Page 13 of Of Fate and Phantoms
"There must be a way of getting word to him."
"Why not approach it a different way?" Seth asked. "You could summon the spirit of the dead prince consort and ask him if he's going to do something nasty to his son."
"That's a foolish plan," Gus scoffed. "He ain't going to admit it, for one. And what's he going to do in spirit form?"
"Haunt him to death," Cook said. "That's what I'd do."
"Haunt your own son!"
"Maybe the Prince O' Wales is a right turd and deserves it."
Seth nodded slowly. "He doesn't treat his mistresses all that well once he tires of them."
"They tell you that?" Gus asked, his mouth cocked in a sly grin.
Seth’s gaze flicked to Alice. "Of course not. Why would I be in communication with the mistresses of His Royal Highness?"
"Got enough of your own to worry about, eh?" Cook's belly shook with his deep laugh.
"Half-wits," Seth muttered. "The point is, Cook may be right, and the prince consort might want his son to toe the royal line and straighten up now that he's middle aged. It won't be long before he'll take over the throne, but the way he acts, he won't be taken seriously by the public or government. It's not just the numerous mistresses; it's the parties, holidays and exorbitant expense. His lifestyle does not come cheaply or discreetly."
"That's a good theory," Alice said, "but his carefree lifestyle is not new and the prince consort has been dead a long time. Why threaten him now?"
"Perhaps the queen's ill and the ghost of her late husband knows it. Perhaps he sees the urgency now."
"I think the theory has merit," I said, "but if the spirit simply wants to scare the Prince of Wales, why is Leisl so concerned?"
"Perhaps she's overreacting," Seth said.
Alice bristled. "Because we females tend to?"
Seth held up his hands, warding her off. "Not at all," he said at the same moment Gus mumbled, "Aye."
Seth rolled his eyes. "And you wonder why no one wants to marry you."
"You ain't married neither," Gus shot back.
"That doesn't mean I haven't had proposals." Seth stood. "I'm going to bed. Alice, Charlie, can I escort you to your rooms?"
He escorted us along with Lincoln. My bedroom was a little down the corridor from Lincoln's. After Alice and Seth retreated to theirs, he steered me into the recessed doorway and rested his hand on the doorknob, barring my entry.
"Goodnight," he murmured.
"Goodnight," I whispered back.
He took my hand and placed it to his lips. He skimmed my knuckles with a kiss that was not quite a kiss, yet made my skin tighten and my blood thrum. He stepped away, much too soon, and strode toward his door.
"Oh. Wait," I said. He stopped and I caught up to him. "Lincoln, are you all right? Tonight must have been very trying for you."
He nodded. "I'm fine."
He did seem fine, but perhaps he was hiding his true feelings. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Goodnight." I turned away but stopped abruptly. I turned back only to see that he'd not moved.
He arched a brow.
