Shadows of London: 2-11 Encroaching Darkness

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Aunt Petit leaves London. What will the trio do next?

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Style: Event Logs: Lake District, Wordsworth, Poet Laureates Recommended: The Year 1666, Open Wisdom's Door, Born Human Rewards: 3,000 , 600 , 3 , 1 , 1 , Blueprint: His Vow

His Vow

Transcript

Expand for script.

• Now that Aunt Petit has gone, I have free rein over her residence.
• It's the perfect place for the three of us to have a discussion.
• I welcome Priscilla and Roger into the greenhouse, and instruct a maid to bring refreshments.
• Priscilla Barnet: Not bad, Caroline. It seems like you've adapted to being the head of the household pretty quickly.

• Priscilla winks at me as she picks up a scone.
• You: Before my grandfather's passing, I managed his estate for a while.

• You: Whether in the countryside or in the city, it's the duty of the next generation to help manage the property.

• Priscilla Barnet: That's just what you think your duty is, Caroline.

• Priscilla Barnet: I don't plan to waste my time on such matters.

• She shakes her head disapprovingly and redirects the conversation.
• Priscilla Barnet: What should we do next?

• The three of us hold our tea cups and fall into deep contemplation.
• You: (I've already learned more about my mother's past from Vincent...)

If you agreed with Priscilla in 2-2

• You: (Investigating Madam A's social circle won't yield any further leads.)

If you agreed with Roger in 2-2

• You: (Doctor Grey has made it clear that the "prayer water" has no direct connection to the epidemic...)

• You: (Investigating that clue won't yield any further leads.)

• You: Perhaps we should go to the Eastern District again.

• Priscilla Barnet: Why?

• You: Because I'm still wondering about what happened to Pastor William Akerman.

• You: When the strange sickness plagued the Eastern District thirteen years ago, he was the only person who kept taking in patients.

• You: And after he mysteriously disappeared, the epidemic also vanished from the Eastern District.

• You: I can't help but feel like there's some kind of connection between these two things.

• Roger Evans: Do you think there's something suspicious about this pastor himself?

• Roger's direct question renders my attempts at tactful expression futile.
• You: I didn't say he was a malicious criminal or anything. It's just that these things are a bit too coincidental...

• Roger Evans: Here we go again with the London lady's euphemisms.

• Roger Evans: You think he's suspicious, Caroline. It's a reasonable reaction. There's no need to feel guilty about it.

• Roger Evans: Blindly trusting strangers is a foolish thing to do.

• You: ...

• Priscilla Barnet: Roger, quit being so aggressive. We're not like you, always getting carried away with your work and suspecting everyone.

• Priscilla Barnet: Pastor William took in so many patients. He was highly respected, and it seemed like he was a virtuous man.

• Priscilla Barnet: Of course someone would feel guilty if they were wrongly suspicious of him.

• Priscilla Barnet: However, I agree that we should visit the Eastern District again.

• You: You want to investigate Pastor William too?

• Priscilla Barnet: No, there's someone else I want to find out more about.

• Priscilla Barnet: Jesse Lindvall.

• My heart sinks. Priscilla catches a glimpse of my expression and speaks bluntly.
• Priscilla Barnet: I don't approve of opening his coffin, Caroline, so you can rest assured.

• Priscilla Barnet: But the strange condition of his grave is the clue that's most closely connected with vampires now. I know you know that.

• Priscilla Barnet: What exactly was the cause of Jesse Lindvall's death? Was he attacked by a vampire?

• Priscilla Barnet: Does the suspicious condition of his grave indicate that he's come back to life as a vampire?

• Priscilla Barnet: If that's the case, where is he now? Is he with the vampire who attacked him? Are they on the same side as the Elder?

• Priscilla Barnet: And are they the ones who are behind the current epidemic?

• Priscilla Barnet: Our investigation has reached a dead end. We can't afford to waste this new lead.

• Roger Evans: Well said, Priscilla. I always appreciate your straightforward approach.

• Roger Evans: Caroline, what do you think?

• You: How can we pursue this clue without opening Jesse's coffin?

• Roger Evans: Jesse Lindvall was attacked in the Eastern District on a rainy night.

• Roger Evans: Interestingly enough, even though he was a distinguished and well-known upper-class gentleman, Scotland Yard did not open a case when he was attacked.

• You: Hmm...

• Roger Evans: Of course, based on the behavior of the Lindvall family, we can deduce that they did not want outsiders to discover anything suspicious, so they may have suppressed any official investigations.

• Roger Evans: What Scotland Yard should've done—conducted on-site inspections and collected testimonies—now falls to us.

• Roger Evans: Don't underestimate the people from the Eastern District. A wealthy person who dies on their turf is a windfall to them.

• Roger Evans: They would've looted Jesse Lindvall's corpse as soon as possible.

• Roger Evans: If we want to find more clues, all we have to do is pry open their mouths and get them to sing for us.

• Roger's words make me feel uncomfortable, but what I've seen in the Eastern District tells me that he's right.
• You: Then we have to go to the Eastern District again to collect testimonies. Hopefully those witnesses haven't left London yet...

• Roger Evans: The good news is that the sort of people we're looking for usually don't have the money to leave London.

• Roger stands up with a smile and walks over to the door.
• You: Where are you going?

• Roger Evans: To call a cab. I see your stable is empty today.

• I remember that Jack said he was going to have the horse shod today and hasn't returned yet.
• Roger Evans: You should take this time to get your clothes and your wits in order, especially you, Priscilla.

• Priscilla blinks in confusion, completely not understanding what he means.
• Roger Evans: If you start moralizing like you did the last time, I might not be able to hold back your detractors again.

• Roger Evans: Show some concern for my safety, won't you?

• Priscilla blushes, lost for words.
• Roger strolls out leisurely, whistling.
• Shaking my head with a smile, I lead the bewildered Priscilla upstairs, where I choose two suitable dresses for us to wear.

• You: Priscilla, can I ask you something?

• After I've gotten dressed, I look over at Priscilla, who is still tying her bonnet strings.
• Priscilla Barnet: What is it?

• She's in the process of tying a beautiful bow under her chin.
• You: How did you and Roger meet?

• Her hand slips, and the bow suddenly turns into a tight knot.
• I quickly step forward to help her with her bonnet, and she glares up at me.
• Priscilla Barnet: Your tone is odd.

• You: Not really. Isn't this a very common question?

• Priscilla's eyes flicker.
• I quietly help her untie and retie the bonnet strings. Before long, I hear her speak in a low voice.
• Priscilla Barnet: Four years ago, my parents brought me on a summer holiday to the Lake District.

• Priscilla Barnet: It's a beautiful place, Caroline, but it's not a good idea to go there with people like my parents.

• Priscilla Barnet: In their eyes, the scenery of the Lake District is just a prop to attract important guests.

• Priscilla Barnet: For a whole month, they hunted for travelers with status, chatted them up shamelessly, and wanted me to accompany them everywhere.

• Priscilla Barnet: I got into a big quarrel with them and went off to Lake Rydal by myself.

• Priscilla Barnet: I brought a book of poetry with me, intending to read by the lake...

• ???: Pardon me, Miss...

• Priscilla Barnet: What do you want?

• ???: I—oh...

• Roger Evans: It seems like I've interrupted your reading, Miss. I do apologize for that.

• Roger Evans: You seem to be a tourist. Did you walk here from the town?

• Roger Evans: How long did it take you to get here?

• Priscilla Barnet: Almost two hours...

• Priscilla Barnet: Why do you ask?

• Roger Evans: Two hours...

• Roger Evans: Forget it, it seems like going to town to find a doctor isn't such a good idea.

• Roger Evans: I'll just wait for it to heal naturally. Do you mind if I sit here?

• Priscilla Barnet: Go ahead. What happened to your foot?

• Priscilla Barnet: Is it sprained?

• Priscilla Barnet: Also, how did you guess that I came from the town?

• Roger Evans: As a well-dressed young woman who's traveling light and carrying a book...

• Roger Evans: The place you're staying is certainly not far from here.

• Roger Evans: A local resident relaxing in her free time wouldn't be wearing an expensive dress in the latest London style.

• Roger Evans: As for this book... Ah, "Prelude"?

• Roger Evans: I think poems by Wordsworth are more appealing to city dwellers than to his fellow country dwellers.

• Roger Evans: You're undoubtedly from London. Do you enjoy his poetry?

• Priscilla Barnet: ...I had no choice.

• Priscilla Barnet: It was either Wordsworth or Southey.

• Priscilla Barnet: My father is obsessed with our Poet Laureates.

• Roger Evans: How dreadful.

• Roger Evans: I happen to have a novel with me. How about we swap books?

• Roger Evans: Do you enjoy reading novels?

• You: So you two just sat by the lake and read books all afternoon?

• Priscilla Barnet: Do you think Roger would actually read Wordsworth's "Prelude"? He only flipped through a few pages and then just tossed it aside.

• Priscilla Barnet: But I did spend an entire afternoon reading his book, "Frankenstein".

• You: Frankenstein!

• Priscilla Barnet: Yes. You can imagine how shocked my parents were when they saw this book. They almost dropped their glasses.

• Priscilla Barnet: Over the next three months, I bought a lot of books that my parents turned their noses up at.

• Priscilla Barnet: Like "Melmoth the Wanderer", "The Mysteries of Udolpho", "The Raven", and... "Wuthering Heights".

• Priscilla Barnet: And that's how I became the Priscilla Barnet you know now.

• She raises her head and looks at me calmly.
• Gazing into her eyes, which are full of sincerity, I'm momentarily stunned.
• You: So, Roger helped you find your true self.

• Priscilla Barnet: Nothing quite so extreme. The real me has always been here. He just... helped out a little bit.

• Priscilla Barnet: And it’s not like I haven’t helped him.

• You: What did you help him with?

• Priscilla Barnet: When you first met Roger, didn't you wonder about his origins, Caroline?

• I nod.
• You: Yes, I did.

• You: Judging by his accent, he must have grown up here. Perhaps his parents are from abroad?

• Priscilla Barnet: You're half right. His father is an Englishman.

• Priscilla Barnet: I believe his mother was a woman from the Ottoman Empire whom his father purchased.

• You: Purchased? That's sickening!

• Priscilla nods, then drops her gaze sadly.
• Priscilla Barnet: Roger doesn't remember his mother, but he's heard some stories from his father's drunken ramblings.

• Priscilla Barnet: When his father was still wealthy, he traveled to Constantinople, where he met Roger's mother.

• Priscilla Barnet: Later, when his father started running out of money, he didn't hesitate to sell Roger's mother to someone else, taking only his newborn son with him back to England.

• Priscilla Barnet: Of course, returning to England didn't save him from his impending bankruptcy.

• Priscilla Barnet: Within a few years, the Evans family declined. Roger's father died of illness, and Roger was adopted by relatives.

• Priscilla Barnet: However, because of his origins, his life has always been difficult. Since he was young, he's moved from place to place, being passed among relatives.

• Priscilla Barnet: So... don't take Roger's attitude towards the Lindvall family to heart, Caroline.

• You: Of course. Thank you for telling me all this, Priscilla.

• You: So, what happened after you met in the Lake District? Did reading "Frankenstein" make you friends?

• Priscilla Barnet: Well, I just kept the books that I didn't want my parents to see at his place.

• Priscilla Barnet: Of course, since he helped me, I had to repay him.

• Priscilla Barnet: I begged my father for a long time to use his connections to help Roger start a small detective agency. In the end, he did.

• Priscilla Barnet: In exchange, I agreed to my father's request to enroll as one of Madam Petit's students of etiquette.

• Priscilla Barnet: My father hoped that Madam Petit would make me more ladylike, but clearly, he hasn't gotten what he wanted.

• I remain silent for a long time.
• You: I envy you and Roger.

• You: After you met, you changed changed each other's lives, and found your true selves.

• You: That's... really something I envy.

• Priscilla and I look at each other and smile at the same time. She pats me lightly on the shoulder.

• By the time I've changed my clothes and headed downstairs, Roger has returned.
• But his expression is gloomy.
• Roger Evans: We can't access the Eastern District anymore.

• You: Why? Has there been another riot?

• Roger Evans: It has nothing to do with that. This time, the government just issued a notice.

• He unfolds a freshly printed newspaper.
• Roger Evans: Following the sudden surge of the strange sickness in the Eastern District, to ensure the health and safety of citizens...

• Roger Evans: —Scotland Yard shall be implementing a total lockdown, effective immediately.