The Man Who Loved the Vampire Lady | Vampire Story | Podcast

An alternate history where vampires have taken over, in Europe at least, and are the aristocracy. The emergence of science and technology, in the guise of a microscope, has given these vampires a reason to fear the humans they have come to dominate. Like any form of tyranny there will be those who accept it, and there will also be those who rebel.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you feel a shier up your spine from fear. Yes,
it's another story from the Night's Shade Diary. You know
what that means. Check under the bed and make sure
no one or nothing is there. Is the closet door
securely shut. Then leave your disbelief behind, amp up your
imagination and hang on tight for another ride into terror

(00:22):
and mystery. And like all good horror stories, just imagine
it's a dark and stormy night, and remember screaming like
a little girl is permitted. The Man who Loved the
Vampire Lady by Brian Stableford. A man who loves a

(00:43):
vampire lady may not die young, but can not live
forever or lock improver. It was the thirteenth of June
in the year of Our Lord sixteen twenty three. Grand
Normandy was in the grip of an early spell of
warm weather, and the streets of London bait in sunlight.
There were crowds everywhere and the port was busy, with
ships three having docked that very day. One of the ships,

(01:06):
the Free Martin, was from the Moorish Enclave and had
produced from the heart of Africa, including ivory in the
skins of exotic animals. There were rumors two of secret
and more precious goods, jewels and magical charms. Such rumors
always attended the docking of any vessel from remote parts
of the world. Beggars and street urchins had flocked to

(01:28):
the dockland, responsive as ever to such whisperings, and were
plaguing every sailor in the streets as anxious for gossip
as for copper coins. It seemed that the only faces
not animated by excitement were those worn by the severed
heads that dressed the spikes atop the Southwark Gate. The

(01:49):
Tower of London, though stood quite aloof from the hubbub,
its tall and forbidding turrets so remote from the streets
that they belonged to a different world. Edmund Cordery make
anition to the court of the Archduke Gerrard tilted the
small concave mirror on the brass device that rested on
his work bench, catching the rays of the afternoon sun

(02:12):
and deflecting the light through the system of lenses. He
turned away and directed his son Noel to take his place.
Tell me of all's well, he said, tiredly. I can
hardly focus my eyes, let alone the instrument Noel closed
his left eye and put his other to the microscope.
He turned the wheel that adjusted the height of the stage.
It's perfect, he said, what is it? The wing of

(02:36):
a moth. Edmund scanned the polished table top, checking the
other slides were in readiness for the demonstration. The prospect
of Lady Carmila's visit filled him with a complex anxiety
that he resented himself. Even in the old days, she
had not come to his laboratory often, but to see
her hear on his own territory, as it were, would

(02:58):
be bound to awaken memories that were untouched by the
glimpses that he caught of her in the public parts
of the tower and on the ceremonial occasions. The water
slide isn't ready Nowell pointed out. Edmund shook his head.
I'll make a fresh one when the time comes, he said.
Living things are fragile, and the world that is in

(03:18):
a water drop is all too easily destroyed. He looked
farther along the bench top and moved the crucible, placing
it out of sight behind a row of jars. It
was impossible and unnecessary to make the place tidy, but
he felt it important to conserve some sense of order
and control. To discourage himself from fidgeting, he went to

(03:40):
the window and looked out at the sparkling Thames and
the straight green sheen on the slate roofs of the
houses beyond. From this high vantage point, the people were tiny.
He was higher even than the cross on the steeple
of the church beside the leather market Edmund was not
a devout man, but such was the agitation within him,

(04:02):
yearning for expression and action at the side of the
cross in the church made him cross himself, murmuring the
ritual devotion. As soon as he had done it, he
cursed himself for childishness. I am forty four years old,
he thought, and a mechanician. I am no longer the
boy who was favored with the love of the lady.
And there is no need for this stupid trepidation, his

(04:25):
being deliberately unfair to himself. In his private scolding, it
was not simply the fact that he had once been
Carmila's lover that made him anxious. There was the microscope
and the ship from the Moorish country. He hoped that
he would be able to judge by the lady's reaction
how much cause there really was for fear. The door
opened then, and the lady entered. She half turned to

(04:47):
indicate by a flutter of her hand that her attendant
need not come in with her, and he withdrew, closing
the door behind him. She was alone, with no friend
or favored in tow. She came across the room, carefully,
lifting the hem o her skirt a little. Though the
floor was not dusty, Her gaze flicked from side to
side to take note of the shelves, the beakers, the furnace,

(05:09):
and the numerous tools of the mechanician's craft. To a
commoner it would have been a threatening environment, redolent with unholiness,
but her attitude was cool and controlled. She arrived to
stand before the brass instrument that Edmond had recently completed,
but did not look long at it, before raising her
eyes to look fully into Edmond's face. You look well,

(05:31):
Master Cordery, she said, calmly, but you are pale. You
should not shut yourself in your rooms now that summer
has come to Normandy. Edmund bowed slightly but met her gaze.
She had not changed in the slightest degree, of course,
since the days when he had been intimate with her.
She was six hundred years old, hardly younger than the Archduke,

(05:52):
and the years were impotent as far as her appearance
was concerned. Her complexion was much darker than his, her
eyes a deep liquid brown, and her hair jet black.
He had not stood so close to her for several years,
and he could not help the tide of memories rising
in his mind. For her, it would be different. His

(06:14):
hair was gray now, his skin creased. He must seem
an altogether different person As he met her gaze, though
it seemed to him that she too was remembering, and
not without fondness. My lady, he said, his voice quite steady.
I present my son and apprentice, Noel. No elbowed more
deeply than his father, blushing with embarrassment. Lady Carmilla favored

(06:37):
the youth with a smile. He has a look of you,
Master Cordery, she said, a casual compliment. She returned her
attention then to the instrument. The designer was correct, she asked, yes. Indeed,
he replied, the device is most ingenious. I would dearly
like to meet the man who thought of it a

(06:59):
fine discovery, though, oh it taxed the talents of my
lens grinder severely. I think we might make a better
one with much care and skill. This is but a
poor example, as one must expect from a first attempt.
The lady Carmilla seated herself at the bench, and Edmund
showed her how to apply her eye to the instrument,
and how to adjust the focusing wheel and the mirror.

(07:21):
She expressed surprise at the appearance of the magnified moth's wing,
and Edmund took her through the series of prepared slides,
which included other parts of insects, bodies, and sections through
the stems and seeds of plants. I need a sharper
knife and a steadier hand, my lady, he told her.
The device exposes the clumsiness of my cutting. Oh no,

(07:43):
master cordery, she assured him politely. These are quite pretty enough,
But we were told that more interesting things might be
seen living things too small for ordinary light. Edmund bowed
in apology and explained about the preparation of water slides.
He made any one using a pippet to take a

(08:04):
drop from a jar full of dirty river water. Patiently,
he helped the lady search the slide for the tiny
creatures that human eyes were not equipped to perceive. He
showed her one that flowed as if it were semi
liquid itself, and tinier ones that moved by means of cilia.
She was quite captivated and watched for some time, moving
the slide very gently with their painted fingernails. Eventually she asked,

(08:29):
have you looked at other fluids? What kind of fluids?
He asked, though the question was quite clear to him
and disturbed them. She was not prepared to mince words
with him. Blood master cortery, she said, very softly. Her
past acquaintance with him had taught her respectless intelligence, and
he half regretted it blood clots. Very quickly, he told

(08:52):
her I could not produce a satisfactory slide. It would
take unusual skill. I'm sure that it would, she replied.
Noel has made drawings of many of the things we
have looked at, said Edmund. Would you like to see them?
She accepted the change of subject and indicated that she would.
She moved to Noel's station and began sorting through the drawings,

(09:14):
occasionally looking up at the boy to compliment him on
his work. Edmund stood by, remembering how sensitive he once
had been to her moods and desires, trying hard to
work out exactly what she was thinking. Something in one
of her contemplative glances at Noel sent an icy pang
of dread into Edmund's gut, and he found his more

(09:35):
important fears momentarily displaced by what might have been anxiety
for her son or simply jealousy. He cursed himself again
for his weakness. May I take these to show, the Archduke,
asked the lady Carmila, addressing the question to Noel rather
than to his father. The boy nodded still to embarrass

(09:55):
to construct a proper reply, She took a selection of
the drawings and rolled them in a scroll. She stood
and faced Edmond again. We are most interested in his apparatus,
she informed him. We must consider carefully whether to provide
you with new assistance to encourage development of the appropriate skills.
In the meantime, you may return to your ordinary work.

(10:17):
I will send someone for the instrument, so that the
Archduke had inspect it at his leisure. Your son draws
very well and must be encouraged. You and he may
visit me in my chamber on Monday next We will
dine at seven o'clock, and you may tell me about
all your recent work. Edmund bowed to signal his acquiescence.

(10:38):
It was, of course, a command rather than an invitation.
He moved before her to the door in order to
hold it open for her, that to exchanged another brief
glance as she went past him. When she had gone,
it was as though something taught unwound inside him, leaving
him relaxed and emptied. He felt strangely cool and distant,
as he considered the possibility stronger now that his life

(11:02):
was in peril. When the twilight had faded, Edmond lit
a single candle on the bench and sat staring into
the flame while he drank dark wine from a flask.
He did not look up when Noel came into the room,
but when the boy brought another stool close to his
and sat down upon it, he offered a flask. Noel

(11:23):
took it, but sipped rather gingerly. I'm old enough to
drink now, he commanded dryly. You're old enough, Edmond assured him.
I'll beware of excess and never drink alone, conventional fatherly advice.
I believe. Noel reached across the bench that he could
stroke the barrel of the microscope with slender fingers. What

(11:44):
are you afraid of, he asked. Edmund sighed, you're old
enough for that too. I suppose I think you ought
to tell me. Edmond looked at the brass instrument and
said it were better to keep things like this dark secret.
Some human mechanician, I dare say, eager to please the
vampire lords and ladies, showed off his cleverness as proud

(12:07):
as a peacock. Thoughtless, inevitable though, now that all his
play with lenses has become fashionable, you'll be glad of
eye glasses when your sight begins to fail, Noel told him.
In any case, I can't see the danger in this
new toy, Edmond smiled. New toys he mused clocks to

(12:28):
tell the time mills to grind the corn lenses to
ache human sight produced by human craftsmen for the delight
of their masters. I think we finally succeeded in proving
to the vampires just how very clever we are, and
how much more there is to know than we know already.
You think the vampires are beginning to fear us. Edmond

(12:50):
gulped wine from the flask and passed it again to
his son. Their rule is founded in fear and superstition,
he said quietly. Their long lived suffer only mild attacks
of diseases that are fatal to us, and have marvelous
powers of degeneration. But they are not immortal, and they

(13:11):
are vastly outnumbered by humans. Terror keeps them safe, but
terror is based in ignorance, and behind their haughtiness and arrogance,
there's a gnawing fear of what might happen if humans
ever lost their supernatural reverence for vampire kind. It's very
difficult for them to die, but they don't fear death

(13:32):
any the less. For that, there have been rebellions against
vampire rule. They've always failed, and men nodded to concede
the point. There are three million people in Grand Normandy,
he said, in less than five thousand vampires. There are
only forty thousand vampires in the entire imperium of Gaul,

(13:53):
and about the same number in the Imperium of Byzantium.
No telling how many there may be in the Cannate
of Wallachia and Cathay, but not so very many more
in Africa. The vampires must be out number three or
four thousand to one. If people no longer saw them
as demons and demi gods, as unconquerable forces of evil,

(14:14):
the empire would be fragile. The centuries through which they
live give them wisdom, but longevity seems to be inimical
to creative thought. They learn, but they don't advent. Human
remains the true master of art and science, which are
forces of change. They've tried to control that, to turn

(14:36):
it to their advantage, but it remains a thorn in
their side. But they do have power, insisted now they
are vampires Edmond shrugged. Their longevity is real, their powers
of regeneration too, But is it really their magic that
makes them so? I don't know for sure what merit
there is in their incantations and rituals, And I don't

(14:58):
think even they know. They cling to their rights because
they dare not abandon them. But where the power that
makes humans into vampires really comes from? No one knows.
From the devil, I think not. I don't believe in
the devil. I think it's something in the blood. I
think vampirism may be a kind of disease, but a

(15:19):
disease that makes men stronger instead of weaker, insulates them
against death instead of killing them. If that is the case,
do you see now why? The Lady Carmilla asked whether
I'd looked at blood beneath the microscope. Noel stared at
the instrument for twenty seconds or so, mulling over the idea.

(15:39):
Then he laughed. If we could all become vampires, he said, lightly,
we'd have to suck one another's blood. Ed men couldn't
bring himself to look for such ironies. For him, the
possibilities inherent in discovering the secrets of vampire nature were
much more immediate and utterly bleak. It's not true that

(15:59):
they need to suck the blood of humans, he told
the boy. It's not nourishment. It gives them a kind
of pleasure that we can't understand, and it's part of
the mystique that makes them so terrible and hence so powerful.
He stopped feeling embarrassed. He did not know how much
Noel knew about the sources of information. He and his

(16:22):
wife never talked about the days of his affair with
the Lady Carmilla, but there was no way to keep
gossip and rumor from reaching the boy's ears. Noel took
the flask again, and this time took a deeper draft
from it. I've heard, he said distantly, the humans find
pleasure too in their blood being drunk. No replied Edmond calmly.

(16:46):
That's untrue unless one counts the small pleasure of sacrifice.
The pleasure that a human man takes from a vampire
lady is the same pleasure that he takes from a
human lover. It might be different for the girls who
entertained vampire men, but I suspect it's just the excitement
of hoping that they may become vampires themselves. Noah hesitated

(17:10):
and would probably have dropped the subject, but Edmund realized
suddenly they did not want the subject dropped. The boy
had a right to know, and perhaps might one. They
need to know. That's not entirely true, Edmond corrected himself.
When the lady Carmela used to taste my blood, it
did give me pleasure in a way. It pleased me

(17:30):
because it pleased her. There is an excitement in loving
a vampire woman, even though the chance that a vampire
lady's lover may himself become a vampire so remote as
to be inconsiderable. Noel Blush, not knowing how to react
to this acceptance into his father's confidence, finally decided that
it was best to pretend a purely academic interest. Why

(17:53):
are there so many more vampire women than men, he asked,
No one knows for sure, Edmund said, no humans at
any rate. I can tell you what I believe from
hearsay and from reasoning, but you must understand that it
is a dangerous thing to think about, let alone to
speak about. Noel nodded. The vampires keep their history secret,

(18:15):
said Edmund, and they try to control the writing of
human history. But the following facts are probably true. Vampirism
came to Western Europe in the fifth century with the
vampire led horse of Attila. Attila must have known well
enough how to make more vampires. He converted both Aetius,
who became ruler of the Imperium of God, and Theodosius

(18:37):
the Second, the Emperor of the East, who was later murdered.
Of all the vampires that now exist, the vast majority
must be converts. I have heard reports of vampire children
born to vampire ladies, but it must be an extremely
rare occurrence. Vampire men seem to be much less rural
than human men. It is said that they couple very rarely. Nevertheless,

(19:00):
they frequently take human consorts, and these concerts often become vampires.
Vampires usually claim that this is a gift bestowed deliberately
by magic, but I am not so sure they can
control the process. I think the semen of vampire men
carries some kind of seed that communicates vampirism, much as

(19:21):
a semen of humans make women pregnant, and just a paphazardly,
that's why the male lovers of Vampire's Lady don't become vampires.
Noel considered this and then asked, then, where do vampire
lords come from? They're converted by other male vampires. Edmund said,

(19:42):
just at Atilla converted Asius and Theodosius. He did not elaborate,
but way to see whether Noel understood the implication. An
expression of disgust crossed the boy's face, and Edmund did
not know whether to be glad or sorry that his
son could follow the argument through. Because it doesn't always happen.

(20:03):
Edmond went on, it's easy for the vampires to pretend
that they have some special magic, but some women never
become pregnant, though they lie with their husbands for years.
It is said, though, that a human may also become
a vampire by drinking vampire's blood if he knows the
appropriate magic spell. That's a room of the vampires don't like,

(20:25):
and the exact terrible penalties if any one is got
trying the experiment. The ladies of our own court, of course,
are for the most part one time lovers of the
Archduke or his cousins. It would be indelicate to speculate
about the conversion of the Archduke, though he is certainly
acquainted with Asius. Noel reached dot a hand, palm downward

(20:48):
and made a few passes above the candle flame, making
it flicker from side to side. He stared at the microscope.
Have you looked at blood, he asked. Ahow replied Edmund,
and seamen human blood, of course, and human seamen, And
Edmund shook his head. There's certainly not homogeneous fluids, he said,

(21:10):
But the instrument isn't good enough for really detailed inspection.
There are small corpuscles the one and seamen of long
writhing tales, but there's more, much more to be seen.
If I had the chance. By to morrow, this instrument
will be gone. I don't think I'll be given the
chance to build another. You're surely not in danger. You're

(21:31):
an important man, and your loyalty has never been in question.
People think of you as being almost a vampire, yourself
a black magician. The kitchen girls are afraid of me
because I'm your son. They crossed themselves when they see me.
Edmund laughed a little bitterly. I've no doubt they suspect

(21:53):
me of intercourse with demons, and avoid my gaze for
fear of the spell of the evil eye. But none
of that matters to the vampires. To them, I'm only
a human, and for all that they value my skills,
they'd kill me without a thought. They suspected that I
might have dangerous knowledge. Now I was clearly alarmed by this.
Wouldn't he stop? But saw Edmund waiting for him to ask,

(22:16):
and carried on after only a brief pause. The lady Carmilla,
wouldn't she protect me? Edmund shook his head. Not even
if I were her favorite. Still, vampire loyalty is to vampires.
She was human once. It counts for nothing. She's been
a vampire for nearly six hundred years. But it wouldn't

(22:39):
be any different if she were no older than I.
But she did love you in her way, said Edmund,
sadly in her way. He stood up then, no longer
feeding the urgent desire to help his son to understand
there were things a boy could find out only for himself,
and might never have to. He took up the candle

(23:00):
train and shielded the flame with his hand as he
walked to the door. Noel followed him, leaving the empty
flask behind. Edmund left the citadel by the so called
Trader's Gate and crossed at Thames by the Tower Bridge.
The houses on the bridge were in darkness now, but
there was still a trickle of traffic. Even at two
in the morning. The business of the great city did

(23:21):
not come to stand still. The night had clouded over,
and a slight dridger had begun to fall. Some of
the oil lamps that were supposed to keep the thoroughfare
lit at all times had gone out, and there was
not a lamp lighter in sight. Edmond did not mind
his shadows, though he was aware before he reached the
south bank that two men were dogging his footsteps, and

(23:43):
he donned in order to give them the impression that
he would be easy to track once he injured the
network of streets surrounding the leather market. Though he gave
them the slip, he knew the maze of filthy streets
well enough. He had lived here as a child. It
was while he was apprenticed to a local clockmaker that
he had learned a cleverness with tools that eventually brought

(24:03):
him to the notice of his predecessor and had sent
him on the road to fortune and celebrity. He had
a brother and a sister still living and working in
the district, though he saw them very rarely. Neither one
of them was proud to have a reputed magician for
a brother, and they had not forgiven his association with
the lady Carmilla. He picked his way carefully through the

(24:26):
garbage in the dark valleys, unperturbed by the sound of
scavenging rats. He kept his hands on the pummel of
the dagger that was clasped to his belt, but he
had no need to draw it because the stars were hidden.
The night was pitch dark, and few of the windows
were lit from with the inn by candle light, but
is able to keep track of his progress by reaching
out to touch familiar walls every now and again. He

(24:49):
came eventually to a tiny door set three steps down
from a side street, and wrapped upon it quickly, three
times and then twice. There was a long pause before
he felt the door yield beneath his fingers, and he
stepped inside hurriedly until he relaxed. When the door clicked
shut again, He did not realize how tense he had been.

(25:09):
He waited for a candle to be lit. The light
when it came illuminated. A thin face crabbed and wrinkled,
the eyes very pale, and the wispy white hair gathered
imperfectly behind the linen bonnet. The Lord be with you,
he whispered, And with you Edmund Cordery, she croaked. He
frowned at the use of his name. It was a
deliberate breach of etiquette, a feeble and meaningless gesture of independence.

(25:35):
She did not like him, though he had never been
less than kind to her, She did not fear him
as so many others did. She considered him tainted. They
had been bound together in the business of the fraternity
for nearly twenty years, but she would never completely trust him.
She led him into an inner room and left him
there to take care of his business. A stranger stepped

(25:56):
from his shadows. He was short, stout and bald, perhaps
sixty years old. He made the special sign of the cross,
and ed men responded. I'm quartery, he said. We followed
the older Manstone was deferential and fearful. Not here. They
followed me from the tower, but it was easy to
shake them loose. That's bad, perhaps, but it has to

(26:21):
do with another matter, not with our business. There's no
danger to you. Do you have what I asked for?
The stout man nodded uncertainly. My masters are unhappy, he said.
I've been asked to tell you that they do not
want you to take risks. You are too valuable to
place yourself in peril. I'm in peril already. Events are

(26:44):
overtaking us. In any case, it is neither your concern
nor that of your masters. It is for me to decide.
The stout man shook his head, but it was a
gesture of resignation rather than a denial. He pulled something
from beneath the chair where he had waited in the shadows.
It was a large box clad in leather. A row

(27:06):
of small holes was set in the longer side, and
there was a sound of scratching from within that testified
to the presence of living creatures. You did exactly as
I instructed, asked Edmond. The small man nodded, then put
his hand on the mechanician's arm fearfully. Though no open it, sir,
I beg you not here, there's nothing to fear, Edmond

(27:29):
assured him. You haven't been an africancern as I have.
Believe me, every one is afraid, and not merely humans.
They say that vampires are dying too. Yes, I know,
said Edmund distractedly. He shok off the older mass restraining
hand and under the straps that sealed the box. He

(27:50):
lifted the lid, but not far, just enough to let
the light in and to let him see what was inside.
The box contained two big gray rats. They cowered from
the light. Edmund shut the lid again and fasten the straps.
It's not my place, sir, said the little man hesitantly.
But I'm not sure that you really understand what you

(28:12):
have there. I've seen the cities of West Africa. I've
been in Koruna to a Marseilles. They remember other plagues
in those cities, and all the horror stories are emerging
again to haunt them, Sir, if any such thing ever
came to London. Edmond tested the weight of the box
to see whether he could carry it comfortably. It's not

(28:35):
your concern, he said. Forget everything that has happened. I
will communicate with your masters. It is in my hands now.
Forgive me, said the other. But I must say this.
There is nought to be gained from destroying vampires. If
we destroy ourselves too, it would be a pity to
wipe out half of Europe and the cause of attacking

(28:56):
our oppressors. Edmund stared at the stout man. You talk
too much, he said, indeed, you talk a deal too much.
I beg your pardon, Sir. Edmund hesitated for a moment,
wondering whether to reassure the messenger that his anxiety was understandable.

(29:16):
But he had learned long ago, and where the business
of the fraternity was concerned, it was better to say
as little as possible. There was no way of knowing
when this man would speak again of this affair, or
to whom, or with what consequence. The mechanician took up
the box, making sure that he could carry it comfortably.

(29:36):
The rat stirred inside, scrabbling with her small clawed feet.
With his free hand, Edmund made the sign of the
cross again. God go with you, said the messenger. With
urgent sincerity, and with thy spirit, replied Edmond colorlessly. Then
he left, without pausing to exchange a richal farewell with

(29:56):
the crone. He had no difficulty in smuggling his burden
back to the tower by means of a gate with
a guard was long practiced in the art of turning
a blind eye. When Monday came, Edmund and Noel made
their way to the Lady Carmilla's chambers. Noel had never
been in such an apartment before, and it was a
source of wand to him. Edmund watched the boy's reactions

(30:20):
to the carpets, the wall hangings, the mirrors and ornaments,
and could not help but recall the first time he
had entered these chambers. Nothing had changed here, and the
rooms were full of provocations to stir and sharpen his
faded memories. Younger vampires tended to change their surroundings, often
addicted to novelty, as if they feared the prospect of

(30:43):
being changeless themselves. Lady Carmilla had long since passed beyond
this phase of her career. She had grown used to changelessness,
had transcended the kind of attitude to the world that
permitted boredom an ennui. She had adapted herself to unyus
sthetic of existence, whereby her personal space became an extension

(31:04):
of her own eternal sameness and innovation was confined to
tightly controlled areas of her life, including the irregular shifting
of her erotic affections from one lover to another. The
sumptuousness of the Lady's table was a further source of
astonishment to Noel. Silver plates and forks he had imagined,

(31:25):
and crystal goblets and carved decanters of wine, but the
lavishness of provision for just three diners, the casual waste,
was something that obviously set him back. He had always
known that he was himself a member of a privileged delete,
and that by the standards of the greater world, Master
Cortery and his family ate well. The revelation that there

(31:46):
was a further order of magnitude to distinguish the private
world of the real aristocracy clearly made its impact upon him.
Edmund had been very careful in preparing his dress, fetching
from his closet finery that he had not put on
for years on official occasions. He was always concerned to

(32:06):
play the part of the mechanician, and dressed in order
to sustain that appearance. He never appeared as a courtier,
always as a functionary. Now, though he was reverting to
a kind of performance that Noel had never seen him play,
and though the boy had no idea of the subtleties
of his father's performance, he clearly understood something of what

(32:30):
was going on. He had complained acidly about the dull
and plain way in which his father had made him dress.
Edmund ate and drank sparingly, and was pleased to note
that Noel did likewise, obeying his father's instructions, despite the
obvious temptation of the lavish provision. For while the lady

(32:51):
was content to exchange routine courtesies, but she came quickly enough,
by her standards, to the real business of the evening.
My cousin Girard, she told Edmond, is quite enraptured by
your clever device. He finds it most interesting that I
am pleased to make him a gift of it. Edmund replied,
and I would be pleased to make another as a
gift of your ladyship. That is not our desire, she

(33:15):
said coolly. In fact, we have other matters in mind.
The Archduke and his Senasau have discussed certain tasks that
you might profitably carry out. Instructions will be communicated to
you in due time. I have no doubt, Thank you,
my lady, said Edmund. The ladies of the court were
pleased with the drawings that I showed to them, said

(33:37):
Lady Carmilla, turning to look at Noel. They marveled at
the thought that a coupful of Thames water might contain
thousands of tiny, living creatures. Do you think that our
bodies too might be the habitation of countless and visible insects.
Noel opened his mouth to reply, because the question was
addressed to him, but Edmund interrupted smoothly. There are creatures

(34:00):
that may live upon our bodies, he said, and worms
that may live within. We are told that the macrocosm reproduces,
in essence the microcosm of human beings. Perhaps there is
a small microcosm within us, where our natures are reproduced
again incalculably small. I have read, I have read, Master Cortery.

(34:20):
She cut in, that the illness that afflict humankind might
be carried from person to person by means of these
tiny creatures. The idea that diseases were communicated from one
person to another by tiny seeds was produced in antiquity.
Edmund replied, but I do not know housage seeds might
be recognized, and I think it very unlikely that the

(34:42):
creatures we have seen in river water could possibly be
of that character. It is a disquieting thought. She insisted
that our bodies might be inhabited by creatures of which
we can know nothing, and that every breath we take
might be carrying into a seeds of all kinds of change,
two too small to be seen or tasted. It makes

(35:03):
me feel uneasy that there is no need. Edmund protested.
Seeds of corruptibility take root in human flesh. But yours
isn't violet. You know that is not so, Master Corderie,
she said, Levely, you have seen me ill yourself. That
was a pox that killed many humans, my lady, yet

(35:24):
it gave you no more than a mild fever. We
have reports from the Imperium of Byzantium, and from the
Moorish Enclave too, that there is a plague in Africa,
and that it has now reached the southern regions of
the Imperium of Gaul. It is said that this plague
makes little distinction between human and vampire rumors, My lady,

(35:48):
said Edmund soothingly. You know how news becomes blacker as
it travels. Lady Carmilla turned again to Noel, and this
time addressed him by name, so that there could be
no opportunity for Edmon me to usurp the privilege of
answering her. Are you afraid of me, Noel? She asked.
The boy was startled and stumbled slightly over his reply,
which was in the negative. You must not lie to me,

(36:11):
she told them. You are afraid of me because I'm
a vampire. Master Cordy is a skeptic and must have
told you that vampires have less magic than is commonly
credited to us. But he must have also told you
that I can do you harm if I will. Would
you like to be a vampire yourself, Noel. Noel was

(36:31):
still confused by the correction and hesitated over his reply,
but eventually said, yes, I would. Of course you would,
She purred. All humans would be vampires if they could,
no matter how they might pretend when they bend a
knee in church, and men can become vampires. Immortality is
within our gift. Because of this, we have always enjoyed

(36:54):
the loyalty and devotion of the greater number of our
human subjects. We have always rewarded that devotion in some measure.
Few have joined our ranks, but the many have enjoyed
centuries of order and stability. The vampires rescued Europe from
a dark age, and as long as vampire's rule, barbarism
will always be held in check. Our rule has not

(37:16):
always been kind because we cannot tolerate defiance, but the
alternative would have been for worse. Even so, there are
men who destroy us. Did you know that Noel did
not know how to reply to this, so he simply stared,
waiting for her to continue. She seemed a little impatient

(37:36):
with his gracelessness, and Edmund deliberately let the awkward pause
go on. He saw a certain advantage in allowing Noel
to make a poor impression. There is an organization of rebels.
The lady Carmilla went on a secret society, ambitious to
discover the secret way to which vampires are made. They
put about the idea that they would make all men immortal.

(37:59):
But this is a lot and foolish. The members of
this brotherhood seek power for themselves. The vampire lady paused
to direct the clearing of one set of dishes and
the bringing of another. She asks for a new one too.
Her gaze wandered back and forth between the gauche youth
and the self assured father. The loyalty of your family is,

(38:20):
of course beyond question, she eventually continued. No one understands
the workings of society like a mechanician, who knows well
enough how forces must be balanced, and how the different
parts of a machine must interlocke and support one another.
Master Cordy knows well how the cleverness of rulers resembles

(38:40):
the cleverness of clockmasters. Do you not, Indeed I do,
my lady, replied Edmund. There might be a way, she said,
in a strangely distant tone, that a good mechanician might
earn a conversion to vamporism. Edmund was wise enough not
to interpret this is an offer or a promise. He

(39:00):
accepted a measure of the new one, and said, my lady,
there matters that it would be as well for us
to discuss in private. May I send my son to
his room. The Lady Carmela's eyes narrowed just a little,
but there was hardly any expression in her finely etched features.
Edmund held his breath, knowing that he had forced a

(39:20):
decision upon her that she had not intended to make
so soon. The poor boy has not quite finished his meal,
she said, I think he has had enough, my lady.
Edmund countered. Noel did not disagree, and after a brief hesitation,
the lady bowed to signal her permission. Edmond asked Noel
to leave, and when he was gone, the Lady Carmilla

(39:42):
rose from her seat and went from the dining room
into an inner chamber. Edmond followed her. You are presumptuous,
master cortery. She told them I was carried away, my lady.
There are too many memories here. The boy is mine,
she said, if I so choose, you do know that,
do you not? Edmund bowed, I did not ask you

(40:03):
here to night to make you witness the seduction of
your son. Nor do you think that I did this
matter that you would discuss with me. Does it concern
science or treason? Science, my lady, as you have said yourself,
my loyalty is not in question. Carmilla laid herself upon
a sofa and indicated that Edmund should take a chair
near by. This was the ante chamber to her bedroom,

(40:26):
and the air was sweet with the odor of cosmetics. Speak.
She bade him, I believe that the Archduke is afraid
of what my little device might reveal. He said. He
fears that it will expose to the eye such seeds
as carry vampirism from one person to another, just as
it might expose the seeds that carry disease. I think

(40:46):
that the man who devised the instrument may have been
put to death already. But I think you know well
enough that a discovery, once made, is likely to be
made again and again. You are uncertain as to what
course of action would best serve your ends, because you
cannot tell whether the greater threat to your rule might come.
There is a fraternity which is dedicated to your destruction.

(41:08):
There is plague in Africa, from which even vampires may die.
And there is a new sight which renders visible what
previously lurked unseen. Do you want my advice, Lady Carmila,
Do you have any advice, Edmund? Yes, do not try
to control by terror or persecution the things that are happening.

(41:30):
Let your rule be unkind now as it has been before,
and it will open the way to destruction. Should you
concede power gently, you might live for centuries yet. But
if you strike out, your enemies will strike back. The
vampire lady leaned back her head, looking at the ceiling.
She contrived a small laugh. I cannot take advice such

(41:52):
as that to the Archduke, she told him, flatly. I
thought not, my lady, Edmund replied, very calmly. You humans
have your own immortality, she complained. Your faith promises it,
and you all affirm it. Your faith tells you that
you must not covet the immortality that is ours. And
we do no more than agree with you when we

(42:14):
guarded so jealously. You should look to your Christ for fortune,
not to us. I think you know well enough that
we could not convert the world if we wanted to.
Our magic is such that it can be used only sparingly.
Are you distressed because it has never been offered to you?
Are you bitter? Are you becoming our enemy because you

(42:35):
cannot become our kin? You have nothing to fear from me,
my lady, he lied. Then he added, not quite sure
whether it was a lie or not, I loved you faithfully.
I still do. She sat up straight then, and reached
out a hand as though to stroke his cheek, though
he was too far away for her to reach. That

(42:55):
is what I told the Archduke, she said, when he
suggested to me that you might be a traitor, I
promised him that I could test your loyalty more keenly
in my chambers than his officers and theirs. I do
not think you would delude me, Edmund, do you no,
my lady, he replied. By morning, she told him gently,
I will know whether or not you are a traitor.

(43:17):
That you will. He assured her that you will, my lady.
He woke before her, his mouth dry and his forehead burning.
He was not sweating, Indeed, he was possessed by feeling
of desiccation, as though the moisture was being squeezed out
of his organs. His head was aching, and the light
of the morning sun that streamed through the unshuttered window

(43:38):
hurt his eyes. He pulled himself up to a half
sitting position, pushing the coverlet back from his bare chest.
So soon he thought he had not expected to be
consumed so quickly, but he was surprised to find that
his reaction was one of relief rather than fear or regret.
He had difficulty collecting his thoughts, and was perversely glad

(43:58):
to accept that he did not need to. He looked
down at the cuts that she had made on his
breast with her little silver knife. They were raw red
and made a strange contrast with the faded scars, whose
crisscross patterns still engraved the story of unforgotten passions. He
touched the new wounds gently with his fingers and winced
at the fiery paan. She woke up then and saw

(44:20):
him inspecting the marks. Have you missed the knife, she
asked sleepily. Were you hungry for its touch? There was
no need to lie now, and there was a delicious
sense of freedom in that knowledge. There was a joy
in being able to face r at last, quite naked
in his thoughts as well as his flesh. Yes, my
lady said, was like croak in his voice. I had

(44:41):
missed the knife. Its touch rekindled flames in my soul.
She had closed her eyes again to allow herself to wake. Slowly,
she laughed, it is pleasant sometimes to return to forsaken pastures.
You can have no notion how particul kular taste makes
her memories. I am glad to have seen you again

(45:04):
in this way. I've going quite used to you as
a gray mechanician. But now he laughed as lightly as she,
But the laugh turned to a cough, and something in
the sound alerted her to the fact that all was
not as it should be. She opened her eyes and
raised his head, turning toward him. Why, Edmund, she said,

(45:26):
you're as pale as death. She reached out to touch
his cheek and snatched her hand away again as she
found it unexpectedly hot and dry. A blush of confusion
spread across her own features. He took her hand and
held it, looking steadily into her eyes. Edmund, she said, softly,
what have you done? I can't be sure, he said,

(45:49):
and I will not live to find out. But I
have tried to kill you, my lady. He was pleased
by the way her mouth gaped in astonishment. He watched
his belief and anxiety mingle in her Russian as though
fighting for control. She did not call out for help.
This is nonsense, she whispered, Perhaps, he admitted. Perhaps it

(46:10):
was also nonsense that we talked last evening, nonsense about treason.
Why did you ask me to make the microscope, my lady,
when you knew that making me a party to such
a secret was as good as signing my death born? Oh, Edmund,
she said, with a sigh. You could not think that
it was my own idea. I tried to protect you, Edmund,

(46:32):
from Gerard's fear and suspicions. It was because I was
your protector that I was made to bear the message.
What have you done, Edmund? He began to reply, but
the words turned into a fit of coughing. She sat upright,
wrenching her hand away from his enfeebled grip, and looked
down at him as he sank back upon the pillow.

(46:53):
For the love of God, she exclaimed, as fearfully as
any true believer, it is the plague, the plague out
of Africa. He tried to confirm her suspicion, but could
do so only with a nod of his head as
he fought for breath, but they held the Free Martin
by the Essex coast for a full fortnight's quarantine. She protested.

(47:14):
There was no trace of plague aboard. The disease kills men,
said Edmond in a shallow whisper, But animals can carry
it in their blood without dying. You cannot know this.
Edmund managed a small laugh, My lady, he said, I
am a member of that fraternity that interests itself in
everything that might kill a vampire. The information came to

(47:38):
me in good time for media arranged delivery of the rats,
though when I asked for them, I had not in
mind the meaning of using them that I eventually employed
more recent events. Again, he was forced to stop, unable
to draw some fish in breath, even to sustain the
thin whisper. Lady Carmilla put her hand to her throat,

(47:58):
swallowing as if she expected to feel evidence already of
her infection. You would destroy me, Edmund, she asked, as
though she genuinely found it difficult to believe I would
destroy you all, he told her. I would bring disaster,
turn the world upside down, to end your rule. We
can not allow you to stamp out, learning itself. To

(48:21):
preserve your empire forever. Order must be fought with chaos,
and chaos is come, my lady. When she tried to
rise from the bed, he reached out to restrain her,
and though there was no power left in him, she
allowed herself to be checked. The coverlet fell away from
her to expose her breast as she sat upright. The
boy will die for this, Master Cordy, she said, his

(48:42):
mother too. They are gone, he told her, no, while
went from your table to the custody of the society
that I serve by. Now they're beyond your reach. The
Archduke will never catch them, she stared at him. And
now you can see the beginnings of hate and fear
in hers. There here last night to bring me poisoned blood,
she said, and no hope that this new disease might

(49:05):
kill even me. You condemned yourself to death. Why did
you do? Edmund? He reached out again to touch her arm,
and was pleased to see her flinch and draw away.
That he had become dreadful. Only vampires live forever, he
told her hoarsely. But anyone may drink blood if they
have a stomach for it. I took full measure from

(49:27):
my two sick rats, and I prayed to God that
the seed of this fear is raging in my blood
and in my seamen too. You too have received full measure,
my lady, and you are in God's hands now, like
any common mortal. I cannot know for sure whether you
will catch the plague or whether it will kill you.
But I, an unbeliever, am not ashamed to pray. Perhaps

(49:50):
you could pray, too, my lady, so that we may
know how the Lord favors one unbeliever over another. She
looked down at him, her face gradually losing the expressions
that had tugged at her features, becoming masslike and his steadiness.
You could have taken her side, edmun. I trusted you,
and I could have made the arch to trust you too.

(50:10):
You could have become a vampire. We could have shared
the sentries, you and I. This was the simulation, and
they both knew it. He had been her lover, and
had ceased to be, and had grown older for so
many years that now she remembered him as much in
his son as in himself. The promises were all too
obviously hollow now, and she realized that she could not

(50:31):
even taunt him with them. From beside the bed, she
took up the small silver knife that she had used
to let his blood. She held it now as if
it were dagger, not a delicate instrument to be used
with care and love. I thought you still loved me,
she told him. I really did that, at least he
thought might be true. He actually put his head further

(50:53):
back to expose his throat to the expected thrust. He
wanted her to strike him angrily, brutally, passionately. He had
nothing more to say, and would not confirm or deny
that he did still love her. He had admitted to
himself now that his motives had been mixed, and that

(51:13):
he really did not know whether it was loyalty to
the fraternity that had made him submit to this extraordinary experiment.
It did not matter. She cut his throat, and he
watched her for a few long seconds while she stared
at the blood gouting from the wound. When he saw
her put stained fingers to her lips, knowing what she knew,

(51:33):
he realized that, after her own fashion, she still loved him.