My dearest Mina, Oceans of love and millions of kisses

LETTER, LUCY WESTENRA TO MINA HARKER.

Whitby, 30 August. 

"My dearest Mina,

"Oceans of love and millions of kisses, and may you soon be in your own home with your husband. I wish you were coming home soon enough to stay with us here. The strong air would soon restore Jonathan. It has quite restored me. I have an appetite like a cormorant, am full of life, and sleep well.  You will be glad to know that I have quite given up walking in my sleep.  I think I have not stirred out of my bed for a week, that is when I once got into it at night. Arthur says I am getting fat. By the way, I forgot to tell you that Arthur is here. We have such walks and drives, and rides, and rowing, and tennis, and fishing together, and I love him more than ever. He tells me that he loves me more, but I doubt that, for at first he told me that he couldn't love me more than he did then. But this is nonsense. There he is, calling to me. So no more just at present from your loving,

"Lucy.

"P.S.--Mother sends her love. She seems better, poor dear.

"P.P.S.--We are to be married on 28 September."

Comments

[Leslie S. Klinger]

The date of this letter is clearly an error, and it is printed in the original text before Seward's August 20 entry. I love the image of Arthur vigorously rowing up the river at Whitby and playing tennis (sphairistike) at the Lawn Tennis Ground on the West Cliff, while Lucy, in a ladylike manner, sits in the boat or pretends to return Arthur's serves. This is an awfully short engagement, but I suspect that Arthur needed the Westenra money and so was in a hurry to marry the prosperous commoner-trust-fund baby. As we'll see, he quickly works on Lucy's mother and convinces her to leave him in charge of all of Lucy's money.