Page 128 of The Extraordinary Florence Stoker

‘There’s always been interested parties, Mrs Stoker.’ She flicked her ash. ‘The trick, and what a good agent does, is choose the right party to go to.’

There had been inquiries over the last two years. Thank God I hadn’t listened to Mr Bang and signed away my rights. Last year, Columbia Pictures tried to acquire them. On Miss Fassett’s advice, I’d asked for thirty-five thousand pounds, but they said it was too much. Then the stock market crashed. Everyone was cautious after that, none more so than the Americans. There was talk of a worldwide recession, but in the immediate months after those ominous days in late October, that didn’t happen. I began to wonder if a deal was even worth pursuing.

Miss Fassett had urged me to stay the course, advising me to decline another offer that came during all this for a fraction of what I’d first asked.

‘We can do better,’ she’d said. ‘Despite all the wrangling, the legal problems caused by Nosferatu. We can do better. Trust me, Mrs Stoker.’

Aware Miss Fassett was watching me closely as Noel shifted his gaze between the two of us, I swallowed my impatience.

‘It so happens that the son of the founder of Universal Pictures,’ said Miss Fassett slowly, ‘Mr Carl Laemmle Jr, has made you what I consider to be a very reasonable offer.’ She paused and I sensed that behind those grubby lenses, her eyes were sparkling.

‘How reasonable?’ I asked when she didn’t immediately answer. ‘I know you said we can never expect to get what I once asked – the thirty-five thousand – again. So, what are they offering?’ Figures danced in my head, teasing me. Four thousand? Five thousand?

‘You’re quite right. Times have changed. The initial figure we asked for is no longer feasible.’

My heart shrank just a little. ‘Miss Fassett,’ I inhaled, unable to hold my irritation in check any longer. ‘Dorothea, are you going to tell me or keep —’

‘It’s for forty thousand dollars.’

Noel let out an expletive.

There was a roaring in my ears, my heart became a mallet slamming against my ribs.

Forty thousand dollars.

‘Did you hear me, Mrs Stoker?’ asked Miss Fassett when I didn’t react. The figure was going around in my head. She was saying something about Mr Deane and Mr Balderston retaining a percentage since the film would be based on their various adaptations of the book. Even after splitting the money with them, even after Miss Fassett took her commission, there was a staggering sum remaining.

Forty thousand dollars. Never in my wildest, most fanciful dreams had I ever conceived of such an amount.

At the ripe old age of seventy-two, I’d never have to worry about money again.

Noel was squeezing my hand so tightly it began to throb. I tried to extract it. ‘Did you hear, Mother?’ he asked, eyes shining.

In answer, I freed myself from his grip, rose, walked around the desk and urged Miss Fassett to her feet. As smoke swirled around us, I folded her into my arms.

‘Thank you,’ I whispered over the top of her head. Up close, she smelt of musk and roses, albeit with a heavy patina of tobacco.

She stood on tiptoes and kissed me soundly on the cheek. ‘You’re very welcome, Mrs Florence Anne Lemon Bram Stoker.’ She held me at arm’s length. ‘Didn’t I tell you we could do better?’

‘You did,’ I said as Noel joined me and shook Miss Fassett’s hand. As we resumed our seats, he nursed his fingers, which were very red.

‘There is one small matter we have to take care of first.’ Miss Fassett patted her hair into place and butted out her cigarette. ‘Two to be exact.’

My daydreams dissolved and I was brought back to earth. Of course, nothing was ever straightforward with Dracula.

‘Mr Liveright is demanding compensation for being shut out of negotiations. He feels that any film adaptation constitutes unfair competition to his stage version.’

I scoffed. ‘He’s made millions from it – literally. It’s hardly my fault if the man has squandered it.’

‘Indeed,’ said Miss Fassett. ‘But unless we rid ourselves of him, he will continue to be an annoyance. He will accept five thousand five hundred dollars. I’ve managed to negotiate a deal whereby you, Mr Balderston and Mr Deane pay him one thousand pounds between you. The remaining four thousand five hundred dollars will be met by Universal Studios. In return, he’ll waive all rights to the film.’

I absorbed this slowly. A few hundred dollars to be rid of Mr Liveright was a small price to pay.

‘What’s the second thing?’ asked Noel.

‘I’m delighted to be able to tell you that Universal have also purchased what they claim is the only remaining print of Nosferatu. After some tough negotiations, they bought it for four hundred dollars. It’s been handed over. My understanding is they intend to destroy it.’

I looked at Noel, who sat smiling benevolently at me, then at Miss Fassett, who smoked contentedly, inordinately pleased with herself, then towards the window and the stream of grey light beaming in.