The Last Necromancer Page 17

  Seth set down his tea. "I'll escort you. Gus?"

  Gus shook his head and nodded at Fitzroy. Fitzroy, however, took a step back. It wasn't until Gillingham tugged on his tie that I realized he'd been anxious.

  Lady Harcourt clasped my hand before I walked off. "Everything will be all right. You'll see."

  "I'm not worried," I said with a shrug. And I wasn't. I didn't care if Fitzroy gave Gillingham a bloody nose. I just didn't want to see it.

  "You ought to be," Lord Marchbank said. "Of everyone here, I'm the only one who saw the crime scene. I know what this Dr. Frankenstein is capable of."

  He was right, and I should have been more concerned about the murdering doctor. He wanted me, and he seemed desperate enough to go to great lengths to get me.

  "Was that necessary?" Lady Harcourt said to Lord Marchbank. "You've scared her now."

  "Good. Fear will keep her safe."

  He was correct there. It was a sentiment that had helped me get through five long, hard years relatively unscathed.

  I hadn't decided whether I liked Lord Marchbank. He spoke less than the others, only talking when he needed to impart an important point. In that, he reminded me of Fitzroy. It was a trait that made it very difficult to read either man.

  Gillingham pushed himself to his feet. "Good day, gentlemen, Lady Harcourt. I've got business to attend to."

  I stepped aside to let him pass. The other committee members also made their excuses. They, at least, addressed me in their farewells.

  "Remember what I said," Lady Harcourt whispered as she took my arm. "There will be a place for you in my household, if you wish, when this is over. You won't have to live on the street anymore."

  "Thank you." I decided not to go through the ritual of refusing her offer again, but I knew I could never live with her, either as a servant or her companion. Indeed, I couldn't imagine living anywhere other than Lichfield Towers.

  The admission shocked me and left me speechless as the carriages rolled away. I'd only resided there less than a week, and most of that as a prisoner, and yet I felt more comfortable there than anywhere. Perhaps that had more to do with the fact that I had no home now. Not in the Tufnell Park house I'd grown up in, or any of the derelict buildings I'd lived in with the boys' gangs. Dr. Frankenstein would be looking for me in all those places. I wasn't safe there. I was only safe at Lichfield.

  Seth confronted me at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed over his impressive chest, making him seem even broader. "You didn't wish to eat more, did you?"

  "No. I needed to leave the parlor."

  He sighed. "I thought as much."

  "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you believed me."

  "I was hopeful." He lowered his arms. "At least you ate all your lunch."

  "And I promise to eat all of my dinner, as long as the plate isn't piled too high or Cook serves sprouts."

  He pulled a face. "I'll boycott the sprouts too, if he does." His gaze slid to a point past my shoulder. He cleared his throat, gave me an uncertain smile, then moved away.

  I turned to see Fitzroy hovering. "I'm not going to try and escape." At his small frown, I added, "Your constant presence…you seem to think I'll run away at any moment. I won't. I gave you my word and I intend to keep it."

  "I never doubted it." Still, he did not leave.

  "Is there something you wished to speak to me about?"

  "No." He went to walk away but stopped. "Yes. Are you comfortable here? Is there anything you require?"

  "I'm not sure. I haven't resided here as a free woman for very long yet." At his blank face, I added, "I have everything I need for now. Thank you."

  It was a strange, awkward conversation, which seemed to be leading onto a further question, perhaps the one I suspected he truly wanted to ask, yet he merely said, "I will be out all afternoon, searching for Dr. Frankenstein."

  "Without me?"

  "Your presence isn't required."

  "I suppose not." I was relieved, on the whole, yet a part of me wanted to go with him. Or wanted, at least, to be with him.

  I forced myself to walk up the stairs. I didn't like my growing feelings for someone who'd kidnapped me without qualms and held me prisoner until I'd made myself useful. I doubted he thought about me in the same way I thought about him. He'd certainly given no indication that he did. Such an imbalance of feelings between two people was never a good thing.

  I read A Guide To The Spirit World in my small sitting room and learned more about my power in thirty minutes than I'd discovered in eighteen years. Most of it chilled me. A necromancer was different to a spirit medium, in that mediums could only speak to ghosts that had decided to remain and haunt their place of death. They could summon spirits into the living body of another through possession, but the spirit had a will of its own and a medium could not control it. A necromancer could raise a spirit that had already crossed over and control it—any spirit, no matter how long ago they'd died. The spirit could go anywhere in its ghostly form and not be confined to their place of death. That made necromancers much more powerful. Frighteningly so. The only limitation was that a spirit raised by necromancy couldn't be placed into a living body, only a dead one. The book didn't specify whether the body had to be its own or could be any cadaver.

  I re-read the page three times then shut the book and folded it against my chest. It seemed I'd only scratched the surface of my capabilities so far. What unnerved me was that Fitzroy already knew this information, and so, perhaps, did the others. It was no wonder he wanted to keep me away from madmen and evil ones.

  I set aside the book and read a novel to lighten my mood until Gus and Seth coaxed me outside for a walk. I'd been surprised to see them, having assumed Fitzroy took them with him in his search for Frankenstein.

  "If Fitzroy finds him, do you think he'll confront him alone?" I asked as we ambled through the orchard.

  Seth, who'd been striding ahead, slowed to walk alongside me again. "He might."

  "That's rather foolish. He ought to have you two as support."

  "He don't need us," Gus said, picking off an unripe apple and throwing it at a trunk. It missed.

  "Fitzroy works better alone," Seth clarified. "Especially when he's following someone."

  "We ain't that bad!"

  "No, but he's better. If he's following you," he said to me, "you'll never know it. A hunting cat makes more noise than Death."

  I could attest to that all too well. "What do you know about him? His background, his family, where is he from?"

  "Wouldn't know." Gus snapped another apple from the tree and threw it as hard as possible. It split when it hit a nearby trunk and he gave a whoop of delight.

  "We know very little about him," Seth said. "Neither of us has been employed by the ministry for long."

  "How did you end up working for him?"

  Seth picked an apple and threw it at the same tree, but missed. Gus snorted. We'd stopped altogether, both men distracted by their sport. I thought they wouldn't answer my question, but after three misses, Seth did.

  "I found myself at a loose end one evening. Death was there and offered me a job."

  "Bloody liar," Gus said with a shake of his head. "Seth were gambling and drinking like there ain't no tomorrow. He had nothing left to lose, except his own person, so he staked it."

  "What do you mean, 'staked it'?"

  "Himself. His body."

  "That's enough," Seth growled. "She's a lady. She doesn't want to hear the particulars."

  "I'm no lady, and I certainly do want to hear the particulars. They're the best part."

  Seth's face turned a bright crimson as he glared at Gus. Gus ignored him. "Some old, fat lord took the wager. Said his wife would like to lie with a young, handsome fellow again." He leaned closer to me, his grin splitting his face. "Only I think the old lord wanted Seth for himself. The look on his wrinkly face when Seth removed his shirt to prove—"

  "I did not remove my shirt!" Seth rolled his eyes. "It's no
t true, Charlie. That part isn't, at least. Anyway, how would you know, Gus? You weren't there."

  "You told me, you blathering idiot. That first night you arrived at Lichfield, feeling all sorry for yourself. You got rollicking drunk and tossed up your guts and your story."

  "That doesn't explain how you wound up here, working for Fitzroy," I said. "So you lost to the lord at cards."

  "Got soundly beaten," Seth said. "Fitzroy was there and offered to pay my debt in exchange for coming to work for him."

  "The gentleman accepted?"

  "Not at first, but Death offered him a large sum." Seth puffed out his chest. "He realized my worth."

  "Realized how desperate you were," Gus said, pulling off another apple. "You were available at just the right time too, and had some skills he could use." He slapped his colleague on his brawny shoulder. "He ain't just a pretty face, Charlie. He can shoot straight and bare-knuckle box with the best of 'em. I saw him defeat Toothless Tom in the ring."

  "Why were you fighting in a bare knuckle boxing match?" I asked Seth. "It's not the sort of thing a toff does." Attending the illegal matches was, but I'd never heard of one actually getting his hands dirty.

  "I like to fight," Seth said with a shrug.

  "He were desperate, and the pay were good. Everyone in the city came to see the toff in the ring. Including me, and maybe Death. That's probably where Fitzroy first saw him." Gus threw his apple, not at a trunk but into the middle distance.

  Seth picked off another and threw it in the same direction. It passed Gus's. He gave his friend a smirk. Gus took that as a challenge and got another apple. He threw it hard, and it traveled so far I couldn't see where it landed.

  "Ha! Beat that," he said.

  Seth's next apple also disappeared from sight.

  "Wait a moment." I hiked up my skirts and climbed the nearest apple tree. It felt like an age since I'd scrambled over a fence or wall. It was something I used to do several times a day. That and run, usually away from my pickpocket victim or the police.

  "Charlie! What you doin' up there?" Gus cried, tilting his head back.

  "Seeing who won. I think it was Seth."

  "Get down before you hurt yourself," Seth called up.

  "I'm not going to fall."

  "If you get hurt, Death'll kill us," Gus said. "Come down now or we'll come up and get you."

  I sighed and began to descend. "I was just having some fun. Turn away so you can't see up my skirt."

  Both men dutifully turned their backs. I took the opportunity to pluck two apples and drop them on their heads.

  "Oi!" Gus cried, rubbing his head.

  I landed on both feet beside him and grinned. He frowned, but Seth laughed. "You're unlike any girl I know," he said.

  "That's because I'm not used to behaving like a girl."

  "That be true," Gus muttered. "You shouldn't be climbing trees. Lady Harcourt would have a fit."

  "I don't care what Lady Harcourt thinks. Or anyone, for that matter. If I want to climb a tree, I'll climb a tree. Girls should be allowed to."

  "Ain't proper," Gus grumbled, striding off. "Besides, you ain't a girl, you're a woman."

  I stared at his retreating back, as rigid as a plank of wood. Why had my behavior upset him so much?

  "Don't mind him," Seth said as we followed at a slower pace. "He's still not sure what to make of you. Sometimes he thinks of you as a lad, and other times he becomes aware of your femininity and he gets embarrassed."

  "Why?"

  "Because he doesn't know how to act around females. They scare him."

  "Why do we scare him?"

  "I'm not sure. Why don't you ask him?"

  Perhaps I would, but another time. Gus didn't look in the mood to talk to me.

  We headed back inside the house, where I spent a dull afternoon waiting for Fitzroy to return. The day stretched into the evening, and Seth, Gus and I dined in the kitchen with Cook. Afterward we played cards and I learned some new games from the men. If we'd been playing for real money instead of dried broad beans, I would have lost a fortune. I couldn't concentrate. Every creak of the house made me glance at the door. Every chime of the long case clock in the entrance hall set my teeth on edge. When it finally chimed ten, I couldn't stand it any longer.

  "Where is he?" I tossed my cards down on the table and got up.

  The others watched me pace back and forth with bemused expressions. "There's no need to worry," Seth said. "He'll be fine. He always is."

  "You don't know that. He could be lying injured or dead somewhere."

  Gus swept the cards up in his big paw and began shuffling them. "Come sit down and stop worrying. For one thing, he don't deserve it. For another, he can take care of himself. You ain't seen what he's capable of, yet."

  Cook and Seth both nodded in agreement. When I refused to sit and continued pacing, Seth got up and intercepted me. He clasped my arms and dipped his head to peer into my eyes. He was about to say something when a shadow blocked the doorway.

  I gasped at the sight of Fitzroy looking as unruffled as always. "You're back!" I wrenched free of Seth's grip, but stopped myself rushing to Fitzroy like I wanted to. "Did you find him?"

  "Yes." He came into the kitchen and immediately the space seemed smaller. His gaze flicked over me then settled on Seth.

  Seth swallowed heavily and sat at the table again.

  "I'll warm up dinner," Cook said, rising.

  "And?" I asked, as Fitzroy poured himself a glass of water from a jug. "What happened after you found him?"

  "I lost him."

  That had everyone staring, even Cook.

  Fitzroy set the glass down and regarded each of us in turn. The men returned to their tasks, but I met his gaze directly. "Go on," I said.

  "I learned where he lived, but when he didn't show up there, I returned to Holloway's house."

  "Father's? Why?"

  "I suspected he would visit again in a desperate attempt to find you. Holloway is his only link to you. I was right. He did."

  I bit my lip to stop myself voicing my fear that Frankenstein had injured the man who'd raised me. Fitzroy, however, must have understood my concern. "He realized Holloway couldn't help him and left without harming him. I followed but lost him."

  The other three men exchanged glances but made no comment. I suspected that was wise. Fitzroy seemed frostier than usual. His failure probably frustrated him.

  "I'm sure it wasn't easy to follow him in the dark." My attempt to mollify him earned me the full force of that icy glare. I cleared my throat and forged ahead anyway. "I'm sure you'll find him again soon."

  He didn't respond. Instead, he took his dinner to his rooms. The others resumed their card game, but I yawned and said goodnight. Upstairs, I contemplated knocking on Fitzroy's door, but I had nothing to say to him and I would only embarrass myself by asking after his wellbeing.

  I prepared for bed, then lay under the covers listening to the silence. An hour later, I could no longer stand it. I got up, threw a shawl around my shoulders, lit a candle, and padded along the hallway to Fitzroy's rooms. I was about to knock on the door when it opened. Fitzroy seemed as surprised to see me standing there as I was to see him dressed for going out.

  "Where are you headed at this time of night?" I blurted.

  His eyebrows arched and I pressed my lips together. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Out."

  "But it must be almost midnight. What can you possibly— Oh." Where else did a gentleman go at such a time, but to visit his lover? Thank goodness the light from my candle flame wasn't strong enough to show my reddening face. "I was concerned for your welfare," I mumbled pathetically.

  He paused. "Why?"

  I shrugged. "I don't know. I just am. You were out for so long tonight, and now you're going out again." I lowered my candle. "Of course you must want to see her, and she you."

  "Who?"

  "I don't know. Lady Harcourt, I presume."

  His eyes briefly flared.


  "It's none of my affair who you see in the evenings, secretly or otherwise," I went on. "If it is her, however, I can think of no one more lovely. You're both interesting people and you make a handsome couple." Ugh, strike me down before I say something even more humiliating. I turned to go, but Fitzroy grabbed my hand, the one holding the candlestick at a slight tilt.

  "You're dripping wax on the floor." He righted the candle, but didn't immediately let go. His hand remained over mine, his warmth seeping through my skin to my bones. "I am not going to see Lady Harcourt." He spoke softly, his voice a deep purr.

  "Oh," I said on a breath. I angled my face to peer up at his, only to be caught in his black, fathomless gaze as thoroughly as an insect in a web. I couldn't pull myself free, no matter how much I wanted to. "Another, then."

  "You're bold, Charlie." His thumb stroked my knuckles and his head dipped closer to mine. It was such a small move, yet I'd noticed it. It gave me hope and courage to ignore the voice within me shouting at me to stop.

  Another voice was louder. It urged me to kiss him.

  CHAPTER 12

  I reached up to touch Fitzroy's cheek. I didn't know what I was doing. It was like someone else lifted my hand and angled my head. I'd never flirted with anyone, never kissed a man, yet here I was behaving as if it were something I did all the time.

  What must he think of me?

  What did I think of myself?

  I lowered my hand at the same moment he let my other go. We both took a step back. I pulled my shawl up my shoulder where it had slipped down.

  "Return to bed," he said, gruffly.

  Too full of swirling emotions to think of something clever to say, I simply turned and walked back to my rooms. I was about to close the door when he stopped nearby. I hadn't realized he'd followed.

  "Please accept my apologies," he said with a curt bow. "That was unforgivable."

  I wanted to shout at him that it wasn't, that feelings ought to be acted upon. But I didn't know if he had feelings for me. Nor did I think acting on them was the right thing to do in our situation—not when I was being honest with myself. "You have nothing to apologize for," was all I could manage.