For life be, after all, only a waitin' for somethin' else than what we're doin', and death be all that we can rightly depend on
Dracula, Bram Stoker
Chapter 3 - The Good Doctor
When I let my advisor know that I was planning to spend six months in London, he had encouraged me to get in touch with Jasper Whitlock.
Dr. Whitlock was affiliated with the Kings College School of Arts and Humanities. He was considered an expert in Victorian literature, specifically the Bronte sisters and Oscar Wilde. He recently published a series of papers on the origination of super natural or 'fantastic fiction' during the Victorian Era, and referenced, amongst
others, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Invisible Man in his paper.
I called his office in advance and arranged a meeting at four on my first full day in London. My body was still adjusting to the change in time; therefore, I was happy to have the afternoon meeting.
My morning was spent putting away my clothes, acclimating myself with our flat, and figuring out the easiest course to Kings College. It wasn't a bad walk, and while the locals might consider it cold for January, 40 degrees was downright balmy compared to -2 degrees in Chicago.
That's without the wind chill.
Unsure as to the proper etiquette for meeting a Doctor of Letters outside the states, I dressed a bit more formally than I normally would. Pencil skirt, cashmere sweater, tall boots and a long leather jacket. It would be warm enough during the walk, yet hopefully appropriate for a first meeting.
I threw my binder with the outline of my dissertation and key notes in my backpack, along with my wallet and cell phone. Having learned from the debacle at the airport yesterday, I checked all the pockets to make sure that they were zipped and secure.
With nothing more to distract myself, I grabbed an umbrella, locked the flat door behind me and made my way down to the road. The directions were simple, and I admired landmarks I had never expected that I would see along the way. I couldn't help but smile when I walked by the Royal National Theater. Let Mike see me now.
I hadn't thought about Mike for a few days. At first, I felt guilty for pushing him out of my mind so easily. We had dated for four years; it shouldn't be so simple to purge him from my consciousness. But with every passing week, it became easier not to think about him.
And by not thinking about him, I felt lighter, freer. I had spent so much time chasing after him, making sure he had what he needed, playing the dutiful little girlfriend, that I had lost myself. I had started to believe the pot shots he took at me. I don't think he made statements like "what do you really think you are going to do with a doctorate" to hurt me, but they did.
I didn't recognize the changes. It was all too superficial to me. But I wasn't in London an hour when Rose was commenting on how different I seemed. It had only been a few weeks since we were last together, just before Christmas, and not enough time to make a marked difference. At least that is what I thought. But Rose claimed that I seemed more confident, more assured.
I stopped for a moment and looked over the Waterloo Bridge, down on the Thames River. It still seemed surreal to me. I had dreamed for years of coming to England. My fixation had grown stronger as I started working on my dissertation, yet the underlying desire to come here had always been there. I wouldn't admit it to anyone, but I wanted to do the cheesy touristy things. Go to the Tower of London. Try to make a Beef Eater smile. See Big Ben. Do the silly walk across Abbey Road. I sounded like I was sixteen, not twenty five.
"Well, if this isn't a coincidence?"
I looked up to see Emmett walking towards me, bundled in a parka and Washington Nationals baseball cap. I couldn't resist his infectious grin.
"Hi Emmett! How are you?"
He stopped short, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped forward to give me an awkward hug.
"Where are you headed?"
"I have a meeting at King's College. You?"
"Just exploring. Mind if I walk with you?"
We crossed the bridge, chattering about mindless things. Emmett insisted on walking me to campus. He claimed to be headed in that direction, wanting to explore some of the architecture in the area.
"What can I say? I like to see how these old places were made. Some of them were here long before the U.S. even existed. I am going to explore all the buildings that I have only read about." He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. "Would you mind if I called you this weekend?"
I thought about Rose's comment on my personal evolution. A month ago I would have run away, worried about what Mike would think.
"I'd like that, Emmett."
He gave me another one of his killer smiles, and waved goodbye.
I watched Emmett walk away. His exuberance was contagious. The people that he passed seemed to fall in step with him and share smiles. He was like a little ray of sunlight on a gloomy London afternoon.
I sounded like a Hallmark card.
It took me longer than anticipated to find Dr. Whitlock's office. The buildings were all clustered together, a maze of corridors and offices.
At five after four, I finally found the proper place. I was about to knock when the door flew open. A breathtakingly beautiful man stood in the entrance, a look of cool bemusement on his face.
I was caught off guard. He appeared so young.
"Dr. Whitlock?"
He chuckled and reached up to push his dark red hair away from his face. When he spoke, his voice was low with a melodic accent, different from the ones I had heard over the past twenty four hours.
"Jasper, your Yank is here."
He gave me a once over, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Excuse me, darlin.'" He took on an affected southern accent at the pronunciation of the word darling. It seemed strange to hear a southern term of endearment from a Brit. Although the way he articulated, there was nothing endearing about it.
The man stepped around me and continued down the hallway. If I hadn't been so dumbfounded, I would have had a snarky come back.
"Ms. Swan?" Another man stood in the doorway now. Fair with blonde hair and blue eyes. "I'm Jasper Whitlock, please do come in."
What was it about London? There were gorgeous men everywhere.
He led me into a cluttered office, and gestured towards a free chair.
"I do apologize for my brother in law. His sense of humor can be a bit…irreverent." He settled into his desk chair, and leaned back to study me.
"A dissertation on Dracula. I have to say I am impressed. It's not a work that is often analyzed, especially in the way in which you intend. The fact that you are an attractive woman should make it that much more intriguing."
I felt my face color as my eyes darted to his hands. They were steepled below his chin. A gold band glinted from his ring finger.
"I am not trying to be rude or flirtatious. Merely stating the facts. My wife often accuses me of not always using my internal filter."
He was not at all what I had expected. With a name like Jasper, I had a mental image of an old man with a large noise and overabundance of ear hair. Dr. Whitlock couldn't be much older than I am.
We found comfortable topics quickly. We spoke of my dissertation, of Chicago, of my impressions of London. He offered up small anecdotes about his wife Alice. The way he spoke of her made it readily apparent that he was madly in love with her.
It was sweet. It also made me incredibly envious. I had spent four years in a relationship, yet I had never seen 'that' look on Mike's face in relation to me.
We spoke for a long time. At one point, Dr. Whitlock looked down at his watch.
"It's getting late. Do you have any plans for dinner? I was planning on meeting Alice at a pub not too far from here. I'm sure she would love to meet you."
"That's very kind of you, Dr. Whitlock. But I couldn't intrude."
"Nonsense. I know that you and Alice will be fast friends in no time." He stood and pulled a long trench coat from a coat tree in the corner. I had to laugh as I saw the flash of the Burberry plaid lining. I definitely wasn't in Chicago anymore. "Do you mind a short walk? It's not far from here at all."
Rose had mentioned that she would be working late. All I had waiting for me back at our flat was a pile of reading and some dubious left overs in the fridge.
"If I'm not going to be an inconvenience that would be wonderful. Thank you."
We covered the short distance to the pub quickly. Students along the way greeted Dr. Whitlock. He appeared to be very popular, especially with the female students.
"I think you'll find my wife a subject matter expert on top of an entertaining person. She grew up in Whitby."
My ears perked up at the mention of Whitby. The abbey, the church, the cliffs were all such a major part of the Dracula. I had every intention of spending as much time there as I could, and having someone who knew the area was all that much better.
"Dr. Whitlock, my plan…"
He cut me off. "Please, it's Jasper. Dr. Whitlock makes me feel ancient. I'll start using it after thirty."
I smiled. "Jasper, my plan was to spend some time at the library on campus to see if there was anything that you might have that would be new source material. I'd also like to get into the special collections if possible."
He returned my smile. "That can all be arranged. But no more talk of work tonight."
He held open the door to the pub, waiting for me to enter.
Inside, a tiny dark haired woman waived from the corner.
"There's Alice." Jasper guided me toward the table. The woman wore a radiant grin.
"You must be Bella! I am so excited to meet you!" Her hand shot out, pumping mine up and down. She may be tiny, but she was ridiculously strong.
"Please sit. I already order some starters. Would you like something to drink? I am not sure if they have any American beers…"
Alice was talking a mile a minute. Jasper placed a hand on her shoulder, and it was almost as though someone had unplugged her. Language slowed, her posture relaxed.
"Thank you, Alice. If you can recommend a beer that you prefer, I am sure I'll be fine." I gestured around the room, "When in Rome and all that."
The waitress appeared and took our drink orders. We then settled into easy conversation. Alice was fascinated with America, and peppered me with questions about Chicago. Apparently she had been after Jasper to visit the States for 'ages' but life kept getting in the way.
"Oh, Edward is here!" Her hand shot up in a wave similar to when we had entered.
"Introducing the Yank to all the local hot spots, are we?"
I recognized the voice immediately. I looked up to see the man from earlier today standing next to our table. He wore the same bemused expression, like he was enjoying his own personal joke.
"Did you meet already?" Alice asked, confused.
"Edward stopped by my office this afternoon. He displayed his impeccable manners upon his departure," Jasper replied dryly. "Bella Swan, my brother in law, Edward."
That's right; he had referred to him as his brother in law. I hadn't registered it at the time.
"Bella? An odd name. Did your mother have visions of your grandeur? The beautiful swan?"
"No," I immediately shot back. "She wanted me to be strong so she named me after Queen Isabella of Spain. She liked to think that I would command men to find new worlds on my behalf."
Edward barked out a dry laugh as he peeled off his coat and sat down next to Alice. My glimpse of him earlier had been enough to register that he was absolutely breathtaking. But here in the darker, golden light of the pub, there were no words. His hair hung down in his eyes, looking almost black in the low light. Piercing eyes gazed out from underneath the shock of hair, and gave me the sense that he could see right through me. It was all set off by incredibly pale, flawless skin.
A quick thought flashed through my head. If Emmett was the epitome of Quincey, then Edward was the Count. Dark, edgy, a little bit scary.
And sexy as hell.
Don't think that way! I chided myself. You'll slip up and call him Vlad. Now wouldn't that would be embarrassing. Try explaining that one.
Edward, Alice and Jasper slipped into comfortable banter. Alice was gracious and tried to include me where ever possible. She asked me a questions about my life in Chicago, my friends, my family. All the while, I could feel Edward staring at me.
It was unnerving.
I listened enough to learn that Alice worked in marketing for a major cosmetics firm, and Edward was a doctor at St Thomas's Hospital. They were two years apart in age. Alice met Jasper through Edward in college.
"Edward, you should tell Bella what you are working on right now; it would probably be of interest given the topic of her research."
Those intense green eyes shifted back to me. His gaze was so incredibly unsettling. I could tell that he was well aware of it. He was probably used to women dropping at his feet when he let loose that self satisfied little smirk.
"And what would that be?" He asked, his eyes never leaving my face.
"Dracula."
He laughed and took a sip from his pint.
"Well isn't that an interesting coincidence?" His eyes narrowed a bit as he spoke. "I am a hematologist."
I responded before I could think. "Ah, a modern day blood sucker."
A look of shock flickered on his face for a brief moment before his smile slipped back into place.
"I guess that is one euphemism. I am on the research side. Currently part of a team focused on cancer research."
"A benevolent blood sucker," I shot back. What was it about this man that got under my skin?
"Quite the oxymoron," He countered, that same self satisfied smirk on his face. "Kind of like a vegetarian vampire. Or a beautiful bookworm."
Neither Alice of Jasper seemed to pick up on the verbal sparring. I didn't disengage from Edward's gaze. Instead I raised an eye brow, waiting for the next jab. His smile broadened a bit, but he didn't re-engage.
I finished my beer and excused myself. I needed to use the restroom and collect my thoughts. Two brief conversations and this man was already under my skin, pushing buttons. He was intentionally trying to get a rise out of me. Goad the yank. I wasn't going to give in.
I took a long breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly to wash away the tension. One more pint, then I would head home. The night would be over, and the gorgeous antagonist would be gone.
The pub had grown crowded, and I had to dodge bodies to make my way back to the table. Halfway through the room, I felt a hand on my elbow. My hand curled into a fist instinctively, and I was ready to take a swing at whoever was set to accost me.
"Hello backpack girl." It was the man from the airport. The one who had helped collect everything that had spilled out of my back pack. "You look a bit more together today."
He wasn't trying to flirt or accost me; he was simply being polite and saying hello.
I relaxed my fist and smiled. "I'm sorry. Too much time in college bars. When men approach you like that where I am from, they aren't usually far off of a knuckle sandwich."
He chuckled and extended his hand. "No untoward thoughts. I simply wanted to say hello and introduce myself. Royce King."
I took his hand briefly. "Bella Swan."
His eyes swept the room, taking in the patrons. "Are you here alone?"
He must be looking for Rose. It was always that way. Once a man laid eyes on her, no other woman existed.
"I'm with some friends, but not Rose, the one you saw me with yesterday."
"Rose," He murmured under his breath. "How appropriate."
"I need to get back to my friends. It was nice to see you again, and to be formally introduced." I paused for a moment, contemplating. Rose had been working so hard for the past few months. She needed to have some fun as much as she thought I did.
"I don't know what our plans are for this weekend, but if you are interested, I can let you know what we end up doing."
He broke into a wide smile. "That would be lovely, thank you."
I returned to the table with his business card. Rose was going to owe me for this one.
We ordered another round of drinks, and the conversation stayed casual. Alice invited us to a party that she and Jasper were attending on Saturday, and begged me to bring Rose along. I had the feeling that Alice didn't know a stranger.
As drinks wound down, I stood, thanked everyone for a nice evening, and slipped on my coat. It had cooled down significantly, and I pulled my coat tighter around me to keep warm. A brisk walk would help clear my head as well as keep me warm.
"Come now," Edward's voice rang out. "I don't know about the men you keep company with in the States, but it's not proper to let a woman walk home alone at night. Especially not after a few pints."
He stood behind me, hands shoved in his jacket pockets. The cold brought out a flush in his skin.
Vlad indeed. He could be deadly in his own way.
"Thank you, Dr.…" I realized that all I knew was his first name.
"Masen. But I don't use the honorary. Just Edward is fine." His eyes swept up and down me again. I was glad I had taken the effort today. Nothing might come of it, but at least I didn't look like a ratty college student.
"And I can't very well let you walk home like that. You might be accosted. There are parts of the city that are rather dodgy, you know."
He pulled a set of keys out of his coat, and started down the street. When I didn't follow, he looked back over his shoulder.
"Come now, I don't bite. I'm benevolent, remember?"
Somehow, I highly doubted that to be true.