A Vampire in Time

By Lucinda Elliot

In a remote mansion in North Wales in the savage winter of 1794, two vampires – a cold fish inventor and his siren wife – join in an uneasy partnership to change the past.
Kenrick has come to a standstill in his calculations. The only mathematician skilled enough to solve the problem is the villainous young émigré Frenchman Émile Dubois, staying with relatives nearby.
Kenrick has used his experiments to record images of Émile's violent past, living undercover in Paris as a robber, and later in London as the highwayman Monsieur Gilles. Knowing his savage wife's liking for violent men, Kenrick entertains her with these images, and send her to to win him over. Ceridwen has no objection: she already has taken her coachman for a lover, amongst others.
The only problem is Émile's feelings for his aunt's young companion, Sophie de Courcy...
A short story taster for 'That Scoundrel Émile Dubois'.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Freya
• Release date: Oct 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005328535

Lucinda Elliot

Lucinda Elliot loves writing on Gothic themes and creating lively characters. She can't resist putting a lot of humour into her writing and loves making strong female characters to go with the gung-ho males. She was brought up in big old houses that would make excellent Gothic settings, lived and worked in London for years and now lives in Mid Wales with her family.

Book preview

A Vampire in Time

by Lucinda Elliot

Copyright ©2021 SmashWords Edition

Copyright © Lucinda Elliot 2021

Since neither of the travellers whose carriage clattered into the snow covered courtyard of Plas Cyfeillgar was human, they had felt nothing of the cold on their journey up from London.

It was January in 1795, that savage winter when birds fell dead out of the trees. Arthur Williams had laughed as he drove his mistress up roads treacherous with snow and ice, passing carriages overturned or stuck in drifts. The special horse shoes designed by their neighbour proved invaluable.

Now, as the groom plodded out to take the steaming horses, Arthur caught Ceridwen Kenrick as she sprang from the carriage. He stood holding her in his brawny arms, while they gazed about at the great Queen Anne style house, the Famau Mountain, and the Vale of Clwyd spread out below, all covered by a thick blanket of snow.

Ugh. Ceridwen Kenrick turned her head against his shoulder, her black hair mingling with his long golden mane, unpowdered and curling almost into ringlets. There will be little enough entertainment here.

He winked. I am always happy to oblige, Ma’am.

Carry me over to the entrance. Her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the man vampire she had married, watching her from a side window.

She knew that Kenrick, with his bat’s hearing, would have caught Arthur’s words. She knew, too, he wouldn’t care about her enjoying their servant’s body since turning him. Kenrick had no interest in hers, save as a weapon against his rivals.

The front door was opened by a stocky manservant in ill fitting livery; his jacket was ludicrously tight, his breeches hanging loose. He glowered before making a nominal bow.

Ceridwen was unsurprised. Nobody but Arthur enjoyed working for the Kenricks. She brushed past him, snapping, Don’t stand there staring, you dolt: bring refreshments to the drawing room.

That is of course, Plas Uchaf, where the Earl of Ruddlan lives with his stiff old widowed mother. Ceridwen gazed through the window at