One
May 1898
Mina Harker was trapped in a loveless marriage, that she was sure of. Things had not been right between her and Jonathan for a while, not since...him. She shook her head, trying to erase the past from her memory. Gazing out of the window at the dismal scene before her, Mina sighed. Smog enveloped the towering buildings, grey figures rushed through the streets and the constant clamour of driving carriages was relentless. London was not a beautiful place.
It had been a year since Jonathan had made that fateful journey to Transylvania, and six months since he was destroyed. After returning to England, they had moved to London to start afresh and leave the nightmares behind them. Jonathan had inherited a small sum of money from his previous employer and with it he embarked on new venture- a law firm in the heart of the city. Business was thriving; he had established himself as a hardworking and successful solicitor. They had moved to a new townhouse in the fashionable area of Baker Street and, to the outside eye, it seemed that all was well with the newly married couple. Mina knew differently.
Jonathan's behaviour had changed slowly. It started with little things, seemingly innocent changes that gave no warning as to what was on the horizon. First, he had suggested that Mina was not to go back to work. "For protection," he had stated, "I nearly lost you once, I want to make sure you're safe." She had thought he was being sweet, a little overprotective perhaps, but they had just been through a deeply traumatic ordeal. It was perfectly understandable, surely? Instead of work, she busied herself perfecting the housewife role, and at first, she enjoyed maintaining the home, particularly reimagining the rooms with children. She was sure Jonathan wanted a family, he had spoken of it in the past and Mina desperately wanted to make him happy. Nonetheless, it did not take long before she found life in the home monotonous. Mina yearned for intellectual stimulation and was desperate to go back to teaching. Whenever she approached Jonathon describing how she felt, the conversation would always end the same way. "Not yet, Mina. I need you here… as my wife. I fear I will lose you again, would you have me revisit those horrifying memories once more?" Riddled with guilt, Mina would always find herself complying to whatever Jonathan wished, and so home was where she stayed.
She began to notice how physically distant he kept himself from her. Mina, an affectionate woman, would often place her hand on his only for him to move away, always with an excuse. "Your hands are cold, Mina. Why don't you warm them near the fire?", or "Would you pass me the morning paper?" When they first returned, she noticed how, when he would kiss her upon the cheek or hand, it was almost as if it took a great deal of effort. Although Jonathan tried to conceal it, Mina would sometimes see him physically wince. It was true that Jonathan was never an openly affectionate man, but she remembered how he used to look at her, like she was his everything.
Next, it was decided that they were to sleep in separate bedrooms. "I do not want to wake you, darling, I still have terrible nightmares." True, he was not a good sleeper but it was never an inconvenience to Mina. It had stung when he suggested this. She wanted to help, wanted to be there for him. "You cannot help. We should sleep apart for now, until they have abated." She could remember how he had looked at her in that moment, his eyes were cold, distant. Five months had passed and there was still no sign of husband and wife sharing the marital bed. Deep down, Mina knew she was losing him.
Since returning to England, Jonathan's drinking habits had been spiralling out of control. At first it was to help with the stress of the new business, then it was to help him sleep. Now there were no excuses used. Mina suspected he drank to forget. To forget what had happened, to forget that monsters exist, to try and forget her. It made Mina nervous. When Jonathan drank he was sometimes angry, other times he was inconsolable, most of the time he was vacant. He had never physically hurt Mina, but she had seen his temper flare far too many times and, if she was being completely honest, did not feel safe in his presence. There was no lock on Mina's bedroom door so she had decided some time ago to stay awake at night and sleep during the day, only waking shortly before he returned home from work. This would ensure that she had her wits about her to deal with any of Jonathan's late night drunken stupors. It was not ideal and the irony was not lost on her, living like a creature of the night, but she did what she had to to feel safe.
Yes, as each day passed, they grew further and further apart. They didn't even talk to each other anymore, not really; they were practically strangers. Mina wasn't sure how much longer she could live like this, she felt isolated. There was no-one to talk to and because of her unusual sleeping habits, friends were not easy to come by. Oh how she missed her Lucy, dear sweet Lucy. When she thought of her, she thought of him. Why did it have to be Lucy? Could he not have spared her? Then again, it wasn't him who killed her, was it? If Van Helsing hadn't mutilated Lucy, separating her head from her body, she would still be alive...to some degree.
"Mina! Oh Mina, I know who is my true love! I have made my decision and I do so love him. Lucy Holmwood. See how perfectly elegant that sounds? You must be by maid of honour, no-one else…please say yes? I envisage you in the palest of pinks to match your blushing cheeks. Roses, lavender and orange blossom for the bouquets, oh we should honeymoon in France! Sweet Mina, my life is just beginning. Yours too! How lucky we are with our wonderful husbands-to-be. Everything shall be perfect now."
The clock chimed 6 o'clock, disrupting Mina from her thoughts. She stood up from the window seat and lit the oil lamp; the sun was setting and darkness would soon settle upon the city. Jonathan would be home soon and Mina needed to prepare.