#I'd say each vamp is a Grisha w/different powers but the women are Aleks's line...hm. Ideas?

[dhampiravidi]

[idk if this'll ever be useful, but I looked up "manners in 19th century England"...welp, that didn't age well 😅 anyway, it's just to say that, following the book, Mina/Jayn is shown to be more progressive & independent than Lucy/Alina, who is the typical lady seeking to be courted/fawned over. Still, Dracula/Aleks does things that Jayn isn't used to aka living w/multiple women who are unrelated to him by blood or marriage--so she'll react in a surprised way, esp because Fjerdan culture is even more rigid than English.]

She would have waited longer between knocks, had she not been on the side of a mountain where snow was falling. Jayn didn't actually mind the snow, as precipitation had fascinated her since she was a girl, and she hadn't seen the white fluff for some time. The cold was the problem, even though she'd tried her best to dress appropriately. It started to make her nervous: shouldn't the master of the house be at home? It wasn't like there was some market or business nearby for him to be visiting. But if he'd dozed off while reading papers, as she sometimes did...she'd be stuck outside for Sankts knew how long. Not that she actually believed that zowa could become gods. (Still, it would be nice to know that someone was looking out for her...)

And then the large door finally creaked open. She might've cried aloud in relief, had she not been so...surprised...by the person on the other side.

It was common for others to be taller than someone as short as herself, but the man who faced Jayn truly cut an imposing figure. Even dwarfed by his door, he was striking. Every bit of him, save for his pale, unblemished skin, was a rich black, like night itself. Despite his relatively plain clothes, he carried himself as nobility tended to, with perfect posture, a light frown, and hair and a beard that complimented his handsome face. Jayn's fiancé, Matthias, was of a similar build (but a bit more built due to his demanding profession), just blue-eyed and blond-haired. It made her feel guilty, running away from one man while she admired another.

She forced out a small cough as she cleared her throat, politely turning her head as she did so.

"Ah--" The woman, who wasn't far from 30, did a small curtsy, shivering in place. That can't possibly be the best introduction he's ever received...then again...the inside of his home seemed pitch-black, as if all the candles and fires had been put out. As if there were never any servants or guests. "I'm Janice Leary-Holt. My father, the Duke of Elling, referred me to you. I understand that I am to keep the books and aid you with your move to England?" She shivered again, and the cold biting at her skin had most definitely reddened her nose. "Might we continue our conversation inside, Count Morozova?"