A Transylvanian nobleman orchestrates Jonathan's journey from afar while his name inspires terror throughout the Carpathians.
Count Dracula engages Jonathan Harker to handle an English property matter and directs every stage of the young solicitor's approach to his remote country. His courteous letter welcomes Jonathan to the Carpathians, pays the Bistritz innkeeper, reserves the coach, and promises a private carriage at the Borgo Pass. Yet the innkeepers cross themselves rather than discuss him, and travelers invoke words for witch, werewolf, and vampire as Jonathan departs.
Dracula remains unseen and physically undescribed. A formidable stranger claiming to serve the Count collects Jonathan after midnight, but nothing yet proves that servant and master are the same man.
Dracula has not yet appeared in person, and the text supplies no reliable physical description of him at this point.
Dracula is Jonathan's remote client and the unseen force controlling his passage into the mountains. The fearful silence around his name makes the business assignment ominous before the men meet.