Daniel Tabor Arlington III

Daniel Tabor Arlington III was the holder of the Arlington family estate and grandfather of Daniel Arlington V.

## Biography

### Early Life

Daniel Tabor Arlington III was born in New Haven, Connecticut and was raised in Black Elm, the mansion and estate of the old and wealthy Arlington family. In his youth his father, Daniel Arlington II, insisted he spend his summers at the Arlington boot factory. Black Elm likewise was filled with the company of his father's friends, including factory foremen. He spent his childhood running around his family's estate, chasing after the white cat. His experiences around working people led to Daniel fostering a dedication to being a more salt-of-the-earth man than his very privileged background would suggest.

When he was older, his father would have to sell the Arlington factory. He would smoke Chesterfield cigarettes, the cheap cigarette brand first given to him on the factory floor, would insist on attending church on Sunday because that is what the 'working man' does, and would regularly eat at Clark’s Luncheonette, a diner where he was called, 'The Old Man.'

At some point, Daniel married a woman and had a son, who named Daniel Tabor Arlington IV. He would send his son to attend Exeter, a private high school, although he later regretted that decision. He and his son did not have a close relationship. He would later attend his wife's funeral when she died from an alcohol addiction.When, at some point, Daniel IV moved to New York and married Harper Arlington, Daniel and his son only really talked when the couple needed money.

### Raising Danny

His son and daughter-in-law eventually had their son, Daniel Arlington V, whom they called Danny. In Daniel's perspective, his son and Harper merely liked the idea of being parents and would likely leave Darlington to be raised by nannies. Daniel told the couple that he would buy them an apartment in New York city if they left Danny with him instead.

At Black Elm, Daniel ensured that along with Danny's public school education, he was learning a wider range of practical subjects from a variety of private tutors. Daniel particularly stressed the importance of impeccable manners to Danny, believing they would could soothe any problem, along with a bit of hard work.Daniel frequently took Danny with him to Clark's Luncheonette for dinner, where he would have conversations with a friend Tony and Daniel had a habit of eating greasy diner food. In addition to this, both Daniel and Danny were fed with meals from Bernadette, who Daniel hired at some point to be Black Elm's housekeeper and Danny's occasional carer.

His son and his daughter-in-law visited Black Elm semi-frequently, with the occasional gift for young Danny, and they often did so to ask for money. While the couple both had their careers, they relied on Arlington money and thus Daniel to keep up their lifestyle. As Westville started to gentrify, Darlington's parents would try to convince Daniel to sell the land, arguing that the upkeep of the house is a financial waste. Daniel Tabor Arlington III would entertain these discussions as Danny's parents began to visit more often to convince him, enjoying their company more than he'd like to admit. Ultimately, however, he would refuse to sell the land.

### Death

When Daniel was 82 years old, he was diagnosed with cancer. His doctor advised him to stop smoking and change his diet, however Daniel refused. Even if he complied, these actions would only buy Daniel a year at most. As Daniel grew more frail, Daniel IV and Harper came to stay at Black Elm indefinitely and a live-in nurse was soon hired. Daniel was very much aware of his son and daughter-in-law's plans to control the estate while he is legally considered unfit. He would inform Danny of this plan, warning him not to talk in front of the nurse, who Daniel suspected of being an informant to his son. He urged Danny to take the needle containing morphine and inject it into him. He sent Darlington away before his actions could be discovered.

Daniel would slip into a coma and be unable to be revived. As per his will and the rules of the estate, his son was left with the Arlington financial estate while Black Elm and approximately 30 thousand dollars was left to Darlington.

In death, Daniel stayed in the mortal world as a Gray.

### Ninth House

Daniel III briefly appeared as a Gray during the hound-dog casting at Black Elm, however, only Alex Stern was able to perceive him. Alex would see him weeks later when she summoned the Grays of New Haven to her aid in her confrontation with Belbalm.

### Hell Bent

When Darlington's parents came to visit Black Elm in search of their son, Alex quickly summoned Daniel III into her in order to find information about the couple to his shock. When Alex greeted Darlington's parents, she was overwhelmed with the old man's contempt for the couple, especially his son. Briefly gaining control, Daniel III cussed his son out for trying to isolate him when he was dying of cancer. Startled, his son nearly collapsed on the lawn of Black Elm in shock.

After being ejected out of Alex, Daniel III grumpily demanded to know where Darlington was. Alex ignored the Gray

## Personality

Daniel had an authoritative presence in life, bolstered by his pride in having briefly worked a blue-collar job and his beliefs in how gentlemen should act. While this translates to a life-long values of good manners and hard work, it also means Daniel was old-fashioned and doggedly stubborn in his actions. This made arguing and compromising with him difficult.

## Physical Description

Daniel III, like many Arlington men, had brown hair, blue eyes, and a lean frame. In death, Daniel III is an old man, emaciated from the cancer that killed him, wearing his bathrobe.

## Relationships

### Darlington

Daniel loved and had a deep fondness for Darlington, wanting what was best for him. However, the old man also had a tendency for treating Darlington as the last defender of the Arlington legacy and rather than the child he was. For his part, Darlington carries a strong admiration for his grandfather and inherited much of his values.

## Trivia

* Enjoyed scotch with ice
* He bought his wife the maroon Mercedes which Darlington continues to drive.

## Quotes

* "Alex willed the old man to recede but it wasn't easy. She could feel him in her head, the ferocity of his determination, a spirit forever at war with itself, with the world, with everything and everybody around him."Hell Bent (Chapter 15)

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 *Ninth House* Chapter 13 (Last Fall)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Hell Bent Chapter 15
3. ↑ *Ninth House* Chapter 2 (Last Fall)