P.N. Elrod Patricia Neal Elrod - Dracula in London

DRACULAIN LONDON

EditedBy

P.N. Elrod

CONTENTS

TheContributors

JulieBarrett Author of QuantumLeap A-Z and several short stories

NigelBennett Winner of the Gemini Award for hisportrayal of vampire patriarch LeCroix on the series ForeverKnight

ElaineBergstrom Author of the vampire novels Bloodto Blood: The Dracula Story Continues and Mina

K.B. Bogen Holds a degree in Computer Science andEngineering and has a taste for the macabre

GaryA. Braunbeck Prolific short story writer andauthor of the critically-acclaimed collection ThingsLeft Behind

RoxanneLongstreet Conrad Author of seven novelsincluding Exile

GeneDeWeese Former technical writer who hasauthored over thirty novels

P.N. "Pat" Elrod Author of over sixteennovels including the continuing Vampire Filesseries, and editor of two vampire anthologies

AmyGrass Award-winning poet and professionalscriptwriter

TanyaHuff Author of over sixteen novels includingthe Victoria Nelson vampire series

NancyKilpatrick Award-winning author of fourteennovels, over 125 short stories, and editor of seven anthologies

CattKingsgrave-Ernstein Prolific short story author

JodyLynn Nye Author of twenty-two novels includingfour collaborations with Anne McCaffrey

JudithProctor A Shakespeare- and theatre-inspiredauthor who lives in England

FredSaberhagen Author of the popular Berserkerscience fiction series, and the famous vampire novel, AnOld Friend of the Family

BradleyH. Sinor Short story writer and media tie-inauthor

ChelseaQuinn Yarbro Author of the acclaimedSaint-Germain vampire novels, cartographer, musician, and tarotreader

BillZaget First-time author who lives in Ontario,Canada

AceBooks by P N Elrod The Vampire Files

BLOODLIST

LIFEBLOOD

BLOODCIRCLE

ARTIN THE BLOOD

FIREIN THE BLOOD

BLOODON THE WATER

ACHILL IN THE BLOOD

LADYCRYMSYN

REDDEATH

DEATHAND THE MAIDEN

DEATHMASQUE

DANCEOF DEATH

Draculain London

Editedby

P.N. Elrod

ACEBOOKS, NEW YORK

Thisis a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents eitherare the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously,and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businessestablishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

DRACULAIN LONDON

AnAce Book / published by arrangement with the editor

PRINTINGHISTORY Ace trade paperback edition / November 2001

Allrights reserved. Dracula in London anthologycopyright 2001 by Patricia Nead Elrod and Tekno Books.

Introductionby P. N. Elrod copyright 2001 by Patricia Nead Elrod.

"ToEach His Own Kind" by Tanya Huff copyright 2001 by TanyaHuff.

"BoxNumber Fifty'" by Fred Saberhagen copyright 2001 by FredSaberhagen.

"Wolfand Hound" by Nigel Bennett and P. N. Elrod copyright 2001 by Nigel Bennett and P. N. Elrod.

"TheDark Downstairs" by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad copyright 2001 by Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

"DearMr. Bernard Shaw" by Judith Proctor copyright 2001 byJudith Proctor.

"TheThree Boxes" by Elaine Bergstrom copyright 2001 by ElaineBergstrom.

"GoodHelp" by K. B. Bogen copyright 2001 by K. B. Bogen.

"Everythingto Order" by Jody Lynn Nye copyright 2001 by Jody LynnNye.

"Long-TermInvestment" by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro copyright 2001 byChelsea Quinn Yarbro.

"'Places for Act Two!' " by Bradley H. Sinor copyright 2001 by Bradley H. Sinor. "Beast" by Amy L. Gruss and CattKingsgrave-Ernstein copyright 2001 by Amy L. Gruss and Catt

Kingsgrave-Ernstein.

"AMost Electrifying Evening" by Julie Barrett copyright 2001 by Julie Barrett. "An Essay on Containment" by GeneDeWeese copyright 2001 by Gene DeWeese.

"Berserker"by Nancy Kilpatrick copyright 2001 by Nancy Kilpatrick.

"CurtainCall" by Gary A. Braunbeck copyright 2001 by Gary A.Braunbeck.

"Renfieldor, Dining at the Bughouse" by Bill Zaget copyright 2001by Bill Zaget.

Coverart by Bill Dodge. Text design by Tiffany Kukec.

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ISBN0-441-00858-5 (alk. paper)

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PRINTEDIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Draculain London

Okay, I confessitI love Dracula! He IS the man!

The first time Iremember seeing him was in Universal's House ofDracula with elegant John Carradine in the role. I was instantlyaddicted. From then on, I couldn't get enough of all the variationsout there, good and bad, sublime and silly. Umpteen years pass and itstill gives me a charge!

Hence this book.I wanted to put together a collection of stories with the Count asthe focus, not a mere cameo, and ask the question, "What ELSEwas Dracula doing in London when he was not being chased by VanHelsing and company?"

I feel veryfortunate that some of the best writers in the business decided toanswer. To have the chance to read so many delightful variations on atheme has been a dream come true. My sincere thanks to all of you forcontributing your time and imaginations to this project. It's been anhonor.

***

In 1897 theoriginal novel Dracula was published,bringing little note or notice to author Bram Stoker.

Writers hatewhen that happens.

But over thenext century, as though to make up for it, Dracula turned into anhonest-to-God cultural icon. You say the name nearly anywhere on theplanet and you're bound to get a reaction of some sort. "Whatare the odds?" one might ask Mr. Stoker, who would likely beastonished. Or amused.

I like to thinkthat somewhere he knows his tale eventually achieved an immortalitygreater than that which his character met in that dark and thrillingopus.

My hope is thathe might well have enjoyed this "tip of the hat" collectionof stories centered around his best-known creation.

P.N. "Pat" Elrod

TanyaHuff