by C. J. Archer
"I planned on coming in here and doing just that, but you don't seem to need it. You feel guilty enough."
"Today, yes," he said quietly. "But last night, I…I didn't care." He lifted heavy lids to meet my gaze. "That's the problem, Charlie. Last night I didn't think about Alice. I should have. Thoughts of her should have stopped me from being with another woman. Shouldn't it?"
My heart tugged. Poor Seth. He looked so vulnerable. I wanted my cavalier, confident friend back, not this confused wreck. "You were drunk," was the only comfort I could give him.
"Fitzroy would never do it to you, even before you got engaged." He kicked the desk leg. "No matter how drunk he got, he would never forget his feelings for you."
"He doesn't get drunk."
"That's because he's perfect. It's nauseating."
I bit back my smile. "Join us in the parlor. You can help me untangle a skein of wool for the knitting I've been putting off."
"You knit?"
"Alice is teaching me. I'm quite bad at it, but it's either that, sewing or embroidery when there's no investigating to do."
"Sounds dull."
"You have no idea," I said on a sigh. "Come on." I held out my hand to him. "We could do with some male company, and being near Alice will help you remember why you like her so much."
"Why do I get the feeling that I am the entertainment?" he asked, but he followed me anyway.
He dutifully spent the half hour before luncheon helping me untangle a skein of wool, doing his best to ignore his mother's lecture about drinking until all hours. After five minutes I caught her eye and gave a half-shake of my head. She stopped; rather reluctantly, if her severely pursed lips were an indication.
Alice's cool gaze quickly assessed Seth's state upon his entry then returned to her embroidery. She glanced up at him often, but only through her lashes. He, however, ignored her. If I hadn't known he was embarrassed about his actions, I would have thought him rude.
I explained as much to Alice after luncheon when we sat by ourselves in the music room. I did not tell her all the details of his evening, but let her think his excessive drinking was to blame for his guilt. She didn't question me, merely accepting the explanation with a nod.
"He's a grown man," she said with apparent indifference. "He can do as he pleases. If he chooses to get drunk and gamble, it's none of my affair."
"Not gambling," I said. "He's very much against it after his father's excesses ruined the family."
She fell silent, and I thought the conversation over, but then she set down her embroidery and stared out the window. "He was so quiet earlier as he helped you with the wool, Charlie."
"It was most unlike him," I agreed.
"Is it? You mean he talks a lot all the time? I thought it was just because I made him nervous."
"Do you mean to say you prefer him when he's not talking?"
"It gives me a chance to admire his handsome face." She winked and laughed.
I would have laughed too but a movement outside caught my attention. "We have visitors."
Alice followed my gaze as the hansom cab pulled to a stop on the drive. "None of the committee members have ever arrived in a hansom."
I watched as a woman climbed down and held her hand out to assist the second passenger. "It's not a committee member. It's Leisl and Eva."
Alice's sharp intake of breath was at odds with her sudden stillness. "Perhaps they learned more about me and my dreams." She stood and made her way to the sofa where she sat demurely, her hands clasped in her lap, her anxious gaze on the door, waiting.
Outside, Leisl suddenly turned to the window. She smiled at me. Eva noticed and looked too. She did not smile. She looked uneasy, as if she didn't want to enter the house.
She tilted her head back and clutched her hat to her head to stop it falling off. I knew how awe-inspiring Lichfield Towers could be upon first seeing it. With its dominant central tower used to harbor the occasional captive, it was not a pretty house. It was commanding, austere, and in poor light it looked grim. Yet I loved it more than any house, castle or hovel I'd lived in.
I sat alongside Alice on the sofa then rose as Doyle announced our guests. I greeted them both and asked Doyle to fetch Lincoln.
"Bring the others too," Leisl said.
"Others?" I asked. "Do you mean Seth and Gus?"
Leisl nodded. Eva frowned at her mother but Leisl didn't notice.
"I saw the way you looked at the house," I said to Eva as we waited. "I don't blame you for feeling overwhelmed. I did too upon first seeing it."
"It's not the house," Eva said.
I waited for her to explain why she seemed uncomfortable, but she didn't go on. She looked very pretty in a bold coral and black dress. It had no embellishments or lace, whereas her mother's layered skirt was swathed in ribbons, rosettes and beading. Eva didn't need the fussiness of trimmings. Her striking cheekbones, glorious dark hair and blue eyes were an alluring combination.
"I know it must feel awkward meeting your brother again," I said. "And I know you're not yet used to him, but he is a good man."
She lifted her eyebrows ever so slightly.
"He's like this house," I went on. "There's more to him than his severe façade. You just need time to get to know him."
My words didn't seem to have much effect in calming her nerves. She couldn't sit still and her gaze darted to the door at every sound. Finally Lincoln strode in. He greeted his mother and half-sister cordially. I scowled at him when he looked my way and he paused.
"It's a pleasure to see you both again," he added. "Will you stay for tea?" He shot me a questioning look, and I nodded my approval.
"Yes, tea is nice," Leisl said.
Seth and Gus strolled in. Time had improved Seth's appearance and he no longer bore the signs of a late night and excessive drinking. I wasn't the only one to notice. Beside me, Alice's back straightened, a small sign that she wanted him to notice her. I smiled.
And then I saw Eva's reaction. She'd noticed the men enter but now stared down at the floor with fierce intensity.
"We were not introduced last time," Leisl said with a smile for them both.
"Leisl, Eva," Lincoln said, taking the hint, "this is Gus—Mr. Sullivan—and…Lord Vickers."
Eva's head snapped up. She blinked at the men, a look of utter stupefaction on her face. Her mother was caught unawares by Seth's title too, but she recovered first.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord, Mr. Sullivan," she said.
"Call me Gus," said Gus. "Everyone does. And he's Seth. Don't mind the lord business. We don't stand on ceremony here, do we, Fitzroy?"
"Don't let Lady Vickers hear you say that," Lincoln said.
"Lady Vickers?" Leisl asked with a tilt of her head.
"My mother," Seth said. "She's out. She will be sorry to have missed you."
"Ah. And we her. You must call us Leisl and Eva, since we are like family, no?"
Lincoln sat heavily in an armchair with a similar startled expression to the one his half-sister wore. It would seem this meeting had overwhelmed them both.
"Lincoln told me he sent you a message about spies," I said to Leisl. "We were followed, and he was worried someone might try to speak to you about him."
"I have seen them," she said.
"You have?"
"In my mind's eye, I see them. Eva too."
"You're a seer too, Eva?" Seth asked.
She nodded.
"Fascinating. If I had a supernatural power, I'd like to see the future."
"It's not always like that," she said. "Sometimes we merely sense presences and have feelings about future events. We predict danger, or joy, or any other number of emotions. Only sometimes do we see actual scenes."
"Fascinating," Seth said again. He glanced at Alice. "What can you sense about me?"
"Seth," I scolded. "They're not here to see your future."
"Why are you here?" Lincoln asked.
I sighed. He may have come a lo
ng way in learning to accept his emotions, but he'd not yet grasped the art of subtlety. "Are you worried about the spies?" I asked, attempting to soften his words.
"No," Leisl said with a shrug through her entire body. "If they ask me questions about Lincoln, I answer that he is my son. Why should I not?"
Lincoln dragged his hand over his jaw but no one countered her. It didn't matter if anyone found out that she was his mother. His father, however, was a different matter.
"And if they ask who my father is?" Lincoln asked.
"I tell them I not remember. Too long ago. I am old and forget."
Lincoln nodded his approval, but I wasn't sure her answer would convince anyone. I hated to think of something happening to her because someone desperately wanted to find out more about Lincoln.
"I say I give you away when you are baby, and I never see you again until the ball." She shrugged again. "That is all true."
"The spies are not why we came today," Eva said. She seemed to have rediscovered her confidence and was keen to get to the point of their meeting. "We've come to warn you."
"About what?" Lincoln asked.
"To beware of the queen."
Chapter 8
"The queen?" several voices echoed.
Doyle entered carrying a tray with tea things and food, giving us all a moment to digest Eva's words. I took over the pouring and dismissed Doyle. He shut the door behind him.
"The queen's just an old lady," Gus said, helping me by passing out the teacups. "How can she harm anyone?"
"Because she's the queen," Seth said as if Gus were a simpleton. "She might not be able to slit anyone's throat herself but she could order someone to do it."
Alice and Eva both stared at him, twin expressions of horror on their faces.
"Figure of speech," he muttered into his teacup.
"You saw the queen in your visions?" Lincoln asked Leisl.
"Not a true and clear vision," Eva said. "As I said before, sometimes we don't necessarily see things, we sense them. I sensed her presence. It was regal and powerful and…and threatening."
"Threatening to whom?"
"Us."
Us? "You're including yourself?" I asked.
She nodded. "I don't know why, but I felt personally threatened. Two of you were with me, a man and a woman, but I…" She shook her head. "I couldn't quite see who."
Lincoln and I exchanged glances. He rubbed his jaw again. "Do you know where the threat takes place?" he asked. "When?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry my information isn't more helpful."
"You warned us," Lincoln said. "That is enough."
"He's right. Thank you." Seth picked up the tray of doughy balls and handed them to her. "Have one of these. I don't know what they are but Cook's an excellent chef. They'll make you feel better."
Eva laughed, seemingly despite herself, and took one. Her mother did too and sniffed it before nibbling. Then both women turned to each other and said, "Galuški!"
"This is Romany," Leisl said, her eyes bright. "So good. Try, try."
We all took one of the delicacies. It tasted spicy and delicious.
"You used to cook these, Mama," Eva said. "But you haven't for years."
"It's difficult to find the spices here. Your cook make these?" she asked Lincoln.
He nodded. "Gus, send for Cook. He should hear Leisl and Eva's compliments in person."
Gus snatched another galuški off the plate before leaving the room. He returned a few minutes later with a rosy-cheeked Cook. He screwed his hands into his apron and nodded at Leisl and Eva in turn as Lincoln introduced them.
"They want to know where you learned to cook galuški." He said it with a perfect accent, which seemed to take Eva by surprise but not her mother.
"Country fairs," Cook said with a shy nod at Leisl. "Before I be cook here in London, I worked at fairs."
"At a pie stand?" Eva asked. "Mama took us to fairs sometimes when we were children, to show us how she lived before she met our father. Her people often worked at the fairs, you see. I loved the pie stands. The berry ones were my favorite."
"I had a pie stand," Cook said. "But I be a knife thrower before that."
"Knife thrower?" Alice echoed. "You mean you threw knives at targets as part of a show?"
Cook nodded. "My cousin stood against a wooden board and I threw knives around her, like an outline."
She blinked at him. "That's quite a trick."
"He's very good," I said. "Extraordinarily accurate, in fact. You should ask him for a demonstration in the courtyard."
"Was your cousin forced to stand there?" Gus asked.
Cook chuckled, making his double chins wobble. "She wanted to be part of my act."
"That takes a lot of courage," Alice said, impressed. "She must have had enormous faith in your ability."
"I only cut her once." Cook touched his earlobe. "Here. That be because she moved. After that, she never moved again during the act."
"And the galuški?" Eva asked, indicating the plate of doughy balls. "How does a knife thrower turned pie man learn such an obscure recipe?"
"Through the Romany folk who worked at the fair," Cook said. "They come and go, but there always be a family or two traveling with us. I never cooked it but I tasted dozens as a boy. I be practicing ever since Fitzroy says you be Romany, ma'am," he said to Leisl. "I ain't got no recipe to follow, only this." He tapped his shiny head. "This be the first batch that tasted right to me. Baked them just this morning. So," he said shyly, "you like them?"
Leisl smiled. "Just like a Romany makes."
Eva nodded. "I can't taste the difference between these and Mama's. I could eat a plateful."
Taking the hint, Seth picked up the plate and passed it to her. She hesitated then took one. He offered the plate to the rest of the women. We all accepted one except Alice. Gus pounced on the last before Seth could claim it.
"Which fairs did your family attend?" Leisl asked Cook. "I may be there too, telling fortunes to the gadze."
They fell into a discussion about the traveling fair folk. Eva watched them through narrowed eyes until I distracted her with talk of the wedding.
"Is Seth giving you away?" she asked.
"No," Gus said, as Seth said, "Yes."
"Why does everyone think he should do it?" Gus muttered.
"I am sorry." Eva winced. "Will it be both of you?"
"Yes," I told her. "They wouldn't stop bickering until I agreed. Now they're bickering over who will walk on my left."
She smiled. "Good luck."
When it was time to go, I took her hand and squeezed. "Thank you for coming," I said quietly. "It was very pleasant." I was beginning to wonder if the warning had merely been a ruse to visit Lincoln in his home and get to know us better. And yet they had been quite worried about Eva's vision, and I couldn't believe they'd make something like that up just to visit us. "Do come again," I said. "You're always welcome."
"I—I'm not sure," she hedged. "I'm very busy with my studies."
"To become a nurse, yes. What a noble profession."
She gave me a tight smile that she turned on Lincoln as he joined us, only for it to freeze. He watched her intently, his direct gaze boring into her. She looked away.
"Lord Seth," Leisl said to Seth. "Walk me out."
He complied with a smile and an offer of his arm. It was good to see him back to his charming self, even if that charm wasn't turned on Alice.
I walked behind them, close enough to hear her whisper, "You have a lot to learn about woman."
"Which woman?" he asked.
"All of them, but the one who loves you in particular."
"Are you referring to my mother?"
"Mama?" Eva cut in, falling back to walk alongside them. "Are you stirring up trouble?"
Leisl put her hands in the air. "No, no."
She walked on with her daughter, leaving Seth to stare after them, his mouth slightly ajar. "I have an excellent understanding of women,"
he muttered to me. "Just ask any of them. Clearly she's barking." His gaze skittered to Lincoln up ahead. "Do you think he heard that?"
I patted his arm. "Probably." In a way, Leisl was correct—Seth did have much to learn about behaving around Alice. But he seemed a little fragile today so I didn't tell him so.
We waved them off and headed back inside when their hired cab drove away. "Cook and Leisl got on," Gus said, watching Cook retreat to the service areas at the back of the house.
"Like two peas in a pod," Seth said. "Perhaps he'll be your new stepfather, Fitzroy."
Lincoln huffed. "Very amusing."
"What do you make of Eva's vision?" Gus asked. "Should we worry?"
"We'll remain aware but not concerned. Some visions are open to interpretation, particularly when it is sensed rather than seen."
"She seemed very certain that it was the queen who threatened us," I said.
Lincoln looked troubled. Or as troubled as he could ever look. "Leisl was lying about something." The abrupt change of topic caught me unawares and I didn't answer immediately. "Do you agree?" he prompted. He wasn't certain, even with his own superior ability to detect lies?
"I wouldn't call it lying," I said. "Perhaps withholding of the truth, but nothing more sinister than that."
"And Eva," Alice added. "There was certainly something…odd about her behavior. I wouldn't have mentioned it if you didn't point it out yourself, Mr. Fitzroy."
"I detected nothing out of the ordinary," Seth said with a shrug. "I thought them both charming. Your sister surprised me, Fitzroy. I thought she would be more like you, but she was delightful."
"You don't find me delightful?" Lincoln asked.
"No, but I’d be happy for you to prove me wrong."
A wicked smile touched Lincoln's lips. "There's a few hours before you need to prepare for the party tonight. You can practice combat moves with me in the ballroom until then."
Seth's face fell. "How does that make you delightful?"
"To you? It doesn't. But to Gus it does."
Gus chuckled. "Ain't nothing more delightful than seeing you lose a fight, Seth."
Seth shot him a withering glare then stalked off. "Let's get it over with. And the face is off limits. I've got to look my best for the dance tonight."
