Page 73 of Of Fate and Phantoms
Alice, however, didn't seem quite so convinced. "It's something, I suppose."
I spent the rest of the morning discussing housekeeping matters with Mrs. Cotchin, including the employment of more staff. Lady V sat in on the meeting, but didn't interfere unless I asked her opinion, which I did frequently. I had a lot to learn. Running a household the size of Lichfield was not an insignificant task. Mrs. Cotchin and Doyle had already discussed how many extra servants were needed, and had settled on two maids and a footman, with extra ones to be employed on a temporary basis for balls or dinner parties. Mrs. Cotchin already had candidates in mind.
If deferring to me and not Lincoln or Lady V struck Mrs. Cotchin as odd, she didn't say. It didn't occur to me until after she left how it must appear. I was not the senior lady of the house, I wasn't engaged to Lincoln, nor was I officially his ward, yet everyone treated me as if I was in charge in his absence.
I had a mind to sneak into his rooms and try on the ring, but his return after luncheon put an end to that idea. I got the opportunity to see the ring again when he called a meeting in his study over luncheon.
Doyle brought in a tray of cold meats and salads, but I was momentarily distracted from the food by the ring box. It had moved. It no longer sat at the back of the desk, but near the front. Had he moved it? Had Doyle? He was the only servant allowed in, to clean and make the bed each morning. Mrs. Cotchin hadn't yet earned Lincoln's trust. But surely Doyle knew not to move anything, or if he did, to put everything back exactly as it was.
I eyed Lincoln to see if he'd realized that I'd noticed, but he concentrated on his plate of food.
"I have a lead," he said after a moment. "There's definitely a man named King in the area, but I can't pin him down. One lead tells me he lives in Pelham Street, another says he's in the vicinity of Swallow Gardens, and another claims there's a King in Lower Chapman. I did find the man named King in Pelham, but it's not the right one."
"Wrong age?" Seth asked.
"Wrong hands. They were smaller than mine. He was also blond."
"Did you go to Swallow Gardens and Lower Chapman?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I want to watch the areas, not ask more questions. Too suspicious. To watch both places on my own is too time consuming."
"You need us," Gus said, his mouth full of ham. "Want to go now?"
"Finish your lunch. We'll take a cab. You two watch Lower Chapman, one positioned at either end. I'll watch Swallow Gardens alone. There's only one exit."
"He might not be at either," I said.
"He might not. There was also a report that he's not in Whitechapel at all, but moved out of the district a few years ago. My source didn't know where."
We finished our luncheon, and the three of them prepared to head out, but I asked Lincoln to remain. "A quick word before you go," I said, turning my back to this desk and the mystery of the moved ring box. "It's about Alice. She received a letter from her parents demanding she return to the school. They're worried she's fallen prey to your charms and has become your mistress."
His brows flew up his forehead. "They have good imaginations for a couple as staid as Alice claims them to be."
"She's already written to them and explained the situation, but I think you ought to write too. Be friendly and agreeable, and reassure them that she's here merely to keep me company. Then invite them to stay."
"More visitors?"
"Alice doesn't think they'll come. She thinks they're doing this for show, and they won't follow through on their threat."
"I'll write to them this evening."
"Or I could draft a response on your behalf, since you're so busy and I have nothing better to do. You can copy it later, or change it, if you like."
"I like your plan."
He went to leave but I caught his hand. "Be careful today. It's not all that long ago that you were confined to bed with exhaustion and a head injury."
"I'll be more careful than usual." He pressed a warm, soft kiss on my forehead.
"You will?"
He drew away. "You make me want to be careful." He strode off, leaving me more certain than ever that there'd been times in his life when he hadn't cared about his own safety. That had changed.
After they left, I sat at my escritoire and drafted the letter from Lincoln to Alice's parents. I was just re-reading it when Doyle announced two visitors.
"Names of Finley and Mink," he said, wrinkling his nose. "They're waiting outside at the back of the house."
I invited the boys into the kitchen, keeping to one end, away from the painter and his apprentice putting the finishing touches to the wall. Cook handed each boy a bowl of hearty beef and vegetable soup. Finley blew on it then sipped straight from the bowl. Mink used the spoon. Despite the steam rising from the soup, they managed to consume it all in under a minute.
