Page 68 of Of Fate and Phantoms
Buchanan held up his hands in surrender. "Bloody hell, Charlie, call off your dogs. I was just leaving."
Cook and Doyle escorted him out.
"Are you all right?" Alice asked, frowning into my face.
I nodded and wrapped my arms around my body. "I need a bath."
* * *
Iwaitedin the library alone, my feet tucked under me, the fire and a blanket keeping the chill at bay. Alice and the servants had gone to bed an hour ago. I tried to read but worry for Lincoln, and thoughts about Buchanan and Lady Harcourt, distracted me.
Soft footsteps and murmured voices after midnight had me throwing off the blanket and leaping out of the armchair. I met Lincoln in the doorway. Behind him, Seth and Gus retreated up the stairs, their steps weary.
I released a long breath. "You're back," I said simply.
Lincoln inclined his head and searched my face. "You look tired."
"I'll go to bed after you tell me how it went." I took his hand and led him to the fireplace. He ought to be cold, but he wasn't. Nor did he look tired. He was fully recovered from the explosion then, thank goodness.
He sat after I did, our two armchairs facing across the hearth. He stretched out his legs and crossed his feet at the ankles. "There's little to tell," he said. "Our inquiries were met with silence, despite offering a financial reward. We even gave assurances that we only wanted to talk to him, nothing more, but we received no answers."
"It's a dead end then. Speaking of dead, perhaps King is. It was years ago that Lord Erskine spoke to him."
Lincoln shook his head. "We spoke with old timers, and none claimed to know him. I think they lied."
"How do you know?" Lincoln wasn't all that good at understanding people, but he usually knew when someone lied to him.
"Small signs. The lack of eye contact, for one, and the quick dismissal of our questions altogether. Seth and Gus reported the same strange behavior."
"You split up?"
He nodded. "We entered the Cat and Fiddle separately and left the same way. We questioned discreetly. Even I was discreet," he added with a wry smile.
I laughed softly. "So they're all protecting this man, King. How interesting that he inspires such loyalty."
"I wish I knew his secret."
"You inspire loyalty, Lincoln."
"Perhaps now, but certainly not before you came here.Youinspire their loyalty, not me. At least I no longer expect to wake up to someone standing over me with a knife."
I laughed again, even though I knew he spoke the truth, or close to it. The men hadn't particularly liked him when I arrived at Lichfield, and I certainly hadn't. I'd even planned to kill him in his sleep, although I knew now that I never could have carried out that plan. "You would never let anyone get that close," I said lightly. "So now what?"
"Now we take our questions outside the Cat and Fiddle. Perhaps we'll find someone less loyal."
"We'll return to Mink's hideout tomorrow," I said. "Hopefully he'll be prepared to spy for us." I yawned, covering it with my hand.
"Bed," he said, rising and holding out his hand to me.
I took it and stood. "I have to tell you something. Buchanan was here tonight."
"Did he cause trouble?"
"No more than usual." At his frown, I added, "He wanted to talk to me about Lady Harcourt, as it happens."
"Why?"
I stifled another yawn and he tugged me toward the door, plucking the lamp from the table.
