"They do say so," Francis agrees, unsmiling, and the way he hesitates at the top of the stairs, crossing himself briskly before following Thomas into the passageway, may suggest that he is actually afraid of such things. In truth, it isn't vampires or ghosts or any such thing he fears, only that he still doubts the wisdom of prying at all. "But the vampyr is one of those tales which one hears everywhere. To listen to the townsfolk, it is not the manor that holds such creatures, but the woods... and the caves, and the mines, and the graveyards, and every place dark and dangerous for an unwitting wanderer. In any case, it is still daylight."

Not in the tunnel, of course. The passageway is pitch black, except where the lantern-light pierces the shadows. It is not long before the open door disappears behind them, as the staircase wends its way down and down, into the depths of the mansion.

"What would you say to them, sir?" he asks, suddenly, and with a real, clear interest in his tone. "If you did come across such remains?"