

Then there is the second thing I need to warn you about. Someone else wants your daughter, very much so. A few weeks ago an unknown man visited us, asking to take little Catherine with him. He promised to make her an important person, rich, with many servants and pretty things. We didn't like the man, and our dogs didn't either. Catherine wasn't to be seen for as long as he visited. We told him no of course and that made him angry, though he hid it well. Since that visit, we all have the feeling our farm is being watched, we see men about that don't live in this neighborhood. We dare not go out alone or after dark, we lock our livestock up at night, we have had locks installed on our doors. Since that visit, we live in fear, and my husband and I have come to the conclusion that as long as little Catherine is with us, we're all in danger. If you take her with you, you will be in danger too. '

Vincent and Adison now look at eachother seriously, and Adison nods encouragement at Vincent. He lays an arm on Nelly's shoulder and says: 'You have confirmed our suspicion, Nelly, that something is after Catherine. We can defend her and ourselves against it, which is why we started planning this journey the night I remembered her being born. Have you heard about the gytrash?' Nelly seems relieved to hear they believe her suspicions, and she replies: 'I've heard you slew a gytrash all by yourself on your way out here. You mean to say that is true?' Vincent looks at her seriously, and says: 'It is true Nelly, I have fought that thing and killed it. We think it may have been sent by the same person who wants Catherine, to terrorise the countryside so everyone stays inside, to wear down your resistance so you let her go.' Now, Nelly starts to look afraid, and she says: 'I think you'd better come back with me and take her with you straight away. We're being watched, and your enemy will know the gytrash is dead. My family may be in danger.'

This is not exaggerated, and Vincent and Adison spring into action, arming themselves, loading their guns, Adison slinging a small version of her doctor's bag on her back. They leave the room to look for Neil, their driver, and find him in the taproom. Vincent asks him: 'Can I convince you to join us in a rescue mission? My daughter and this lady's family may be in danger.' Neil says: 'Sure thing, please wait until I've fetched my weapons, sir.' And he's off, and back again in a minute. Together they follow Nelly to her farm, setting a stiff pace, scanning the fields carefully for ambushes. Soon they near the farm, and they can hear the disturbing sounds of fighting. Nelly still leads them on, saying: 'We can still run towards the farm, it's behind that little brush, we have cover until we're in view of what is happening.' So they run for it, weapons ready, all sides of their little group covered. When they come into view of the farm, they can see a man and three large boys,armed with pitchforks and a scythe fighting off eight burly men armed with clubs and staffs. Nelly calls out: 'Peter, it's me, these people are friends!' At her yell, the burly men turn, and four split off the group to attack them. Despite seeing the guns pointed at them, and two men carrying sabers as if they know how to use them, they continue their attack, though they don't stand a chance against a person carrying a gun. This worries Adison, and she yells: 'Don't shoot or kill them, they are most likely possessed. Try to stun them.'

Vincent understands immediately, tucks his gun in his belt, and closes with two of the men, taking one down with a well-aimed strike to the neck, the second one with a high kick. Adison rushes towards the stricken men, making sure they're out. Faster than lightning, Vincent takes out a third, whilst Neil hits the fourth over the head with the butt-end of his gun. They were not good fighters. Now moving on to the four still attacking the farmer and his sons, they try to prevent hurt to both sets of men, Vincent again striking one and kicking another, both dropping like stones. The farmer, encouraged by the arrival of help, has his man down, and just as Neil arrives to aid the youngest son the boy manages to floor his burly opponent. The downed men seem dazed, not realising what is happening, until Adison motions Vincent to hold the one who had been attacking the youngest son. She takes his head in both her hands, whispers her intelligible sentence, and kisses his forehead. The man looks up at her and says: 'Who are you, lady, and what am I doing here?' He looks around in fear and wonder. 'And what happened to my brother, why is he on the ground?'