Page 62 of House of Furies
It was no easy feat taking the heavy tray up three flights of steep stairs, but I managed. As I went, I was struck again by the silence of the house. It might have been any family home during a quiet period of the day, with ladies sewing in the parlor and the gentlemen reading or out riding. That peacefulness would soon be broken. I needed Lee to come out of his despair, just for a moment, and distract his uncle while I conducted my search. It would be a miracle if he listened to me after the way our meeting in the grotto ended.
My palms began to sweat as I neared their rooms. It was onething to flout George Bremerton’s wishes and remain friends with Lee; it was quite another to conspire with his nephew to reveal his dark secrets. But it had to be done. If Bremerton was lying about the messenger, what else was he concealing? Nausea rose in my gut as I considered that he might be seriously involved in the death of Lee’s mother. What if he had orchestrated it? What if he haddoneit?
And selfishly, I wondered if solving the mysteryforLee would somehow raise me again in his esteem.Yes, you fool, he is bound to fall in love with you after you implicate his last family member in a despicable crime.
I balanced the huge tray on my wrist and gave a few short knocks. My queasiness sharpened when Bremerton opened the door. He glowered down at me, a vein pulsing hideously in his temple. A long pistol was tucked into his trousers, and he hastily reached for a coat on the back of the door to put on and cover up the weapon.
This would require more delicacy than I had anticipated.
“What do you want?”
“I beg your pardon; I’ve brought the afternoon meal as requested,” I said, averting my eyes politely.
“Well, aren’t you all meek and courteous. That’s a change. Where’s the other girl? I asked the housekeeper to only send her.” He moved closer, his chest bumping the tray threateningly.
“Mary is indisposed,” I murmured. “I’ll only be a moment.”
“Fine. Put it down and be quick about it, and then I’mgoing to have a word with your employer. You’re meddlesome and strange, and I don’t want you anywhere near us.” He gave me the smallest possible crevice to slide through with the tray. Doing so required me to brush physically against him. I felt ill, discovered, and worse, he would be watching me too closely for me to speak to Lee.
But I walked softly through Lee’s rooms. The outer chamber was a sitting room area with a writing desk and a table for two. Through a small door lay his bedroom, with an armoire, screen, and window looking north out into the gardens. Lee sat on the bed, disheveled as before, his cravat hanging loose and rumpled around his neck. He stared out at the grounds, still as a statue.
“There’s food here, sir,” I told him gently. There was nowhere appropriate to place the service, so I diverted to the round table next to the bed and set it there. It felt bizarre to call a boy of my own age “sir,” but George Bremerton was not a meter behind me, watching.
“Oh, Louisa,” Lee said, standing and smoothing down his waistcoat. “You’re a sight for sore eyes. It’s good to see you again. I feel like we didn’t quite get to finish our last conversation.”
“She’ll be going,” Bremerton cut in, his arms folded tight and fussy across his chest.
“Don’t speak to her that way, Uncle. You’re embarrassing me.”
Bremerton tossed up his hands and pushed by me, cornering Lee against the window. Sighing, he blew out a furious breathand jabbed a finger at his nephew’s chest. “I am trying to be sensitive to your grieving, Rawleigh, but there is a limit. I will not cast aside every rule of society—”
I stopped listening. Behind me, at the open door, I felt an icy presence hovering. While they argued, I subtly turned my head, finding one of the Residents darkening the doorway, long, spidery fingers curled around the edge. It tilted its head to the side as if in inquiry, but I knew not what to do. Poppy breezed behind it, carrying a much smaller, more manageable tray, and of course Bartholomew trotted along at her heels. She didn’t notice the giant black shadow creature there, and it did not acknowledge her, either. It might have been one of her cruel adoptive brothers watching me. I couldn’t imagine being comfortable with such information, but Poppy was a strange creature.
Was it looking at me or the men behind me? Was it worried about me or was I under its surveillance, too?
Then, gradually, its blurry form jittering like a shape seen through fog, it lifted one hand and tapped its vacant white eye with a fingertip.
I’m watching you.
I shivered and turned back around, sensing the instant it was gone. It was Lee’s turn to go on the offensive, all but screaming at his uncle, his face bright red, curls mussed and falling over his forehead.
“And you’ve done nothing to arrange a burial for her, haveyou? You sat here all day like a hen minding its chicks. I can’t even take a walk around the grounds without you having a fit. It’s... It’s stifling! Just leave me be!”
George Bremerton retreated with a snarl, but only to the writing desk. He sat down heavily in the chair and glared at nothing in particular. Only a small victory, but Lee crossed to the other side of the bed and reached for the tea, pouring himself a cup and drinking it, still defiant and angry, and heedless of the hot water. He hissed through his teeth and drank more, as if the scalding somehow emboldened him.
“Here,” I said, happy for any excuse to dodge out of Bremerton’s sight. “Let me set this out for you.”
I slid the lid off the plate with tiny sandwiches and an array of cheeses drizzled with honey. Lee didn’t take any interest in the food, still choking down his too-hot tea.
“I need you to occupy your uncle for a while,” I whispered as quietly as possible. Lee leaned in close, lifting a brow. “Take him to the spa or to the gardens. Something is amiss and I need to make certain he wasn’t involved with the murder.”
“He...What?” Lee nearly dropped the teacup. Then he remembered himself and lowered his voice, moving so close his ear touched mine. “You have proof of this?”
“I will,” I assured him. We were going to run out of time any second. “I have some new information, but I can’t tell you everything right now. He’s been lying to you, Lee, I know it. I’ll have proof enough if you can just distract him for a while!”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to find the truth, then, for my mother.” Lee nodded and set his jaw, putting the teacup down on the tray with more force than was strictly necessary. “Uncle!” He gave me a confident nod and fussed with his cravat, tying it back into a presentable knot. “I think some fresh air would benefit me greatly, or we might have a dip in the waters. And we must discuss the plans for my mother’s burial....”
I followed him out of the room and kept walking, not sparing a glance for George Bremerton as I passed. “Will you be taking your supper in your rooms, sir?”
