Page 56 of Of Fate and Phantoms
"My lord," I said. "Please, settle down and I will answer your questions. Firstly, Lord Gillingham has gone out and left instructions that his wife not be allowed out of her rooms."
The spirit stopped suddenly, his scowling face directly above mine. "He didwhat?" he bellowed.
"Don't worry about Gilly, Daddy," Harriet said. She couldn't hear or see her father's displeasure, but she must have guessed my statement upset him. "I can manage my husband." She gave me an arched look and I decided to leave the topic alone.
"Mr. Fitzroy and I are friends to your daughter, my lord. We wish her no harm. Indeed, we protect people like her and myself. People with supernatural abilities."
His nostrils flared. Up close, they were cavernous. "Being her friend doesn't make me inclined to speak to you of her affliction."
I didn't expect her father, a man who could change shape too, to call it an affliction. I was glad she couldn't hear. She had enough disappointment to bear with her husband's disgust.
"Please, sir," I begged. "If there's anything that can help us, you must tell us. There is no one else."
"You may be my daughter's friends, but I don't know you. I do know that Harriet is too trusting of others. She's gullible and inclined to think well of people who might not have her best interests at heart."
"We don't wish to harm her. Indeed, she's like me. Neither of us are normal."
"And him?" He jerked his head toward Lincoln. "What is his affliction?"
I paused but dared not glance Lincoln's way. "An inability to understand people."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lincoln shift his stance.
"Daddy, you must help." Harriet got to her feet and put out her hands, as if searching for something in the dark. I nodded in his direction and she turned toward the spirit. "The royal family is in trouble."
Erskine cocked his head to the side. "In what way?"
"Someone impersonated the Prince Consort," I told them. Harriet hadn't known the particulars, only that the royal family was affected.
"But he's dead," both Harriet and Erskine said at the same time.
"You see why we're searching for answers."
Harriet sat heavily on the bed again. "Indeed."
Erskine paced the room as a living person would, except his footsteps made no sound on the carpeted floor. After crossing the room three times, he stopped in front of Lincoln. "Why you?" he said to Lincoln's face.
Lincoln didn't answer, of course. He wouldn't even know Erskine was there.
"The Prince of Wales tasked us with the investigation," I told him. "We belong to a discreet organization working for England on matters such as this. Matters that can't be explained with reason or logic."
"Supernatural matters."
"Yes."
He half turned to look at me. "A government organization?"
"Semi-official. Mr. Fitzroy is our leader. Lord Gillingham is on the committee."
"Is he? Then why isn't he here, urging me to help?"
"Because he doesn't like his wife being involved, or his wife's family."
He must have understood my meaning because his nostrils flared again. His misty form shot toward me, his chin thrust out in all its noble glory. "If it's for the queen, then I am obliged to assist in any way I can."
"Thank you." I let go of my necklace. "He agreed to help," I informed the others.
Harriet clapped her hands quietly. "Thank you, Daddy. It's very important."
