Page 50 of House of Furies
“It’s done. You can open your eyes.”
I peered through a squint, finding the doves had returned to the cage. They preened as normal birds would, though I thought I saw a twinge of red fading in their eyes.
“What... What did you do to them?” I whispered.
“They can hold on to a soul and keep it safe,” Mary explained. “Like wee living vaults.”
The birds... I thought of the hundreds of them Mr. Morningside kept in the manse. Were those all holding captured souls, or were they simply empty vessels waiting to be filled? What need did a single man have of birds stuffed with human souls? A dark, dark feeling consumed me, one of foreboding and sickness. Those birds sitting passively in his office no longer seemed a charming quirk but a harbinger. I shuddered, pulling the blanket close against the returned chill. The candles had gone out. The mist abated. I glanced to my right and saw Giles with his hands clasped together under his chin, grinning from ear to ear.
“Spectacular,” he whispered, flushed. “Pure magnificence.”
In a way, I had to agree. I wasn’t certainwhatI had witnessed, only that it was mesmerizing. He was bringing his hands together for applause when a noise from upstairs startled us all. It was the door, and someone was knocking frantically. I hopped up from the chair, leaving my cup behind on the stool and starting for the stairs. Chijioke beat me there, heading up first.
“At leastsomebodybloody knocks,” I heard Giles mutter, following.
“It could be Lee,” I said. It was a short journey up to the first level and the warm salon. Francis was still lounging by the fire and didn’t lift his head as we passed by. “He knows I came along.”
“Hmm.” Chijioke led us swiftly through the maze of halls tothe front passage and all its family portraits. “It’s a good thing he didn’t turn up a half minute sooner.”
“What happens if you’re interrupted?” I asked, waiting behind the door with him. The others were crammed in behind us, Mary trying to peek over my shoulder.
Chijioke looked back and down at me, smirking. “I haven’t a clue. Not keen to find out either, lass.” He leaned into the door, watching through the glass peephole. “Seems you were right. It’s the Brimble boy.”
“Let me talk to him,” I said. The astonishment of the ferrying and the shock of being attacked dropped away. The exhaustion was there, of course, just beneath the surface, but distant enough that I could shove it aside. And now here was my sometime conspirator, and we were away from Coldthistle House. Now was as good a chance as I might get to mount an escape. I had never found cosmetics, but I would just have to persuade him to leave as best I could.
“Louisa and I will step outside,” Mary said. Her tone was just insistent enough to make me prickle. “The two of you can finish up here, yes?”
But Chijioke wasn’t moving away from the door. The knocking persisted. He stared down at me, arching one quizzical brow. “Haven’t you had enough adventure for one night, Miss Louisa?”
“I only mean to say hello,” I replied. The blanket had slid down to my elbows and I folded it neatly, handing it across toGiles. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“Of course,” he said, giving an ostentatious bow. He straightened and stuck one finger into the air. “Next time a leeching, eh? Does wonders for the constitution.”
“Next time,” I echoed. Yes. A leeching. A maypole dance. A swift kick in the head. I would agree to anything so long as it got me out the door.
Chijioke moved aside, slowly, sighing all the way, his displeasure so palpable that I shrank as I went by. Outside, Lee had ceased the knocking, standing back on his heels and inspecting the building as if he might find a window to tap on. He was ready with his usual explosive smile the moment he saw us.
“Thought I saw you all trot in there,” he crowed. “Do you know, there was the most bizarre light flashing out from inside the place. Did you see it?”
“Perhaps it was a carriage passing behind in the alley,” Mary offered. “There’s a back entrance for delivering, well... There’s a back entrance.”
“Hmm...” The answer didn’t seem to satisfy him, but he was quickly on to the next concern, my bruised face. “Heavens, Louisa, what happened? Every time I see you you’ve incurred some new bump or scrape.”
There was so much I wanted to say, but as before, there was no telling what might endanger Lee to hear. For God’s sake, I just watched a kind, gentle young man transfer a human soul into a bird! I would never be believed. The more mundane cruelty ofmen, I wagered, was something Lee could understand, and so I glanced at Mary, trying to ask the obvious question with my eyes. She gave a tiny nod.
“Dr. Merriman attacked me on the way over,” I said. “It’s a long and ugly story, but luckily he was not successful. Anyway, we have other things to discuss, Lee.”
“Attacked you!? Is he subdued? I should... I say... A hundred punishments spring to mind. What possible motivation could he have?” Lee drew closer, closing one eye and examining my right temple. “The lout should rot in prison forever.”
“He’ll be rotting for about that long in the ground,” I murmured.
“He’sdead?” Lee considered this for a moment, grimacing. “So soon after Mrs. Eames...” I could see him working out the implications of this. More guests were dying, which meant he could be next.
“Try not to worry too much,” I assured him. “He was an evil person. A very evil person. Not like you.”
“I should have been there to help you,” Lee said, lowering his eyes. “I should have insisted on having you come in the carriage with us. There was no need for you to suffer like that.”
“I’m all right,” I stated flatly. Dr. Merriman was dead, his vile soul locked in some poor dove’s body, yet we still lived. I wondered if Mary would even mind if I asked her directly to leave us alone. I could cite the shock of being attacked. I could draw on her obvious sympathy. Would she understand ifI wanted to leave? It felt wrong to ask, considering she had just saved my life.
