While standing guard in Flora's room, Henry becomes more and more obsessed with the portrait of his distant relative, which seems to take on a lifelike appearance. It can't just be taken down since it's painted on a panel of the wall itself.
He decides instead to have Flora change bedrooms as soon as viable.
When Flora wakes, she is confused, and Henry calls in his mother to calm her.
Henry heads towards Mr. Marchdale's room, pausing only to notice what a beautiful day it is outside.
Mr. Marchdale has a possible explanation for the events of the previous night and how Flora has gone overnight from the peak of health to anemic wreck. But of course, the idea is so fantastic that it must remain a secret between the two of them.
After Henry agrees to silence, Mr. Marchdale admits that this might be the work of..."A vampyre!" Neither man can quite believe this superstitious idea, and yet, and yet...They must specially never mention this notion to Flora, who after all is a delicate flower of maidenhood. Also, not to George, who is of a sensitive nature.
At this point George arrives. He is clearly distraught, for he has fastened on a dreadful notion. What if the intruder had been—"a vampyre!" It might drive him mad! Henry and Mr. Marchdale assure George that he's not alone in this speculation. However, they're determined to find a ration explanation, and the possibility of a vampire must remain a secret among only them, and most especially never mentioned to Flora.
George is excluded from staying up on watch that night due to his (never explained) health issues. He's instructed to act "normally" and keep his mother from worrying too much. George agrees to do this.
It's not until noon that Henry thinks of getting medical assistance for his sister. So he rides out to the next town over to get a doctor he believes can keep his mouth shut.
But secrecy turns out not to be an issue, as the Bannerworths' servants know a vampire attack when they see one, and have already spread the word. Henry is extremely startled when a county gentleman hails him to ask about the rumors.
Henry makes up a story about his sister being mildly ill, and there being a burglar in the manor last night, and you know how these things get blown out of proportion. The gentleman buys it, it's not as if he seriously believes vampires exist, after all.
The medical practitioner is Mr. Chillingworth, and after the entire affair is laid out for him, asserts that there must be a rational explanation, and he'll come around in a couple of hours to look at Flora.
By the time Henry gets home, evening is coming on. Flora is not much better, but has been moved to a different bedroom. She is greatly comforted by his return, because she knows "the dreadful vampyre!" won't show up while her brother is on guard.
Yes, Flora is aware she was attacked by a vampire. A) she's not stupid, and B) she's read about them in a book on Norway.
By the way, in this story, the birthplace of vampirism is Norway, not Transylvania—go figure.
Flora's worried about about possibly turning into a vampire herself if she dies. Henry tries to mansplain that obviously the intruder was a very ugly housebreaker, that cut Flora with a knife...or something. She doesn't buy it.
Mr. Chillingworth arrives and asks Flora about her "dream." She reiterates her vampire story, and , no, she wasn't hallucinating, because other people saw it too.
The physician looks at the neck wounds and declares them insect bites. Flora is no more fooled than the reader. Chillingworth does not bother taking a pulse or performing any other examination.
Once out of the bedroom, Mr. Chillingworth admits that his medical knowledge is baffled. The wounds certainly look like bite marks, but not of any animal he's familiar with; and Chillingworth refuses to believe in vampires. He expresses a wish to have seen the mysterious intruder.
Chillingworth also suggests that perhaps Flora has unknowingly been tripping on drugs, which Henry rejects on the grounds that no such drugs are in the house. Or maybe she's weak from blood loss, Chillingworth can't be sure. Chillingworth is a horrible doctor.
He does promise to send over some medicine and return in the morning. Chillingworth also mentions in passing that while of course he doesn't believe in vampires, he remembers that they can heal any wound if exposed to moonlight. And isn't it a coincidence that tonight is the full moon?
Henry checks the book on Norway, and discovers that indeed, vampires often time their feeding attempts just before a full moon. In case they get shot or stabbed, they go lie down somewhere that the full moon will find them....
—-
And now we have the introduction of some comedy, with the Bannerworth men trying to keep the whole vampire thing under wraps and failing miserably; and a whole bunch of sexism as they treat Flora like a glass child instead of the perfectly sensible and mentally stable person she actually is.
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