Back in the saddle again. Jumping around, too. New characters must be introduced.
Our encounter with the fellow sent to meet us at Victoria Station was not nearly as pleasant, though. Indeed, it was almost insulting — it would have been insulting, if I was less familiar with how mortals react to my kind, or if Magda was more familiar. Our greeter smelled of garlic, you see.Garlic! Supposedly the bane of all vampires. Or at least the vampires that exist in lands where garlic can grow. This fellow had dabbed some drops of garlic oil on his neck and wrists, and had a clove or two in his pockets; he undoubtedly would have liked to chew some, but the odor might have given him away. England is not France, after all… and France was where Magda and I had just come from.
I was slightly disappointed. I understand why someone would loathe even the idea of vampires. It is perfectly natural to do so, even. But the idea that my superiors would have hired someone this foolish? Even for a mere errand? I felt that it reflected badly on me.
But one perseveres. Interestingly, our greeter did not approach us with the barely-controlled hatred and fear I was expecting. “Cousin Mina!” he said. “And Miss Lucy. Welcome back home!”