'What? "Hands up all vampires"?'
'Ladies?'
They turned. The young man who had introduced himself as Vlad was approaching.
Agnes began to blush.
'I think you were talking about vampires,' he said, taking a garlic pasty from Agnes's tray and biting into it with every sign of enjoyment. 'Could I be of assistance?'
Nanny looked him up and down.
'Do you know much about them?' she said.
'Well, I am one,' he said. 'So I suppose the answer is yes. Charmed to meet you, Mrs Ogg.' He bowed and reached for her hand.
'Oh no you don't!' said Nanny, snatching it away. 'I don't hold with bloodsuckers!'
'I know. But I'm sure you shall in time. Would you like to come and meet my family?'
'They can bugger off! What was the King thinking of?'
'Nanny!'
'What?'
'You don't have to shout like that. It's not very... polite. I don't think-'
'Vlad de Magpyr,' said Vlad, bowing.
'-is going to bite my neck!' shouted Nanny.
'Of course not,' said Vlad. 'We had some sort of bandit earlier. Mrs Ogg is, I suspect, a meal to be savoured. Any more of these garlic things? They're rather piquant.'
'You what?' said Nanny.
'You just... killed someone?' said Agnes.
'Of course. We are vampires,' said Vlad. 'Or, we prefer, vampyres. With a "y". It's more modern. Now, do come and meet my father.'
'You actually killed someone?' said Agnes.
'Right! That's it!' snarled Nanny, marching away. 'I'm getting Shawn and he's gonna come back with a big sharp-'
Vlad coughed quietly. Nanny stopped.
'There are several other things people know about vampires,' he said. 'And one is that they have considerable control over the minds of lesser creatures. So forget all about vampires, dear ladies. That is an order. And do come and meet my family.'
Agnes blinked. She was aware that there had been... something. She could feel the tail of it, slipping away between her fingers.
'Seems a nice young man,' said Nanny, in a mildly stunned voice.
'I... he... yes,' said Agnes.
Something surfaced in her mind, like a message in a bottle written indistinctly in some foreign language. She tried, but she could not read it.
'I wish Granny was here,' she said at last. 'She'd know what to do.'
'What about?' said Nanny. 'She ain't good at parties.'